Authors Note: The Plot is mine but everything else belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Enjoy!

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A New Start

Harry Potter likes to think of himself as just a normal person, just an average Joe. However, nothing could be further from the truth. He is a wizard, and a darn good one at that. A wizard that currently attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the same school his father and mother attended. He is famous in the wizard world for bringing down the Dark Lord, Voldemort, and surviving the most lethal curse known to wizards with a mere scar. And now, after five long exhausting years filled with pain and disappointment, Harry must rise again from the tragedy that has befallen him and begin his sixth year at Hogwarts.

Harry arrived on the train platform 9 3/4 to catch the Hogwarts express when he caught sight of Ron's familiar face; Hermione was there too. He didn't want to approach them just yet, especially since he had spoken to either of them since he had yelled at them. He hadn't seen them in nearly a week as they had left number twelve Grimmauld Place shortly after he had arrived. They had spent most of their summer there and were planning to spend the last week of their holiday in Diagon Alley, buying school supplies and hanging out. Harry had decided to stay behind so he could avoid both Ron and Hermione's repeated questions about his mental health.

Having spent most of the summer holiday with his muggle Aunt and Uncle, and their disgustingly obese son, Dudley, Harry was glad to be back in the wizarding world but was also a little apprehensive. He had almost enjoyed the solitude of Privet Drive because it had given him time to think. Time to realize that he carried a burden that no one else would understand and no one could carry for him. When Dumbledore had finally sent word to him that he could leave Privet Drive and return to Grimmauld Place, Harry had actually considering writing back and asking to be left alone. However, he reconsidered when Hedwig began pecking his fingers violently until he agreed to go. She, unlike Harry, did not like the solitude that surrounded the Dursleys, and wanted desperately to consort with other owls and be given the luxury of flying whenever she wanted.

As soon as Harry had unpacked in number twelve Grimmauld Place he felt a familiar sense of guilt beginning to consume him. This was not his home. This was Sirius' home. Sirius Black, the convicted murderer, the escaped prisoner, his godfather, his friend, was gone. Harry fought the tears back as he heard someone enter the room. He picked up his new edition of "The Professionals of Quidditch: Young and Old, Everyone Loves the Game" and pretended to be deeply interested in the chapter about Eloise Bludger who believed she was destined for the game. There was a gentle cough from behind him and Harry turned towards the door, pretending to look startled.

"Hiya Harry," Ron asked nervously. He had grown more over the summer but so had Harry, leaving them both to tower over Hermione who was still a few inches shorter than them.

"We were just getting ready to leave. Are you sure you don't want to come with us, mate? It'll be a real bore without you there." He sounded sincere but Harry didn't care. He wasn't interested in going, so he just shook his head and continued to flip through the pages of his book.

"You know Harry," Hermione spoke up from behind Ron as she pushed the door open all the way. "You'll feel better if you talk to someone-" but she was abruptly cut off by Harry slamming the book in his hands shut loudly.

"No, Hermione, it won't make me feel better. I don't want to talk about it because there is nothing to talk about. He's dead. Sirius is dead. End of story." He hadn't meant to start shouting but once he started he just kept going. "It doesn't matter what I say or who I say it to. Nothing is going to bring him back. He's gone forever and it's all-" He stopped short as Hermione and Ron looked at him with reproachful eyes.

"It's all what, Harry?" Her voice had become suddenly quiet and meek, as she moved closer to him.

"It doesn't matter." Harry said equally quietly as he threw the book on the bed opposite his own and sat down.

"Yes it does Harry because it wasn't your fault." Ron spoke from the doorway. He had meant his comment to be comforting but instead it simply enraged Harry.

"I thought you were leaving." Harry snapped at him. Ron looked thunderstruck and Hermione just looked worried. When neither one of the moved, Harry rolled over and lay on his side facing the wall, "So go. Leave already."

Slowly, Hermione walked back to the door and hugged Ron, who looked at though Harry had just kicked him in the stomach. They looked soberly at Harry's back, then turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. He listened to their footsteps as they walked down the stairs and out the front hall, leaving Harry alone with himself once again.

Dinner that night had been very quiet, and the next night had been even worse as Harry refused to speak to anyone. The routine continued until the night before school as Harry was packing his things. Mrs. Weasley came in, silently helping him pack his belongings and then, after a long pause, she spoke in a soft motherly tone.

"We'll be leaving bright and early in the morning. Since it's just you and Ginny, myself and Remus will take you to the Platform." She was silent for a moment, and then sat on the edge of Harry bed beckoning him to sit beside her. He obeyed without argument and sat down beside her. "Harry, I know you must be going through a lot. Sirius meant a lot you, I realize that now. I know it might have seemed like Sirius and I were at each others throats some, all right most of the time," she paused here because she heard Harry snort with amusement. "We did care for each other. Even when we did clash, we both knew we would get through it because we always had one thing in common."

She looked at Harry who was now having a very hard time controlling his tears. He suddenly couldn't help himself, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it.

"What did you have in common?" He looked down at his hands, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice but failing miserably.

"Oh, Harry, isn't it obvious?" She asked sweetly as she pulled Harry into a warm embrace. "We both loved you, very much. We both still do. Nothing will ever change that." Harry finally relaxed against Mrs. Weasley and wrapped his arms around her. She held him tightly, and kissed the top of his head while Harry tried to pull his emotional wall back up because Molly's talk had knocked it to pieces.

"You get some sleep now Harry, we've got a busy morning tomorrow." She broke away and kissed him good night before turning and leaving the room. Harry sat on the bed long after Mrs. Weasley had left him, suddenly feeling very alone. He rolled onto his back, propped his head up with the pillow and stared at the ceiling. His eyes began to grow heavy and were just about to give into their weight when he heard a hand on the door knob. Sleep immediately left him as he grabbed his wand from the bedside table and aimed it at the door. It slowly opened and a little red haired girl popped her head in through the opening.

"Ginny," Harry breathed with a sigh of relief and slight annoyance. "What are you doing in here?" She didn't answer but instead entered soundlessly and closed the door behind her. As she walked closer Harry tried to make out her face in the darkness. She had grown up quite a bit but still looked scrawny and fragile. Her face was sweet though and her hair hung loose around her shoulders in thick curls. Her dull lavender pajamas looked absolutely huge on her, as they had once belonged to Mrs. Weasley.

"What are you doing in here, Ginny?" He asked again but this time he wasn't annoyed, but actually a little happy. Out of everyone, Ginny had been the one person who hadn't pushed Harry to talk. She had played Wizards Chess with him several times and had even asked for help with her holiday assignments once or twice but other than that, she had respected Harry's desire to keep to himself. Now, she stood before him and he was suddenly wishing she would ask him to talk to her about it.

She pushed Harry over a little bit and got into the covers beside him. She was warm and comforting, making Harry feel at ease almost instantly. She suddenly turned on her side to face him and as Harry did the same she leaned in to kiss him. He was startled at first and moved back from her. Harry looked at her deep brown eyes and felt every worry and every fear melt inside of his body and leave him. Harry leaned forward and this time it was Ginny's turn to back away. They both smiled nervously, and then just gave up. Harry turned and laid on his back and instinctively Ginny cuddled next to him and rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. They were quiet for a long time before finally Ginny broke the silence.

"I'm sorry Harry," he voice was full of concern, but not pity, and carried with it a warm loving tone. "Talk to me." Harry did know if it was a demand or a request, but he didn't care. As soon as he opened his mouth, every bad feeling and every fear that had plagued his mind all summer came tumbling out of his mouth. His fear about facing Voldemort and failing. Of letting everyone down. Of losing everyone his was close to. Of dying. Then he talked about the night Cedric died, and how Dumbledore had risked his own life to save Harrys' when Voldemort attacked him in the Ministry. Finally, as the tears rolled continuously down Harry's cheeks, he spoke about Sirius.

"If it hadn't been for me, Sirius would never had left here. He would have been safe. He wouldn't have died. I miss him so much. He was my friend, and he understood what it was like to have to deal with so much pain. He listened to me and he cared about me. He was the closest thing I ever had to a, to a real family." Harry was half blinded by tears and trying to speak coherently through his sobs when finally he blurted out the horrible truth. A truth he had never wanted to admit to himself. "He's dead because I was stupid and arrogant. I didn't listen to Hermiones reason, or Ron, or anyone else's. I went straight into a trap and Sirius went after me. To protect me. He died because of me. It's all my fault, Ginny; it's all my fault that Sirius is dead." He closed his eyes, trying to block out the night when he saw Sirius fall through the black curtain. Trying to stop reliving the night Voldemort came back. He was distracted by the movement he felt next to him but before he could open his eyes he felt soft lips press against his own.

Harry was at first completely shocked then completely amazed. She pulled away slightly but Harry raised his head and met her lips again. This time she parted his lips slightly and their kiss grew deeper. He let a hand travel up to her face and explore the curve of her neck. She pressed her body against Harry's in a provocative way that caught him completely off guard. He finally broke away and stared up at her in awe.

"Ginny," he whispered but stopped abruptly when he heard a very loud cough, followed by a rather obvious hack. Ginny immediately pulled away from Harry who had sat straight up in his bed.

"I think that's a tad inappropriate, Young Miss." Harry stared in horror at the empty portrait frame that hung on the wall between the two beds. Ginny was still looking around absolutely puzzled.

"My apologies Phineas," Harry said to the portrait who, in turn, huffed quite a bit.

"Well, I should certainly hope so. Good night." With that there was a slight whoosh and Harry knew that Phineas Nigellus had returned to his portrait in Dumbledores Office. Harry looked at Ginny, who looked baffled.

"Phineas was a Sirius' great-great-grandfather but also a headmaster at Hogwarts. He likes to check in here every once in a while. I had forgotten about him, sorry." Ginny lay back down and Harry wrapped the blanket around them both and they were quiet for a few minutes before the humor of the situation had settled in. They both began to giggle quietly, and then fell into a fit of stifled laughter. When they had finally gotten over their smiles and were left with playful smirks, Ginny moved to get up.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her back down with him. She laughed and tried to wiggle free, but to no avail. Finally, she gave up with a sigh.

"Harry, I have to go to bed!" Harry knew she was right but was still reluctant to let go. He finally did and Ginny stood up, leaving behind the warmth of Harry's bed and crossing the cold floor.

"Wait, Ginny, can I ask you something?" He suddenly felt very foolish but knew that he needed to ask. Things hadn't gone well with Cho because she had always expected him to ask her to right question or some how read her mind. This time, he was going to play it safe. "What does this all mean? Are you my.... are we...?" Harry stopped and was squinting in the dark, trying to read Ginny's face. She walked closer to him and sat on the bed next to him.

"Harry-" she started, but then stopped herself. She took a deep breath. "Harry, you are my friend. I don't want this night to ruin that. I care about you and I always will. As for us, I mean you and me, Harry, I just-" She stopped again as Harry sat up and kissed her softly.

"Let's talk about this another time, okay? Until then, we will just be friends." Harry didn't want to hear her say no, but he wasn't sure if he wanted her to say yes either. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy having someone who cared enough to listen, not to preach. Ginny reached up, took Harry's glasses off and put them on the bedside table. Harry leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head and he caught he cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered, "just friends." She reminded him as she stood up and walked back to the door. She opened it and checked the hallway for any patrollers. When she saw that no one was there she slipped through the door and closed it silently behind her. Harry watched her go and wished that she was still there with him. He closed his eyes and remembered their kiss. He felt his lips tingle at the memory. He smiled for the third time that night and realized that this night was the happiest one he had had since he had left Hogwarts last year.

"Cheeky buggers," the empty frame mumbled in a sleepy tone. Harry snorted with laughter and turned on his side. He took a deep breath and let his body relax completely. He fell asleep soon after, feeling that maybe there was still hope for a new start back at Hogwarts.

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Mrs. Weasley had woken Harry up while it was still dark outside. He opened his eyes smiling to himself, thinking that Ginny was a much better kisser than Cho. He fumbled in the darkness for his glasses and luckily Ginny had left them right by the side of his bed. He put them on and struggled into his clothes. He threw his pajamas into the trunk and hauled it down the stairs. He could hear Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen making the breakfast, talking lively to whoever else was in there with them. He was about to go in when he stopped and checked himself out in the hall way mirror. He didn't see anything that amazed him except that he had gotten a little taller. His black hair was sticking up in every direction like he had just come off his broomstick. It was a look his father had perfect during his years at Hogwarts, but Harry wasn't sure if that was really the look it wanted. He tried to flatten his hair but stopped when he realized he wasn't doing any good.

"Bit of a lost cause, isn't it?" The mirror quipped.

"Shut up," Harry snapped back, but he felt a smile sneaking upon him.

"It doesn't look that bad." Harry turned around and saw Ginny leaning against the doorway leading to the kitchen, her hands cupped around a warm cup of tea. She walked towards him and raised a hand to ruffle his hair even more. "The scruffy look is you." She smiled and walked back into the kitchen leaving Harry blushing furiously.

"She's lying to you." The mirror murmured but Harry wasn't listening. He calmed his pulse and followed Ginny into the kitchen and the wonderful smell of bacon. As he entered Mrs. Weasley hurried over and brought him a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Remus Lupin, his old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, looked up and waved to Harry, beckoning him over. Harry took a seat across from Lupin near the crackling morning fire.

"How are you feeling this morning Harry?" Lupins asked the question offhandedly but Harry knew the intention was to let him know that he could talk to Lupin if he needed to.

"Actually, I'm feeling a lot better this morning." Harry answer with a quick glance at Ginny who seemed incredibly interested in her toast.

"I'm glad to hear that Harry. Excited about going to school?" Harry said nothing, so Lupin took his silence as a yes. "Good, good. You needn't worry about your books and other supplies because Ron and Hermione have already picked them up for you." Harry just ate his breakfast and nodded his head at he appropriate times. With the mention of school, the bottom of Harrys' stomach had fallen through.

Last night Harry had felt that he was ready to start fresh at Hogwarts but now that he was facing the train ride there, he wasn't so sure. He must have looked it because he suddenly felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Ginny smiling down at him. He blushed slightly but managed to keep it under control. She left the kitchen to finish packing and Harry returned his attention back to his breakfast. When he finally had the courage, he raised his head up slightly to see Lupin looking at him questioning.

"What?" Harry asked, trying to hide his grin.

"Nothing," Lupin said chuckling to himself, "Nothing at all." With that, there was silence the rest of the morning while Harry and Ginny got ready to leave. It wasn't until they were all packed that Harry bothered to ask how they were going to get there.

"Oh, it'll be no trouble at all really!" Mrs. Weasley said as she mussed with Harry's hair. "I've got a friend that lives right by the station so we're just going to use the Floo Network to get close enough and then just walk the rest of the way. Don't worry about your trunks though. Moody's going to go ahead and bring them up to Hogwarts himself, wants to make sure no one mess with them." Harry sighed; he was not a fan of the Floo Network.

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A quick Floo Ride and a short walk later, Lupin, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and Harry were all walking down the station towards Platform 9 3/4. They slipped through the barrier and were quickly immersed in hundreds of kids swarming around with their parents, saying their last good byes. Ginny said goodbye to her mother and Lupin, the walked off with Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Harry said a hurried goodbye, paying little attention to all of the students flooding in around him as he simply headed for the nearest empty seat on the train. As he was entering the train he saw Ron and Hermione, but he did not acknowledge them. He just quickly jumped in and began looking for an empty compartment to settle down in. After he had, he sat next to the window and pressed his forehead against the cold window pain. The train started to move after the last few stragglers were boarded, and Harry prepared himself for the train ride back to Hogwarts.

Knock, knock.

Harry looked up as he saw the door slide open and Cho stick her head in shyly. Harry tried very hard not to groan loudly and roll his eyes. He had spent less than a day thinking about the situation with Cho. Despite her age, she still had a lot of growing up to do. Harry knew that she was still grieving for the loss of Cedric, and at time he felt bad about not being as compassionate as he perhaps should have been but he couldn't help it.

As Harry looked at her now he realized that while Cho was still very beautiful, he didn't like her in 'that way' anymore. She smiled at him as she slipped inside and closed the door behind her. Harry forced a smile on his face and pointed to the seat across from him. Cho walked gracefully over and sat down, and folded her hands in her lap conservatively.

"Hi," she said her voice quiet and reserved, "So, how was your summer?" She bit her lower lip and stared hopefully at Harry. It was interesting that now she seemed as nervous as Harry used to be around her last year. As for his summer, he didn't think that Cho would understand about his depression and fear of Voldemorts return. He also didn't want her to start crying, so he decided to omit the truth about his summer.

It's wasn't great, but at least I got through it." Harry said eager to change the subject. "What did you do this summer?"

Well, my summer was great! I traveled to Italy with my family and we even stopped in states to visit New York City. I used a muggle camera and took some pictures of Broadway. It was amazing," Cho said breathlessly. She really is nice, Harry thought as he listened to Cho talk about her summer. He began to relax and enjoy the simple conversation. After almost an hour of just chit-chat, the topic turned to school and Harry brought up Quidditch.

So, you're going to play for the house team this year, aren't you?" Harry asked, smiling at the thought of getting back on his broomstick. He couldn't wait to feel the wind blow around him as he soared through the sky, weightless. He was just thinking about whether he would still play seeker or try out for Keeper, when his thoughts were interrupted.

Actually, I'm not playing this year." Cho started, and then coughed like she was trying to hold her self back, "I just can't seem to put my heart into the game since Cedric was, well, you know." She began to sniff and then the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "Oh, Harry, I miss him so much." Harry tried hard to suppress a sigh and looked out the window again. It wouldn't bother Harry so much if Cho didn't talk about Cedric as if Harry hadn't been there that night; as if Harry hadn't witnessed Cedric's murder. He stopped listening to Cho cry about Cedric and started thinking that it was going to be a long ride to Hogwarts.

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P.S. I'm looking for a beta reader so I can post chapters faster. Just e-mail me at: Hollywood_sweetie@hotmail.com