Ginny was brushing dirt off her light blue pajama pants, "Honestly you two, I've had quite enough of your night time escapades! I know you feel like bloody big men, what with being in the Order, but I don't give a flying..." she looked up, a sudden look of surprise and shock crossed her face.
"Hi Ginny," Harry offered weakly, not sure exactly what to say. He hadn't seen her since the train ride back from Hogwarts, and he hadn't even had a letter from her this summer. Not that he had expected one.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, bounding towards him, wrapping him in a warm hug. Harry suddenly noticed the way her hair smelled lightly of strawberries. He hugged her back lightly, feeling a bit awkward; he really wasn't one for displays of affection. He suddenly found himself looking around for brothers, not that they were doing anything wrong.
"What are you..? How did you…? Oh, that's why the twins were being all secretive," She nodded to herself as she pulled away. Harry smiled at her, the best he could anyway. He felt that his face wasn't used to smiling anymore. Ginny seemed to be able to tell he was tired, she gave him a soft, sad type of smile. "Come on," she took his hand and pulled him up the stairs. Ginny didn't talk to him any more on the way up, he was silently thankful for this, Ginny had never tried to force him to talk. They stopped in front of Ron's room.
"Well, I expect to talk to you tomorrow, but for now, sleep tight," She squeezed his hand softly and started back down the stairs with a smile.
"Thanks Ginny," he called softly after her, she nodded and waved back. Harry smiled too, a real one, which didn't hurt as much as he had expected.
Harry opened the door silently, he saw his trunk sitting inside the door. He also heard the familiar snore that could wake the dead. The dead…Harry winced inwardly, everything seemed to remind him of Sirius. He stumbled blindly to the other side of the room, stubbing his toe in the process. Harry swore softly and plopped down on the bed. He lay back looking at the dim light in the room. He wasn't sure what time it was, but the sun was just beginning its trek up the sky. Harry found his thoughts drifting lazily through the past few hours. The twins, the portkey, Ginny, he smiled a bit, and that letter. Harry's eyes snapped back into focus. Had they really not sent it? The twins were jokesters, everyone knew that, but they said they hadn't, and the twins never lied, except to Professors. Harry felt his scar prickle painfully. He was used to it now, it had been hurting almost continuously since the start of the summer. He turned in bed, trying to find a comfortable spot. He would ask Mr. Weasley about it tomorrow, oh wait, today. Harry felt his eyes drop heavily as he thought about the odd red crest.
When he woke again the sunlight streamed in unmercifully. Harry groaned and rolled over, trying to escape the brightness. He felt as though he hadn't slept in days. As he lay he suddenly had a wonderful smell waft across his nose. Harry tried to ignore it, but there was no ignoring Molly Weasley's cooking, especially since he had barely eaten since the beginning of summer. Even though Aunt Petunia was less than a gourmet, Harry hadn't had an appetite since,well, in a long time. He stood rubbing his eyes groggily. Harry decided to save a shower until after breakfast, as he trooped down the stairs he began to feel a bit better. Finally he was back in the burrow, the only place he had ever felt really at home, the only place he really …..ah!
"Oh, sorry mate, on important business," George plowed him over as Harry stepped into the kitchen, Fred on his heels.
"GEOEGE! APOLOGISE!" Harry heard a loud yell from below, he smirked a bit at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice, and took the last few steps in a hurry.
Harry smiled weakly as he saw the entire Weasley family, plus Hermione minus Percy (who was still siding with Fudge), sitting at the table surrounded by food. They all looked up as he entered. Harry tried to smile as he slid into a chair next to Ron. "Morning," he said a bit hoarsely. Everyone murmured their good mornings, Ginny smiled, and Hermione squeezed his hand. The faces showed the real greeting. It was mixed between concern, interest, and unless he was misunderstanding, a bit of fear. Harry bit his lip, of course, now that the whole ordeal of the prophecy is out, they should be afraid of me. What had he been expecting, everything was different now. As Harry sat, Molly Weasley breezed back into the kitchen.
"Oh Harry! Good you're up, I was about to send Ron to fetch you," She patted his shoulder fondly.
"Morning Mrs. Weasley," He managed a half smile. She looked at him and clicked her tongue.
"Tut, tut, dear me. Those muggles never feed you do they? Look at you! Skin and bones! Pale! Ought to go down there…," Molly continued with her scathing talk about the Dursleys. Ron smiled at Harry, they were both used to this talk when Harry came back from Summer Holidays. She deposited a huge plate in front of Harry. "Eat!" she directed him before turning back to the dishes. Harry tried his best, but managed only a few bites before the familiar sick feeling returned. He didn't deserve such hospitality.
"So Harry," Hermione was the first to speak up, "Did you….uh, have a pleasant trip?" she ended quickly sipping her tea. He shrugged, "I guess, portkey you know always make me feel a bit sick," Hermione dropped her glass and Mrs. Weasley gasped as she turned around. Even Bill and Charlie had a startled look. Harry was a bit nervous, what had he done?
"GEORGE? FRED? GET DOWN HERE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed. Harry jumped at her voice. The twins crept down the stairs quietly, "Yes mum?" Fred asked lingering in the doorframe like a scolded puppy.
"Am I correct in assuming that last night you brought Harry here with an ILLEGAL portkey?" she demanded in a voice ripe with danger. Harry winched at her anger. The twins looked at each other helplessly, George began to fumble around in his pocket.
"Yeah well, we kind of, um….thought…," he muttered half heartedly, he knew Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let him get far.
"You thought? YOU thought?" she exclaimed throwing up her hands and flinging water all over the people at the table. All the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione included, shuddered at the sound of her voice. They knew what was coming.
"You never think GEORGE! And you Fred! Honestly an ILLEGAL portkey? You thought that was the SAFEST way to get him here? Never in all my days….," and Mrs. Weasley was off, the twins standing shoulders slumped in the doorway. There was no helping them now. Ron nudged Harry and he saw everyone sneaking out the door into the back garden, Harry followed suit as quietly as he could.
When they were out in the bright summer day everyone's mood lightened considerably. Hermione settled down on the lawn with a thick black book her favorite pass time, and Bill decided to arrange a chess tournament, Ron was all too eager, but Ginny groaned.
"I hate chess, I'm so awful," Ginny smiled apologetically before walking off towards the garden. Harry sat and watched Ron and Charlie battle it out for a while before becoming bored. He walked over to Hermione, but she was lost in her book, Sneakoscopes revealed! Myths of the wizarding world. Harry was about to go back in for a nap when he noticed Ginny. She was sitting on her knees at the edge of the thick forest that surrounded the burrow. She had her nose scrunched in that way only Ginny could manage. Harry recognized that face, she was deep in thought. Curious, Harry walked up behind her.
"What're you doing?" he asked, making her jump, she obviously hadn't noticed him come up. Ginny's ears reddened a bit as he bent down beside her, she shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Oh, nothing just gearing up for next year, little extra practice you know?" she laughed a bit and stopped abruptly. Harry leaned over what she had made. He had to admit, he was impressed. Ginny had created a little Quiddich field. Complete with goals, and stick stands, she had even enchanted bees to fly around and simulate plays. From the looks of it Ginny knew more about Quiddich than she had let on. Harry looked over to find her silently watching him. He tried to smile at her.
"This is cool Gin. Practicing getting that snitch huh?" he tried to laugh, but it came out as a short type of grunt.
Ginny stood and brushed dirt off her old jeans, "Of course not Harry, You're the best seeker we've ever had! And anyway, I'd rather be a chaser. That is if you're still going to be on the house team," She looked at him sideways.
Harry stood with her, still looking at the small field, "Yeah, I mean, I guess the ban's lifted now right? I haven't really thought about it," Harry ran his hand through his hair trying to keep it from his face. The year before his terror of a D.A.D.A. teacher and high "inquisitor" had given him a life time ban of school Quiddich, but now that Dumbledore was back he didn't know how Hogwarts would change. Ginny reassured him that it would be lifted as she took the charm off the bees. The flew away buzzing with furry. Harry only half heard what she said, he was thinking hard now. Last year, and every year since he had come to Hogwarts in fact, he was so excited about Quiddich. Now, well….it just didn't seem to matter any more. Oh he would play, but it seemed like all the fun had been, drained out of it, like everything else in his life.
"Harry? Yoo hoo…..Harry?" Ginny called, as he suddenly snapped back to reality. She waved her fingers in front of his eyes.
"What? Sorry, I was…thinking," He replied still not really listening to her. He felt so tired, all he wanted to do was go to sleep until this…..dull, feeling left him. Harry made his excuses to Ginny and started back towards the burrow. Ron tried to stop him, but he insisted that he was tired, and still a bit achy from the portkey. When Harry opened the door he didn't hear Mrs. Weasley's screams, so he breathed easier on his way to the fifth floor. He felt bad that he had gotten the twins in trouble, but how was he suppost to know the portkey was a secret? Sure they had said it was unauthorized, but it seemed these days there were no rules anymore. Harry opened the door to Ron's room and reeled back for a moment. He had forgotten exactly how bright the walls were in the day light. Harry laid out on the bed and closed his eyes. He tried to sleep, but now his mind was demanding to race ahead. His body was so tired, Harry wished he could have a bottle of Madame Pomfrey's sleeping potion about now. Finally he buried his head under the pillows to try and escape the blinding light from the room. Though Harry tried his best to clear his mind, he couldn't keep the old pictures from invading his head. Sirius laughing at Christmas, Sirius as Padfoot chasing the train, Sirius…..falling through the veil. Harry closed his eyes tightly and wrapped his arms around his legs, feeling the familiar lump in his throat.
Ginny stood in the garden watching the fifth floor windows. She sighed a bit and consented to sit by Hermione, who wasn't being very good company to anyone but her book. Ginny didn't feel much like talking anyway. She was worried, that was nothing new, but now she had more cause. Harry had seemed worse than ever today. He was always distant when he came back from the Dursley's, underfed and overworked, but this year, it was so much worse. Harry had lost that light, the one that filled his eyes, the one that Ginny had loved so much. She threw a rock angrily towards the forest. Damn that Voldermort, she thought in her head. Ginny looked again at the windows, wishing that Ron wasn't so thick, or Hermione wasn't so bookish. Harry needed someone to talk to, and they should have noticed. She huffed silently and leaned against a tree, Ginny had always been out of the circle, the precious three, she had always been the "little sister" and she could accept that, but she couldn't stand seeing Harry so alone. Maybe she should go up? No, he had had the chance to talk to her.
"Gin? Do you want to play?"
Bill called to her from across the yard, she shook her head no and went back to staring at the sky. She would leave him alone, that was probably what he wanted anyway. Ginny threw a flat stone across the ground. As she sat a scrawny black owl flew across the sky and landed on a windowsill on the fifth floor.
A/N- Hey all, thanks for reading, next chapter- where's the owl from, and why is Ginny prowling around after dark? Please Review! It keeps me going! You have no idea how much it means to me.