Chapter 5: Hermione's Secret
Ginny watched Harry go. She wanted him to look back, to come back, and let her help him, but deep inside she knew he wouldn't. That was just not in Harry's nature. The scene she had seen the night before was playing again in her head as she walked back towards the house.
Before she had even reached the porch, Ron was coming out the door. "What did you say to him?" he asked.
"Nothing Ron," she said impatiently and with a sigh.
"Well, he just stormed through the house and went up to his room," said Ron.
"Well, in case you didn't already know, that's just Harry," snapped Ginny as she walked past Ron.
Ron followed her into the house. Just as he was about to follow her upstairs, Mr. Weasley and Remus Lupin reappeared. "Are they here yet?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Who?" asked Ron with a confused look on his face.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger. They were due about now weren't they?" replied Mr. Weasley like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"They'll be here soon Arthur," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen.
As if on cue, they heard a knock on the front door. Ron bolted into the front room followed closely by his father and mother. Ron opened the door and his face brightened as he saw a very tan Hermione standing there.
She squealed in delight when she saw him, "Ron!" she said, and immediately threw out her arms and hugged him quickly.
Ron awkwardly put his arms around her, and much to his relief, she let go quickly. "You are really tan." he said.
"I just got back from Egypt. It was really amazing." she began as Mr. Weasley pushed through the door and greeted Hermione's parents.
Ron grabbed her trunk from the porch and carried it inside while the adults were outside greeting one another.
"This thing is heavy. What do you have in it?" asked Ron.
"Oh. All of my books and things. I already got my books for next term." she explained.
"How did you know what books to get? We haven't gotten our letters yet." asked Ron with a questioning look.
Hermione looked at him and said "I wrote to Professor Dumbledore and he told me. I wanted to get an early start. I am going to have to help Ginny out with her OWL's this year, even though I am sure she will do fine."
"Oh." said Ron sheepishly. "I'd take this upstairs, but I think Ginny's locked herself in her room."
"No I didn't." said Ginny from behind Ron.
"Ginny!" yelled Hermione as she ran up and grabbed onto Ginny and spun around.
"Hermione!" squealed Ginny as she bounced around with her.
Ron just stood there holding onto the trunk and rolled his eyes. "Can I take this up?" he asked.
"No!" said Ginny. "We'll get it."
Ron dropped the trunk and Hermione looked at him and said with a smile "Be careful, there's things in there that can break."
"Oh? Like what?" teased Ron.
"Nothing." sung Hermione as she tossed her head back into a laugh.
Ron hung his head and shook it slowly as he turned and walked out of the room. He walked through the kitchen where Mr. and Mrs. Granger, his parents, and Lupin were all deep in an animated conversation. They were recounting each of their trips to Egypt, and they were all smiling. Lupin looked over at Ron as he walked through and smiled.
Ginny and Hermione each grabbed a handle on the trunk and carried it up to their room. Once they were inside, they put the trunk at the foot of Hermione's bed, and Ginny ran over and locked the door. She ran back across the room and threw herself onto her bed.
Hermione stood open mouthed and looked around the messy room at the unmade bed, papers scattered on the desk, and dirty clothes piled on the floor. "You are such a slob!" she said with a laugh.
Ginny laughed at the look on Hermione's face. "I know." she said cheerfully.
"You seem awfully happy!" said Hermione with a huge smile. "How are things going?" she asked as she sent a knowing look at Ginny.
"I am so glad you are finally here. I like my family, but it is so nice to have another woman around." said Ginny with a smile.
"Me too. I managed to convince mum and dad that I needed to get back early because you are starting your most crucial year, and you needed my help. I could have stayed in Egypt for the rest of the summer, but truth be told, I really missed you and also wanted to be here for Harry's birthday." said Hermione without taking a breath.
"Ron missed you too I think. He talked about you quite a lot." chided Ginny.
Hermione went red and her smile became softer as she said softly "Oh." Her face quickly cleared as she said, "Where's Harry? He's here right? He was supposed to get here last week. I haven't really heard from him all summer. I wrote him several times, but he never answered. I take that back, he did send me one owl, but it didn't really say very much. Just the old 'Hi. How are you? I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm really grumpy but won't tell you. I'll see you soon. Bye.'"
Ginny's smile faded. "I think he is up in his room." she said before pausing. She took a deep breath and continued "He had a rough night last night."
Hermione's eyes widened a bit as she asked "Oh no. What happened?"
Ginny started wringing her hands as she looked away from Hermione. "Well," she began. Her voice quivered as she began to think back to what had happened the night before. "Harry and I were talking like we had done nearly every night since he got here."
Hermione gave Ginny a quizzical look at which Ginny immediately smiled, and with a slight chuckle, she shook her head and said "No Hermione. Not like that."
"What were you talking about?" asked Hermione seriously.
Ginny stopped wringing her hands and wrapped her arms around herself. "Well, normally, we wouldn't say much of anything. We'd just sit there next to each other and not talk at all." she said. Ginny ignored the look Hermione gave her and continued. "Last night was different though. He really began to open up, but then…" said Ginny before her voice trailed off. She felt tears burning in her eyes, as she closed them tightly to try and fight them back. She had cried too many tears lately, and did not want to shed any more. Slowly she opened her bloodshot eyes and said in a hoarse voice "Oh Hermione, it was awful. I have never seen him like that before."
Hermione moved next to Ginny and pulled her into a sisterly hug. Ginny buried her face in Hermione's neck and the tears fell again. She was sobbing heavily as Hermione just held onto her and ran her hand through her hair in a consoling way. "Shhh…" whispered Hermione. "It's Ok. He'll be Ok."
Ginny and Hermione sat like that for a while until finally Ginny raised her tear streaked face and looked at Hermione. "Do you want to know the worst part?" Ginny asked suddenly through her continuing sobs.
Hermione kept her arm around Ginny and simply nodded.
"Well, when everyone came down to see what was wrong, they all thought I had done something to him, but I didn't!" said Ginny. She choked back another set of tears and continued. "I was really irritated and upset, and when they all asked me what I did, I just snapped at them and said that Harry freaked out!"
Hermione's face took on a questioning look as she shook her head and asked "He didn't hear you say that?" When Ginny did not respond right away, her eyes widened and she asked very slowly "Did he?"
Ginny stood up quickly and walked across the room to the window. She put her hands on the sill, and looked out into the bright blue sky. After a brief moment, she turned quickly to face Hermione and said matter of factly "Yep. He did."
"Oh Ginny." said Hermione in a soft voice. "How did he take it?"
"He is really hurt. I am so sorry I said it. I knew it was wrong the moment it left my mouth, but I was so irritated, and hurt and everything, and it just came out." said Ginny as she looked down.
"Have you told him you were sorry?" asked Hermione as she got up and walked over to where Ginny was.
"I tried Hermione." said Ginny softly as her shoulders slumped. "But he won't listen. I don't know if he is really that hurt, or just wants to make me suffer."
"Harry wouldn't do that to you Ginny." said Hermione reassuringly as she put her arms around Ginny again. "Let me go talk to him ok?"
"I don't think he wants to talk right now, well at least not to me." said Ginny as she began to silently weep.
Hermione led Ginny back over to her bed, and once Ginny had sat down, Hermione headed towards the door. "I'll be right back ok?" she said quietly as she walked out.
As soon as the door had closed, Ginny threw herself face down on her bed and put her hands over her face. He body shook under the heavy sobs, and her breath was ragged as she laid there and thought about Harry.
Hermione pulled the door closed behind her and began to walk up the stairs towards the boy's room. Her heart raced as she stepped up to the door. She was concerned for her friend, and hoped that he would at least let her talk to her. He had a habit of shutting people out when he upset, even though he didn't really mean to she reminded herself as she raised her hand and knocked.
There was no answer, and so she knocked again and called softly "Harry?" There was still no answer, so she called a bit louder "Harry, can I come in? It's me, Hermione."
Slowly the door opened a crack but did not open any farther. Hermione heard soft footsteps retreating across the room, and she took this as invitation to come in. She pushed the door open all the way and saw Harry lying on his back across his bed. He had an arm draped over his eyes and his chest was rising and falling slowly.
She smiled a concerned smile as she walked towards him. "Happy birthday Harry." she said.
Harry snorted quietly and replied, "Thanks."
"You're all alone up here and everyone wants to see you. Are you doing alright?" Hermione asked.
"I'm fine." grunted Harry without moving his hands.
"You know I can tell when you're lying Harry. Ginny told me about last night…" said Hermione.
Harry groaned loudly and rolled over onto his side at her words.
"Harry, it's ok." said Hermione as she walked across the room and squatted next to his bed. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"Not really." he mumbled.
Hermione reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. He reflexively pulled it away, and scooted away from her touch. "Ginny is really upset Harry. She feels just awful for what she said. She was really…"
"I was really upset too Hermione." snapped Harry as his head whipped around to face her. She could tell immediately that he was upset and very hurt.
She closed her eyes tightly, and trying to ignore being interrupted, she took a deep breath and said "I know Harry, and if you want to talk about it, I'm here. Just don't shut your friends out."
"I'm not. I mean, I tried to talk about it, but she just didn't get it." Harry said, impatience growing in his voice.
"Harry, come on, you're being really unfair. She was scared, and really upset. She didn't mean…"said Hermione in a loud voice as her frustration with Harry began to boil over.
"Then why did she say it?" Harry interrupted as he sat up.
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I don't know, and don't interrupt me!" she said slowly and deliberately, trying desperately to remain calm.
Harry stood up and walked over to the window. "I don't want to talk about it." he said as he shook his head, not bothering to look back at her. "I tried once and look what it got me. I just want to be alone right now ok Hermione?"
Hermione started walking over to Harry. "Harry…" she said.
"Just leave me alone alright?" Harry pleaded as he looked at Hermione.
Hermione looked up at him, and with tears welling in her eyes, she quickly looked away. Her head was hung as she turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her.
Hermione walked deliberately down the stairs and back to the room she was staying in with Ginny. She stormed through the door and slammed it shut. Ginny's head snapped up at the sound of the door and she looked over at Hermione. Hermione stood with her back against the door, and she was breathing hard. Her fists were clenched and held rigidly at her side.
Ginny smiled at her and said "Well?"
"Well what?" Hermione snapped as her fists started to tremble. "AAARRRGGGHHH!" she screamed as she shook her head.
"So what did he say?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing!" replied Hermione hotly. She walked over to her bed, sat down roughly, and crossed her legs.
Ginny just giggled as she watched her friend. "So in other words, he was being Harry huh?"
"Yes!" said Hermione with an exasperated huff. "Has Tonks been by yet? She was supposed to meet me here today."
"No. Mum said she'd be by later. Why? What's up?" replied a curious Ginny.
Hermione shifted nervously on her bed and was unable to look at Ginny as she replied, "Oh, nothing. She's been showing me some things. Just some extra things to help me next year in school. You know."
"You want to go do something until everybody gets here?" asked Ginny. "Maybe go into the village?"
"Who is coming?" asked Hermione as she stood up.
Ginny hopped off of her bed and walked towards the door as she answered, "Well, Tonks said she was coming, and Professor Lupin is already here with dad." Ginny opened the door, and Hermione followed her through as she continued. "They are off somewhere working on something for the Order. Oh yeah, remind me to tell you about that conversation. Really interesting. Anyway, I think dad said something about Professor Moody coming as well."
"Hmmm." replied Hermione absently as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Mum" called Ginny loudly. She did not hear an answer so she called again. "Mum, We're going into the village. We'll be back later!"
Ginny walked out the back door with Hermione following close behind. When they stepped out onto the porch, they saw Mrs. Weasley, and Mrs. Granger sitting on the edge of it laughing. Ginny and Hermione smiled as they walked down the steps. There was a loud noise from over by Mr. Weasley's shed, and both girls jumped and looked over.
"Arthur?" called Mrs. Weasley as she and Mrs. Granger stood up and headed towards the shed.
"What Molly? We're fine. Just a bit of..." came the sheepish voice or Mr. Weasley.
"Were fine ladies!" interrupted Mr. Granger with a laugh.
Mrs. Granger laughed as she said "Oh? You're ladies are you?"
"And fine ones at that!" added Mrs. Weasley with a hearty laugh.
Both Ginny and Hermione laughed as they headed around to the front of the house towards the village. They were a ways down the lane when there was a loud crack behind them and they both turned quickly as their hands went instinctively to their wands.
A woman in her early twenties stood before them. She had putrid mustard yellow hair, and a bright cheery smile. "Wotcha Hermione! Am I late?" said Nymphadora Tonks.
"Tonks!" Cried Ginny and Hermione at the same time, as they ran over to her.
Tonks opened her arms and gave the girls a huge hug. "How are you Ginny?" Tonks asked enthusiastically.
"Great! I really missed you." said Ginny in a muffled voice as Tonks buried Ginny's face into her shoulder. "Ummm…you can let go now"
"Oh!" said Tonks as she realized that she was squeezing Ginny's head. After letting Ginny go, she said "Sorry about that." and smiled awkwardly.
"Tonks." called Hermione.
Tonks looked over at her, and her face fell a bit as she saw the serious expression on Hermione's face. "Hey Hermione. When did you get here?"
"Just a bit ago. Are we still on for the lessons?" she asked seriously.
"Yeah, but just give me a bit to say hi to everyone first ok?" said Tonks.
Hermione's face brightened and she replied "Sure!"
The three women all linked arms and walked up the lane and around to the back of the house. They were laughing and talking as they caught up on the nearly two months since they had last been together.
Mrs. Weasley called out to them as soon as they rounded the corner of the house. "Tonks!"
"Molly!" called Tonks with enthusiasm.
"Arthur! Remus! Tonks is here." cried Mrs. Weasley as she hurried over to Tonks and the girls.
"Ahh, Tonks!" greeted Mr. Weasley happily as he came out of the shed followed by Mr. Granger. "This is Hermione's father." said Mr. Weasley. Mr. Granger stuck out his hand and shook Tonks' hand enthusiastically as he stared curiously at her hair.
"You have a very brilliant daughter Mr. Granger." said Tonks happily.
"So we've heard!" said Mrs. Granger from behind them. "I'm her mother, and she has talked a lot about you. It is good to finally meet you in person!"
A voice behind Tonks caused her to jump slightly, and she felt her pulse race a bit faster as she turned to face it. "Nymph…" was all it said before Tonk sharply interrupted it.
"Loony Lupin, don't you dare! You know I hate that name!" said Tonks with a very stern look on her face. Remus Lupin stood there smiling at Tonks, and after a few seconds of trying to look mad, Tonks' face broke into a grin.
"How are you?" asked Remus.
"Wonderful Remus!" replied Tonks.
Hermione cleared her throat loudly and Tonks looked back at her. "Oh right." she said. "Hermione and I will be back a bit later. We have some things to work on for uh…" She paused for a moment before blurting out "School!"
Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other with a skeptical look, but they didn't protest as they saw the unconcerned looks on Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's faces.
Ginny furrowed her brow and looked at Hermione. Hermione saw her and just raised her eyebrows a bit and cocked her head slightly. Ginny decided not to push the situation as she walked over to where her mother and Mrs. Granger were standing.
"Tonks, are you going to be back soon, because we have some things we need to discuss. I had hoped Alistor would have been here by now since we really need him too." said Mr. Weasley as Hermione and Tonks began walking towards the front of the house.
"I'll be back later Arthur!" she called.
Ginny watched longingly as Hermione and Tonks disappeared around the house, and then turned to her mother and said "Mum, I'm going to go into the village for a bit. I'll be back soon."
"Alright, but be careful. You have your wand right?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Granger's face lit up with an amazed look as she glanced between Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. She just shook her head and laughed quietly to herself.
"Yes mum." groaned Ginny as she felt her wand in her back pocket.
Ginny walked around to the front of the house and looked around. She did not see Hermione or Tonks anywhere, so she kept walking towards the village. She was not sure what she wanted to do thee, but she knew she did not want to be at home right now. It tore her up inside to see Harry acting like he was, and though she joked about it, to see how he treated Hermione really irritated her.
Her mood steadily darkened as she made her way to the main street in Ottery St. Catchpole. She wished Hermione were with her as she looked at the busy sidewalks. The pet shop where Ian worked was only a little way from where she was, and slowly she joined the bustling crowd, and made her way towards it. She stopped occasionally to glance in the windows of the shops, knowing that she did not have any money to buy anything, but she still liked to look.
Soon she was in front of Hasten Pets, and she went inside. The pungent odor of the dogs and cats and other animals met her nose and she involuntarily wrinkled it as she looked around. Mrs. Hasten greeted her from around a shelf of bird cages. "Hello there Ginny!" she said cheerfully.
"Hi Mrs. Hasten. Is Ian around?" asked Ginny.
"No. I think he went to meet Christina for something. He should be back soon though dear, if you'd like to wait." answered Mrs. Hasten as she stood up and went behind the counter.
"Oh thanks, but I was just stopping by for a minute. I'll try to stop by later. Bye!" she said happily as she walked out the door.
Once out on the step of the store, Ginny looked both ways down the sidewalk and did not see Ian anywhere. She decided to go to the ice cream shop because that was most likely where he and Christina were.
She took her time as she headed down the street and looked in the shop windows. There was petite clothing store that caught her eye, and as she stood staring at an outfit in the window thinking about how cute it would look on her, she heard someone shout "Hey Weasel."
Ginny groaned to herself. She did not respond but instead started walking towards the next shop. "Hey Weasel." came the voice again, this time it was right behind Ginny.
"What?" Ginny spat as she spun around to face the girl. The girl Ginny was looking at stood about three inches taller that she did. She had dirty blonde hair, and wore what looked like a very expensive skirt and shirt set. Behind her stood three other girls, all dressed in sharp expensive clothes.
"Where did you get those jeans?" the girl sneered at Ginny.
"What's it to you?" retorted Ginny. She felt her blood pressure rise, as her anger began to flare. Flexing her fingers and balling them into fists did not help, so she took a couple of deep breaths and turned to walk away.
"You can afford to go to private school, but still have to wear things like that?" said the girl with a vicious laugh. The girls behind her also laughed.
"Yeah, that's right!" Ginny yelled, turning back towards the girl. She could hardly hold her temper now. As long as she could remember, these girls had tormented her. Their families were some of the wealthiest in the town, and the girls, while not knowing who Ginny or the Weasley's truly were, saw her as one of the poor riffraff from the country side that came into town occasionally.
"I bet you can't even afford to pay for your school. You probably don't even go to school. My daddy says he sees your dad always wearing old worn out robes with a stupid smile on his face as he gawks around like he is some kind of crazy drunk wizard or something." said the girl, letting out a mean laugh.
Ginny started to reach for the wand in her back pocket when she suddenly changed her mind. Instead, she balled up her fists and held them rigidly at her side. The fire in her eyes made the girls back up a few steps. Ginny took a few deep breaths, and turned away from them when a hand rested gently on her shoulder.
"There you are Ginny. I was looking all over for you!" said the welcome and familiar voice of Ian.
"Hi Ian." said the group of girls in unison. They immediately started giggling, but then glared at Ginny as Ian put his arm around her.
"Come on Ginny. Let's go get some coffee." he said with a squeeze.
Ginny flashed a smug smile at the group of girls who were standing there with their mouths and eyes wide open. As she and Ian walked away, Ginny turned her head and looked back just as the group of girls huffed off in the opposite direction.
"Thanks Ian." said Ginny, sounding relieved.
"Yeah. You would have gotten in a lot of trouble messing with that lot." said Ian calmly.
"I know." she said. She let out a frustrated scream before continuing "They just make me so angry. I hate not having any money, but they made fun of my dad. Yeah, I know he can be a little strange, but he's my dad!"
"I know, I've met your dad." he said with a chuckle. "He is a little strange, but he is so much fun in the store. Always wants to know about everything." Ian paused and looked at Ginny. She was smiling as he said "Come on you. Let's go get some coffee." Ginny's heart fluttered a bit when she realized that Ian still had his arm around her.
Together they made their way down the street towards the coffee shop. When they finally got there, they had to stand in the queue for a few minutes, so Ginny asked "Where is Christina? Your mum said you had gone to meet her."
"She had to go back to work." Ian replied.
A confused look crossed Ginny's face as she asked "Then why aren't you at work?"
A smug look formed on Ian's face as he said "Well, not everyone can have the schedule I have." Ginny just smiled and playfully hit him on the shoulder.
They finally made it to the counter, and Ian said "I'll have a large coffee, black, and…" He looked over at Ginny as his voice trailed off. He seemed deep in thought as he said slowly "…and a large double chocolate mocha."
Ginny smiled, and gave a prodding nod.
"With extra whipped cream!" Ian said triumphantly. As an afterthought, he turned back to the counter and said "Put some mint in it too."
"What? I don't want mint in it." exclaimed Ginny as she stepped up next to Ginny.
Ian looked down at Ginny and said "Why not? Try something a bit different for a change. Christina loves mint and chocolate together."
"Ok, fine." she said as she crossed her arms.
A couple of minutes later, the person behind the counter handed them their drinks, and they went and sat down. Ginny took the lid off of her coffee and ran her finger across the top of the whipped cream and stuck it in her mouth. She carefully scraped all the whipped cream off of her coffee, and then blew across the top of it sending steam towards Ian.
Ian laughed a bit as he watched her. "So are you going to drink it or play with it?" he asked.
Ginny half laughed, half sighed as she continued to look at her coffee. Her thoughts were again on Harry. She wished he could just see that she was sorry. She hadn't really meant anything by her remark, and she needed him to understand that. She decided that she needed to talk to him, and make him understand.
"Ian, I really have to get going. Thanks for the coffee." said Ginny as she stood up.
Ian stood with her and together they walked out the door. Once outside, Ian put a hand on her arm and turned her towards him. "Are you OK?" has asked.
"Yeah. There is just something I have to do. I'll talk to you later ok?" said Ginny as she smiled weakly.
"Ok." said Ian in a way that Ginny knew he didn't believe her. He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze and then turned and started walking towards the pet shop.
Ginny walked down the main street and then turned off onto the side street that led to the path back to the woods by The Burrow. She nursed the coffee that Ian had bought her, and she had to admit that the mint and chocolate tasted perfect together. Her spirits brightened slightly as the warm chocolate mint coffee warmed her insides, and when she turned down the lane to her house, she was smiling.
She walked around to the back of the house, and she immediately noticed that there were a lot of people there. Aside from those who were there earlier, Fred and George were back, Professor Moody had finally arrived, and much to her and she was sure her mothers dismay, Mundungus Fletcher was there as well. Several people waved to her as she walked by. She politely waved and said "Hi." as she continued into the house. She stopped on the porch and looked at the people. They were all happy, laughing, and talking. As her eyes scanned the crowd, her heart sank a little when she realized that Harry was not among them.
Once inside, she headed straight for the stairs and up to her room. She went over to her closet and picked up the box she had wrapped earlier. She needed to talk to Harry, and this gave her the perfect excuse she thought as she headed out of her room and started up the stairs towards the boy's room.
She walked deliberately up to the door and knocked. As she expected, there was no answer. "Harry." she called softly as some of her nerve eroded.
"It's open." said Harry.
Ginny turned the handle and opened the door. She saw Harry under the covers in his bed. It looked as he hadn't moved since she had seen him earlier. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door with the gift clutched across her chest and thought about what her next move would be.
"Harry, I have a present for you." she began. She waited eagerly for some kind of reaction, but when none came, she continued, "I know it's not much, but I wanted to get you something for your birthday." Again, she paused for a reaction, but still Harry did not move. "Harry, would you at least look at me?" she pleaded quietly.
Harry rolled over and looked into her eyes, and she could tell that he had been crying. She felt a slight twinge in her chest as his eyes bored into her. He sat up slowly and gestured for her to come sit down on the bed. His face bore no expression as she sat down and placed the box on his lap that was still under the covers.
He picked up the box and began to open it. "Thanks Ginny. You didn't have to get me anything you know." he said.
Ginny forced a smile and said, "I know, but I wanted to. I hope you like it." She crossed her legs underneath herself and bounced slightly with anticipation.
With the last of the spello tape removed, Harry pulled the top off of the box and lifted out the shirt. He looked at the front carefully, then turned it around and looked at the back. He held it up to his chest and smiled at her. "Thanks Ginny. It's umm…nice." he said.
Ginny could tell that he was just being polite. The look on his face told her that he didn't really like the shirt all that much, but at least he was trying she thought. "Harry, can we talk about last night please?" she pleaded, as her eyes never left his.
"There's not much to talk about is there?" he said
Ginny looked at the fidgeting hands in her lap and said "I think there is. You have been avoiding me all day today. Every time I tried to apologize for what I said, you just blew me off."
Harry looked away from her as he said, "I just didn't feel like talking about it."
"I know." she said. "Harry we're friends right?"
Harry nodded.
"I said something stupid and I hurt you. I am sorry. I would never hurt you like that on purpose. You know that don't you?" she pleaded as she reached out and put her hand over the back of his hand and squeezed it gently.
Harry immediately withdrew his hand and looked at her. "Ginny, I just need to be alone right now."
She tried to hide her irritation as she stood up and said "There are a lot of people down there that want to see you Harry. I think it would be nice if you came down saw them."
"I don't really feel like it." said Harry as he threw himself back onto his bed.
Ginny walked over to the door, paused briefly, and looked back at him. In a soft but firm voice, she said "It isn't always about you Harry,"
Ginny closed the door behind her and walked down to the kitchen. Mrs. Granger was stirring something on the stove by hand while two other pots boiled away and stirred them selves. Mrs. Weasley was standing at the counter cutting something.
As soon as Ginny walked in, Mrs. Weasley turned to her and said "Ginny, Hermione and Tonks were looking for you. If you find them, could you three come in here and give us a hand. There is a lot to be done before we are ready to eat."
"Sure mum." said Ginny as she walked towards the back door.
"Oh, and how is Harry dear?" called Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry DEAR is fine. He is just sulking." said Ginny sharply as she went outside.
Ginny looked around and saw Professor Lupin, Mr. Granger, Fred and George, and her father all sitting on chairs over by the shed. They were all talking very animatedly, and laughing. She couldn't help the corners of her mouth as they crept upwards into a smile. Off on the other side of the upper garden, she saw Ron and Professor Moody also deep in conversation. She quickly scanned the yard again and to her relief, she did not see Mundungus Fletcher anywhere.
She walked towards Ron and Professor Moody, and when she was close enough that she didn't have to shout, she said "Ron, have you seen Tonks and Hermione? Mum said they were back."
"Yeah. I think they went around front." replied Ron as he pointed towards the other side of the house. He quickly returned to his conversation as Ginny walked to where Ron had pointed.
When she got around front, she saw Tonks and Hermione sitting on the front porch talking. "Ginny!" called Tonks happily.
Ginny smiled and walked over to them. "Where did you guys go earlier?"
Tonks and Hermione looked at each other quickly and Hermione said nervously "Oh, Tonks was showing me some things that will really help me with my studies next year."
Ginny was not sure what was going on, but she didn't feel like asking about it right then, so she said "Well, mum wants some help in the kitchen, and she sent me to find you two."
Hermione and Tonks stood up and together the three of them started walking around to the back of the house. They heard Mrs. Weasleys shrill voice as the rounded the house. "Arthur, Fred, George, are those tables set up yet?"
They all laughed as they watched the men all scramble out of their chairs and into the shed. Fred and George were just coming back out with a table as they walked into the house.
"Hey mum!" called Ginny.
"Oh there you are dears!" said Mrs. Weasley as she looked up. "Could you help me out a bit here? I need the potatoes mashed, the tables will need set, and then we have to get all of this outside" she finished as she held out her arm and towards the counter covered with full serving bowls.
"Molly," called Mrs. Granger. "How do you turn this off?" she asked as she pointed towards one of the pots that had a self-stirring spoon in it.
"Oh. Right" said Mrs. Weasley with a smile as she pulled out her wand. "Finite!" she said with a flick of her wrist. The spoon stopped stirring immediately, and Mrs. Granger giggled with delight.
"I really need one of those." Mrs. Granger joked.
Ginny and Hermione walked over to the back door and looked out to make sure that the men had set up the tables like they were supposed to before they carried all of the place settings outside. Once they saw that the tables were indeed set up, they went back to the kitchen and gathered plates, bowls and silverware. With their arms full, Ginny and Hermione made their way carefully outside while Tonks held the door.
Remus Lupin looked up in time to see the two girls carrying the dishes and immediately went over to help them. The three of them quickly set the table, and when they were done, Remus followed the girls back into the house.
"Molly," said Remus. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Mrs. Weasley looked over to him and said "Well, you could mash the potatoes." as she quickly surveyed the kitchen and shot Tonks a glance. "Thank you." she finished with a smile.
Lupin smiled back at Molly, walked over next to her and began mashing the potatoes. He watched as Tonks continued to talk with Hermione and Ginny. She was engrossed in conversation but suddenly looked over at him and with a smile on her face, she winked at him. He quickly looked back down at the potatoes and his face went red.
He did not see Tonks leave her conversation and walk next to where he was working on the potatoes. He jumped slightly when he felt her hand on his shoulder, and when he looked up at her, she gave him a very coy look and scooped some potatoes with her finger. She put her finger into her mouth and slowly pulled it out. With her eyes closed, she leaned towards his ear and said softly "Delicious."
Remus looked at Tonks with a look of complete bewilderment. He turned when he heard the girls behind him giggling, and couldn't help but smile as he said to Molly. "I think they're done." Without looking at Tonks or the girls, he walked out of the kitchen and out the back door.
The girls were still giggling when Ron walked into the kitchen. A quizzical look crossed his face as he tried to figure out what the girls were laughing at. When they saw the look on his face, they laughed even harder. Ron just stared at them for a second before he shook his head rolled his eyes and turned towards the stairs.
Ron walked up the stairs to the room he and Harry shared and went straight through the door. "Hey mate!" he called over to Harry who was still laying on his bed staring at the ceiling.
Harry looked over at Ron, and then looked back up. He didn't say a word.
"Harry? You ok? You've been up here all day. It's about time to eat." said Ron.
"I'm not hungry." mumbled Harry.
Ron looked at Harry, and in a calm voice he said "There's a lot of people here tonight. Professor Lupin is still here, and Professor Moody is here too, as well as Tonks. Everyone's been asking about you."
"Tell them I'm fine." said Harry as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"No mate," said Ron as he walked over to Harry and grabbed his arm. "You're going to tell them yourself, now come on."
Harry jerked his arm out of Ron's grasp and said, "Get off Ron. I don't want to deal with a birthday party right now ok?"
"A bit full of yourself aren't you? Well, I'm not telling them anything for you." said Ron forcefully as he turned and walked out the door, closing it loudly behind him.
When Ron made it to the bottom of the stairs, he saw Mrs. Weasley and Tonks carrying the last of the food outside. He followed them through the door and out into the garden where the tables were laden with many different dishes. The full tables in front of him reminded him of the great feasts of Hogwarts. As his thoughts began to drift, he was suddenly pulled back by a light touch on his arm. Ron jumped slightly as his head whipped around, and he found himself looking down into Hermione's eyes.
She smiled at him as she said "Hey, are you all right?"
"Uh, yeah." said Ron.
The smile faded on her face as she asked, "Where's Harry?"
"Oh, he's still upstairs." replied Ron sharply.
"Ron, he just needs some time…" said Hermione thoughtfully.
"He's had plenty of time..." interrupted Ron.
"Don't interrupt me Ron." said Hermione indignantly as she interrupted Ron. "I was saying that he needs time, and that having all these people who were very close to Sirius, and who were with us at the Ministry of Magic that night must be hard for him."
Ron hesitated to make sure Hermione was done talking before he said, "We were all there Hermione, we…"
Before Ron could finish his statement, Hermione cut in and said "Yes, but Sirius was his godfather."
Ron looked frustrated as he said "I know that, but he was all of our friend and…"
"And we all cared…" interrupted Hermione.
Before she could finish her thought, Ron said, "Would you not interrupt ME?"
"I didn't." argued Hermione.
"You did." said Ron.
Before Hermione could respond, Ginny called over to them "Hey you are you going to stop so we can eat?"
Ron and Hermione looked over at the table, and saw that everyone was seated and waiting for them. They looked at each other and then back at the table again as they walked over and took their seats.
Once they were seated, complete chaos broke out. Food was being passed in every direction, conversations grew louder from one end of the table to the other, a glass of butterbeer was spilled, and in the middle of it all, nobody noticed as Harry quietly joined the table.
Harry filled his plate as dishes were passed to him unnoticed. He scanned the table and saw that Mr. Weasley, Mr. Granger, the twins and Ron were all deep in conversation about Quidditch. It sounded like they were trying to explain to Mr. Granger all of the finer points of the wizarding sport, and he looked intensely interested. Hermione and Ginny were smiling and laughing as they talked, while Professors Moody and Lupin were talking to Tonks. Tonks seemed quite happy as she leaned in and said something into Professor Lupin's ear. He just laughed and went back to talking to Professor Moody.
Ginny glanced over at Harry. She smiled happily at him but didn't say anything to him as she continued her conversation with Hermione. Harry saw the happiness in her eyes as she noticed him. He returned her smile, but she didn't see him as she threw her head back and laughed at something Hermione had said.
"Harry!" called Mrs. Weasley suddenly.
The whole table went silent and everybody looked over at him. The look on Ginny's face told Harry that she knew exactly what he was feeling. His smile faded and she began to look around the table and her eyes grew wide with concern as she noticed everybody staring at him.
"Pass some more potatoes please mum." Ginny said immediately. "They are delicious Professor Lupin. Where did you learn to mash them like that?" she added with a nervous smile.
Mrs. Weasley did not hear Ginny, but Hermione quickly noticed what was going on and chimed in "Dad, could you pass some more carrots?"
Mr. Granger started as his daughter spoke to him. "Sure honey." he said as he passed the carrots and silence returned.
The sound of a spilling glass broke the renewed silence, and was quickly followed by the cheerful voice of Tonks. "Here you are Ginny." she said as she passed the potatoes with one hand, and righted her glass with the other.
Slowly people went back to their conversations, and Harry quickly became immersed in the Quidditch discussion. Mr. Granger seemed particularly impressed by the stories that Ron and the twins were telling him about Harry, and he positively beamed at Ron as Harry told him about how Ron had saved the Quidditch cup for Griffyndor last spring.
Harry managed to catch Ginny's eye, and he hoped he was able to convey his thanks for relieving some of the awkwardness his sudden appearance had caused. His heart fluttered a bit as she smiled and then winked slyly at him before looking back at Hermione.
The buzz of the many conversations, eating, silverware striking plates and bowls was suddenly shattered by a simple soft question from Remus. "So Harry, how did you do on your O.W.L.'s?"
Near silence filled the room at the mention of the wizarding exams. Harry looked nervously from Lupin to Ron and finally to Hermione. Hermione was the first to speak. "Well Professor, I received…"
Ron cut her off in mid sentence. "Hermione," he said warningly. "We agreed not to talk about O.W.L's remember?"
Hermione's face flushed a bit. "I know." she said softly. "But I did so well."
By now, all eyes were on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Tension rose in the room as anxious looks passed between the adults.
Ginny finally broke the uneasy silence. She lifted up a bowl of cut tomatoes and said, "So, did anyone else know that tomatoes are really a fruit?"
Everybody turned and looked at her. Ron gave her a completely bewildered look, and Harry chuckled under his breath. She smiled sheepishly and put the bowl down. The tension was broken and things quickly returned to normal at the table, and before long everybody was beginning to quiet down as the meal started to settle.
"Molly, that was absolutely delicious." said Remus with a smile as he leaned back on his chair, his hands folded behind his head. "Especially the potatoes." he added as he glanced over at Tonks and gave her a knowing look.
Several others nodded in agreement as Mrs. Weasley blushed fiercely. She stood up and began to clear the table. Soon Mrs. Granger, Tonks, Hermione, and Ginny had begun to help as well. Harry continued to eat as he talked with Fred and George, and Ron sat still trying to avoid helping.
When the table was nearly cleared, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger stood up and stretched. "Is there anything we can help with Molly?" said Mr. Weasley as Mrs. Weasley cleared up a few more dishes, leaving the table almost empty.
She looked at him with an annoyed yet amused look. "Oh no Arthur. We women have it all under control." she said with a nod as Mrs. Granger walked over to her.
"Ah, yes. It looked like you did." said Mr. Weasley sheepishly.
"We didn't want to get in the way." added Mr. Granger to his wife.
The two women rolled their eyes, shook their heads, and sighed loudly as they grabbed the last of the things on the tables. "Could you at least be so kind as to put the tables away Arthur?" said Mrs. Weasley.
"Of course dear." he replied.
Once their wives were out of ear shot, Mr. Granger turned to Mr. Weasley and said "Arthur, I know how much you like the little bits of muggle culture, so I brought a little something for after dinner. I think you'll enjoy it."
Mr. Weasley gave him a questioning look, as they began to put away the tables. "Fred, George, Ron, give us a hand will you?" he called to his sons.
Soon all of the tables were put away and the men all sat down in their chairs out in the garden and continued to talk as the sun went down. After a few minutes, Mr. Granger stood up and went around to the front of the house. He quickly returned carrying a plain brown wooden box. Mr. Weasley's eyes widened as he approached.
"Are those cigars?" he asked hopefully.
"Yep!" answered Mr. Granger with a smile. "Have you ever had one Arthur?" he asked.
"Oh yes," answered Mr. Weasley enthusiastically. "Quite delightful."
Mr. Granger offered the box to Mr. Weasley, who picked out a cigar, and Mr. Granger offered the box to Ron. Ron looked hesitantly at his father who looked quickly up at the house then gave Ron a slight nod.
"Don't let your mother know I let you have that." he said in a serious tone that was belied by the smile on his face.
Fred and George enthusiastically picked out a couple of cigars and promptly bit the ends off of them, pulled out their wands and with a flick of their wrists, they said "incendio" and they lit their cigars. Once their Cigars were lit, they disappeared towards the front of the house.
"Alistor?" Mr. Granger said as he offered the box to Moody. Professor Moody happily took a cigar and pulled out his own wand and lit it. He leaned over to Ron and lit his cigar as well.
Ron sucked on the end of his lit cigar and swallowed the smoke. He immediately started coughing as his face went green. The others around his started laughing, and soon Ron was laughing too. He tried another puff, and started coughing again, and this time he decided he was just going to sit there holding the lit cigar without actually smoking it.
"Remus. Care for one?" Mr. Granger asked as he held the box to Lupin.
"Ahh…no thanks. Never really cared for them." said Professor Lupin with a smile. "Now if you had a good pipe and a Brandy Alexander with a touch of Creme De Menthe…" he added distantly.
"How about you Harry?" Mr. Granger asked.
Harry looked over at Ron who just shrugged and held his own cigar up a bit. Harry nodded and took a cigar from the box. Professor Moody proceeded to light it for him, and Harry smiled and looked at Ron again and decided to just hold it rather than try and smoke it.
Mr. Granger took out a cigar of his own, and pulled his lighter out of his pocket and lit it. "What are you waiting for Arthur?" he asked when he saw that Mr. Weasley was the only one who did not have a lit cigar.
"I was waiting to light it using your zipper. I want to do it the proper muggle way." he said with a smile.
Mr. Granger just stared at him with a confused look on his face. "Zipper?" he mumbled.
"Yes. Your zipper, the thing you just lit yours with. Am I saying that right?" Mr. Weasley said.
"Oh, my Zippo. A lighter." Mr. Granger said with a laugh, as he walked over to light Mr. Weasleys cigar.
Mr. Weasley was positively beaming as his cigar was lit. "Yes, that." said Mr. Weasley proudly.
The conversation picked up again as the men all sat around smoking their cigars. A moment later, Fred and George reappeared with their arms loaded with bottles. "What have you got there?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Butterbeer dad." answered Fred.
"Have you ever had one Mr. Granger?" asked George as he handed a bottle to Mr. Granger.
Mr. Granger smiled as he took the bottle from George's hand. "Yes. A couple of years ago when we were all in Diagon Alley together. It was great!"
Harry watched as Fred and George passed the butterbeers, and he looked at those around him, and his thoughts began to drift back to Sirius. He would have absolutely loved this he thought. The problems facing them seemed so far away right now, but waves of longing overcame Harry as he watched Lupin smiling and joking with the others. He had been Sirius' best friend, and Harry did not understand how he could be so happy right now, while he was so sad.
Harry was jerked out his misery when he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice come across the garden. "Harry could you come here for a minute. Hermione needs your help with something."
"I'll help mum." piped up Ron.
"Oh, no dear, you smoke your..." Mrs. Weasleys voice trailed off as she realized what her son was doing. "Arthur Weasley!" she shouted. "What is he doing with that thing?"
Harry quickly dropped his cigar to the ground and looked over at Mr. Weasley when he saw Mrs. Weasley's reaction. "It alright Molly." said Mr. Weasley sheepishly. "They weren't really smoking them. More like holding them. Right boys?" he said as he looked nervously around.
"Yeah." said Ron eagerly.
Harry nodded in agreement as Professor Lupin said almost pleadingly "Molly, it won't hurt them this one time. It's a special occasion."
"Well, I still don't like it, but only this once." she said with an icy stare at her husband.
"Harry, Hermione needs your help." said Mrs. Weasley again. "I'll only take a bit."
Harry stood up and followed Mrs. Weasley back to the house. They walked through the kitchen, and Hermione came bouncing up to him. "Harry, come upstairs. I have something to show you."
Harry looked around at the gathered women, and suddenly felt rather uncomfortable under their smirking stares. He looked at Ginny and when he saw that she was smiling broadly, and he became even more nervous. He desperately wanted some kind of reassurance from her, but she only stared more intensely into his eyes.
Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him up the stairs. "What's going on Hermione?" he asked skeptically.
"Nothing Harry." she said with a smile.
"Hermione, if they are all planning on surprising me down there, I am not really in the mood." Harry said as she turned to look at him.
"Harry, come on. Ginny said you've been moping around here for days..." started Hermione pleadingly.
"Oh did she?" Harry interrupted. "What else has she been saying?"
"Harry, that's not the point. I know…" Hermione began.
Harry interrupted her again. "You know what? What I've been going through? What I'm feeling? I'm sorry Hermione, but you don't. Nobody does. I thought Lupin might, but he is down there smiling and joking when his best friend is dead. I'm sorry, but I can't do this."
Hermione was taken aback by Harry's sudden outburst. She regained herself and said "Harry, just please come downstairs. We worked really hard on this for you. For you Harry. Ginny worked on this FOR YOU!"
"Fine." said Harry as he started walking back down the stairs.
"Harry, wait!" called Hermione.
Harry stopped and turned towards her. "Why?" he asked. "I just want to get this over with. I am tired, and want to go to bed."
"Just give it a minute, ok?" pleaded Hermione.
"Fine." said Harry as he sat down on the step he had been standing on.
Hermione walked down to where Harry was sitting, and tried to sit next to him. When she sat down, Harry scooted down a step, and didn't say a word. Hermione folded her hands on her lap and sighed loudly.
They sat like that for a few minutes and finally Hermione stood up and said "Come on Harry."
They walked the rest of the way down the stairs and when they got to the bottom, Harry noticed that the lights were out, but as soon as they stepped off of the stairs onto the floor, Harry heard whispering, and when they took a few steps into the darkness, the room was suddenly lit by sixteen brightly burning candles. Harry's ears were greeted with enthusiastic singing. He felt someone put their arm around his and hold it tightly. He looked over and saw Ginny standing next to him smiling.