Chapter 23:

Ron, in Turmoil

The next couple of weeks passed slowly. Ron refused to even make eye contact with Harry, so Hermione refused to speak to him either. Ginny and Harry's relationship returned to normal and they spent most of their spare time talking with Neville and Luna or practicing on Ginny's Animagus transformation. The two even went flying together on a couple of occasions.

During the second week of March, Harry had to plan for Ginny's birthday. It was on Thursday, so Harry plotted with Dobby. After Harry got out of Double Herbology for the afternoon, he made his way up to the kitchens. Dobby sprang forward into Harry and hugged him. "Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is keeping your present for Miss Wheazy safe in his quarters."

Harry grinned, "Thanks, Dobby. Now, I need your help."

Dobby nodded, "Anything you is needing Harry Potter, sir."

Harry leaned over to Dobby, "Okay, Dobby, here's the plan." Harry proceeded to explain everything that he had planned for the evening. Dobby took it all in.

"Dobby is taking care of it all, Harry Potter, sir. Miss Wheazy will be surprised."

Harry patted Dobby on the shoulder, "You're a great friend, Dobby. I've got something for you, too. It's in my dormitory, so I'll have to wait till later to give it to you, but I promise that I will bring it by tomorrow." Harry had purchased Dobby some new socks and a scarf during the last Hogsmeade weekend.

Dobby beamed, "Dobby is proud to serve Harry Potter, sir."

"I've got to go and get ready for the dueling club, so I'll see you later. I appreciate everything, Dobby." Harry walked out of the kitchens after giving Dobby a quick hug. Dobby continued to beam as Harry left the kitchen. Next, he immediately set to work.

Once the dueling club was over, Ginny hit Harry in the arm. He rubbed his arm where she had hit him, and asked, "What did I do?"

"Haven't you forgotten something?" asked Ginny vehemently.

Harry shook his head, "I don't think so."

"You haven't wished me a Happy Birthday all day!" exclaimed Ginny in indignation.

"I didn't forget. I haven't said that to you on purpose." Harry said indifferently.

Ginny was really starting to get mad by this point, "What do you mean? I think that you should have the common courtesy to say Happy Birthday to your girlfriend."

Harry looked at her, "Is your birthday over yet?"

Ginny eyed him wearily, "No, but what does that mean?"

Harry grinned, "It means that I have something special planned."

Ginny finally noticed that the two of them were not heading for the Great Hall. "Where are you taking me?"

Harry shrugged, "You'll just have to wait and see."

Ginny subsided and waited until Harry led her in front of the Room of Requirement. He walked back and forth in front of the stretch of wall until the door appeared. He opened it and motioned for Ginny to precede him into the room. She gave him a look that said plainly that this better be good. She walked into the room and gasped in surprise. The room was laid out with a small dinner table set for two with flowers. The meal was set and ready. There was a quaint fireplace and a sofa sitting in front of it. Ginny turned to Harry with a smile on her face, "How did you set this up?"

Harry smiled mysteriously, "I have my ways. Would you care to dine with me, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny executed a mock curtsey, "I would be honored, Mr. Potter."

Harry pulled out her chair for her, and then took his own seat. "Pumpkin juice, milady?"

Ginny nodded and laughed, "Harry, I can not believe that you went to this much trouble for my birthday."

"I didn't go to much trouble. All I did was think it up. Dobby did all the work. I bought him some new socks and a new scarf for it though. He has been a lot of help to me. I'm going to miss him when we go back to Grimmauld Place this summer."

Ginny looked confused, "Aren't you going to use Potter Manor?"

Harry shook his head, "Not yet. Grimmauld Place is much better concealed than Potter Manor. Right now safety is more important than comfort or sentimentality. I plan on moving into Potter Manor as soon as Voldemort is finished. Onto happier matters. A toast is in order." Harry raised his glass, "To Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup."

Ginny touched her glass to Harry's and then sipped her drink. The two of them ate in companionable silence for a while and then they chatted about school and Quidditch for awhile. Once they had finished eating, Ginny stood up, "So, shall we retire to the couch?"

Harry shook his head, "Nope. You haven't opened your gift yet."

Ginny protested, "Harry, you didn't have to get me anything. My Christmas presents were more than enough for several years. You bought me the dress robes, and the jewelry. Its all just too much."

"Don't worry. I bought you something practical this time. The twins liked it. They said that you would, too." said Harry.

Ginny stopped, "The twins know what my birthday present is, and they haven't told me yet. How long have they known?"

"Several weeks actually. They saw it the day that I went to Diagon Alley to pick it up."

Ginny looked at Harry appraisingly, "You had to go to Diagon Alley to pick it up? That means that you couldn't buy it in the village. Where is it? I think that I have a good idea about what it is."

Harry snorted, "If you have figured out what the present is without any help from anyone, then I'll start being nice to all the Slytherins. I don't think that its going to happen. If you're not surprised by the present, I swear that I will allow Fred and George to use me as a guinea pig for their new products for the entire summer."

Ginny laughed, "That's confidence. Where is it?"

Harry chuckled lightly, "It's behind the couch, my love."

Ginny ran around the couch and found the box. She quickly ripped the paper from it and pulled the lid off the box. Harry walked over and kneeled on the couch to watch while she was doing this. Once the box was open, Ginny stopped. She stared at the magnificent broomstick that lay in front of her. "Harry?" she croaked.

Harry smiled down at her, "Yes, Ginny. Were you surprised?"

Ginny spun towards him and dove over the back of the couch into his arms and started kissing him repeatedly. "Oh, Harry, I love it. I love you. I've never known anyone as wonderful as you. I can't wait to be your wife." She stopped when she realized what she had just said. Ginny started to blush and move away from Harry.

Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him, "Your parents have already had a discussion about that with me, and I have told them that I don't intend to propose to you until the end of next year."

Ginny's face fell when she heard the words 'don't intend to propose', but then her face lit up when she heard 'until the end of next year.' She smiled, "Do you really want to marry me?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, and once you finish school and get your N.E.W.T.'s, I intend to make you Mrs. Potter. That is, if you'll have me."

Ginny grabbed Harry in a kiss once again, and said, "Harry Potter, was there ever a doubt in your mind?"

Harry was saved from answering by Ginny kissing him again.

During the time that Ron and Hermione had not been talking to Harry, Ron had been spending a great deal of time wandering the corridors alone. He just didn't know how to handle the situation. Harry had killed his brother, and his mother had gotten mad at him about it. What was worse was the fact that his sister was still dating him. The precious Harry Potter got everything. It wasn't fair. Ron had been the one to lose a sibling, and the rest of his family thought Harry was some kind of hero. It disgusted him. Since, he couldn't do anything about it, he wandered. Ron actually took to spending large amounts of time in the Room of Requirement, honing his dueling skills, since he was no longer attending dueling club meetings. Ron knew that one day, there would be no witnesses, and that he would be able to fight the despicable Harry Potter.

On the evening of Ginny's birthday, Ron left dinner early and decided to go practice in the Room of Requirement. He left Hermione in the Great Hall, and headed upstairs. He concentrated on the room until the door appeared in the wall. Ron walked in to see something that he never expected. Harry and Ginny were laying on a couch kissing. Harry was practically on top of his baby sister. The idea of that bastard touching his sister was too much for Ron to bear. He grabbed Harry by the hair of the head, and yanked him off the couch. Then, he smashed his fist into Harry's face and began flailing away at him.

Harry warded the blows coolly, while trying to talk some sense into Ron, "What are you doing? Ron, calm down."

Ginny was screaming from the couch, "Ron, stop it! Stop it!"

Ron was too far gone into his rage to notice what he was doing. He continued to attempt to smash Harry's face in.

Finally, Harry had had enough, "Ron, I don't want to do this, but if you don't calm down, I'm going to have to curse you."

This only served to infuriate Ron more, "Why don't you try it? The great famous Harry Potter is threatening me. I'm so terrified."

Harry dodged a punch and drew his wand from his pocket. Then, he performed a Banishing Charm that sent Ron caroming into the far wall at a rapid speed. He hit the wall with a sickening crunch and fell to the floor unconscious.

Ginny ran over to him, and then looked at Harry, "Is he going to be alright?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, he's going to be fine physically. It looks like he might have broken a couple of ribs when he hit the wall, though. We had better get him up to Madam Pomfrey." Harry waved his wand at Ron's body, "Mobilicorpus." Ron floated up to waist level as if he were on a stretcher. Harry directed him out the door, and headed for the hospital wing with Ginny hot on his heels.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Hopefully, Fanfiction will get all of this straightened out, and we won't have to worry about any problems till the next glitch. Here's hoping. Here are the replies to all the reviews posted while I was unable to read them. Sorry for the late post, but I couldn't login. I'll be on time Sunday barring the unforeseen.

ILordFaramirI: Thanks for the review. I like snape's character, so I had to reconcile things between him and Harry. The Snape bashing was fun to write as well.

Mel B: The problems with Ron and Hermione are nearing their end. Then, all Harry will have to worry about is the "Bad Guys". Thanks for the review.

Captuniv: Obviously by now, you've seen what the spy did. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the review.

Gred n' forge: Thanks for the review.

Gaul1: Thanks for the review.

Dunder41: I'm glad you enjoy. There will be a lot more interaction between Harry and Dumbledore before its over. Thanks for the review.

Lourdes: Everyone has to have a character flaw, or they get boring. Being a little cocky is Harry's. Thanks for the review.

Shadow of a Cat: Something tells me that she didn't turn it down. Thanks for the review.

Lord Tarturus: Have no fear. I always finish what I start. I'm going to let everyone decide for themselves where Ron and Hermione ran off to, but I say that they were just roaming around the castle. Thanks for the review.

Dragonclawz54: I turn out the chapters as quick as I can. I don't foresee a problem with maintaining my three chapters a week posting schedule. If I do, I will everyone know in my author notes.

Blip-dragon: Thanks for the review. I like the falcon myself. it's a magnificent bird.

Kda: Thanks for the review.

John: Thanks for the review. There are going to be several more mental conversations with Tom Riddle.

Maria: Thanks for the review.

Athena kitty: Fudge is always nosy. Hopefully, Fanfiction will squish those bugs in a hurry. Thanks for the review.

Hermione Granger-Weasley 4: I intend to keep the chapters coming. Thanks for the review.

Potterfanxp123: Thanks for the review.

DMP: Since Harry is the one that got hit by the curse, and it happened at school, its completely up to him and Dumbledore if she gets punished. I don't intend to have her get in trouble. Thanks for the review.

Dragonstorm316: I'm glad that you continue to enjoy. Thanks for the review.

Immortalwizardelf-fan: Remember, Ron acts before he thinks. Things will be fine as soon as his brain catches up. Thanks for the review.

Jeangab057: I thought so, too. Thanks for the review.

Keldore: That's exactly why I wanted her to cast an Unforgivable. To give an insight into how forgiving Harry really can be. Thanks for the review.

Bubble bath babe: Why Percy got the Dark Mark is obvious if you view his character through Rowling's work. Ron said that he was very ambitious, and that he would leave his family hanging if that would allow him to gain more power. That is exactly what he did. Thanks for the review.

DaBear: Thanks for the review.

ExpectoPatronum: Just be careful and don't fall off the edge of that seat. Thanks for the review.

Rincewind: Thanks for the review.

LeeAnn: The idea behind referring to the adults by their first names is that Harry now sees them as his equals as opposed to being his caretakers like they were before. It puts him on their level. Hermione is a very patient person to begin with, and she holds Ron in check most of the time. The fact that Harry refusing to tell them what is going on is frazzling even Hermione, which is saying something. Thanks for the review.

Jared Drake: Yeah, the software glitch was stopping all e-mail notifications from going out, and was holding up the reviews, so once they fixed it, they disabled a lot of the unnecessary functions so they could catch up with the e-mails. It was overloading the site. Hopefully, everything should be smooth-sailing for awhile, now. Thanks for the review.

Plasterwork: The one thing that you have to ask yourself about someone that cares a great deal about the rules like Percy is, Whose rules does he follow? Thanks for the review.

Cocopops: Thanks for the review.