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: By now there are a great number of you who are ready to throttle me if I don't tell you about Harry's N.E.W.T.s, and I'm so sorry to have kept you in anguish for so long. But, you see, I simply HAVE to for the story to work out as planned. Please take a deep breath, calm down, and leave me a nice review (they encourage my muse, which means Harry's N.E.W.T.s will be revealed sooner!). I love you all, and just want to formally thank you all for your generous reviews, and for taking part in my first ever fan fiction! This isn't very long, but I wanted to get it online before I forgot. I'm hoping to get the next chapter online by Thanksgiving ok? Have a great one!
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Seven- Escape by Floo
~*~
"Ginny! Harry! Come on!" Ron bellowed from the base of the stairs.
Harry groaned and pulled himself out from under the warm covers. The room was chilly, Harry noted, as he pulled on his trousers and shirt. He shivered and rummaged through his trunk. Having found what he was looking for, a green jumper from the Christmas before last, Harry left the quiet of the room and descended into the Weasley mayhem beyond.
Ron met him at the foot of the stairs with a look of great annoyance on his face. He pulled Harry into the kitchen, shoving a glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge at him, and then began to pace the kitchen with, Harry thought, more energy than anybody should have at eight in the morning. Harry sat down at the table next to Hermione and Ginny, who was looking rather tired and anti-social. He grinned. It hadn't taken Harry more than a week in the same home as Ginny to figure out that she was never quite awake or happy until she had her tea.
"The woman is mad," began Ron; "the end of our summer holiday and she picks today of all days to clean house."
Harry got up from the table to pour Ginny a mug of steamy tea. He knew she liked it white, with a bit of sugar, and he fixed it that way before placing the cup before her with a gentle kiss on her cheek. She gave him a grateful look as she sipped the hot beverage, allowing it to warm her from the inside out.
Ron had stopped pacing and was viewing the transaction with distracted frustration. Harry sat down and took a gulp of his juice, as Hermione faced the distressed red-head.
"What do you want us to do, Ron? Forbid her to clean? We all know better than to try and change your mum's mind about this-about anything. If you say anything to her, next thing you know we'll all be unwilling recruits for dusting, mopping, or worse. the loo."
Ron sagged against the table. He appeared to be, Harry noted, really offended by this whole situation.
"You're right, 'mione. We have got to get out. Now. Before she thinks of that on her own. The last thing I want to do right now is clean the loo or degnome the garden. Let's make a break for it, eh? We'll floo to Diagon Alley. Fred and George are already there, in the shop."
He paused, looking expectantly at the sleepy figures before him.
"Well? Come on! Get your cloaks and let's go!"
Harry stood and stretched, then held his hand out to Ginny. She gave him a small smile and took it. They grabbed their cloaks and a few galleons, and joined Ron by the fireplace.
Ginny went first, tossing a fistful of floo powder into the fireplace; she then stepped into the roaring green blaze and called out the name of their destination. In a rush of flames she was gone. Now it was Harry's turn.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" he called, his voice becoming muffled as the flames swept him away.
A moment later he was stepping from the ashes to join Ginny in the grungy wizards pub. Upon his arrival, a large, squashy woman with beady eyes accosted them. She put a pudgy arm around Ginny and smiled toothlessly at Harry.
"Bit early for a tankard, eh popkin? Aye, well jes' a quick 'alf then. No? What are you on abou' then-why don' you lot stroll on?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled away to greet Hermione who had just appeared from the flames. Harry smiled politely and firmly shook his head once more.
"We're just waiting for a friend before we head to Diagon Alley."
He turned to the girls as the woman made her way to the back of the pub again.
"Charming witch, eh? What's holding up Ron, I wonder?"
Just then, there was a pop, and a sooty, red-haired boy came crawling from the ashes.
"What happened to you?" said Ginny, laughing.
Ron stood, dusted himself off, and approached the three with as much dignity as he could muster in such a situation.
"She almost had me," he said seriously. "I had just thrown the floo powder into the fire when she came round the corner and tried to make me clean Fred and George's room! Like I would go anywhere near that grotty place! I finally convinced her it wouldn't be fair to let you lot skive off while I did all the work. Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Ginny and Harry exchanged looks of disbelief, and Hermione groaned. All were fairly certain that Ron's account was far from true. Considering the way he came crawling out of breath from the fireplace clutching a bag of money, they expected he had run back upstairs to grab the money, heard Molly coming and dove in before she could see him.
They rolled their eyes and followed Ron out the back door where he was hurriedly tapping the appropriate brick with his wand. In seconds they were in Diagon Alley, free of cleaning and ready for a relaxing day out.
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: By now there are a great number of you who are ready to throttle me if I don't tell you about Harry's N.E.W.T.s, and I'm so sorry to have kept you in anguish for so long. But, you see, I simply HAVE to for the story to work out as planned. Please take a deep breath, calm down, and leave me a nice review (they encourage my muse, which means Harry's N.E.W.T.s will be revealed sooner!). I love you all, and just want to formally thank you all for your generous reviews, and for taking part in my first ever fan fiction! This isn't very long, but I wanted to get it online before I forgot. I'm hoping to get the next chapter online by Thanksgiving ok? Have a great one!
A Place to Call Home, Chapter Seven- Escape by Floo
~*~
"Ginny! Harry! Come on!" Ron bellowed from the base of the stairs.
Harry groaned and pulled himself out from under the warm covers. The room was chilly, Harry noted, as he pulled on his trousers and shirt. He shivered and rummaged through his trunk. Having found what he was looking for, a green jumper from the Christmas before last, Harry left the quiet of the room and descended into the Weasley mayhem beyond.
Ron met him at the foot of the stairs with a look of great annoyance on his face. He pulled Harry into the kitchen, shoving a glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge at him, and then began to pace the kitchen with, Harry thought, more energy than anybody should have at eight in the morning. Harry sat down at the table next to Hermione and Ginny, who was looking rather tired and anti-social. He grinned. It hadn't taken Harry more than a week in the same home as Ginny to figure out that she was never quite awake or happy until she had her tea.
"The woman is mad," began Ron; "the end of our summer holiday and she picks today of all days to clean house."
Harry got up from the table to pour Ginny a mug of steamy tea. He knew she liked it white, with a bit of sugar, and he fixed it that way before placing the cup before her with a gentle kiss on her cheek. She gave him a grateful look as she sipped the hot beverage, allowing it to warm her from the inside out.
Ron had stopped pacing and was viewing the transaction with distracted frustration. Harry sat down and took a gulp of his juice, as Hermione faced the distressed red-head.
"What do you want us to do, Ron? Forbid her to clean? We all know better than to try and change your mum's mind about this-about anything. If you say anything to her, next thing you know we'll all be unwilling recruits for dusting, mopping, or worse. the loo."
Ron sagged against the table. He appeared to be, Harry noted, really offended by this whole situation.
"You're right, 'mione. We have got to get out. Now. Before she thinks of that on her own. The last thing I want to do right now is clean the loo or degnome the garden. Let's make a break for it, eh? We'll floo to Diagon Alley. Fred and George are already there, in the shop."
He paused, looking expectantly at the sleepy figures before him.
"Well? Come on! Get your cloaks and let's go!"
Harry stood and stretched, then held his hand out to Ginny. She gave him a small smile and took it. They grabbed their cloaks and a few galleons, and joined Ron by the fireplace.
Ginny went first, tossing a fistful of floo powder into the fireplace; she then stepped into the roaring green blaze and called out the name of their destination. In a rush of flames she was gone. Now it was Harry's turn.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" he called, his voice becoming muffled as the flames swept him away.
A moment later he was stepping from the ashes to join Ginny in the grungy wizards pub. Upon his arrival, a large, squashy woman with beady eyes accosted them. She put a pudgy arm around Ginny and smiled toothlessly at Harry.
"Bit early for a tankard, eh popkin? Aye, well jes' a quick 'alf then. No? What are you on abou' then-why don' you lot stroll on?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled away to greet Hermione who had just appeared from the flames. Harry smiled politely and firmly shook his head once more.
"We're just waiting for a friend before we head to Diagon Alley."
He turned to the girls as the woman made her way to the back of the pub again.
"Charming witch, eh? What's holding up Ron, I wonder?"
Just then, there was a pop, and a sooty, red-haired boy came crawling from the ashes.
"What happened to you?" said Ginny, laughing.
Ron stood, dusted himself off, and approached the three with as much dignity as he could muster in such a situation.
"She almost had me," he said seriously. "I had just thrown the floo powder into the fire when she came round the corner and tried to make me clean Fred and George's room! Like I would go anywhere near that grotty place! I finally convinced her it wouldn't be fair to let you lot skive off while I did all the work. Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Ginny and Harry exchanged looks of disbelief, and Hermione groaned. All were fairly certain that Ron's account was far from true. Considering the way he came crawling out of breath from the fireplace clutching a bag of money, they expected he had run back upstairs to grab the money, heard Molly coming and dove in before she could see him.
They rolled their eyes and followed Ron out the back door where he was hurriedly tapping the appropriate brick with his wand. In seconds they were in Diagon Alley, free of cleaning and ready for a relaxing day out.