Title: A Place to Call Home
Author: RuthErin
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters, places, names, etc. associated with the Harry Potter series.
Summary: The war is over. Harry leaves the Dursley's to spend one last summer at the Burrow, but things get off to a rocky start, as secrets are revealed and old grudges are brought to light. Time is running out for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny: they must ultimately decide what to do now that school is finished, where they will spend their futures-and who they will spend them with.
Author's Notes: For Colleen, who kept Mrs. Weasley from kissing ANYONE firmly on the nose; and for Lauren who wanted more details of Ron and Hermione. you may just get your wish.
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Two- An Interesting Turn of Events
~*~
Harry left his trunk where it was and opened the front door to the Burrow. He was surprised at the lack of noise within. In fact, the only thing he could hear was the soft ticking of the old grandfather clock nearby. Harry went over to look at it. There were eleven hands on this unusual clock. Each hand was labeled for a different Weasley and, Harry noted with surprise, two new hands had been added: one for Harry and one for Hermione. Every hand pointed to Diagon Alley, with the exception of Mr. Weasley (at work at the Ministry), and Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were all there in the Burrow.
"But where are they?" wondered Harry, aloud. He went back outside and floated his things into the house and up the stairs, listening carefully for voices as he went. He turned the corner and headed up the final flight of stairs to Ron's tower room. When he reached the top step his trunk got wedged at a funny angle, and it took him almost two minutes to get it free.
~*~
Ron could hardly believe this was real! After almost two months of being alone and, quite frankly, unhappy, he and Hermione were back together just like before.
Actually, he reflected, as Hermione shifted herself into his lap in order to better reach his lips, things were better now than they had ever been before!
Hermione stopped kissing him and pulled back to look Ron squarely in the face.
"Hello? I can't do this all alone you know!" She laughed. "Well, I can, but it's much more fun if you reciprocate!"
Ron raised an eyebrow, frowning, and cocked his head.
"I hate when you use big words. maybe I should just, you know. help you shut your mouth?"
And with that he kissed her firmly on the lips. She pulled away giggling, and took his hands in hers, tracing the lines and tiny scars that marked his years of playing quidditch.
Ron caught her hands and leaned forward, kissing each one, before planting a soft bouquet of kisses along her throat.
~*~
Harry, sweating and out of breath, burst into Ron's room and gasped in surprise. He had found Ron and Hermione. Harry left his trunk where it was and quickly disaparated. Perhaps he had better wait downstairs.
~*~
Ron and Hermione pulled apart at the sound of someone disaparating from the room.
"What was that?" said Ron, and Hermione climbed out of Ron's lap and said very quietly.
"Ron. did you ever happen to tell Harry that we had got back together?" Ron shook his head looking confused, and a little uncomfortable; "Haven't really talked to him much. I don't think it ever came up. anyway, I figured we could tell him when he got here, you know?"
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, the opened them and pointed to the abandoned trunk in the doorway. Ron's eyes got wide.
"Ron, I think Harry's figured it out on his own." She bit her lip as Ron's ears flamed bright red.
Downstairs Harry looked at the clock and was relieved to see that the other five Weasley's were making their way back to the Burrow. Harry wandered back into the living room and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet.
A little shiver of exhilaration passed down his spine at how blissfully innocent the front-page stories were. The fear that had gripped the wizarding world for far too long had seemingly vanished with the demise of the Dark Lord. People continued to mourn for those that had been lost to tragic ends, but they were slowly beginning to live again.
For Harry, these past few months had been almost dream-like. The realization hit him suddenly-for the first time since he had learned about whom he really was things felt right. He blinked back a tear at the thought of all of the people who had died because of him: his mum and dad, Cedric, Sirius, Neville, and Bill. From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about danger following him to the people he cared for.
Harry startled at the small pop in the fireplace nearby, and watched as Fred Weasley scrambled out. He had hardly managed to brush himself off and step out of the way when there was another pop and George emerged. Next came Mrs. Weasley and, lastly, Ginny. Their chatter filled the house, and at once Harry's guilt gave way to an overwhelming sense of joy. These people were his friends; they were the closest things to family that he had ever known, with the exception of Sirius Black.
It was a moment before any of them noticed Harry standing quietly, watching them from beside the big sofa.
"Harry dear! How are you?" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, wrapping him in a big hug. Then, stepping back, she said matter-of-factly "Let me look you over; I do believe you've grown! You must be almost as tall as Ron now! Goodness knows how that boy has gotten so tall-it hasn't come from MY genes, I'm sure. "
She looked up at Harry and smiled warmly before dashing off to put on a kettle of stew. Harry turned to the others who had been watching Molly's inspection of him with laughter in their eyes.
"Oi, Harry; where's your stuff?" asked George, and Fred chimed in,
"Don't tell us you couldn't get past Uncle what's-it's locked doors!"
Harry grinned back at the twins and assured them, "it's all upstairs. I apparated in earlier while everyone was in Diagon Alley. I just left my trunk in Ron's room and came down here to wait for everybody to get back."
Fred leaned in close and said to Harry in a stage-whisper, "Don't mind us, mate; We're going to take off before mum reckons she needs to put us to work."
Just then, Mrs. Weasley poked her head in from the kitchen. "Fred? George? Come in here and set the table for lunch."
They groaned, rolling their eyes, and headed into the kitchen mumbling to themselves, but Harry thought he heard the words "abuse" and "grown wizards".
Ginny had finished brushing the soot off her clothes and out of her hair, and she turned towards Harry smiling. "Hello, Harry. Haven't you seen Ron and Hermione yet?"
Harry feigned confusion; "Are they here? I haven't seen them-I expected you had all gone out together."
Just then Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen; "Harry dear? Will you collect Ron and Hermione for lunch please? And tell him to let Pig out for some fresh air. He's driving me mad!"
Harry started for the stairs and then, realizing his error, stopped and turned to look guiltily back at Ginny. Sly laughter filled her eyes and he shrugged, grinning, and ran off to fetch Ron and Hermione.
A moment later the three filed downstairs. Hermione joined Ginny in the sitting room, Ron headed out the back door to release the squirming Pigwigeon he had brought down, and Harry joined Mrs. Weasley and the twins in the kitchen.
"Time to eat! Ron? Ginny? Come along everybody!"
Ginny and Hermione came in from the other room and a moment later Ron appeared from outside. They sat down to wait with Fred, George, and Harry, as Mrs. Weasley made the final preparations for their meal.
Ron and Hermione were being very quiet indeed, Molly Weasley could not help but notice, as she bustled around the kitchen transporting a self-ladling cauldron of stew and several loaves of hot, freshly baked bread to the table. She wondered if they had had a bit of a falling out while the family had been away.
~*~
After lunch the group gradually went their separate ways. Ginny and Hermione had gone upstairs; Fred, George and Ron were experimenting with fire breathing fudge pops out by the broom shed. They had invited Harry to join them, but he had opted for a walk instead.
Harry walked down to the lake and sat down under a tree. He shook his head vigorously trying to rid his brain of the image that had insisted on filling his thoughts all morning. Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Ron. Hermione in Ron's lap. Being very friendly. Snogging, in fact.
"You know what?" he said to a gnome, who was trying desperately to gnaw off the roots of a funny-looking, orange vine, "I reckon they got back together." The gnome threw down the plant and sprinted off to hide in a clump of nearby prickle-berries.
"Exactly." Said Harry, watching him go.
Harry rolled his eyes when he heard the soft crunch of leaves behind him.
"Stupid gnomes; I'm not going to chase you. What do I care if you eat all the prickle-berries." He said.
"Well, I don't suppose mum would be too pleased if I did eat them all," said a voice, "but then, I'm not sure I fancy being called a 'stupid gnome' either."
"What the-Ginny. what are you doing out here?"
"What are you doing out here? All alone?" She braced herself on his shoulder while she kicked off her shoes. Then she sat down next to him.
He blushed. "Ah, well; I just fancied a bit of fresh air, I suppose."
Ginny glanced back at the house, then studied his face, one eyebrow raised as a mischievous grin spread slowly across her face.
"You caught them snogging didn't you? When you first got here? I apologize; they don't seem to realize how stupid they are when they're together."
She rolled up her jeans and let her feet dangle in the cool water. Harry watched her gently stirring up the water and swallowed hard. He blushed and turned away; he had forgotten how graceful Ginny was. He took a sideways glance at her and was surprised to see that her face had gone from bright and cheerful to almost. wistful. Harry frowned and looked up at the sky. He could see the faint outline of the moon, even though it was only early after-noon.
"They didn't tell you, did they?" Her voice came from nowhere, and he was surprised at how in tuned she seemed to him at that moment.
"It doesn't matter;" he said truthfully. "It was bound to happen again. We all knew they were perfect for each other, practically from the start. And anyway, you know things haven't been the same between Ron and I since Bill died. I think a part of him still blames me. "
Ginny pulled one foot from the water so that she could turn to face him fully.
"That wasn't your fault. You didn't give You-Know-Who his power, and you didn't start this war!"
Harry struck the ground with his fist and turned away. "I did though! It was my blood that returned Voldemort to full strength!"
Ginny looked taken aback. "You can not blame yourself for a prophecy that was made before you were even born!"
Harry winced slightly as she turned him back towards her, her voice rising in her exasperation. "If it hadn't been you it would have been Neville; let's face it: if it had been Neville none of us would be here today."
Ginny paused and looked away for a moment. When she turned back to him there was something in her eyes Harry had not seen in a long time.
"If you're going to take the credit for anything, Harry, take the credit for ending the war-or did you forget that little detail?" she spoke with quiet conviction, and Harry knew better than to try contradicting her.
She shook her head as though sorting out her thoughts. "And don't try to pretend that I'm not right about that, Harry. I know you."
She looked away. He could see the dazzling reflection of the afternoon sun in the water.
"Do you," said Harry huskily, but it wasn't a question.
He turned to look at her, and was surprised to see how close they were. Ginny was looking down at her hands, which were folded loosely in her lap. Harry reached across the small space that divided them and drew her gently to him.
"I've missed you so much." He whispered, and she shivered.
"Me too," she said, leaning into his arms. "I've felt so lonely this summer, but whenever people realize it, they think it is just because of Bill. They still haven't figured us out."
"You are the best thing that has every happened to me, Gin. Did I ever tell you that? Do you know how good you are for me? How much longer can I hide that from the world?"
Harry laughed quietly to himself. "You know, eventually someone is going to walk in on us, like I walked in on Ron and Hermione. Then they'll have something to talk about."
Ginny didn't laugh. Instead she reached up and, winding her fingers in his hair, pulled Harry's mouth down to her own. Her kiss was full and sweet, and it took Harry's breath away. It had been so long.
Author: RuthErin
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters, places, names, etc. associated with the Harry Potter series.
Summary: The war is over. Harry leaves the Dursley's to spend one last summer at the Burrow, but things get off to a rocky start, as secrets are revealed and old grudges are brought to light. Time is running out for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny: they must ultimately decide what to do now that school is finished, where they will spend their futures-and who they will spend them with.
Author's Notes: For Colleen, who kept Mrs. Weasley from kissing ANYONE firmly on the nose; and for Lauren who wanted more details of Ron and Hermione. you may just get your wish.
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Two- An Interesting Turn of Events
~*~
Harry left his trunk where it was and opened the front door to the Burrow. He was surprised at the lack of noise within. In fact, the only thing he could hear was the soft ticking of the old grandfather clock nearby. Harry went over to look at it. There were eleven hands on this unusual clock. Each hand was labeled for a different Weasley and, Harry noted with surprise, two new hands had been added: one for Harry and one for Hermione. Every hand pointed to Diagon Alley, with the exception of Mr. Weasley (at work at the Ministry), and Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were all there in the Burrow.
"But where are they?" wondered Harry, aloud. He went back outside and floated his things into the house and up the stairs, listening carefully for voices as he went. He turned the corner and headed up the final flight of stairs to Ron's tower room. When he reached the top step his trunk got wedged at a funny angle, and it took him almost two minutes to get it free.
~*~
Ron could hardly believe this was real! After almost two months of being alone and, quite frankly, unhappy, he and Hermione were back together just like before.
Actually, he reflected, as Hermione shifted herself into his lap in order to better reach his lips, things were better now than they had ever been before!
Hermione stopped kissing him and pulled back to look Ron squarely in the face.
"Hello? I can't do this all alone you know!" She laughed. "Well, I can, but it's much more fun if you reciprocate!"
Ron raised an eyebrow, frowning, and cocked his head.
"I hate when you use big words. maybe I should just, you know. help you shut your mouth?"
And with that he kissed her firmly on the lips. She pulled away giggling, and took his hands in hers, tracing the lines and tiny scars that marked his years of playing quidditch.
Ron caught her hands and leaned forward, kissing each one, before planting a soft bouquet of kisses along her throat.
~*~
Harry, sweating and out of breath, burst into Ron's room and gasped in surprise. He had found Ron and Hermione. Harry left his trunk where it was and quickly disaparated. Perhaps he had better wait downstairs.
~*~
Ron and Hermione pulled apart at the sound of someone disaparating from the room.
"What was that?" said Ron, and Hermione climbed out of Ron's lap and said very quietly.
"Ron. did you ever happen to tell Harry that we had got back together?" Ron shook his head looking confused, and a little uncomfortable; "Haven't really talked to him much. I don't think it ever came up. anyway, I figured we could tell him when he got here, you know?"
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, the opened them and pointed to the abandoned trunk in the doorway. Ron's eyes got wide.
"Ron, I think Harry's figured it out on his own." She bit her lip as Ron's ears flamed bright red.
Downstairs Harry looked at the clock and was relieved to see that the other five Weasley's were making their way back to the Burrow. Harry wandered back into the living room and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet.
A little shiver of exhilaration passed down his spine at how blissfully innocent the front-page stories were. The fear that had gripped the wizarding world for far too long had seemingly vanished with the demise of the Dark Lord. People continued to mourn for those that had been lost to tragic ends, but they were slowly beginning to live again.
For Harry, these past few months had been almost dream-like. The realization hit him suddenly-for the first time since he had learned about whom he really was things felt right. He blinked back a tear at the thought of all of the people who had died because of him: his mum and dad, Cedric, Sirius, Neville, and Bill. From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about danger following him to the people he cared for.
Harry startled at the small pop in the fireplace nearby, and watched as Fred Weasley scrambled out. He had hardly managed to brush himself off and step out of the way when there was another pop and George emerged. Next came Mrs. Weasley and, lastly, Ginny. Their chatter filled the house, and at once Harry's guilt gave way to an overwhelming sense of joy. These people were his friends; they were the closest things to family that he had ever known, with the exception of Sirius Black.
It was a moment before any of them noticed Harry standing quietly, watching them from beside the big sofa.
"Harry dear! How are you?" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, wrapping him in a big hug. Then, stepping back, she said matter-of-factly "Let me look you over; I do believe you've grown! You must be almost as tall as Ron now! Goodness knows how that boy has gotten so tall-it hasn't come from MY genes, I'm sure. "
She looked up at Harry and smiled warmly before dashing off to put on a kettle of stew. Harry turned to the others who had been watching Molly's inspection of him with laughter in their eyes.
"Oi, Harry; where's your stuff?" asked George, and Fred chimed in,
"Don't tell us you couldn't get past Uncle what's-it's locked doors!"
Harry grinned back at the twins and assured them, "it's all upstairs. I apparated in earlier while everyone was in Diagon Alley. I just left my trunk in Ron's room and came down here to wait for everybody to get back."
Fred leaned in close and said to Harry in a stage-whisper, "Don't mind us, mate; We're going to take off before mum reckons she needs to put us to work."
Just then, Mrs. Weasley poked her head in from the kitchen. "Fred? George? Come in here and set the table for lunch."
They groaned, rolling their eyes, and headed into the kitchen mumbling to themselves, but Harry thought he heard the words "abuse" and "grown wizards".
Ginny had finished brushing the soot off her clothes and out of her hair, and she turned towards Harry smiling. "Hello, Harry. Haven't you seen Ron and Hermione yet?"
Harry feigned confusion; "Are they here? I haven't seen them-I expected you had all gone out together."
Just then Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen; "Harry dear? Will you collect Ron and Hermione for lunch please? And tell him to let Pig out for some fresh air. He's driving me mad!"
Harry started for the stairs and then, realizing his error, stopped and turned to look guiltily back at Ginny. Sly laughter filled her eyes and he shrugged, grinning, and ran off to fetch Ron and Hermione.
A moment later the three filed downstairs. Hermione joined Ginny in the sitting room, Ron headed out the back door to release the squirming Pigwigeon he had brought down, and Harry joined Mrs. Weasley and the twins in the kitchen.
"Time to eat! Ron? Ginny? Come along everybody!"
Ginny and Hermione came in from the other room and a moment later Ron appeared from outside. They sat down to wait with Fred, George, and Harry, as Mrs. Weasley made the final preparations for their meal.
Ron and Hermione were being very quiet indeed, Molly Weasley could not help but notice, as she bustled around the kitchen transporting a self-ladling cauldron of stew and several loaves of hot, freshly baked bread to the table. She wondered if they had had a bit of a falling out while the family had been away.
~*~
After lunch the group gradually went their separate ways. Ginny and Hermione had gone upstairs; Fred, George and Ron were experimenting with fire breathing fudge pops out by the broom shed. They had invited Harry to join them, but he had opted for a walk instead.
Harry walked down to the lake and sat down under a tree. He shook his head vigorously trying to rid his brain of the image that had insisted on filling his thoughts all morning. Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Ron. Hermione in Ron's lap. Being very friendly. Snogging, in fact.
"You know what?" he said to a gnome, who was trying desperately to gnaw off the roots of a funny-looking, orange vine, "I reckon they got back together." The gnome threw down the plant and sprinted off to hide in a clump of nearby prickle-berries.
"Exactly." Said Harry, watching him go.
Harry rolled his eyes when he heard the soft crunch of leaves behind him.
"Stupid gnomes; I'm not going to chase you. What do I care if you eat all the prickle-berries." He said.
"Well, I don't suppose mum would be too pleased if I did eat them all," said a voice, "but then, I'm not sure I fancy being called a 'stupid gnome' either."
"What the-Ginny. what are you doing out here?"
"What are you doing out here? All alone?" She braced herself on his shoulder while she kicked off her shoes. Then she sat down next to him.
He blushed. "Ah, well; I just fancied a bit of fresh air, I suppose."
Ginny glanced back at the house, then studied his face, one eyebrow raised as a mischievous grin spread slowly across her face.
"You caught them snogging didn't you? When you first got here? I apologize; they don't seem to realize how stupid they are when they're together."
She rolled up her jeans and let her feet dangle in the cool water. Harry watched her gently stirring up the water and swallowed hard. He blushed and turned away; he had forgotten how graceful Ginny was. He took a sideways glance at her and was surprised to see that her face had gone from bright and cheerful to almost. wistful. Harry frowned and looked up at the sky. He could see the faint outline of the moon, even though it was only early after-noon.
"They didn't tell you, did they?" Her voice came from nowhere, and he was surprised at how in tuned she seemed to him at that moment.
"It doesn't matter;" he said truthfully. "It was bound to happen again. We all knew they were perfect for each other, practically from the start. And anyway, you know things haven't been the same between Ron and I since Bill died. I think a part of him still blames me. "
Ginny pulled one foot from the water so that she could turn to face him fully.
"That wasn't your fault. You didn't give You-Know-Who his power, and you didn't start this war!"
Harry struck the ground with his fist and turned away. "I did though! It was my blood that returned Voldemort to full strength!"
Ginny looked taken aback. "You can not blame yourself for a prophecy that was made before you were even born!"
Harry winced slightly as she turned him back towards her, her voice rising in her exasperation. "If it hadn't been you it would have been Neville; let's face it: if it had been Neville none of us would be here today."
Ginny paused and looked away for a moment. When she turned back to him there was something in her eyes Harry had not seen in a long time.
"If you're going to take the credit for anything, Harry, take the credit for ending the war-or did you forget that little detail?" she spoke with quiet conviction, and Harry knew better than to try contradicting her.
She shook her head as though sorting out her thoughts. "And don't try to pretend that I'm not right about that, Harry. I know you."
She looked away. He could see the dazzling reflection of the afternoon sun in the water.
"Do you," said Harry huskily, but it wasn't a question.
He turned to look at her, and was surprised to see how close they were. Ginny was looking down at her hands, which were folded loosely in her lap. Harry reached across the small space that divided them and drew her gently to him.
"I've missed you so much." He whispered, and she shivered.
"Me too," she said, leaning into his arms. "I've felt so lonely this summer, but whenever people realize it, they think it is just because of Bill. They still haven't figured us out."
"You are the best thing that has every happened to me, Gin. Did I ever tell you that? Do you know how good you are for me? How much longer can I hide that from the world?"
Harry laughed quietly to himself. "You know, eventually someone is going to walk in on us, like I walked in on Ron and Hermione. Then they'll have something to talk about."
Ginny didn't laugh. Instead she reached up and, winding her fingers in his hair, pulled Harry's mouth down to her own. Her kiss was full and sweet, and it took Harry's breath away. It had been so long.