Chapter Two: Baby Steps
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN IS GOING ON?"
Harry sat up hastily to see Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway, her face bright red.
"Mrs. Weasley, really, it's not what it looks like…"
"ONE NIGHT! I let you have your own rooms for ONE NIGHT and this is what happens. I thought I could treat you as adults now! You can defeat Voldemort and you can live on your own in the woods for months but you can't stay in your own room for ONE BLOODY NIGHT. Obviously I was wrong, you're still just a child."
Her words stung, and he could feel his cheeks flushing.
"Mum, honestly, nothing happened." Ginny said timidly, her head just poking out of the covers.
"I want you both downstairs in the kitchen. NOW."
Mrs. Weasley stomped noisily down the stairs.
****
"Oh Harry this is entirely my fault!" Hermione exclaimed.
They were in Ron's room. Breakfast had been the absolutely dreadful. Mrs. Weasley had lectured Harry and Ginny for what seemed like hours about respect, and how they should learn to control themselves. The couldn't get a word in edgewise until, finally, Ginny yelled
"I WAS HAVING A NIGHTMARE. I'VE BEEN HAVING NIGHTMARES ALL BLOODY WEEK AND HARRY CAME TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG!"
The room had gone completely silent at this outburst, and Mrs. Weasley sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione upstairs so she could talk to Ginny alone.
"What do you mean?"
"I should have never told you about Ginny's nightmares! If I hadn't told you, you wouldn't have been listening for her and you wouldn't have gone into her room and…"
Harry cut her off.
"Hermione I wasn't listening for her, I just heard her. Even if you hadn't said anything I would have worried and I would have gone to see what was wrong. Don't worry yourself, none of this was your fault."
Hermione looked as if she had more she wanted to say, but instead she stood up silently from Ron's bed and headed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked, looking extremely confused.
"To see how Ginny is." She said without glancing back.
The tension in the room seemed to have died a bit, so Harry chanced a glance at Ron.
"So what was her nightmare about, did she tell you?" Ron asked.
"Me." Harry stated simply. "She was remembering seeing me dead."
"Oh" was all Ron responded with.
"Yeah."
"Well mate," Ron said, walking over to him. "I'm glad you care about my sister so much that you run to save her at any sign of danger, but sleeping with her in her bed was kind of stupid."
It was a minute before Harry realized Ron was laughing.
"So, are we okay then?" Harry asked giving him a weak smile.
"Yeah, alright." Said Ron. "Fancy a game of chess?"
"Sure." Said Harry, now feeling fully relieved. "But go easy on me, we haven't played in a while."
****
After speaking with Ginny, Mrs. Weasley had forgiven Harry (for the most part) and had now taken to babying Ginny. Ginny was rebelling under this treatment, of course, and could be heard every few hours or so yelling "I AM NOT A CHILD!" from her bedroom, to which she was now confined.
After dinner that night, Harry, Hermione and Ron sat in the living room again. They were talking about the future, which Harry was enjoying immensely because he now had endless possibilities.
"We should all get an apartment or something," Ron was saying as he and Harry played another game of chess. "It was kind of fun all living together in that tent. Except for being possessed by that bloody locket."
"Oh yes, and I suppose I will have to do all the cooking and cleaning again?" Hermione piped up from the sofa.
Harry stared awkwardly down at the chessboard. He wasn't sure if Ron and Hermione had talked about their kiss during the heat of battle, or if they had even decided if that meant something was happening between them. He fully supported them being together, but he knew it wasn't his place to speak his mind about this.
Just as Harry was thinking this, a soft tap, tap, tap was heard from the window.
Hermione stood up and let in a brown barn owl which had three letters. They were addressed to each of them. As Harry opened his he noticed the Hogwarts crest.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I hope you are doing well and you are enjoying the beginning of your summer. If possible, I would like to have a meeting with you at your earliest convienence. I have sent similar letters to Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. It would be helpful if the three of you could meet me on the same day. Please let me know what date and time would work for you.
Look forward to hearing from you,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"So McGonagall is headmistress now?" Ron said looking up from his letter.
"I guess so." Harry said, looking towards Hermione. "What do you think this is about."
"I've no idea." She said. "Well, I suppose we should talk to your mum Ron and see if she has anything planned for us this week so we can write back when we are free."
"Yeah, I suppose." Said Ron, standing up and walking toward the stairs.
"OI! MUM! COME DOWN HERE A MINUTE!" He shouted.
"Ronald!" Hermione scolded. "You don't have to shout!"
Mrs. Weasley came bustling down the stairs looking flustered.
"My goodness what was that about! I was just giving Ginny a potion to help her sleep through the night."
"I'm glad she just loved that." Ron mumbled under his break, making Harry bite his tongue to keep from laughing.
"Mrs. Weasley, we've all just received letters from Professor McGonagall. She said she wants to speak with the three of us and wants us to write when we are free, so we wanted to ask you if you have anything planned for us this week."
"Oh. Well let me see," she said, sitting down in an armchair. "Actually, tomorrow we have absolutely nothing planned. But if that's too short of notice we could work out another day."
"I'll write her back write now." Hermione said, leaving the room to get parchment and a quill.
"I wonder what she wants to talk to you about." Mrs. Weasley pondered as she sat back into the chair. "Goodness I'm tired. I wish your father didn't have to work so much."
****
Harry was back in Ron's room now. Even though Mrs. Weasley had forgiven him, his own bedroom privileges had been taken away. As he and Ron were getting ready for bed there was a soft knock at the door.
Ron opened the door and revealed a very tired looking Ginny on the landing.
"What are you doing up, I thought mum had given you a potion!" Ron exclaimed as Ginny pushed her way past him.
"I didn't actually take it." She said. "I don't need some potion to help me sleep I'm not a baby."
"Well what do you want then?"
"I came to say goodnight." She said looking at Harry.
"Goodnight." Ron stated, trying to push her out.
"Not to you!" She said, sneaking past him once more.
"Ugh, fine then, make it quick." Ron said, leaving the room and heading toward the bathroom.
Ginny walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hi." She said, smiling up at him.
"Hi." He answered back bringing his head down to hers.
Their lips met, and Harry melted into her. She made him weak, and he loved her for that. Her lips were sweet and soft, moving in perfect synchronization with his. He felt her tongue playing tantalizingly on his lower lip, begging for access. He opened his mouth, her tongue exploring his mouth….
"Ahem." Ron said from the doorway, making them jump apart.
"Goodnight." She whispered up to him.
He hugged her close one last time and whispered in her ear,
"Please take your potion. I know you don't want to, but do it for me."
She kissed him once more to let him know that she would, and then left the room.
Just as he and Ron were climbing into bed, there was another knock on the door.
"Who is it!" Ron called from his bed.
"Hermione."
She opened the door and came into the room, wearing a very short nightgown. Harry couldn't help but notice the change in Ron's expression.
"I just wanted to let you know that McGonagall wrote me back. We are meeting her at 1:00 tomorrow."
"Brilliant. Thanks Hermione." Harry said from his bed."
She turned to leave when Ron called,
"Hey, Hermione…"
"Yes?" she said turning around.
"Goodnight." He said, and gave her a weak smile.
"Goodnight, Ron." She said smiling back, her cheeks flushing slightly.
She closed the door softly behind her as she left.
"So." Harry said in the dark. "Are you two ever going to actually get together, or is it always going to be like this?"
Ron threw his pillow across the room at Harry.
