A/N: So, part III of their summer begins, this chapter chronicling Harry and Lily's two weeks with the Weasleys. Plenty of Harry/Ron and Lily/Ginny interactions this chapter. This chapter takes place at the same time as part II.

Chapter 21 1992 Summer Part III

They stepped through the flames following Molly Weasley, and when they tumbled out the other end, they entered a vastly different environment to the one they'd left behind. The sitting room of the Burrow was a riot of all manner of colors, interspersed with a wide range of mismatched furniture. Their luggage wasn't there either, leading both Harry and Lily to frown, but then they quickly realized that Molly probably whisked their things away to their temporary rooms. They weren't alone upon entering the Burrow either, for Molly was there, obviously, as were Ron and Percy as well. The two boys were playing a game of chess, and from the looks of things, Ron was winning quite handily against his supposedly-smarter older brother. Percy was sporting all manner of confused looks, by contrast Ron looked quite comfortable and totally in his element. His broad grin at his favorable positioning on the board only grew wider when he saw Harry and Lily come stumbling out of the fireplace line-astern.

"Harry! Lily!" Ron exclaimed, leaping up from his chair and quite nearly toppling the board between himself and Percy in the process.

"Ron!" they both greeted in unison, Harry wearing a wide grin, and Lily a polite smile.

Ron's swift dash towards them came to a halt a meter away from them, his arms had been extended outwards as if to hug them, but he'd seemingly thought better of it. "Hiya guys, erm—where's your birds?"

"Hedwig looked as though she wanted to fly here, so I released her a few hours ago," Harry explained.

"Yeah, same with Alain, though he should get here a little before Hedwig I'd think, he's pretty quick," Lily added.

Ron nodded in understanding. "Right…right. Well, welcome to my home, this uh—we call it the Burrow. It isn't much…but it's home," he said calmly.

"I think it's brilliant," said Harry, gazing around at the homely room they found themselves in.

Ron smiled in response, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah—I'm a huge fan of the aesthetic," Lily added, also smiling. "My old room back in Coke—erm, I mean in my quarters at Hogwarts is kinda like this, a whole riot of color. I like it."

"Oh, really?" Ron asked in surprise. "Well…perhaps you're a very distant relative of ours? That'd explain our shared tastes," he joked.

Lily laughed and shook her head. "I doubt it."

Before Ron could say anything more, Molly and Percy had come over. "Ronald, perhaps you can show Harry and Lily to their rooms? I'll have lunch prepared in a few minutes dears, it shan't be long now."

"Okay mum, will do," said Ron to Molly.

"Um—missus Weasley," Lily said hesitantly. "Are mine and Harry's bags already in our rooms or—"

"Don't you worry dears, they're all settled already. Now why don't you have a quick tour of the house and come back down for lunch in a few minutes, okay? Ron would be most happy to give you all a quick tour."

Harry and Lily both nodded at the Weasley matron, who smiled back at them and then bustled off towards the kitchen to prepare their lunch.

"Erm—right, I don't think you've properly met Percy yet, have you, Lily?" Ron asked, to which Lily shook her head and turned to the third-eldest Weasley.

Percy was by far the tallest of the group, much taller than his fairly-lanky younger brother Ron, and he seemed to carry an air of casual confidence—almost supremacy, about him. He gave Lily a tight-lipped, but seemingly genuine smile; one which Lily returned in far greater measure with her trademark, toothy grin.

"Miss Berg—"

"—Oh, sod that, just Lily is fine, please," Lily cut across him flippantly.

Percy blinked in surprise, then nodded just once in acquiescence. "Very well then, Lily. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Likewise, Percy, it's wonderful to meet you too," said Lily, also smiling back at him, though not without a slight, rosy tint on her cheeks. Her minor blush didn't escape Harry's notice, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Alright then," said Percy nodding in response. "Well…considering that mum's tasked you with showing your friends around, I say we conclude our game as a draw, Ron."

Ron smirked at his older brother, but didn't laugh. "A draw it is then. Well, that'd make it two wins for me and one draw, on the day," he said cockily.

Percy's eye twitched in irritation but he didn't say anything more on the matter. Usually, he got swept cleanly at chess by his prodigally-gifted, youngest brother. To salvage a draw, even under dubious circumstances was something he'd accept with open arms any day of the week.

"Before I go, a word of advice, steer clear of the twins, and—erm, do try to keep on my mother's good side, you don't want to see what she's like when she's angry."

Percy left the room then, letting his…cryptic warning hang in the air. Harry and Lily didn't have much time to ponder Percy's words for Ron already started ushering them towards the stairs.

"Right—err, well don't bother with that, please follow me and I'll give you the tour," Ron said awkwardly.

Harry and Lily nodded and gestured for Ron to lead on. Up first on Ron's agenda was a quick tour of the ground floor, the sitting room, kitchen, downstairs bath and study in all. Next, they headed for the stairs and ascended to the second floor. Ron brought his two friends to Ginny's room first and knocked on the door. They received no verbal response, nothing except for the sound of feet shuffling against hardwood before the door swung open, revealing the youngest Weasley standing in the frame.

"What is it Ron, can't you—oh…" Ginny's eyes flew wide with alarm as she spotted the boy stood just behind Ron, the boy who gave her a tentative wave and smile. She entirely ignored the other redheaded girl as her eyes trained firmly on Harry—a blush as bright as her hair creeping up her freckled cheeks.

"R-Ron, what're you—"

"—I'm showing Lily to her room," said Ron, gesturing at the girl stood beside her. "You saw her bags appear a few minutes ago, didn't you?"

Ginny nodded mutedly, her gaze shifting away from Harry to the girl stood next to him, who was a little taller than him and with the same, bright green eyes Harry had.

"Hello," Lily said in greeting, giving an awkward, little half-wave. "I take it you're Ginny?"

Ginny nodded; her smile bright as her beet-red blush receded from her cheeks. "So, you must be Lily."

Lily smiled back. "Yeah. Erm—sorry to put you out like this, but—"

"Oh! No, don't worry about it, please c'mon in," said Ginny, quickly ducking out of the doorframe to leave space for Lily to come past.

Lily smiled graciously at the Weasley girl and swiftly walked past her into the room.

"I—um, I think you'll be able to handle it from here, right Gin?" Ron said awkwardly, shifting on his feet from just beyond the doorway.

Ginny nodded confidently, and, eyeing Harry one last time, blushed again, then shut the door in their faces. Lily barely had enough time to get out of the way before the door slammed on her backside.

"Sorry about that," Ginny muttered, sounding annoyed. "My brother can be a bit of a boar at times…I hope he hasn't been too dreadful so far—"

"—Oh, not at all," Lily said quickly, trying to assuage the younger girl's concerns. "Erm…actually, he's been nice. Percy's been nice too."

"That doesn't sound like Ron," said Ginny skeptically.

Lily only shrugged in response. She glanced around the room, noting that it was rather small, but what it lacked in size it more than made up for in terms of character. There was a banner of a wizarding band known as the Weird Sisters on one wall, on another, a picture of Gwenog Jones, the captain of the all-female Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team. There was a medium-sized wardrobe to the side of the room, next to a desk and chair set just beneath a window. To the other side of the desk, and facing the wardrobe across it, was a bed and campbed just adjacent to it.

"Nice room," Lily complimented, silently thinking of her own room back home in Cokeworth. In place of Ginny's Holyhead Harpies poster with Gwenog Jones as the centerpiece, she had a poster of her childhood crush, James Hunt. And in place of Ginny's Weird Sister's banner, she had one of The Beatles.

"Thanks," Ginny said with a smile. "Erm—I don't mind staying on the campbed, so if you want to kip up on the normal one, then—"

"Oh, no, please no. This is your room, I'll be just fine on the campbed Ginny, please," Lily insisted.

Ginny raised a brow, then shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself then," she said in a carefree tone.

Ginny flopped down on her bed and Lily sat down on her's after dragging her luggage to the base of the bed. While the two girls chatted, Ron showed Harry to his room, giving his best friend a brief run-down of all the rooms they chanced upon along the way. Harry and Lily settled into their rooms, unpacking their things into the space allotted to them by Ron and Ginny respectively. After settling into their rooms and starting on their packing, they hear the call for lunch from downstairs and hastily make their way down to the kitchen. Once there, they're treated to a homely meal prepared by Molly, and begin to learn little bits and pieces about the Weasleys home life. The twins are out visiting a friend, and Arthur is still fast asleep in his room after a tiring night at the Ministry, so chatter at the table is light and easy without the twins' rambunctiousness. Harry couldn't help but notice throughout the meal that Ginny was scarcely able to maintain eye-contact with him. And whenever Ginny was looking at him, and he returned her stare, she'd blush like a beet and quickly avert her gaze.

After lunch, Molly ushers all her children out of the kitchen to go do as they please. For Percy, that means continuing his studies in pursuit of another clean sheet of Os next year. For Ginny, Ron, Harry and Lily though, the warmth of the mid-day sun is too alluring a call to pass up, so they head outside into the summer noontime sunshine. The boys and girls group up in pairs and split off from one another as soon as they exited the house. Harry and Ron heading for the garden, around the back of the house, while Ginny showed Lily the way to the Orchard. Ginny showed Lily the various fruits and vegetables that Molly cultivated behind the house, telling her that they grew most of their own fruits and vegetables and reared their own chickens.

"Mum usually deals with the chickens herself, and—erm, we help with the other stuff," Ginny explained, gesturing animatedly to the land around her.

"Do you use the chickens for meat?" Lily asked curiously.

"Nah, on occasion we do but that's pretty rare. Usually just for eggs, and as I said, my mum usually deals with them. I help with looking after the veggies and degnoming the garden too."

Lily cocked her head sideways. "Degnoming? What's degnoming?"

Ginny blinked slowly in surprise, her brief expression of confusion quickly paving the way for a toothy grin. "You haven't heard?" she asked, playing up her surprise. "Oh, it's amazing I tell you. You see, there's these gnomes in the ground and you've gotta hoist 'em up to about waist height, and then fling them over the hedgerow and out of the yard! It really is quite fun and you should definitely try it out some time!"

Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't know, Ginny, but something tells me that it's all rather dull and you're trying to set me up," she muttered lowly.

"And what makes you say that?" Ginny challenged, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Because you're a piss-quality actor, that's why," Lily sniped back.

To her surprise, Ginny didn't bite back with a retort of her own; her grin widened some more and a look of sheepishness crept up on her features. "Alright, alright, you got me, but I thought I had you convinced for a second," she chuckled.

Lily grinned in response and shook her head. "You had an ice cube's chance in hell of that," she said pompously. "My best friend is a pretty good actor, so I've got a pretty good sense of if something is truly genuine, or if it's cow dung."

Ginny had made her way over to the base of a tree and plonked herself down at the base. Lily followed her and sat beside her against the trunk.

"So—you're friends with Potter, right?" Ginny asked warily.

"I am, he's one of my best friends—," and my son, sort of, but that's just weird, "—he—uh, I'm sure you know, but Professor Dumbledore is our guardian, and he's Sev's guardian too."

"Sev?" Ginny echoed. "Do you mean Severus?"

"Yeah, that's him," Lily affirmed. She gave a little sigh at the mere thought of her friend, who at the moment would be halfway across the country from her in Aberdeen, settling into a week spent with Professor McGonagall. "He's my best friend, but—erm, don't call him Sev, he only lets me call him that."

Ginny nodded slowly. "Ron's told me a bit about him. He's not the best when it comes to writing home…but mum's shared his letters with me from time to time and he's written about all three of you in most of his letters." Ginny paused, licking her lips slowly, then saying; "As a matter of fact…he speaks quite highly of you."

"As he should, speaking highly of me is the least I'd expect," Lily replied without missing a beat.

The two girls didn't take long to descend into laughter after that, Lily's quip setting them both off into chortles and giggles.

"And from the way I see things…" Lily went on, having recovered from her laughter, "I think you might just have a little crush on—"

Ginny shot Lily a heated glare, which when coupled with her flushed, freckled cheeks, really took the bite out of it. "And you don't?" she challenged.

"Me? On Harry?" Lily asked, incredulous. "Absolutely not, he's my friend, and no, I would never have a crush on him, not in a million years."

Yuck…just thinking about that makes me feel sick. Merlin, that's disgusting.

"So…you don't have a crush on Harry?"

Lily shot Ginny an icy glare, one which caused the younger redhead to flush even more and duck her gaze. "No, Ginny, absolutely not, not in a million years. He's just a friend and that's all he'll ever be to me." Even though technically we're related and he's another version of me's son. "But from the looks of things…and believe me, there are plenty of signs I've seen…I think you've got a teensy bit of a crush for him, don't you Ginny?"

As if Harry's widely-grinning, bespectacled face suddenly materialized in the air behind Lily's shoulder, Ginny's flushed an even deeper red than before. She needn't speak for Lily to know her answer.

"Hey that's okay, you know? It's not anything to be ashamed of," Lily muttered soothingly, causing the younger girl to look up at her, her blush receding.

"Loads of girls like Harry Potter," Ginny muttered despondently. "I'm…more surprised at the fact that you don't, to be honest. Have you not read his books?"

Lily smiled abashedly and shook her head. "I can't say I have. We're just friends, I can't ever see him in that way, y'know?"

Ginny's eyebrows rose in challenge. "So, who do you see in that way, then?"

Lily's mind immediately pictured a redheaded, spectacled boy several years older than her, but she bit her lip and shook her head firmly, hoping to Merlin she wasn't blushing. "Absolutely no one," she said with false-certainty.

If Ginny was skeptical of Lily's firm reply, she didn't say anything.

On the other side of the Burrow, Ron was busy introducing Harry to the wonderful art of degnoming. Of course, wonderful was a subjective term for the activity, but the novelty still hadn't worn off for Harry so he seemed to be enjoying himself in any case as he flung the diminutive creatures out of the garden. Ron went through the motions far more fluidly than Harry, but there was no disguising the fact that he was growing rather bored of the activity only a few minutes in. Harry was beginning to understand why, though, for he could easily envision an activity such as this tiring him out after a while. Especially if he had to do it once every two weeks like Ron mentioned. Ron heaved a sigh, digging his fingers into the dirt in search of a gnome. Finding one, he ignored the diminutive creature's wails of complaint as he heaved it over the hedgerow and into the forest.

"Merlin, this stuff gets boring after a while," he huffed tiredly. "I hope your summer's been better than this, Harry."

Harry spared Ron a glance, not wanting to make his friend feel bad about himself, he said; "It's been alright, I guess. Just boring really, I've been stuck at the castle these past three weeks and hardly done anything." Harry bent his knees and plunged his hands into the dirt, reaching a gnome and hurling it over the hedge.

At that, Ron cocked a brow, before repeating the process and diving his hands earthwards. "I though you mentioned you were studyin'?" He paused, huffed, and chucked another gnome away. "Weren't you doing loads of that?"

"I was," Harry answered readily. "But—eh, it's been tricky, though Albus gave me this new book which is pretty neat. I'm planning on reading it these next few weeks then loaning it out to Lily and Severus to have a look at it afterwards."

"Severus," Ron said, catching onto that. The redhead's brows knitted, and he placed his dirtied hands on his hips. "What's he up to? He's got some other arrangement, right? Mum never mentioned, only said that we'd be hosting you and Lily…"

"Yeah, he's got another arrangement," said Harry. "It's not exactly my place to say however."

"So, you know who Severus is staying with then?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "I do. But as I said, it's not my place to say and Severus can tell you on his own time if he feels like it." He silently entertained the thought of one day Lily and Severus deciding to reveal the origins of their presence in their world. As it stood, only Harry himself, and the faculty knew about them; but Harry hoped that someday down the line they'd feel comfortable enough to tell their friends about it too. Ron gave his friend an odd look and then reached back down into the dirt in search of another gnome, Harry doing the same moments later.

After finishing their degnoming of the garden, Ron continued to show Harry around the property for the rest of the early afternoon. Ginny and Lily were doing much the same, though the two pairings rarely crossed paths with one another. Even the mere sight of Harry in the distance was enough to render Ginny a blushing, incoherent mess; Lily couldn't help but sigh internally whenever that happened. At about three o'clock, the two groups headed back inside, though they still were separated from one another. Privately, Lily's mind was hard at working scheming various ways to bring Harry and Ginny closer together over the next two weeks. Merlin knew it would do well for the girl to get over her raging crush on Harry—who she still very much saw as the eponymous Boy-Who-Lived. They remained indoors for the rest of the afternoon, an afternoon of flying was quickly snubbed by a late-afternoon downpour, relegating the four children to spend the rest of the day inside. Harry found himself roped into a game of chess with Ron; Ron predictably wiped the floor with Harry, not that that was a surprise to anyone. Lily found herself on the receiving end of an enthused lecture about the magical world's musicians from Ginny, who in turn was educated on the wonders of late 60s and early 70s music from the Muggle world.

By the end of the day, Lily could comfortably say that she knew a whole lot more about Magical music, Ginny could say the same about Muggle music, and Harry's opinion that his chess skills were woefully lacking were further reinforced. Ron was perhaps the only one of the foursomes who came away surer of his convictions—particularly his supremacy at chess. Harry and Lily didn't dwell on their newfound revelations long though, for the twins soon returned and Arthur woke up just in time for dinner. It was obvious to Harry and Lily straightaway that Mister Weasley was a kind man who cared deeply for his family. Despite his fatigue—evident in the bags under his eyes and the weariness he seemed to carry with every movement, Harry and Lily would soon come to learn that he was incredibly interested in the all aspects of the Muggle world. But unfortunately for Arthur, he didn't stay long and flooed away to the Ministry of Magic for the night shift. Dinner concluded a short while after, with the various Weasleys minus Arthur dispersing around the house to go about their evening.

Adjusting to staying at the Burrow wasn't all that difficult for Harry and Lily. Sure, there were some quirks that took some getting used to, the Weasleys' odd way of going about certain tasks, and Molly's well-meaning, but at times overbearing nature. Their family-first attitude and willingness to make them feel welcome in their home was something that Harry and Lily could easily get behind, though. Harry, predictably, spent most of his time with Ron and occasion the twins tagged along as well. Not wanting to leave Ginny out, Lily mostly stuck with the youngest Weasley, the two girls bonding over their shared love of music and potions. As it turned out, Ginny was quite the avid flyer, practicing on her older brothers' brooms whenever she had the time while they were away at school. With no one policing her during the school year, she'd turned into quite the flyer, and she reckoned that she was better than at least her youngest brother. Unfortunately for Ginny, any attempts at asking Lily to fly with her were quickly shot down. For whatever reason, the older girl seemed deathly afraid of going anywhere near a broom, let along flying on one.

A few days into their stay, Harry and Ron were just heading out of the house towards the broom shed. The balmy sunshine, gusty winds, and the absence of clouds meant that today was as good a day as ever for an afternoon of flying about. In the five days since Harry and Lily arrived at the Burrow, they'd been cursed with torrential rain every single afternoon, with the promise of warm weather and clear skies, both Harry and Ron were tremendously eager to mount their brooms and take to the skies.

"Harry, has erm—has Dumbledore talked to you much about who our new Professor will be next year?" Ron asked curiously as the two boys neared the shed.

Harry pursed his lips together and shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't got a clue. I'm just hoping that they're better than Quirrell to be honest."

Ron regarded him with a wry smile. "That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"

"I'd hope so," Harry said with a smile of his own.

They reached the shed then, and Ron pulled open the door. He traipsed inside in search of his Comet 260, while Harry remained outside clutching his Nimbus 2000. He came out a moment later, dusting some cobwebs off his broom as he held it up to the light for inspection. Deeming it suitable, the boys mounted their brooms and kicked off into the air. Ron led Harry around to the back of the Burrow towards the orchard, whereupon they settled into a lazy orbit above.

"So…have you given much thought about what next year'll be like?" Harry asked, as the two boys settled on their brooms.

"I haven't, if I'm being honest. Kinda just been taking it easy, really," said Ron. "Ginny'll be coming next year, so I'll have to look out for her, I guess…but other than that I think it'll be much the same as last year."

Harry nodded pensively, his expression morphing to a slight frown. "Speaking of Ginny, I've been meaning to ask you…have I done something to upset her?" he asked nervously. "She's been—"

"She's not usually like this," Ron said quickly, in defense of his sister. "But—err—she's got a bit of a crush on you, as I've said before…so she's usually a lot livelier and, well, chatty, than she's been recently."

Harry cracked a wry smile. "Yeah, Lily told me the other day that she spotted numerous 'Harry Potter' themed books in her room."

"Well to be fair…Ginny was born right at the height of Potter-mania," Ron pointed out, having been educated by his older brothers on the subject. "Mum and dad fell for the Harry Potter mania going on at the time, mum especially since it brought about the end of the war. So, with Ginny coming into the world, and mum loving all things to do with Harry Potter, she ended up buying the whole set and reading them to Ginny from young." Ron cracked a wry smile then and shrugged his shoulders. "Certainly didn't help matters that Ginny absolutely loved every second of it either."

Harry had to bite down on his lip to resist the temptation to point out that his childhood was very different from what was described in the 'Harry Potter Anthologies', as they were titled. Harry Potter as a young boy didn't slay dragons, nor did he rescue damsels in distress or defeat a dime-a-dozen Dark Wizards. Harry Potter lived quite a different life with his aunt and uncle, a life that no one could be proud of, a life that he desperately hoped to keep the rest of the world from knowing about.

"Yeah, well, my life before Hogwarts definitely wasn't like what it was in the books," Harry muttered, leaving it at that. He'd read little snippets of the 'Harry Potter Anthologies' and needless to say he hadn't liked them one bit, he could even admit that he found himself quite jealous of the life his book counterpart lead compared to him.

Only Albus, Lily and the Severuses knew about what his life was like with the Dursleys, and if he had any say in the matter, he hoped to keep it that way.

"So, what was it like to live with Muggles, then?" Ron asked, snapping Harry from his musings.

Harry pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and pivoted around to face his friend. Ron, seemingly, had no clue of the can of worms that Harry could open had he chosen to speak of what his home life was like for the past ten years. Instead, a look of boyish curiosity was etched onto his face, reminding Harry a lot of what Mister Weasley was like whenever he asked about Muggles. Ron wore a look all too similar to that of his father, his innocent and genuine curiosity crystal clear for Harry to see.

"It's not something I like to talk about," said Harry, shutting down that avenue of conversation.

"Oh." Ron tried to give Harry an encouraging smile, one which Harry tried and failed to return. Just thinking about the Dursleys was usually enough to set him off and send his mood plummeting to rock-bottom, this time was no different.

"I'm sure living with Dumbledore must be nice, though…" Ron went on.

An unbidden smile returned to Harry's face. "Yeah, it is."

"How about a race?" Harry suggested, his smile morphing into a grin.

Ron gripped the handle of his well-loved Comet 260 tightly and flashed his friend a grin of his own. "You're on." He pointed away to the edge of the forest. "Race to the edge of the forest and back, yeah?"

Harry adjusted his glasses on his nose and nodded, gripping his Nimbus a little tighter. "Alright. But are you sure you don't want a head start?"

"As if I'd need that," Ron scoffed, wearing an expression of incredulity.

"On the count of three then," said Harry.

Ron nodded back, his face a mask of steely focus and resolve.

"One, two, three—"

With that, Harry and Ron rocketed forwards on their brooms towards the forest, both boys wearing identical smiles of abject glee.

Later that day, after a sumptuous dinner prepared by Molly, Harry and Ron retired to the latter's room for the evening. Ron was currently in the bathroom getting ready for bed, whilst Harry, having already brushed his teeth and showered, sat alone in Ron's room with his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages propped open on his lap. Harry loved the Burrow, and he loved the Weasleys very much, but there were times when he missed the peace and quiet afforded to him when he stayed at Hogwarts. Now though, he could enjoy some peace and quiet by his lonesome in what was usually, quite a chaotic household. His peace wouldn't last for long, for a quiet popping noise sounded out from the foot of his bed. Harry knew that sound distinctly and quickly pushed his Quidditch book off his lap and reached for his wand. Harry tightened his grasp around his familiar holly and phoenix feather wand, but he hardly even had any time to sit up when a pair of bulbous, green eyes appeared just at the foot of his bed. Harry knew from the popping sound alone that his mysterious visitor could only be a house elf, but this left no room for doubt as to his visitor's identity.

"Erm—excuse me?"

"Mister Harry Potter sir!" the house elf exclaimed exuberantly. "Such an honor it is, sir, such an honor to meet you!"

"I don't…I don't think I've met you," Harry said uncertainly. "You don't work for Hogwarts do you? I don't remember house elves wearing a…" he paused, squinting. "Is that a pillowcase? Who are you?"

The creature flushed a faint shade of red and backed away from him. "I, is dobby sir. Dobby, the house elf."

"I know what house elves are," Harry said urgently. "But why are you here? Who are your masters?"

Dobby cringed at the sound of the word 'masters.' Releasing a shrill wail, he grabbed the foot of the bed and started whacking his head against it, causing Harry to leap out of bed to the elf's side. Dobby's shrieking cries only ceased when Harry all but ripped him away from the bed frame and told the elf to stop whatever it was he was doing. Punishing himself, Dobby called it. After some calming down, Harry asked Dobby why he'd come to visit him, and it was then that Dobby revealed that something terrible was due to occur at Hogwarts, and that it was his duty to ensure Harry stayed away. Dobby insisted that Harry remain at the Burrow, or anywhere else away from Hogwarts to stay safe, but Harry was having none of it, telling the House elf that Hogwarts was his home and that he lived with the Headmaster. Even with his reasoning, Dobby wasn't to be deterred, insisting that Harry remain where he was for his safety. Harry and the house elf went back and forth for a while, before Dobby finally resorted to threatening Harry.

Before Dobby could say anything more on the matter, he was called away by his family, leaving Harry alone in the bedroom seconds before Ron came in. Ron could've sworn he heard a second voice in there, but Harry assured him it was nothing and probably just his imagination. If Ron disagreed, he was too tired to show it, for he flopped down on his bed and was out like a light before he could say anything.

The following morning after breakfast, Harry pulled Lily aside whilst their friends were busy so he could tell her about the weird encounter he'd had last night. With Ron cleaning out the chicken coop, and Ginny in the kitchen helping Molly cleanup with washing up, Harry and Lily quietly exited the Burrow out the back and headed for the Orchard for a little solitude. They settled under one of the trees on the orchard's periphery, and only then did Harry begin to speak.

"It's a bit…out there, Lily…so please bear with me," Harry said hesitantly.

Lily gave him a suspicious look, her green eyes narrowed, but then softened soon after and nodded earnestly.

"Last night…while Ron was in the bathroom, I—erm, I had a visitor, a house elf who I didn't recognize, and clearly didn't belong to Hogwarts or was one of Albus'," said Harry, Lily nodding along.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Harry breathed a sigh. "I'm getting there," he said a little impatiently. "He…came to warn me, in essence, to stay away from Hogwarts. Said that there were…that there were terrible things coming this year and that he wanted me to stay away."

Lily's brows creased in a frown, her undivided attention now fixed on Harry. "To stay away from Hogwarts? Is that what this house elf was asking?"

"Yeah," said Harry. He looked more and more uneasy by the minute. "I asked him, Dobby, who might do such a thing…and he didn't say, only that it isn't Voldemort and…" he breathed a silent sigh, "Dobby wouldn't tell me who his masters were…the family he served, but I got from his message that they're the ones planning something…something terrible for this next school year."

Lily's breath hitched, and all of a sudden, her mind was cast back to the very end of their first year, in which she and Sev had overhead Malfoy telling Parkinson and Zabini about something his dad was planning, an event that purebloods could find amusement in. Lily had no idea what that event was, nor did she think even Malfoy knew what was on the horizon, only that his dad was the one planning it. Regret flooded her mind all of a sudden that she hadn't told Albus before they came across the Malfoys that day outside the Golden Duck. She could still tell Harry, though, and perhaps together they could inform Albus about it once he came back.

"Harry…" she muttered carefully. "I might happen to know something about that," she went on, his eyes widening as a result.

"You do?"

Lily bit her lip and nodded, an expression of apprehensiveness on her features. "Erm…towards the end of the year, me 'n Sev were going to the Owlery, it was after we'd left you and the rest at the lake 'cus I wanted to send a letter to Tuney. We heard Malfoy talking with Parkinson and Zabini up there…and he mentioned something awfully familiar to—"

"What was he saying?" Harry asked with sudden urgency. "What did he say? Did he give any indication of—"

"No, he didn't," Lily said firmly, glaring at him for interrupting her. "He only mentioned that his father was planning something…something big, and that purebloods would enjoy it. I don't think that bodes well for halfblood and muggleborns…but he didn't know what it was and he said as much."

Harry's eyes darkened by degrees, the beginnings of a scowl forming on his features. "Typical. Of course the Malfoys would do something like this," he said darkly. "We should tell Severus, erm—in person, that is, when we tell Albus. He'll want to know too."

"Harry…Sev already knows about what Malfoy said, we were there together when he said it—"

"—I mean about Dobby," Harry clarified. He gripped a fistful of grass and pulled harshly, shredding the blades between his fingers and dumping them unceremoniously onto the ground again. "Severus should know, and we should definitely tell Albus."

"But that's not enough to go on," said Lily, wearing a despairing look. "I mean seriously, Harry, that's hardly anything, it's all so vague," she said despondently.

"Yeah, but at least he can keep an eye out for something," Harry insisted, sounding even more insistent than before. "If Albus knows something is amiss, then he might be able to do something about it…"

"Hmm," Lily hummed in thought. "Perhaps I—yeah, I guess I see your point, and maybe I should write Sev as well and let him know—"

"—You just sent him a letter a few days ago, right?"

Lily made no secret of the fact that she wasn't happy about being interrupted. "I did, about a week after we arrived, why?"

"Then he'll be staying at Snape's currently, won't he?" Harry pressed. "And we all saw how chummy Snape was with Malfoy's parents last year when we went to Diagon Alley. I don't like it one bit, Lily, I really—"

"—Do you seriously think Professor Snape would eavesdrop on Sev's letters," Lily asked incredulously. Harry grumbled but Lily cut across him. "C'mon Harry, he wouldn't do that, and even if he did—let's say he did eavesdrop and read Sev's letter—I'm sure he'd share our concerns and would inform Albus."

"So, you're telling me you think he'd go to Albus over the Malfoys," Harry remarked blithely, he didn't sound as though he believed Lily one bit.

"Why wouldn't he? He's definitely closer with Albus than he is with the Malfoys," Lily retorted.

"Just—don't send him another letter, not about what we discussed, I mean. It'll be easier to explain in person."

"Fine," Lily huffed, her displeasure evident.

They lapsed into silence for a while, neither sure of what to say next. Lily was quite accustomed to lying next to someone in peaceful silence, but today, their silence was anything but content, a simmering tension lingering between them borne of their most recent argument. Lily began wracking her brain in silence for ideas so she could break said tension, finding inspiration in the youngest Weasley of them all and her new friend, Ginny.

"You know, Harry…Ginny's quite the avid flyer," Lily murmured quietly. That got Harry's attention, if his widened eyes and slight gape were anything to trust. Lily was tempted to say comment on more than just her flying skills, to speak of Ginny's obvious crush on Harry, but didn't want to embarrass Harry or ruin Ginny's trust in her. The younger redhead had made it abundantly clear that if Lily were to speak about her raging crush on Harry, then Lily would be as good as dead to her.

"Ginny likes flying?" Harry asked curiously, his attention thoroughly fixed on Lily.

Lily nodded confidently, a knowing smile on her lips. "Mhmm. Loves it, as a matter of fact. She says she's been practicing a lot this past year with her brothers all gone and she's gotten quite a bit better at it."

"Really?" Harry said excitedly, his mind running wild with the thought of seeing Ginny on a broomstick. "That's amazing! Tell her I'd love to see her come fly with me sometime."

Lily's smile widened into a full-blown smirk. "Why don't you tell Ginny that yourself, huh?" she jested, nudging Harry in the shoulder.

"As if I could," he said despondently. "She'll run away the moment I go near her, I don't think I'd get more than a word or two out before she took off."

"Alright, I'll talk to Ginny then and ask if she wants to fly with you," Lily replied. "Hopefully I'll be able to convince her, and maybe she'll be able to last a full half-hour flying with you without blushing like a cherry-red tomato!"

Harry cheeks adopted a pinkish tinge then, and Lily couldn't help but chortle at the sight.

Lily would follow through on her promise later that evening, asking Ginny on behalf of Harry if she'd like to go flying with him. Ginny was quite apprehensive at first, but after some convincing from Lily and a promise that Ron would fly with them so that things didn't turn awkward, she agreed to go flying with them tomorrow morning. So, the very next morning after a hearty breakfast, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and to everyone's surprise, Lily, lined up at the orchard on their brooms. Ron was initially skeptical of his sister's ability when it came to flying, but it was precisely that skepticism of her skill that ensured he'd be present to watch her fly for the first time. He was her big brother after all, and he needed to ensure that she was safe and comfortable in the air as part of his brotherly duties. Harry chose to ride his Nimbus 2000, Lily accompanying him on the same broom since she was not at all confident of her abilities in the air. Ginny and Ron would be flying on a pair of Comet 260s, with Ron leading them towards the forest for a nice, leisurely fly. Flying was something they all enjoyed and found relaxing—even Lily, considering she wasn't the one doing the flying; and Harry was finally able to hold a conversation with Ginny lasting longer than a few stammered words on her end. Even though they hardly spoke, and they only did when up in the air on brooms, Harry found he quite liked Ginny Weasley and her sense of humor.

A/N2: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!