DISCLAIMER: I own nothing – it all belongs to JK Rowling.
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Harry spent the first few days at the Weasley's playing Quidditch and plenty of wizard chess. Harry was bowled over by how cunning a chess player Ginny was. She shrugged it off. "Try playing with Ron for most of your life – you learn a few nasty tricks," she pointed out.
Mr Weasley and Bill shot in and out of the house, and Harry hardly even caught a glimpse of them. They often arrived late at night, after everyone else was in bed, and left before the sun rose. Apparently, more was on the go behind the scenes than they knew. Mrs Weasley was getting thinner by the week with anxiety about them.
They received a letter from Hermione, almost beside herself with worry about the O.W.L results, but promising to spend the last ten days of the vacation with them at The Burrow. "Pathetic," said Ron, shaking his head. "We all know she'll get perfect O's – but why spoil her fun, hey?"
But despite attempts at light-heartedness, Harry felt himself settling into gloomy depression more and more often. He would snap at Ron and Ginny for no reason, and then, feeling guilty, slouch off outside to be alone, to mull over Sirius and the events of last year. Although he felt bad, he couldn't bring himself to apologise to them. Tension continued to mount, until the day Hermione arrived.
Although Hermione's parents were Muggles, they were very supportive of their only daughter and were not magic-phobic, like the Dursleys. Therefore, the use of Floo powder to get around delighted - rather than horrified - them. At mid-morning, there was a flash of green flame in the Weasley's fireplace, and a rather sooty-looking Hermione appeared.
"Sorry dear – been meaning to get that fireplace cleaned out for a while now," apologized Mrs Weasley. "How are you, dear?" She enveloped her son's friend in a close hug.
"Fine, thanks! I've brought you a present from my parents to thank you for having me to stay," spluttered Hermione, trying to brush soot off her clothes. She presented Mrs Weasley with a package, which turned out to be a rather large and luxurious box of assorted chocolates. Delighted, Mrs Weasley took them from her.
Releasing her bow-legged ginger cat, Crookshanks, from his traveling basket, Hermione caught sight of Ron and Harry as they came into the kitchen. With a shriek of delight, she flew at them and enveloped them both in tight hugs. Ron emerged from his with a dull flush of red decorating his freckled cheeks.
"Good grief, Hermione, you'd think we'd been apart for years," he complained.
"Feels like it," said Hermione. "What with all the waiting for O.W.Ls and … everything." She glanced cautiously at Harry. He chose to ignore her, sitting down at the table instead.
There was a whooshing sound at the windows, as three large barn owls appeared.
"Speaking of results…" said Harry, eyeing the birds as though they were going to explode.
Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth, looking as though she were going to be sick. Ron's face went ashen.
"Oh, for goodness sake," said Ginny, going over to the owls and taking the letters from them. "You might as well get it over and done with."
She threw Harry his letter, forced Ron to take his and left Hermione's on the table in front of her. "Go on – open them!"
"Easy for you to say, midget," muttered Ron. "Well – here goes…" Ripping open the letter, he stared at the contents for a long time.
"Well?" said Mrs Weasley impatiently hovering behind him. "What did you get?"
"All of them except Divination," said Ron in a hushed tone. "Look."
Harry glanced down the list. Ron had received an O for Defence Against the Dark Arts, E for Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Charms and Potions, As for Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic and Potions, and a P for Divination. Mrs Weasley was delighted.
"What about you two?" she shrieked.
Hermione took her hands from her mouth and opened her letter. A minute later, and she was sobbing into her hands.
"What?" cried Ron, alarmed. He took the paper away from her and read it. "Oh, blimey, Hermione – eleven perfect O's? What on earth are you crying about?"
She flung her arms around his neck and cried into his collar. "I'm just so… so… OH, I DON'T KNOW!" she wailed. Patting her awkwardly on the back, Ron mouthed "barking" at Harry over her shoulder.
"Oh, well done, Hermione!" said Ginny, impressed. "What about you, Harry?"
Gloomily Harry pulled open his envelope. "I got all of them except Divination, too," he said in amazement. "O's for Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms and … wow, Potions! E for Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures, A' s for Astronomy, Herbology and History of Magic, and a P for Divination."
"Great! So does that mean you'll be taking N.E.W.Ts that will allow you to train as an Auror?" sniffed Hermione, finally pulling herself together.
"Hadn't really thought about it," said Harry. "In fact, I haven't really thought much about the future at all."
"But Harry, it's really important," lectured Hermione. "What you do now will set you up for the rest of your life, you know? Besides, what will you do otherwise? I think you should …"
Harry had had enough. His temper, ever close to the surface, rose up blindingly.
"Will you shut up about my future?" he bellowed. "I don't even know if I've got one, OK? Not that I have anything to live for anymore anyway – everything and everyone keeps being taken away from me! Will you all … just … LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Stomping off towards the stairs, he brushed past a stunned Ron and a tearful Hermione. He didn't notice the furious look on Ginny's face.
Halfway up the stairs, Ginny caught up with him.
"Into my room," she snarled at him. "NOW!"
"I don't want…" he started.
"I do not give a damn what you want, Harry Potter! Get in there!" she shouted back.
Sulkily, he stepped into her room.
"Right, Harry. What I need to say isn't easy but somebody has to do it," said Ginny, colour rising into her face. Harry stared at her.
"What are you going on about?" he snapped. "I really don't need or want another pep talk and –"
"Oh no, you won't be getting a pep talk from ME," she exploded. "Harry Potter, you are THE most selfish human being on the planet!"
Harry stared at her, shocked. He was getting used to people feeling sorry for him and tiptoeing around his feelings, and this really wasn't what he had expected at all.
"What," he spluttered," are you talking about?"
Ginny launched herself into her speech, talking very fast and getting redder by the minute."
"I know you've had a hard time, and I know you've suffered, and I know you've lost your family. I feel terrible for you. But I'm also starting to lose my patience because … because … because all you think about is yourself!" she yelled. "What about the rest of us? We all faced Voldemort and his gang of Death Eaters last year, and we all got hurt and saw horrible things. You weren't the only one who was there, you know!"
"I do know, but …" Harry stammered, going very pink himself.
"Look at Ron and Hermione, and Luna and Neville!" Ginny yelled. "They've all proven to you that they think the world of you and would die for you – and they almost did, you know! Particularly Neville – he's not the bravest soul in the world, and what he did took a huge amount of courage. And have you ever said anything to any of them? NO! They're not expecting everlasting thanks, Harry – just an acknowledgement that they exist and that you appreciate what they did for you!"
Stunned, Harry sat in silence. He really didn't know what to say.
A little more quietly, Ginny went on. "Ron got badly hurt, you know. He still feels pain in those awful burns on his arms from the brain tentacles. And Hermione is still taking her potions to sort out what that Death Eater did to her insides," she said.
"I didn't know," Harry started.
"Of course you didn't – they didn't want to tell you and burden you any more!" said Ginny. "But I'm telling you because you need to know. And what about me?" she continued quietly.
Harry looked at her, too scared to speak in case he said the wrong thing and she exploded again. He'd never seen her so angry – for once, he could see her resemblance to her mother.
"You're not the only one who's been possessed by Voldemort, you know," she continued. Harry blinked, embarrassed – he'd almost forgotten that it was little Ginny who had been possessed by Tom Riddle in her first year at Hogwarts. "I know what it feels like, Harry… that coldness inside, like you'll never be warm again. Like your heart is being squeezed out of you and that your soul is gone forever. And facing all that again – well, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."
Harry watched her face in silence, seeing her relive the awful things she had gone through. Ginny looked up at him through a curtain of dark red hair, and he could see the gleam of tears in her eyes.
"But you know what? Knowing that you have people who care about you makes it better," she said softly. "Please don't ever forget that you have people who love you enough to be prepared to die for you, Harry."
Ginny got up to go, but Harry put out his hand to stop her. She kept her face turned away from him.
"Thanks, Ginny," he said roughly, not wanting to speak in case he let his feelings show. "I needed to hear that."
She turned to look at him and he saw tears pouring down her face. "I don't want to hurt you, Harry, but ... The way you've been behaving is so unlike you!" she sobbed. "You've always been the most caring, decent person I know, and you've been acting like you couldn't care if we lived or died!" Peering up at him, she saw him shaking his head, fighting for control of his emotions. Without thinking twice, she put her arms around him and hugged him very tightly.
"You don't understand, Ginny … I killed him! I killed Sirus," he whispered softly.
"No, Harry – that was Bellatrix Lestrange. All you did was to love him enough to want to save him," she whispered back.
For the first time since his encounter with Voldemort and the loss of Sirius, Harry allowed the emotions to well up. Putting his head on her shoulder, he let the tears come at last, feeling as though his swollen heart was breaking.
Peeking around the door half an hour later, Ron and Hermione were amazed to see Harry curled up on Ginny's bed, fast asleep. She was sitting on the floor next to him, watching him sleep. She glanced up at them, then put her finger to her lips. For the first time in months, they could see that Harry's face was totally relaxed, looking softer and much more like the Harry they knew and loved. Tiptoeing away, they closed the door behind them and went downstairs for lunch.