AN:Sorry for the wait. I had a bit of writer's block for a while there. This chapter is much longer than the other two. I've rewritten it several times and I'm still not sure it makes much sense...oh well. Anyway...I'm going to try and respond to everybody's reviews this time.
Lucky439: Thank you, I update as fast as I can.
Ginny1946: That means a lot coming from an H/G fan.
pumpkinpiebaby: I enjoy post-OOTP H/G stories too. I hope you enjoy following my story.
Lady Nassah: Brilliant eh? Thanks! I didn't think my first fic would turn out this well. You might find out what Ginny's idea is in this chapter…I'm not sure yet.
Saffire Shadow: Don't worry I'm not planning on quitting this story. I may start some others up though, working on other stories helps me get through my writer's block.
Yoshi-fan2003: I love Harry/Ginny pairings too. The letter was my favorite part to write. I'll email you sometime soon about posting on your site if I can get AOL to work.
ZanyMuggle: I'm curious to see where I head with this too hehe. I hate cliff hangers so now its my turn to torture people -evil grin- Algebra is actually one of my favorite classes. I have over 100 average in Algebra II right now. I just work better when I'm supposed to be doing something else. That didn't make much sense did it?
hermionegreen: Thanks. I'll try and update faster. What can I say? I'm a lazy person.
Satoriste: Thank you, I tried to make it as realistic as possible but it's rather hard for me to write romance for some odd reason.
162: It was very short actually. I'm trying to write longer chapters.
Mad Marmite Lover: I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was hard to characterise Ginny so I made her the way I want her to be lol.
alyrios: Of course I'm going to continue. Did you really think I'd abandon my loyal reviewers? lol Sorry I'm a bit hyper. I had chocolate cake for breakfast today.
Mimis122: Thanks, more coming soon hopefully.
aniangel: I'm an H/G fluff addict too. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm getting a bit repetitive with these reviews aren't I?
ginnyNharrysecretlove: Sorry, don't think I can email you because AOL isn't working well on Terry (my computer's name...long story...don't ask). Hopefully you won't miss the updates.
I sHoW nO sHaMe: Voila! Chapter Three!
Adrienne22: Thank you.
Sorrow1: Don't worry. If I don't write in Algebra there's always English or Biology. Glad you enjoyed my story enough to volunteer to do my homework lol
Psycho Queen: Thanks.
TheCatsMilk: Maybe you will find out Ginny's idea in this chapter. Or maybe I'll keep you waiting -evil grin-
Tempest Akasha Ravenclaw: Thank you! Nobody's ever told me that before. Except my parents but they have to tell me that.
miss-lily-evans: Of course I'll write more.
PuNkPoTtErPrInCeSs: Hope this chapter makes the warmness come back.
CraziGirl8467: More on the way.
i-h8-sclub: Thanks.
Kawaiiangelic: Thank you and yes I should.
Aeris Deathscythe: Haha I'm actually extemely lazy myself. My favorite shirt says 'I Got Up, I Got Dressed, What More Do You Want?'
Embyr Black: Thanks you. I'm hoping to update more often.
Darcy16:Thanks, I usually update faster but I had writer's block.
Chapter 3 - Shopping and Presents
"Please Mum?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No Ginny, and don't ask me again. You know it's not safe to go to Diagon Alley."
"But Mum, I need to get Harry a birthday present. Think about how awful it is to stay by himself with those Muggles."
Her mother's face softened at the mention of Harry.
"The poor dear. Oh all right, you can go. Get Charlie to go with you."
Groaning inwardly, Ginny thanked her mother. Now she had to find a way to get rid of Charlie. She didn't want anyone to know what she was planning. Her mother would never approve (it was partially illegal after all).
After searching the entire house, she finally found Charlie outside playing Quidditch with the rest of her brothers (except Percy, who they hadn't bothered to invite). She called to them and they landed around her.
"Want to play Gin?" asked Bill. "We could use another Chaser."
"No, I just came to get Charlie. He's taking me to Diagon Alley."
"I am?"
"Yes, Mum's orders. Let's go."
Ginny grabbed his arm and began dragging him back towards the Burrow.
"But we're in the middle of a game!" he protested.
"Tough. I need to go to Diagon Alley," she said as she pushed him into the house. "We're going by Floo."
Ginny took a pinch of Floo powder and stepped into the fire, yelling "Diagon Alley." She stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, and without waiting for Charlie, entered the crowded street. She didn't have much time before her brother caught up with her.
Being the youngest child did have its advantages occasionally. Charlie would take the blame for not watching her, while Ginny would remain innocent.
She swiftly made her way down the alley to her destination, earning several odd looks because of her blue hair. She bought Harry's present and was wondering how to get it to him without anyone seeing it, when the shopkeeper offered to owl it to him on his birthday. She wrote a quick note to go with it before making her way back to Flourish and Blotts. She still needed to buy a cover-up present to show her mother when she got home.
(AN: Bwahaha you guys still don't know what Ginny's plan is. I'm bad)
Ginny hurridely grabbed several books she thought Harry might enjoy and was in the process of checking out when Charlie stumbled in, looking anxious.
"Ginny! What the hell were you thinking, going off like that? You weren't supposed to come by yourself. You could have been killed."
Ginny smiled sweetly.
"But I didn't come by myself, I came with you. Come on, I'm ready to go home."
Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed the sleeve of his Chudley Cannons t-shirt and began making her way through the crowds, back towards the pub.
Back at the Burrow she was surprised to find Ron waiting for her. He stopped pacing across the rug when she stepped into the living room.
"You got a letter."
Ginny held out her hand for the letter, but Ron ignored it.
"Who is Michael J. Fox and why are you writing to him? Is he your boyfriend? I thought you were going out with Dean Thomas." He said all of this really fast, as if it was really bothering him.
Ginny took one look at his face and burst out laughing.
"I don't see what is so funny. It was just a question."
"You should have seen your face. Too bad I didn't have a camera, Michael would have loved it." Seeing Ron's face turn red brought on another round of laughter.
"Ok, ok, I'm done," she said when she finally calmed down enough to talk. "Michael is my friend and I broke up with Dean weeks ago."
"But is he your boyfriend?"
"Well he is a boy and he is my friend. What do you think?"
Giggling, she snatched the letter out of Ron's hand and raced up the stairs. Ron could be a real prat sometimes. She reached the third floor landing and entered her room.
Her room was nothing special. Pictures of her family and friends could be found all over the green walls. On one wall was the Hogwarts toilet seat that Fred and George had sent her the year before she started Hogwarts. Her mother constantly nagged her to throw it out, but she kept it for its sentimental value. The room was tidy, but not abnormally so.
Ginny curled up on her green bedspread to read Harry's letter.
Dear Ginny,
So my name's Michael now is it? How come you get to keep your name? That doesn't seem fair does it?
You should get a camera. I'm sure if you carried it around all day you could get tons of hilarious pictures of your brothers. By the time we got back to Hogwarts you would have a whole album full of them.
Ginny giggled, knowing this was the truth. 'Maybe I can borrow Colin's camera.' She thought.
Honoring Sirius' memory is a great idea Gin. That fits in perfectly with Operation De-Greasing. By the way do you happen to have any potion or recipe books I can borrow?
That was really strange. Potions was Harry's least favorite class. And what the hell was Operation De-Greasing?.
Of course I'm not talking about the prophecy that Neville broke and nobody heard. I'm talking about the prophecy that Neville broke and Dumbledore told me about later. I haven't told Ron and Hermione about it yet so can you do me a favor and not mention it to them? I really don't want to talk about it, and it's probably not safe to write about it anyway.
~Michael J. Fox
PS - Thanks for reminding me about my birthday. I had completely forgotten about it.
"Why do I get the feeling the prophecy is bad news for Harry?" Ginny wondered out loud. But now she had a mission to accomplish. She had to steal every potion and recipe book in the house and send them to Harry without her family noticing.
****
Harry Potter was in the kitchen wearing a flowered apron over his baggy clothes. Having completely finished his homework, and rewritten his potions essay several times, he had decided to learn how to cook. He had barricaded himself in the kitchen, so the Dursley's wouldn't bother him, and began flicking through the pages of Aunt Petunia's recipe book.
He didn't know anything about baking so he picked the recipe with the shortest list of ingredients, which happened to be chocolate chip cookies. So far he had managed to produce several batches of what appeared to be charred lumps. Getting frustrated, he decided to go for a run. He had discovered that running was a great way to manage his temper. He took off the apron and headed out the door.
He returned after dark to find the house in an uproar. At least ten owls were flying around the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was backed into a corner with her hands over her head, screeching. Dudley was whimpering as he tried (and failed) to hide under the table. Uncle Vernon was desperately trying to catch a large tawny owl and shoo it out the window. None of them noticed him enter the room.
Harry took one look at the scene and burst out laughing, alerting his relatives to his presence.
"BOY! GET RID OF ALL THESE BLOODY BIRDS!"
Harry relieved each owl of its burden and opened a window so they could fly out. He ended up with a large pile of birthday presents, which he brought upstairs to his room before his uncle could start yelling at him again.
He didn't remember every receiving this many presents at once. For a minute he considered opening them, but decided he could wait a few hours until it was really his birthday. He settled down on his bed to wait, and was asleep within minutes.
He woke up from a nightmare at 2:38 in the morning. It took him a while to realize he was 16, and knowing he would never get back to sleep, he decided to open his presents.
He picked up a random package out of the pile and read the note. It was from Ron.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday!
I'm really sorry you can't make it here this summer. Is there anything I can send you? What are the Dursley's up to?
Dad says the Order isn't letting you go to Diagon Alley so Mum volunteered to go shopping for you. Have you gotten your O.W.L results yet? That's all Hermione writes about in her letters. She's worried sick even though we all know she'll get perfect scores. She'll be coming to the Burrow tomorrow by the way.
Have you met Ginny's new boyfriend? His name's Michael J. Fox. I've never met him before but I don't like the sound of him.
'Boyfriend? Where did Ron get that idea?'
I'll leave you now so you can get to your presents.
Ron
He tore open the bright red wrapping paper to find a package that included Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and Honeyduke's Chocolate. There was enough candy there to last him the rest of summer.
From Hermione he received a worried note about the O.W.Ls and a book on Occlumency. Hagrid gave him a tin of homemade fudge and a Hippogriff stuffed animal that acted like a miniature Hippogriff and responded to the name Buckbeak. Fred and George Weasley sent him samples of all their newest products to test on Dudley. Mrs. Weasley owled him a birthday cake and some other pastries to eat. From Tonks he got a miniature snitch to go with the miniature Firebolt she gave him for Christmas. Remus Lupin, whom Harry had forgotten to owl all summer, gave him the key to Sirus' motorcycle, which was currently located at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters. Now there were only two presents left, along with a letter with the Hogwarts seal on it.
He opened the letter that came with the smaller package and found it was a reply to the last letter he sent to Ginny.
Dear Michael,
You started calling yourself that. It's not my fault. I just complimented your acting skills. I think I do need a name seeing as our letters are being intercepted. Well, actually Ron just read who your letter was from and now assumes I have a boyfriend.
You're right, I should get a camera. You should have seen Ron's face when he was asking who Michael J. Fox is. I almost died of laughter, he didn't think it was very funny though. Especially when I mentioned that Michael would have loved the look on his face. I don't think he likes you very much Michael.
Harry grinned, remembering how Ron looked like he was going to explode when Ginny had told him she was going out with Dean Thomas.
It's ok, I understand that you can't write about the prophecy, and I won't mention it to Ron or Hermione (although I think you should eventually). You will just have to tell me about it when we get back to Hogwarts. No excuses either, you will tell me. What exactly is "Operation De-Greasing?" I've sent you every potion and recipe book in the house (without permission of course) but I would like to know what they are for.
Along with the books you asked for, I sent your cover-up present. I couldn't show Mum what I really got you so I bought a couple of books too.
Hope you are having a better birthday than last year,
Ginny Weasley
He opened up the package and found an assorted collection of potions and recipe books, along with Famous Seekers Through The Ages and Everything You Did And Didn't Want To Know About Hipogriffs.
His curiosity mounting, he looked at the last present. As he was reaching toward it, he gave a surprised yelp and jerked his hand back when the box jumped. This seemed more like something that Hagrid would send him.
Cautiously, he began to open the large package. Inside he found a note, a bag (which seemed to be full of something or another) and a black Newfoundland puppy.