In the weeks that followed the newly weds' return from their honey moon, things seemed to calm down. Harry and Ginny moved into their new house in a small town not far from Ottery St. Catchpole where the Burrow was located. After many hours of deliberation, Draco and Hermione purchased a nice four bedroom three houses down.
Harry and Ginny were ecstatic.
Neville was around a lot and could often be found baby sitting the twins while Harry put furniture together and Ginny, with her hands on her hips, told him exactly how to do it. In the evenings the friends would sit together and discuss the future.
Ginny was headed back to school in September to finish her seventh year and was planning to go on and become a healer. Harry would stay home and take care of the twins, or allow Molly to baby sit for a few hours while he helped Hermione in the small bookshop she had opened. Draco had no plans, he told them, and would smile indulgently and grab the nearest twin whenever someone would try to get it out of him.
One day Ginny popped out of the fire after a visit to the burrow and was rambling on so fast Harry had to give her a calming draught before he could understand her. Apparently after several months of dating, Ron was thinking about talking to Mr. Lovegood about his daughter's hand in marriage. Molly had gotten wind of it and was all a twitter with happiness. Harry suspected she had already begun making plans and putting together the guest list.
It seemed like no time before Harry stood on platform nine and three quarters, holding Lily in one arm and pulling Ginny's trunk with the other. Everyone stared as they walked by, James still squalling because Lily had pulled his hair in the car. Nothing Ginny did would calm him down and she eventually had to hand him over to Molly.
"Don't let Lily have anymore chocolate, it made her sick last time." Harry gave Ginny a sheepish look and tucked the candy into his pocket.
"Say goodbye to your silly mommy, Lily. She has to go back to school now and when she's gone daddy will give you more of his chocolate bar." Harry whispered the last part just loud enough for Ginny to hear.
"Don't you even dare, Harry James Potter. You spoil her to death." Ginny gave them both a kiss and took James from Molly for a moment before handing him back and giving her parents a hug.
"I spoil them both to death, its my job." Harry dropped the cheerful smile and looked his small wife over carefully. "Be careful this year. Me and Ron aren't going to be there if you get into trouble."
"I can take care of myself." She looked ready to smack him.
"I know, but my second year keeps playing itself over in my head. I keep wondering what would have happened if I hadn't gone after you. I can't lose you Ginny, not now."
"You're not going to lose me, I promise, and I'll be careful. If I get into trouble, I'll owl Fred and George. They spend most of their time at their store in Hogsmeade now, so they're right there if I need them. There really is no need to worry about me, it's you I'm concerned about." Harry opened his mouth to reassure her, but in that moment the whistle blew and all the students remaining on the platform rushed to get on board the train. Harry kissed Ginny one last before she grabbed her trunk and joined the chaos. He waved at her as the doors closed and the train sped away from the station.
Sighing, Harry turned to head back out into Muggle King's Cross. As he, Molly, and Arthur walked to the car he wondered what he wouldn't give to be on that train at that very moment, headed toward Hogwarts and adventures untold. 'Yes,' he thought, 'What I wouldn't give.'
HP"Molly!" Harry's panicked voice echoed through the burrow. His head continued to shout from the fireplace until the red headed witch made it into the sitting room.
"What is the meaning of this?" She stood with her hands on her hips glaring down at the black haired head sitting in her fireplace.
"You've got to help me." If Harry could have thrown himself at the motherly woman, he would have.
"Help you with what?"
"Lily is throwing up and nothing I give her will make it stop. James keeps blowing things up like balloons, the dishes are doing a tap dance in the kitchen and all the furniture keeps talking. I tried to call Hermione, but she's at the bookshop and Draco just laughed when I asked him for help and then hung up."
Molly shook her head, "Step back, I'm coming through."
The moment Harry's head was out of the floo, his ears were immediately assaulted with the sound of a very bad opera coming from the bathroom. Reassessing the situation, Harry noticed that Lily was still in the play pin where he had left her, vomit covering every thing in it. The dishes were still tap dancing, though they had switched to the horrid tune coming from the bathroom. Various pieces of furniture were still locked in conversation and James was no longer in his play pin. The boy had somehow escaped.
Harry left Molly with Lily and headed to the bathroom in the hopes of canceling whatever spell James had managed.
An hour later both the twins were asleep and the house put back together. Molly was checking on the twins one last time before she headed home to finish here housework.
"I take it this is something we are not telling Ginny?" Molly asked as she prepared to floo.
"No, she would kill me." Harry hugged her and fell into an armchair as she disappeared into the flames.
HPThe Great Hall fell silent as Professor McGonagall appeared with the new first years in tow. Ginny smiled at a few of the nervous faces as they filed past.
Everything seemed so surreal to her and she sat, drinking everything in, hardly able to believe that she would never again sit through a Hogwarts welcoming feast. That this was it hit her hard and she smiled sadly as another first year joined the Gryffindor table. She used to be like them, so amazed and hopeful. One day they would understand.
The sorting went by quickly, and the headmasters 'few words' were amusing as ever.
When the food appeared, Ginny filled her plate, and then turned as if to say something, catching herself when she realized that that someone wasn't sitting beside her. He was miles away taking care of two babies and waiting for the first Hogsmeade weekend to roll around so he could see his wife. The only member of their group remaining at Hogwarts was Luna, and she was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with her housemates.
Life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had never seemed so bleak for Ginny Weasley.
She sat respectfully when the headmaster stood for his start of school announcements.
"I would like to begin this school year with first welcoming all the students, new and old to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore paused for the cheering, "Next, to introduce our new defense teacher, Professor Riddle, may he teach you well…"
The rest of Dumbledore's speech went unheard by the youngest Weasley. She knew the man had been familiar to her somehow, but had put it from her mind.
Voldemort had come to teach at Hogwarts.
"Isn't he handsome?" A girl asked from her right, and Ginny recognized her to be one of the sixth years. Several others answered in the affirmative and Ginny found herself wondering just what kind of year they were all in for.
(AN: Okay, so this is probably the most horrid thing I've ever written… okay, I take that back, no it's not, but it's up there. I think I'm in a creative slump ten times worse than the worst writer's block on the planet. I need inspiration bad.)