Tension between Harry and Ginny rises as they deal with the impact of Ginny's words.

Chapter 4: Guilt Trip

Feeling utterly defeated, Harry hung his head and started to walk back to the house. His mind raced and was filled with so many conflicting thoughts. He could not make any sense of them. He continued walking blindly and before he realized it, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs that led to his room.

He slowly made his way up, and when he reached the door to his and Ron's room, he slowly turned the doorknob. It creaked slightly in response. He eased the door open and looked cautiously inside. Ron was sound asleep. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he opened the door the rest of the way and tiptoed across the room to his bed. His last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep were of the conversation he'd tried to have with Ginny. Why didn't she understand? Why couldn't he bring himself to tell her? Why had things gone so wrong?

Harry awoke later when he felt something hit him in the back. All he could manage to do was groan and roll over onto his side. The covers were wrapped tightly around him from tossing and turning, and he felt his arm stick to his side as he tried to roll onto his stomach.

He was breathing irregularly, his head hurt, and thoughts were drifting wildly through his head. He had tried to tell Ginny about the prophecy but he couldn't get the words out. He was afraid, and when she had told everyone that he had freaked out, he felt his insides fall, and he'd wanted to run away.

"Harry," came a hissing whisper.

Harry felt himself wake a bit as he said, "Huh? Who's it…", but when he didn't hear anything else, he rolled himself onto his back and drifted off to sleep again.

A little while later there was a whisper in his ear. "Harry."

Harry jumped awake and hit his head on something hard. Reaching up to the spot where his head had connected, he opened his eyes and found himself staring at Ron. His eyes opened even wider as he said, "What the hell are you doing, Ron?"

Ron was rubbing his eye where Harry's head had hit it. "Are you all right?" he said in an irritated voice. "You were moaning really loudly and I thought something was wrong."

"I'm fine, Ron." said Harry shortly as he untangled himself from his covers.

Ron's mouth turned down and he shook his head slightly. "Well then, be 'fine' a bit more quietly so I can sleep," he said sharply.

Harry just shrugged his shoulder roughly and didn't say a word as Ron plodded back to bed. He stopped for a moment and glanced over at Harry's form. Seeing Harry like this always made him feel awful because he never knew what to do to help him. He saw Harry begin to toss and turn a bit as he climbed into bed. With one last look at Harry, Ron sighed wearily as he pulled the covers up over his head.

Minutes or hours passed before Ron woke up again. He was not sure what woke him up, but when he opened his eyes, he saw sunlight leaking around the closed curtains and, as hard as he tried, he could not get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. He laid in his bed for a few minutes to let his eyes adjust to the light. An enormous yawn escaped his mouth and he heard Harry's ragged breathing in the bed next to him. When he looked over at him, he saw that Harry was tangled up in his covers again.

Ron just shook his head and with a loud sigh, he forced himself out of bed. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he walked across the room to his cupboard. The floor creaked slightly under his steps, but when he looked back over towards Harry, he could tell that he was still sound asleep.

Quietly he opened the cupboard, took out a baggy old Muggle shirt and put it on. He chuckled to himself as he thought about what Hermione would say about his orange and black striped pajama bottoms and blue and white checked shirt. For someone who prided herself in not getting caught up with things like fashion, she would certainly give him a funny look, he thought.

Hermione's parents were bringing her to The Burrow later that morning, and Ron's insides were churning at the thought. He was both excited and terrified that she would be spending the rest of the summer there. He was not looking forward to the bickering and criticism that was sure to come, but he was happy that he would have some help in figuring out what was wrong with Harry this time. His thoughts continued to linger on Hermione as he walked out the door, closed it softly behind him, and then headed downstairs to the bathroom.

Ginny woke up early the next morning. Her eyes were sore and her head was stuffed up from the crying that had ended only hours before. She was not able to open her eyes immediately as she listened to the muffled sounds of the house around her. There were footsteps on the stairs, followed by the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut. So much for getting into the bathroom, she thought.

She laid in her bed for a while longer, occasionally moving to a slightly different, cooler part when the area she was laying on got warm. She loved feeling the coolness of the sheets on her bare skin. It was very relaxing, and after the night she had had previously, she felt like doing nothing but relaxing all day long.

Slowly, her thoughts began to drift back to the night before. Harry had been so scared. She had never seen him like that before. He had seemed completely terrified when he had tried to tell her what ever it was he couldn't say. She remembered the chilling feeling that crept up her spine when Harry had said the name of Tom Riddle.

Tom Riddle. Harry was the Boy Who Lived, but so was Tom Riddle. She had no idea what he meant by that. It seemed like it was that thought that terrified him the most. She wanted to help him because he was her friend, but how could she when he couldn't even tell her what was wrong? If he wasn't going to tell her what was wrong, maybe there was someone who could. She needed to send a letter right away.

Slowly, Ginny opened her eyes. The paleness of the room filled her eyes. She looked over at her window and saw the streams of light coming through the thread bare drapes. She watched as bits of dust danced in the sunlight as her eyes adjusted. She turned her head away from the window and toward her door.

She looked at it for a moment, then closed her eyes tightly and stretched. Her toes stuck out from under the end of her covers, and with a loud dramatic yawn, she kicked her legs until her covers fell off the end of her bed and into a pile on the floor. Ginny's eyes snapped open as she sat up quickly. Dizziness over came her and she fell back onto her bed. She let out a small giggle as she tried to sit up again.

Once she had her bearings, she stood up and went to her cupboard and pulled out a long button- up shirt. She put it on and went over to her desk and sat down. Ginny just sat there for a moment as she considered what she was going to do. Slowly, she reached for her bottom drawer and opened it. It was empty. She opened the drawer above it and, like the first one, it was empty. After going through all the drawers in her desk and not finding any parchment, she stood up and went over to her dresser.

She opened her top drawer, pulled out some underwear and put it on. With a small sigh, she went back to her cupboard and stood there staring at the old clothes inside. Finally settling on a worn pair of denim shorts and a black tank top, she threw the button up shirt on the floor, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

As she reached the bottom step, she heard a voice.

"Good morning Molly," said Mundungus Fletcher.

Ginny rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen. She looked around and didn't see anyone but her mother. "Where is he?" Ginny said sharply.

"Where is who, dear?" replied Mrs. Weasley as she turned around to look at her daughter.

"Him!" Ginny said as she leveled her finger at the head in the fireplace. Mundungus Fletcher's head was bathed in the soft green glow of the magical fire that burned in the fireplace. His eyes widened slightly as they landed on Ginny. She noticed that his face had turned slightly red, which meant that it had gone very red, but only looked slightly red because of the fire.

Mundungus sputtered for a moment as he tried to speak. Finally he looked away and in a weak voice said, "Hello, Ginny."
Mrs. Weasley had a confused look on her face as she looked from Mundungus to Ginny and back again. Ginny just shook her head, rolled her eyes and looked up as she let out an exasperated grunt and stalked out of the room.

"Ginny?" called Mrs. Weasley as she watched her daughter leave the room in a huff.

"I need some parchment, Mum. I have to write a letter." she replied as she dug through the desk in the front room. She tried not to let irritation creep into her voice as she answered.

As soon as she found what she was looking for, she headed back to the stairs through the living room so she could avoid seeing Mundungus again. That Patronus joke he had told a few weeks ago was not funny at all, she thought as the corners of her mouth raised slightly.

She hurried back up the stairs and into her room. As soon as she was through the door, she kicked it shut behind her and flew across the room to her desk. She ripped open the middle drawer and pulled out her favorite quill and a bottle of dark blue ink. The bottle squeaked slightly as she opened it. She stuck the end of her quill in, then pulled it out slowly and began to write. The quill made a scratching noise on the parchment, but no writing appeared.

"Arrrggghhh." she screamed as she looked down into the empty ink bottle. Dreading the thought of going back downstairs right now, she got up from the desk and walked over to her bed. She bent down, pulled a box out from under it, and rummaged around for a second before she withdrew a small red bottle that had tiny silver stars all over it.

She rubbed her head with one hand as she walked back to her desk. After she sat down, she carefully capped the empty bottle and put it back into the drawer. Ginny placed the red bottle next to the parchment and opened it. She picked up her quill, dipped it into the bottle and looked at it to make sure there was ink on it before putting it to the parchment.

"Dear Professor Dumbledore," she began. The parchment turned from light brown to a light red colour as she wrote, and by the time she was finished, it was a deep blood red. She hurriedly folded the parchment up, put it her shorts pocket and ran up the stairs to Ron and Harry's room.

"Ron!" she screamed as she approached the door. When there was no answer, she knocked on it and shouted again, "Ron!"

After a little while, the door slowly opened from the inside. Ginny saw a mop of messy black hair appear from around the corner, and she found herself looking into a pair of weary green eyes. They were bloodshot and barely open. Harry opened the door for her and with a wave of his hand, he beckoned her in. "Hey," was all he managed to croak as he walked back over to his bed.

Ginny quickly surveyed the room and when she did not see Ron, she asked, "Have you seen Ron?"

"Un uh." Harry grunted as he climbed back under his covers and rolled over with his back towards Ginny.

"Hey, are you all right?" she asked softly as she walked over to Harry's bed.

"Uh huh," he responded as he shifted himself deeper into his bed.

"Harry…" she began.

"Ginny, just go before I freak out again." he said quietly without moving.

Ginny's heart fell as she thought back to her careless statement from the night before. She had not known he was standing right behind her, and she had been very agitated when she said it. "Harry, I'm so sorry."

"I know." he mumbled as he drew the covers completely over his head.

Ginny lowered her head dejectedly and trudged out of the room. She closed the door a little harder than she had originally intended to, but the thought of what Harry was going to be like for a while left her sad but irritated. He was going to shut himself away, and be very short tempered to anyone who tried to talk to him, as she had already seen.

She walked slowly towards the stairs with her head down, desperately trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. As she approached the top step, she stopped and took a deep breath. Clenching her hands, she slowly exhaled and lifted her head just in time to see Ron walking up the stairs towards her in nothing but a towel. His face was red from the heat of the shower and water was still dripping from his hair and running down his bare chest.

"Ron!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Ginny!" said Ron at exactly the same time, as he fumbled to tighten the towel around his waist.

"Ron, can I borrow Pigwigeon?" she asked.

"No!" replied Ron without looking at her as he continued walking up the stairs.

"Ron, I need to borrow Pigwidgeon, it's an emergency!" said Ginny as she stepped aside to let her brother pass.

"You can't Ginny." said Ron flatly.

"It's an emergency Ron!" she whined. "I have to send a letter. It's about Harry!"

Ron stopped and turned to face her. "Oh, so you've noticed too, huh?" he said.

"Yeah." she said quickly. "Now can I borrow Pigwidgeon?"
"No! Hermione has him. Or at least I think she does. I sent her a letter yesterday," said Ron nervously as his eyes darted around Ginny.

Ginny's eyes opened slightly wider in a look of recognition, as she stared at Ron. "Oh." she said slowly.

"Oh what?" snapped Ron as he finally looked at Ginny. Ginny was looking at him with an intense stare, as if she was trying to read him. "Sheesh," he said as he noticed the look Ginny was giving him. He shook his head and turned around and walked up the stairs, leaving an amused Ginny still staring up at him.

Ginny walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Not seeing her mother, she called, "Mum?"

"Good morning, Ginny. You're up early, I suspect." came the voice of Remus Lupin.

Ginny's face brightened as she walked over to Remus and gave him a hug. "Hi Professor Lupin! What are you doing here?"

Mr. Weasley's voice chimed in from around the corner. "She's up already?"

"Dad?" Ginny said with a confused look on her face as she looked around the corner at her father. "You're not at work?"

"No. Taking the day off!" said Mr. Weasley as he walked into the kitchen. "Remus and I have some things we need to go over that. . .well we can't really talk at The Ministry. You know."

"Have you seen Mum?" asked Ginny.

"She was going out into the garden, the last I saw," said Remus.

"Thanks!" replied Ginny as she darted towards the back door. Just as she was about to open it, she turned and said, "Good to see you again, Professor!" and with that she left.

"Mum!" Ginny called loudly.

"Over here dear, and don't shout. You don't want to wake the whole house," came Mrs. Weasley's reply from the other side of the garden.

Ginny walked over to where her mother was sitting. Mrs. Weasley was sitting beside the small pond with her feet dangling lazily in the water, reading a book. She put the book down as she watched Ginny hurrying over to her.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Mum, where is Errol?" Ginny asked. "I need to send an owl right away, and Pig is with Hermione."

"Oh?" said Mrs. Weasley with a curious look on her face that disappeared almost immediately. "I'm not sure where Errol is, truth be told. Possibly away on Order business."

"Arrrggghhh!" yelled Ginny as she turned on her heel and stomped back towards the house.

Ginny stormed dramatically up the stairs and back into the house. Her jaw was set and her brow was furrowed as she desperately tried to think of a way to get her letter to Dumbledore. Her face brightened a bit as she thought about using Hedwig. The irony of that last resort was not lost on her.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" asked Remus as Ginny stomped into the kitchen.

"You wouldn't happen to have an owl here, would you Professor?" asked Ginny in a frustrated voice.

"Well, let me see," began Lupin as he opened his robes and began searching them. "It doesn't look like it," he finished with a grin.

Ginny couldn't help but grin back as she said, "Thanks."

"You have a letter to send?" he asked politely.

"Umm..yeah," Ginny replied with a slight hint of sarcasm. Why else would I be looking for an owl? she thought to herself.

"Dad!" Ginny called as she looked around and didn't see her father anywhere.

"He had to go to his office for something. He'll be back shortly," said Lupin as he moved over to the stove and poured himself another cup of tea. "Care for a cup?"

"No. Is there any coffee?" she asked as she moved over next to Remus, looking for coffee.

"I don't think anyone made any. Would you like me to make some for you?" offered Lupin.

"Sure," replied Ginny as she lifted herself up onto the counter and sat down. She folded her legs underneath herself and mumbled, "And I thought he was taking the day off."

"Oh, he'll be back soon," said Remus as he drew out his wand and inserted it into a kettle that was on the stove. He began slowly stirring as he continued, "He just had to grab some papers. There is going to be a hearing about the fate of Grimmauld Place. I probably shouldn't tell you this…"
"Tell her what?" came Ron's voice from over by the stairs. "Hi, Professor Lupin," he added quickly.

"Hello Ron." Lupin replied as he turned to face Ron. He continued stirring slowly and evenly and said "I was just telling Ginny here that there has apparently been a claim laid against the will that Sirius left."

Ginny winced inside at the mention of Sirius' name. She was still very bothered by his death, and seeing Harry so torn up about it made hearing his name even more painful. She was slightly relieved to see that Lupin was able to at least talk about it openly. Sirius had been his best friend since their first year together at Hogwarts, and his death had been especially painful for Remus.

"That's all I can say right now," continued Lupin. He stopped stirring the kettle and poured some into a cup. "Milk or sugar?" he asked Ginny as he handed her the cup.

Ginny just shook her head as she took the cup from him and cradled it in her hands. She blew across the top of the cup and watched the steam billow upwards as she waited for Remus to continue.

"There hasn't officially been any notification that Sirius even left a will," said Remus, as he closed his eyes tightly. He turned blindly towards Ron and asked, "Would you like a cup, Ron?"

Ron shook his head and moved over to stand next to Ginny as he whispered, "No thank you."

Lupin opened his eyes, and they had gone bloodshot. "But I know he did, because I was the one who talked him into it. Somehow, the news got out…"

"Kreacher, you mean," interrupted Ron.

Lupin took a deep breath and slowly shook his head. "Somehow," he said forcefully, but quietly, looking at Ron. "The news got out and it has been challenged." Remus' hands trembled as he sat his cup of tea down on the counter. "That's all I can say right now. I suppose he would have wanted you to know as much."

There was a loud noise in the room behind Lupin and he jumped slightly. He turned just in time to see Mr. Weasley walking in. "Good, Arthur. You're back. Let's get to work." he said jovially, then turning back to Ron and Ginny he said with a huge knowing smile, "I'll talk to you two later. It's Harry's birthday today, isn't it?"

Ginny's face went slack at the mention of Harry's birthday. "Yeah it is," was all she could say in a very soft voice.

Remus appeared not to notice the sudden change on Ginny's face as he and Mr. Weasley left the room. A second later, Lupin popped his head around the corner and asked, "So how was the coffee?"
"Best I ever had!" replied Ginny with a smile as Lupin's head disappeared back around the wall. She continued to sit on the counter as Ron moved away from her and sat down at the table.

"I'm starving," he said.

"Well, then get up and make yourself something!" snapped Ginny as she hopped down from her perch and walked towards the stairs.

Ron just stared at her as she walked away. Once she was around the corner, he got up and went to the cabinet. He pulled out a bowl, then went and got a box of Chocolate Frosted Toady-O's and sat back down at the table. He filled his bowl and realized he didn't have any silverware or milk, so with a shrug, he picked up a handful and tossed them into his mouth.

Ginny walked up the stairs to the boys' room. She stopped outside the door for a second, and then took a deep breath as she knocked. She was worried about the reaction she would get from Harry if she woke him up. She smiled inwardly to herself as she thought about how she was going to be using Hedwig to send a letter about him. The irony almost made her laugh out loud.

There was no answer, so she knocked again and waited patiently. When there was still no answer, she turned the handle slowly and carefully, and it let out a creak as it turned. She opened the door and peered into the dimly lit room. She saw the top of Harry's head peeking out from under his blankets, and she couldn't help but smile. He looked so peaceful.

She quickly looked around the room, but did not see Hedwig's cage anywhere. She was about to walk over to the window when Harry stirred. Ginny's heart raced as she froze in place. Silently she willed him back to sleep, and let out a small sigh when he did not move any more.

Slowly she made her way out the door and closed it carefully behind her. She pulled the letter out of her pocket and read it again as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ron looked up at her as she walked in and sat down. She folded the letter up and put it back into her pocket.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she replied as she reached for the box of Toady-O's.

Ron grabbed the box out of her reach and with a grin, he asked again "Come on, what was that?"

"Nothing, Ron. Now give me the cereal!" she demanded.

Ron slid the box across the table to her, and with a smirk on his face, he watched as she reached her hand down inside the empty box. "It's all gone." he said triumphantly.

"What's all gone?" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from over by the door. She had just walked back inside the house, and was bent over as she took off her shoes.

"Oh, Ron ate all of the Toady-O's" said Ginny as she looked over at her mother.

"They were almost all gone anyway," he said defensively.

Just then, a large brown owl swooped in through the open door right over Mrs. Weasley's ducked head. The owl flew once around the room and finally landed on the table in front of Ginny. She immediately recognized it as a delivery owl for the Daily Prophet. With a confused look on her face, she removed the newspaper. They had not received the Daily Prophet for nearly a year now, ever since the smear campaign they leveled against Harry.

"Mum?" Ginny asked with a quizzical look on her face.

Mrs. Weasley stood up quickly and looked just as confused as Ginny and she shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "I don't know."

"It's probably Hermione's. She said she would be getting the paper sent here when she came. She paid for a whole year." Ron chimed in almost immediately as he stood up and took his empty bowl over to the sink.

Ginny removed the newspaper from the owl's leg, and, with sudden inspiration, removed the red letter from her pocket and tried to tie it to the owls leg. The owl struggled and pecked and clawed at her hands. Ginny just held on tightly and finally was able to get it tied. Her hands were scratched and bleeding in a couple of places as she picked up the owl. She took it over to the door and said "Dumbledore" as she threw the owl into the air.

Ginny watched the owl fly off into the blue sky and then turned back towards the kitchen. Ron and her mother were both sitting at the table talking as Ginny walked over to them. Just as she sat down, her father and Remus walked back into the room.

"Was that a Ministry owl?" asked Mr. Weasly eagerly.

"No, it was The Daily Prophet," answered Ron as Lupin walked over to the table and sat down.

"Hmph," grunted Mr. Weasley with a thoughtful look on his face. He paused for a moment before turning towards Mrs. Weasley. "Molly, when are Tonks and Moody going to be here?"

"Tonks said she'd be here later this morning, and I haven't heard from Alastor," replied Mrs. Weasley. "Mundungus popped in this morning."

"Oh?" said Mr. Weasley. "What did he want?"

"Wanted to know how the move was going," replied Mrs. Weasley as she sat down next to Remus.
Ginny and Ron gave each other a curious glance, and Ron slowly asked, "Who's moving?"

Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin all looked at each other with concerned looks, and after an awkward moment, Remus finally spoke. "Well, remember what I was saying earlier?"

"Remus!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.

"What, Molly?" he replied.

"Molly," said Mr. Weasley.

"What, Arthur?" snapped Mrs. Weasley as she looked up at her husband. "I thought things might be different…" she paused for a second and took a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer voice,"after what happened."

Ron shifted uncomfortably on his chair, and Ginny sat motionless with her ears glued to every word that was being said. They looked at each other with wide eyes, both not sure what exactly it was that they were hearing.

"I think they should be too, Molly," said Remus in his soft and steady voice. "They need to know."

"Now you're starting to sound like HIM," spat Mrs. Weasley. She clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words had left it. Remus looked like he had been slapped across the face, and Mr. Weasley's jaw dropped. Both men knew immediately that she had been referring to Sirius. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I just don't want our children in any more danger."

"Mum, we're already in danger," said Ginny.

"Danger from what?" came Harry's voice.

Everybody turned and stared at him. Ginny's eyes widened a bit, and her face blushed slightly as she saw him leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. His shirtless chest was rising and falling slowly as he rubbed his eye with one hand and ran his other through his hair. His eyes were puffy and bruised from crying and lack of sleep. He let out a big yawn and said in a rather rude way, "Well, don't stop talking on my account."

"Harry, dear!" said Mrs. Weasley as she stood up and hurried over to him. She took him into her arms, and he did not resist.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," he said with a sigh.

"Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you some breakfast?" she offered.
"No thanks. I'm not hungry," he said flatly.

When Mrs. Weasley let go of him, Remus stood up and said, "Hello, Harry. Come sit down. You look terrible."

Harry smiled weakly and said, "Thanks, Professor Lupin. I needed that." as he walked over towards the table.

Ginny watched as Harry pulled out a chair and put his head down on the table. He looked up briefly and their eyes met. Ginny could see the pain he was in. He was hurting inside, but there was more. She saw disappointment that she knew was directed at her. She had not understood what he was trying to tell her the night before, and she desperately wanted to. That was why she had just sent that letter off to Dumbledore. She hoped for a quick reply as she watched Harry's eyes glaze over and look away from her.

"Harry," she began. He looked up at the sound of her voice. For a brief instant, Ginny thought she saw a glimmer of happiness, but as soon as she saw it, it disappeared. The look in his eyes made her voice choke in her throat and she did not finish her thought.

"Come on Arthur, we have a lot to get done before the others get her,." said Lupin as he stood. A knowing glance passed between Remus and Molly as he started walking out of the room, but he paused long enough to give Harry's shoulder a caring squeeze. Harry's shoulder tensed and withdrew from the touch, and he didn't look up.

"We'll talk more about this later, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley in a cool tone as she stood and walked towards the back door.

Harry's face wore a very sarcastic expression as he lifted his head and watched the adults leave the room. "So what was that all about?" he asked.

"Not sure really," answered Ron. "They said something about a move or something."

"Do you know what else Professor Lupin told us?" asked Ginny.

Harry did not meet her gaze as he said in a bitter voice, "What?"

"Harry, would you stop it?" asked Ginny in an agitated voice.

Harry stared directly into Ginny's eyes as he replied, "Stop what?"

"Stop acting like this," she said as she held his gaze.

"Like what?" he shot back.

Ron stood up and said "Oh come on, you two. You're acting like me and Hermione."
Both Ginny and Harry looked up at Ron and then back at each other. Harry watched Ginny bite her upper lip before she spoke. Taking a deep breath, she said, "He told us that Sirius left a will and there is someone challenging it."

Harry put his elbows onto the table. "He shouldn't have had to leave a will," said Harry as he lowered his chin into his hands.

Ron was rocking nervously on his heels as Harry spoke. As soon as Harry finished his sentence, Ron said, "You want to go fly a bit before Hermione gets here? She's not supposed to get here until half noon or so."

At the mention of Hermione's name, Harry let his head slip through his hands and it hit the table softly. He hit his head on the table three more times before looking up at Ginny and Ron. They were both looking at him with confused amusement.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but shut it almost immediately.

"What?" Harry said sheepishly as a small grin crept across his face.

Ginny started laughing. She found his reaction amusing as she thought about what he must be thinking. She knew that Hermione had been worried about Harry and how he was dealing with the events at the Department of Mysteries, and would probably try to talk to him about it as soon as she arrived. She also knew from her experience the night before, that Harry would not be in the mood to talk about it.

Harry's knitted his brow and said "What?" again with fake indignation. "It's just that…" he began, but then stopped as he re though what he was about to say. He was not in the mood to hear Hermione lecture him about his behavior. He knew she cared for him very deeply, and was worried, but he did not feel like opening up to her. Besides, he thought, she had other people to worry about, even if they didn't know it yet.

Ron watched Harry for a moment and then leaned forward slightly and asked "What?"

Harry snapped out of his thoughts and said "Oh, nothing. Yeah, let's go fly for a bit"

Ron's face brightened. "Great! Let's go." he said as he stood up and headed towards the stairs to get his broom.

"Harry," Ginny said softly as Harry stood up.

Harry turned back towards Ginny. He felt a sudden surge of embarrassment as he looked into her eyes. She was the only one who knew exactly what had happened the night before. He was content that she was the one he had tried to share his torment with, but things had gone wrong. He had been unable to tell her what he had needed to, and she had not understood.
He saw the depth of concern in her eyes, but was scared of what she thought of his vulnerability. Her words as he had left the hallway had pierced him more deeply than he had thought. He had trusted her to keep his confidence, but instead, she had completely dismissed him with a few careless words. He knew she didn't mean to hurt him. He knew she cared, perhaps more deeply than any of his friends, but his thoughts did not ease the pain her words had caused.

"Harry," Ginny said again. The torture she saw in his eyes made her wince. She knew she had hurt him with her careless words. She lowered her head as she tried to think of the words she could say that would make everything better.

Harry watched her for a moment as she sat there wringing her hands with her head lowered. She was biting her lower lip as she pulled her hair back behind her ears. He could see that she wanted to talk, but he was not sure that he wanted to listen, so he said, "Ginny," and then paused.

Ginny raised her chocolate eyes and met his gaze while she waited for him to continue. Her hair came out from behind her left ear, and she nervously tried to put it back. "I'm going to go fly, okay?" he said finally, then he turned and walked slowly upstairs to get his Firebolt.

Harry headed upstairs and into his room. Ron was over by his desk looking at something as he walked in. The closet that Harry kept his Firebolt in was already open, and his prized broom was leaning against the back wall. He couldn't see what Ron was looking at so he walked over and got his broom and headed to the door.

"You ready?" Harry said enthusiastically as he stood by the door.

"Yeah. Just a second." replied Ron as he folded up a piece of parchment, and put it back in the top drawer of the desk.

Ron walked over to his cupboard and grabbed his Clean Sweep. He was smiling as he saw Harry bouncing anxiously by the door. Together, the boys headed down the stairs. Harry noticed that Ginny had left as they walked out the back door and into the garden.

Ginny pursed her lips as she watched Harry walk away from her. As soon as he was out of sight, she went upstairs to her room, closed the door behind her and locked it. Secretly she hoped Harry would come and find her. She wanted to talk to him about the night before and apologize for her offhand remark, but she could tell he was not at all interested in hearing it.

Her cupboard was slightly open as she approached it. She opened it the rest of the way, and slid a few of her shirts aside until she came to a brand new men's shirt. She carefully took it off its hanger and walked over to her desk and put it down before heading back to her closet.

The shirt was light blue with black pin stripes down the left side. There was no collar and there was a long zipper up the neck. She held the short sleeve shirt up and looked at it. She had bought it in the village a few days ago, and was really excited about giving it to Harry. She wasn't sure if Harry would like it, but Ian's words had been reassuring. She knew he'd wear it. He'd better, she thought as a smile broke out across her face. It had cost her every Knut she had managed to save over the past several months.

After rummaging through the bottom of her closet for a bit, she pulled out a plain brown box, and went back to her desk. When she got there, she sat down and held up the shirt. She smiled as she folded it, put it in the box, and Spellotaped it shut.

When she had finished, jumped up and put the box in her closet, and headed out her door and down the stairs. She jumped off the bottom step and looked quickly around. The rooms were empty so she decided to head out the back door and into the garden.

"Mum!" Ginny called.

"What, dear?" Mrs. Weasley replied.

"Where are you?" asked Ginny as she scanned the garden. Her eyes finally landed on her mother who was busy digging in a flower bed. She walked over to her.

"What'd you need?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she sat up and looked at Ginny. The gloves she was wearing were covered in dirt, and she was breathing hard as she reached up and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face.

"Have you seen Fred and George?" asked Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head and said, "No. I think they are still asleep."

Ginny just laughed and turned back towards the house. Before she could take a step, Mrs. Weasley asked, "Oh, could you go and let the boys know that Hermione will be getting here in less than an hour, and they should be here when she gets here," as she pointed towards the lower garden. "And make sure Fred and George are up too."

"Okay," said Ginny as she headed back inside the house to wake up the twins.

It was a beautiful day for flying as Ron and Harry walked out the door and headed down towards the lower garden where they could fly safely in the hollow below the tree line. They always had to be careful so that the Muggles from town would not see them.

"Where are you two off to?" called Mrs. Weasley as they walked past her.

"Were going to go fly for a bit before Hermione gets here," Ron replied.
"Okay, just be careful, and don't be seen." warned Mrs. Weasley.

"We won't, Mum," groaned Ron.

Harry smiled as he waved to Mrs. Weasley. They continued walking and soon they were at the edge of the field. Harry held out his Firebolt and let go. It hovered in midair at just the right height for him to mount. He looked over at Ron who was watching him intently, as he nervously reached out his hand and slid himself onto the broom.

A flood of feelings and emotions overwhelmed Harry as he mounted the broom for the first time in over half a year. He had not been able to fly since he was suspended from the Gryffindor Quidditch team last term. He still did not know if he would be reinstated, but he, along with everyone else, was confident that he would be now that Dolores Umbridge was no longer at Hogwarts.

He watched as Ron mounted his broom and kicked off the ground. Ron took off like a shot and before long, he was circling the far side of the hollow. Harry leaned foreward on his broom, and his firebolt responded to his every command and before long he was right on Ron's tail.

The two boys flew around and chased each other for a while. They practiced some of the moves they had learned during their time playing Quidditch, and from what Harry could tell, Ron had definitely improved in his flying. He hoped that he would continue to do well, as he was most likely going to be the Keeper of the house team, and quite likely he would also be the team captain now that Angelina had left. He had only played one season with them, but Harry didn't know anyone who knew more about the ins and outs of the game, except Oliver Wood.

Finally Harry sat down and called Ron in. "Hey, Ron," he called through the wind.

"Yeah?" said Ron breathlessly as he sat down next to Harry. He wore a huge smile. "Whoa, that was brilliant!"

"You want a go on the Firebolt?" Harry asked as he slid off of his broom.

Ron smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of reverence. He sat there on his broom for a moment with his eyes darting between Harry and the Firebolt. Suddenly he took a deep breath and said quickly, "Yeah, all right." as his grin returned and he dismounted.

Harry handed the Firebolt to Ron, who took it in his hands like he was handling a newborn baby. He carefully let go of it, and the broom hovered at the perfect height for him. With an awkward kick, Ron hopped on the broom and leaned forward slightly. The broom shot off throwing Ron's head back, and with a loud yelp of surprise and happiness, Ron was hurtling through the air and around the hollow.

Harry watched Ron flying on his Firebolt, but soon his thoughts began to fade back to the night before. He really appreciated the fact that Ron had come in to see him, but felt terribly embarrassed that he had seen him. He smiled as he watched Ron zoom up and down, putting the Firebolt through its paces, and was so engrossed in what he was watching that he did not notice Ginny fly up behind him.

"I'll bet he's loving that!" she said as she landed next to Harry.

Harry jumped slightly and looked over at Ginny. "He's just like a little kid up there on it, isn't he?" he said with a smile.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Mum sent me to get you two. Hermione is going to be here in less than an hour, and she wants you up at the house when she gets here."

Harry just nodded as he walked over and picked up Ron's broom. He felt a rush of wind pass his head, and saw Ginny explode past him. She stopped several yards in front of him and yelled "Oi, Potter. Come get me!"

Harry just laughed and held onto the broom.

"Are you a Seeker or what?" taunted Ginny with a smile.

Harry leapt onto the broom with one fluid motion, kicked off into the air and immediately felt the rush of flight again. As he sped faster along the ground chasing Ginny, the cool air swept through his hair, and for the first time in a long time, he completely forgot about the darkness he had been holding inside.

After a few minutes, they all landed and got off their brooms. Ron handed the Firebolt back to Harry, and Harry gave the Comet back to Ron. Ron took a few steps towards the house, then looked back at the other two. "Come on you lot, Hermione's going to be here soon," he said.

Ginny squatted down and fidgeted with her shoe. "Go on Ron, we'll be there in a minute," she said as she looked up into Harry's eyes.

Ron looked questioningly between the two of them, but merely shrugged and said ,"Okay. See you in a bit."

When Ron had turned and was several steps away, Ginny sat down on the ground and said, "Harry, we need to talk."

Harry stood there looking down at her for a second before he said, "Your shoe's untied," as he pointed at her untied shoe.

"I know, Harry," she said as she looked at her shoe. Without looking up, she continued, "I'm really sorry about last night. I…"

"Look Ginny, it's okay. You said what you felt, right?" he interrupted coolly
"Harry, it's not like that. I didn't mean…" said Ginny pleadingly as she looked up at Harry again.

"To say what you said?" he interrupted again. "It's okay. I understand."

"Harry," she began as she stood up. She held up her hand as she saw Harry take a breath to interrupt her again. "Don't interrupt me again." she said as she closed her eyes. When he did not interrupt her, she opened her eyes and continued, "I want to understand what you were trying to tell me last night."

Harry kicked nervously at a rock he was looking at. "Hermione's going to be here soon," was all he said as he turned and left Ginny standing there watching him as he disappeared towards the house.

"Harry!" she called out angrily, but he did not look back.

Harry walked quickly back towards the house. He didn't look back. He knew he would break down if he did. The door to the house was already open as he climbed the steps to the porch. He strode through the door and headed straight for the stairs. Ron called out to him but he ignored it, continuing up the stairs to his room. When he got to the top of the stairs, he heard Ron call again, and again he ignored him and closed the door.