A/N: This is a very long chapter that is very long overdue. I'm very sorry about the wait. They're starting to load on the schoolwork! Hope you enjoy! And a BIG HUMONGOUS THANKS GOES TO ALYSSA AND CLAIRE! For they helped with this chapter more than you could know!

Chapter Two-Home Sweet Home

When Petunia went to let Harry out of his room for his afternoon bathroom break, he stopped in front of her causing her to look surprised.

"Can I go to Ron's for the rest of the holiday?" he asked hopefully. "I'd be out of your hair till September first, when you'd need to pick me up from the Hog…er…when you'd need to pick me up."

A thoughtful look passed across her face. "No," she told him simply.

"What?! Why not?" Harry said loudly.

Vernon popped his head in Harry's room. "What's going on? Is everything all right Petunia?"

"Harry here wants to go to one of his little friends' house for the rest of the summer," Petunia told him.

"Of course y-" Vernon began.

"I've already told him no. I don't think it's a good idea," Petunia said matter-of-factly.

Vernon took Petunia aside out of Harry's hearing. "Petunia, are you out of your mind? This is our chance to get rid of him!"

"Vernon, this would make him happy. Why would we want to make him happy?" Petunia asked, trying to sound confused.

"I…uh…well…that's a good point Petunia."

"I know."

Vernon turned back to a curious Harry and said, "Boy, don't argue with your aunt. You're not going to that bloody place," and turned around and left.

Harry turned crimson, " WHY NOT?!"

An apologetic expression crossed Petunia's face. For she really wanted Harry to be happy but she wanted to watch over Harry herself. She wanted to be there for him if ever there was too great a need. "Harry…" she said in a soothing voice. But she never finished; she just turned around and left, bolting the door behind her.

'What was that look about?' Harry wondered to himself. 'It looked almost like…love.'

But Harry was too upset about the answer he got to wonder much on the look from Petunia.

Harry knew Ron wouldn't take no for an answer, but he got up grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill. He went over to his desk, sat down, and wrote:

Dear Ron,

The muggles won't let me come. It really surprised me. My uncle wanted me to come, but my aunt didn't. Don't try to come get me. My aunt would get pretty dangerous. She's been acting weird lately. Say hi to everyone for me. Don't have too much fun without me. See you on the Hogwarts Express in 2 months.

Harry

He rolled the parchment up and went to the window, waiting for Hedwig to come back.

2 Months Later

"Could you go any faster?" asked Harry for the third time on the way to the train station.

"If you ask that one more time, I'll turn around and go straight home!" growled Vernon.

"No you won't," Harry said coolly.

"Don't bloody tell me what I will or will not do!"

"I'm just saying that you wouldn't make me miss the train, because that would mean you would have to put up with me all year," Harry said with a smirk. Dudley whimpered.

"Don't talk you damn boy!" spat Petunia.

Dudley seemed to shrink (yes shrink) with fear at his mother's tone, never before hearing it so harsh.

Even Harry looked taken aback. His aunt had never spoken to him with words like that before. 'Although, it shouldn't surprise me.' Harry told himself. 'She's been getting meaner the closer September 1st got.'

"Get out," Vernon said as the car rolled to a stop outside the train station.

"Vernon, I'll walk with him," Petunia said. When Vernon gave her a curious glance she said, "It'll look suspicious if he leaves without us saying goodbye."

" That's true. Just…be quick about it."

When Harry and Petunia got out and unloaded Harry's trunk and Hedwig, Vernon pulled away from the station to find a parking place.

"Well…see you then," Harry said turning away from Petunia and towards the barrier.

"Harry, wait…" Petunia said grabbing his shoulder and turning him back to face her.

'I love his eyes. Exactly like his mother's.' Petunia thought. 'And his hair, just like his father's. I love how it was always so messy.' Petunia sank into the memories of the three of them going out for drinks… She finding out her sister was pregnant…Lily and James going into hiding…

"Er…Aunt Petunia," Harry said, snapping Petunia back to reality. "I'm going to be late."

He still had twenty minutes but he was feeling awkward.

Petunia looked at her watch and said, "Don't be silly, you have plenty of time. Twenty minutes at least."

Harry looked at her, shocked.

"Listen Harry. Don't do anything stupid this year, okay? Work hard at everything understand?" said Petunia her voice becoming stern.

Harry got the impression that she meant more than just his schoolwork. "Er…ok."

"Okay," Petunia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She started lifting her hands but then, thinking better of it, she lowered them, turned away and took a few steps, then stopped.

She turned around and walked back to Harry wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Be careful Harry," she whispered in his ear.

She turned around and went in search of Vernon and Dudley, leaving Harry standing there, jaw down, staring after her.

"Hey, Harry!"

Harry turned and saw a group of five red heads and one brown.

"Hey!" Harry said, starting toward them, but Molly Weasley flung herself at him wrapping him in the second tight embrace within five minutes, causing Harry to drop his trunk and Hedwig. Fred picked up Hedwig and passed her to Ginny. George picked up the trunk, and he and Fred slinked off.

"How was your summer dear? I was SO worried when Ron said we couldn't pick you up! He said the muggles were mad and showing up would make it worse for you! They didn't hurt you did they? Did they feed you? Obviously not. You're skinnier than a broomstick! Hermione, dear?" Mrs. Weasley finally stopped and took a breath as Hermione emerged from the group of redheads where she had been standing next to Ron.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Make sure he eats something on the train won't you dear?"

"Of course. Harry, it's so good to see you,'' and she gave Harry a quick hug, neither of them seeing the jealous look on Ron's face.

"Hi Ginny. How's the ankle?" Harry asked, as he still felt guilty for when she broke her ankle in the Department of Mysteries.

"Harry, it was fine after Madame Pomfrey healed it…three months ago," she said smiling as she came over to give him a quick hug too.

"I know, but still…what are you two doing?" Harry asked suspiciously when he noticed Fred and George circled around his trunk.

"We're hurt," Fred said.

"Why do people always assume that we're up to no good?" George asked in a fake pained voice.

"Even though we usually are up to no good, doesn't mean that when we are off by ourselves in a secluded corner we are up to no good,'' Fred said.

"So true!" George said.

"Er, right. What are you two doing here anyway?" Harry asked.

"Saying good-bye to our siblings," Fred stated.

"Your good-byes are over," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly. And you four have three minutes to get on the train."

After that, it was chaos, making it a bit harder to get on Platform 9 ¾ without drawing attention to themselves.

They finally made it onto the barrier and even managed to find an empty compartment in the very back of the train, just as the train started rolling. Ginny ran to the window and flung it open.

"Bye mum! Bye Fred! Bye George!" she yelled as she waved. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined her.

"Bye!" they yelled.

"Bye! Be good! See you at Christmas!" yelled Mrs. Weasley.

As the train turned the corner, Harry caught his last glimpse of Mrs. Weasley, Fred, and George waving.

When he turned back, he saw the trunks still sitting in the doorway. "Lets get these put away."

"Oh, let me do it!" Ron said. "I've been practicing."

"Ok," said Hermione and she sunk onto the seat. Ginny sat down next to her, and Crookshanks leaped into Ginny's lap and nuzzled into her neck.

"This ought to be good," Harry muttered, sitting down across from Ginny.

Ron cleared his throat, pulled out his wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Harry's trunk rose into the air. "See! I told you I was good," he said triumphantly. He started jabbing his wand, trying to get the trunk to move. But instead of moving the trunk fell, bursting open with a huge BANG and all Harry's possessions spilled onto the floor of their compartment. Surprisingly Harry's clothing was no longer the usual browns, blacks, reds, or golds. Every item of clothing was pink with lime green trim.

Ginny looked up at Harry uncertainly. Harry stared at her, and then his belongings, in horror.

'I hate pink,' he thought.

"Ron, you don't jab, you flick. It's all in the wand movement," Hermione said. Neither she nor Ron had noticed Harry's wardrobe.

"Guess I'll keep practicing," Ron muttered as his cheeks grew pinker than Harry's clothes.

"Well, well, well. What have we here," drawled an unwelcome voice.

"What do you want Malfoy?" spat Ron, his cheeks becoming even redder, only this time, it wasn't from embarrassment.

"None of your beeswax Weasel. But wait, you're to poor to even own beeswax aren't you?" Malfoy said coldly.

"Get out," Harry said, wrapping his hand around his wand, just in case.

"Nice wardrobe, Potter." Ron and Hermione looked to where Malfoy was staring and jumped. "No wonder you never made a pass at the Mudblood. You had your eye on the Weasel here," he smirked, pointing at Ron.

With that Hermione burst into tears and ran out of the compartment to the bathroom, and Harry and Ron lost their tempers.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Ron yelled.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALOUS!" Harry bellowed.

"STUPEFY!" came a third voice from out in the corridor.

Malfoy was thrown into the air, hit his head on the top of the door and landed stiff as a board, unconscious, face down in the corridor.

"I couldn't help myself," Cho said, as she stepped on Malfoy to get in the compartment.

"I'm going to check on Hermione," Ginny said as she exited.

"So…" Ron said trying to fill the awkward silence that followed.

"Did you have a good summer?" Cho asked.

"Not really," Harry replied.

Ron pulled out a magazine and started practicing Wingardium Leviosa, by moving it around the compartment.

"That's too bad."

"Yes. How was yours?"

"Not bad, not bad."

"That's good."

"Yes."

Harry was starting to think they were being painfully formal and was wondering how to get rid of Cho without being rude, when Ron's magazine collided with the side of Cho's head.

"Ouch!" she yelped.

"Sorry," Ron mumbled.

"I'd better go," Cho said standing up. When she reached the corridor she turned back, said, " By the way Harry, nice robes," and left.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said pulling out his wand. "Pack!" All his belongings flew into his trunk as he asked, "You did mean to do that right?"

"Of course! And it was no problem. She didn't like me anyway," he said ducking as a pair of pink boxers with lime green trim flew above him and into Harry's truck.

"So, what is it you needed to tell me?" Harry huffed as he successfully maneuvered his trunk into the luggage rack.

"Well… how do I put this…" he took a deep breath and blurted, "I'minlovewithHermione!"

"Come again?"

"I'm-in-love-with-Her-my-ow-nee," Ron said slowly and with over pronunciation.

"Really?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded his ears turning red.

"WOOHOO!" Harry screeched. He added as an after thought, "And you spent the whole summer together?"

"Only half," muttered Ron getting brighter still. "She doesn't know, though."

"What's so exciting, Harry?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione entered stepping over Malfoy looking refreshed and happy again. "We could hear you all the way down the corridor."

"Nothing," Harry said quickly glancing at Ron.

"Are you hot, Ron?" asked Hermione. "You're all red."

"Yah," Ron gulped. "It's rather stuffy in here."

Harry choked back a laugh.

"How was Cho?" Ginny asked, looking interested.

"Hmm? Oh…Cho. Well…I'm not sure," Harry answered truthfully. "I forgot to ask."

"So you two aren't a pair anymore?"

"No, we haven't been since her friend squealed on the DA"

"I see."

"Anything off the trolly, dears?" asked the trolly lady who had just entered the compartment.

"I'll have some pumpkin pasties, please," Hermione said handing over the correct amount.

"I'll have some Chocolate Frogs please," said Harry doing the same.

"Sugar Quills for me, please. They're my favorite," Ginny said, handing over her own money.

"I guess I'll have some Every Flavor Beans," Ron said, fishing in his pocket for the correct coins.

The trolly lady left, leaving only the sounds of chewing and sucking on candy, and the occasional muttering from Ron when he chose an ill-flavored bean.

It went on like this for several minutes until they all finished their candy and started talking again.

Hermione and Ginny were having a very serious discussion they wouldn't let Harry and Ron in on.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Ron said.

"Probably something along the lines of not knowing which one of their many black robes to wear to the feast," chuckled Harry.

"What're you going to wear Harry?" You don't have any black robes," Ron said trying to refrain from smiling.

Harry's face fell. "Oh, yeah. Do you know how my robes got that way? I mean, they were all black when I packed 'em yesterday."

"I suspect it's Fred and George's newest invention. They said it was a really good one, but they wouldn't get into details."

"So that's what they were doing with my trunk. What am I going to do?"

"Either change your name to Harryetta or wear pink robes I suspect," Ron said smiling.

"I'm bloody not wearing pink robes!" Harry said, his voice rising.

Ginny started giggling, and Hermione asked, "Have you tried cleaning them, Harry?"

"Er…no," Harry said.

"Well, try it," she said exasperatedly.

Harry reached up, opened his trunk, and pulled out a robe. As the robe unfolded, a small note-card fluttered to the floor.

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, bending down to pick it up.

He read it out loud:

Harry, This is our newest invention called the Color Bomb. It's a powder you can sprinkle on the clothes. After a couple of minutes, you have some colorful clothes. In your case pink, but we also have a powder that can change clothing to puke green with burnt orange trim. We figured the lime green trim would bring out the color of your eyes. We hope you enjoy it. Tell us what the response is at school, and let them know where you got it. Oh, and it only costs two galleons. Happy Birthday!

Fred and George:

Founders and owners of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

Number Ninety-Three, Diagon Alley

"I knew it!" Ron said.

Harry shook his head, pulled out his wand, pointed at his robes and said, "Scourgify." Harry's robes became covered with soap bubbles as they were clean, and then they disappeared, leaving a pair of very clean…pink robes.

"I guess it's permanent," Ginny said smiling.

At that moment, Luna Lovegood popped in.

"Harry, did you know your robes are pink?" she asked dreamily.

"Umm, yeah, I sort of noticed," Harry said.

"So, Luna, did you have a good time in Sweden searching for the Crumbly Honked Snorkies?" Hermione asked trying to change the subject.

"They're called Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and yes, I did. We found them too," Luna said proudly.

"Oh, really?" said Hermione unconvinced.

"Yes, there was a big group of them in the middle of the forest. They were all feasting on some Bibolong Girinos."

"Oh, really?" said Hermione. "That's amazing, considering that Bibolong Girinos don't exist any more than Crumbly Honked Snorkies do."

Luna seemed to drop her dreamy state, as she became quite tense.

"They're called Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and just because you are too shallow to believe in them doesn't mean they don't exist," she snapped, turning on her heal and running right into Neville who had just entered.

"Ompf," Neville said as he landed on the floor.

"Sorry, Neville," Luna said, and she stomped out the door.

"What was that about?" Neville asked as Ron helped him up off the floor.

"She's in denial," Hermione stated.

"How was your summer, Neville?" asked Ginny.

"It was great," Neville said, a huge grin breaking out on his face. "Gran was so proud of what we did last year. She invited the family over and we had a party! My very first one!"

"Wow! Was it fun?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah! It was a ball," Neville said proudly.

"Did you get anything?" Ron asked.

"Ron, is that all you care about? Getting presents?" Hermione asked irritated.

"I was just wondering," Ron mumbled.

"As a matter of fact, I did get something," Neville said beaming even more. "My great-uncle Algie brought me a whole garden of rare and exotic plants! Including the mimbulus mimbletonia!"

"Oh, Neville!" breathed Hermione. "How wonderful."

"What about your wand?" Harry asked, suddenly remembering that Neville's wand broke the previous year in the Department of Mysteries.

"Oh, Gran was so pleased at my bravery, that she didn't mind all that much. We went and got a new one at the beginning of the summer."

Ron looks at his watch and exclaims, "Blimey! Look at the time! We'd better change into our robes."

"I'd better too. See you guys at the feast," Neville said, exiting the compartment.

"Bye, Neville!" Hermione said. Pulling her black robes from her trunk, Ginny who was standing next to her, doing the same.

"I am NOT wearing pink robes in public!" Harry exclaimed.

"Ah, come on Harry. It won't be that bad," Ron said, trying to comfort him, and failing dismally.

"Of course it will be! Nobody is going to let him forget it!" Ginny said.

"Thanks for the support, Ginny," Harry said, his palms starting to sweat.

"Any time, Harry. Any time."

Harry gulped. "Here I go…" he said as he pulled his pink robes over his head.

"Wow, Harry. That lime green trim does really bring out the color of your eyes," Ginny said jokingly.

"Shut up, you're not helping any!" Ron said. "Why don't you guys… go to the bathroom or something."

"Fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted. Come on Hermione," Ginny said smiling, as they both pulled down their trunks from the rack and left.

"Ron, I can't go through with this."

"You'll do fine Harry, mate."

"Easy for you to say."

"Yeah, well. How am I going to get through dinner with Hermione? Whenever she scolds me I get even clumsier! It's awful."

"Yeah I noticed that."

Ron sunk onto the seat and put his head in his hands, deep in thought. Harry sat down across from him, and gazed out the window.

When Harry finally noticed Hogwarts getting closer, he realized how much he missed it. He never really realized, until now, how much he loved Hogwarts and the people in it. He never really realized how much he felt at home in this place, until now.

When the train stopped at the Hogwarts station, he finally felt like he was home.

A/N 2: PLEASE review! It helps me out a lot. Ask questions, comment on the stuff you like, and don't like for all I care! Every review helps. Who knows, I might dedicate the next chapter to you if you do! Heehee!