Chapter Four - A Summer to Remember

It was hard to believe that it had been May second when the Battle of Hogwarts had ended. Harry and his friends had more than an extra month off for the summer, but their extended break had started out busy, and seemed to fly past. Once those first hectic days after the war ended were over, Hermione and Ron headed for Australia to get her parents and reverse the charms she'd placed on them. His two best friends then spent the rest of the summer between the Burrow and Hermione's house.

Ginny and Luna were taking classes all summer so that they could finish their sixth year, and join their other friends in seventh year at Hogwarts in September. Mrs. Weasley, and Fleur jumped right into their new jobs, and both Witches immediately showed a real talent for the work. They started out by reviewing all of Harry's holdings, which took quite some time, and then started putting his money to work for him more productively than the Goblins had been doing previously. Mrs. Weasley visited all of his properties, and had big plans for his holdings. Fleur worked closely with the four Goblin account managers and she had some pretty great business ideas too.

Every morning before breakfast, Mrs. Weasley would have papers for Harry to look over, proposals for him to consider, and contracts to sign. Nearly every evening, Fleur would stop by for more of the same, except regarding investments instead of properties. Harry could see that when he went back to school that it would be impossible to keep up with all of this, and his NEWT studies too. He met with Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, and Griphook, and set it up so that for the next year, the three of them would have signing authority for all investments. He would only get involved in making the decisions in cases where they didn't all agree and approve of a contract or proposal. Harry was confident in his team, knowing that Mrs. Weasley and Fleur would protect his interests out of love, and Griphook would do it for the money.

The Wizengamot met again in early July. Of the twenty-six candidates, four declined the nominations. Once the voting for the remaining twenty-two nominees was completed, Professor Slughorn was elected having been voted for on every ballot. Harry was not surprised, knowing how well connected the Professor was. Mr. Weasley was the fourteenth and final elected member, receiving twenty votes (two of which were Harry's).

When the issue of selecting a Minister of Magic was again discussed, the members overwhelmingly voted to confirm Kingsley Shacklebolt as Minister of Magic. He agreed to remain in the post on the condition that he would only serve for one year, while they recovered from the war.

Harry was asked to testify against many of the Death Eaters over the summer. For the trials of the Malfoys, Harry made pleas for leniency. While most of the Death Eaters received long sentences to Azkaban, Harry's request for leniency convinced the triumvirate to give Lucius only a five-year sentence. Narcissa was given a suspended sentence, and Draco was acquitted of charges, determining that his under-age status, and the threats against his family as circumstances that were nearly the same as if he had been imperioused by the Dark Lord.

Hermione had Ron and Harry working on revision to prepare for the start of school. Harry would never admit it to her, but he was actually beginning to like studying, and found the advanced spell work, potions, and transfiguration work fascinating. They did find time for a little fun, though. Harry went to visit Teddy at least once a week. Ginny would often go with him, and they would take turns holding the baby, and Harry would tell him stories about his mother and father. Harry, Ron, and Ginny would play Quidditch whenever they got the chance, and the two couples would take walks into town for ice cream, or go to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, or into Muggle London for lunch, or an afternoon of shopping.

On July thirty-first, Harry woke up to the sound of Ginny calling his name. He put his glasses on, and saw Ginny smiling at him from the doorway.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," she told him. "Get ready and meet me downstairs."

He smiled and nodded. When he got downstairs, Ginny took his hand and pulled him over to sit at the kitchen table. It was still early, and nobody else was awake yet. Ginny smiled as she looked into Harry's bright, green eyes.

"I hardly slept at all last night" she told him, laughing nervously. "I wanted to give your present to you without the rest of the gang around to tease us."

She handed him a small gift-wrapped box. He grinned at her, and carefully unwrapped his present, and opened the box. Inside he saw a small pendant, cut into the shape of a golden snitch so perfectly that it almost seemed to be flying. There was a gold chain that was attached to the top of the snitch. Harry lifted it out of the velvet-lined box, and looking at it carefully, saw writing on the back.

'Harry, You've captured my heart. Love always, Ginny'.

Harry set the box down, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's the best birthday present I've ever gotten,' he assured her. "I love you too, Ginny." They shared a warm, sweet kiss, and then he held it out to her.

"Will you help me put it on, please?" he asked.

Ginny stood up, and, taking the necklace from him, fastened it around his neck, leaning over and kissing his cheek when she had finished. She rubbed his face, and laughed.

"Okay, birthday boy. Go grab a shower and give yourself a shave for a birthday present, or there'll be no snogging for you today. While you're doing that, I'll get started on breakfast for everyone." Harry laughed too, gave Ginny another kiss, and headed back upstairs.

They'd all been taking turns helping out with the work around the house, now that Mrs. Weasley was so busy with her new job, and so he didn't even really think about Ginny taking a turn cooking while he got ready for the day.

The rest of Harry's birthday was filled with fun and laughter. They had a huge breakfast, and Harry opened a few more presents. Neville and Luna came over after lunch, and the six friends spent the afternoon wandering through the shops in Diagon alley. George, Bill, and Fleur came to dinner with the family that night, and Harry and Ginny spent a quiet evening cuddling in the sitting room.

As the hot, early days of August passed, everyone kept busy with their work and studies. When August eleventh finally arrived, Harry got up early and went downstairs to cook breakfast for the gang. Ginny came in to the kitchen first.

"Good morning, Ginny," Harry said brightly, not saying anything more. She frowned slightly, looking disappointed, and Harry turned back to his work, smiling to himself. He 'accidentally' knocked some flour on the floor.

"Oh, crap. Ginny could you grab the broom for me out of the closet?" He could barely hold the laughter in as she walked over and opened the door. Ginny let out a squeal of delight when she saw what was inside, and pulling a shiny new Firebolt with a big bow on it out of the closet, ran over to Harry, nearly knocking him over as she threw her arms around him.

"Thank-you!" she told him breathlessly. "It's so way far the best present I've ever had!" She leaned away from him, suddenly realizing he had been laughing, and punched him in the arm. "You were teasing me! You purposely tried to make me think you didn't remember my birthday." He kept laughing, and hugged her again.

"Yeah, but it was so worth it to see your surprise," he told her.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were downstairs next, having heard Ginny's yells, followed by Ron and Hermione, who had stayed overnight. Ginny opened her presents, and after they finished eating and cleaning up, went out to the practice field so Ginny could try out her new broom. When they were done playing for the morning, Ron looked decidedly jealous (Harry had quietly replaced his lost Firebolt with a new one after the first time he'd needed to borrow one of the Weasley's old brooms).

They went to the Ministry of Magic late in the morning, and Ginny easily got her apparition license. Neville and Luna met them for lunch in Diagon Alley. Harry and Hermione had planned the afternoon, and so they led the group out into Muggle London. Hermione took Ginny and Luna off for a girl's only makeover day. When Hermione had explained what that would include, Harry was more than happy to leave the details to her. There are just some things guys don't need to know.

Harry, however, had his own tasks assigned by Hermione. He led Ron and Neville into a mall, and took them to a large tailor shop, where the three of them picked out, and were fitted for, formal dinner suits. While they waited for the alterations to be completed, the boys also picked out shirts, ties, and shoes. When the suits were ready, they had just enough time to pick up flowers for the girls before it was time to meet them for dinner. Hermione had picked out a trendy restaurant, and the boys arrived there first and were seated in a quiet corner, with a spectacular view of the city.

When the girls arrived almost a half hour later, and were led to their table, the boys all stood to greet them. Each of them was certain that they had the most beautiful and amazing girlfriend in the world. The girls were all stunning in their new dinner dresses, and they seemed quite pleased with the reactions their arrival brought out in their respective boyfriends. Harry might not have wanted to know what all was involved in a 'makeover', but he had no problem at all enjoying the results. He handed Ginny the flowers, as each couple came together for a private moment.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," he told her, smiling brightly.

"You clean up pretty nicely yourself, handsome," she told him, giving him a kiss. "The flowers are beautiful. Thank-you."

Over the next couple of hours, they had a wonderful dinner, talking excitedly about their afternoon. They left the restaurant, and walked to a chic looking dance club. Hermione was the only one of the girls who knew that the boys had been learning to dance, since she was, as always, their tutor. Ron, Neville, and Harry had taken those lessons at school for the Yule Ball the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but this had been very different, and while it had seemed strange at first, Hermione assured them that they'd all gotten quite good.

Ginny was practically bouncing with excitement, squeezing Harry's hand tightly. They danced until late into the night, and then after leaving the club just before it closed for the night, they walked to a quiet area where they could leave from, and exchanged a round of hugs and kisses before heading home. Neville and Luna apparated to his home, while the other two couples apparated to the Burrow.

Hermione tugged Ron's hand, leading him toward the stairs. "Good night you guys," she told Harry and Ginny. "I'm exhausted, and heading to bed. It took Ron a second longer, and another tug on his arm to get the hint before he started moving in the right direction too.

"Erm, right, then," he mumbled. "Me too. See you in the morning."

Harry led Ginny into the sitting room, where they sat on the sofa. "This was such a great birthday, Harry. Thank-you." He looked at her with a mischievous grin.

"It's not over yet. I can think of something to do that'd make your day even better." Ginny looked at him and smiled tiredly.

"That sounds interesting, Harry, but I'm so tired you might have to settle for a little cuddling tonight, and I can't promise I won't fall asleep anyway." Harry laughed softly.

"Alright, if that's what you want. I'm always good for a little cuddling." He pulled a small package out of his pocket, and held it up so she could see it. "I guess I could keep this for your next birthday instead." When Ginny sat up in surprise, Harry took her hand. Still smiling he looked into her eyes.

"When my Mum and Dad were in seventh year, and fell in love, my Dad gave this to my Mother." He handed Ginny the box. Her hands shaking slightly as she opened the lid, and stared at the beautiful ring with the emeralds that sparkled in the dim candlelight, the same brilliant sparkle that she saw when looking into his eyes. Harry continued to speak softly as she admired the ring.

"I love you, Ginny. I'd like you to have this ring as my promise to you that I'm going to spend my life making you happy." Ginny carefully took the ring out and put it on her finger. It fit perfectly, as somehow she'd known it would. When she looked back at Harry, there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling too. She kissed him, and then snuggled happily in his arms.

"I love you, too," she told him quietly. I'm gonna hold you to that promise." She laughed. "Romilda Vane and some of the other girls are going to be so jealous when they see this," she told him, and Harry laughed too.

"Funny, and I was thinking that would be how a lot of the guys felt." He leaned down and they shared a long, deep, tender kiss. Harry held Ginny in his arms until they were both falling asleep, and then they headed up to their beds and happy dreams.

The Quidditch World Cup was held in Bulgaria in August, and Harry bought tickets for the Weasley family, Luna, and Neville, and they met early in the morning the day of the big game at the portkey location and went to Bulgaria together. There were already tens of thousands of people there when they arrived, and the fans were in the mood to celebrate.

There were no more worries about Death Eaters or Dark Lords, and there was a jubilant and carefree atmosphere around the camps and stadium. The Weasleys also now had a new magical tent for them all to stay in, and they dropped their bags off before heading to the stadium. Viktor Krum and his Bulgarian National Team had the hometown crowd with them, and would be playing the very good Spanish National Team.

They had great seats near the centre of the Quidditch pitch, and cheered with the crowd for every hard-earned goal, and every spectacular save. The game had been going on for six hours and eighteen minutes when Viktor caught the snitch to give Bulgaria a four hundred and eighty to four hundred and forty point victory over the Spanish squad.

Viktor had played the game of his life, blocking the Spanish Seeker from catching the snitch until his team was able to close the two hundred point scoring gap that the Spanish team had opened up earlier in the game before making the acrobatic grab that won the World Cup for his country. Ron may not have liked Viktor when he was at Hogwarts for the Tri-Wizard tournament, but he had to agree that Viktor had played a masterful game. They stayed and celebrated with the other fans for the night before heading back to the Burrow to await the start of the new school year.

They received their Hogwarts packages the following week. That was much later than they usually came, but there had been a lot of extra work for the Professors to get done before they had everything ready for the start of the new school year. There were also a number of students who were, like Ginny and Luna, playing catch-up all summer, so they hadn't known until late which year many of the students would be placed in.

Hermione was named Head Girl, Ron was named Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, and Harry was relieved and happy not to have any of the responsibilities. There were trips to Diagon Alley for supplies and new clothes in the closing days of August. Ginny and Luna had finished their summer classes and were approved to start their seventh year, so they were also trying to get some of the NEWT year revision done that Hermione, Harry, and even Ron managed to get finished. By the end of the month, they were all ready for the start of school, and getting excited about going back to Hogwarts for their last year.

On August thirty-first, the Weasley family gathered for a boisterous dinner at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley, who had normally been sad to see her kids leaving for the school year, was completely into the celebration this year. For the first time since Ginny had started at Hogwarts, she knew that her days would be filled with challenge and excitement. Harry had no trouble sharing in that feeling of excitement too. He'd always loved going back to Hogwarts, but this year, with nobody trying to kill him, having Ginny sharing their NEWT year together, and his best friends with them, he was sure this was going to be his best year ever at Hogwarts.