Disclaimer: What...do you think the ownership situation has changed? Not bloody likely. I offered her ultimate power, immortality, and every other tuesday, sharing a house-elf. I have never heard such derisive laughter in my life. Apparently, Ms Rowling didn't think those things were mine to offer. So...who spilled the beans?
Time to go:
For Harry, it seemed as if five o'clock would never arrive. He had risen early, to make sure he had everything packed and ready to go. The cache was emptied, it's contents packed away in his trunk along with his spellbooks, quills, ink, and everything else he needed. The only exception was his Firebolt. The broom, as far as he knew, was still locked up at Hogwarts. His aunt had pretty much left him alone today, so he had spent much of the day in his room, in meditation. He'd found that it could be a very useful way to pass time. By the time four o'clock came around, though, he was climbing the walls. He decided to step outside for a bit, as it was a nice day. Sitting on the steps, he noticed a multicolored outline out of the corner of his eye.
Looking straight at her, he very quietly said, "Wotcher, Tonks. How are you, today?"
Just as quietly came the reply. "Bugger! How'd you know I was here, Harry? I haven't knocked anything over today."
"A guy has to have a couple secrets, right? By the way, did anybody let you know I was going to the Burrow in about an hour?"
"Secrets. I'll give ya secrets. Here I thought you loved me, Harry." she teased.
"Only madly and deeply, Tonks." he said with a grin.
"They told us last night that you were going. I'm looking forward to more of Molly's cooking."
"You and me both, Nympha..."
"What have I told you about that? It's Tonks, got it? And quit with the laughing, or you'll have the neighbors thinking you're a nutter."
He snorted. "They already do. My loving uncle tells the neighbors I go to St Brutus' School for the Damaged or some damn thing."
"He doesn't! You can't be serious." The indignation in her voice was obvious.
"Don't worry about it, Tonks. I'm used to it. Just part of the pleasure of living here, I guess." Harry shrugged and said, "Only one more year til I never have to return here. Ever." He looked at his watch and stood, brushing himself off. He murmured, "I'd better get back inside and make sure I don't leave anything behind. They should be here soon. See you later, Tonks."
"Alright then, Harry."
He went back up to his room and opened the window. He took Hedwig over to it and told her, "Meet me at the Burrow. I'll be there later tonight, okay?" The snowy owl gave his finger an affectionate nip and flew off gracefully. He watched her soar away, and wished he could fly, too. As he headed back downstairs, he heard a knock at the door. He saw his uncle get to the door and swing it abruptly open.
"Yes?" he demanded. Harry heard a very familiar voice say, "Hello, I'm Molly Weasley. We're here to pick Harry up. Is he ready?"
"Oh. More of those people, eh? Well, get in here and get him then. I don't have all day to muck about with your kind." Vernon's voice was almost dripping with disgust. "I'll not have any more of you freaks in here for any longer than necessary."
By this time Harry had reached the bottom of the stairs, furious. "Excuse me, Vernon. We need to talk." He had his wand out now, and was so mad that it was starting to spit red sparks.
"Harry, if you don't mind, dear, I will deal with your uncle. If you would get your trunk, the girls will help you get it to the car."
He turned, and was surprised to see Hermione had come along. She and Ginny had their wands out as well. Molly saw this and said, "All three of you outside, while Mr Dursley and I have a short talk." As they walked out the door, Harry noticed that she was casting a silencing charm on the door.
They got the trunk to the car and in put away in short order. He finally greeted both girls, getting huge smiles and even bigger hugs in return.
Hermione asked, "How are you Harry? Feeling alright?" She peered at him, apparently trying to guage his condition.
"I'm fine, Hermione." She started to say something, but he interrupted. "Really, 'Mione. I'm a lot better than I was at end of term. I've even got all my homework done, but I would appreciate it if you would just take a look at it. Proofread it, so to speak."
The bushy-haired girl looked a bit doubtful, but as she looked at him, she saw the spark in his eyes that had been missing after they had returned from the Ministry that night. She smiled at him and nodded, saying, "We just care about you and we worry. Is that alright?"
He smiled back at her and said, "Yes, just don't be such a pain about it." and hugged her again, to take away any sting in his words.
Ginny looked thoughtfully at the door to number 4, and mused, "I wonder what's taking Mum so long..."
As soon as the children were outside, Molly put a silencing charm on the door, and rounded on Vernon Dursley. The normally sweet woman was gone, replaced by a lioness, faced with a threat to her cubs. The voice she now used was usually only heard in one of her howlers.
"How DARE you call anyone a freak? The only freaks I see in this house are the maladjusted, petty, parsimonious, overbearing, disgraces for human beings that wear the name of Dursley!"
"Now see here..."
"No, you overweight, idiotic, pompous, horse's arse! You see here! You have had, under your roof for the past sixteen years, the sweetest, most well-behaved, humble, loyal, and intelligent boy who has ever had the misfortune to meet you! In spite of everything you have probably done to him, he still won't see you harmed. When his godfather heard about you, he almost came here to kill you himself. I'm almost sorry I stopped him, now. Do you have any idea how many people want your guts for garters, right now? Personally, I doubt you can even count that high."
Vernon paled, sputtering, "I don't know what that boy has told you, but..."
"That boy, as you call him, has a name. Harry. Learn how to say it, or so help me..." The threat hung in the air. "As for what he's told any of us, I doubt it's a tenth of what you've done to him. I have seven children of my own, and I know when they're not telling me everything. I've had that sense from Harry for a long time now, but I've left it alone out of respect for his feelings. Maybe I was wrong in that, but I will have a talk with him about this soon. I've always told Albus this was the wrong place for him. I didn't know how right I was until now." She started towards the door, then stopped, with a considering look on her face. "I've been trying to think what to do with you, but have been at a loss, until now." She pointed her wand at him with a quick 'Immobilius'. He was now completely immobilized. She muttered a slightly more complicated incantation. "The spell I've just cast will ensure that you never have the ability to harm anyone, ever again. If you raise your voice in anger, it will disappear completely, for twenty-four hours. If you try to strike another person, or try to harm anyone physically in any way, your coordination will disappear, and you will miss completely. If you try again within a day, you will lose any control over your muscles, including your bowels. In short, try anything, and things will get very messy, very quickly. Goodbye, now." With a quickly muttered 'Ennervate', she was out the door.
Molly walked to the car, her face still flushed. She got in and asked, "Everyone ready?" At the affirmative answers from all three teenagers, she started the car and drove away. They still had a fairly long drive, and she had everything ready for a virtual feast, once they got to the Burrow. Hermione sat up front with her and Harry and Ginny were in the back.
Harry spoke up, asking, "Erm...Mrs Weasley...is everything alright?"
She glanced into the mirror at his worried eyes. "Yes dear, everything is quite alright, as a matter of fact. Your uncle just needed a few facts of life explained to him."
"But..."
"Don't worry, dear. He's fine. No real lasting damage to him, as long as he exercises a bit of self-control."
Ginny started to giggle, getting a clue to what had happened. At Harry's questioning look, she explained. "Remember, in your first year, when Ron got the howler from Mum, after that fiasco with the car?" He nodded, and she continued. "If I'm not mistaken, your uncle just got an up close and personal version. Believe me, they're embarassing in a crowded room, but devastating in person." She thought for a moment, then a look of realization dawned on her face. "Mum, did you do what you did to Mr Olson, when you found out about his daughter?" At her mum's curt nod, her look changed to one of agreement. "The only thing for it, really."
Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks. He asked, "Care to explain to those of us who don't know that story?"
Ginny looked to her mother for permission, and got a nod in the mirror. She thought about how much to tell. "About five years ago, just before I left for school, Mum and Dad heard about a man in the village who was very abusive to his entire family. He beat his wife, verbally abused his daughters, and beat them, hit his sons all the time, and was a drunk on top of it. He drank his paychecks away, every week. His children were all forced to leave school, so they could pay the rent, and support him. One of his daughters, Emily, had gotten engaged, as she was pregnant with the boy's child. She really did love him, though. They were to be married soon, so the child wouldn't be illegitimate, in their eyes at least. When he found out, he beat her so bad she lost the child, and was paralyzed as well. Mum found out, and spent the next two weeks coming up with a new spell." The cute redhead explained the effects of the spell, to her amazed friends. Their looks turned to ones of awe.
At the next stop sign, Molly turned slightly in her seat and said, "With that spell, he will completely lose the ability to harm anyone, if not the will. Harry, if you don't want to tell us everything right now that went on there, that's up to you. Please believe me though, when I say that you will have to talk to someone about it. It will be better for you in the long run. I also believe that you weren't the only one he took his temper out on. Somebody like that would want as many targets as possible." She paused a moment. "Whatever you do tell may also benefit your cousin and aunt. I know there's no love lost between you and them, but it would be one less thing to trouble you, I believe." She turned back to the front, and drove away from the intersection. Ginny placed a hand over Harry's to show him her support. She kept her eyes averted, and was about to pull her hand away, when she was surprised to feel his hand turn and his finger close over hers. She looked up at him, uncertain what this could mean. Her eyes met his intense green ones, and he smiled and said, "Thank you." Their hands stayed like that for most of the drive.
As the car had driven away from Privet Drive, a slightly stunned Nymphadora Tonks had emerged from number 4. Tonks had followed Molly into the house, under cover of the invisibility cloak. She had witnessed the lecture Vernon had received, as well as the spell that had been placed on him. She made a mental note to never cross Molly Weasley, while she walked a couple streets over to the park nearby, before apparating to headquarters. She quickly hunted up Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody, the only ones currently there, and told them the story. The resulting laughter was even enough to drown out the screams of the demented portrait of Mrs Black.
A couple of hours later, the car pulled up in front of the Burrow, and Molly and her passengers had all climbed out. The two girls wouldn't even let Harry take his trunk inside, as they whisked it away. He stood there for a moment, bemused, until Molly came around to the back of the car, to give him one of her trademark hugs. When she released him, she had a very motherly look of concern in her eyes. "How are you, dear? Did they feed you at all?" Her eyes traveled the length of him, as she tutted over the state of his clothes. "We really need to get you some clothes that fit. I don't believe you've ever had clothes that fit,"
He laughed quietly. "No, I don't think I ever have. I'm fine, Mrs Weasley, thanks. I really am. Not great, but I think I'm getting there. As to the clothes, maybe we could take a quick side trip into muggle London, when we go to Diagon Alley for school supplies."
She considered the suggestion. "Not a bad idea. We'll have to see who can be spared to keep an eye out." Harry looked like he was going to protest, so she continued. "They'll only be there in case something happens, and will be unobtrusive. And call me Molly. I told Hermione the same thing, as well. Now, let's get you inside, and get you fed. You really don't look as though they've fed you at all. Grapefruit. Really."
Harry surrendered to the inevitable, and walked through the front door. He took a look around. This place actually felt like a home, unlike that sterile place he had existed in, for a bit under six weeks this time. You could tell that a family lived here, not a small collection of people that happened to have the same last name. He saw the Twins sitting at the table, earnestly discussing something with Ginny, who seemed to be amused, but somehow shocked. Molly was bending to give Arthur a kiss in greeting. He didn't see Ron amd Hermione until he'd sat down at the table in the kitchen. They came down the stairs, arguing about something. Harry looked over at Ginny, raising on eyebrow. When she showed him a slightly confused look, he jerked his head in the direction of the approaching pair. She understood then, and they both laughed, shaking their heads. Just then, the other two sat down at the table, still arguing.
Ron looked over then and said to Harry, "Alright then, Harry? Good summer, so far? ermm...I mean..." His voice trailed off as Hermione hit him on the back of the head. That was too much for Harry and Ginny, and they broke out in laughter. Ron was obviously glad to see his best mate laughing, but was a bit annoyed that the laughter was apparently at his expense. He crossed his arms and sat back, obviously not sure how to deal with this quandary. To solve the problem, he turned to his old standby. "Mum, will dinner be ready soon?"
Hermione muttered, "I swear, Ron. Is your stomach all you think about? Or do you think with it?", and they were off again.
Harry got up, saying to Ginny, "I think I'll go outside for a bit, before these two drive me barmy." He walked around to the back of the house, towards the pond. It was good to be back in a place he actually thought of as home. Sitting down on the end of the old pier jutting into the lake, he looked up at the stars, watching them sparkle overhead. At this moment, he felt better, more at peace, than he had in a long while. After a few minutes, he heard soft footsteps, making their way slowly through the grass behind him, then their tread on the boards under him. Looking over his shoulder, the teenage wizard saw Ginny, her auburn tresses a nimbus around her face. She was looking up at the stars, as he had been. Harry let his eyes unfocus, and saw/felt the same thing again, cinnamonsugar/velvet/ruby. It took him by surprise, the intensity of what he felt now. It was overpowering to him. After all, this was Ginny, his best mate's little sister! He had never thought of her in that way. Truth be known, he wasn't even sure what that way was. The only girl he had ever really had feelings for previously was Cho Chang. That hadn't turned out well at all. He felt no enmity towards Cho, and in fact, hoped that she was happy. He just knew the two of them wouldn't work well together.
"Earth to Harry, anybody home?" With a giggle, Ginny sat down next to him. "Something wrong?"
Startled from his reverie, he shook his head and said, "Not really. Just didn't expect anyone else to come out here, that's all. So, how's your summer been?"
"Apart from the gruesome twosome's bickering, not bad at all. I swear, they'd drive a saint to murder. Any ideas on how to deal with them?"
"Well, we can't have you hiding in the girl's toilet with Myrtle, once we get back to school, so we'd better think of something quick." He thought a moment. "How about locking them up in your dad's shed, until they work it out?"
"It'd be brilliant, except for all the sharp implements. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one to clean up the mess afterwards."
"Good point. We'll have to see what we can come up with." The two of them lay back on the pier, just looking up at the stars, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence. After a while, Harry cleared his throat.
"Erm...Ginny, I'd just like to say, well, thank you,"
"For what, Harry?" She was on her side, head propped on her hand, with a curious look on her face.
"Well, everything, I guess. You believed me, and followed me to the Ministry. You put yourself in harm's way, because of me. You were also the only one to come right out and say what everyone else has been thinking. And for worrying about me. You've been a great friend. I know I haven't treated you the best, over the past few years. I've just never taken the chance to get to know you the way I should have. You're really quite a remarkable person, you know."
Ginny was glad it was dark out, as that would hide most of the blush she knew was rising in her cheeks. She had spent a lot of time and effort quashing the crush she'd had on Harry. Unbeknownst to anyone save herself, as she had watched him struggle through the previous year, the feelings she had for him had turned to something else. They had developed into a very deep love, born of the admiration she had for all the qualities she saw in him. She saw how much he cared about people, how protective he would become, his loyalty, his sense of humor, and his fierce sense of honor. Those emerald green eyes didn't help matters much, either. Every time he turned them on her, and flashed that grin of his, it was like getting hit with a jelly-legs curse, only on her entire body.
"Harry, you don't need to thank me for that, but you're welcome. As for us getting to know each other better, it probably would have helped if I hadn't squeaked and disappeared every time you spoke to me, or looked my way. Maybe by the time we get back to school, we'll have had that chance."
"I hope so, Ginny, I really do." He shook his head now. "If nothing else, we'll need to cooperate on getting those two idiots together, or find a way to hide the bodies."
They shared a laugh at this, interrupted when Molly called them in to dinner. Harry was up first, and offered Ginny a hand up. As she stood, she hugged him for a moment, and feeling brave, gave him a peck on the cheek. It was like a small shock ran through that spot, and he was still marveling over this new sensation as she turned and said with a grin, "Race you back!" She was only a few steps ahead of him, but he still couldn't manage to catch up as they ran to the house.
Out of breath, they walked in the door and headed for the table. Right away, they saw that Ron and Hermione were arguing, probably the same argument from earlier, as they didn't seem to have moved from their places. Harry and Ginny traded a look of disgust, and he said, "Planning session, tomorrow. Ok?" She nodded, and they both went to the table.
The table groaned with all the food that was set out. There was roast beef, roasted chickens, all kinds of vegetables, potatoes, biscuits, and just about anything else you could think of. In short, a typical dinner at the Weasley house. The noise around the table was incredible, with a myriad of conversations going on, all at once. Harry had caught a few glances thrown his way, as just about everyone wanted to make sure he was alright. Earlier in the summer, he probably would have gotten quite shirty about this, thinking that everybody viewed him as some sort of fragile object about to break. Now though, he knew that it was simply their way of looking out for him, as they would do for each other. He finally knew what it felt like to be a part of a family.
After dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione went out to the sitting room, to let dinner digest, and talk awhile. Harry looked up, and saw Ginny in the doorway. He called out to her, "Hey, Ginny, come over and join us." She looked surprised to be invited, and hesitated a moment. "Come on, I don't bite. Even if I did, I've had my shots." This was said with a grin to the youngest Weasley.
"You'd better not. Mum would get upset if we had to have you put down, to check for rabies."
Ron and Hermione both wore stunned looks as they watched the teasing between the other two. Hermione's turned to one of thoughtfulness, trying to figure out what was going on between them, while Ron's went smug for just a moment. He managed to clear his expression before Harry and Ginny saw him.
Ginny sat down next to Harry and said, "Alright then, Harry. We're glad to see how much better you are since summer started. How'd it happen? Somebody knock some sense into you or something?"
Hermione and Ron both gasped, amazed at her bluntness. Harry chuckled at the question, as well as the looks on the other pair's faces.
"Do you realize how few people would ask me a question like that? Pretty refreshing, that is. Actually, I found out a few things over the past few weeks that helped out a lot." He explained everything he had discovered concerning meditation, occlumency, shield-building, and all the rest of it. The only thing he didn't mention was the outlines he had seen around people. He wanted to check into this a bit more, just to make sure this wasn't another of those things related to Voldemort, like being able to speak Parseltongue. He didn't think it was, as this seemed a much more benign gift. With the way that people had reacted to some of his other abilities, though, it was best to make sure.
"Once I started meditating, I was able to think about everything in a much more objective light. That's when I realized that, though Sirius would certainly want to be missed, he wouldn't want me to throw everything away for grief. What he would want is for me to enjoy my life, as much as I possibly could. I also finally saw that, even though I'm not completely blameless in all of this, the fault should be placed where it really belongs, with the Dark Moron and his idiots." His face took on a very determined look. "There is absolutely no way in hell that I am going to allow some Darth Vader wannabe to run my life." Hermione burst out in laughter at the statement, but the other two were baffled. The muggle-born girl explained the movie reference, and they nodded, not really understanding. Harry thought that he would have to see if he could find a way to get a VCR and a TV to work off of magic. He had never had a chance to just sit and enjoy watching a movie, especially without Dudley ruining the experience.
They sat aound for a while just relaxing, discussing what had gone on over the summer so far, as well as the Cannon's chances for the season. As usual, they looked pretty bleak. After a while, Harry found that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and excused himself to retire for the night.
As he settled into bed, one thought was foremost in his mind. It was good to be home.
A/N: Well, as you can tell by now, the plot ferrets have returned. They brought friends this time. Little buggers. Anybody know of a good ferret repellent? No? Urgh... Oh well. I'm gratified to see the response so far to this story. I can only hope you continue to enjoy it. Anybody who has also been following my other ongoing fic, Perspective, don't worry, I haven't forgotten it. I will be going back to it in a few days, once a bit more of this one is posted. I have more chapters written for this one already, just not typed out yet. At the moment, they're written on a little blackboard in the back of my head. Just gotta get em out of there, and onto the screen. I'm also working on ch26 for Perspective, so it's a bit busy in there right now. On top of that, I'm also helping my wife write her first fic. No commetns about the blind leading the blind, thank you very much. Good job there's plenty of room in there, eh?
Jaquelyne: Thank you very much, milady. :::deep sweeping bow::: Coming from such as yourself, that is high praise, indeed. I always look forward to more of your stories, specially the Bedtime ones. :::gentle hint::: I know what a busy schedule you have, and truly do look forward to your updates. Worth the wait, they are.
Caddy94: Glad ya like it. It's been fun to write, and both will be updated soon.
GiGiFanFic: Thank you as always, love. Your encouragement continues to spur me along. I look forward to seeing your story. Tell the git he's got a lot of nerve, trying to overshadow you that way.
Lady of the Dragons2: Love the nic, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope it turns out as well as I think it will.