The Lion Returns

Harry awoke to the soft sounds of Ginny's breathing. She had rolled over in the middle of the night and he was hugging her back close to his chest. He slowly lifted his arm from her waist and untangled his legs from hers. He rolled sideways out of the bed, careful not to disturb her. Ginny slumbered on, unaware of Harry slipping away from her.

Harry crept across the room and into the hallway. He peered into his own room and found it to be empty. Carly must have left in the middle of the night. Harry assumed that she had spotted him with Ginny. There was a note on his pillow that read "asshole" and nothing else. He chuckled to himself before padding down the hall to the kitchen. He flicked his wand twice and soon coffee was brewing. He picked up the Daily Prophet that had been dropped off on the table by the window and tried to read the day's news without thinking about Ginny. It killed him to think about what had happen, what he had almost let happen under his own roof, in a place that Ginny considered a safe haven in which to house the dread that crept up on her during the night.

She had seemed okay before falling asleep. She was a strong witch who had been through a lot in her twenty-four years. She knew her own strength better that anyone else. Harry knew to trust her judgment. He wasn't sure what was worse. The complete and utter mental estrangement and entanglement that she had been forced to endure during her first year, at the age of eleven, or the fear of a physical relationship taken by force at the age of twenty-four. Harry shook his head slowly. The suffering was supposed to over, he was supposed to have ended it. It was bad enough that fear had to keep resurfacing in the nightmares. It shouldn't become a physical reality as well.

Harry was still dwelling over last night situation when Ron and Hermione appeared in an flourish of green flames from the fireplace.

"Morning Harry." Ron said with a yawn as he stretched his long arms out. He wrapped on heavily around Hermione's shoulders and she seemed to sink under its weight.

"Rough night last night eh?" Harry asked, noticing Ron's disheveled hair, and his relaxed attire of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"No," Hermione said astutely. "He's just milking it, hoping that you'll make him breakfast, since I refuse to make him breakfast to nurse his hangovers."

"Well, that settles it then." Harry stated as he banged his hands on the island counter and stood up. "One big fat hang over breakfast coming up!"

Just then, Ginny ambled out of her room with one of Harry's practice jersey's and his sweatpants rolled at the waist.

"Did I hear hangover breakfast?" she mumbled. "Cause I am desperately in need."

"Why is it always his clothes!" Ron yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "We have to come up with a name for what they are, Hermione!"

"I take it Evan and Carly didn't stay last night then eh?" Hermione asked, eying Ginny's attire.

Harry's eyes darted between Ginny and Hermione.

Ginny have a non-committal shrug. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

The conversation was forgotten although when the telephone rang in the middle of their hangover feast. Ginny leapt up to get it. She was the only one who got phone calls in the flat. Harry never gave out the number to muggle women. Ginny, on the other hand, gave it out quite frequently to the muggle men that she dated.

"Why do you guys even have that stupid phelly-tone?" Ron asked, though a mouth full of sausage.

Harry, whose mouth was also exploding with sausage and potatoes just pointed at Ginny who was talking animatedly on the phone. Again, eyes were rolled.

Ginny gave one final squeal and came running back over to the table. "Kyle's taking me out tonight!"

Harry was shocked at the news. Maybe Ginny really was okay, maybe she wasn't as shaken as he thought she should be.

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" Harry asked in his best parental tone.

Ginny shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"Why wouldn't she want to go out with him tonight?" Hermione asked.

"He stood her up!" Harry and Ron yelled at the same time.

Harry nodded at Ron with appreciation. "Thank you, it's good to see someone has some sense around here."

"No, he didn't stand me up. You see when I called, I left a message for him with his roommate. The roommate must have taken the message down, but never gave it to him. He said he found it this morning when he went to pick up yesterday's paper to throw it in the bin. He says he's terribly sorry and he wants to take me out tonight to the Blue Plug. It's supposed to be this really cool muggle dance club, I guess this guy that hired him to sell his house put him on the list. He said you guys could come too if you wanted to. There's supposed to be some very pretty girls there." She said, batting her eyelashes at Harry.

There was no way Harry was letting Ginny spend the night clubbing without him.

"I'm in." He said automatically.

Ron was nodding slowly. "I'm in if Hermione's okay with it."

"Sure," she said shrugging. "I could do with a good dance club instead of bar for a change."

"Great. Kyle's taking me to dinner first, so I don't know what time we'll end up at the club, but your names will be on the list so head over anytime you want." She pivoted towards the hall on one foot. "Well, I hate to bid you all farewell, but I have to get ready for work. What a riveting summer at St. Mugo's it will be!" she crooned with a dramatically fake sigh.

As she was leaving the room an owl swooped though the window that was always left open for the Prophet. The owl landed on the counter next to Harry and stuck its leg in his sausages. Harry gently untied the letter, and then offered up the rest of his sausage links to the bird. He wasn't eating anything an owl had stepped in.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Congratulations on making England's World Cup team. We look forward to chronicling what is bound to be this legendary event. An interview with the player and their families has been scheduled for tomorrow morning at eleven o' clock. The first photos of the team will also be taken as well, please arrive at ten thirty to receive your uniforms. We look forward to seeing you and your family tomorrow morning.

Sincerely, The World Cup Publicity Department

Harry looked sadly down at the letter. "Did you know about this mate?" He asked Ron, brandishing the letter in front of his face."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I wanted to mention it last night but it must have slipped my mind."

"Ron, I haven't got any parents. What am I supposed to do?"

Hermione put her hand on Harry's. "Harry who has watched you grow up since you were twelve year old? Who took you in, celebrated your birthdays, helped protect you throughout your years at Hogwarts? Who knitted you a sweater every Christmas?"

"Do you think your parents would mind?" Harry asked Ron timidly.

"Not at all, I'm sure they'd be glad to do it." Ron said, as he piled a fourth helping of eggs onto his plate.

"Well, I'll have them over for dinner and ask them. Your mum needs a break every once and a while. Would you guys like to come? We'd could just head out to the Blue Slug or whatever that club is called after dinner?"

"If you're cooking, I'm here!" Ron said with enthusiasm.

"Well if we're coming for dinner, eventually you're going to have to stop eating breakfast." Hermione said, with her hands on her hips. "I'm going home. I've got to go into the office for a couple of hours today. I keep finding holes in this new house elf legislature that Trowler's drawing up and I have to make sure he doesn't turn it in to the minister's council before I read over it again. Kingsley would kill me if I handed him that rubbish. I'll probably have to re-write the whole thing myself." Hermione stated in a great huff as she stood. She continued to mutter to herself as she strode towards the fireplace. She threw a handful of floo powder in with great gusto and she swirled out of sight in a mess of green flames.

The rest of the day passed without event, as Ron and Harry hung out in the flat all day talking quittich and playing wizards chess. At the mention of getting dinner started Ron high tailed it out of the flat without so much as a backward glance. Harry was gently stirring his tomato sauce for the lasagna when Ginny appeared in the fire place.

"Hey Gin," Harry said without looking up. "How was work?"

"Frustrating!" She yelled as she made her way back to her room to change. "I just found out that I'm working from three to three tomorrow!"

"That sucks." Harry commented as he appeared at her door with a wooden spoon full of tomato sauce. She had already shed her Medi-Witch robes and was standing in front of her closet in a pair of blue boy short underwear and a tank top.

"Yes I know, my life sucks!" She flailed her arms about dramatically. Harry forced the spoon into her mouth. "That, on the other hand, is quite good." She took another lick, and then proceeded to take the spoon from Harry altogether as she peered into her closet. "And to top it all off, I have no idea what to wear. What do you wear to an upscale dance club that you're going to with a guy you've only been dating for a week, who kind of stood you up the night before, and who is a muggle who has no idea that you're a witch, but who you really might kind of maybe like?" she yelled in one high pitch breath.

Harry grabbed the spoon back out of her hand and took a lick of the sauce for himself. He had to admit that Ginny was right, it was quite good. Ginny snatched it back out of his hand and popped the whole thing in her mouth, relinquishing it of all sauce holding responsibilities. She then stood tapping the spoon against her cheek as she stood next to Harry, and continued to scrutinize her wardrobe. Just as she had decided that she had absolutely nothing to wear, Harry stole the spoon away from her again and began gesturing with it.

"Wear the purple dress." He said, brandishing at it with the spoon. It's more sophisticated than a bar, but the bottom is flows, so you can dance in it easily. Plus it has that built in belt that makes you look super amazing, and wonderfully sexy. As you know I've noticed before." He waggled his eyebrows at her, as she punched him in the arm. "I'm not finished, yet! It's not all about sex appeal! It also has those little tiny straps that make your shoulders look very dainty, and shows off all of your gorgeous freckles that I like to kiss when you lower your standards to let me."

"Shut up Harry Potter." She said punching him once more. "I'm starting to think that the only reason you want me to wear this dress if for you!"

"If I wanted you to wear if for me, I wouldn't be sending you out with Kyle in it." He said making his point. "But if you don't want to take my suggestions, don't. It's neither here nor there to me." He said walking away with the spoon in his hand, tapping against his shoulder.

Harry was layering his lasagna in the pan, when Ginny walked into the kitchen an hour later, freshly showered and dressed. Her hair fell in the same soft waves as the night before and she was adorned in the purple dress that Harry had selected for her, with strappy turquoise heels.

"See, I told you that dress was perfect."

"Yeah, and I'm a little freaked out that you knew that it would be."

"That's what I get for living with you for so long." Harry stated. "Plus, I know what I like."

"Oh come off it Harry!" she yelled, as she strode up to him and pulled the sauce spoon out of the pot. "Mmm" she hummed as she popped it into her mouth. "I'm actually kind of jealous that I don't get to eat dinner here. This sauce is amazing."

Just then there was a knock at the door. "But then again, my fair prince awaits." Ginny sang wistfully. She danced through the kitchen and towards the front door.

"Hi there darling." She flirted as she opened the door. Kyle apparently had nothing to say, he just looked stunned by Ginny's obvious beauty. Harry was suddenly very offended that someone else realized how gorgeous she looked in that dress. "Come on in, come on in, I've just got to grab my bag."

She drug Kyle to the kitchen where she plopped him on stool facing Harry. "I know that you know each other but you've never been properly introduced. Kyle, Harry. Harry, Kyle." She said gesturing to them in turn with the spoon that she was still holding. "Oh, here" she said awkwardly handing the spoon back to Harry, before she walked down hall to fetch her bag.

"Hi" Harry said in obvious discomfort. The lion that had raged once in sixth year had been dormant for so long that he didn't realized exactly what he was feeling at the moment. It had been forever since he had been jealous of a man that Ginny was dating, but now all he wanted to do was pop Kyle's eyes out with his sauce spoon for looking at Ginny with such admiration. But, Ginny was back before Kyle could get a word out. She linked her arm in his and pried him off of the stool.

"Well, were off then. I guess we'll see you at the club later on!" She yelled with a bright smile as they walked out the door.

Harry lost his fake smile as soon as the door closed behind the couple.