Disclaimer: The rights of Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I am making no financial gain from this story whatsoever.

A/N: I wasn't planning to write another chapter so soon. But this came to my head, and I had to write. I'm in the middle of my exams, but that couldn't stop me.

Chapter 7
Weasley Welcome

"Get up!" ordered a cold voice.

"I'm hurt professor," replied a young man, clutching his stomach, on the floor.

"Voldemort wouldn't care. He'd exploit it."

"I know."

"Then get up!"

Harry got on his feet gingerly. He stumbled back to the ground. The teacher remained silent, and waited for him to get back up again.

"Come on," Harry moaned. "It's my first day! And my seventh lesson! Surely it's enough for now?"

"I'll be the judge of that," replied the teacher. "Now your wand, please."

And they dueled again. Harry sent a disarming spell, which the teacher batted away easily. The teacher sent back an unknown blue spell, so Harry dodged it. Harry returned with one of his own. The teacher sidestepped.

The duel changed from then on. The teacher sent spell after spell at Harry, forcing him to defend himself. Harry didn't have time to dodge them. He was forced to block the spells he knew, and bear the brunt of the unknown ones. After a minute, Harry dropped his wand, and fell to the ground.

"That's enough for now," said the teacher, pocketing his wand.

"Do you torture all your students like this on their first day?" asked Harry, lying on his back. "Or is this just a Boy-Who-Lived privilege?"

For the first time, the teacher's face softened.

"I'm sorry Harry," she remarked. "Normally, we start out slow. But you, and your ministry as well, stressed that you had little time. You need to be trained as quickly as possible, and then sent back to Voldemort.

"I know," Harry acquiesced. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No you don't," the teacher agreed. "Let's go for dinner. It's far better than the stuffy teachers."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Right," Harry said, standing in front of his class. "Can anyone tell me the importance of the Ministry Grant Law of 1821's importance to our lesson?"

A couple of hands were raised. He pointed to one.

"It restricted the use of goblin magic to wizards."

"Why?" Harry asked, pointing to the next student.

"Goblin magic is inferior to ours," a Slytherin replied when pointed to.

"Laughably false," Harry sneered. "You've never fought a goblin before, have you? Go with this disillusioned belief, and we'll soon be scraping the many thousand pieces of yourself. Why?" He pointed at another student, who had her hand raised.

"It was a deal made to stop one of the wizard/goblin conflicts."

"Why?"

"We pitied them," remarked a Gryffindor, who wasn't called.

"Wrong," Harry replied. "Contrary to popular belief, we were not winning the 1777-1818 war with the goblins."

"That's not what I was told," someone called.

"Nor I!"

"And do you always take what you are told to be the absolute truth?" Harry replied sharply. The class was silent. "It seems ludicrous, now, to lose to our bankers. Let me get this straight. Goblins are not, and have never been, just bankers. This is something wizards believe to make them seem inferior."

"I've seen them in Gringotts," someone challenged.

"True, but have you seen them elsewhere?" Harry asked. "Who here know where exactly goblins live? Or how they live? Are they rich? Poor? Knowledgeable, or just savages?""

The class remained silent.

"The running of the magical world's money was a massive sacrifice of the wizarding world," Harry said.

"How?" a Slytherin asked sceptically. "They work for us." The rest of the class nodded their heads in agreement.

"Can you imagine what will happen if the goblins refused one day to give us our money?" Harry countered. "Complete chaos. No nation is willing to let the affairs of its money be run by others. They could be cheated, or worse, robbed."

"Then why did the Ministry allow them to run our money?"

"Trust," Harry said. "The goblins had the upper hand in the war, and they wouldn't stop the war unless the Ministry gave up something to them."

"Why didn't we tell them to stuff it?"

"They were winning," Harry said in disbelief. "You want to tell the person with a wand at your throat and the killing curse at his mouth to stuff it? That would've been suicide."

"Well," said a snooty looking boy, "if they had such an advantage, why didn't they refuse and take over?"

"You seem to think goblins actually wanted to rule over us," Harry dismissed. "Contrary to what you may think, but not everyone who fights has a desire to rule others. They couldn't care less for the wizards, much less become their leaders. They wanted freedom for their own kind. And that's what they got with the treaty of 1818."

"Sir?" a shy girl asked. "Why exactly where we losing?"

"Many reasons," Harry replied. "One being the fact that goblins used ambush techniques on us quite effectively. We chased them, not the other way round. As such, all they needed to do was to wait for us, and use the element of surprise. Two, they received support from their fellow goblins in continental Europe. We weren't being helped by the continental European wizards. In fact, at that time, the muggles and wizards of Great Britain were at war with the Spanish, French and Dutch. Some reports claim that they actually sent assistance to the goblins, but that has never been proven.

"The most important reason, was that at 1775–1783, the Americans were revolting against us. They gave extreme problems to the muggles, and to us. This was because we were sent there to fight the American wizards. The numbers we lost in Boston and Philadelphia alone are legendary.

"As a result of all this, we were forced to give the goblins the freedoms and rights they desired. The goblins didn't trust us of course. We subjected them to many abuses, comparable to the ones we commit to the house-elves today. The goblins decided that they weren't going to take it anymore. By letting our money be controlled by them, we put ourselves in a great disadvantage should we ever go into conflict with them again. The chances of us betraying them again, as we have done many times in history, became slim."

"We look like the bad guys," a student mentioned.

"We have done some honourable things in our history, recent ones being fighting Voldemort and Grindlewald," Harry remarked. "However, we are also guilty of performing horrendous acts. Does this mean we are evil? Not necessarily. On the other hand, we must never fall into a lull of convenience. Never should we believe that we are always telling the truth, or doing the right thing, just because of who we are. We must be aware that certain people within our societies will drag us all down through a path of evil. We must never allow them do so. By remaining silent, we assist them.

"The wars against Voldemort displays this easily. Do you know, that he was a student here, when young, just like you guys?"

The children shook their heads.

"Do you know that he was well liked by most of his professors, and became Head Boy? His ability to get supporters was his manipulation of the magical world's superior belief over muggles. His charisma played a major part. We must never believe someone just because they seem likeable. Pay attention to what they say, not what it seems like, or how good it sounds.

"For the next fortnight, I want each of you to find a goblin spell popular with wizards before the ban. Each of you will describe the spell in a 2 minute presentation to the rest of your classmates on what the spell does. Class dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The students are all talking about your lesson on the goblin wars of 1777-1818," Hermione mentioned at dinner.

"It reveals our 'polishing' of history," Harry replied.

"Do I hear revolutionary talk from you, Harry?" Malfoy laughed.

"Perhaps," Harry replied. "It seems as if the Ministry have plans to teach the kids what they want them to know. I have to give them the reason not to take the Ministry's word at face-value."

"Anyways," Hermione replied. "We have this weekend off, and Arthur and Molly have invited us to a Weasley dinner. Are you coming, Draco?"

"Nope," he replied. "I've got a date with Lisa."

"Lisa who?" Harry asked.

"Turpin?"

"I'm impressed," Harry whistled, seeing Hermione, he changed his words. "She's a nice girl. Very, very, respectable. Is she... er, as respectable as before?"

"I'm not stupid Harry," Hermione laughed. "And she's even more a stunner than before."

"I've dated better than Lisa," Malfoy argued.

"Like who?" Harry challenged.

"Mary Geltade."

"You liar!" Harry said. She was a Ravenclaw, two years above them. An exceptionally appealing female.

"Nope," said Malfoy, proudly. "But she's not very pretty on the inside, if you get what I mean."

"Meaning she's dumber than a rock," Hermione mentioned, "and extremely prejudicial."

"She insulted Granger's blood, in front of her and me," Malfoy explained.

"Malfoy, being a gentleman, ended it right there," Hermione said.

"Well, she reminded me of what I risked my life to defend against. Unacceptable."

"My hero," Hermione said sardonically.

"Wait," Harry said, looking back and forth at them. "I thought you didn't get along."

"We don't," Malfoy said.

"But it doesn't mean we don't trust one another," Hermione tried to explain. "Two completely different things."

"Besides," Malfoy said, "if we both agree that Geltade was a racist idiot, why disagree?"

"You both confuse me," Harry said, shaking his head. "This whole place confuses me."

"It's good to know that you're feeling better," Hermione said, watching Harry very intently.

"When was I not feeling better?" Harry replied, without emotion.

"You were injured, Harry," Hermione said. "I saw you limping."

"Bad night," Harry waved away. "I had a very good dream, and I regretted my further actions."

"You disgusting man!"

"Ah, it was because I'm a man," Harry stressed. "Anyways," he got up. "I have to go to the library. Have to find more things to corrupt our youth with."

Hermione and Malfoy watched him walk away.

"He's hiding something," she said.

"Can you tell me when he wasn't?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley, when she opened the door. She gave him a big hug. Over her shoulder, he saw Hermione mouth 'Molly'.

"Molly," he said. "It's great to see you."

"And you dear," she replied, and gave Hermione an equally big hug.

"Are we the last to come?" he asked upon entry.

"No, Ginny, Percy and Ron have yet to arrive," said Mr. Weasley, who was standing at the room.

Harry observed his best friend's parents (and the closest thing to his own). The small amount of hair Arthur had was now grey. He and Molly changed little else, except for a few lines here and there on their faces.

"Harry!" two voices called at once. He turned to see who they were. And found something interesting.

Fred and George finally grew up. During the war, they still walked, talked, and ultimately looked like teenagers. They refused to accept adulthood. Now, their clothing was less colourful. They looked mature, too. They still had a level of mirth on their faces, at least. Seeing them completely serious would be too much for poor Harry.

"Fred, George," he said, looking at one then the other. "Or George, Fred. Whichever."

"What's teaching been like?"

"Can't complain," he replied. "No-one's seemed to have taken the trouble-maker torch yet."

"Shame, what the world has descended to?" one asked.

"After all we've done," said the other.

"Including fight against Voldemort, too."

"You fought for the sake of pranks?" Harry asked.

"Of course, can you imagine pranks being allowed if the bugger took over?"

"Horrifying to think, dear brother. Simply horrifying."

Someone knocked the entrance door. Molly opened it, and said, "Ginny!" The door opened to reveal another surprise for Harry.

Oh sweet Merlin, Harry thought. Ginevra Weasley had grown into an amazingly beautiful woman. While pretty as a teenager, adulthood embraced her. With her long flowing hair, her gorgeous...

Someone slapped his head.

"Oi Fred!" George whispered. "I think Harry's goggling over our sister."

"What punishment do you suggest?" asked Fred.

"Well, seeing as he is a black-haired Weasley, none. But no goggling. A look or two's allowed."

"Only looking has been called, no goggling," Fred whispered. "Do the ayes have it?"

"Aye!" they both yelled.

"The ayes have it!" shouted Fred.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Arthur asked. "Sometimes I wonder if you two suffer from something we haven't yet discovered."

"Extreme intelligence?" George asked.

"Ha!" Molly scoffed.

"At least we have good looks, then. We got that from you, mum."

"Dinner's ready," called someone from the dining room. Bill and Charlie came out.

"Really," Molly said, as they were eating. "I must allow you two to cook more often."

Harry was seated between Hermione and Ginny. Hermione was locked in conversation with Bill, who came alone that night. Ron and Percy came at the begininning of the meal. The Weasleys and Percy didn't solve their differences when Harry last remembered. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about that.

"So, Harry" Ginny said. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine," he replied. "You?"

"Fine. But how are you feeling?"

"I said fine," Harry replied, somewhat confused. Why was she looking at him weirdly? Wait. This looked like the usual looks he got at school when something crazy was going on.

"Ron told you," he hissed.

"Ron told me what?" Ginny replied questioningly.

"Don't give me that!" Harry said. "I know that guilty look."

He sent a few tendrils of Legimency on her. If it was in the fore-front of her mind, he'd see it. There! She was no Occlumens, and he clearly saw what she knew. But how? Ah...

"Ron?" called Harry, as he sat down the table.

"Yes, Harry?" he said through a mouthful of food.

"How could you tell Ginny?" Harry asked. "You stupid prat! You still can't keep secrets, can you? Who else did you tell?"

He looked around, and no-one would look at him back, apart from Hermione. It seemed, with the large grin on her face, that she found the whole thing amusing.

"Everyone?" Harry breathed. "You told everyone?"

"I noticed something was wrong with him," said Fred. "So me and George made him spill."

"And we wouldn't dream of keeping something this juicy to ourselves," continued George.

"How are you coping?" asked Arthur.

"As I have normally," replied Harry, still furious.

"Why you?" asked Molly, shaking her head. "It's always you."

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Harry's anger melted. How could he stay angry at Mrs. Weasley? He remained silent for a while. The occupants of the table returned to their meals.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"What was I like?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, perplexed.

"What was I like after the experiences I had?" Harry clarified. "Did I change, or remain the same?"

"Well," Ginny said thoughtfully. "You did change. We all did."

"How?"

"I don't know about the others," she said, "but we had a special relationship."

"Relationship?" Harry asked.

"Yep," she said smiling. "Friends who helped one another."

"And?" Harry didn't understand.

"Helped each other with, shall I say, special desires."

Harry looked at her, confused. His face changed into horror as he realised what that meant.

"No!" he gasped.

Ginny couldn't hold it after that. She giggled, which quickly turned into a full-fledged laugh.

"I wish you could see your face!" she said between laughs.

"That's cruel!" Harry replied, but soon joined her laughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What happened to us?" Harry asked.

Harry and Ginny were seated outside in the jungle, leaning on a tree. Harry was levitating a pebble, moving it around the air with his wand.

"What can I say?" Ginny replied. "We grew apart."

"How?" Harry pressed. "I thought we agreed that we'd wait for the end of Voldemort before we tried to do it again."

"Perhaps our hearts weren't willing to wait. We grew apart, Harry."

"I know we saw very little of each other, with me in Europe. But I really want...wanted to be with you."

"And I, you," Ginny replied, looking at Harry hard. "But we never felt the same afterwards."

"It's hard," Harry explained. "I'm still the Harry who had dreams of being with Ginny, my Ginny. And you are the Ginny who's moved away. What can we do?"

"Nothing," Ginny replied. "What's meant to happen will happen."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"At the moment?" Ginny asked. "No."

"Perhaps one day," Harry offered, "you and I will retry what we weren't able to."

"Perhaps."

She yawned and stretched. She rested her head on Harry's lap. Harry shivered.

"It's been some time since I last was able to get a reaction like that from you," she remarked mischievously.

"What do you plan to do?" she asked after some time.

"My problem now," Harry said, "is that I'm a nineteen year-old in a twenty-five year old's body. That must change. I have to embrace the present, and let go of the past."

"Any girls catch your fancy here?"

"Apart from you?" Harry asked. She nodded. "Yes. Hermione."

"What?" Ginny spat, getting up quickly, to see Harry's face clearly.

"Weird, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I've never been interested in Hermione. But this Hermione is different, or maybe I'm different."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"About you?" Harry asked. "Or about Hermione?"

"Either."

"Nothing."

"Why?"

"Like I said," Harry replied. "I'm a nineteen year old in another world. I don't know who I am. Is this attraction to both of you an attempt to hold the past? What I'm familiar with? Is this some psychological safety barrier? Stay with the people you already know.

"Until I know who I am, Ginny, I'll never know who I can love."

Ginny drew him into a hug.

"You'll always have us, all of us, to love," she whispered in his ear. "Never forget that."

A/N: Brilliant! I've somehow, I don't know how, twisted this into a story with H/G and H/H. Which will it turn out to be? Will it even turn out to either one? I might get someone else with Harry. Or I might write no romance. I have no idea. I post the story as I write.

Please review. I'm always unsure how effectively I write romance (and action) scenes. What did you think of it? Did you like it? Any comments would be appreciated.