Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter or its associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Enter the Weasleys and their particular antics.

Chapter 3

Burrowing

Stepping into the Burrow was almost like coming home for Harry. Reflecting on the house he had just left, he realized this was as close to home as he had ever really had. It might not offer the same protection as his Aunt's, but it made up for it with actual feelings of comfort and family. Mr. Weasley was kind enough to send his trunk and Hedwig's cage up to Ron's room where he would once again be staying. He only had a second to look around before being caught in a crushing hug by Mrs. Weasley as she met him at the door.

"Harry dear! We've been worried sick about you! Why didn't you come sooner?" She pulled back and stared up at him, waiting for an answer.

"Sorry…I had a couple things to take care of at my uncle's. But I'm here now!"

"Yes you are! And thin as ever! Come over here and have something to eat!" None of her children could ever refuse Molly and Harry was no different. He quickly found himself seated at her large table while she tore through the kitchen looking for something he could eat.

Barely escaping the grasp of Mrs. Weasley after consuming a pair of sandwiches he hurried up the stairs, eager to talk with Ron and Hermione after their month long separation. Stutter stepping as he passed Ginny's room he hesitated for a second before continuing on. Bursting into the room he was, as usual, sharing with Ron, he slid to a halt on finding both of them there. They were each seated on the beds leaning toward each other, heads close together. What got his attention was Ron lightly holding one of Hermione's hands with both of his. On his entry they quickly pulled apart and shot to their feet. Hermione was the first to speak, blushing furiously.

"Uh…hey Harry! Good to see you." She was very studiously looking everywhere but at him and Ron.

"Hey mate," said a Ron now red as his hair. He was also avoiding both Harry and Hermione as his eyes darted huntedly around the room. Harry bit his tongue to suppress a grin as he looked back and forth between the pair, obviously embarrassed.

"Uh…hi. I'm not…interrupting anything am I?" He took just a second of malevolent joy in doing this, but let it go quickly, needing to focus on other things that whatever had been going on.

"No! No, we were just…"

"Not at all, nothing was…" As humorous as it was to see his two friends trying to explain what was they had been doing, he had other things on his mind.

"Right…whatever. I probably don't want to hear about it anyway. Oh, sit down." As if they had been marionettes with their strings cut, his two friends dropped to sitting positions on either bed. Pulling up one of the room's two chairs he sat between the beds. Waiting a few moments for their faces to return to something of a normal color, he continued in a quite tone. "So, any news I should know about?" Ron turned to Hermione, knowing she would have more information than him and tell the tale better. She took a moment to organize her thoughts before launching on what was sure to be a lengthy explanation.

"Well, Voldemort is still running roughshod over the wizarding world, doing whatever he wants, and his followers are killing anyone who gets in his way. The Ministry is trying to do something but they're out maneuvered and outgunned. It seems for every Death Eater they bring in, two more pop up in their place. Voldemort's recruiting and his numbers are swelling. Something has to be done soon." Harry nodded in response to this. Though Scrimgoure might be a wartime minister, this battle was going to take more than speeches and promises of justice. Hermione continued at his gesture.

"There have been no signs of Snape or Malfoy. They seem to have dropped off the face of the wizarding world. Apparently the Ministry has put together a special task force to track them down, but so far they've had as much luck as the group that was sent to track down Sirius. Dumbledore's murder has had some…I guess positive effects is the only phrase that fits, on the magical community though. They've finally been shocked into really getting in action. All around the country defensive groups are springing up. Kind of like a neighborhood watch…with wands."

"What about Hogwarts?"

"The governors are still debating what to do. A lot of parents are lobbying to have it closed as unsafe. There are a few prominent families though publicly promoting it staying open. The Weasley's among them. Arthur has said his children will continue to go when class comes back into session. They still have a couple weeks to decide, but then they'll have to make the call so students have time to get books and supplies." Harry absorbed this information rather happily. He had been afraid he would return only to find that the school had already been closed. Though he still intended skip the year, he would feel better with his classmates relatively safe within the castle.

"What about the Order? What are they doing?" Hermione and Ron glanced at each other, clearly apprehensive over what she was about to say. "What? They haven't broken up have they?"

"No…"

"Then what?"

"Well Harry…though he was rarely there, Dumbledore kept the Order going through sheer force of will. Though still officially working toward the fall of Voldemort…well…we've heard Ron's parents and some others talking when they stop by."

"So? What is it?" She shared another glance with Ron and they both seemed to brace for whatever his reaction would be. Harry could hardly blame them given the way he had acted in the past.

"The Order's in chaos Harry. Without Dumbledore to lead them, they're just milling around waiting for the other shoe to drop. They still run their information networks and they're trying to take down dark wizards as they can, but there is no direction, no overarching vision for them. We also heard something worse. Dumbledore was the Order's secret keeper. They have to appoint a new one soon or the charm will wear off. Dumbledore was an extremely strong wizard so they think it will last at least a couple of months. But still… The Order's on the verge of self destructing. It's almost sad to watch." Harry's head fell at this latest revelation. He had been afraid for some time what the loss of their leader would do to the Order, but the truth was still hard to bear. After taking several seconds to absorb these rapid fire blows, his head rose again.

"It there any good news?" The idea of 'good' news was almost anathema to the general course of the world, but maybe there was at least wasn't bad.

"Well…actually…there might be. Ron thinks he might know where the locket is." It took Harry a moment to realize what she was saying. When his did his eyes grew wide and darted to Ron.

"You do? Where?" Ron half jumped back, looking as if he was being attacked.

"Well…it's just a thought. But you remember back in fifth year at Sirius's house? We found that locket none of us could open? We didn't think much of it then, but maybe…" Harry's eyes grew suddenly wide and lit up at the possibility.

"Ron, you're a bloody genius! That's got to be it! Regulus! Regulus Black! That was Sirius's brother! R.A.B. It must be him!" At there confusion he showed them the note he had discovered in the fake Horcrux. Hermione put the piece together first.

"You're right Harry…it all fits. But…wait…we threw that away. It was to be tossed out!" Harry grew temporarily distraught until another thought tickled his mind.

"But I know someone who collected most of what we planned to toss." The other two glance at each other, the light in his eye throwing them just a little.

"Who?"

"Kreacher."

"Of course. I bet that little git's got it. He'd never let something from Slytherin go."

"Right on Ron. Now we have to go and look." Harry had been planning to avoid the house if he could manage, but it looked more and more like he had no choice in the matter.

"Right." Each of them seemed surprised that this one piece of their quest had fallen into place so easily. After a moment of contemplation, Ron spoke again.

"So…what else are we going to do? You must have some sort of plan?"

"Actually Ron, I was hoping you could help there. You're the strategy master."

"Master strategist? I'm good at chess, not planning battles."

"Well then, think of it like a chess game. You know what the pieces are. What would you do?"

"A game of chess huh? Well…let's see…" His brow furrowed as he thought and his hand seemed to autonomically reach under his bed only to appear a second later with a folded chess set. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other as Ron was lost in his own little world setting up the board and pulling out various pieces. As he continued they caught bits and pieces and a few names. He built a small defensive formation in one corner he christened Hogwarts. Various pawns appeared named after various students. Then the black pieces began to be set up. They spread in small packs around the board usually consisting of a couple pawns and one stronger piece. The six syllable string told them that the black king was Voldemort followed by Bellatrix the queen. Finally they heard their names muttered. A white rook appeared and was denoted as being Hermione, followed by a bishop christened Harry a few spaces away and right next to the rook, a white knight named Ron. Harry smiled at the fact that these were the same positions they had played first year on McGonagall's giant chessboard. Looking over the board one final time, Ron pronounced it done.

"One thing mate, there's no king or queen on our side." Ron glanced up at him and nodded in confirmation.

"Captured." They all knew what captured meant in chess. Dumbledore. Their strongest piece and their leader. Hermione glanced at the board then back to Ron.

"Okay…so what would you do?"

"Well…first…we need a second secure base of operations. Hogwarts here is good and hard to crack, but resting everything on one capital is stupid. So we need another hidden base." Harry considered the question for a moment, his mind taking time to catch up to Ron's strategic deductions.

"You mean Grimmauld?"

"Right Harry. Next, we need to get the pawns…students…safely within cover. Hogwarts. Then we can start to attack ourselves. We need to break down the defense a bit at a time." His hands moved across the board almost too quickly to see, illustrating his points. Now the three of them were sliding around taking out the little pockets of black pieces, often taking just the one strong piece before fleeing again. "Then…we can go in for the win." Harry was left alone facing Voldemort as the other's flanked him. "Or perhaps bait him into attacking. At some point he will strike and Hogwarts will be his target. Relatively safe or not, it's the only real point of contention for him." Hermione's brow furrowed now.

"But…what about the Ministry? They're opposing him too." Ron nodded after a second in confirmation.

"Yeah…but we've all seen how effective that's been. Like it on not, the ministry has never presented any real opposition to him. Even with…the Headmaster…gone…Hogwarts still stands defiantly beyond his grasp. For the moment." Both Harry and Hermione stared at Ron, rather impressed.

"I must say, good show."

"Well, when you said think of it like a chess game…it just became sort of easy didn't it?" Carefully lifting the board from his bed and setting it on the table, Ron returned the pieces to where he had first put them.

"Still…excellent ideas. So, first up, securing Grimmauld Place. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then…that's our first move." The other's nodded in agreement. "After the wedding. Enjoy yourselves. I think it's the last time we'll be able to relax for quite a while."

Harry started awake and rapidly glanced around, hand moving instinctively for his wand. After a moment he relaxed and let his head fall back to the pillow. The soft snore coming from the other bed told him he was still in the Burrow and that it was still the middle of the night. He had woken unexpectedly from a dream he couldn't quite remember. That was actually a good sign as he always remembered the real visions. Taking a deep breath he fumbled for his glasses and slid them on, bringing the world back into a shadowy focus.

Laying there for a few more moments he realized he would be getting no more sleep right then. Deciding a bit of a walk might help tire him out; he slipped silently from beneath the covers and stood. Taking a second to get his bearing from the light of the moon streaming through the curtains and Ron's soft snore, he looked around. After a moments searching, only slightly hindered by the darkness, he found a pair of pajama pants to pull on over his boxers. Tucking his t-shirt in out of habit he headed for the door and opened it slowly so it wouldn't squeak.

Pulling it closed just as quietly he made his way along the hall and down the stairs. Instinctively skipping the few he knew to creak, Harry reached the first floor with a minimum of noise. Turning again he drifted into the living room and stared out the large windows for several minutes. The serenity of the night and the crystal light being cast from the waxing moon calmed him to his core. A thousand thoughts had been racing through his mind during the last couple days and those that didn't deal with the mission he was on were more or less always related to a certain red head he had been trying to push out of his mind.

The few weeks he had had with Ginny were a fond memory he often found himself recalling. In all the chaos that his life was becoming, she alone seemed to be able to shut it out for him. Ron and Hermione could help him focus and push past some of it but Ginny had just made it all go away, if only for a few moments. Doubt coursed through him again. Had he been wrong to end it with her? His mind told him it was noble and that he was trying to protect her. He heart seemed too annoyed to say much of anything and other parts of his body were making rather less eloquent statements.

Into all of this came Mr. Weasley's comments from the car ride. It was a jumble Harry was hard pressed to make any sort of sense out of. Tea he decided. He needed some tea. That would calm him down, clear his mind and let him drift back off to sleep.

Turning his back to the window he headed for the kitchen. Operating by the light of the moon and the stove's pilot lights he found the kettle sitting in the sink. Reaching for it he reflexively yanked his hand back and let out a very small yelp at finding it warm. Checking his hand and finding no damage done he reached for the handle this time and held it carefully as a measure of water flowed in from the tap. Positioning it on the burner and cranking up the heat, he waited. Jamming the spout open so the kettle wouldn't whistle he stepped back and turned to the counter. Preparing a cup and tea bag, his eyes again found the window and its crystal white light.

"Couldn't sleep?" Harry span and dropped to a crouch while cursing himself first for not noticing the other person in the room and secondly for not bringing his wand. His hands flew up instinctively to protect his face. After a moment he could just make out Ginny sitting at the far end of the table, watching him with slight amusement. Rising again he dropped his arms back to his sides, a slight grin crossing his face as well.

"No. You either?" She shook her head in response. "I thought some tea might put me out." He could just make out a mug being cradled in her hands. "You too?"

"Nope. Hot chocolate for me. Professor Lupin seemed to think chocolate always helps. Who am I to disagree?" Harry nodded in response and was at a loss for what to say next. They had been politely dancing around each other since his arrival, both purposely spending as little time in the same room as possible. Any mention of what had transpired between them was studiously avoided. It was starting to drive him just a little crazy.

"Ginny…"

"Your water's ready." Surprised at the interruption he turned and found the kettle chugging away. Turning off the burner he dumped a measure of the liquid in the cup and the rest in the sink. Setting the kettle back where he had found it and satisfying himself that the teabag was steeping he turned back to the table.

His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he found Ginny had risen from her seat and made her way to the sink just an arm's reach from him, now bathed in moonlight. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he took in her attire. She wore only a long nightgown, deep red and shimmering in the light, hanging from two thin straps over her shoulders and running the length of her slim frame to end just below her knees. He swallowed audibly and tried to work some moisture into his suddenly dry mouth as she showed a very small grin at his response. She set the mug in the sink and looked at him expectantly.

"You were saying?"

"I…I was? I mean…yes…I was."

"Well?"

"Uh…right. I was…talking…or rather listening to your father the other day. When he dropped me off at the Durseleys."

"O…k…"

"And I mentioned that we had broken up…and my reasoning for it." The look on her face made it unmistakable what she thought of his 'reasoning', but she waited for him to continue. "And…he made what I now realize was a rather excellent counterpoint to effect of that being the stupidest reason he'd ever heard."

"You don't say?" The look she now had needed no interpretation. "That would be one of the rare times a male Weasley has talked sense."

"Yeah…well…" He faltered for what to say next. Just looking at her was messing with his mind. In a desperate attempt to focus he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had wanted to sound calm, collected, but it just wasn't what he needed to say. Abandoning that tactic, he said the first thing he thought. "Ginny…I feel so stupid. The few weeks I had with you were the best of my life and I just threw that away. I just…I just want you to be safe. And given the known danger of where I have to go and what I have to do, and what might happen elsewhere… Well…it seemed like the better choice at the time…"

He flinched at the light touch on his cheek as her thumb wiped away the single tear that had fallen there. He opened his eyes to find her face a mere hands breadth away from his own.

"Harry, you want me to be safe, right?" He nodded against her hand. "Well, what safer place could there be than next to the only person 'with the power to defeat the dark lord'?" Tenetivly grasping her hand with his own he smiled a little.

"Don't you start with that boy-who-lived prophecy nonsense too. You and Hermione were the only girls that never saw me as that. You," he wrapped his free arm round her and pulled her close, "saw me."

"The least I could do for seeing me as more than just your best mate's little sister."

"Took me a lot longer than it took you. But you're right. You are so much more to me." Bending down he brought their lips together in a passionate kiss. He didn't know how long they stood there, traced in moonlight, but he knew it was the need for oxygen that pulled them apart. After they had, Ginny rested her head on his chest next to her hand while he encircled her frame protectively with his arms, resting his chin in her red locks. "So…we good?"

"Yes Potter. We're good. Again." She waited a moment before continuing. "So…what are we going to do?"

"I don't know for certain. But we're doing it together from here on out."

It was several minutes later when her soft breathing alerted Harry to the fact she had fallen asleep. Stifling a yawn he realized his insomnia had dissipated as well. He took one last moment to revel in the feeling of her body against his. He wanted more, more of this. More falling asleep in each others arms. But that would have to wait. Sliding an arm behind her knees he deftly lifted her across his chest, being careful to tuck her head against his shoulder.

Muscles built from years of Quiddich and other less organized activities made it a simple matter to transport her up the stairs to her bedroom. Waking her with a light kiss he set Ginny back on her feet and bid her good night. He felt a thousand pounds lighter as he made his own way back to bed and fell asleep on contact with the pillow, a wide grin across his face.

Hiding in the shadows of the living room Arthur Weasley smiled to himself as he watched the protectiveness Harry was displaying toward his only daughter. When he had first heard someone moving the house and woken his wife he had feared the worst. What he found was far from it.

"We'll be planning another wedding here soon. Mark my words."

"Yes Molly, I believe you're right. He'll take very good care of her."

"They'll take very good care of each other."

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions.