Chapter Six: You're Going Back to School?
"Colin?" Harry tried to blink away the stars that were obscuring his vision.
"It's me!" proclaimed the pygmy figure that was barely visible through all the sparks of light popping before Harry's eyes. "I got a job at the Daily Prophet Harry! Isn't that great?" Colin's voice was not much deep or more composed then it had been when they were in school; he didn't seemed to have changed very much.
"Terrific Colin." Blinking a few more times Harry offered Colin a congratulatory smile as the young man cavorted back and forth in front of Harry and Ginny.
"You wouldn't mind me taking a few pictures, asking a few questions?" Colin asked cheerfully, looking up at Harry hopefully.
"I'm sorry Colin. Ginny and I were just going home to dinner." Though Harry viewed Colin as a step up from the likes of Rita Skeeter, he still didn't feel up to any kind of questioning at the moment. Glancing at Ginny, he saw his feelings reflected with an edge of annoyance.
Colin visibly slumped slightly, it obviously meant a lot to him. Harry glanced nervously around at the muggles that were passing by. Somewhat afraid that he might be swamped by more of the reporter ilk at any moment
"How about Tomorrow over lunch, I'll meet you at Flora Fortescue's café?" Harry suggested, wanting to escape the curious glances of passing muggles.
"Yes Harry, that would be wonderful." Colin immediately cheered up again; spontaneously grabbing up Ginny's hand and pumping it vigorously. Turning quickly away again, he trotted away humming a happy tune.
"Let's get out of here before we're mobbed." Ginny suggested, massaging her wrist.
-
"I had been needing some new robes." Ginny commented as they entered Diagon Alley.
"Well, between meeting with Dean's uncle, and meeting with Colin, I didn't think we'd have time. Perhaps when I come back to do my school shopping." Harry suggested softly, her flowery aura engulfing his senses.
"School shopping?" Ginny's sharp tone cut Harry out of his gauzy trance in an instant. He looked down at her, perplexed; suddenly realized he hadn't told her. She was supposed to be the most important person in his life, his fiancé, and he hadn't told her.
"Ron, Hermione, and I are going back to Hogwarts to study for our N.E.W.T.s." Pulling her aside, and out of the rushing crowd, Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair to flatten his bangs down over his forehead.
"When were you planning on telling me?" Ginny asked, her hands locking into fists as they propped themselves on her hips. The ever-ominous Ginevra kick butt stance.
"I thought I had." Harry explained, trying to look as innocent as possible as he racked his brain for when he had told her; coming up with nothing.
"Well, at least I know now…" Ginny sighed, clearly assuming you couldn't expect much more from a guy anyway. "We can talk about this later, when we have more time." She finished, relocking arms with him and directing him back into the stream of traffic.
'Well, that went well.' Harry gave an inward sigh at his own tactlessness.
"So, when were you planning on going school shopping?" Ginny finally broke the silence of a few minutes, successfully mimicking Mrs. Weasley's sharp questioning tone, usually reserved only for the twins.
"I was thinking somewhere around a week before term." Harry shrugged. "We haven't even received our supply lists." Now it was his turn to veer off at a sharp angle to turn them into the depths of Knockturn Alley.
"Do you think that's his door?" Ginny asked, gesturing to an old oak door set into the back of Flourish and Blotts. Harry nodded.
This time was Harry's turn to step up the short stoop, reach up, and pull on the bell rope. This time, however, there was silence; no one came to the door. Harry pulled again, and heard the faintest of scratchy steps. A few seconds later the door gave a loud shriek of protest, but opened only a crack.
"Magical Radical Removal Service: we get rid of anything and everything including annoying in-laws." The voice that came from the other side of the thick oak door was shrill, and accompanied the appearance of a thin dark face peeking around the door to study the visitors. The door let out another long squeal as the man pushed it the rest of the way open, apparently deciding he wasn't being beset by a horde of death eaters. "How may I be of service?" White canines flashed in what little light there was, as he presented Harry and Ginny with a dazzling salesman smile.
"We wanted to talk to you about removing something." Harry replied, tentatively, taken slightly aback by the friendliness, heavily embroidered dress robes, and cleanliness from the squalid shadows of Knockturn Alley.
"Please, step inside." The man, who Harry assumed was Uncle Fredrick, swept them a wide welcoming gesture; with only a moment's hesitation Ginny and Harry obliged.
They were ushered into a dimly lit study, it's walls exhibiting many complicated diagrams that seemed to graph very complicated removal spells. But, who could really tell in this half-light? A few highly ornamented bookcases displayed several rows of thick dusty tombs and models.
"What kind of thing do you need removing Mr. Potter?" The tone was light as he offered them seats and Harry was not surprised that the man knew his name.
Harry proceeded to explain the situation, and Fredrick, as the man turned out to be, promised to stop by the next afternoon to solve the problem, but in such as hazy way that Harry was reminded of plumbers, and their renowned lack of punctuality. The left with his promises still ringing in their ears; if it meant getting rid of the immortal shrew, Harry would gladly give the man his first born child. Of course, he highly doubted Ginny would agree to that. Him with children, the thought was almost scary. But that wasn't for a while… Right?
A/N Well, I finally updated, and it's not quiet as long as I would have liked, but I need to move on to some other things, and so I decided to round this chapter off, rather then delaying submitting any more.
My thanks to those who reviewed, and added the story to their faves or alerts, despite my long absence. I really do want to finish this story, and I do actually know where it's going too!