1Chapter 1

One fine summers morning, a teenage girl with flaming ginger hair woke with sunlight streaming in through her window onto her rather pale, but slightly freckled face. She yawned and stretched out like a cat waking up from its peaceful slumber. She rolled over and slowly sat up, lowering her feet gently to the floor. She stood up and walked over to her vanity, where she picked up a brush and started to make smooth strokes through her hair. She then made her way to her dresser and took out a pastel blue, thin, long sleeved shirt and laid it on her bed. She grabbed a pair of comfortable jean capris from another drawer, laying them on the bed as well. She removed her nightgown and put it into the third drawer. After she had put on the shirt and jeans, she admired herself in her mirror above the vanity before heading out of her bedroom to go downstairs for breakfast.

As she got to the spiral staircase leading to the kitchen and living area, she could smell the freshly made eggs and bacon awaiting her. Her mum, an average height woman with the same flaming red hair and deep cocoa eyes as her daughter, was at the sink, putting a charm on a medium sized pan with six strips of uncooked bacon so that they would cook themselves without her help.

"Morning, Mum," the girl said to her mother.

"Oh, Ginny dear, didn't see you there. Did you sleep well?" her mother asked.

"Very well. When will breakfast be ready?" Ginevra, who went by "Ginny," asked.

"Soon, let me just set the table and you can sit down," her mum, Molly Weasley, replied. With one flick of her thick, brown wand, the table was suddenly placed with five settings.

Ginny took a seat and sat down. Molly waved her wand again, and a glass pitcher of orange juice poured itself into each of the five cups. A giant mud-brown dog came over to Ginny and put his head in her lap.

"No, Fang, I'm not going to give you anything this time," she said, giggling.

"So I see you two aren't working today," Molly said. Ginny turned and noticed her tall, twin, red headed, older brothers coming down the stairs to join them.

"We've been working on some of our stuff at home," one of the twins, Fred, said.

"Besides, we're going in later this afternoon," the other, George, added. They both sat down. Fred and George had opened a joke shop in Diagon Alley, the place where all wizards found whatever they needed for school, home, and everywhere. Their business had made a great success so far, even though the twins had dropped out of school in their seventh year.

"You know I don't like you two working at that awful prank store," Molly scolded.

"Mum, it's a joke shop. It's not like we're smuggling prisoners from Azkaban in there," Fred snapped back.

"You'd better not be!" Molly exclaimed, shaking her wand at them. The twins sighed and scooped some food onto each of their plates. They quickly shoved spoonfuls of scrambled eggs into their mouths.

"Merlin, you two! Slow down and breathe!" Ginny exclaimed, laughing at her brothers odd eating habits.

"We've got to hurry so we can get back to working," George said with a mouth full of bacon.

"We've got a new product that we're sure will make a hit," Fred said. He swallowed. "It's just not quite ready yet."

"What's it gonna' do? Blow up the entire house this time?" Ron, the youngest brother who was still one year older than Ginny, said, rolling his eyes as he too trailed down the stairs.

"Oh, Ron, you're just jealous that you haven't found your true calling yet," George teased.

"Well, when I do, it won't be in making things that spray in people face or make someone's lips enlarge," Ron hissed sitting down next to Ginny.

Suddenly, an idea hit Fred and George. They shot up out of their chairs and dashed upstairs.

"What will I ever do with those two?" Molly questioned herself as she sat down to join Ron and Ginny. They just shrugged and continued to eat.

"I've got to get out of this bloody house."

Harry Potter had been resting on his bed all day, letting his feet dangle freely off the end since the bed was too small for him. He spent the majority of his time thinking about Ginny Weasley. How could he have been so stupid, giving her up like that? They had been going out in his sixth year, her fifth, but he had broken up with her at the end of the year. He wanted to make sure she stayed safe, after all, he would be fighting Voldemort. Everyone who he had truly cared about had been dying lately, and he didn't want anything like that happening to Ginny. Now the deed was done, the Dark Lord Voldemort was dead, and Ginny was now safe... or so he thought.

"I have to see her," he whispered. He rolled off his bed, purposely letting himself tumble onto the ground. He sat up on the cold floor and pulled out a trunk from under his bed. He quickly piled a few shirts, trousers, and undergarments into it before snapping the locks and standing up. Grabbing the handle of a his trunk in one hand, and a large brass cage containing his owl, Hedwig, in the other, took one last look and left his room.

He stomped down the hallway and down the stairs, the "thud thud thud" of his trunk becoming louder with each step.

As he reached out his hand to turn the knob on the front door, a hand grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around.

"Where the devil do you think you're going, boy?" his plump uncle stood before him. His face was beginning to redden, signaling that he was upset.

"Anywhere! Anywhere but here! I can't stand this horrid tomb you call a "house." I'm leaving and I don't plan on coming back," Harry hissed.

"Well- good! Get!" his uncle roared.

"Sweedums, what's going- oh, you," his aunt came into view from the kitchen. Harry groaned and turned for the doorknob again.

"Nice knowing you, Harry. I hope you die out there. Serves you right, you coward. Running away are we?" his pig-like cousin, Dudley, mocked coming through the doorway from the den.

I've had it! Harry thought. He dropped his trunk and yanked out his wand from his black jacket, aiming it for Dudley, emerald eyes glaring. Dudley backed up in fear.

"You... you put... put that, that thing... away this... this instant!" Uncle Vernon said, shaking by the staircase. His Aunt Petunia had already slammed the door to the kitchen and gone back in.

"Look who's the coward now," Harry sneered, and with that, he opened the door, placed his wand back in his pocket, and wandered down Privet Drive, having no clue where to go from here.

"You'll never get me now!" Ginny called. She and Ron had gone outside to play tag on their broomsticks. She had just outsmarted Ron with a brilliant front dive with a flip.

"Blimey! How do you do that, Gin!" Ron's voice echoed over the field in the Weasley's front yard.

"It's just talent, Ron, pure talent," Ginny replied, tossing a loose lock of red hair out of her face. Ron laughed and continued to try to catch her.

An hour went by... and another. Soon, it was growing dark.

The two landed their broomsticks and dismounted, still laughing from the sight of Ron nearly falling off his broom trying to catch his sister.

"That was fun, Ron. We haven't spent a day together for a while," Ginny said.

"Yeah, you girls get too many mood swings when you grow up. You're usually no fun!" Ron replied, laughing. Ginny slugged him playfully.

As they walked inside, Molly was talking to Ginny's dad, Arthur. He smiled when he saw his two youngest children.

"Evenin' dad," Ron greeted.

"How was work?" Ginny asked, hugging her father.

"Productive, surprisingly. I think I'll be getting a raise soon," Arthur said excitedly.

"Oh, dad! That's wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed. "I knew those extra raids would help."

Arthur chuckled.

"Well, gotta' go get cleaned up. That really is good news, dad. I hope you're right about it!" Ron said, then dashed up the stairs. Ginny followed.

Molly waited before Ginny and Ron were both out of hearing range before she spoke.

"Are you sure, Arthur? The Ministry of Magic has been wrong before."

"Positive. They say his whereabouts are somewhere north of Bristol," Arthur replied.

"I just am still getting over the fact that he's back. I thought Harry got rid of him last year."

Arthur stood from his seat and placed his hands on Molly's shoulders.

"Oh, Mollywobbles, we just need to face the fact that it's true and he has returned. And believe me, I thought he was dead as well. But apparently we were both wrong."

"I'm just- scared, Arthur. I don't want harm to come to this family, and most importantly, you," Molly said, tears starting to swell up in her cocoa eyes. Her loving husband wrapped his arms around her, giving her the hug that she needed for a while now.

"It will be all right, dear, just wait and see."

DING DONG

Ginny went to get the door later that evening with her hair wrapped up in a towel, wet from the shower she had just finished taking. She opened the door.

"Harry!"