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Ron leaned back in his chair, content with the world around him. He wasn't sure why, but now that Harry was here, things felt…well…normal. He looked around him and saw Ginny and Hermione whispering; his little sister grinning devilishly. "Good lord, she's too much like Fred and George." Ron thought. Looking away from the pair, he saw his best friend in deep conversation with his father. He and Hermione hadn't approached Harry yet about the pact they had made. Knowing how Harry had taken the last summer where he received no news, Ron wasn't keen to address the subject. He watched Harry for a few minutes before he realized that his dad and Harry weren't really discussing anything to do with the war. Instead, Harry seemed to be teaching the older man how muggles communicated over something called the Enter Not. Whatever that was…
A snort made him look around. Whatever Ginny had just said to Hermione had caused her to shake with laughter. Tears were pouring from her eyes and she held one hand to her mouth while pounding the table with the other.
"What's so funny down there?"
Ginny wiped tears from her own eyes, and grinned at Ron. "Just telling Hermione about how you used to wet all over your bed, and then try to put me in it so I would take the blame."
Ron could feel his ears burning as Hermione positively screamed with laughter. "It's a lie! I never did that!"
"Oh yes you did, Ronald. I remember waking up in the middle of the night hearing Ginny wailing because you were pulling her up the stairs when she was half asleep. Poor, dear." Ron glared at his mother as she patted Ginny lovingly on the head. "Worse than all the rest put together, you were. I cast Scourgify on that poor bed so much, it's a wonder it's still standing."
Ginny and Hermione had completely lost control of themselves now. Hermione had slid sideways out of her chair and hit the floor with a loud thunk. She rolled around on the floor, clutching her stomach. Ginny's head was thrown back, laughing fit to burst, endanger of joining Hermione on the floor at any moment.
Ron glowered at his former three favorite women on earth. A war was waging in his head, though. True they were laughing at his expense, but it had been so long since he had seen Ginny and Hermione laugh that it was almost worth the humiliation. Trouble was, Harry had obviously overheard the story and had ducked under the table to hide his laughter.
"It wasn't that funny! I was a little kid; what do you expect?" Ron snatched his plate from the table and threw it roughly in the sink. With a flick of his wand, the plate began washing itself. He stormed up the stairs to the others shouts of, "Ron, come back! We're sorry!"
Ignoring them, he finally reached the top, slammed his bedroom door, and threw himself onto his bed. A tiny knock came almost immediately.
"Ron, please let me in. I'm sorry for laughing at you. Forgive me and open the door."
He had expected to Hermione to be on the other side, but instead it was Ginny. "Go away!" He knew she wouldn't, and silently cursed himself for not locking the stupid door.
Turning his back to her, he heard Ginny enter the room. He felt the edge of his bed sink, and knew she was sitting behind him. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you, Ron. It was great to see Hermione laughing though, wasn't it?"
Ron sighed heavily and turned over to face his sister. "You could have embarrassed someone else, you know? Like Harry, perhaps."
"I don't have any good dirt on him. Besides, I think Hermione should know what sort of person she's gotten involved with, Bed wetter."
Even Ron couldn't help but smile. "Cut it out, or I'll tell Harry about how you used to play Princess and pretend he was your knight in shining armor."
"Why would that embarrass me? I don't care what Harry thinks." There was something about the way her cheeks flushed pink that told Ron Ginny wasn't telling the truth.
"What is with you two?" Ron asked. "We know he's crazy about you, and you've been hung up on him for years…"
"I have not been hung up on him for years!"
"Yes, you have. Why can't you two just get together?"
Ginny looked down and began to play with a hole in the blanket. "It's weird for us Ron. It was easy for you and Hermione; the both of you always knew you'd end up like this. We're different; we aren't exactly made for each other." She stood and crossed to the window. With folded arms, she looked out over the yard. "What if we did get together? How do we know it would work out? How do we know we won't fall apart? What if we end up hating each other in the end? I couldn't stand that, Ron. I couldn't take him not being there."
"That's what's bothering you? Merlin, Ginny! Don't you think I wondered the same thing? I kept putting off saying anything to Hermione, because I figured having her as my friend forever was better than loving her for a little while. No one knows whether things will work out the way they want. You've got to give it a chance, or you'll spend your whole life wondering 'What If?'. I don't know if Hermione and I will be together forever, but I can love her right now. And that's all I really need."
Ron stood, quite astonished with himself. Where had that come from? Since when was he so open about stuff like that? Ginny was smiling at him from across the room.
"Thanks, Ron." She crossed the room, wrapped her arms around him, and then kissed his cheek. "I think I needed that. What would you say if Harry and I did get together?"
"If I said I hated the idea, would it change your mind?"
"You know better than that."
"Then it doesn't matter what I think. Since you're asking though…" He smiled. "I wouldn't mind too much." Ron hugged his little sister, and then they both headed downstairs.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was downstairs again. Whatever Ginny had said to Ron upstairs seemed to do the trick. Ron had come back down, apologized for losing his temper, and then kissed Hermione's cheek.
The four of them were now playing a very vicious game of exploding snap, which Harry was losing spectacularly at.
"You really stink at this game; did you know that, Harry?"
"Thanks a lot, Ginny."
He watched as she reached across him to pick up a card. His eyes instinctively went to her forearm. The cut was perfectly healed, but a raised pinkish scar blemished the normally porcelain skin.
"They said it would always be there." Harry looked up at her. Ginny had obviously caught him staring. "It's healed alright, but they can't do anything about the scar. It'll fade though. Eventually you won't even be able to see it." She smiled at him. "Your move, Harry."
"Alright you lot; I want everyone in bed. We've got a big day tomorrow and you all need to be well rested. Ginny, I've finished ironing your dress and it's hanging in your room. Here you are, Hermione dear." Mrs. Weasley had bustled over and was handing Hermione a steaming mug.
Hermione wrinkled her nose and accepted the cup. She began to sip it as Ginny cleared away all the cards.
"What is that?" Harry asked.
"I thought you weren't going to drink that anymore!" Ron burst out angrily.
"Ron, we all need our sleep. It's just the once; I've hardly slept this week." Hermione turned up the cup and drained the last bit from it. Ron continued to scowl. "Well, I'm to bed then. Goodnight everyone." She hugged Ginny and Harry, gave Ron a kiss, (which Harry felt the need to turn his head away from) then climbed the stairs.
Ginny reached over and thumped Ron on the head. "What did you have to do that for? You know she hates it enough without you making her feel worse!"
"Ouch! I just hate seeing her all drugged up like that. It's like she's…" Ron's voice trailed off, but Harry thought he heard something like, "…Christmas all over again."
Harry was bewildered. "Will someone explain to me what's going one, please? What's the big deal with the tea?"
Ginny yawned and stretched. "I'm knackered. Ron, you explain it all to him. Goodnight."
Soon Ron and Harry were climbing the stairs with Mrs. Weasley close on their heels. When they reached the top landing, she stopped at the last step. She gave her wand a complicated little wave and muttered something under her breath. "Well, goodnight dears." Then turned and walked back down.
Harry turned to Ron, who was pulling on his pajamas. "Alright what is going on around here? You're getting all upset over Hermione drinking a bit of tea before bed, then your mum…" Harry waved an imaginary wand around. "Was she putting a charm up?"
Ron's red head emerged from the neck of his shirt. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. Mum apparently doesn't trust me now that Hermione and I are going out. She puts a charm up so that if anyone crosses that landing, she'll know about it."
"You're joking! What's she going to do once you're at Hogwarts; have McGonagall charm your doors?"
"I hope not. She just doesn't want anything to happen while we're here."
Harry shuddered. "Let's not ever talk about that again. Just the idea gives me the creeps." He laughed as Ron's ears turned red. "So what's with the tea? Was there some sort of sleeping draught in it?"
"Yeah, Mum makes it for her when she asks. Hermione's been having these really horrible nightmares since she got here. I think it's about her parents. I'm not really sure; she won't tell anyone about them. She just wakes up crying and screaming. It takes awhile for Ginny and I to calm her down. Eventually she goes back to sleep, though."
"But I thought you couldn't get past the landing?"
"Oh, I can get past it, but the whole house wakes up." Ron looked suddenly stony-faced. "I don't care how many charms are put up, when she screams; I'm there."
Harry didn't press the subject. He pulled on his own pajamas, while Ron settled into bed.
"Sorry about the whole wedding thing on your birthday, mate. The prat probably planned it on purpose. The way Mum's acting, you'd think Percy was the first person to ever get married."
"What does your dad think about it?"
"Well, they've sort of worked things out. I don't think Dad's really forgiven him for the rotten things he said. They don't spend a lot of time around each other. Fred and George said the only reason they were coming tomorrow was because of Mum. It'd kill her if we all weren't here, even Charlie's coming. Oh, by the way, we've got to keep the magic under wraps tomorrow."
"Why?"
Ron yawned and stretched widely. "Penelope's muggleborn, remember? Her parents and little brother are coming." He was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.
Harry had so many other questions to ask, but his eyes were so heavy. It could all wait until tomorrow.
"It's completely hopeless." Harry muttered to his reflection. He was dragging a comb through his hair in a vain attempt to make it look a bit neater. "Can't I just have one day where I don't look like some wild beast?"
Then a brilliant beyond brilliant idea came to him. Wetting his hands under the faucet, he flattened his hair down and held his hand down over it. "If it won't lie flat on its own, then I'll make it," Harry thought. He wasn't sure why he was bothered by the whole matter, but decided not to worry about it now.
For the better part of an hour, Harry wandered around the upstairs holding a hand flat against the top of his head. He was fishing clothes out of his trunk, one-handed, when Ron woke up.
"What are you doing?" asked Ron.
"Nothing," replied Harry, still rummaging through his stuff.
"Then why is your hand plastered to your head? Did someone jinx you or something?"
"Look it's nothing. I'm just trying…something."
"You look like a prat if you ask me."
"Well, no one did; so shut up," Harry snapped at him.
Ron shrugged and stumbled sleepily toward the bathroom. Harry kept his hand on his hair.
When Ron finally came out of the bathroom, Harry rushed in and looked in the mirror again. It had worked!
"If you're through primping, Your Highness, maybe we can go down to breakfast," said Ron, leaning against the door frame and smirking.
"Oh shut up," Harry mumbled.
They found Hermione and Ginny already seated at the table, sipping coffee. Mrs. Weasley was standing over the stove flipping pancakes.
"Morning, you two," Hermione called. "Happy Birthday, Harry."
Harry's stomach jolted. He'd forgotten today was his 17th birthday. As Ron took a seat next to Hermione, Harry pulled out the chair beside Ginny. A small pile of presents lay before him on the table.
"You didn't think we'd forget about your birthday did you?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she passed around plates. "I'm sorry we can't do more today, but I promise that tomorrow we'll have a proper celebration."
Harry was listening, but Ginny's expression caught his eye. She was looking at him in a peculiar way. Her head was tilted and she was biting her lip. She looked as though she were trying to remember something.
"Something wrong, Ginny?" Harry asked her.
"I'm just trying to…" She tilted her head to the other side and frowned. "Something's different about you and I can't figure out what it is. You look different."
"I thought that too, Ginny. I can't put my finger on it, but you do look different," said Hermione.
Ron gave a snort, and Harry shot him a look. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said and turned to his presents and breakfast.
"Aha!" Ginny shouted suddenly. "I've figured it out! You hair; it's all flat now."
Harry felt his cheeks flush as Ron sniggered. Suddenly, Ginny raised her hands and began to rough his hair around. He sat, shocked, until she leaned back to appraise her work.
"There, that's much better. You look like you now." She turned and started eating her breakfast as if nothing had just happened.
Ron couldn't contain himself any longer. He howled with laughter.
"What's so funny?" Hermione asked him.
Ron pointed at Harry, and tried to calm down enough to answer. "He…spent…all morning…with…his hand on…his head! Then…Ginny…just…" He raised his hands to his own head and mimicked what Ginny had done.
Everyone burst out laughing at once. Even Harry had to grin about it; he realized how ridiculous he had been.
After breakfast was finished, and Harry had opened his presents, everyone set outside to work. They would all be setting up for the wedding this afternoon.
"Alright I want Ron and Harry to set up the chairs over there. The chairs are in the garage, boys. They'll need to be cleaned up a bit. Girls, you'll be helping me with the flowers and hanging up the decorations."
Harry made to set off with Ron but a hand caught his arm. It was Ginny.
"Sorry about that whole scene at breakfast."
Harry smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. Ron was right; I looked like a prat anyway."
"Well, I just wanted you to know that I didn't forget about your birthday. I'll give you your present later today, okay?"
"Okay, but you really don't have to…"
"I know, but I want to," Ginny said. She waved and trotted off after her mother and Hermione.
Harry ran to catch up with Ron. They pulled the dozen or so rusty chairs from the old garage.
"It'll take all day to clean these up. Guess we'll need soap and water from the house."
Ron looked at Harry. "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten that we're wizards, Harry?"
Harry stared at him; then the realization set in. He was seventeen now and could do magic outside school. "Blimey, I forgot I can do magic now." He grinned at Ron. "Well let's get started.
Using magic to clean up the chairs was easier, but it still took over two hours to get them spotless. They carried them over the patch of lawn Mrs. Weasley had picked out and began to set everything up. The girls were hanging some sort of flowers from the branches of the trees. Hermione was guiding them around with her wand, while Ginny was standing on tip-toes, trying to reach the lower branches. She kept scowling at Hermione.
Once the chairs were set into place, Mrs. Weasley came over and began to cover them with some white material. Ron and Harry were sent over to start setting up the tables that would hold the food. Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley started decorating around the chairs.
Eventually, lunch came and everyone trooped inside. They ate sandwiches and drank cold lemonade. After lunch Mrs. Weasley shooed the boys from the kitchen and set them to cleaning the lower windows around the house. Ginny and Hermione would be helping her with the cooking.
"So, are you glad you're away from the muggles forever?"
"Yeah, no more cooking breakfast for Dudley's fat arse. No more jumping every time Uncle Vernon shouts." Harry suddenly remembered the day before, when he had left the house. His aunt's behavior had been alarming. She'd never shown him an ounce of affection in the sixteen years he had lived there. Then suddenly she was hugging him and telling him to be careful. He told Ron all about it.
"What do you think she meant by it? She doesn't seem the type to just go around hugging people."
"She's not; well at least not to me. She's always hated me."
Ron shrugged; he seemed just as confused as Harry did about the whole thing. They worked in silence for awhile, but Harry got the feeling Ron wanted to say something to him.
"You okay, mate?"
Ron opened his mouth and then shut it again. He shook his head slightly, then lowered his wand and turned to Harry. "I talked to Ginny last night."
"Okay," Harry said. "What about?"
"About you two."
Harry's heart jumped into his throat. "Here it comes," he thought. "He's going to tell me to stay away from her. I knew he didn't mean what he said on the train."
"I don't know what's going on with you two now. You're all for each other, then you're not speaking, and now you're both acting weird. It's not really my business, I know, but she's my sister."
Suddenly, Harry realized just how much bigger Ron was than him. He swallowed nervously.
"Ginny is my sister. You're my best mate and all, but I'm going to tell you now. If there is something going on between you two; you'd better take care of her. I don't want you to start pushing her around or pushing her away when things get crazy. I know how you are; something bad happens, and then you start pushing everyone away from you."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Ron kept talking. "You always do it, Harry. I'm warning you, though. Ginny's not the sort to be pushed around and left behind. If you're going to start anything with her, you'd better be damned sure that you can stick with it. I'm not just being all protective because I'm her brother; Ginny's been through a lot of shit in her life. She doesn't need anyone else screwing around with her head." He met Harry's eyes. "If you do anything to hurt her, I mean really hurt her; I'll have to forget that we're friends. You hurt her and I hurt you, got it?"
Harry had known this talk would come sooner or later if he ever had a relationship with Ginny. He swallowed, hard, and nodded. Ron nodded too, and there seemed to be an understanding between them. Harry began to think in the silence that followed.
"You know, Ron, Hermione is as good as my sister. She's the closest thing I've ever had to one. So I could say the same thing to you."
Ron looked at him, bewildered. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Harry drew himself up to his full height. "I mean you're both my best friends, but a guy has to look out for his sister, you know. Just be careful with Hermione, that's all."
Ron stared at Harry for a moment and then nodded, too. "We're a couple of fools for getting mixed up with those two, you know?"
Harry shrugged. "Gluttons for punishment, I guess."
At four o'clock, Mrs. Weasley made her final survey over the house. She announced it in perfect shape and sent everyone inside. They sat around the table finishing off the lemonade, no one really saying anything. Soon Mrs. Weasley was ushering everyone upstairs to shower and change.
"So, what exactly is this great protection that's supposed to be up around the house this summer?" Harry asked Ron as they gathered up their bath things.
"Oh, well, Hermione and I got to work on some of the enchantments. There's loads of anti-jinx stuff and Imperturbable charms. Dumbledore had the Ministry make the place Unplottable. Then Dumbledore did something so that no one can come across the barriers if they want to do harm to anyone on the other side. It's pretty cool. Mum couldn't come home one day because Fred and George were here. They'd done something to hack her off in Diagon Alley, and then came here to hide. When she tried to Apparate in, the wards kept throwing her out. It took three hours before she calmed down enough to be able to come home."
"So Dumbledore thinks we're pretty safe?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, Mum reckons only Hogwarts is safer. We had to keep to the house as much as possible before the wards were done; well Ginny did anyway. She was pretty pissed off the first few weeks." Ron turned towards Harry. "There's something else I should tell you."
"Ron, really, I got the whole 'big brother' speech. I won't do anything…"
"It's no that. Look; me, Hermione, and Ginny all took this sort of…I don't know…oath I guess, to just be normal this summer."
"What do you mean normal?"
"Well, we don't read The Daily Prophet anymore, we don't try to sneak and see what the Order's been up to, and we don't even talk about the war at all. We just want to be as normal as possible before we go back to school. Hermione's been bugging me all day to tell you. You don't have to do it, but just so you know, if you want to start spying then you're on your own."
"So you're just pretending nothing is going on?" Harry felt his temper start to flare up.
"No, it's just…" Ron wrinkled his forehead. "What good does it do us to know what You-Know-Who is up to? We can't do anything about it here, Harry. Once we go back to school, we'll have to deal with it all the time. Like Hermione said, this is our last summer of freedom, mate. Next summer you're going to go off and join the Aurors and you're whole life will be about finding and capturing Dark wizards. Can you just not think about them for four weeks?"
Something stirred in Harry; Ron was right. They were all right. For the past six years, he'd only thought of Voldemort, of his parents deaths, of all the people killed so far in the war. Hadn't he always wanted to just be normal? Now he was here, with people who didn't only look at him as the Boy-Who-Lived. He could lead a normal life, even if it was only for a short time.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt. What do I have to lose?"
Harry and Ron stood close to the back door talking to Charlie.
"Can't wait to have you out there with us next year, Ron. That is if you pass your NEWT's, I mean."
"Don't worry about me. Harry's the mental one; going out for the Aurors."
Charlie laughed and raised his hand in a mock toast. "Cheers to that. What's Hermione decided to do? With the brains she's got I'll bet all the department heads at the Ministry are tripping over themselves to hire her; NEWT's or not."
"She's going into healing. I think her parents had a lot to do with it. Thinks she owes it to them or something."
"Wow," said Charlie, looking astonished.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Well, I just figured she'd be doing something…I don't know…bigger, I guess. I figured she'd try and take on the Ministry about elf rights or something." Charlie shook his head, and then eyed Ron. "So, how's that going to work out for the two of you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, you'll be off in Romania with me and she'll be studying in London. St. Mungo's is the best place for healers to train. Can't imagine her studying at the pathetic place in Bucharest. Are you guys going to be able to handle that sort of separation? You'll have to stay on at least two years with the camp. Healers have at least three years training, plus a year of internship with the hospital they train at."
Ron swallowed hard and looked around the yard. "I'm going to go and see what Fred and George are up to." He walked away, looking as though he'd been hit in the stomach with a beater's bat.
"He hasn't thought it out, has he?" Charlie asked Harry.
"I guess not." Harry watched Ron go. To be honest, Harry hadn't really thought about it. In just under a year, the three of them would be going their separate ways. They'd been together so long; it was hard to imagine his life without them. Would things remain the same? Would they still be as close as they had been the past six years? Suddenly, Harry wished this summer could go on forever.
"Alright everyone, we're just about ready to start. Everyone take yours seats, please." A little man with grey hair called from the door of the house. Harry had forgotten his name, but knew he was from the Ministry and had consented to perform the ceremony.
Harry and Charlie all took their seats, close to Fred and George. The twins were unusually quiet and sulky; perhaps it had something to do with the fact that their mother had confiscated their wands for the evening. She threatened them within an inch of their lives if they tried anything funny.
Soft music floated from inside the house. White flower petals covered the narrow aisle that ran between the chairs. A raised dais, draped in pale blue and white, stood in front of them. The little man from the ministry stood on top of it, waiting for the wedding to begin.
Ron, looking slightly awestruck, escorted a very pretty Hermione to her seat. He sat down beside her, apparently unable to take his eyes from her. Harry couldn't blame him really. She had on a pale yellow dress and her hair was pulled back away from her face. Seeing Harry, she smiled and gave him a sly wink.
Soon Penelope's brother (Harry thought his name was Jonathan, but he couldn't be sure) was escorting his mother to her seat at the front of the group. Mrs. Clearwater looked a lot like her daughter. Tall and slender, with high cheekbones and blonde curls; she was a very striking woman. The son, however, looked like his father; tall with dark hair and eyes.
Next came Mrs. Weasley, holding on to Percy's arm, beaming at everyone as she passed. Mr. Weasley followed close behind them. Percy kissed his mother's cheek and shook his father's hand before going to stand next to the little man at the front.
Harry had never been to a wedding before, but it seemed very dull and boring so far. The chair was hard on his backside, and his stomach had started growling. He was just wishing the whole thing would hurry and be over when he realized everyone was looking behind them. His eyes followed theirs and suddenly Harry forgot about everything else around him. Ginny's arm was linked through Bill's; her other hand was carrying a group of white flowers. Her dress was long and dark blue. Her vivid hair hung down her back in ginger waves. Brown eyes crinkled in a smile as she was escorted to the front of the group. Harry couldn't tear his eyes from her; not even when Penelope and her father came down the center aisle.
He stared at her throughout the entire ceremony. A few times she even looked around and caught his eye, lifting the corners of her mouth in a smirk. Harry's trance was broken when every one around him started shouting and clapping. Numbly, he joined in with them. The wedding was over and he'd completely missed it.
Everyone one was standing up and following Percy and Penelope back down the middle aisle toward the house. Ron reached over and thumped him on the back of the head.
"Are you coming or not?"
Harry nodded, feeling slightly punch-drunk.
The evening went on, Harry forcing himself to pay attention to every one else. They all gathered around the table for what had to be the most elaborate meal Harry had ever eaten at the Burrow. The tables were covered with dark blue clothes and white lace on top of them. Large candles stood at various intervals, surrounded by a wreath of summer flowers.
To Harry's dismay, Ginny took the seat at Penelope's right. Mrs. Clearwater took the seat next to Ginny. Harry crossed around the table and sat three spaces down from her on the opposite side.
Both sets of parents made toasts to the new couple. Bill stood and said a few, well-chosen words about Percy, suggested that Penelope might need her head examined for marrying into this sort of family, but in the end congratulated them both. After the applause and laughter died away, Ginny stood with her glass in hand.
"It's been years since I've had all this family's attention on me, so I think I'll drag out this speech and savor the moment." Everyone laughed, Ginny smiled around at them. The candlelight flickering on her hair and skin gave her an ethereal sort of glow. She composed herself and took a deep breath. "The world we live in isn't perfect; it's full of danger and heartache. It seems that with every turn we take, there is a new fear pressing on us. Today, however, we don't live in that world. We've gathered here to witness something that makes all the fear and danger seem…small. Two people, in love, have promised to spend the rest of their lives protecting and loving each other. They've invited us, their closest and dearest family, to join them as they made that promise. I hope that the love they feel for each other now will last until, many, many years from now, they cross over to the other side. Congratulations to my brother and my very first sister-in-law!"
"Cheers," everyone said with hoarse voices and misty eyes.. Mrs. Weasley had broken down completely and had her face buried in her napkin. Even Harry had to swallow the lump rising is his throat. He hadn't imagined something so…profound and beautiful from Ginny. He'd been expecting the words "arse" and "selfish prat" to be used at least once.
Mrs. Weasley finally managed to control herself, and everyone began to eat. Conversation flowed smoothly around the table, and then it was time for dessert. A huge wedding cake was unearthed and everyone gathered around it as Percy and Penny cut it.
Fleur arrived a while later, making her apologies for having to work late. Harry laughed out loud when Fleur went over to greet Ron, kissing him on the cheek. Hermione scowled, but Ron simply gave Fleur's shoulder a pat, said "Good to see you, too.", and then turned back to Hermione as though nothing had happened. When Harry felt a tap on his shoulder, he was surprised to see Percy standing behind him.
"Could I have a moment, Harry?'
"I guess so; sure" He followed Percy a few steps from the group.
"Listen, I just wanted to…well to…apologize. I said some very bad things about you…to a lot of people."
"You believed every lie Fudge and Umbridge threw around about me, too."
"I know, but Harry, you have to understand. Back then, going against what the minister said was as good as spitting in his face. I couldn't afford to lose my job." He looked at Harry for a moment. "We're not so different, you know?"
"How do you figure that?" Harry snapped
"Well, we want to do everything we can to make sure we never have to live the way we did growing up. Completely different circumstances, I know. I wanted to make sure I never had to worry about money; stupid thing now, really. You want to always have a family who cares about you, right?"
Harry nodded somewhat reluctantly.
"Well, you've got that family now and you intend to do everything to protect them, right?"
Harry nodded again.
"Same with me, I wanted to make sure that Penny and I never had to struggle like Mum and Dad did. I see now what an idiot I was. I threw my family away for a few extra galleons a week." Percy looked down at his shoes. "Anyway, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I'm not asking for any forgiveness; I don't deserve it. Fred and George made sure I knew that." He clapped Harry on the shoulder and smiled at him. "Try and keep Ron out of trouble, will you? I think he may be the worst out of the whole lot of us."
"I'll try." He watched as Percy nodded and smiled at him. He started to walk away but Harry called to him. "They'll forgive you after a bit. You're still family, after all."
Percy smiled again, and went to join his wife. Harry wandered down to the old tree by the pond's bank. He sat on the ground, leaned against it, and closed his eyes.
"Hi there," a soft voice breathed in his ear. He jumped and opened his eyes. Ginny was kneeling down beside him. "I figured you'd escape sooner or later."
"Why's that?"
"Because this whole thing has been a dead bore. Sitting in my bed with a good book sounds pretty tempting right now." She sat down on the ground, arranging her skirt over he legs. Reaching out, she slipped the sandals off her feet. "This is what I get for trying to be tall for one day of my life."
They sat in silence for awhile, both staring out over the pond.
"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"
Harry gave a start. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"It's a perfect night. No clouds, the moon shining in the water, crickets singing…" Ginny closed her eyes, taking a long sniff of the air around her. "You can smell the flowers and cake from the house. It smells heavenly."
Harry caught a whiff of something, but he wasn't sure it was cake or flowers. It came from Ginny; a sweet and intoxicating scent. He wondered what sort of perfume she wore.
"You know, Egypt doesn't smell anything like this."
Harry looked at her, curiously. What was her obsession with smells?
"It's sort of a spicy smell. When we were there, every morning I woke up and it was drifting through my window. It was like excitement, danger, and life was swirling around you all the time. It's different here, though."
"Why? What's it like here?"
She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly for a moment. "Clean and… wonderful. When I first went to Hogwarts, it was what I missed most." Ginny looked at him, smiling. "My first few days I kept sneaking off to my room and sniffing the quilt Mum made me. I'd brought it with me so I wouldn't miss her so much. Then one day I came back to find that the house elves had washed it. It never smelled the same again. I cried for hours." She laughed softly.
As she moved, the smell of her perfume caught Harry's nose again. He looked down; her hand was lying on the grass. He had the sudden urge to reach down and grasp it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, she shifted. She stretched her legs out in front of her and turned closer towards him.
Harry enjoyed sitting close to Ginny like this. He couldn't explain it, but for the past year just having her close by made him feel warmth he'd never felt before. He watched as the breeze caused strands of hair to whip around her face. Harry had to fight down the urge to reach out and smooth them down.
"I'm really sorry about the whole hair thing this morning. Ron wasn't serious about you walking around…"
"Yeah, he was actually." He felt his face burn with shame.
"I never imagined you actually caring." She moved closed to him. "I like it better this way." She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair.
The sensation of her fingers against his scalp sent little shivers down his spine. Before he knew what he was doing he had reached out and put his hand against her neck. Her skin was warm and soft. They were moving closer together. His fingers tangled in the hair at the base of her neck as their faces came within inches of each other.
Her hand came to rest against the side of his face. Harry could see the moon reflected in her dark eyes. Suddenly their lips met. Winding his arm around her back, he pulled her body closer to him. He shivered as he felt her tongue slide against his.
A thousand emotions seem to flow through him. There was the wild happiness he had only felt a few times in his life; the day he got his Hogwarts letter and learned that he was a wizard, the moment when the trees parted and he saw the school that would be his new home. There was the swooping sensation in his stomach like when he had first ridden a broom and when he had won the Quidditch Cup. He felt alive, calm, excited, afraid, brave enough to take on the world…he felt…he felt…
There was only one word to describe it. He wouldn't realize it until much later, but he felt like he had come home.
After a long while they broke apart, breathing heavily. Ginny's face was flushed and her lips were swollen and red. Her hands rested against his chest and she looked at him. "Happy Birthday, Harry."
They stayed down by the pond for a while longer, sometimes talking, mostly kissing. Eventually, Ginny said they should get back before someone came looking for them. Harry pushed off the ground and pulled Ginny to her feet. They walked back hand in hand, Ginny carrying her shoes. Before they reached the house they released hands, each silently reading the other's mind. What had happened down at the pond was their secret and they didn't want to share it with anyone just yet.
A/N: This has to be the most dreadful chapter ever written. It's got too much dialogue and I hated writing it. I have to give credit to a friend for Ginny's wedding speech. She stole it from someone's wedding and gave it to me to use here. Next chapter will be up…er…eventually. I shall enjoy writing it much more, lots of fun things happening…
R/R!
