Disclaimer: Whoops, forgot to add one of these for the last chapter. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, basically...

Chapter 4 – Too Much Talk

Harry squirmed in his seat, every inch of him fighting not to jump up off of the bench and run to Silver. The trials were long and monotonous, each convicting Death Eaters. Again and again he had watched battle scenes play on the wall, until he thought that "Crucio" was about the only spell the Death Eaters knew. Long since was the opportunity for him, Ron, Hermione, or Silver to be called up to witness, and long since had Lucius, his wife, Lestrange, and Alexandra been sentenced to sentences in Azkaban and been dragged from the room. Now, all that was on his mind was that he and Silver could find a much better use of the time.

"Relax, Harry," Lupin whispered from beside him, "It's almost over."

Harry nodded, watching as the members of the Wizengamot jotted down notes and exchanged hushed whispers over the verdict.

"Why can't they just accept that every bloody person that goes up there is guilty?" he muttered irritably, "They act like it's so tough to decide. Just send 'em all to Azkaban!"

Ron sniggered, and Hermione gave Harry an amused look. Lupin chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly as he did so. Finally, after what seemed to be ages, but was really only seconds, Fudge gave his signature throat-clearing that meant that he was about to announce the verdict.

"Guilty," he announced simply, his voice a bit croaky from so much speaking.

The accused was dragged out of the courtroom, and Fudge waited (unnecessarily, in Harry's opinion) until he was safely out the door to dismiss the court. Once he did, Harry jumped up with the force of a small rocket and vaulted down the aisle. Silver turned in time to see him, beaming at him. He neared her and she threw her arms around his neck, giggling at the same time. Yes, she was definitely in a good mood.

"Did you ask Dumbledore?" she murmured suddenly, "Because he's leaving now."

Harry turned around, his arms still around her, to see that Dumbledore was, indeed headed for the door.

"Be right back," he muttered, breaking away from her and sprinting down the aisle once more towards Dumbledore.

"Dumble...dore!" he yelled as Dumbledore nearly exited.

Dumbledore turned, a look of amusement on his face as Harry nearly ran into him.

"Hello, Harry," he greeted pleasantly.

Harry seriously considered mocking his cheerfulness, but decided against it.

"Well, um, I was wondering if I had to go back to the Dursleys," he explained, "Because there's really no reason to. I hate it there, and I'll be turning seventeen in a few days anyway, and..."

Dumbledore held up a hand that signaled for Harry to stop.

"Firstly," he said slowly, "You will be returning to your aunt and uncle's today. Secondly, I would appreciate if you stayed there until I deem it safe for you to return to Grimmauld Place, or, as Molly was saying, The Burrow."

Harry's heart first plummeted, and then began to beat furiously as his temper rose. Dumbledore was going to keep him at the Dursleys' past his birthday? He didn't care if Dumbledore would 'appreciate' it or not, but he certainly didn't want to stay there any longer than he had to.

"Why?" he finally managed.

"It's for your safety, Harry," Dumbledore replied cryptically.

"Well I-"Harry began hotly, but he was cut off.

"Wanted to at least have a talk with me and Arthur before he left," Lupin intervened, having arrived at some moment that Harry was not aware of.

Harry nodded emphatically as Dumbledore looked at him questioningly. "It's important," he supplied, "Really important."

Dumbledore looked from Harry to Lupin, and back again, before replying.

"Very well," he said slowly, "You three may return to Grimmauld Place to talk for up to an hour. But then, I want Harry home."

"What about Silver?" Harry asked, "Can't I say goodbye to her before I go?"

"You may say goodbye to her right now," Dumbledore replied calmly.

Harry frowned. He didn't want to say goodbye to her now, he wanted to say goodbye to her...well, never, come to think of it. But, he supposed talking to Lupin and Mr. Weasley was important enough to warrant for it. Maybe. Giving Dumbledore a glare and a sullen parting, he turned and walked back to Silver, who was looking at him apprehensively.

"What did he say?" she asked, the anticipating look in her eyes almost too much for Harry to bear.

"I have to go home," he mumbled, hardly daring to look up at her.

Her face fell completely; she was obviously crushed at the news. For a moment, Harry thought she was going to cry.

"Well, your birthday is only in a few days," she said hesitantly.

"He said I had to stay past my birthday," Harry said, now staring at the floor.

"What?" Silver exclaimed, her voice echoed by Snape's.

Harry glanced up to see that Snape was watching the exchange between the two. He nodded, feeling that a longer answer wasn't needed in Snape's case. To his surprise, Snape's eyes hardened and he looked...angry? Mouth set in a firm line, Snape stalked off in Lupin's direction, muttering something about 'foolish overprotection'. Harry's mouth dropped open slightly.

"He wants me to stay?" he asked in disbelief.

He glanced at Silver to find that she was smiling. "He just wants me to be happy," she said simply, echoing the words Harry had heard earlier that morning.

Harry nodded, still halfway sure that Snape should have been jumping up and down at the fact that he had to return to the Dursleys. After all, Snape had always enjoyed causing him personal pain.

"So, when do you have to leave?" Silver asked, anxiety lacing her words.

He turned to her reluctantly, not wanting to explain that he was going back to Grimmauld Place for an hour.

"Uh, now," he said slowly.

"Oh, Harry," she sighed, throwing her arms around him and holding him tightly.

He felt slightly guilty, but also more anxious than ever to talk to Lupin and Mr. Weasley. He found himself wondering how he could possibly have a chance with Silver anyway, and voiced his main concern hesitantly.

"Silver," he said quietly, "You do...love me...don't you?"

She pulled away and looked up at him in surprise. For a moment, she was simply shocked, but then a small smile crossed over her face. She reached up and fiddled with his hair lovingly.

"I thought we covered that a long time ago," she said, her eyes searching his questioningly.

"Just making sure," he answered solemnly.

She gave him a smile that made him feel dizzy.

"You're so sweet, Harry," she told him, "I really do love you."

He recognized immediately the spark in her eyes – the one that told him that she was longing to hear him say it back, and that she was fearful that he wouldn't.

"I love you, too," he told her.

She buried her face into his chest, holding him tightly and giving off waves of relief. Harry didn't see how he could be the one that sounded uncertain, and she could be the one that ended up being relieved.

"Bye, Harry," she whispered mournfully.

"Bye, beautiful," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

She gave a small sniffle as she drew back, looking as if she were trying very hard not to cry. He grinned and gave a tug on her hair, successfully earning himself a weak smile in return. Knowing that if he didn't leave then, he never would, he turned to leave, passing Snape on the way. Snape was giving him a very suspicious look, and Harry assumed that Snape had found out that Harry was going to have a talk with Lupin and Mr. Weasley. But there was no way Snape could possibly know what that was about – hopefully. Giving a wary glance back at Snape, Harry hurried over to where a very curious Lupin and Mr. Weasley were waiting.

"Hello, Harry," Mr. Weasley greeted in a hopeful tone of voice, as if he expected Harry to blurt out his problem right then and there.

"Hello," Harry replied cautiously, looking at Lupin pointedly.

Lupin took the hint well. "Well, let's get going, then," he said, "Shall we use the portkey, Arthur?"

"Erm, yes," Mr. Weasley agreed, "Let's just go out here..."

He trailed off as he walked outside and further down the corridor, fumbling in his pocket a moment before withdrawing a handkerchief-wrapped object. He allowed the handkerchief to fall away, revealing a miniature brass cauldron.

"On three, now," he instructed, holding it out towards Harry and Lupin.

"One...two...three!"

The three of them each touched a solitary finger to the miniature cauldron, and the next moment Harry felt a tugging at his navel that meant he was most certainly going to land off balance.

"Oomph!" he muttered as his bottom came into contact with a hardwood floor, revealing him to be in the entry hall of Grimmauld Place.

Mr. Weasley and Lupin smiled amusedly down at him, both of them managing to have kept their balance. Harry managed to get up, and wordlessly followed them to the living room. Once inside, Lupin took up residence of a large armchair, while Mr. Weasley chose a small loveseat. Harry sat down on the couch across from Mr. Weasley, looking back and forth from both men nervously. How, exactly, was he supposed to voice his question.

"So, ah, you had a question?" Mr. Weasley asked, sounding excited.

"Well, yeah," Harry said slowly, "It's mostly for you, I guess. Well actually it's for Moony too, but I don't know if he knows. Cause we've never really talked about it. But you would know..."

He trailed off uncertainly, feeling as if he wasn't going to be able to voice his question. Lupin and Mr. Weasley exchanged confused glances.

"Well, what is it, Harry?" Lupin asked gently.

"Yes, we'll do our best to help," Mr. Weasley agreed.

"Well," Harry said, looking up at Mr. Weasley, "You and Mrs. Weasley...you're married. And you have a lot of kids."

He felt a blush creeping to his cheeks at his own words. That was certainly not what he had intended to say. Now both Lupin and Mr. Weasley looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"Not that that has anything to do with it," he continued quickly, "It's just that I wanted to know, well...how you ask a girl to marry you?"

Mr. Weasley made an odd choking noise, and Lupin nearly fell of his chair. Harry winced slightly.

"You...ah...you want to marry?" Mr. Weasley managed.

"Well...yeah," Harry said uncomfortably, "Silver, of course."

"This...this doesn't have anything to do with that kids comment, does it?" Lupin asked concernedly.

Harry blushed. "No," he said quickly.

"There's not even a chance of it?" Mr. Weasley prodded.

"No," Harry repeated uncomfortably.

Immediately both men looked immensely relieved. "Good," Lupin breathed, "I wasn't looking forward to Snape's reaction on that one."

Harry blushed even more. He hadn't come to talk about what he and Silver had or hadn't done together, he had come to talk about marriage.

"So?" he asked, looking pointedly at Mr. Weasley.

"Well, erm," Mr. Weasley said, straightening and taking on a professional air, "Marriage is...a long term commitment, Harry."

Duh, Harry thought back. He decided not to voice his opinion in exactly that manner though, and replied instead, "Yeah, it's forever. I know that."

Mr. Weasley nodded, looking at Harry speculatively, and then glanced at Lupin with a pointed look. Lupin gave a slight nod before turning to Harry.

"Harry, you do realize that you're...you're a bit young," he ventured.

Harry gave a derisive snort. "I'm not planning on asking her tomorrow," he said, "I just wanted to know how. I mean, it can't be as easy as just asking, can it?"

Lupin and Mr. Weasley exchanged another significant glance.

"Unfortunately, no, Harry," Mr. Weasley said tentatively, "You see, when a young man asks a young woman to marry him, there are certain things he must do first...such as gather blessings..."

"Oh," Harry said dumbly, "Well, uh, Moony, do I have your blessing?"

Lupin made an odd coughing noise, looking somewhere between amusement and disappointment. "Well, of course you do, Harry, but that's not what Arthur meant...you see, you'll have to...well, it being Silver and all...you're going to have to talk to Snape, Harry."

This time it was Harry that choked. "Snape?" he repeated, sounding a bit hysterical, "Snape? He'll never...he'll kill me for asking...he'll..."

"Erm, yes," Lupin agreed unhelpfully, "But Harry, you do realize...I mean, the implications of marriage...are...serious."

"Yeah, I figured by the whole 'til death do us part' thing," Harry replied wryly.

Lupin exchanged glances with Mr. Weasley, who gave a small shrug before turning to Harry.

"Have you and Silver ever talked about it?" he asked.

Again, Harry felt as if the conversation were focusing unduly on what he and Silver had...or in all of these situations, hadn't...done. "Well, no," he said uncertainly, "But...she said she couldn't live without me."

Both Lupin and Mr. Weasley looked surprised at this information.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "That's...that's a lot, for Silver, Harry. You do realize that, don't you?"

Harry nodded, but didn't get a chance to reply before Lupin continued.

"And Harry," he said, "You do know that certain...emotional...things for Silver are different, don't you? Expressing love is easy for her, but receiving it is something completely different. If you're thinking of marriage, you can't just drop the bomb on her like that. She's going to need some idea of what you're thinking in advance..."

"How do I do that without asking her?" Harry interrupted.

"Oh, that part's easy," Mr. Weasley volunteered cheerfully, "You just...well, butter her up. Get her in a romantic mood and start talking about being together in the future, and trust me, that'll set her off. She'll start choosing you a house, decorations, names for the kids...which, I hope, Harry, that there isn't going to be any for a long time yet."

At this, Mr. Weasley fixed him with a stern gaze that Harry cringed under.

"Uh, no, there's not," he said uncomfortably, "There...well, there can't be...not mine, anyway..."

Lupin gave a snort of laughter from his chair which Harry felt was completely unnecessary. He turned to Lupin, who was trying to look too amused, and glared.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Lupin said innocently, "But you know, during one of those romantic moods, it wouldn't hurt to see if..."

"Remus," Mr. Weasley cut in, "Severus will have our heads!"

Looking slightly disappointed, Lupin trailed off, giving Harry a mischievous glance as he did so.

"Actually, Harry," he said thoughtfully, "It wouldn't hurt if you talked to Snape about it now..."

"What?" Harry and Mr. Weasley chorused.

"At least a bit," Lupin continued, as if he hadn't heard them, "Because it would help if Snape was nudging Silver towards you as well..."

"Nudging her towards me?" Harry echoed, "More like keeping her as far away as he can possibly get her."

"Better now than the day before you're ready to pop the question," Lupin answered, "And he's actually been very reasonable about you, lately. He obviously trusts you if he's willing to raise hell with Dumbledore every morning to try and get you home."

"Every morning?" Harry repeated dubiously.

"Without failure since last week," Lupin confirmed, "When Silver really started to get upset that Dumbledore wasn't changing his mind."

Harry grinned at the thought of Silver getting upset over not being with him. Things on my "To Do" List, he thought to himself, Prepare Silver for marriage. Talk to Snape about Silver and I marrying. Oh yeah, and defeat Voldemort. Simple. He gave a wry smile and sank back onto the couch, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"I don't know what's worse, having to defeat Voldemort, or talking to Snape," he groaned.

Lupin and Mr. Weasley burst into laughter.

"Personally, I'd be more worried about Snape," Lupin volunteered, not doing anything to raise Harry's spirits.

Harry frowned at him as the two men continued to laugh. Finally, under Harry's stern gaze, they managed to regain themselves. Lupin glanced at the clock and frowned.

"Looks like you have to go, Harry," he said reluctantly.

Harry's heart sank. "Oh," he said simply, "Alright."

Mr. Weasley and Lupin looked at him pityingly. "I'll help Snape yell at Dumbledore tomorrow," Lupin promised, getting up from the couch.

Harry grinned at the thought. "Sounds good," he agreed, rising as well.

He looked around for a moment before asking, "Uh, how am I getting home?"

"Knight Bus," Lupin replied, as he and Mr. Weasley began to walk out of the room.

Harry followed feeling oddly satisfied, although he was returning to the Dursleys. At least now he had something to think about – and he was going to use his remaining days there to think up a plan – or rather, a few plans. He waved his wand lazily about in front of him as he said goodbye to Lupin and Mr. Weasley.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly to them.

"Anytime, Harry," Mr. Weasley replied genuinely.

Harry hoped he wouldn't be having to have such a personal talk again anytime soon, but didn't comment. The Knight Bus pulled up, and he allowed Mr. Weasley to pat him on the back and Lupin to hug him with what Harry felt was a fatherly pride before boarding the bus, where the familiar face of Stan awaited him. Barely acknowledging the man except to shove money into his hand, Harry took a seat by the window and braced himself with both his legs and his arms as the bus took off. He had a lot to think about, all right.

Note: There, see, don't you all love me for posting another chapter so fast? I don't know why I found this one so easy to write, but there you have it.

I feel very accomplished...I'm going to go get myself some ice cream.