Chapter 2: Testing, Testing
Harry collapsed onto the couch in his living room exhausted from the day. He glanced up at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was only 9:30. Had his days started to get so exhausting that he was considering collapse due to fatigue at only 9:30? Unfortunately, regardless of how tired he felt, he couldn't go to find his bed. He still had so much to do before he could experience the luxury of sleep and now that Teddy was finally down for the night, he had better get started.
Harry's study was cluttered with so many books that, were it better organized, anyone who knew him would have thought it belonged to Hermione. The books were all filled with little tabs that marked sections that need further study, or that were particularly useful. Harry's year end examinations were approaching fast at the academy and, having missed his last year at Hogwarts, he had had a lot of catching up to do. It was extremely important that he do well on his examinations. The trouble was, between caring for Teddy and keeping up with his regular coursework Harry was not left much time for study. On top of that, when he did have time to study his mind was littered with constant worry and daydreams.
If all went well over the next few weeks, his end of year examinations were not the only obstacle he had to worry about passing this month. He glanced at the drawer on the left of his desk and his heart began beating faster as his thoughts drifted towards what was inside it. He had bought it about a month ago and was waiting for the perfect moment to use it.
No one knew of his plans save Hermione, for he had elicited her help during what was perhaps the most important purchase he was ever to make. He knew he could not wait much longer to tell Ron, however, since Hermione was practically bursting at the seems to tell him. The last time the three of them were together Hermione could not look at Harry without turning a red color that matched her boyfriend's hair.
Because of this problem, Harry had decided he had better tell Ron the next time they saw each other. But, though the two shared a flat in London, they rarely saw each other. Ron had taken a job working with George and was now running their new Hogsmeade store which meant he often didn't return home until incredibly late and left early each morning. On a normal day, the two friends only caught glimpses of each other as they prepared for work each day or as they clambered to bed at night. Finding an ample time to have serious conversation was difficult, but Harry was determined to catch his friend tonight and have a talk.
He settled down in his chair and set to reading an article on new theories of shielding charms that he had begun earlier that evening. He continued reading, switching to different books and making notes occasionally, until he heard a loud CRACK in the living room. He put down his books and stood, taking a deep, fortifying breath, and went to join Ron in the kitchen, which was the first place Ron always went after a long day's work.
Ron looked peaked his head out from behind the pantry door as Harry walked in. "Hey, Harry" he said, his mouth full of muffins that Andromeda had sent over the last time Teddy had visited her.
"Hey, Ron" Harry returned, with a nervous smile.
Ron gave him an odd sort of look. "Wassamatter?" He asked through another mouthful of muffins.
"Nothing, nothing!" Harry responded, too quickly.
Ron cocked an eyebrow and sat at the table. "Spill it." He said, looking Harry straight in the eye.
Harry joined his best friend at the table and looked met his gaze.
"Well," he said, "I have something to tell, well something to ask you, really."
Ron seemed to calm down almost immediately, and started to laugh.
Harry was confused. What had he said that was funny? Yes, Ron worked in a joke shop and often laughed more than the average person, but he couldn't think of anything warranted laughter at this given moment.
After a few more moments of laughter, Ron gave Harry a wide grin.
"If this is about you wanting to marry my sister, Harry, I've know for ages."
Harry just stared at him, baffled.
"Hermione told me." He explained. "I grilled her after the last time we all three hung out together and she couldn't stop blushing. I knew she knew something I didn't, and I got it out of her eventually."
Harry still couldn't say anything, so Ron spoke again.
"So, you going to show me the ring that is worthy of the only Weasley girl to be born in a century?"
Harry blinked and began to panic again. He had never thought of it that way. Ginny was the first Weasley girl to be born for a century. Was Harry really worthy of marrying the only daughter of the Weasley clan? Was the ring he had chosen after days of worrying really good enough? What had he been thinking? There was no way that Harry would be allowed to take the only Weasley daughter away from the rest of her family.
Ron seemed to know what Harry was thinking, because he immediately went to the cupboard, pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey, and poured them each a shot. Harry's best friend raised his glass in a toast.
"To the future Mr and Mrs Potter" he said and drank.
Harry's nerves seemed to melt away as he drank his shot. Before he could say anything, Ron spoke again.
"Just so you know, Harry, Dad's the easy one. It's Mum you've got to worry about."
With these last words of wisdom, Ron stood and exited to his bedroom, leaving Harry to his thoughts and fears at the kitchen table.
Though it was a Saturday, Harry awoke early the next morning. Andromeda wanted Teddy to visit this weekend and Harry was eager for a chance to catch up on his studies. He had packed an overnight bag for Teddy the night before, though it didn't include much. Teddy spent so much time at the home of Andromeda Tonks that he had almost everything he need there. He also had a room dedicated to him at the Burrow, and it was not unusual to have to settle "custody disputes" between Molly and Andromeda when the both wanted the toddler on the same night. Needless to say, it was difficult to keep him from being incredibly spoiled.
Teddy, like Harry, did not care for apparating. Each time he had to take the tike by side-along apparation, he had to endure at least an hour of screaming afterwords. He did, however, adore flying which pleased his godfather greatly. Harry had rigged his new Firebolt 2 with a sort of car seat that he could put the infant in. He would then cover them both with his invisibility cloak and they would go on long rides together.
Andromeda did not live far outside of London, so this is how they would be traveling this morning. With the amount of studying Harry had been doing, it had been some time since their last ride.
Ron came out of his room in his pin striped suit to see Harry prepping his broomstick for the journey. He grinned.
"Hermione hates that thing." He said. "She says that it's incredibly irresponsible for Harry to take such a small child out on a Broom like that! Anything could happen. He could fall out! Or they could be seen!"
The two had a laugh at Hermione's expense. Harry knew how much Hermione worried about him taking Teddy out on his broom, but he had taken every precaution to make it perfectly safe, even at the expense of his broom's speed and agility. The broom was surrounded by a cushioning charm that was strong enough to catch a small boy if he should fall, and the car seat was attached to the broomstick with a permanent sticking charm. Hermione herself had checked these enchantments and gave her disgruntled approval.
Ron shoved a pastry in his mouth and turned on the spot to disaparate, waving to Harry as he went. The pastry fell from his mouth as he disappeared, inciting a squealing laugh from Teddy, who was sitting in his high chair excitedly watching Harry prepare the broom.
Having successfully attached everything to the broomstick, Harry scooped the excited child into his arms and secured him in the car seat. His hair was a flaming red today, probably imitating Ron. Harry mounted his broom, covered them with the invisibility cloak, and they took off out the french doors that led to the balcony. Harry closed the doors behind them with a flick of his wand, and they were soon soaring across the countryside.
Teddy's squeals continued as they soared off towards Andromeda's cottage. Harry quite enjoyed these rides, though he did sometimes wish he could pull some extreme dives or loops and use the full power of his top of the line broomstick. He would get his chance on the way home, for now it was Teddy's time.
They arrived at the Tonks cottage ten minutes early, but Andromeda was already waiting nervously in the garden. Harry landed carefully and removed the cloak. Andromeda immediately scooped Teddy from his seat and held him close.
"It so frightens me that you take him on that thing!" She squealed.
She was not a fan of brooms, especially when they were carrying her grandson. No matter how many times Harry had explained to her the number of enchantments that were in place to protect Teddy from any danger, she always maintained that no child should be on a broomstick. She would then go into her rant about the number of injuries she had had to cure during her days as a nurse from people being idiots on broomsticks. Harry had always felt it wise not to share his memories of the times he spent in the hospital wing at Hogwarts after a few particularly nasty Quidditch games.
Harry helped the her inside and got Teddy settled before saying his goodbyes and taking off. The flight home was much shorter than the trip there had been, since he could put the broom to full power without worrying about his passenger. He landed safely on the patio and tapped the door. It clicked unlocked and, after looking around to ensure no one would see the door open of its own accord, he slipped into the living room and removed his cloak. He mounted the broom onto its place on the wall, and retreated to his study.
Harry spent the rest of the day either at his desk, or curled up on his couch with a thick book. Hermione would not have even been able to complain about his work ethic that day. Truthfully, concentrating on studying helped to calm his nerves on other matters. For the next two weeks he would have not much else to think about. Monday started his written examinations, which would take a week to complete. Then the following Monday, and for two weeks there after he would be enduring practical examinations, physical tests, and drills. Harry was feeling extremely anxious, though whether it was the upcoming examinations or the small ring hidden in his study that was causing his anxiety he could not be sure.
Either way, the sun had gone done some time ago and Harry had not eaten since he dropped off Teddy. He went to the kitchen to find something to cook. He had found that he quite enjoyed cooking "the muggle way" when he didn't have the Dursleys barking orders at him. He was just putting the finishing touches on his dinner when Ron appeared in the living room looking disheveled.
The red heads glasses were cracked and his robes were hanging off of him as if he had been attacked by something. Harry instinctively reached for his wand.
"What happened?" He demanded.
Ron muttered his hardly audible reply. "Hogsmeade... weekend... forgot... call... help..."
Harry put down his wand and had a hardy laugh as his friend collapsed onto the couch.
"Hungry, mate?" He asked, placing the plate on the table.
"starved" He replied and moved to the table faster than Harry would have believed possible in his state.
The two friends had the first meal together they had had for a long while. They had been leading such busy lives that they got to see little of each other.
"Ginny sends her love, mate. Also I'm supposed to give you a kiss from her. You'll not be offended if I don't, right?" Ron laughed across the table.
"I would really rather you didn't, thanks." Harry replied.
Once they were finished eating, Ron waved his wand to make the dishes clean themselves up. A trick that he had learned from his mother no doubt.
They parted ways and went to bed, both exhausted.
Harry tried to sleep in the next morning, but found it difficult. So many mornings of getting up early with Teddy had trained him to wake just before dawn. He stretched and headed to his shower.
He was looking forward to today, because he had plans with this two best friends. It wasn't often that they could get together anymore, and he hadn't seen Hermione in weeks.
After his hot shower, he dressed and settled down in his study to get in a little reading before they left for The Leaky Cauldron. A couple hours later Ron knocked on his door and entered.
"Studying again? You're turning into Hermione, mate." He said in way of 'good morning.'
Harry laughed and put down his books before replying. "Time to go?"
"almost"
Ron was still fussing about his appearance almost an hour later, much to the annoyance of the enchanted mirror in his bathroom.
"Ron," Harry said with amusement, "you do realize that she's known you since you were eleven, right? If she's still attracted to you after having seen you then..."
He stopped to dodge a bottle of soap that had been chucked at him.
"fine, fine," Ron said, "we can head out."
When they arrived in The Leaky Cauldron, they were not surprised that Hermione was already there.
"You're late." She said with an annoyed tone, but with a smile on her face.
"Yeah," Harry replied with a nod towards his flatmate, "Ronny-kins here had to gussy up."
Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron's ears turned red as his hair. To avoid having to respond, he went to find Tom and get drinks.
For the next couple of hours the trio remained deep in conversation, though Hermione was quite anxious.
"I really shouldn't be spending time like this. I've so much studying to do before my end of year exams at St Mungo's! I really should be going soon" She said about ever ten minutes.
Ron and Harry ignored these complaints. After seven years of friendship they were used to them.
"How is it an Mungo's?" Harry asked.
"Oh it's so stressful! But so wonderful!" She replied with a glint in her eyes. "Just the other day a witch came in with her two boys, about 12 and 14 years old. Apparently the older one had thought he could manage apparating and tried to take his brother along with him. Not only did they splinch themselves, but when they popped back into place they were conjoined!"
"Forgive me if I don't see the wonder in that, Hermione." Ron said, flinching. "Sounds horrible to me"
"Oh it was!" She responded, "the wonderful part was how quickly Healer Johanson was able to put them to rights. They only had to stay one night to take some skelegrow and they were good as new."
At the mention of Hermione's teacher, Ron's lips had pressed thin in a great impersonation of McGonagall. Harry grinned at this, but changed the subject. "So Ron had a rough day at the store yesterday came home looking like he had just had a battle with a particularly nasty skrewt."
"Oh my." gasped Hermione.
Ron bucked up. "Oh, it was nothing." He said in mock modesty. "Just forgot to gather some extra staff for the Hogsmeade weekend was all. Ginny stayed and helped me for a bit, but I sent her off after a little while. It was her last Hogsmeade weekend after all."
His modesty had had the effect he hoped for. Hermione was looking at him admiringly and had scooted a bit closer. But after a minute Ron spoke up again.
"Speaking of Ginny." He said with a pointed look at Harry.
Harry felt his face betray him in turning bright red.
"Oh Harry!" Hermione squealed, "you finally told him. Oh thank goodness!"
"No," Harry responded, a fake look of anger on his face, "actually, I didn't, Hermione." He looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
Hermione panicked. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry! I tried not to tell him, I really did!"
Harry let her fluster on for a bit before breaking into laughter. This earned him a spoon expertly aimed at his head.
After several hours of laughter, the group parted ways. Ron had to get to the shop which, though it was closed for the day, desperately needed restocking. Hermione was panicked over the amount of studying she had to do and Harry need to get to Andromeda's to pick up Teddy, which was always an ordeal.
He looked down at his watch. There was not time to fly there, he would have to apparate. He turned and appeared just outside the Tonks family property line. It took him only a few minutes to walk up to the small cottage. He had to knock twice to get Andromeda to come to the door, and an hour later he was still arguing with her.
"I just don't understand why he can't just stay here with me." She said.
"I've explained it to you. I'm his godfather and I want to take care of him. Remus and Tonks would not have made me godfather if that wasn't what they had wanted."
"But you're too young to care for a child! He stayed with me for most of the first six months after Nymphadora and Remus died. Why can't he continue to stay here?"
"I've told you, Andromeda. I want to care for my godson! The only reason he had to stay with you that long was to give me time to get everything straightened out to take care of him. I thank you for that time, and I will accept any help that you want to give me, but he is my responsibility. You're job is to be a loving and doting grandmother. It's my job to raise him, and I am doing the best I can! Now, please, get used to it or else I'm going to have to stop bringing him over here for fear of not being able to get him back."
With that he marched into the nursery that Andromeda had set up for Teddy, scooped up his godson in his arms and, holding him close, squeezed them both into that horrible darkness and appeared in his living room.
As usual, Teddy howled. The poor thing so hating apparating. Harry imagined it was a quite frightening for such a small child, but sometimes there wasn't any other option. He put the screaming child down on the carpeted floor and used his wand to make some of his toys dance around him. This usually calmed him down, and it worked just as well this time.
Harry made dinner for himself and Teddy and before long they were both dosing off. He put the infant in his crib and went to his own bed. He had an early day tomorrow and was not looking forward to his examinations.
Over the next three weeks, Harry hardly had time to eat and sleep. His days consisted of getting up before dawn, dropping Teddy off with either Andromeda or Molly Weasley, apparating to the auror academy, sitting grueling examinations that left him exhausted and sometimes injured, then apparating to Teddy, bringing him home, coaxing him to sleep and collapsing in bed himself.
Right now he was in the process of coaxing Teddy to sleep. He was particularly rowdy tonight. George had visited his mother that evening and spent much of his time there riling the child up. Harry would have to think of a way to get George back later, but for now all he cared about was getting to sleep. He had just finished his last day of examinations and felt like he could sleep for a week.
Harry had started to dose off in the chair in Teddy's nursery when he heard a loud CRACK in the living room. That would be Ron arriving home from the shop. Looking up to ensure that Teddy was content in his crib, Harry left the nursery to greet his flatmate.
"Wow." Said Ron when Harry entered the room. "You look like hell."
"Thanks, mate." Harry replied lying on the couch.
Ron was right though, Harry probably did look terrible. He could feel his joints aching, and didn't have to look in a mirror to see the bags under his eyes. If it hadn't been for Hermione and her teacher's aptness at healing Harry and his fellow trainees would probably be covered in scars. But now they had a six week break, then, as long as they had passed their examinations, they would start interning at the department of magical law enforcement.
Without realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch, Harry awoke the next morning to Teddy's cries. He stood and turned to walk to the nursery before it hit him what today was. Today was the day he planned to visit Arthur Weasley. His heart skipped a beat and anxiety crept into his mind. More than any other test he had experienced this week, Harry was terrified of the obstacle he would be tackling today.
With a gulp, Harry prepared Teddy for the day. They would be flying to Andromeda's again, since Harry felt he would desperately need the flight to maintain his calm.
After dropping Teddy, his hair jet black today, with his grandmother, Harry mounted his broom and kicked off in the direction of the Burrow.
It was about a two hour flight from Andromeda's to the Burrow, but Harry enjoyed every minute of it. Were it not for the upcoming conversation he planned to have with the man who may soon be his father in law, Harry might have been downright relaxed.
Harry caught his first glimpse of the Burrow a couple of hours later. It was looking as rickety as ever, though Mr Weasley was far from short on cash lately. He had been given a significant pay raise while Kingsley was minister. He had justified the pay raise by saying it was due to the great increase in time Arthur would be spending at the ministry during the reconstruction of the wizarding world, but Harry had a feeling that Kingsley just felt that Arthur was severely underpaid to begin with.
Harry landed in the garden, landing directly on a gnome that revenged this intrusion with a bite on the ankle. After shaking the animal off, Harry pointed his wand at the wound to mend it, stopped for a moment and smiled. Were Luna here she would discourage Harry from mending the wound and encourage him to pay close attention to any urges he might have to invent or play a musical instrument. Harry, however, would much rather not have his stockings and robes covered in blood and continued to mend the small cut.
He store his Firebolt 2 in the tiny shed behind the house, which was full of other brooms that had been discarded by the Weasley children over the years. Some were so small that Harry thought they must have been toys from when they were very young, some were broken clean in half, and most of the others were covered in dust.
Ensuring that the door was secure, Harry turned to knock on the back door. But before he could knock, Mrs Weasley opened the door and attacked him with a tight hug.
"Oh, hello, Harry!" she said, "It's been too long."
Truthfully it had been only a few days since they had last seen each other, but his momentary visits dropping off or picking up Teddy did not seem to appease Mrs Weasley. It had been well over a month since they had had a proper visit. This did some to help calm Harry's nerves.
Harry escaped Mrs Weasley's grasp and made his way to the kitchen. Arthur was sitting at the table reading The Daily Prophet and idly sipping on a cup of tea. He looked up for a moment to greet Harry, but seemed to realized that something was off.
"Something wrong, son?" He said instead.
Harry caught himself and tried to make his features seem calmer. What was wrong with him? He could face all sorts of creatures, and look fearlessly into the eyes of someone attempting to jinx him to oblivion, but the prospect of talking to a man he had known since he was a child terrified him today.
"No sir." He responded, a little to formally.
Mr Weasley raised an eyebrow but seemed to accept his response because he returned to the prophet and continued drinking his tea.
"Sure is obvious that the paper isn't in the ministry's pocket anymore." Arthur commented.
"It certainly is." Harry replied, calming slightly and taking a seat. "All they do lately is complain about the fact that we haven't managed to capture everyone who could possibly be a death eater. Did you see that article last week that suggested we systematically bring in ever witch or wizard for questioning under veritaserum?"
"Yes, I did. Ridiculous. The same thing happened the last time, of course."
Conversing casually with Mr Weasley as they normally did seemed to give Harry the bit of courage that he needed. All he needed to do was get Mr Weasley alone. But he had come up with a plan for this ages ago.
"We got a refrigerator for the flat, Mr Weasley." He said, slyly. "I know there are other ways to keep things cool, but I guess I just can't part with all my muggle ways."
Mr Weasley's eyes started to glisten. Harry had him hooked. "Which of course means that we had to hook up electricity in the flat, all those plugs and cords can get a bit cumbersome for Ron, but I think it's manageable.
Mr Weasley could no longer contain himself. "P-plugs... C-cords..." He stammered. "I don't suppose you would be so kind... If it wouldn't be too much trouble..."
Harry grinned. He had won. "Of course, Mr Weasley. We could hop over for a minute right now, if you like. We could have a look around and be back in plenty of time to go to King's Cross."
Mr Weasley immediately agreed and, after a holler to Mrs Weasley, he and Harry turned together and appeared in Harry's living room.
Now What? That had been the easy part. Now Harry had to have what would probably be the hardest conversation he had ever had.
Mr Weasley had already found the refrigerator and was inspecting it excitedly.
"So, Harry, do tell me. How exactly does it keep things cold?" He asked.
Harry took a breath and held it for a minute before letting it out. "Mr Weasley, I didn't really bring you here to look at my refrigerator." Seeing the man's disappointment, he quickly added, "But you can come over and have a look at it any time you like!" He stopped not sure what to say next.
Mr Weasley stood up from his crouched position. "Ok, Harry, what did you bring me here for then?" He asked, now quite serious.
"Well, I need to talk to you." He motioned to Mr Weasley to sit down then sat down himself. It seemed to flow more naturally now that he was in the swing of it. "I need to talk to you about something quite important, and I wanted to talk to you alone."
Mr Weasley was looking at him with worried eyes. Harry quickly looked away before continuing. He felt it best not to delay the point any longer, not to try to buffer it. Otherwise, he might lose his nerve.
"I'd like to ask your permission to ask your daughter to marry me." He said all in one breath. Harry froze. Had he really just done that? Did that really just happened? He must have turned pale because Mr Weasley asked. "Harry, are you all right?" with a hint of humor in his voice.
Harry did not respond. He could not respond. He now found himself scared to death.
Mr Weasley spoke again. "Harry, it's okay. Relax. I've known this would be coming, though perhaps I thought a bit later. Of course you have my permission, and I don't foresee you having any trouble getting Ginny to agree."
Harry must have forgotten to breath because his head was spinning. He took a breath now and it felt like he had never really breathed before. He could not believe how easy that had been. He stood up.
"Thank you so much, Mr Weasley" He said.
"Please, Harry, call me Arthur. There is no point in continuing to be so formal when one day you will be calling me dad."
Arthur put his hand out to shake Harry's hand, who was still having a little trouble remaining on his feet.
They apparated directly to Platform nine and three quarters just as Ginny was getting off the train. When she saw Harry she ran to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Mr Weasley patted Harry on the back and whispered into his ear. "Good luck, son"
He had passed the last test. He was worthy. Now, all he had to do was ask. Soon.