A/N: Now that the darkest time of Harry's life is behind him the healing can begin, with a lot of help from a certain redhead witch. There will be some POV switching in this chapter and from here on out so let me know what you think of it and if I can improve on it in any way. Let the Hinny and fluffy begin.

Chapter 6

The rest of Harry's first day at the Burrow was hectic and full of questions, many of them unanswered and even more of them unasked. He wasn't sure what he would've done if Ginny hadn't been there with him. He wasn't sure when they had become so close but he wasn't going to question it. She gave her brothers death glares when they started asking questions that she seemed to know he wouldn't want to answer. Then she would steer the conversation back to something safe. And she did it in such a way that didn't make Harry feel weak or like he was any different or less than what he'd been before they knew what had happened. Before he knew it, it was time for dinner. The afternoon had gone by quickly whilst chatting and catching up with his friends, and he felt surprisingly ok - not just from being able to breath easily again, but he felt comfortable to be back in the wizarding world and with his friends. He felt good to be slipping back into the real Harry, the person he knew he was underneath everything else. It'd take awhile to get back fully to his old self, but being surrounded by all these people who cared helped. Plus, with Ginny by his side he knew it'd be even easier. There were more than a few flinches at sudden movements or loud noises and voices, but without making it obvious the family tried to accommodate his needs.

"Hey, Mum where'd Dad go after lunch?" Ron asked whilst everyone was sitting down for dinner.

"Another night raid tonight?" one of the twins asked conspiratorily. One day Harry was going to have to have Ginny teach him how to tell the two of them apart reliably.

"What's a night raid?" Harry asked, quite intrigued by the sound of it and how excited the twins had look at the prospect.

"Dad works in the Ministry, and since the Aurors are so short staffed they asked for volunteers to help them raid the houses of some suspected supports of You-know-who. They're looking for dark objects and what not,"the other twin supplied. It was easily the longest sentence Harry had ever heard one twin say without the other jumping in.

"No, he actually went to retrieve something. He should be back soon." Molly informed them whilst looking everywhere but at Harry. He had a sinking feeling but he wasn't going to bring it up since she apparently didn't want to.

"Well, go on, dig in everyone. It's not going to stay warm forever," she scolded them.

With no more ceremony than that dinner began. It was a sight to behold to Harry: everyone reaching around, passing plates of food back and forth. Jests and jeers were traded happily and laughs rang out easily. He was so distracted that he had forgotten to grab any of the delicious-looking food as it was passed around. He was about to ask someone to pass the plates of food when he looked down at his plate. On it a little bit of everything was placed in neat, small piles, all carefully separated. He must've had a confused look on his face because the next thing he heard was a quiet giggle from next to him. He turned to see a smirking Ginny looking at him.

"It looked like you were quite distracted and entertained by the antics of my family, so I figured I'd grab you some while you watched." Ginny whispered all of this quietly and quickly so only Harry could hear.

He blushed slightly and thanked her just as quietly. He was confused by the small portions at first until he remembered Madam Pomfrey telling him to start with small meals and to slowly build back up to larger meals. Ginny obviously hadn't forgotten. He smiled at her again, and, as he did. he noticed that unlike the rest of the family on whose plates a mess of food was thrown on quickly and mixing here and there, her plate was neat and orderly. Everything seemed to have a place, and there was careful separation amongst all of her foods. None were touching. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. She looked up at him with a mouthful of potatoes, confusion in her eyes. When she noticed what he was looking at, she rolled her eyes and quickly swallowed.

"Oh, God, not you, too," she let out with a huff of exasperation.

When Ron looked over at them and saw what Harry was looking at, he let out a short laugh. "Ahh, so you've noticed Ginevra's little quirk, have you?" The twins joined in Ron's laughter now.

"Ronald, I told you to never call me that years ago or have you forgotten? Maybe I should forget that I said I wouldn't tell a certain brunette a certain thing I overheard this summer?" Ginny's eyes sparkled with a fury that caught Harry a bit off guard. He'd always known Ginny was a spunky and fiery redhead, but this was the first real dose of it he'd seen.

"Erm, nope, not at all, Ginny, just a slip of the tongue, you know how it is." Ron tried to chuckle reassuringly, but it came out more as a whimper.

Her glare slid over to the twins who suddenly found the ceiling quite interesting. Slowly she turned that glare on him, and his stomach did a little flip when he noticed just how beautiful those big brown eyes were, especially when backlit with the light of her fury.

"Got something to say, Potter?" She kept those weapon-like eyes trained on him and his sly smirk.

"Why, yes, I actually had a question." She inclined her head for him to continue but with caution. "Well, I was curious as to whether the layout had a particular order or not?"

The fire in her eyes burned out slowly but she kept staring into his, almost as if she was waiting for the incoming joke or jeer. She had come to expect these things from her brothers, but what she saw now was nothing but genuine intrigue and curiosity. She actually blushed and looked down at her plate. None of her family had ever bothered to ask her why she did it. They just laughed at her and teased her about it, not in a mean way but as one expects siblings to. She was now more than a little self-conscious about it: what if he thought she was a silly little girl or that she was lame? She bit her lip, took a breath, and looked up at him.

"Well, erm, actually, yeah, there is. You see, I always put my favorite in the middle, then I put the rest of the food around the edges starting in the top center with my least favorite, working around the edge clockwise with my next least favorite, and so on. Then I eat it all starting in the top center again and going around clockwise until I'm done. That way I save my favorite for last." She finished with a sigh.

Harry looked down at her while she explained. She started off normally, but, as she went on, she got more self-conscious, he assumed, because she got a little quieter and spoke faster as she went. He nodded and smiled at her as she looked back up at him. She'd dropped her eyes to the plate about halfway through.

"Seems logical to me, might as well finish on a high note, right?"

She nodded and brightened significantly, someone finally understanding her unique quirk. The rest of the table rolled their eyes and went back to their conversations.

After he was sure everyone was invested in the other conversation, he whispered softly to her. "Plus, I think it's kind of cute." Out of the corner of his eye he caught her blush before she turned away quickly.

"Hello Weasleys and Harries… that doesn't work does it? Well, no matter, I'll come up with something," the jovial older man called as he entered the kitchen. The room erupted in laughter at his failed attempt at dramatic entrance.

"Anyway, I got something of yours, Harry," he stated as Harry's Hogwarts trunk floated into the room behind him and sat with a thud by the foot of the stairs.

Harry's jaw dropped; he was beyond happy. Early this morning all he'd wanted was to get out of that place, but, as he'd thought about it later, he'd really regretted leaving the trunk. It had the picture album from Hagrid, his father's cloak, and even his wand things that he wouldn't have been able to replace.

"Y-you didn't have to get that for me, sir. I could've just gotten new supplies. You didn't need to go through all that trouble for me." The family looked at him like he was crazy when he said he would've just bought new stuff.

"Ahh, Harry, it wasn't any trouble at all. And quite honestly I enjoyed leaving them a present or two on my way out." He had a surprisingly dark and mischievous look in his eyes at that comment.

Nobody in the room questioned him, but Harry did smile. It was amazing how warm and welcoming everyone had been to him, how much like family they treated him so quickly. After dinner was finished everyone went to the large living room filled with mismatched furniture. They sat around and chatted happily together, except the always aloof Percy, who had retired directly to his room to "continue his studies". The whole room had rolled their eyes at his pompous behavior.

When Harry yawned for the third time Ginny spoke up with an exaggerated yawn of her own. "Well I'm getting quite tired. I think it's about time to head to bed for me."

"Ginny, its barely even ten yet. You never go to bed this early," Ron stated, confused. Once again Harry caught the fiery glare she gave Ron, who quickly closed his mouth. He knew not to piss his sister off twice in one night.

Harry mouthed a thank you to Ginny when she looked over at him. She had brought up bed without him having to look weak in front of everybody. She really was like his own personal guardian angel.

"Yes, you're quite right, dear, it has been a rather long day. Well, Harry, I was going to say you can sleep in Ron's room but his is all the way up on the top floor. I don't think you need to be climbing all those stairs until you start feeling better. But the couch wouldn't be any good for you, either." Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at her husband for any ideas. He seemed just as puzzled as his wife.

Harry saw Ginny roll her eyes from beside him. "He can just stay in my room," she offered. She held up her hands to the protests, which came mostly from the boys. "Whilst I take Bill and Charlie's old room." she finished with a dramatic eye roll.

"Ah, well, yes, that does make the most sense, actually. You're only on the second floor and closest to a bathroom," her dad commented.

"No, I'm not going to push you out of your room just because of a few stairs," Harry huffed. It was Harry's turn to be on the receiving end of Ginny's glare for real this time. If he wasn't breathing shallowly from his now re-healing ribs, he would've been after he looked into those eyes.

"Oh, stop being so noble and difficult, Harry, you know what Madam Pomfrey said about taking it easy. And you're not pushing me out of my room, I offered it."

Harry took a note out of Ron's book and backed down. He wasn't dumb, and it looked like he had no real chance of winning this with her right now.

"Well, now that that's settled." Arthur broke the tension somewhat awkwardly.

Ginny's POV

Her dad took her side thankfully. Harry Potter is going to be sleeping in my room! She went slightly pale at the thought. She'd been so concerned with Harry's well-being that she forgot it meant HARRY POTTER would be sleeping in her room. She had to make sure her "delicates" were put away and God forbid any of her old diaries were in the open.

"Well, then, I'm going to head up to my room, change the sheets and grab some clothes and, erm, stuff. You can come up in a few minutes, Harry." She avoided looking at him whilst she said that. She hated how she started talking fast towards the end.

On the way up the stairs she scolded herself, reminding herself that she was no longer the shy, awkward little girl who was obsessed with Harry Potter. She knew she was over her little girl crush on him, but, at some point, some other feelings had replaced those old ones. Considering this had been the first extended period of time she had spent with him in person, she'd been proud of herself. Whilst focusing on Harry and his needs, it was easy to forget the way her stomach had fluttered when she was around him and the warm feeling she got every time he looked at her with those piercing, emerald eyes.

She closed her door and leaned against it for a couple calming breaths before she opened her eyes and got to work. She was glad she was a neat person, unlike Ron. The first things she grabbed were the four little black diaries off her bookshelf. She knew he wouldn't go looking through her things, but he liked to read. The last thing she needed was him to grab one of the little black books thinking they were fiction books and reading all of her little-girl dreams of marrying the great Harry Potter. Or even the one from last year where she had gushed about the letters he sent. She grabbed a bag out of her closet, threw the books in it, and looked around. Problem one was solved. She scanned around the room, making sure there was nothing else embarrassing in the open, and was about to call Harry up when her eyes crossed over her dirty clothes basket. Her bra from yesterday was sitting on top, only partly covered by her shirt. She blushed several shades of red before quickly throwing it and any other delicates from her dirty clothes basket into her bag. After quickly grabbing some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow and putting them into her bag as well she opened the door and called Harry up.

As she passed the stairs on her way back into the room after grabbing some clean sheets from the hall closet, she saw Harry climbing the stairs. He was only about halfway up, but he looked like he was in agony and he was nearly gasping for breath. Her heart broke for about the hundredth time that day. It killed her to see him, sweet, kind and selfless Harry, in such agony. She averted her gaze, walked into her room, and wiped her misty eyes. Ginny was not one to cry much but seeing him that broken and still trying to put a brave face on killed her. But she knew him, she knew he needed to climb those steps on his own, for himself, to prove to himself that he could, that he was still strong. If only she could tell him that he was the strongest person she'd ever met. No one else had suffered as much as he had, and yet he was still, well, Harry. She also knew that he was probably outside her room now, trying to compose himself. He wouldn't want her to see how hard those stairs had been for him.

Harry's POV

He finally made it to the landing. He leaned against the wall, needing to compose himself. He couldn't let Ginny see him this weak. After he got his breathing back under control and the pain wiped from his face, he turned the corner into her room. She looked up at him as she finished putting the new sheets on the bed.

"All set in Hotel Ginny?" he asked with a smirk.

"Why, yes, it is, sir. Your last-minute accommodations are prepared with the utmost care and attention to detail." She kicked one of her shoes under the bed not very subtly and shot him an over-the-top smile.

When she gave him a dramatic curtsy Harry's chuckle turned into a full-on laugh, his first since he'd left Hogwarts. His laugh soon turned into gasps of pain. He grabbed the footboard of her bed to brace himself against the spasms of agony. Through the fog of misery, he felt soft, strong hands grab his arm, steadying him.

"Sorry about that, Gin, but I guess there are worse way to die besides laughing to death with a pretty girl." He heard her huff beside him. Turning to her, he looked down into her big brown eyes; they were filled with concern for him, but they also held that fire that intrigued him so much.

"Don't think you can use flattery to distract me from your ridiculous apologies, Harry." But there was a playful smile that flickered at her lips.

He also noticed the blush that highlighted the light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. They stared at each longer than was strictly necessary until a noise from the stairs caught their attention.

"Hey, Harry, here's some pajamas for tonight," Ron called from the doorway.

Harry cleared his throat. "Thanks, mate. I'll see ya in the morning."

"No problem. You going to leave so he can get changed or what? Geez, Ginny," Ron tossed her way before he climbed the steps back up to his room.

She rolled her eyes at her brother and walked out the door. Harry smiled to himself at the two. They really were how he imagined brothers and sisters would be, bickering but still loving each other. Harry changed into the shorts relatively easily, but taking off his shirt had proven difficult and rather painful. He thought about just going to bed without a shirt but was worried one of his bandages might come loose in the night and get blood on the sheets. Ginny had helped him with his shirt earlier while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been talking to Madam Pomfrey. He really didn't want to ask her for help, especially after all she'd done for him today, but what choice did he have? He opened the door and almost ran into her as she was getting ready to knock on the door.

"Oh, hey, Harry. Mum asked me to bring this to you. It's your evening potion from Madam Pomfrey. Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" She seemed to blurt out the last part as she finally noticed he was sans shirt.

"Erm, well, I was actually looking for you. I, erm..." He trailed off out of a combination of shame for having to ask her for help and embarrassment at his incapability of taking care of himself.

"Harry, do you need some help with your shirt?" she asked kindly.

He looked defeatedly at the ground. "Yes, please."

She led him to the bed and had him sit down. As gently as she could she helped him into his shirt. Once that was taken care of, she grabbed the small flagon of potion off the nightstand where she'd set it down and handed it to him. He downed it quickly and grimaced at the taste.

"Thanks, Ginny, for all the help today," he told her, his voice rich with emotion.

"No problem, Harry. Like I said this morning, I'm here for you always, ok?" When he nodded, she continued as she approached the door, "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Gin," he responded, his voice still rich with emotion but suddenly very sleepy. My flaming red light, he added in his head as the room plunged into darkness.

A/N: I know to some it may seem weird how "easy" it is for Harry to move on and get over his abuse just realize that it's not. He is struggling with it greatly (it's rather hard to show you that but i'm trying my best) but also realize his greatest strength is his love and ability to overcome whatever life throws his way. Plus Ginny is there for him every step of the way doing her best help him. As always thanks to my Beta GP, and thanks for all the Fallows, Favorites and Reviews, it really helps keep me motivated to continue.