Chapter 5

What Th'

Harry dully watched an ant crawl up onto Ron's nose as they both lay facedown in the red dirt driveway of The Burrow. The look on Ron's face as he desperately tried to ignore the ant's meandering path up onto his forehead would have forced Harry to burst out laughing if his lips weren't frozen shut.

Without warning, a large garden spider scuttled out onto the dirt in front of Ron, apparently intent on the ant on his forehead. Ron's eyes widened in terror as the spider inched toward him in hunting mode.

The ant paused on the bridge of Ron's nose.

The spider leapt forward, scuttling at a huge amount of speed at the beleaguered ant.

As its front legs touched Ron's nose, the boy's body actually rocked back and forth before the spider pounced on the ant, sinking its fangs into the ant's carapace millimeters in front of Ron's crossed eyes.

Ron fainted.

"ALASTOR!!!"

Harry would have rolled his eyes as he recognized Nymphadora Tonks's infuriated voice scolding ex-Auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND? THOSE WERE NO DEATH EATERS, MAD-EYE!" Tonks shrieked, apparently beside herself with rage.

Another, brisker voice joined in, equally infuriated in tone.

"May I assure you, Alastor, that you have just Bound two of MY PUPILS?"

Harry's mind briefly registered the fact that Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, was berating an Auror, before someone stepped on his back.

"Oops… hey, Harry!"

Yeah, thanks, Charlie. I owe you one. Thanks for lifting this DAMN BODY BIND… Harry thought furiously.

Tonks stopped yelling at Moody long enough to perform the countercurse for Moody's Full-Body-Bind, thus freeing Harry and Ron from the frozen state, though for Ron, it didn't make much of a difference, as he was out cold.

Harry pointed his wand at Ron, muttering, "Ennervate."

Ron's eyes fluttered open, and as he saw the spider's eight eyes gazing calmly back at him, let out a panicked yell and scrabbled backward on all fours, ramming straight into Moody, who swore colorfully and let out another stream of jinxes.

McGonagall let out another peeved roar, and Moody cowered under her yells. Tonks sighed patiently, extinguishing the flames now engulfing the panic-stricken chicken that was currently clucking and running around in terror, and quickly modified the poor bird's memory. The chicken spun around a few times, hit by the spell's power, then wobbled off toward the henhouse, bouncing off a few plants before ramming straight into the henhouse wall and staggering inside, clucking giddily all the while.

Harry watched the chicken's path, sighed, and escorted the four visitors inside, realizing with a smile that Charlie and Tonks' hands were intertwined tightly.

Hermione joined Harry and Ron outside, gazing at the two warped, battered vehicles that were about to become fully restored, much to Ron's utter horror.

Hermione glanced at Harry, grinned slightly, and flicked her wand at both cars in turn.

"Reparo Totalis! Reparo Totalis!"

Minutes later, a gleaming blue-on-white 1970 Chevelle and a beautiful crimson and white '58 Fury stood in front of a triumphant looking Hermione. Ron groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Hermione said in a tone that she had clearly struggled to remove all traces of pride from, "Well, you know, Ron, I told you the Mini was a bad idea…"

Ron muttered something indistinguishable that quickly was cut off as Hermione paced over, grabbed him, and gently kissed him.

Behind their backs, Harry looked ready to gag.

He turned his back on the lovesick couple and headed back into the house.

Ginny ambushed him as he made his way into his room to feed Hedwig.

"Harry?"

He jumped, then had the sense to feel (and look) slightly apprehensive as Ginny shut the door behind them.

The lock clicked, and Harry's apprehension increased hugely as Ginny strode purposefully toward him.

She seized him by the shoulders, and gazed deep into his sparkling emerald eyes, her soft brown irises boring into his with a will.

Harry was doing his best not to melt under Ginny's adoring gaze, and Ginny, vice versa.

Ginny was the first to go, her heart melting as Harry tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes still locked onto hers.

With a noise of huge longing, she leaned in, pinning him against the wall of his room, and pressed her lips to his.

Harry's arms instinctively encircled Ginny's slim hips, and he pulled her close, letting her squeak slightly in protest, as she now had to stand nearly on tiptoe to keep the kiss locked.

Ginny's familiar, cinnamony scent encircled Harry, somehow embracing him, welcoming him as he moved his mouth uncertainly against Ginny's, all thoughts of her as a mere friend and sister gone.

Ginny broke the kiss this time, her eyes shining with joy and with adoration as she hugged Harry tightly, standing on tiptoe to place her head on his shoulder. She sighed dreamily, looking up at Harry.

"Harry?"

Still slightly dazed from the kiss, Harry looked down at her, and his heart swelled with love for his new girlfriend.

"What's up, Gin?"

Gin. He called me Gin.

Ginny flushed slightly, not expecting this, and instead declared quietly, "Hedwig has eggs."

Harry stared at her, then whipped his head around so fast he cricked his neck.

"What?"

He nearly dropped Ginny, who squeaked again in indignation, then followed him to Hedwig's cage.

Indeed, Hedwig had accumulated and built a nest in the cage, and had laid three pure white eggs, one of which was already cracking open. Hedwig hooted serenely out at Harry, pecking at the cracking eggshell as to help her young offspring out.

Hedwig shooed them away, flapping her wings and hooting loudly, and Harry and Ginny retreated toward the bed.

"Say… Gin?"

"What?"

"How'd you like an owl?"

Ginny looked at Harry, then grinned one of her dazzling smiles that left Harry's heart racing.

"Please?" she inquired.

"Yeah."

Ginny squealed with delight and gave him another kiss.

"Ooooooooh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cried, her face flushed with excitement, brown eyes sparkling with joy.

Harry gently pushed her away, smiling genially. "No problem. I'll hand it to you when they all hatch."

Ginny smiled, then cuddled up to Harry, whispering, "I'll name it… Pigwidgeon. The Second. Or maybe… maybe… Coots. Maybe even Snuffles…!"

There was a slight pop as the owl chick, aided by Hedwig, finally broke out of its eggshell, peeping uncertainly and stumbling about, its fluffy feathers slicked down by moisture. Hedwig hooted in a motherly way, tucking it under her wing as it dried out before Harry and Ginny's eyes.

Within fifteen minutes, Hedwig had shoved the hyperactive chick out of the cage, hooting her approval as Harry placed the tiny, fluffball of white feathers into Ginny's trembling hands.

Ginny nuzzled the top of the baby owl tenderly, then, flashing Harry a huge smile, christened it, to Harry's horror, Pigwidgeon, the Second, otherwise known as 'Pig Two' or just 'P2'.

Harry sighed and ushered Ginny out of the room, closing the door as she sprinted for her room and the owl cage she'd been building out of lack of a better pastime.

There was a muffled thump at the window, and Harry, as he looked out at the silhouetted figures plastered to the window, swore.

"What th'…?"