"Oy, Harry!"
Mumbling a few choice words under his breath, Harry managed to untangle himself from the knot of blankets he had wrapped around his body during the night. Standing over him was Ron, clad only in his pajama bottoms, his hair pointy and sticking up in every direction.
"When did you get here?" the redhead asked happily, though obviously still sleepy. The sun that was streaming through the room indicated that it was later on in the morning, and Harry was itching to feign sleep once.
"What d'you mean when did I get here?" Harry groaned, sitting up and pushing Ron away. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get all the sleep out of them, after the talk, he had fallen asleep like a rock, "Last night, of course."
Ron frowned, falling to his knees to search for his robes (a sleeve was sticking out from under the bed). He tugged and pulled it out from something that went clunk and fell onto his behind, causing a big thud. Harry laughed and Ron elbowed his friend's cot.
"Figures, I knew Mum wouldn't wake me up, she's such a bloody…mother." His head disappeared as he managed to get the very wrinkled blue robes over his head.
"But you knew I was here last night, we talked." Harry threw his legs over the bed, his feet hitting the cold wooden floor and making him shiver. Ron looked back up at his friend suspiciously,
"I would think I'd remember that."
Harry's eyes narrowed as Ron stood up, running a hand through his hair. It seemed much longer than Harry had remembered, it went way past his ears now, and Ron also was growing hair in other places on his face,
"You can't even remember to shave," Harry taunted, finding his glasses on the nearby nightstand. Ron turned a brilliant shade of red and gave Harry a good flick to the side of the head before laughing and edging towards the door.
"C'mon, Mum's got breakfast going," he said, rubbing his stomach in a humorous manner, "maybe we could get in some Quidditch before the sun gets too hot?"
Harry nodded in agreement and told Ron to meet him down at breakfast while he got himself settled. He noticed all of his belongings placed strategically along the side of Ron's room, and he figured that a very stealthy Auror (that excluded Tonks immediately) or Mrs. Weasley and her motherly ways had brought them up to the highest room in the house.
As he dug through his trunk for a pair of decently smelling and not-that-wrinkled robes, he wondered how Ron couldn't remember the monologue he had given last night. It would be extremely odd for his friend to block out all of his nightmares, but then again, that could be the reason they were recurring—he couldn't get over them because he didn't know they were happening.
...
Breakfast was already being served when Harry made his way down the steps with his Firebolt ready, and the occupants of the table surprised him quite a bit. Ron was there, and so were Ginny and Bill, but also sitting at the table and looking quite at home, were Luna Lovegood and Fleur Delacour.
Everyone looked up and greeted Harry a warm welcome, but his surprised expression wasn't missed by any,
"Where are my manners," Bill said, standing up and wiping his mouth with a napkin, "Harry, I'm sure you remember Fleur?"
The beautiful blonde stood and sent a radiating smile towards Harry, putting her hand out to shake his vigorously,
"'ow are you 'arry?"
"Fine," he answered softly, still in slight shock and now with the wonderful feeling he used to get around the part-Veela swirling around his head. Bill grinned madly and he nudged her, making the girl blush.
"Harry, have you heard?" he asked; the eldest Weasley looked giddy. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley had stopped scrambling eggs, her face bright with excitement as she watched the conversation. "We're engaged!"
The young wizard's mouth dropped as Fleur, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley all squealed in delight. Ron rolled his eyes and continued to slice up his bacon and Luna stared at her bright…orange fingernails with her ever-dreamy gaze.
Harry noticed immediately, now that he knew of the engagement, the diamond ring on Fleur's left hand, and he was quite impressed with Bill's selection. It sparkled in the morning light and had an Egyptian hieroglyphics around the band. Harry supposed they meant something, and he thought that was a very nice personalization.
"Congratulations!" he managed, sitting down at the table. Fleur beamed and fell into Bill's arms and Mrs. Weasley hurried over with Harry's breakfast. She patted him on the head for no apparent reason and wiped her eyes as she went back to the stove.
"They sprung it on us a few days ago," Ron said, gagging slightly at the mushy faces the couple was making at each other, "would've told you about it, but figured you'd like to find out in person?" He shrugged, not exactly caring. Ginny, on the other hand, looked almost as radiant as Fleur.
"They're going to have it at the end of the summer, here! In our backyard!" she clapped her hands together; Harry had never seen her this happy, "It's going to be beautiful!"
"We figured its better now then never," Bill said, his voice taking on a slightly sad tone. Harry nodded, wondering if his parents had thought the same thing. They had to have been young when he was born, so even younger when they had gotten married. Had they been thinking like Bill and Fleur? If they didn't get married when they did, they would never have the chance?
He poked his eggs, feeling bad for his parents; it seems like he found something to add to his list of 'terrible things that happened in their lives' almost everyday.
"It's going to be very simple," Mrs. Weasley said with a slight huff, "I offered to arrange anything they wanted, but they told me absolutely not!"
"Because we do not want you to…eh, what ees eet called, Beel?" Fleur turned to her fiancée for help, and Harry noted that her English sounded much better than it had in fourth year.
"Go insane?" Ron interjected, making sure he avoided his mother's gaze. The table laughed and even Mrs. Weasley forced a smile.
"It's just going to be family and a few friends," Bill said, slinging his arm around Fleur's shoulders, "then we're off to Paris for some…business."
Ron choked on his bacon, Ginny ducked her head down so far that her hair almost fell into the syrup, and Luna burst out in high-pitched laughter. Harry was too shocked at Bill's statement to do anything.
"For zee Order," Fleur added, noticing the innuendo her fiancée had created. She slapped him on the arm and giggled in a very odd way. Ron caught Harry's eye and the two boys tried to control their laughter, and Harry kicked his friend under the table.
"Oh," Luna's voice quipped through the laughter, "happy birthday, Harry."
The whole table groaned and Harry flushed. Everyone looked very upset at this comment and he wasn't sure whether to be offended or curious.
"Er…thanks?"
"No, no, we're very happy for you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, coming around and putting her hands on Harry's shoulders, "it's just…"
"We sort of…"Ginny shrugged uncomfortably, "had something planned."
"Oh…" Harry smiled, wondering what it could be, though he had a very good idea of what it was. The picture he had gotten that night was a very good indication, and he hoped that a party was what they had been planning; he had never had one, and had always wondered what it would be like.
"So sorry," Luna said, though she didn't sound very sorry. She didn't sound very sarcastic, either, "you should have informed me, Ginny, you know I've been in Sweden. I've been quite busy with my Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
Ron kept his eyes locked onto his plate, but Harry could tell by the redness of his friend's ears that he was forcing himself not to laugh. Bill and Fleur exchanged confused glances, and Harry just shook his head at them.
"Yes, you'll have to let me see them one day," Ginny responded; she didn't look at all fazed by Luna ("But you know they're invisible!" Luna retorted). She stood up, taking her plate to the sink, Luna following after her.
"Mum, we're going to the pond, is that okay?" Ginny didn't wait for a response as she pulled off her robes to reveal her blue bathing suit. Harry's face flushed and he turned away; Ginny really shouldn't do that, he thought.
The two girls left, and after finally finishing breakfast, Harry and Ron made their way outside as well, their broomsticks in hand.
"Luna's been over every day since she got back from Sweden," Ron said as he kicked off the ground. Harry followed right away, but he suddenly just felt like flying instead of playing a game.
"She lives near here?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, in the town. She's been friends with Ginny for ages; they've just like…bonded now."
Harry nodded in understanding as they flew towards the pond. He immediately spotted the girls, Ginny in her blue bathing suit and Luna in her orange polka dotted bathing suit. Harry couldn't help but cringe at how the colors clashed. The boys landed on the murky bank of the pond nearest the girls. The girls were laughing and splashing each other, something that looked really fun in the heat of July.
"I suddenly don't feel like flying," Ron said with a laugh, taking of his robes. He wore regular shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt underneath and as he trod into the pond, it seemed like he didn't care about getting them wet. Harry followed his suit and the four spent a refreshing hour and a half splashing, diving, and keeping cool.
...
They walked back to The Burrow in a very slow pace so they would dry up. Harry noticed for the first time that Luna was a bit like normal girls, she and Ginny hadn't stopped talking since the boys had landed by the lake. Even though they were discussing the difference between dirt and soil, it was still in the quick paced fashion most girls are experts at.
They stood on the porch of the back door for a few more minutes before they entered the house, making sure that they weren't going to drip a tremendous amount of water on the floor. Mrs. Weasley would surely have their heads.
"Right, I'm going to roast if I don't get out of the sun," Ginny laughed, pushing the door open. The other three followed her suit, and they all immediately noticed how empty the house seemed.
"Oh crud," Ron moaned, heading towards the fridge.
"You can't still be hungry, Ron!" Ginny scolded, wringing her wet hair into the sink. Her brother glared at her and ripped a pink note off the fridge.
"I'm not going to eat, look, Mum left a note."
Harry and the girls rushed over to Ron and looked over his shoulder (or around him, Ron was much taller than the three) as he read the note:
I'm so sorry I didn't tell you in person, we just got an urgent message from RL. We all had to go, please stay inside once you come in, and lock all the doors and windows. We'll be back as soon as possible.
---Mum
"Well bloody hell," Ron muttered, throwing the letter onto the table, "must've been really important if they couldn't rush out and tell us they were leaving."
"Maybe they thought we'd follow, or something," Harry suggested, feeling guilty. His stomach twisted at the thought of something dangerous happening, he hated not knowing what was going on. Ginny shoved him in the arm, and when he turned to look at her in confusion, he rolled her eyes; it made him feel a bit better.
"Do you think they will tell you what happened?" Luna asked, wrapping her hair in a very wet and frizzy bun on the top of her head. She stuck her wand in the bun to make it stay. Her large eyes looked mildly interested, if not in how informed the youngest Weasleys were, but in the 'business' itself.
"We only hear things from the twins," Ron said over his shoulder as he left the kitchen and into the living room, drying his hair with a towel, "so if they know, we'll…"
Harry, Ginny, and Luna waited for Ron to finish his sentence, but his voice trailed off into an eerie silence. Ginny immediately looked at Harry with her eyes full of worry, and his eyebrows furrowed, following Ron into the living room.
He found Ron standing in the middle of the living room, standing as frozen as an icicle and his fists clenched.
"Ron?"
Harry came around Ron to look at his face, but he didn't have the expression Harry had been expecting. Ron's eyes were narrowed into something that looked remarkably like the way he normally glared at Malfoy. This surprised Harry and slowly, he followed his friend's gaze.
It was focused on the grandfather clock the Weasleys had, where it indicated where each of the Weasleys were. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur (Mrs. Weasley must have made this adjustment recently) were all pointed to 'business' and Ron, Ginny, and Harry's hands (Harry smiled slightly as he saw his own hand) were pointed at home. Because it was so crowded, Harry barely noticed the fourth hand that was pointed at home.
"Ron, who else is home?" it was Ginny who asked this; she had realized what had caused Ron's sudden stop.
The doorbell rang. All four turned to the door, Ron's fists clenched.
"It's Percy."
...
"Aren't you going to open the door?"
Luna's voice broke through the silence that had devoured the room. Harry ignored her and left Ron's side, slamming himself onto the sofa.
Why was Percy here now? There was no reason for him to be here today, the wedding wasn't for another three weeks. Was this supposed to be some reconciliation thing? Couldn't he have done that when his father was in the hospital? Why would he show up unexpectedly? Mrs. Weasley hadn't said anything; she would've warned her two youngest if there was going to be a surprise visit.
"We can't," Ron growled, turning away from the door and towards the stairs. His face had turned a scary shade of purple, one that he only got when he was in trouble with Snipe or when someone was threatening Harry or Hermione. Ginny grabbed his wrist, pleading,
"Ron, we can!" There was hope in eyes, and it was obvious that she wanted her brother back in her life, "Let's…let's let him in, maybe he's here to reconcile…"
"No, Ginny!" Ron swirled around and he tried to look at his sister with a bit of compassion, "If we let him in, I'm going to kill him."
Ron's soft eyes for his sister turned into something of almost complete hatred, and Harry was close to believing that he would actually follow through with his statement. Ginny wasn't fazed, though, and she continued to pull her brother away from the stairs.
"Ron, please! Maybe he's come to say he's sorry!"
"It is really hot outside," Luna noted. Again, the three ignored her.
"I'm not going to deal with him when I can't use my wand!" Ron exclaimed, managing to throw Ginny off of him. He stood on the third step, looking down at the rest of them in the living room, "If he comes into this house, I swear he will be leaving with a limp!"
"As much as I want that," Harry interrupted, sitting up from his position on the couch, "your mum will find out about this, like she always does, and you'll be in trouble with her if you leave him out there." Ron's stance faltered and Harry knew he had made a point in that thick skull of Ron's. "Just let him in, see what he wants, and then that's it."
"We don't have to discuss anything," Ginny said, almost as if it was a promise. Ron still looked furious, but he nodded, throwing himself onto the armchair in the corner of the living room.
The doorbell rang again, and Luna floated across the living room,
"I'll get it," she said in her singsong voice. The other three watched with eager anticipation as she turned the doorknob, and Ginny had to keep a hand on Ron's shoulder as the open door revealed their brother Percy.
He had only slightly changed in appearance; he had grown a small mustache and wore smaller spectacles. His hair was parted perfectly down the middle, his normally wavy hair flattened against his head. There was an odd familiarity with his new choice of dress, and Harry couldn't remember if the man had dressed like this before.
"Hello Percy," Luna said, her eyes staring up at the much taller wizard, "I remember you being Head Boy, you were quite the uptight prat." Luna tilted her head to the side her eyes narrowed as she examined him. Ginny cringed as Ron smirked wickedly, gripping his chair. Percy didn't seem to enjoy Luna's welcome and he simply nodded at her as he stepped into the house.
His eyes landed on Harry and Percy managed a small nod before he turned his eyes on Ron and Ginny. They lit up slightly, but his business-like manner returned immediately.
"Hello Ginny, Ron. Is Mother here?"
Harry found it extremely odd that Percy talked to them as if nothing had changed, as if he had just come home from work. Ron and Ginny seemed to feel the same way; they just stared with wide eyes and mouths at their brother, looking genuinely confused. Percy noticed their shock and waved his hand in a 'hurry-up' gesture.
"Excuse me, did you hear me?"
"We heard you," Ron snarled, standing up. Harry hadn't noticed it, but Ron was now quite tall; he was at least an inch or two taller than Percy when he stood at full height. Ron took advantage of his large figure as he towered over his brother. "What do you want?"
"I need to speak to Mother."
"Why?"
Ginny grabbed Ron's arm again, sending him an intense look of warning. Harry gripped the cushions of the couch, ready to break up anything that happened; Percy didn't notice the tension, but Ron was giving off enough to knock a house down.
Percy sighed and turned away, heading towards the kitchen. He pulled an envelope out of an inside pocket and placed it on the table,
"I had wished to respond to a letter that was sent to me, but seeing as The Burrow is only accepting specific owls, I had to deliver it by hand." He looked slightly annoyed, and Harry smiled inwardly; that must have meant that Hermes, Percy's owl, was being blocked.
"Why would Mum send a letter to you?" Ron said angrily, staying in Percy's way. His brother released a sigh and did not seem at all moved by Ron's tone of voice.
"It wasn't exactly Mother who sent it to me, but I assumed she would be the one in charge." Percy nodded slightly at his brother and made to move around, but Ron stuck one of his very long arms out and grabbed Percy's arm.
"In charge of what?" he interrogated. Percy shut his eyes tightly, and when they opened he looked extremely annoyed.
"Ronald, let go; I need to get back to work."
"Is that what they call it up there at the Ministry? Work?" Harry said smoothly, leaning back into the sofa and crossing his legs in a triumphant sort of way. Luna's eyes lit up, but she seemed to know to not laugh at this moment so she covered her mouth with her hand. Percy shot a glare at Harry, his lip curled,
"I'm assuming that he's invited as well--just another reason for me not to attend."
Ginny gasped and Ron's grip on his brother's arm noticeably tightened. Harry sat up at the sudden movement, but didn't understand and neither did Luna, who was looking on with a vague sense of interest.
"You're…you're not coming?" Ginny asked softly, stepping in front of the older brother. She peered up at him like a wounded animal, her eyes wide and glassy. Percy's gaze seemed to soften at her voice, but he nodded firmly. Ron then pushed him away, looking disgusted,
"You're not going to come to your own brother's wedding?"
Harry's eyes widened and suddenly he wanted to whip out his wand and hex Percy until he was permanently purple. First he didn't show at the hospital for his father, the man who raised him, and now he dared to sever the relationship from his family completely?
Percy stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily through his nose,
"No, I'm not. Why in Merlin's name would I want to see my brother throw his life away on some twittering blonde Veela?"
Ginny squeaked in indignation and Ron released a growl that reminded Harry of Dudley when he couldn't beat his latest Playstation game.
"She's actually quite interesting," Ginny said with a strangled voice, her eyes narrowed, "If you had bothered to keep in touch with your family, maybe you would know."
"If I had bothered, maybe my family wouldn't be the mess it is," Percy snapped, and a second later he was on the floor because he had been tackled by Ron.
Ginny screamed and Luna let go a surprised sort of gasp. Harry was on his feet immediately, yanking Ron's arm as far back as possible before he was able to punch Percy. The young wizard had the strong feeling to let go of his best friend for a few seconds, but he knew that beating Percy to a pulp wouldn't really give Ron any satisfaction.
Harry and Ginny (Luna had taken on the task of dragging Percy away) managed to pull Ron away, but with his thrashing arms, it took more than five minutes before they were able to calm him down.
"You slimy, no good--" Ron cursed a bit, but no one but Percy seemed to mind, "how dare you come into this house! Get OUT OF HERE! OUT!"
The older brother shook Luna off of him and straightened out his robes and then patted down his hair. He didn't seem at all frazzled by the tackle, except for the lopsided glasses that rested on his nose.
"Give Mother the letter, will you?" and he disappeared with a crack!
"THAT JERK! THAT DAMN TRAITOR!" Ron released a roar of anger and stomped up the stairs all the way up to his room. When he slammed the door the whole house shook, and the three left in the living room stood in silence.
"Well, that went pretty well," Luna observed. Harry and Ginny slowly turned their heads to look at her. The blonde girl shrugged, "He didn't kill him, at least."
Harry let out a soft laugh and fell back into the armchair. Ginny remained standing, rubbing one arm with the other. Her face was full of hurt, but she smiled at Luna's joke and then at Harry.
"I'm going to go get changed," she said softly, heading up the stairs without waiting for a response. Luna stood for a moment, almost looking lost, and then followed Ginny up the stairs in a quickened pace as if she had just realized something.
Harry knew that he was still a bit wet, but he couldn't find the energy to go the four flights of stairs to Ron's room, just to hear him berate his brother and maybe smash a few objects. The Weasleys' living room was dark and cool, a nice breeze streaming through the house, and it was more comfortable than listening to Ron scream.
He hoped Mrs. Weasley's reaction to the letter wouldn't be awful, Harry wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep his composure if he saw how much pain that berk of a son brought her. He would have to be tied up to stop him from chasing after Percy and killing him. The Weasleys didn't deserve such torment, from anyone, especially one of their own. Maybe they would be better off without Percy in their lives.
He tried to control his breathing, which had quickened in the scramble to stop the fight. The young wizard closed his eyes and let his damp hair stick to his forehead as he fell into a light sleep.
...
"Er…Harry?" a soft voice called. Harry's eyes fluttered open and Ginny Weasley smiled down at him. He sat up immediately, frantically searching for his glasses,
"Ginny! You're not supposed to be here!"
The girl gave him a very odd look, and for the first time since she had woken him, Harry realized she wasn't in her school robes.
"Not supposed to be…where?" she asked, standing back and putting her hands on her hips. She looked incredibly amused, her eyes twinkling.
Harry blushed furiously and shook his head, finding his glasses on the table beside the chair. He noticed that Ginny had changed and that it was much later in the day, how long had he been out?
"Er…I thought we were in the dormitory," he revealed sheepishly, making Ginny laugh in a very giggly sort of way. She had a pretty laugh, Harry noticed, and began to laugh along with her, realizing that Ginny would never be in his dorm to wake him up.
"You've been out for a while, we didn't think to wake you," she said, pulling some hair into a ponytail. "Everyone's out in the garden, it's almost dinner time."
Harry was quite amazed that he had slept for so long in a not very comfortable position, but then he supposed that he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and the exercise he had gotten from the pond and holding back Ron could have tired him out.
"You and I are the only ones that can fall asleep in that chair," Ginny said over her shoulder as she lead him out to the back, "Ron says it gives him back spasms, or something."
"Ron's outside too?" Harry asked, noticing that he didn't feel anything in his back.
Ginny turned around and began walking backwards, staring at Harry in a mischievous manner.
"Oh yes, he's a bit…occupied, at the moment."
Harry couldn't ask what exactly occupied meant, because Ginny opened the back door and the entire garden erupted in sound,
"SURPRISE!"
