A/N: Okay, now Harry may seem slightly OOC at the end. It seems a bit too much, but I have reasoning behind it, don't worry.
"Ike!"
"Harry!"
The two men embraced each other, patting each other on the back. "How've you been, mate? I like the hair, by the way."
"Thanks. And not much, just playing my music."
"On the radio." Ike grinned. "Heard it on the train from the kid next to me. He was singing along so loudly to your damn song I nearly hit him."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't." Harry laughed, standing firmly beside Lauren.
"What are you two a couple a now?" Ike raised his eyebrows.
"Well, Harry's engaged." Lauren said, glancing at Harry with sarcastic eyes.
"Wow, never would have picked you for the type." Ike laughed, and Harry rolled his eyes; only Ike would misunderstand Lauren after so many years.
Ike sat down in the squashy armchair and kicked his feet up on the table. "So, where's Hannah dearest? The whole crew has to be together again."
"She and Brad are coming over later." Lauren kicked his feet off the table and glared at him.
"I'm a twenty-three year old rock star, what do you expect?" Ike shouted as she went into the kitchen.
"You can do that when you have a record deal like Harry."
"He's already got millions, why does he get one and I don't?"
"Talent." Lauren shouted from the kitchen.
Ike rolled his eyes, turning back to Harry. "Anyways, so you popped the question to Ginny when you came back to England?"
Maybe he wasn't as dumb as Harry had thought. Harry grinned to himself. "Yeah, I did."
"Good for you, but you're crazy putting with Lauren too." Ike laughed sarcastically. "She is a difficult friend to have."
"Shut it, Ike!" Lauren's voice came so loudly it was as though she was still standing in the room.
"Where's Jack?"
"I told him you were here, and he said he'd try and come over. He's still devoted to Quidditch too."
"You magical people, I swear." Ike shook his head, flipping through the magazine on the table.
"Hey, I'm a fulltime musician right now, which reminds me. Listen, how would you like a spot on my band?"
"That was sudden." Ike dropped the magazine. "You know I'll need time to consider such a decision."
Harry rolled his eyes, waiting for Ike's obvious answer.
"When's the tour start?"
"I'm aiming for next month."
"You've got yourself a keyboardist, drummer or bass player, wait which instrument am I playing?"
"A second guitarist, I'm first." Harry laughed. "Mine broke his hand in a bar brawl."
"Wicked."
"I know."
A knock on the door brought Lauren from the kitchen and she let Brad and Hannah in. Hannah immediately devoured Harry into a hug before moving on to Ike. Her long black hair bounced lightly as she went from friend to friend and Harry could have sworn there were a few tears in her brilliant blue eyes.
After hugging Lauren, Brad gave both Ike and Harry short hugs. His nose ring was gone, but his pierced ears remained and his hair was still long. Brad was inch shorter than Ike and Harry but he had a similar build to Charlie Weasley, with broad shoulders and muscular arms.
"Look at this, Ike, Brad, Lauren and me, almost everyone." Hannah smiled.
"Yeah, almost." Ike said sadly. Harry sighed, leaning against the wall; it was almost everyone…
"So, what have you been up to since America, Harry?" Hannah asked once they had all sat down for dinner.
"Getting engaged." Ike told her through a mouthful of food.
Lauren smacked him in the back of the head, causing him to choke. Lauren and Harry began laughing at him. He chugged his glass of water and was panting once he cleared his airway. Then Brad and Hannah joined in laughing, much to his irritation.
"I could have died!" He yelled, but nobody paid him any attention.
"Moved back into the Manor and came back as Harry Potter and not Sky. I play for England, but I don't attend practice or anything, just games. It's not like they'll fire me." He shrugged.
"Magic is still weird." Brad remarked, chewing on the end of his fork.
"And it always will be, honey." Hannah patted his hand.
"So what are you two up to?" Harry looked at Brad and Hannah. "Living together still?"
"Yeah, who needs anything more?" Hannah told him between bites. Harry laughed under his breath when Brad mouthed 'thank God.'
"So, when is…it?" Ike asked slowly.
"Next week." Lauren didn't even look up from her plate of food, and Harry reached out and took her hand, rubbing it soothingly. He knew Lauren would need all of her friends' support.
"On a happier note…Harry, what's this tour of yours going to be like?" Brad asked.
"Well, the original idea is Punk Goes Crunk, ridiculous, I know. But it's turning more into a partnered tour of the two genres, not many bands and rappers are doing covers. Plus, we're not calling it that."
"Nice, well…I say we go out drinking now." Ike announced, standing up.
"Sounds perfect." Brad stood up immediately and Hannah and Lauren exchanged looks before standing up as well. Lauren took Harry's hand, but he shook his head, knowing he couldn't stay out with them. He had to get home to Ginny.
"I have to go." He told her.
"You take care of your fiancé and we'll watch your girlfriend." Ike smirked, pulling on his coat.
Harry gave both Hannah and Lauren kisses on the cheek, before apparating home, to find Ginny standing in front of him.
***
Harry knew everything about Ginny. He could read her feelings better than she could sometimes. He knew when she was the slightest bit upset or angry and he knew when she was happier than ever. It was part of what had made them great. And now as he stood in front of her, he knew his entire world was about to crash down.
"Hey, love, what's going on?" He asked slowly; her stance was strong and Harry knew it was time to come clean. But…he was almost done, and he didn't want to have Ginny standing over him. He couldn't admit what he'd done…who he had hurt…
"Harry, can you be one hundred percent honest with me right now?" Her voice was barely a whisper and Harry braced himself on the counter of the kitchen's island, knowing what was coming.
"Yes." He answered, breathing heavily.
"Have you been seeing Lauren Skylar behind my back?"
He bit down on his bottom lip, knowing he had two options: one that would hurt them both and the other he couldn't even begin to consider…it would be too much.
Option one.
"Yes."
He watched as Ginny's eyes closed and she took a deep breath. He felt a ripping feeling surge through his chest and his throat became incredibly dry.
"At least you were honest for once. Now, why are you hanging around her?" She said in a small voice.
Harry was slightly shocked for a tenth of a second, but then he nearly smiled; it was Ginny he remembered. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, staring down at the granite counter top.
He could feel Ginny's eyes drilling into him, but he couldn't face her. He waited, running over dozens of possibilities of what he could say to get around sharing this with her yet. The wounds were too fresh, not after everything he and Lauren had gone through together the past few months; he couldn't do it, he wasn't strong enough to face it.
Ginny sighed. "Harry, you are a stupid, noble prat." She was pushing back laughter as she said it, her eyes still on him. "You're hiding something, and I can tell it probably has nothing to do with me, but you can tell me, Harry." She said softly.
He looked up, finding her right in front of him, her hand brushing his cheek lightly as she smiled. Ginny was ready to know everything. She had thought that she already had until this, but Harry was not ready to share those few months of his life with her.
"I can't talk about it." Harry said each word slowly, unsure.
"Yes you can." Her smile faded and she had a fierce look in her eyes.
"No!"
She seemed taken aback by his outburst but she regained herself swiftly. Harry dropped his head, trying to collect himself. "Harry, don't become a moody git like when you were a teenager."
"Just stop it, Ginny!" He could hear the desperation in his own voice. He couldn't take what she would say.
Suddenly he heard the noise. The noise he did not want to hear.
He glanced at the counter, to find the ring sitting there. It looked so wrong to be there; it didn't belong there. He looked up at Ginny who still had the fierce look in her eyes.
"Ginny, don't..." He sighed, knowing she was unhappy. She should leave him, what was he giving her? An endless stream of unanswered questions?
"I love you, Harry. But you need to be honest with me. I can't be…" She trailed off. "I can't do this, Harry. It's not like we're in school and you have the entire world riding on your shoulders. You don't have to carry the world anymore, Harry. You're free."
"I'm not free, Ginny. After everything I did…" He shook his head, remembering every battle he had fought in. The pressure in his head was building up, wanting to come out.
"You told me everything that happened that year." As she spoke, he crushed his hands together, trying to stay composed and to not allow his bottled frustrations out. He didn't want a repeat of what he had done in Dumbledore's office when he was fifteen. "And you told me everything that happened after you left. At least that's what I had thought. I want honesty."
"Then leave!" He shouted, regretting those words the moment he spoke them.
Without another word, just a sad stare, Ginny turned on the spot, disappearing with the familiar crack. Harry clenched his fists, staring down at the diamond ring on the counter. He needed Ginny, but all he could be at the moment was angry. Angry at himself, at those Death Eaters, for putting her in danger…
He swiped his arm across the counter, shouting as he did so. A mixture of paper, glasses, the candles that Ginny had put there, the spice rack, everything fell to the ground with an echoing thunder.
He continued throwing everything he could find in the kitchen, tossing pots and pans, before, after nearly a minute, he regained control. He thought about the way Dumbledore had acted when he had ruined his office. He had been calm.
Harry grabbed the ring, gripping it tightly in his hand. "I'll do this for you." He glanced up to the ceiling, seeing through the next two floors, to the wide sky he knew was out there.
Then, he looked back down, glancing around the destroyed kitchen. "And then I'm forgetting." He gulped. "So I can be with Ginny."
A/N: It will all come together soon enough, I promise. But, the next few chapters will explain more of the 'few months' Harry doesn't want to share yet with Ginny. This is the last chapter to Part II The Engagement, Part III is shorter, and you'll see why in the next chapter.