Disclaimer: I don't own it.
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Chapter Fifteen: Collin's Manor

Two weeks before the beginning of term, Hope made her way into her father's office. He was sitting at his desk, finishing up his lesson plans. She knocked on the door gently, causing him to look up. She smiled and sat in a chair, patiently waiting for him to get a moment to finish up his train of thought.

Finally he looked up at her and turned his chair. "Do you need something?"

Hope smiled and pulled the key out of her pocket. "I want to go to my parent's house."

Severus watched her carefully for a moment. He gave a curt nod and turned toward his papers. "Give me a couple days to arrange somewhere for Draco and Harry, and to finish my plans. Be ready by Sunday. We'll return only to sleep until the place is clean enough to sleep there."

Hope nodded and stood up before going downstairs and outside. She saw Draco chasing Hermione in the area by the woods so she made her way over to the Quidditch pitch. Grabbing the broom her father had bought for her when she was learning how to fly, she walked directly to the middle of the pitch. Seating herself on the broom, she kicked off and flew into the air.

She didn't know how long she had been flying, but suddenly there was another figure on a broom beside her. She turned and smiled at Harry.

"Hey, what's up?"

Harry smiled back. "Not much. It's a good day for flying."

Hope shrugged. "I prefer rain."

Harry stared at her like she'd lost her mind.

Hope shook her head and turned so she was sitting sideways on her broom. "I'm sure that you didn't come up her to talk about flying weather, so what's up?"

Harry sighed. "The other day, when we were rebuilding the burrow, you stormed out and yelled at your father. You said he didn't know what really happened in the room. After you left, and Hermione went after you, Draco said Ginny had attacked you because she wanted me. Not because of what you said." Hope winced. "Which is true?"

"She came into my room. Said Voldemort should have killed me when he had the chance. She took out her wand and said she'd make sure you never wanted to go out with me again. She tried to set my skin on fire, but I set my shield up and it went to my bed. The second one was stronger than I imagined it would be and it broke through my shield, so I tried to move." She shrugged.

Harry reached across the distance between the two brooms and grabbed her hand. Hope looked up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry she did this," he muttered. "It wouldn't make me dislike you at all. It'd just make me want to kill her."

Hope nodded. She let go of his hand and readjusted herself on her broom. She pulled her wand from its holster and summoned Harry's snitch.

"I leave in two days for my manor. We probably won't see each other until the ball. What do you say we find out who's really the better seeker?"

Harry smiled as he mounted the broom.

Two days later, Hope carried a small duffel bag down the stairs. She smiled at Draco and Harry playing cards on the couch, and her father, who was impatiently leaning against the fire place.

Hope walked over to Draco, who had stood, and gave him a huge hug. "I'm going to miss you guys!"

Draco laughed. "It's not like you are going to be gone forever."

Hope shrugged. "It'll feel like it. Where are you guys staying?"

Severus walked over. "The two boys will be staying at the Weasley's until the night of your ball."

Hope looked at Harry. "They will be?"

Severus watched the girl. "They will. However, they've convinced me to allow them to stay here by themselves for a couple days."

"Good." Hope turned to her father. "Could you give Harry and me a couple minutes alone?"

Severus sighed and left the room with Draco. Hope turned back to Harry.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay with Ginny?" She looked down at the ground. "I wouldn't blame you if you just gave up and got with her."

Harry shook his head as he forced her to look at him. "Hope, how many times do I have to tell you this? No matter what, I will always fight for you. I don't care about Ginny like I do you."

Hope sighed. "I know. I just don't like this." Tears filled her eyes. "I messed up when I broke up with you, but it was easier than explaining everything."

Harry smiled softy at her. "Hope, it's all your call. If you want to give it another try, we can."

Hope closed her eyes. "I'm not ready, yet." At his look, she quickly went on. "I love you, Harry, but I'm not going to be here for two weeks. Plus, we need to work on trusting each other, and listening to each other, rather than just assuming. I want to get to know you more before I jump into this again."

Harry sighed but nodded anyway. "I understand. But do me one favor?"

Hope smiled up at him. "What is it?"

"Allow me to escort you to your ball. Give me something to look forward to while being stuck with Ginny."

Hope's shrugged flippantly. "Well, if you insist."

Harry was going to say something when Severus walked into the room. "Are you ready to go, Hope?"

Hope looked at Harry and smirked. "Yes Dad, it's not like Harry is interesting anyway."

Harry let his mouth open as Hope began to walk away. Smirking, he went up behind her and threw her over his shoulder.

"Not interesting, eh?"

Hope giggled. "Put me down!"

Harry walked up to Severus. "You're not in a big hurry, are you?"

Severus shook his head and smiled as Hope let out another giggle. "I couldn't be less rushed. I prepared for a teenage girl, so I didn't expect to leave for another couple hours."

"Hey!" Hope said from her spot on Harry's shoulder. "I don't take that long to get ready!"

"Sure you do," Harry said.

"Harry James Potter, if you don't put me down right this instant than I am going to curse you!"

Harry held her wand up before casually throwing it to Severus. "How are you going to do that without your wand?"

Hope narrowed her eyes. "I don't need a wand. Are you forgetting when I kicked you out of my room ever so gently?"

Harry laughed. "How could I forget, I was sore for a week."

"Then put me down!"

Harry smiled as he moved her toward the couch before dumping her on top of it. She grabbed the end of his shirt and pulled him down. When he was inches from her face, she whispered into his ear harshly.

"I won't forget that, you're going to regret it."

Harry laughed before giving her a quick kiss. At the shocked look on her face, he smiled. "You may not be ready to go out with me, but that doesn't mean I can't catch you off guard sometimes."

Hope smiled and pulled his shirt again. When she was sitting up, she turned toward her father, who was smiling softly.

"Think it's funny, do you?" She asked as she grabbed her duffel bag.

He shook his head. "I'm just enjoying the opportunity to see you happy. He's good for you," he said with a shrug.

Hope smiled again. "I guess he is," she said with a smile, as she walked up to her father. "But so are you and Draco. How are we getting to my house?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "We'll apparate to the boundaries and enter that way."

Hope nodded and grabbed her bag. He took it from her and handed her the wand Harry had thrown to him earlier.

"Hope, I feel I should warn you. The house won't be what you are expecting. It will be clean because of the house elves still living there, but the majority of the furniture is in the vault."

Hope nodded. He pulled her close and they apparated to right outside the house. Hope stared up at a house surrounded in gates. It was huge, made of pure white brick. There were at least four floors, with no way to tell if there was a basement.

Hope looked up at her father. He was wearing a smile at seeing the look of astonishment on the girl's face.

"Hope, Welcome to Collin's Manor."

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A/N: Hey Everyone. I was in a giving mood today so I decided to give you all an extra chapter. I will still be posting on Friday as usual. Let me know what you all think. There are five more chapters left in this part. I will have the series complete before August when I go to school.
:)
Kayla