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: Hehehehehe.
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Three- Ginny's Surprise
~*~
More than a week had passed since Harry's arrival at the Burrow. Ron and Hermione had finally realized that Harry was not going react at either their being together, or at having caught them snogging. It had taken them a few days, but eventually they went back to normal, with the realization that, not only was Harry fine with it, but also had expected it to happen again at some point.
Harry and Ginny had not had any time alone since that first afternoon. This, along with the fact that he had yet to receive his N.E.W.T.s, was driving Harry mad. Only Ginny seemed to understand what he was feeling. She had been testy all week, and went pale at the arrival of every owl. This morning was no different.
When the tawny school owl had arrived with a thick roll of parchment, everyone had excitedly assumed it was for Harry.
"Go on, Harry! Open it!" Cried Hermione, who seemed to find it most difficult to remain seated at that moment; she kept jumping up and then sitting back down, as though she could not make up her mind which she preferred.
Harry turned the parchment over in his hands and immediately the flopping motion in his stomach, which had begun when the owl had first arrived in the kitchen, stopped.
"It's not for me. It's for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."
He handed the parchment over to a very surprised Mrs. Weasley, and looked forlornly at his porridge, which had barely been touched. He was seriously beginning to wonder if he would ever get his N.E.W.T. results.
He looked up sharply when Mrs. Weasley shrieked and clamped a hand over her heart. "'This is to inform you'," she read breathlessly, "'that your daughter, Virginia Weasley, has challenged the seventh year curriculum at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and successfully completed more than the minimum number of required N.E.W.T.s. Her results are as follows.' good heavens!" she quickly scanned the following pages, a look of astonishment covering her face. "Seven! Seven N.E.W.T.s! How is this possible? Ginny?"
By now, everyone was staring, shocked, at Ginny, whose face had gone pale at the arrival of the owl, and had remained so. She stared at her mother, seemingly at a loss for words.
"I-I. They told me I'd be getting my results this summer. I thought I'd. I can't believe it!"
Her face broke into a bright smile, and she stared dazedly around the kitchen at the others, before allowing her eyes to rest on Harry.
"I did it! Harry, I'm finished! I don't have to go back next year! I can stay with you!"
Now everybody looked at Harry with sudden comprehension, and his face colored. This wasn't exactly how he'd planned on telling them about he and Ginny. Finally, Mrs. Weasley spoke again.
"But, Ginny. dear. what does this mean? You're finished at Hogwarts? You don't have to take the N.E.W.T.s?
"No, mum! Don't you understand? I couldn't bear the thought of going back there alone next year, and I was sure I knew as much as I needed to know for the N.E.W.T.s. So I talked Professor Dumbledore into letting me take the N.E.W.T.s when all the seventh years did. He said I had to get at least three N.E.W.T.s, or I'd have to return, after all. I didn't want him to tell you and dad in case I didn't make it. But I did it! Seven! I can't believe it!" she finished breathlessly.
"What I want to know," said Ron, staring furiously at Harry, "is what all this has to do with him."
Ginny frowned and opened her mouth to answer, but Harry put a hand on her arm to quiet her. She looked at him, and understood: this was one he needed to answer. Harry took a deep breath, and turned to look at Ron and the others.
"Ginny and I have been going out since December. Everyone was so busy studying for the N.E.W.T.s they didn't seem to notice, and as we knew that we'd take some getting used to." he paused, and looked Ron in the eye;
"We figured we'd best keep it quiet 'til after the exams."
Ron, seething, took a step towards them, and challenged, "Exams have been over for almost two months. When were you planning on telling us, eh?"
Harry looked up at Ron, and said evenly, "Sounds a bit like fifth year, eh? When were you planning on telling me about you and Hermione?"
Hermione blushed deeply, and Ron's ears had gone very red. Fred and George whistled low under their breath, and disaparated with a "Cheerio!"
Mrs. Weasley laid a hand on Ginny's arm, still in a daze at the thought of Ginny, her baby, finishing school a year early, then left the room.
Ron poked Harry in the chest and shouted, "At least you didn't find out about it like this! Not to mention, Ginny's my sister!"
Harry knew that, as long as he remained calm, he had the upper hand, but it was becoming more and more difficult.
"Did you forget so soon, Ron, that this time I found out about you by walking in on the two of you snogging? And you, of all people, should realize that Hermione is like a sister to me!"
Ron started to poke Harry again, but this time it was Ginny who stepped forward.
"Stop it, Ronald Weasley! You seem to have forgotten one minor little detail-this has nothing to do with you! It's about me. Me and Harry. It's our decision if we go out, not yours. Harry didn't go mad when he found you and Hermione upstairs, so what right have you to go off on us like this?"
Ginny paused, fuming, from her diatribe to take a breath. Ron took a step back. He had never seen his little sister quite so angry before.
Hermione looked back and forth between the two of them nervously and then opened her mouth to speak-but Ron put up a hand to stop her. He glared at Ginny, but it was Harry whom he was really angry at, and he leaned towards him with a poisonous look in his eyes; he spoke quietly, evenly, and there was venom in his words.
"If you ever, ever hurt my sister or even think about hurting her, I will hunt you down and you will pay. I won't let you hurt another one of my family members!"
Ginny swore; Hermione gasped before dragging Ron away; and Harry, sighing, began massaging his temples. It seemed he was in for a rather rough summer.
"At least they left us alone!" said Ginny, scowling out the window at their retreating backs. "For the first time in ages!" she paused, searching for something in his eyes.
"He didn't mean that about Bi-that last thing. He's just mad."
Harry smiled softly, and touched the halo of coppery red hair that framed her lovely face, but he did so absently, and the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah. Congratulations on the N.E.W.T.s, eh? At least one of us has got some sort of future." He said, playfully, but Ginny knew better than to think he was joking.
She also knew better than to try and reassure him with words. Instead, she kissed him gently on the cheek, and then pulled him into a hug.
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: Hehehehehe.
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Three- Ginny's Surprise
~*~
More than a week had passed since Harry's arrival at the Burrow. Ron and Hermione had finally realized that Harry was not going react at either their being together, or at having caught them snogging. It had taken them a few days, but eventually they went back to normal, with the realization that, not only was Harry fine with it, but also had expected it to happen again at some point.
Harry and Ginny had not had any time alone since that first afternoon. This, along with the fact that he had yet to receive his N.E.W.T.s, was driving Harry mad. Only Ginny seemed to understand what he was feeling. She had been testy all week, and went pale at the arrival of every owl. This morning was no different.
When the tawny school owl had arrived with a thick roll of parchment, everyone had excitedly assumed it was for Harry.
"Go on, Harry! Open it!" Cried Hermione, who seemed to find it most difficult to remain seated at that moment; she kept jumping up and then sitting back down, as though she could not make up her mind which she preferred.
Harry turned the parchment over in his hands and immediately the flopping motion in his stomach, which had begun when the owl had first arrived in the kitchen, stopped.
"It's not for me. It's for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."
He handed the parchment over to a very surprised Mrs. Weasley, and looked forlornly at his porridge, which had barely been touched. He was seriously beginning to wonder if he would ever get his N.E.W.T. results.
He looked up sharply when Mrs. Weasley shrieked and clamped a hand over her heart. "'This is to inform you'," she read breathlessly, "'that your daughter, Virginia Weasley, has challenged the seventh year curriculum at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and successfully completed more than the minimum number of required N.E.W.T.s. Her results are as follows.' good heavens!" she quickly scanned the following pages, a look of astonishment covering her face. "Seven! Seven N.E.W.T.s! How is this possible? Ginny?"
By now, everyone was staring, shocked, at Ginny, whose face had gone pale at the arrival of the owl, and had remained so. She stared at her mother, seemingly at a loss for words.
"I-I. They told me I'd be getting my results this summer. I thought I'd. I can't believe it!"
Her face broke into a bright smile, and she stared dazedly around the kitchen at the others, before allowing her eyes to rest on Harry.
"I did it! Harry, I'm finished! I don't have to go back next year! I can stay with you!"
Now everybody looked at Harry with sudden comprehension, and his face colored. This wasn't exactly how he'd planned on telling them about he and Ginny. Finally, Mrs. Weasley spoke again.
"But, Ginny. dear. what does this mean? You're finished at Hogwarts? You don't have to take the N.E.W.T.s?
"No, mum! Don't you understand? I couldn't bear the thought of going back there alone next year, and I was sure I knew as much as I needed to know for the N.E.W.T.s. So I talked Professor Dumbledore into letting me take the N.E.W.T.s when all the seventh years did. He said I had to get at least three N.E.W.T.s, or I'd have to return, after all. I didn't want him to tell you and dad in case I didn't make it. But I did it! Seven! I can't believe it!" she finished breathlessly.
"What I want to know," said Ron, staring furiously at Harry, "is what all this has to do with him."
Ginny frowned and opened her mouth to answer, but Harry put a hand on her arm to quiet her. She looked at him, and understood: this was one he needed to answer. Harry took a deep breath, and turned to look at Ron and the others.
"Ginny and I have been going out since December. Everyone was so busy studying for the N.E.W.T.s they didn't seem to notice, and as we knew that we'd take some getting used to." he paused, and looked Ron in the eye;
"We figured we'd best keep it quiet 'til after the exams."
Ron, seething, took a step towards them, and challenged, "Exams have been over for almost two months. When were you planning on telling us, eh?"
Harry looked up at Ron, and said evenly, "Sounds a bit like fifth year, eh? When were you planning on telling me about you and Hermione?"
Hermione blushed deeply, and Ron's ears had gone very red. Fred and George whistled low under their breath, and disaparated with a "Cheerio!"
Mrs. Weasley laid a hand on Ginny's arm, still in a daze at the thought of Ginny, her baby, finishing school a year early, then left the room.
Ron poked Harry in the chest and shouted, "At least you didn't find out about it like this! Not to mention, Ginny's my sister!"
Harry knew that, as long as he remained calm, he had the upper hand, but it was becoming more and more difficult.
"Did you forget so soon, Ron, that this time I found out about you by walking in on the two of you snogging? And you, of all people, should realize that Hermione is like a sister to me!"
Ron started to poke Harry again, but this time it was Ginny who stepped forward.
"Stop it, Ronald Weasley! You seem to have forgotten one minor little detail-this has nothing to do with you! It's about me. Me and Harry. It's our decision if we go out, not yours. Harry didn't go mad when he found you and Hermione upstairs, so what right have you to go off on us like this?"
Ginny paused, fuming, from her diatribe to take a breath. Ron took a step back. He had never seen his little sister quite so angry before.
Hermione looked back and forth between the two of them nervously and then opened her mouth to speak-but Ron put up a hand to stop her. He glared at Ginny, but it was Harry whom he was really angry at, and he leaned towards him with a poisonous look in his eyes; he spoke quietly, evenly, and there was venom in his words.
"If you ever, ever hurt my sister or even think about hurting her, I will hunt you down and you will pay. I won't let you hurt another one of my family members!"
Ginny swore; Hermione gasped before dragging Ron away; and Harry, sighing, began massaging his temples. It seemed he was in for a rather rough summer.
"At least they left us alone!" said Ginny, scowling out the window at their retreating backs. "For the first time in ages!" she paused, searching for something in his eyes.
"He didn't mean that about Bi-that last thing. He's just mad."
Harry smiled softly, and touched the halo of coppery red hair that framed her lovely face, but he did so absently, and the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah. Congratulations on the N.E.W.T.s, eh? At least one of us has got some sort of future." He said, playfully, but Ginny knew better than to think he was joking.
She also knew better than to try and reassure him with words. Instead, she kissed him gently on the cheek, and then pulled him into a hug.