Chapter II

Things as they were and will be

War. Finally, the Wizarding World is prepared for it for once. Chaos is everywhere. Even the Muggle Community has noticed it.

With Dumbledore dead, everybody clings on to their last string of hope, to Harry Potter.

Harry, on the other hand, had obliged to do Dumbledore's will. He stayed a little in the Dursley's house to complete the protective enchantments that where placed onto their home, about sixteen years ago. After his birthday, he bid them farewell and apparated back to the burrow. As promised, he visited to watch Bill and Fleur, together with the Weasleys and the official members of the Order, bond their love for eternity.

After the ceremony:

"Well, Phlegm and Bill really ended up bein' together." Ginny remarked as they indulged to one of Mrs. Weasley's grandest cooking.

"Hey! Cheer up lil' sis!" said Fred.

"Yeah!" George added, "At least she'll make your holiday vacations a lot happier."

Almost everybody in their table choked. (Well, at least it was only Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville and the rest of the younger members of the Weasleys) They well know that Ginny's stock of patience for Fleur is about to drop to danger point.

"Anyway," snapped Ginny, and turning her attention to Harry. "Are you really goin' to stay in the Godric's Hollow after the festivities?"

"I have to. You know that already."

"Ruddy brilliant! Can we visit you there Harry?" asked George as he ate his treacle pudding.

"I heard that it really was Godric Gryffindor's house once." remarked Luna.

"Well… Yeah maybe… but don't expect me to be there always." replied Harry.

"Why?" inquired Fred.

It was Ron's turn to talk. "It's none of your business."

"Why? What're you gonna do?" George raised an eyebrow in a let-me-see-you-do-it kind of way.

"But could you stay here up until term starts?" Ginny cuts through Ron's and George's argument.

"Well…"

"Puh-leeeeasee???" Ron, Hermione, Ginny and (in some weird reasons) Fred and George all said.

"I'm staying at the Burrow too for the rest of the summer; can you stay a little later at least?" Luna added while Ron blinked at her in surprise. "I invited her." Ginny whispered to him.

"Alright." Harry gave up.

After the scrumptious banquet, everybody filed up back to the Burrow to rest for the night while others bid the two newly-weds good luck and apparated after.

Over the week Harry finally got power over the Number 12 Grimmauld Place and offered it to the members of the Order to use it whenever they will have a meeting. The others protested to his generosity yet he insisted and they finally gave in.

After some few days, Professor McGonagall visited the Burrow for a while and asked Harry if he wanted to have some extra lessons from her. Ron and the others were banned from the kitchen, so they used the extendable ears that Fred and George brought along with them.

"Well Minerva, what would you like to drink?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she hurried along the kitchen.

"Tea would be fine for me Molly." Professor McGonagall replied.

"But Professor…" Harry cuts in.

"In the journey that you've decided to take requires a lot of knowledge." The professor explained.

"I know but I think I could handle it." Harry started.

"Listen to me Mr. Potter, no, Harry. I know you've battled You-Know-Who a lot of times; but the enchantments and charms that he had placed onto the Hocruxes, that you are about to destroy, are…well… I should say… quite a bit out of your league. That's why I'm here. Even with Dumbledore gone, you have to be equipped with the knowledge more than the any students in Hogwarts will learn while they are there."

"Aww…" Hermione whined longingly. "Shh!" said the others as they listened again.

"Are you really going to open Hogwarts again this term?"

"Did we close the school when the Chamber of Secrets was opened?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Are you sure? Even if some of the parents will prefer their sons and daughters at their reach now that Voldemort has returned?" asked Harry in return. Almost everybody upstairs flinched at the mention of HIS name.

"We will. And you cannot change that." said Professor McGonagall.

Harry chuckled. "You're quite like Professor Dumbledore." Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall (although the others hadn't seen it) smiled. A genuine one!

"Well, we really were fond of each other."

"I knew it… McGonagall fancies Dumbledore!" Luna said, while the others looked at her both in bewilderment and interest.

"Nahh…" Fred and George remarked and then continued to listen in their extendables.

"Do you talk to him a lot? I mean, in his portrait." asked Harry, a little reluctant.

"Well, there are times. Like when the Board of Directors elected me as the new Headmistress of the school." reminiscenced Professor McGonagall. "Also, when he told me that he wanted me to teach you." She added.

"Oh," Harry was glad that Dumbledore was the one who thought of the idea. "Alright."

"Okay, here are our arrangements…"

"Hey! What happened?? Why can't we hear anything??" Ron demanded.

"Because I have your toys in my hand." Mrs. Weasley said as she thrusted the end of the extendables to Fred. "You know very well that it's rude to eavesdrop!"

"But mom…" Ron said.

"No but's!"