Chapter 5 - Reactions and the Trunk
**At Grummauld Place**
Hedwig swooped out of the sky and in to Grummauld Place through an open window. Spying Ginny sitting in chair on the other side of the room, she flew over, and held out her leg.
Ginny glanced up and saw the snowy owl perched on the arm of her chair.
"Hello Hedwig," she said. "Are these letters from Harry?" Hedwig hooted. Ginny untied the letters and stroked the owl's head. "Thanks girl. Is Harry okay?" Hedwig rubbed Ginny's arm with her head reassuringly, and with a final hoot flew off back to Privet Drive.
Ginny looked at the four letters in her hand. One each for Ron, Hermione, Sirius and herself. She looked up and yelled "RON! HERMIONE! SIRIUS! HARRY'S SENT LETTERS!" A few seconds later, the rather guilty looking Sirius Black tore into the room.
"Oh, crap, I forgot to write to him," he said taking his letter. A few moments later a rather dishevelled Ron entered the room. Hermione, looking equally messy, a faint blush staining her cheeks at Ginny's amused glance, followed him closely. Ginny nodded at the table and went back to reading her own letter.
**Ginny's POV **
'Dear Angel.'
Trust Harry to remember. She had dumped one of her boyfriends, and in an attempt to win her back, he had called her an angel. When she had later laughingly told Harry of this, he had immediately started calling her Angel. Not that she really minded, but she never told him that.
'How are you? If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here you know.'
She sighed. He knew she wasn't alright, and she just wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Still, he made a point of telling here he'd always be there, but without pressuring her like everyone else was. It was sweet, but she didn't know if she could ever tell him what had happened when she had been captured.
'I'm okay here, the Muggles aren't too bad. Annoying, but you can't expect too much. I can't wait to go to the Headquarters and see you again.'
She laughed quietly. It was quite doubtful that the Dursleys weren't treating him too badly, but she knew he wouldn't tell anyone even if they were. She reread the last sentence. He couldn't wait to see her again? No, he probably meant you in the plural sense. Ron, Hermione and Sirius where here too. So was Remus. He had probably said the same thing to all of them.
'How's Ron treating you? He's not being too much of a Git, is he? Don't tell anyone, but Tonks came and visited me, while she was on Guard Duty. She's great. If you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to her, I'm sure she would listen.'
Tonks? Harry and Tonks talked? She didn't know they were even friends. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but pushed it away. Harry was a big boy, and could talk to whom ever he wanted to. Nevertheless, talking to Tonks didn't seem like a bad idea. She was certainly nice enough, and if Harry thought she was trustworthy, she probably was. Maybe next time Tonks wasn't rushing out to get to work, she would talk to her.
She finished reading the rest of the letter. Of course she would write back. LOVE Harry? LOVE? What could he mean by that? She wished she could see Hermione's letter to see what he signed it as. Smiling, she tucked the letter into her pocket and went back to her book.
**Sirius' POV**
Sirius,
How are you? Are you staying at Headquarters?
I'm fine, the Muggles are not too bad. Can't wait
to come to Headquarters though. How is it,
by the way? Get all the creatures and things out
yet? My scar's been fine, hasn't bothered me at
all. I guess that Occlumency worked. What's been
going on in the Wizarding World recently? I can't
get the Daily Prophet because too many owls would
attract the Muggles attention. And what they print
is all lies anyway. So, I should go now, I'm working
on a particularly nasty potions essay. Say hello to
Remus for me.
--Harry.
Sirius was slightly disappointed by the letter. It barely said anything. He knew he should have written to Harry at least once during the week he'd been back, but had never gotten around to it. He was glad that the Occlumency had worked. Dumbledore had seemed doubtful about it, but it appeared that Harry had mastered it.
Sirius doubted Dumbledore was going to allow Harry to come to the Order Headquarters at all this year. He wasn't sure why, but suspected it had something to do with Occlumency. Still, but was probably better not to tell him. He sat down at a desk, pulled out some parchment and began writing a letter to Harry.
**Ron and Hermione's POV**
"Now where were we?" murmured Ron, kissing her cheek.
"Wait Ron!" snapped Hermione. "I want to know how Harry is."
Ron ripped open the letter. "Uh.Harry fine. Doing lots of homework." He tried to kiss Hermione again.
"RON!" she exclaimed. "Let me read my letter!"
Ron pulled away for a minute and then said, "See. He's fine."
"Well I suppose he is," she said, finishing the letter. "He would tell us if something were wrong wouldn't he?"
"Of course he would. He's fine." This time he succeeded in catching her lips.
"Yes, I suppose he would," she mumbled, allowing herself to respond to the kiss.
**At Privet Drive**
Harry looked into his mother trunk and saw it was completely empty. Suddenly it flickered and became filled with things. He stared at the trunk amazed. It obviously had some very complicated charms on it. At the very top was a folded piece of aging parchment. He picked it up, and opened it.
'Dear Bambi,
If you are reading this, that means everything we feared came to pass,
and we have died. But on a brighter note, it means that you have lived.
This trunk has been charmed to find you just before your 17th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Harry. You're nearly an adult. I hope you're more
responsible than your father was at your age. But I hope you know
both your father and I are very proud of you. It couldn't have been
easy growing up without parents, even if you did have Sirius. I love
you sweetheart. I always have and I always will. I know you'll grow
up to be a wonderful man, just like your father did.
In the trunk you will find many things. One is a magical diary I
enchanted yesterday. If you write in it, it will reply to you. It has
been enchanted with a lock of my hair, and drop of my blood.
That is where it keeps it's brain, so don't worry. Also, if you put
your hand on the back cover, it'll glow blue for a second, which shows
that the blood used in it, is related to your own. The other things I
will allow you to find for your self.
I love you, my baby boy.
-----Love, Mum
P.S. Harry, it's your Dad. I've also snuck a couple bottles of Firewisky
and some Muggle drink called Vodka. I figure you need some fun.
Don't tell your mother. Take care.
---Love, Dad.
Harry's eyes filled with tears. These were his parents. They loved him. Of course, he knew they must have, since they had died for him, but to hear it from them was entirely different. He brushed the tears away and looked down at the trunk again.
In one corner were stacks of books. He pulled a couple out. Advanced Charms and Transfiguration books. Theses went way beyond what was taught at Hogwarts. Others were training books for Aurors and even some for Unspeakables. He stared at the books. Flicking one open, he realized they had been his fathers. The final book in the pile was Curses and Counter Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies, with the Latest Revenges) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. Harry laughed. He had wanted this book since he saw it in Diagon Alley the summer before his first year.
Stacking the books beside him, he looked back into the trunk. He saw a pile of moving pictures. He pulled them out and looked through them. Most were of him as a baby with various people. His father, his mother, Sirius, Remus, and some women he had never seen before. He noted with disgust that some were also of Pettigrew. One picture was of just him and his mother, both unaware that the picture had been taken. He was on the floor playing with blocks, while his mother watched him with an intense look of love on her face. The tears that had threatened to spill before now came rolling down his cheeks.
After staring at the picture for a while, he wiped away his tears and put the pictures aside. He would look at the rest later. The next item he pulled out of the trunk was a cloak. However, it looked different to any robe he'd ever seen. He saw a note pinned to it.
Harry,
This is called a Trenchrobe. It belonged to your father.
They are quite fashionable now, but you much want to
check if they still are before you wear it. They are much
like Muggle Trenchcoats. It should be worn over Muggle
clothes. James looked quite handsome in it, and I'm sure
you will too.
---Mum.
The robe was black with an emerald and gold trim. It was quite nice actually. Once he got some nice Muggle clothes, he'd have to wear it. He folded the cloak and put it beside the books.
The next thing out of the trunk was a small box. He opened and looked inside. It was his mother's and father's wedding rings! Along the inside of both rings was engraved, LE + JP, in fancy lettering. The trunk was nearly empty now. All that was left was a small box, slightly larger than the rings box, and a book. He reached in and pulled them both out.
There was another note taped to the box. This one told him to put his hand on the box and say 'Alesco.' When he did this, the box grew to the size of his regular school trunk, and a key appeared in his hand, along with a note.
Harry,
I see you've found the trunk. Place the key on your
hand and say 'concipio.' The key will melt into your
hand. As you can see, there are a number of keyholes
on the trunk. Once the key is in your hand, one of your
fingers will have the faint drawing of a key on it. Put
that finger into one of the key holes and that compartment
will open. Only you can open to trunk. To give the key
to someone else, touch your hand with your wand and
say 'peractio.' Don't worry, neither expanding the
trunk, nor absorbing the key, is considered traceable
magic. However removing the key is. I would advise
you never to remove it. To shrink the trunk back again
say 'resilio.' Have fun!
---Mum
Wow. It was a trunk like the one Moody had been trapped in during his fourth year. He put the key on the palm of his hand and said "Concipio." There was a brief flash of light, and a glowing key showed up on his index finger. After a minute, it faded until he could barely see it.
Curiously, he looked at the keyholes. There were six of them altogether. No, wait, 7. There was an extra one tucked into the corner where no one would see it at first glance. Harry put his finger into the first keyhole. The trunk glowed slightly and opened. Looking in he saw a comfortable looking sitting room. He climbed in. Looking around, he realized that this wasn't just a sitting room. It was an entire suite! There was a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen, coming off the sitting room. Deciding to see the other compartments, he started to look for a way out. He spotted a ladder on the far wall, and used it to climb out.
He closed the trunk and then checked the second keyhole. This one turned out to be a potions room. It had many cauldrons, as well as potions ingredients, and small burners to heat cauldrons over. There also appeared to be many books on Potions. Many of them seemed like they would probably be in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library. It would certainly be helpful, but Harry had never liked Potions.
The third keyhole opened a Duelling Room of sorts. It was similar to the room he had used in fifth year for the DA. It had practice dummies, and many dark detectors. It also had a stack of books, no doubt about duelling or Defence Against the Dark Arts. This room would be very useful to him. Now he didn't have to sneak around and find empty classrooms or go all the way across the school to the Room of Requirement to practice.
Next, he tried the fourth keyhole, which opened up into a beautiful garden. He wondered how it had been maintained all these years, but figured that it either was charmed or had house elves.
Wondering what could possible come next; Harry opened the fifth compartment of the trunk. This one was a library. However, it wasn't just any library; this was easily the biggest library he had ever seen. Even bigger than Hogwarts. 'Hermione would just love this,' he thought.
The sixth keyhole on the front of the trunk was the entrance to a Room of Requirement. Wow. He had his own Room of Requirement.
The seventh and final keyhole opened up what looked like a black hole. Not wanting to just jump in, Harry looked around for any clue as to what it might be. Spying a piece of paper, he picked it up. Reading the paper, his eyebrows shot up in disbelief. This compartment could slow time down drastically, or speed it up. One day in the trunk could be as little as one second outside, or as much as one month. However, it warned him that he had to consent to bring anyone into it, or they may be stuck in the black hole forever.
Looking around in shock, Harry closed the trunk and shrunk it again. He picked up the last item. His mother's diary. Remembering what the letter said, he put his had on the back cover. As Lily had said, it did indeed glow blue. Still, this reminded him too much of Tom Riddle's diary. With slight trepidation, Harry picked up a quill, and opened the book.
****************************************************
A/N: Sorry about the jumping around in POV's but I wanted to show what was going on at the Headquarters. I'll try not to do it too much.
athenakitty - Yes, baby Harry recognizes James. He calls them both Daddy. Yes, Harry's locked in, but his time won't be too unpleasant. Hehehe. And yes, He will get away from the Dursleys. I'm not cruel enough to leave him there the whole summer. But it won't be til after his birthday though. I want him to use magic on them.
Fiery Pheonix - This one isn't as long, but it's still pretty long. Subconsciously, he does want her to know. And it was fresh in his mind since he had just admitted it to Tonks. And plus, I wanted to confuse Ginny. ::smiles::
laziness - Actually I don't only write Harry/Ginny. And I couldn't care less if the ship has canon evidence or not. If you're going to criticize my fic, please do it about something that will help me improve. Such as writing style or characterization. Not my choice of ship. If you don't like it, I'm not forcing you to read it.
Ms.Marvel - Yup, I know Sirius died at the end of book 5, but I said in the first chapter that this was going to be sort of AU, in the sense that Neville died instead of Sirius. I know it wouldn't have quite the same effect since Neville was a friend not a parent figure, but Harry would still be pretty upset, because they became pretty good friends during the 5th book. Thank you! I hope you like this part too!
Lilo - I'm sorry! Everyone's getting upset over the baby. I guess this means I have to write the other fic. Heh. Ron and Hermione have been spending a lot of time together. So none of them are actually trying to push the other away, but they're just growing apart a bit. Also, I needed Harry not to be seeing as much of them so he can get close to Ginny.
Blimp - James called Sirius because he needed to talk to him about something else, and asked him to tell Lily in case he didn't get enough time to call her as well. But, I agree. Poor Lily. Thanks! Here's your update.
Thanks to all the reviews! You're very encouraging. Here's the next part.
Please review!
**At Grummauld Place**
Hedwig swooped out of the sky and in to Grummauld Place through an open window. Spying Ginny sitting in chair on the other side of the room, she flew over, and held out her leg.
Ginny glanced up and saw the snowy owl perched on the arm of her chair.
"Hello Hedwig," she said. "Are these letters from Harry?" Hedwig hooted. Ginny untied the letters and stroked the owl's head. "Thanks girl. Is Harry okay?" Hedwig rubbed Ginny's arm with her head reassuringly, and with a final hoot flew off back to Privet Drive.
Ginny looked at the four letters in her hand. One each for Ron, Hermione, Sirius and herself. She looked up and yelled "RON! HERMIONE! SIRIUS! HARRY'S SENT LETTERS!" A few seconds later, the rather guilty looking Sirius Black tore into the room.
"Oh, crap, I forgot to write to him," he said taking his letter. A few moments later a rather dishevelled Ron entered the room. Hermione, looking equally messy, a faint blush staining her cheeks at Ginny's amused glance, followed him closely. Ginny nodded at the table and went back to reading her own letter.
**Ginny's POV **
'Dear Angel.'
Trust Harry to remember. She had dumped one of her boyfriends, and in an attempt to win her back, he had called her an angel. When she had later laughingly told Harry of this, he had immediately started calling her Angel. Not that she really minded, but she never told him that.
'How are you? If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here you know.'
She sighed. He knew she wasn't alright, and she just wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Still, he made a point of telling here he'd always be there, but without pressuring her like everyone else was. It was sweet, but she didn't know if she could ever tell him what had happened when she had been captured.
'I'm okay here, the Muggles aren't too bad. Annoying, but you can't expect too much. I can't wait to go to the Headquarters and see you again.'
She laughed quietly. It was quite doubtful that the Dursleys weren't treating him too badly, but she knew he wouldn't tell anyone even if they were. She reread the last sentence. He couldn't wait to see her again? No, he probably meant you in the plural sense. Ron, Hermione and Sirius where here too. So was Remus. He had probably said the same thing to all of them.
'How's Ron treating you? He's not being too much of a Git, is he? Don't tell anyone, but Tonks came and visited me, while she was on Guard Duty. She's great. If you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to her, I'm sure she would listen.'
Tonks? Harry and Tonks talked? She didn't know they were even friends. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but pushed it away. Harry was a big boy, and could talk to whom ever he wanted to. Nevertheless, talking to Tonks didn't seem like a bad idea. She was certainly nice enough, and if Harry thought she was trustworthy, she probably was. Maybe next time Tonks wasn't rushing out to get to work, she would talk to her.
She finished reading the rest of the letter. Of course she would write back. LOVE Harry? LOVE? What could he mean by that? She wished she could see Hermione's letter to see what he signed it as. Smiling, she tucked the letter into her pocket and went back to her book.
**Sirius' POV**
Sirius,
How are you? Are you staying at Headquarters?
I'm fine, the Muggles are not too bad. Can't wait
to come to Headquarters though. How is it,
by the way? Get all the creatures and things out
yet? My scar's been fine, hasn't bothered me at
all. I guess that Occlumency worked. What's been
going on in the Wizarding World recently? I can't
get the Daily Prophet because too many owls would
attract the Muggles attention. And what they print
is all lies anyway. So, I should go now, I'm working
on a particularly nasty potions essay. Say hello to
Remus for me.
--Harry.
Sirius was slightly disappointed by the letter. It barely said anything. He knew he should have written to Harry at least once during the week he'd been back, but had never gotten around to it. He was glad that the Occlumency had worked. Dumbledore had seemed doubtful about it, but it appeared that Harry had mastered it.
Sirius doubted Dumbledore was going to allow Harry to come to the Order Headquarters at all this year. He wasn't sure why, but suspected it had something to do with Occlumency. Still, but was probably better not to tell him. He sat down at a desk, pulled out some parchment and began writing a letter to Harry.
**Ron and Hermione's POV**
"Now where were we?" murmured Ron, kissing her cheek.
"Wait Ron!" snapped Hermione. "I want to know how Harry is."
Ron ripped open the letter. "Uh.Harry fine. Doing lots of homework." He tried to kiss Hermione again.
"RON!" she exclaimed. "Let me read my letter!"
Ron pulled away for a minute and then said, "See. He's fine."
"Well I suppose he is," she said, finishing the letter. "He would tell us if something were wrong wouldn't he?"
"Of course he would. He's fine." This time he succeeded in catching her lips.
"Yes, I suppose he would," she mumbled, allowing herself to respond to the kiss.
**At Privet Drive**
Harry looked into his mother trunk and saw it was completely empty. Suddenly it flickered and became filled with things. He stared at the trunk amazed. It obviously had some very complicated charms on it. At the very top was a folded piece of aging parchment. He picked it up, and opened it.
'Dear Bambi,
If you are reading this, that means everything we feared came to pass,
and we have died. But on a brighter note, it means that you have lived.
This trunk has been charmed to find you just before your 17th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Harry. You're nearly an adult. I hope you're more
responsible than your father was at your age. But I hope you know
both your father and I are very proud of you. It couldn't have been
easy growing up without parents, even if you did have Sirius. I love
you sweetheart. I always have and I always will. I know you'll grow
up to be a wonderful man, just like your father did.
In the trunk you will find many things. One is a magical diary I
enchanted yesterday. If you write in it, it will reply to you. It has
been enchanted with a lock of my hair, and drop of my blood.
That is where it keeps it's brain, so don't worry. Also, if you put
your hand on the back cover, it'll glow blue for a second, which shows
that the blood used in it, is related to your own. The other things I
will allow you to find for your self.
I love you, my baby boy.
-----Love, Mum
P.S. Harry, it's your Dad. I've also snuck a couple bottles of Firewisky
and some Muggle drink called Vodka. I figure you need some fun.
Don't tell your mother. Take care.
---Love, Dad.
Harry's eyes filled with tears. These were his parents. They loved him. Of course, he knew they must have, since they had died for him, but to hear it from them was entirely different. He brushed the tears away and looked down at the trunk again.
In one corner were stacks of books. He pulled a couple out. Advanced Charms and Transfiguration books. Theses went way beyond what was taught at Hogwarts. Others were training books for Aurors and even some for Unspeakables. He stared at the books. Flicking one open, he realized they had been his fathers. The final book in the pile was Curses and Counter Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies, with the Latest Revenges) by Professor Vindictus Viridian. Harry laughed. He had wanted this book since he saw it in Diagon Alley the summer before his first year.
Stacking the books beside him, he looked back into the trunk. He saw a pile of moving pictures. He pulled them out and looked through them. Most were of him as a baby with various people. His father, his mother, Sirius, Remus, and some women he had never seen before. He noted with disgust that some were also of Pettigrew. One picture was of just him and his mother, both unaware that the picture had been taken. He was on the floor playing with blocks, while his mother watched him with an intense look of love on her face. The tears that had threatened to spill before now came rolling down his cheeks.
After staring at the picture for a while, he wiped away his tears and put the pictures aside. He would look at the rest later. The next item he pulled out of the trunk was a cloak. However, it looked different to any robe he'd ever seen. He saw a note pinned to it.
Harry,
This is called a Trenchrobe. It belonged to your father.
They are quite fashionable now, but you much want to
check if they still are before you wear it. They are much
like Muggle Trenchcoats. It should be worn over Muggle
clothes. James looked quite handsome in it, and I'm sure
you will too.
---Mum.
The robe was black with an emerald and gold trim. It was quite nice actually. Once he got some nice Muggle clothes, he'd have to wear it. He folded the cloak and put it beside the books.
The next thing out of the trunk was a small box. He opened and looked inside. It was his mother's and father's wedding rings! Along the inside of both rings was engraved, LE + JP, in fancy lettering. The trunk was nearly empty now. All that was left was a small box, slightly larger than the rings box, and a book. He reached in and pulled them both out.
There was another note taped to the box. This one told him to put his hand on the box and say 'Alesco.' When he did this, the box grew to the size of his regular school trunk, and a key appeared in his hand, along with a note.
Harry,
I see you've found the trunk. Place the key on your
hand and say 'concipio.' The key will melt into your
hand. As you can see, there are a number of keyholes
on the trunk. Once the key is in your hand, one of your
fingers will have the faint drawing of a key on it. Put
that finger into one of the key holes and that compartment
will open. Only you can open to trunk. To give the key
to someone else, touch your hand with your wand and
say 'peractio.' Don't worry, neither expanding the
trunk, nor absorbing the key, is considered traceable
magic. However removing the key is. I would advise
you never to remove it. To shrink the trunk back again
say 'resilio.' Have fun!
---Mum
Wow. It was a trunk like the one Moody had been trapped in during his fourth year. He put the key on the palm of his hand and said "Concipio." There was a brief flash of light, and a glowing key showed up on his index finger. After a minute, it faded until he could barely see it.
Curiously, he looked at the keyholes. There were six of them altogether. No, wait, 7. There was an extra one tucked into the corner where no one would see it at first glance. Harry put his finger into the first keyhole. The trunk glowed slightly and opened. Looking in he saw a comfortable looking sitting room. He climbed in. Looking around, he realized that this wasn't just a sitting room. It was an entire suite! There was a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen, coming off the sitting room. Deciding to see the other compartments, he started to look for a way out. He spotted a ladder on the far wall, and used it to climb out.
He closed the trunk and then checked the second keyhole. This one turned out to be a potions room. It had many cauldrons, as well as potions ingredients, and small burners to heat cauldrons over. There also appeared to be many books on Potions. Many of them seemed like they would probably be in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library. It would certainly be helpful, but Harry had never liked Potions.
The third keyhole opened a Duelling Room of sorts. It was similar to the room he had used in fifth year for the DA. It had practice dummies, and many dark detectors. It also had a stack of books, no doubt about duelling or Defence Against the Dark Arts. This room would be very useful to him. Now he didn't have to sneak around and find empty classrooms or go all the way across the school to the Room of Requirement to practice.
Next, he tried the fourth keyhole, which opened up into a beautiful garden. He wondered how it had been maintained all these years, but figured that it either was charmed or had house elves.
Wondering what could possible come next; Harry opened the fifth compartment of the trunk. This one was a library. However, it wasn't just any library; this was easily the biggest library he had ever seen. Even bigger than Hogwarts. 'Hermione would just love this,' he thought.
The sixth keyhole on the front of the trunk was the entrance to a Room of Requirement. Wow. He had his own Room of Requirement.
The seventh and final keyhole opened up what looked like a black hole. Not wanting to just jump in, Harry looked around for any clue as to what it might be. Spying a piece of paper, he picked it up. Reading the paper, his eyebrows shot up in disbelief. This compartment could slow time down drastically, or speed it up. One day in the trunk could be as little as one second outside, or as much as one month. However, it warned him that he had to consent to bring anyone into it, or they may be stuck in the black hole forever.
Looking around in shock, Harry closed the trunk and shrunk it again. He picked up the last item. His mother's diary. Remembering what the letter said, he put his had on the back cover. As Lily had said, it did indeed glow blue. Still, this reminded him too much of Tom Riddle's diary. With slight trepidation, Harry picked up a quill, and opened the book.
****************************************************
A/N: Sorry about the jumping around in POV's but I wanted to show what was going on at the Headquarters. I'll try not to do it too much.
athenakitty - Yes, baby Harry recognizes James. He calls them both Daddy. Yes, Harry's locked in, but his time won't be too unpleasant. Hehehe. And yes, He will get away from the Dursleys. I'm not cruel enough to leave him there the whole summer. But it won't be til after his birthday though. I want him to use magic on them.
Fiery Pheonix - This one isn't as long, but it's still pretty long. Subconsciously, he does want her to know. And it was fresh in his mind since he had just admitted it to Tonks. And plus, I wanted to confuse Ginny. ::smiles::
laziness - Actually I don't only write Harry/Ginny. And I couldn't care less if the ship has canon evidence or not. If you're going to criticize my fic, please do it about something that will help me improve. Such as writing style or characterization. Not my choice of ship. If you don't like it, I'm not forcing you to read it.
Ms.Marvel - Yup, I know Sirius died at the end of book 5, but I said in the first chapter that this was going to be sort of AU, in the sense that Neville died instead of Sirius. I know it wouldn't have quite the same effect since Neville was a friend not a parent figure, but Harry would still be pretty upset, because they became pretty good friends during the 5th book. Thank you! I hope you like this part too!
Lilo - I'm sorry! Everyone's getting upset over the baby. I guess this means I have to write the other fic. Heh. Ron and Hermione have been spending a lot of time together. So none of them are actually trying to push the other away, but they're just growing apart a bit. Also, I needed Harry not to be seeing as much of them so he can get close to Ginny.
Blimp - James called Sirius because he needed to talk to him about something else, and asked him to tell Lily in case he didn't get enough time to call her as well. But, I agree. Poor Lily. Thanks! Here's your update.
Thanks to all the reviews! You're very encouraging. Here's the next part.
Please review!