Harry moves into his inherited home.

Character(s): Harry and Ron

mentions of Harry/Ginny

Standing in the hallway of the old Black home, Harry suddenly felt overwhelmed.

This place had been his since Sirius died...but now it really felt like his. Harry was officially moving in, and the place seemed too large for someone who would be living on his own. How had he managed to go from a boy in a cupboard, to a young man who was easily dwarfed in such a large space?

Ron lightly nudged his elbow into Harry's side, offering Harry a sympathetic grin, "Big place."

Harry swallowed, "Yes. It is."

"Don't worry. You got Kreacher here-" Ron began, only to be interrupted as the old house-elf scurried past in the hallway, arms filled with blankets.

Kreacher had been cleaning the old Black house in preparation for Harry for almost a month now. When Harry had announced he would indeed return to what would now be his home, Kreacher had wept with joy, and promised to restore the house to its full glory. Kreacher promised to remove any signs of racism for muggle born witches or wizards from the home (at Harry's request), and even promised to arrange for the more seedier items of the home to be removed. Ron had made sure Harry mentioned those old robes that almost strangled him had to go. Kreacher had promised that most of the items, except for furniture, would be properly put away somewhere else.

And if Kreacher kept any of his old Master's belongings so he could remember them, Harry would continue to pretend to be none the wiser.

Harry looked around smiling. The house was indeed much changed; Kreacher had managed to make the home seem a little more welcoming. It still had dark walls, and carpets, and overly dramatic and Gothic furniture, but the lights were bright and everything was on its way to being cleaned. The place was really beginning to shape up.

"It is...very big," Harry said again taking a few steps inside.

"...You could always rent a few rooms out?" Ron suggested, surprising Harry with the fiscally responsible suggestion.

"...I was actually,well..." Harry swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "...I was wondering if you and Hermione might...come to stay here?"

Harry felt his ears turn red as he felt Ron's head snap to look at him. Harry was suddenly too embarrassed to meet his friend's eye.

"You want us to live with you?" Ron asked after a moment of shocked silence, "Really?"

Harry nodded, pushing his glasses back on to his face after nearly knocking them off, "There are three floors...and plenty of room for everyone to have their own space. And though Kreacher is much better now...it's an awful lonely place..."

Ron digested this slowly, before taking in a deep breath, "You ask Hermione yet?"

"I wanted to ask you first..." Harry assured Ron.

"She'll be at school soon," Ron said, reminding Harry that Hermione and Ginny both would be returning back to the newly opened Hogwarts in the middle of September.

"Yes I know, but you both could call this your place. You sooner of course, but when Hermione is done with school she could come live here with us too. That is, if you decide to stay here too," Harry stumbled over his words. This conversation was proving harder than he thought it would.

"What about... you know. Gin."

Harry blinked and looked at Ron suddenly confused, "What about her?"

Ron's face went red, "Well, you didn't want to ask her to move in here?"

"We've barely been dating!" Harry gasped, eyes wide with Ron's suggestion.

"Well I...I mean. Don't you want this place alone to yourself? Because... you and Ginny could...have privacy?" Ron's voice squeaked off awkwardly and he looked at the ceiling, his whole head glowing red. Talking about Harry and Ginny as an item seemed to still be a hard subject, but it was no longer so taboo. And Ron was showing signs of acceptance and not bursting out into the room if he suspected Harry and Ginny to be snogging.

"I...I'm not going to just..." Harry fumbled with words, face flushed red, "I would never do anything with your sister until...we were both..."

Both young men looked at each other, started coughing, and then finally resolved into giggles. Their nervous shrill giggles sounded ridiculous echoing in the long empty hall, and caused both of them to break down into true real loud laughter. They both took grasping breaths, and grabbed opposites sides of the hallway, trying to support themselves up as their amusement almost toppled them over.

"Look, your sister isn't a tart, and I'm not a cad! I have no plans to... get to that anytime soon!" Harry wheezed.

Ron rubbed his eyes, grinning ear to ear, "I wasn't trying to say you two were... but I mean. The Burrow is always full. Here you could have a place to snog!"

"I'm sure I'll bring her here to snog too, but I wouldn't mind having my best friends here," Harry said, his words coming easier now.

Ron raised a brow and in a serious tone asked, "What you want to snog us too?"

"Now don't be a prat!" Harry laughed, reaching out and swatting at Ron. "Though I expect the two of you would be snogging here as well, eh?"

Ron grinned, ignoring the last part of Harry's statement, "Yes...okay. Yeah. It'd be...nice. Real... cool...but..."

Harry removed his fogged glasses and began to clean them as he waited for Ron to finish.

"I need to stay with my parents for a while first. I've got to... be there for Mum and Dad. And I just managed to take a step inside the Burrow... I wouldn't want them to think I'm still a wanker and just buggering off!"

"No one thinks you're a wanker Ron," Harry snorted.

Ron pressed a hand to his chest, feigning a look of shock, "You clearly haven't been talking to my brothers or sister enough!"

Harry snorted, smiling at his best friend. It was nice to be able to speak with Ron easily again.

Ron sighed and took in a deep breath, "But... maybe after Christmas I could move in. But listen, I'm going to be making money-so you will be charging me Rent!"

Harry scrunched up his face and opened his mouth to protest, but Ron held out a hand, "No. Don't argue, there has to be some money exchange. Grocery money, or rent, or something! It's only fair if you're going to have another person in your house mate!"

Harry let his shoulders fall, and sighed heavily. He gave a curt nod, accepting Ron's terms for now. It did make sense to charge some sort of rent, but that didn't mean Harry had to like it.

Ron looked around the hallway, and sighed, "Are you sure you want me of all people?"

"Of course!" Harry immediately responded, "Maybe this is a little mad, but sometimes I'm still afraid I'll wake up and find out both you and Hermione are gone. If you're both here...or at least planning to be here... well. I'll worry less."

Ron smiled at Harry, eyes filled with a deep emotion that Harry couldn't look at long. Harry ducked his head, hating that he felt so needy, but he just wasn't quite ready to have his friends out of his sight. He had insisted they stay together for as long as possible, and though Hermione and Ron readily agreed to all of Harry's suggestion to stick together, be it a the Burrow, or retrieving Hermione's parents from Australia... Harry still felt like some insane, needy crybaby.

"I understand... I get it," Ron said tone soft, and truly understanding, "I can't believe we made it either."

Harry swallowed hard, shocked to hear Ron voice what had been plaguing Harry's thoughts.

Harry nodded, finally feeling relaxed in his new home. Pushing himself away from the wall, he helped Ron right himself, and in silence the pair made their way to the kitchen. Ron put a companionable arm around Harry, and for a moment Harry was eleven again and on his way to Hogwarts. And in that moment he had been so happy to have a tall gangling red head join him in his train compartment. Harry slipped his own arm around Ron's shoulders, coming back to the present.

He was really glad that once again, he wouldn't have to face the unknown alone.

End