Chapter 6:
Meanwhile….
For the second time that morning, Harry watched Ginny leave the bedroom. Only this time, instead of breathing a sigh of relief, Harry felt terrible. Sighing Harry walked towards the bed and sat down allowing his eyes to look at the photos on the bedside table. There were three. One and the biggest was a picture frame containing his parents genially waving at him. The second was a photo of him in his 5th year, standing in the middle of Sirius and Remus, grinning at the camera. The picture was taken during Christmas. Sirius was so happy to have the house full. Harry felt that familiar pang at Sirius face. Then his eyes moved to the last photo. It was taken in their 6th year. The year before all the craziness in the war began.
Harry picked the photo up and stared at it. It was taken in Hogwarts in front of the lake. Harry was in the center of the picture, his arms around Ginny's waist. He was alternately grinning at the camera and kissing Ginny in the cheek, making Ginny laugh the kissing him back. Ron was on his left side, alternately looking away from his best friend and sister when they kissed and looking at Hermione who was standing on Harry's right, who was leaning her head on Harry's shoulders and waving at the camera.
The four of them looked so happy amidst the looming doomsday that while looking at the picture, he was suddenly reminded of everything that happened in the war. Dementors left and right, Death Eaters fighting members of the order, the final Horcrux, Nagini dead in his feet. Whenever Harry closed his eyes, he could still hear Voldemort's laughter, Hermione's scream for mercy when the Cruciatus curse hit her, Ron on the floor with no telling whether he was dead or alive.
Harry knew that it was all over. Voldemort was finally dead, for real this time. But what had been the cost? Everywhere Harry goes, he could still feel the loss that the war had caused. Families dead, the paranoia still in the eyes of parents whenever they shop at stores, then a white tomb floated in his mind, making him grip the picture in his hands tighter. When Dumbledore died, the wizarding world seems to have lost all hope. Everywhere people were mentioning Dumbledore's name. But now, do people still remember that great wizard who gave his life to fight the most evil wizard who lived? Newspapers and people everywhere only talk about The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter, the Chosen One who saved them all. But never had Harry felt that he was worthy of all their praises and thanksgiving. Harry felt like a big fraud. He shouldn't have been given the credit. It should have been Dumbledore, Sirius, his parents…
Harry placed the photo back on the stand and stood up, surveying the entire room suddenly feeling suffocated. He dressed up and got out of the room and down the stairs wondering where Ron and Hermione were. He spotted Ron on the grounds, flying on his broomstick alone. Harry ran back to his room, grabbed his firebolt and ran back out on the grounds. He kicked off from the ground and flew towards Ron stopping next to him.
"A race seems to be in order, don't you agree?" He told Ron grinning. With that he sped away, leaving Ron mumbling about him being a cheater. He laughed, wanting to lose himself in these simple matters and to forget about the past.
After they got tired of flying, they settled on the ground, under a tree. For a while they just sat there staring at the sky, till Ron broke the silence.
"Hermione and I broke up."
Harry's heart sped up "Yeah, she told me. Sorry mate."
Ron shrugged. "We weren't really working out anyway. Well, I just wanted to let you know in case no one has told you yet. Anyway, you excited in the upcoming auror training?"
Harry considered this before finally saying, "Yes, I am"
"It should be good. They said that it's really challenging. Although you're probably a sure thing, being good in Defense Against The Dark Arts and you've experienced far more than…" Suddenly Ron stopped.
"You mean, I was the one who killed Voldemort so who'd be crazy not to let me in?" Harry asked stoically.
Ron flinched at the name and said, "well, yeah…"
Harry sighed, wishing they had talked about something else so he opened a new subject.
"By the way, where is Hermione?"
Ron shrugged "I have no idea, she said she was going to go out but that was about two hours ago, she still hasn't returned."
"She didn't say where she went?"
"No, I actually found it a bit weird."
Harry felt suddenly uncomfortable. It wasn't like Hermione to go somewhere without saying where she's going to go. Maybe she's on a date. Harry's stomach doubled over. Nah, it can't be. He thought, She just broke up with Ron. Well, maybe she was lonely…. Harry shook his head to clear his thought, not noticing that Ron was looking at him in an odd manner.
"Are you okay mate?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
For the rest of the day, Ron and Harry just hang out around the house, meanwhile making sure they were as far away from Ginny as possible. Ron seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Harry kept glancing at his watch, wondering where Hermione was. It was way past lunch, almost dinnertime and Hermione still hasn't showed up.
Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley's voice rang through the hall.
"Would you lot help me set the table for dinner please?"
Ron and Harry went to the kitchen suddenly bumping to Ginny. Harry looked away and sped up to the kitchen without speaking.
"Please arrange the table outside dears, Bill and Fleur are coming and so is Charlie." Mrs. Weasley said.
Harry nodded silently and hurried outside followed by an uncertain Ginny.
"What about Fred and George?" Ron asked.
Mrs. Weasley frowned. "They haven't said anything. Fred was supposed to tell me this morning but then neither he nor George confirmed anything."
Ron nodded and followed the two outside where a table had already been conjured. After they had set everything up, Bill and Fleur arrived along with Charlie.
The three greeted everyone jovially. Fleur was now 3 months pregnant and Bill everyone, (even Ginny) was excited about it.
Suddenly someone apparated, "I'm here!" Everyone turned to see George in front of the fireplace, with Alicia.
Charlie clapped his brother in the back. Mrs. Weasley kissed her son and Alicia in the cheek before getting back to work, this time being helped by Ginny and Fleur.
"Where's Fred?" Bill asked
"Isn't he here yet?" George asked incredulously "I thought he'd arrived earlier than me, considering that he was with…" Suddenly another interruption arrived in the form of Mr. Weasley.
"Well, shall we eat?" Mr. Weasley asked "I'm famished."
Mr.s Weasley looked around. "Well, Fred isn't here yet, and I would have thought Percy would come, I invited him…"
Ron, Ginny and George snorted at the sound of Percy's name.
"Well, if they're going to arrive, they know where we're just at the back." Charlie said quickly, not wanting to have his mother or siblings fight about Percy.
Everyone agreed. Everyone noisily walked towards the back, Ginny and Alicia rambling about the new song by the Weird Sisters. Bill and Fleur whispering, Charlie chatting jovially with his parents. Ron and George chatting over quidditch, But Harry bit his lip and again glanced at his watch, wondering where Hermione was.
Yet in the middle of dinner, Harry soon forgot about Hermione and joined in on the conversations. Fleur was now talking to Harry about her sister Gabrielle who was going to visit in a couple of weeks. Harry was just nodding, wondering a way out and avoiding George's smirk over the table.
It was Ron who suddenly remembered to ask George. "Oh, George, you never said where Fred was."
George swallowed and said "Oh, I was saying before how I'm surprised he's been gone this long considering that he was going to spend the day with…" And again, George was cut off by two people apparating right beside the table, laughing so hard and holding hands.
Ron's eyes grew wide, Ginny and the rest of the women including Mr.s Weasley looked shocked. Bill and Charlie just stared along with Mr. Weasley. Harry again felt those butterflies, but this time, it was accompanied by some heaviness he just couldn't understand.
"Spending the day with Hermione." George finished.
Fred let Hermione's hands go.
"Hey everyone." Hermione also grinned at everyone waving.
Nobody moved, nobody answered. Everyone still looking at the pair in surprise.