Chapter 9: At the Burrow
Harry apparated with Hermione almost silently into Ron and Ginny's garden for the first time in over five years. At first glance, little had changed except that Ginny had replaced several of the flowerbeds that surrounded the area. Also noticeable was the absence of the Garden Gnomes that used to peep from their burrows under the Rhododendron bushes planted along the garden's wall.
"Hermione are you sure...we're not too early?" He asked a little apprehensively catching her by the shoulder as they made their way onto the back porch of the Burrow.
"Harry, Ron may still be laid up in bed, but if Ginny isn't up yet then I'll be surprised." answered Hermione giving Harry a comforting look. "And no we are not too early."
"Are you sure, because it is still a little early and...there is no need for me to be hexed this early in the morning after all afternoons are much better for me."
"Ginny will not hex you for showing up on her doorstep at nine in the morning, especially not for coming to apologize!" She said a little exasperated at Harry's nervousness. "Now if you were to pull a repeat of last night then..."
Hermione let Harry finish off the sentence however; he liked inside his head and began to knock softly on the door. From within the house they could here the shuffling of bare feet padding across the wood floor of the kitchen as a petite frame began to come into view through the curtained window of the door.
Ginny pushed back the curtain slightly and was shocked to see Hermione standing there with...Harry. She threw open the door, gave Hermione a quick hug and watched Harry from the corner of her eye.
"Hermione...Harry, what brings you here?" She asked still watching Harry's nervous movements.
"Harry...ouch...we were hoping to talk with you and Ron." Hermione started then corrected when Harry poked her stiffly in the ribs with his finger.
"Ron is still asleep as usual, though he should be up shortly, he said something about going into Ottery St. Catchpole today, but you're welcome to come in and wait."
Ginny stood back to allow Hermione and Harry to come into the kitchen/dining area and headed over to the small stove. She brought over coffee and a plate of toast while they found a seat at the table, Harry a little further back from the girls as if they may turn their wands on him for his actions last night.
"Harry, Ginny is not going to hex you!" Hermione said sounding upset at Harry's apparent over nervousness.
At Hermione's statement, Ginny turned to look at Harry surprised about what had been the cause of his nervousness.
"Harry," She began softly. "I'm not going to hex you if that's what you think."
Ginny moved around the table and sat down next to Harry taking his hands in hers.
"You never made me angry, Harry, no look at me!" She continued pulling his head up to face her when he tried to look away. "I love you, Harry and what happened last night wasn't you talking it was that stupid potion I shouldn't have let you drink."
"None of should have let you drink it, Harry, and I shouldn't have even suggested giving it to you." Hermione added sincerely.
"I wanted to come and find you after you apparated away, but Ron wouldn't let me."
"You wouldn't have been able to." Harry said quietly holding Ginny's hands tightly and running his thumbs over her knuckles. "I've made most of Godric's Hollow Unplottable now that no one, but me lives in the area."
"Ron told me you had probably done that and that's why he wouldn't let me go off running around Wales last night looking for you." said Ginny releasing one of hands so she could run her fingers through his already messy hair.
Suddenly Harry leaned forward and captured her lips with his causing another burst of fireworks to go off inside her head as it did the day before in the Three Broomsticks.
"I'm sorry, Ginny." Harry whispered pulling her into his arms.
"Don't be, Harry, it wasn't you last night." She answered wiping away a single tear that had rolled down Harry's cheek.
Good morning...err...Ginny?" Ron stopped when he entered the kitchen looking at Hermione who was sitting at the end of the table visibly trying not to intrude in the moment that was going on between Harry and Ginny by glancing through the Daily Prophet and then he looked at the couple questionably.
"Ron, Harry and I came by to talk with you and Ginny about last night." Hermione said standing up and moving towards Ron who was still confused. "Ron?" She asked tapping him on the shoulder.
"Ron jumped out of his daze at Hermione's touch."Sorry, I wasn't expecting...what are you two doing here?"
"I've told you once already, Ron, but you were not listening. We came by to talk something over with you and Ginny."
Ron nodded and plopped down in the chair that Mr. Weasley used to sit when Harry visited in the past, grabbed a couple pieces of toast and began munching away, waiting for Hermione to start speaking knowing that Harry would not do it first.
"Ginny, Ron," Hermione began looking at Harry first who was once again studying the floor then at Ginny and back at Ron. "Harry was waiting for me earlier this morning when I came downstairs for breakfast and we had a quick talk about last night and what he wanted to do and I suggested something to him that maybe we all could do to help."
"Count me in, Harry." Ginny answered retaking Harry's hand, causing him to look up and smile, before hearing what Hermione wanted of them.
Ron, however, was still just looking at Hermione waiting to hear exactly what was wanted of him.
"We talked it over," Hermione continued looking more at Ron than Ginny, knowing he was the one to convince. "We decided it would be good for all of us, especially Harry, to see some kind of therapist."
"A what? One of those Muggle doctors that charge you by the hour to not really listen to your problems or what you have to say?" Ron asked flabbergasted. "No, you can count me out. I've got better things to do than sit around some dingy, dark office talking to someone I don't know and paying them for it!"
"You know, Ron, you have the emotional range of a burnt stick!" Hermione retorted sounding angry at Ron's lack of interest. "No, Ronald, not a Muggle therapist, but one at St. Mungo's!"
"Well...now I...you see...it's just...I didn't know you meant a Healer." He sputtered under Hermione's glare. "But you know...I still...err...don't want...to waste a day-"
"Waste a day?" She nearly screamed standing up and pointing at Harry. "Ron we are talking about one of our closest friends, your best mate, not a pet!"
"Hermione, if he doesn't want to do then it doesn't matter." Harry said trying to abate her anger.
"It does matter, Harry! We spent eight years together before you went away on your own and now he's acting as if none of it mattered to him!" She said now pointing at Ron.
"I never said it didn't matter!" Ron spoke up turning red in the face. "I just said I didn't like the idea of hanging around in a hospital for a whole day for no reason!"
"I think this our cue to leave for a little while." Ginny whispered in Harry's ear standing, tugging him up and leading him to the door. At the door, she slid her feet into a pair of open heeled trainers and pulled him out onto the back porch.
Harry reached out and took Ginny's hand, weaving his fingers with hers, as she walked toward a path leading into the woods, which he knew led to the Weasley's pond a short walk in. Ginny looked over at Harry when he took her hand, smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek as they followed the wooded path, leaving the sound of Ron and Hermione's bickering behind.
"I see they still like to argue with one another." Harry said after a few moments of silent walking.
"Of course, Harry." Ginny answered tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They aren't going to stop until Ron gets the nerve to make a move or Hermione gets tired of waiting."
"You would think by now that she would be tired of waiting for him to speak up."
"Hermione is, but she's stubborn and old fashioned."
"Meaning what?" He asked watching the morning sunlight glint sparks of fire off her hair.
"She wants him to make the first move and she is going to stand firm on her belief that the guy should make the first move."
The path opened up into a sunlit clearing where the pond was set almost into the center of a wide grassy field dotted here and there with wildflowers. On the edge of the pond closest to them was a short pier that Harry remembered was the place where he was taught how to fish by Mr. Weasley and spent many hot summer days with Ron, Hermione, Ginny and sometimes the twins, Fred and George, cooling off in the pond's refreshing water.
Ginny led Harry over to the pier, still holding hands and took a seat on the edge, Harry dangling his feet over the edge while Ginny kicked her shoes to the side and sat next to him Indian style.
"I remember coming out here and really feeling like a Weasley family member, just being able to forget what I was prophesized to do and what type of family I had back home." Harry said after several more moments of silence between them.
"Harry, Mum and dad always thought of you as their son when you were here. I remember she would coddle you just like one of us, but you never complained you just let her fuss over you while the rest of us tried to escape." replied Ginny with a small smile.
"I actually enjoyed being treated that way by your Mum. It made me feel...loved and wanted."
Ginny leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss, pulled him into a hug and laid his head in her lap where she began to run her fingers through his hair. Silence fell between the two again as Ginny continued to play with Harry's hair while he looked out over the pond where tendrils of fog were slowly rising into the morning air as the sun rose higher into the sky.
"I just remembered the last time we were out here." Ginny spoke up suddenly with a laugh. "It was the summer before my seventh year. Fred and George grabbed you between them and began swinging you back and forth and tossed you from here out into the water-"
Harry rolled onto his back and looked up into her chocolate brown eyes as laughter took away her voice momentarily, knowing exactly what day she was referring to, which caused him to blush.
"They swung you out into the water, but...Fred kept hold of your...shorts and in you went...starkers!" She lay back on the pier as laughter once again took her voice away. "You hopped out of the water, back onto the pier and had no idea...what they had done and when you finally did...realize it...I can still see your expression... not to mention your-"
"OK, I remember that as clear as crystal." Harry said cutting her off, rising out of her lap and lying down next to her. "I really didn't need to have the tale retold to me."
Ginny rolled to her side facing Harry trying to stifle the last of her giggles at the serious look on his face. He reached up and slowly tucked the loose hair around her face behind her ear and leaned in kissing her softly, deepening the kiss with each touch of their lips. Once again Ginny felt as though an explosion of fireworks had gone off inside her head as Harry kissed her deeper and deeper. She reached up and pulled herself closer to Harry wanting to feel closer contact between their bodies.
"I'm sorry, Ginny." Harry said abruptly breaking the kiss and sitting up. "I didn't mean to...be that forceful."
"Harry," said Ginny sitting up herself and taking his face in her hands. "It's OK; if I didn't want you to kiss me that way then I never would have let you."
"It's just that...I...love you Ginny...and..."
"Harry, I know you do, but you need to relax a little and just let your feelings show and not bottle them away."
"I'm trying, Ginny, but I've...never had anyone to...well...show them to."
"I know that too, Harry, but you have someone now. Someone who has wanted your love for a long time."
Harry smiled and pulled Ginny to a standing position when he got to his own feet. He pulled her into a hug and gave her one more soft kiss and let her lead the way back to the Burrow once again hand in hand.
"It sounds as though the storm has passed in there for now." Ginny said when they entered the garden.
Harry nodded and laughed softly as they made their way onto the back porch and into the kitchen. Harry looked around the kitchen expecting to see Hermione and Ron, but they were nowhere in sight.
He and Ginny made their way through the Burrow and were about to enter the sitting room when they spotted Ron and Hermione wrapped in a tight embrace.
"I see his technique hasn't changed much." Harry whispered causing Ginny to clap her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing aloud.
"Come on, we'll wait for them in the kitchen. Oh, when Fred and George find out they are going to have a field day with him." whispered Ginny leading the way back to the kitchen.
"I take it that you haven't let them know about the prank you pulled on them then?"
"No, but they are going to take the mickey out of him for that too."
Harry laughed about the thoughts of what the twins may do to Ron when they were told the news of Ron and Hermione.
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Harry, they'll get you too for dating me because like it or not you are stuck with me." She added with a playful smile.
Harry sobered a little, but continued to laugh knowing what she said was true on both counts and he was quite glad to be stuck with her finally and for the first time in over five years felt at peace.