A/N: I am not J.K. Rowling nor am I any affiliate of hers. I own nothing
except for the plot and the stuff you don't recognize from the book.
New Beginnings
There was an ordinary flat in an ordinary part of London where a very extraordinary man lived. Inside flat 4B in the old Madison building on Knight Street Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was just arriving home from his job as an Auror after a stop off at Grimmauld Place for a brief but important meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry pushed the almost overgrown black hair from his eyes to read the clock that hung on the wall adjacent his front door. 11:45pm. Harry groaned and dropped his tattered black briefcase on the floor and kicked the door closed. He grabbed his wand, pointed it to the door without looking, and muttered some spell.
Harry then fell back on to the oversized couch and rubbed his tired eyes behind his round glasses. He looked around the room and everything was still in place. The green oversized couch faced an old muggle television set and a fireplace. All along the wall were pictured of his friends, the Weasleys, and his old Firebolt which hadn't gotten much use since the last time he road it around the Hogwarts grounds before graduation. To his left were the front door and the hallway to his tiny, yet suitable bathroom and 2 bedrooms. The kitchen was a perfect size for a man who rarely cooked and was conveniently located only a step away from his living room. One bedroom was his of course and the other was Ron's old room. He and Harry lived together as roommates since Hogwarts graduation only until he and Hermione decided to get married and move in to her apartment she shared with Ginny. Harry, being Ron's best friend, was happy that he had found someone he wanted to spend his life with but still missed having long conversations after a long day of work. The kitchen was a perfect size for a man who rarely cooked and was conveniently located only a step away from his living room. He listened around and only heard the hoots of the owls (Hedwig included) and the night sounds of London. He sighed softly. "Welcome home, Harry." He said to himself.
Harry looked over at the fireplace and noticed it was a vibrant purple color, meaning someone had tried to contact him but he wasn't home. "Repitar" said Harry into the fire. Suddenly Hermione's head popped up and began talking.
"Harry I hope you're alright. Ron still isn't home yet and I was starting to get worried. I know that there was a meeting tonight and I hope Dumbledore forgives me for not showing up. I couldn't get off of work that early unfortunately. Anyway, if he come round to your place afterwards for a bite to eat tell him that I need to talk to him. That's all. Have a good night!" After Hermione's head disappeared into the now normal flames, Harry couldn't help but feel jealous of Ron for having not only good reliable friends, but also a strong and loving family. Sure Harry had considered the Weasleys his family for years but every time he was in a photo with them, he knew that he would always be a Potter and they would always be Weasleys.
Harry reluctantly got up and headed off to his bathroom and bedroom where he washed and dressed for bed. He perfected the whole process down to five minutes and went into his big empty bed and fell fast asleep and prepared his mind for the next day which would consist of a long day of filing and paper work, a meeting for all order members, and another empty apartment to arrive home to.
The next morning was rushed as usual. He had overslept again and didn't have time for breakfast. He came out of his hallway, grabbed his briefcase and was about to Apperate to work when he noticed a piece of paper that someone had slipped under his door. The handwriting was scratchy and minuscule. "Harry, come round my flat first thing in the morning. –Mr. Kippler." Marvin Kippler, a muggle and the super of the apartment building, was an old, tired looking man that wore a white undershirt year round and usually smelled of foul fish. Harry grudgingly left his apartment and headed down the hallway to Mr. Kippler's. Kippler was already outside his door waiting for him. "What happened to you?" Asked Kippler in his gruff voice. "It looked like you just rolled out of bed. Is that what you where to work?" Kippler noticed Harry's work robes, a dark green color.
"I work at a joke shop. It's a little something for the kids." Replied Harry quickly.
"Oh. Well I just wanted to know how your plumbing's been doing. A few people on our floor have been having problems and I was going to fix it during the day." Said Kippler. Although he smelled and seemed tough, he looked out for Harry knowing he didn't have a real family to belong to.
"No, it's been fine. Thanks anyway." Said Harry quickly looking at his watch.
"Oh well then. How's everything been? Heard from Weasley lately?" He asked.
"You know Mr. Kippler, I'm going to be late for work. I'll talk to you tonight, okay?" Said Harry backing his way towards the stairs.
"Okay Harry. I'll be expecting you!" He said as Harry made a mad dash down the stairs. He dissapperated on the stairs and to his cubicle. Harry looked and the clock and sighed in relief. 8:58 am. He wasn't late. He sat down in his chair and leaned back. Soon enough, a winged note card that the Ministry was so famous for zoomed on to his desk. It was from his boss, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Just as he was about to read it, he saw a patch of fiery red hair heading its way to his cubicle. An adult Ron Weasley stood at the entrance to Harry's personal hellhole.
"Morning Ron. What's the matter? You look a bit peaky." Said Harry looking at his best friend. Ron, also an Auror, grew at least two inches since his Hogwarts graduation and was a little bit more muscular than his Hogwarts days.
"Its just...stuff. Can you meet me at The Leaky Cauldron during lunch break?" Asked Ron looking as though there was something on his mind.
"Sure thing." Replied Harry.
"Alright then. See you at noon." Said Ron walking back to his cubicle located near his father's old office. Mr. Weasley retired a year ago after 38 long years of working in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. But although he had not had to deal with muggle artifacts anymore, he still couldn't draw himself away from an old plug or car engine.
The day passed quickly and at noon Harry put on his long black coat and headed off to the Three Broomsticks to meet Ron. Normally any witch or wizard of age would apperate but Harry enjoyed the walk to The Leaky Cauldron seeing as it was only 5 blocks from the Ministry of Magic. The Atrium was filled with posters and fliers of candidates for the Minister of Magic position. Fudge announced his retirement in September and everyone wanted a shot at his position. Now in October the candidates had been narrowed down to two: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.
Draco, rich and son of a convicted Death Eater, was well in the lead. His pureblood and once good surname helped him gain voters. When asked whether or not he had ever helped out the Dark Lord or his supporters in anyway he claimed that he wanted nothing to do with them and wanted to clear his family's name of all crime and shame. This of course was a load of dragon dung. Hermione, on the other hand, was better suited for the position but less favored by witches and wizards. Her ideas were brilliant and would improve their government but no one wanted to listen. They all would rather listen to Draco and his enthralling speeches. Because of Draco's involvement in the election, the Order had been working overtime to try and gather up dark dealings he had taken part of. They had enough but still needed more. Harry wondered if Ron wanted to talk about the election during their lunch meeting but quickly dismissed it as he walked outside to the cold fall air. He walked shivering down to the Leaky Cauldron and finally entered the warm building.
He greeted Tom, who ran the place, and found Ron sitting across the room at a little table drinking a butterbeer. Harry sat down across from Ron. "It's cold as a bitch out there." Said Harry warming his hands. Ron looked up from his drink.
"I took the liberty of ordering you a drink." Said Ron playing with his glass.
"Thanks. What are you eating?" Questioned Harry taking a look at the lunch menu.
"I'm not hungry." Replied Ron taking a swig of his drink.
"What's wrong? I know there must be something wrong when you don't want anything to eat." Asked Harry watching his friend. Ron seemed nervous and uneasy. Something definitely wasn't right. Ron sighed.
"Hermione is pregnant." Said Ron sulkily. Harry stared at his best friend stunned.
"Pregnant? You two have been married for less than a year and she's already pregnant?" Questioned Harry in utter amazement.
"Well it's not like we wanted this to happen! We're too young for this! Before you know it we'll be knee deep in diapers and Hermione and I will fight even more." Said Ron sadly. He drank the rest of his butterbeer and put the empty pint on the table. "This just doesn't seem fair, you know? I thought we'd get married, get situated, and then maybe think about having a kid. I never thought I'd come home one day and she'd be like 'So how was your day? Oh by the way, I'm pregnant!'!" Exclaimed Ron sarcastically.
"It will be okay. You'll see. You'll love having a baby around the house." Said Harry reassuringly. Ron cocked his brow and laughed.
"Sure I'll love the one in the morning wake up calls, long nights, and hectic morning. Besides the timing couldn't have been worse with the election coming up. Hermione's going to have a difficult time convincing that she can balance her family life and her professional life without going insane. Plus, who would watch the baby while we're both at work? We don't have enough money for daycare! Hell, we didn't even have money for the birth control potion!" Ron sighed. "It's my fault. If I wasn't so persistent then maybe this never would have..." "Okay stop there. I don't want to know the rest. Badly enough I know how babies are made and I don't want to think of you and Hermione sleeping together." Said Harry cutting off Ron. Harry sighed. "You're just going to have to get through this. I'll help as much as I can along the way. And as for daycare, I'm sure your mum wouldn't object to taking care of it." "That's true...but still. I don't know what's going to happen. This is all just so...sudden." The two sat in silence for a moment or two until Ron began to talk again. "Thanks Harry. This really helped me. I just needed to tell someone and blow off a little steam."
"Lets change the subject shall we?" Suggested Harry trying to ease his way on through their lunch.
"Alright then... Oh, did I tell you? Ginny moved back into my Mum's house." Said Ron taking a bite of his sandwich that Tom and just served. Harry took a hungry bit out of his bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
"Really, why? I thought she had a place of her own?"
"Well she was living with Hermione when we were still dating but since we've been married, Ginny's been staying with friends until she gets her feet on the ground again. But the other night she got into an awful row with Lavender Brown. Something about Lavender's boyfriend I suppose...but anyway, now she's with Mum and Dad back at the burrow and she's dying to find her own place."
"Wouldn't she like living with someone instead of living on her own?" Asked Harry. He hated being by himself. He didn't have any family nor a girlfriend to even accompany him. He had his friends, sure. But now his friends were married and expecting a child. He hardly expected them to come over on their free time regardless of their tight friendship.
"She wouldn't mind living with one of her mates but she can't stand Mum. Ginny says that Mum is interfering with her private life too much and she can't take it anymore even though it's only been a few days. She asked me to ask everyone I knew to look around for cheep flats."
"Alright. I'll do my best. I don't want Ginny to be furious at the next meeting. Old Mad Eye might have a go at her with one of his silencing spells." Ron chuckled. The Weasley temper was not to be crossed. Harry and Ron remained mostly silent for the rest of their luncheon. They talked about trivial things such as Quidditch, the upcoming election, and avoided all talks of pregnancy, parenthood, and babies.
At around one in the afternoon, they both apperated back to work and finished up their day at 5. Ron apperated home where he would reassure Hermione that everything would be fine. They would have their baby and carry on with their lovely marriage. Harry, on the other hand, apperated home to his empty flat once again. He made himself dinner and read the Daily Prophet like he did every night. This time he looked in the classified and real estate sections for Ginny. There was nothing that a single 23 year-old Witch Weekly secretary would be able to afford. Later in the night Harry was walking through his tiny apartment. He laid out his clothes for the next morning so that he wouldn't ruin late again. Harry noticed that the door to the extra bedroom wasn't closed, something that bothered Harry as he went to bed. He walked over and closed it. He was headed back to bed and was struck by a brilliant idea: Ginny could come live with him.
That would solve two problems at once! Ginny would move in and have a place to stay. Harry would have someone to talk to and someone to keep him company. They both got along well enough so he knew that there would not be a personality clash. The whole idea seemed perfect and he silently scolded himself for not thinking of it sooner. For once, Harry went to bed with a smile on his young, handsome face knowing that some time soon he would have something that he once had but missed very dearly: a friend.
So that's the first chapter. Please review!
New Beginnings
There was an ordinary flat in an ordinary part of London where a very extraordinary man lived. Inside flat 4B in the old Madison building on Knight Street Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was just arriving home from his job as an Auror after a stop off at Grimmauld Place for a brief but important meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry pushed the almost overgrown black hair from his eyes to read the clock that hung on the wall adjacent his front door. 11:45pm. Harry groaned and dropped his tattered black briefcase on the floor and kicked the door closed. He grabbed his wand, pointed it to the door without looking, and muttered some spell.
Harry then fell back on to the oversized couch and rubbed his tired eyes behind his round glasses. He looked around the room and everything was still in place. The green oversized couch faced an old muggle television set and a fireplace. All along the wall were pictured of his friends, the Weasleys, and his old Firebolt which hadn't gotten much use since the last time he road it around the Hogwarts grounds before graduation. To his left were the front door and the hallway to his tiny, yet suitable bathroom and 2 bedrooms. The kitchen was a perfect size for a man who rarely cooked and was conveniently located only a step away from his living room. One bedroom was his of course and the other was Ron's old room. He and Harry lived together as roommates since Hogwarts graduation only until he and Hermione decided to get married and move in to her apartment she shared with Ginny. Harry, being Ron's best friend, was happy that he had found someone he wanted to spend his life with but still missed having long conversations after a long day of work. The kitchen was a perfect size for a man who rarely cooked and was conveniently located only a step away from his living room. He listened around and only heard the hoots of the owls (Hedwig included) and the night sounds of London. He sighed softly. "Welcome home, Harry." He said to himself.
Harry looked over at the fireplace and noticed it was a vibrant purple color, meaning someone had tried to contact him but he wasn't home. "Repitar" said Harry into the fire. Suddenly Hermione's head popped up and began talking.
"Harry I hope you're alright. Ron still isn't home yet and I was starting to get worried. I know that there was a meeting tonight and I hope Dumbledore forgives me for not showing up. I couldn't get off of work that early unfortunately. Anyway, if he come round to your place afterwards for a bite to eat tell him that I need to talk to him. That's all. Have a good night!" After Hermione's head disappeared into the now normal flames, Harry couldn't help but feel jealous of Ron for having not only good reliable friends, but also a strong and loving family. Sure Harry had considered the Weasleys his family for years but every time he was in a photo with them, he knew that he would always be a Potter and they would always be Weasleys.
Harry reluctantly got up and headed off to his bathroom and bedroom where he washed and dressed for bed. He perfected the whole process down to five minutes and went into his big empty bed and fell fast asleep and prepared his mind for the next day which would consist of a long day of filing and paper work, a meeting for all order members, and another empty apartment to arrive home to.
The next morning was rushed as usual. He had overslept again and didn't have time for breakfast. He came out of his hallway, grabbed his briefcase and was about to Apperate to work when he noticed a piece of paper that someone had slipped under his door. The handwriting was scratchy and minuscule. "Harry, come round my flat first thing in the morning. –Mr. Kippler." Marvin Kippler, a muggle and the super of the apartment building, was an old, tired looking man that wore a white undershirt year round and usually smelled of foul fish. Harry grudgingly left his apartment and headed down the hallway to Mr. Kippler's. Kippler was already outside his door waiting for him. "What happened to you?" Asked Kippler in his gruff voice. "It looked like you just rolled out of bed. Is that what you where to work?" Kippler noticed Harry's work robes, a dark green color.
"I work at a joke shop. It's a little something for the kids." Replied Harry quickly.
"Oh. Well I just wanted to know how your plumbing's been doing. A few people on our floor have been having problems and I was going to fix it during the day." Said Kippler. Although he smelled and seemed tough, he looked out for Harry knowing he didn't have a real family to belong to.
"No, it's been fine. Thanks anyway." Said Harry quickly looking at his watch.
"Oh well then. How's everything been? Heard from Weasley lately?" He asked.
"You know Mr. Kippler, I'm going to be late for work. I'll talk to you tonight, okay?" Said Harry backing his way towards the stairs.
"Okay Harry. I'll be expecting you!" He said as Harry made a mad dash down the stairs. He dissapperated on the stairs and to his cubicle. Harry looked and the clock and sighed in relief. 8:58 am. He wasn't late. He sat down in his chair and leaned back. Soon enough, a winged note card that the Ministry was so famous for zoomed on to his desk. It was from his boss, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Just as he was about to read it, he saw a patch of fiery red hair heading its way to his cubicle. An adult Ron Weasley stood at the entrance to Harry's personal hellhole.
"Morning Ron. What's the matter? You look a bit peaky." Said Harry looking at his best friend. Ron, also an Auror, grew at least two inches since his Hogwarts graduation and was a little bit more muscular than his Hogwarts days.
"Its just...stuff. Can you meet me at The Leaky Cauldron during lunch break?" Asked Ron looking as though there was something on his mind.
"Sure thing." Replied Harry.
"Alright then. See you at noon." Said Ron walking back to his cubicle located near his father's old office. Mr. Weasley retired a year ago after 38 long years of working in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. But although he had not had to deal with muggle artifacts anymore, he still couldn't draw himself away from an old plug or car engine.
The day passed quickly and at noon Harry put on his long black coat and headed off to the Three Broomsticks to meet Ron. Normally any witch or wizard of age would apperate but Harry enjoyed the walk to The Leaky Cauldron seeing as it was only 5 blocks from the Ministry of Magic. The Atrium was filled with posters and fliers of candidates for the Minister of Magic position. Fudge announced his retirement in September and everyone wanted a shot at his position. Now in October the candidates had been narrowed down to two: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.
Draco, rich and son of a convicted Death Eater, was well in the lead. His pureblood and once good surname helped him gain voters. When asked whether or not he had ever helped out the Dark Lord or his supporters in anyway he claimed that he wanted nothing to do with them and wanted to clear his family's name of all crime and shame. This of course was a load of dragon dung. Hermione, on the other hand, was better suited for the position but less favored by witches and wizards. Her ideas were brilliant and would improve their government but no one wanted to listen. They all would rather listen to Draco and his enthralling speeches. Because of Draco's involvement in the election, the Order had been working overtime to try and gather up dark dealings he had taken part of. They had enough but still needed more. Harry wondered if Ron wanted to talk about the election during their lunch meeting but quickly dismissed it as he walked outside to the cold fall air. He walked shivering down to the Leaky Cauldron and finally entered the warm building.
He greeted Tom, who ran the place, and found Ron sitting across the room at a little table drinking a butterbeer. Harry sat down across from Ron. "It's cold as a bitch out there." Said Harry warming his hands. Ron looked up from his drink.
"I took the liberty of ordering you a drink." Said Ron playing with his glass.
"Thanks. What are you eating?" Questioned Harry taking a look at the lunch menu.
"I'm not hungry." Replied Ron taking a swig of his drink.
"What's wrong? I know there must be something wrong when you don't want anything to eat." Asked Harry watching his friend. Ron seemed nervous and uneasy. Something definitely wasn't right. Ron sighed.
"Hermione is pregnant." Said Ron sulkily. Harry stared at his best friend stunned.
"Pregnant? You two have been married for less than a year and she's already pregnant?" Questioned Harry in utter amazement.
"Well it's not like we wanted this to happen! We're too young for this! Before you know it we'll be knee deep in diapers and Hermione and I will fight even more." Said Ron sadly. He drank the rest of his butterbeer and put the empty pint on the table. "This just doesn't seem fair, you know? I thought we'd get married, get situated, and then maybe think about having a kid. I never thought I'd come home one day and she'd be like 'So how was your day? Oh by the way, I'm pregnant!'!" Exclaimed Ron sarcastically.
"It will be okay. You'll see. You'll love having a baby around the house." Said Harry reassuringly. Ron cocked his brow and laughed.
"Sure I'll love the one in the morning wake up calls, long nights, and hectic morning. Besides the timing couldn't have been worse with the election coming up. Hermione's going to have a difficult time convincing that she can balance her family life and her professional life without going insane. Plus, who would watch the baby while we're both at work? We don't have enough money for daycare! Hell, we didn't even have money for the birth control potion!" Ron sighed. "It's my fault. If I wasn't so persistent then maybe this never would have..." "Okay stop there. I don't want to know the rest. Badly enough I know how babies are made and I don't want to think of you and Hermione sleeping together." Said Harry cutting off Ron. Harry sighed. "You're just going to have to get through this. I'll help as much as I can along the way. And as for daycare, I'm sure your mum wouldn't object to taking care of it." "That's true...but still. I don't know what's going to happen. This is all just so...sudden." The two sat in silence for a moment or two until Ron began to talk again. "Thanks Harry. This really helped me. I just needed to tell someone and blow off a little steam."
"Lets change the subject shall we?" Suggested Harry trying to ease his way on through their lunch.
"Alright then... Oh, did I tell you? Ginny moved back into my Mum's house." Said Ron taking a bite of his sandwich that Tom and just served. Harry took a hungry bit out of his bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
"Really, why? I thought she had a place of her own?"
"Well she was living with Hermione when we were still dating but since we've been married, Ginny's been staying with friends until she gets her feet on the ground again. But the other night she got into an awful row with Lavender Brown. Something about Lavender's boyfriend I suppose...but anyway, now she's with Mum and Dad back at the burrow and she's dying to find her own place."
"Wouldn't she like living with someone instead of living on her own?" Asked Harry. He hated being by himself. He didn't have any family nor a girlfriend to even accompany him. He had his friends, sure. But now his friends were married and expecting a child. He hardly expected them to come over on their free time regardless of their tight friendship.
"She wouldn't mind living with one of her mates but she can't stand Mum. Ginny says that Mum is interfering with her private life too much and she can't take it anymore even though it's only been a few days. She asked me to ask everyone I knew to look around for cheep flats."
"Alright. I'll do my best. I don't want Ginny to be furious at the next meeting. Old Mad Eye might have a go at her with one of his silencing spells." Ron chuckled. The Weasley temper was not to be crossed. Harry and Ron remained mostly silent for the rest of their luncheon. They talked about trivial things such as Quidditch, the upcoming election, and avoided all talks of pregnancy, parenthood, and babies.
At around one in the afternoon, they both apperated back to work and finished up their day at 5. Ron apperated home where he would reassure Hermione that everything would be fine. They would have their baby and carry on with their lovely marriage. Harry, on the other hand, apperated home to his empty flat once again. He made himself dinner and read the Daily Prophet like he did every night. This time he looked in the classified and real estate sections for Ginny. There was nothing that a single 23 year-old Witch Weekly secretary would be able to afford. Later in the night Harry was walking through his tiny apartment. He laid out his clothes for the next morning so that he wouldn't ruin late again. Harry noticed that the door to the extra bedroom wasn't closed, something that bothered Harry as he went to bed. He walked over and closed it. He was headed back to bed and was struck by a brilliant idea: Ginny could come live with him.
That would solve two problems at once! Ginny would move in and have a place to stay. Harry would have someone to talk to and someone to keep him company. They both got along well enough so he knew that there would not be a personality clash. The whole idea seemed perfect and he silently scolded himself for not thinking of it sooner. For once, Harry went to bed with a smile on his young, handsome face knowing that some time soon he would have something that he once had but missed very dearly: a friend.
So that's the first chapter. Please review!