Summary: Post-HBP. After Harry and Ron find out Hermione has a secret, they wonder if things will ever be the same. As they venture into a year full of N.E.W.T's, new faces and romance, our trio begins to wonder if they will still be able make it through their final year at Hogwarts. H/G and Hr/R
A/N: Okay so here's my first fan fic, enjoy and please R&R. Sorry to all of you who read it as it was posted before, but I've written a lot since I first wrote this and I hope the changes will make it better. There aren't too many in this chapter but yea. Sorry again and thanks to those who are re-reading it. I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. And if anyone is interested in beta-ing…email me.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned this, but I don't. All that's mine are the new characters and the plot.
The Girl They Never Knew
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Chapter 1: Back to Courtroom 10
It was the day after his birthday, not that anyone on Privet Drive had noticed, and as he woke up from the familiar bangs and screams erupting from Uncle Vernon, he spent only a second (as the door would have been kicked in if he spent anymore time in bed) thinking about how all the owls that had dropped off packages yesterday. He was a wizard as well as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But you see, this boy with the black hair that would never stay neat, and the trademark scar on his forehead was not merely any other wizard, he was famous to anyone who wasn't a muggle. Any time he was recognized, someone would do the northern flick to look at his scar, which made him overly uncomfortable, but was starting to get used to being gawked at.
He was responsible for the fall, and rise, of the dark lord, Voldemort. When he was just a baby Voldemort had killed both his parents with the infamous Avada Kedavra curse, and then turned on Harry, who not only survived the curse but it had rebounded upon Voldemort and had made him the household name he was today, But that was not what he wanted to think about that now, for Voldemort had killed everyone who meant something to him: his parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore. He was scared to death that they would take everyone close to him away, but he knew Ron and Hermione would never not stand by him, so he pushed away the one person who meant the most, Ginny.
It still hurt him to know that he broke her heart, and from what Hermione says Ginny was still not back to her normal self. But wow, he still missed her. He was so surprised on his birthday when he found one more present than normal, (He has gotten gifts from the usual: a box of homemade candy from Hagrid, which he was afraid to touch, a complete collection of the twins 'FAKE AN ILLNESS' line, a new sweater and pies from Mrs. Weasley, a Chudley Cannons quidditch poster that covered his whole wall from Ron, and 1001 Defensive Spells and Curses That You Have Never Heard Of from Hermione.) He was surprised though when one last gift was left and he nervously opened it. After taking the wrapping off he noticed a note in Ginny's minute handwriting. He nervously opened the book and flipped the pages. It was a collection of pictures from the day he boarded the Hogwarts express to the last time he had arrived at Platform 9 3/4, but two of the pictures were his favorite. One was picture of Ginny and him, right after he kissed her last term during the party celebrating Gyffindor's win of the Inter-house Quidditch Cup, and one of him and Sirius last Christmas. He had carefully placed the book in his trunk; next to the one he had received from Hagrid his first year at Hogwarts. All of a sudden he heard Uncle Vernon's voice, which snapped him out of his stupor and back into reality.
"Get this ruddy thing out of my kitchen Potter!" Harry was confused for a moment as he ran down the stairs, but after arriving into the kitchen he smiled. Aunt Petunia was currently scurrying through the house closing all windows so that the nosy neighbors had no chance of seeing the minute owl nervously fluttering in the corner. He laughed at Dudley nervously watching the bird as if it might attack him, for he was an awfully easy target after all. He walked over to the owl and took the letter from Pig and read the hastily scrawled note.
Harry,
I've connected your Aunt and Uncle's house to the floo network until 3 o'clock this afternoon. Please, floo to you-know-where before then. Leave your trunk behind and someone from the ----- will pick it up later. See you soon.
Arthur Weasley
PS Pig should have enough floo powder to get you here.
He then noticed another foot note had been added in Mrs. Weasley's neat handwriting.
And please Harry dear, remember to say the name VERY cleary.
He smiled and felt himself become happy for the first time in weeks, as he realized he was going to what he now knew as his family. He looked at his watch, forgetting it was still broken since the second task of the Triwizard Tournament 3 years ago. After looking at the clock above the kitchen sink and realizing it was already noon, he ran upstairs ignoring the questioning looks from the Dursleys sitting at the kitchen table eating a late breakfast. He ran around his room finding every last quill and checking his room more than he should have, but he didn't want to forget anything. He cursed under his breathe wishing that he could do magic, before he realized he could. With his new ability, he quickly summoned all his remaining possessions, and by one he was packed. He headed downstairs lugging his truck behind him, making a great deal of noise, dragging it down his stairs and then running right backup to get Hedwig's cage. He pulled his trunk next to the door and set Hedwig's cage on top of it. He then said a quick good-bye to the Dursleys, lit a fire with his wand (much to the Dursley's horror), and threw the powder into the flames. He double-checked that he hadn't forgotten anything and stepped in the fire and clearly shouted "The Burrow."
As he began to feel the sickly, yet the familiar spinning feeling he was slowly getting used to, Harry stuck out his hands and attempted to perform a graceful stop in the grate of the Burrow's fireplace. After standing up and yet again failing to stop on his feet, he heard a stifled snicker coming from the corner. He stood up and instantly relaxed as he took a look at his favorite place in the world. The worn in couch and chairs, the pictures of waving people on the walls and mantel, the flowers, and then his favorite clock with each hand representing a different member of the Weasley Family. His smile turned into a grimace and his face turned red, when he realized who it was that couldn't stop laughing at his graceful entry.
"Oh, shut up Ginny! Its not that funny." Harry said, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Sorry Harry, but it really is. Anyone would agree with me, except none of them are here, so... I guess you'll just have to believe me" She replied with a smirk, secretly hoping that her remark hid the fact that her composure had crumbled when he had spun into the room. Or how, even though she spent the whole summer getting over him, she still fell back into the deep hole she had dug herself into since she first met him. He tried to think of a witty comeback, but before he could think of one, Ron burst in.
"Hey Harry, ready to go?"
Harry's stomach dropped, he had forgotten the reason he forgotten the reason he had come to the Burrow, his apparation test. He truly hadn't minded getting to leave Privet Drive 2 weeks early, or the classic look on Uncle Vernon's face when he explain exactly what apparation was, but he also was scared to death of failing his test. But he decided to hide his fear of not only failing but of splinching, which consisted of leaving parts of your body behind and simply said: "Yea, let's go."
He and Ron left the still laughing Ginny and left the living room in search of Mr. Weasley. After a not so brief encounter with Hermione, who took the chance to remind them of the "3 D's" (Destination, Determination, and Deliberation), they finally found him tinkering in the garage with his plug collection. He looked up shyly when he noticed them and nervously ushered them out of the garage. He then took them back into the living room, which, much to Harry's pleasure was now vacant.
He threw some powder into the fire and they flooed to the ministry and found out that their tests would be done in Courtroom 10, "because of the repairing of damage in the usual Apparation test facilities." The moment courtroom 10 was mentioned, Harry felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice down his shirt. He not only didn't like the courtroom because of his hearing, but because of all the horrible trials he had seen take place there while inside Dumbledore's pensive. Dumbledore...he still felt a pang every time he thought about it though it was soon replaced with hatred for Snape. Without realizing it they had already entered the lift and Mr. Weasley was pressing the button 9. After seeing the face Harry had made and by sensing a tense felling in the air, Ron being Ron, became confused. "Whoa. Did I miss something?"
Mr. Weasley gave Harry a nervous look of apprehension, which Harry returned with a nod which simply meant 'you can tell him', and replied nervously, "Its where Harry's disciplinary hearing was held back in the fifth year."
Harry had to laugh at the look of not only shock and sympathy, but also embarrassment on Ron's face; which he had now attempted to hide by seeming oddly interested with the floor. By time the lift had emitted a small 'DING', Ron's expression had returned to normal, well as normal as it could have been. While walking silently they had now reached the courtroom, which they nervously approached after Mr. Weasley reassured them. Harry and Ron comically turned to each other, shook hands, muttered "Good Luck," and walked through the doors.
An hour later, there was a crack followed by two small pops, and Hermione and Ginny, who were preparing dinner, jumped and let out a small shriek of surprise.
Both Ron and Harry were then mauled by bone crushing hugs and kisses of praise from none other than Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione. There was however an awkward moment as Ginny threw her arms around Harry's neck, they both froze upon contant and jumped away. Harry then walked backwards until he was leaning against the wall. He was thankful for its exsistence for he had forgotten the tingling feeling he got on his skin that had been in contact with hers. The awkward moment dissipated as Mrs. Weasley began her patented shrieks of: "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud."
After a delicious dinner of Shepherd's pie and for dessert homemade vanilla ice cream, everyone was full and tired. Harry and Ron had spent the meal going over the test step by step multiple times. Harry let Ron do most of the talking however, for he spent the time replaying over and over his moment with Ginny. He made the mistake of looking over at her once, and found her brown eyes staring at him, full of pain. It had unnerved him so much that he had excused himself to the bathroom and spent a full 5 minutes getting his bearings back. After all this drama, everyone willingly obliged when Mrs. Weasley shooed them to bed "since school was starting soon"
But even after Ron's snores and mutterings filled the room, the boy with the emerald eyes couldn't sleep which was probably a good thing, as it was one less scream that filled the room when there was a loud "Thunk" as something hit the window…
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