Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK.Rowling, not me. :(
A/N: This is written in the summer after Harry's final year, but as though the sixth book didn't happen, with the exceptions of Fred and George opening Weasley's Wizards Wheezes. However, Voldemort is still at large.
Chapter One - Pumpkins
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"I give up!" Ginny wailed in frustration, glowering at the football-sized pumpkin in front of her. "And why are we having a Halloween celebration thing in the middle of August anyway?" Harry stood up swiftly and came over to stand behind her, grinning at the redhead.
They were in the kitchen at the Burrow, with Hermione and Ron. The other Weasley's were at work, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, who was bustling around outside. They had decided to have a go at pumpkin carving, and at Hermione's insistence, were doing it the Muggle way. Molly had taken one look at the array of sharp knives and told them were the first aid kit was before going outside 'so I won't be responsible', as she so eloquently put it. She was smiling though.
Getting the pumpkins had been quite fun. They'd flooed to Diagon alley, and then entered Muggle London. Hermione had helped them chose pumpkins, ignoring Ron's grumbling about how small they were compared to magical ones. They had paid with muggle money. Then Ginny and Hermione had dragged the boys clothes shopping, although that had nothing to do with pumpkins. They just liked doing it.
Back at the Burrow, they had put their pumpkins on the table and drawn faces on them.
That was when the trouble started.
Ron hacked at his pumpkin with a huge knife, trying to cut out the face immediately. Hermione was compelled to stop him by grabbing the knife as it waved about it the air between stabs.
"Honestly Ron, anybody would think you were three, not seventeen!"
Hermione had left off trying to carve her own pumpkin and was busy cutting a round circle in the top of Ron's, in the experienced way which suggested she'd done this many times before.
She probably had.
Harry had managed, partly by watching Hermione and partly remembering the one time he'd done this, for Dudley's Halloween party when he was seven, to cut a ragged hole in the top of his pumpkin. He then stared at the pulpy mass inside, nonplussed.
Ginny had finished the face on hers and was repeatedly driving her (slightly blunt) knife into the top of the pumpkin, which seemed to have knife-proof skin. The knife, which was short and blunt, and which had a loose blade, simply glanced off the top of the pumpkin, leaving barely a scratch.
"Here, use my knife." Harry pressed it into her hand.
"Thanks." Raising the knife above her head in both hands, she prepared herself to bring it down like a hammer.
"Wow!" Harry caught her hands quickly, with the speed and agility he used to catch the snitch. "Not like that! You'll get pumpkin juice over us all!"
Ginny watched his hands on hers.
"How then?" She asked, tearing her eyes away to look at his face.
"Look, I'll show you." And, guiding her hand, he helped her to make a rough circle in the top. With her free hand, Ginny lifted off the top, or rather, the lid, and put it on the table just as Harry realized he was still holding her hand and let go.
"So what do I do now?" Ginny asked, half turning in her seat to see him better. She was glad Ron was wrapped up in Hermione, or he probably would have interrupted.
"You get this spoon and a knife and cut away the inside."
Ginny wrinkled her nose in a hopefully adorable way. "Show me."
"Budge over then," Harry commanded. Ginny moved to the next chair and Harry sat on hers. He picked up a spoon and scooped out a load of goop, mainly seeds. Then he got the knife and starting hacking away at the inside, cutting off swathes of stringy orange stuff and the occasional piece of the pinky-orange pumpkin flesh which was the pumpkin's thick skin.
"Oh." Ginny muttered, as soon as she worked it out. "I've just got to get rid of all the stringy stuff and seeds and stuff and whatnot."
"That," Harry informed her wisely, "made no sense whatsoever."
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, and Harry, feeling brave, flicked a pumpkin seed at her. It landed over her shoulder. She grinned and pulled a face. Harry pulled one back.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione interrupted the silent exchange. "Your face looks awful."
Ginny giggled. Harry did too, but in a more masculine way. Hermione rolled her eyes, intending to show her scorn and therefore stop the pair from giggling.
It didn't. Ginny just cried: "That's it Hermione, you're getting the hang of it!" In a silly voice and dissolved into peals of laughter. So did Harry. Hermione shrugged and went back to her pumpkin. Harry attempted to pick up the knife, but gave up when it wobbled about so much he almost lodged it in the table.
Hermione looked at Ron. He had his wand out and was concentrating hard.
"Stop it."
"What's wrong with making them happier?" He asked.
"It was just an excuse to use magic now you've got your license and you know it!"
"Fine." He stopped, and Harry and Ginny gradually calmed down enough to get back to work on their pumpkins, putting all the goop in a large bowl in the center of the table.
Ron, who had finished already with Hermione's help, started flicking Pumpkin seeds at Hermione. She quickly finished hers and flicked them back. Then all of a sudden one of the seeds hit Harry on the nose. He flicked one at Ginny.
Chaos ensued.
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When the food fight was over, all four of them were covered in seeds and the odd stringy stuff you find in pumpkins. Harry had stringy stuff dangling off his glasses, and Ginny had some on her shoulder. Everybody had seeds in their hair and all over their clothes.
"Well." Said Hermione, "I think we'd better clean this up and then all go and get clean ourselves. I know for a fact I'm going to have a shower."
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Having cleaned up the mess with several flicks of her wand, she wandered upstairs to the nearest bathroom. There were three bathrooms in the Weasley house, on account of occasionally having eleven people in it. Hermione took the first bathroom and Ron took the next. Harry made his way all the way up to his and Ron's bedroom and got himself a change of non-pumpkinised clothes before getting into the last shower. Ginny got her own clothes and waited for Hermione to rush out in her towel to get clothes, before nipping in quick and locking the door.
By the time everybody was clean and dry, it was time for dinner. (They had started cutting open pumpkins at about four o'clock). Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, (who was home from work) made dinner whilst the others laid the table and helped out. Fred and George were home, but Percy was working late and Bill was on an extended Honeymoon with Fleur. Charlie would be home the following week, once he had insured the safety of the female dragon he was currently working with. She had a rip in her wing.
They ate crowded around the table in the open plan kitchen/dining room. Harry sat next to Mr. Weasley, opposite Ginny, with Ron and Hermione on his other side. The twins sat next to Mrs. Weasley, with Ginny on the other side of them. Harry was happy. He was well-fed, warm and comfortable. There were several small conversation's going on: Mr. Weasley was chatting to Fred and George about their Shop and a new range of charmed scarves; Mrs. Weasley was talking to Hermione about Newts and what Hermione thought her score was; Ron was just eating and Ginny was staring into space.
What Harry didn't realize was that Ginny wasn't really starring into space, but into his eyes. However, Harry was intent on his dinner, (mashed potatoes) and didn't notice.
After dinner, Harry followed Ginny out into the garden. He wanted to talk to her.
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
Harry swallowed nervously.
"Ginny, I-"
BOOM!