Chapter 3 - The Burrow and a Midnight Chat
"HARRY" screamed a shrill female voice, which he instantly recognised as Hermione's. She rushed up to him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace.
"Harry, how are you? Are you feeling alright? Have you any headaches? Is your scar ok? Harry? Are you." but she stopped mid-sentence, and stared at Harry as though he had never seen him before. A bright red blush rose in her cheeks.
"Hermione, calm down. As I keep telling you. I'm perfectly fine. Just relax." Harry had just managed to push Hermione off him, when Mrs. Weasly rushed into the room and buried him in a bone-crushing hug. This time Fred and George pulled their mother of him, before she could injure him. After greeting all the Weasly brothers (except Percy) Harry sat down at the table, with Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasly.
"Where's Ginny?" he asked
"Getting some things for me in the village." Replied Mrs. Weasly
"You've been writing to her a lot" said Ron, a little accusingly.
"Yeah, I guess I have." He began to ask the twins something, when Ron interrupted him.
"You wrote to her a lot more than us"
"I suppose I did." Said Harry casually
"Why?" demanded Ron. Everyone was looking at Harry with interest and glaring at Ron, for laying into his best friend two seconds after he arrived in the house.
"Because she made me feel normal."
"And me and Hermione made you feel like a freak, did we?" Ron asked angrily.
"Yeah, basically"
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ron nearly shouted
"Ron, calm down," said Harry loudly. "Whenever I read one your letters, I had to keep checking outside the window because it sounded like Voldemort, and an army of death-eaters, giants and Dementors were camped on the front lawn." Fred and George sniggered and Bill and Charlie both smirked. Harry grinned back at them. He turned back to Ron and Hermione, and said, "I know you were only concerned about me and I appreciate it. I know it doesn't look that way now but I do. When I talked with Ginny she just made me feel like a normal person. As well as updating me on things around here." He finished looking directly at Ron and Hermione. The older Weasly brothers laughed loudly but Ron and Hermione just looked confused.
About 20 minutes later, Ginny came back. She walked into the kitchen and greeted her brothers, not realising Harry was there.
"Hey Ginny, how's it going?" Harry asked. She looked at Harry and goggled. The boy she had had a crush on wasn't half as attractive as the man she saw sitting in front of her. Her eyes lingered over his shoulders and biceps underneath his tee shirt, which was slightly too small and so showed his muscles better. She was brought back to earth by the sounds of sniggers from her brothers. She instantly blushed a darker red than her hair. She felt she was going to die from embarrassment but then Harry saved her,
"So, Fred, how's Angelina?" It was Fred's turn to blush this time. As the laughter came in at him, Ginny looked at Harry and mouthed 'thank you' to him. Harry flashed her a charming smile and winked at her. She felt herself blush and quickly looked at Fred again. Harry took this time to look at her. Ginny was hot. No doubt about it. Her silky smooth hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She had a soft, flawless complexion and noticeable curves had grown at her chest. She obviously still had a crush on him, and now, Harry decided, he had one on her too.
It was past midnight. Harry sat on the grass at the top of the back garden. He looked at stars, thinking. Finally, he was back, he thought happily.
"Good view, huh?" said someone behind him. He looked round. Ginny was standing in the doorway, wearing a nightdress, which clung to her body.
"Beautiful" said Harry, looking straight at her, "oh right, the stars, yeah, great." He couldn't see her expression, but he new that if she blushed any more, she could illuminate the whole garden.
"What you doing?" she asked
"Thinking, just thinking Gin" he replied. After a few seconds silence:
"Do you mind if I ask what about" she asked shyly
"Course not. I'm just glad to be back, that's all. I'm home, I guess."
"What do you like best here?" she asked, eager to keep him talking about something he was happy about.
"Everything, the people, your mom's cooking, chance to play Quidditch, just being back in the magical world," he said, "and when you blush" he added. At his last comment, she promptly turned bright red.
"How come your down here so late?" he asked her
"There's so little peace in this house, it seems a shame to waste it by sleeping through it." They sat there making small talk for a few minutes, before Ginny said;
"You know Harry, you've changed quite a bit over the summer."
"How do you mean? Changed for better or worse?"
"For better I think. I just mean that you seem much more relaxed and confident than you did before." He ran his fingers through his hair again. She loved it when he did that. She just wished it were her hand.
"I guess so, it's a much better way of dealing with things."
"What's changed?"
"Sirius. Dudley helped me realise that Sirius would want me to enjoy my life. Be happy"
"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean to-
"Don't worry about it. I figured someone would ask soon anyway."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No. I did some more thinking and I realised a few things. I'm fed up of people dictating what I should be. I don't think that come out as my own person enough in my life. Downtrodden by the Dursley's, meeting Voldemort at every corner, caring what everyone else thought about me. Doing what everyone else told me. Now, I can take that, to an extent, by I'm just fed up of my every move being watched by 6 or 7 different people. So, now, I'm going to do what I want with my life. No one telling me what to do. If I don't want to do work then I won't. Don't mean people can't give me advice. That's why I really liked your letters. And I took nearly all your advice and none of Ron's." Ginny smiled, and then asked
"You're going to meet You-Know-Who again, aren't you?"
"Of course. It's inevitable, Gin. But 'what's done is done and what's coming will come', you've just got to sit back, relax and enjoy the mean time."
"Hermione won't be pleased about your new attitude towards work." Ginny said, smiling.
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter because she fancies me, so if I smile at her the right way she'll give me hers to copy." He smirked at Ginny. "It's getting late now, I'm going to call it a night." He started to get up, but Ginny blurted out
"Do you like Hermione?" Harry nearly cracked up. She was so cute. Fighting down his laughter, he replied
"Me and Hermione, no chance. I can do without dates in the library." Ginny laughed, but it was mostly out of relief. Harry continued
"I mean, Hermione's quite pretty, I guess, but she's the kind of person who would tell me what to do. And I'd prefer someone who just advises." He looked directly at Ginny and added
"Besides, I've got this thing for red-heads." He kissed her on the cheek and went back inside, leaving Ginny very confused, and very happy.
"HARRY" screamed a shrill female voice, which he instantly recognised as Hermione's. She rushed up to him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace.
"Harry, how are you? Are you feeling alright? Have you any headaches? Is your scar ok? Harry? Are you." but she stopped mid-sentence, and stared at Harry as though he had never seen him before. A bright red blush rose in her cheeks.
"Hermione, calm down. As I keep telling you. I'm perfectly fine. Just relax." Harry had just managed to push Hermione off him, when Mrs. Weasly rushed into the room and buried him in a bone-crushing hug. This time Fred and George pulled their mother of him, before she could injure him. After greeting all the Weasly brothers (except Percy) Harry sat down at the table, with Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasly.
"Where's Ginny?" he asked
"Getting some things for me in the village." Replied Mrs. Weasly
"You've been writing to her a lot" said Ron, a little accusingly.
"Yeah, I guess I have." He began to ask the twins something, when Ron interrupted him.
"You wrote to her a lot more than us"
"I suppose I did." Said Harry casually
"Why?" demanded Ron. Everyone was looking at Harry with interest and glaring at Ron, for laying into his best friend two seconds after he arrived in the house.
"Because she made me feel normal."
"And me and Hermione made you feel like a freak, did we?" Ron asked angrily.
"Yeah, basically"
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ron nearly shouted
"Ron, calm down," said Harry loudly. "Whenever I read one your letters, I had to keep checking outside the window because it sounded like Voldemort, and an army of death-eaters, giants and Dementors were camped on the front lawn." Fred and George sniggered and Bill and Charlie both smirked. Harry grinned back at them. He turned back to Ron and Hermione, and said, "I know you were only concerned about me and I appreciate it. I know it doesn't look that way now but I do. When I talked with Ginny she just made me feel like a normal person. As well as updating me on things around here." He finished looking directly at Ron and Hermione. The older Weasly brothers laughed loudly but Ron and Hermione just looked confused.
About 20 minutes later, Ginny came back. She walked into the kitchen and greeted her brothers, not realising Harry was there.
"Hey Ginny, how's it going?" Harry asked. She looked at Harry and goggled. The boy she had had a crush on wasn't half as attractive as the man she saw sitting in front of her. Her eyes lingered over his shoulders and biceps underneath his tee shirt, which was slightly too small and so showed his muscles better. She was brought back to earth by the sounds of sniggers from her brothers. She instantly blushed a darker red than her hair. She felt she was going to die from embarrassment but then Harry saved her,
"So, Fred, how's Angelina?" It was Fred's turn to blush this time. As the laughter came in at him, Ginny looked at Harry and mouthed 'thank you' to him. Harry flashed her a charming smile and winked at her. She felt herself blush and quickly looked at Fred again. Harry took this time to look at her. Ginny was hot. No doubt about it. Her silky smooth hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She had a soft, flawless complexion and noticeable curves had grown at her chest. She obviously still had a crush on him, and now, Harry decided, he had one on her too.
It was past midnight. Harry sat on the grass at the top of the back garden. He looked at stars, thinking. Finally, he was back, he thought happily.
"Good view, huh?" said someone behind him. He looked round. Ginny was standing in the doorway, wearing a nightdress, which clung to her body.
"Beautiful" said Harry, looking straight at her, "oh right, the stars, yeah, great." He couldn't see her expression, but he new that if she blushed any more, she could illuminate the whole garden.
"What you doing?" she asked
"Thinking, just thinking Gin" he replied. After a few seconds silence:
"Do you mind if I ask what about" she asked shyly
"Course not. I'm just glad to be back, that's all. I'm home, I guess."
"What do you like best here?" she asked, eager to keep him talking about something he was happy about.
"Everything, the people, your mom's cooking, chance to play Quidditch, just being back in the magical world," he said, "and when you blush" he added. At his last comment, she promptly turned bright red.
"How come your down here so late?" he asked her
"There's so little peace in this house, it seems a shame to waste it by sleeping through it." They sat there making small talk for a few minutes, before Ginny said;
"You know Harry, you've changed quite a bit over the summer."
"How do you mean? Changed for better or worse?"
"For better I think. I just mean that you seem much more relaxed and confident than you did before." He ran his fingers through his hair again. She loved it when he did that. She just wished it were her hand.
"I guess so, it's a much better way of dealing with things."
"What's changed?"
"Sirius. Dudley helped me realise that Sirius would want me to enjoy my life. Be happy"
"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean to-
"Don't worry about it. I figured someone would ask soon anyway."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No. I did some more thinking and I realised a few things. I'm fed up of people dictating what I should be. I don't think that come out as my own person enough in my life. Downtrodden by the Dursley's, meeting Voldemort at every corner, caring what everyone else thought about me. Doing what everyone else told me. Now, I can take that, to an extent, by I'm just fed up of my every move being watched by 6 or 7 different people. So, now, I'm going to do what I want with my life. No one telling me what to do. If I don't want to do work then I won't. Don't mean people can't give me advice. That's why I really liked your letters. And I took nearly all your advice and none of Ron's." Ginny smiled, and then asked
"You're going to meet You-Know-Who again, aren't you?"
"Of course. It's inevitable, Gin. But 'what's done is done and what's coming will come', you've just got to sit back, relax and enjoy the mean time."
"Hermione won't be pleased about your new attitude towards work." Ginny said, smiling.
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter because she fancies me, so if I smile at her the right way she'll give me hers to copy." He smirked at Ginny. "It's getting late now, I'm going to call it a night." He started to get up, but Ginny blurted out
"Do you like Hermione?" Harry nearly cracked up. She was so cute. Fighting down his laughter, he replied
"Me and Hermione, no chance. I can do without dates in the library." Ginny laughed, but it was mostly out of relief. Harry continued
"I mean, Hermione's quite pretty, I guess, but she's the kind of person who would tell me what to do. And I'd prefer someone who just advises." He looked directly at Ginny and added
"Besides, I've got this thing for red-heads." He kissed her on the cheek and went back inside, leaving Ginny very confused, and very happy.