I wondered down the stairs in nothing but my pyjama bottoms, rubbing my eyes sleepily. I noted impressively that the house was tidy – as if a wild teenage party hadn't been taking place merely six hours ago. My Mother was the best witch in the world.

I passed the open living room door and saw Sirius, lying with his head on a cushion, spread-eagled all over our sofa. My Dad stood next to him, looking over him and grinning "Hey, Harry."

"Morning, Dad."

"How hung-over do you reckon he'll be? Apparently he got Ginny absolutely plastered last night."

I smiled wearily at my Dad, who was smirking.

"He's had worse." I mumbled, poking my godfather's corpse-like body with my foot "Yeah, he'll be right."

My Dad laughed gleefully "In that case, I'm going to need a big bucket of water before I leave..."

I chuckled slightly, shaking my head, then made my way out, closing the door behind me.

I padded into the kitchen and saw Molly and Mum, perched at the kitchen table, both wearing disapproving expressions. I tried my best to hide a smile as I asked "What's wrong?"

Molly sighed dramatically and, if she had been a dragon, the kitchen would have been alight. "You're dear godfather decided it would be somewhat amusing to get my daughter absolutely paralytic last night."

I sniggered "Molly, he was drunk, what did you expect?"

"Not this. Even from him."

"Hang on a minute, don't have a go at him, will you?"

She smirked "Oh, no. I'm sure Ginny will be able to take care of that for me."

I nodded "Right then...well, is she awake?"

"Just about."

"I'll go and see her."

"Oh no you won't." My Mother said, standing up and speaking for the first time. "Seen as you're allowed to do magic now, you go and clear up the garden."

I sighed "But-"

"No buts. Go."

I nodded gloomily and headed outside. In all fairness it wasn't that bad. There was a pile of yellow sick in the flowerbed, splattered with particles of something suspiciously blue. The garden chairs were all turned over and my Dad's pathetic barbeque was lying on its side. The grass was trampled and a couple of half-dead roses had been enlarged to ten times their normal size.

Sighing, I started to work.

...

Within an hour, I was finished and ready to go out. I ran passed the two red haired women who were talking loudly about Sirius and out of our wooden front door before anyone could stop me. I crossed the lawn swiftly and within about ten paces I was inside the Burrow.

I glanced around at the kitchen filled to the brim with copper pots and pans, while cups lay on the work surface and a pitcher of pumpkin juice lay half drank next to the stove. Flowers of all different kinds were growing on the window sill, but the thing that interested me most was the bundle sat at the kitchen table, wrapped in a thick red dressing gown and staring desperately into space.

"Hey, Weasley." I said softly, sitting beside her as she jumped.

"Shh." She mumbled, and then winced.

"You Ok?"

"I'm going to kill Sirius."

I smirked, standing up and wondering over to the kettle. I poured her a warm cup of tea and she glanced at it suspiciously.

"What's that?"

"A cup of tea, what does it look like?"

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because you're hung-over and I'm going to make you better. I'm guessing you've never shared a 'drink' with Sirius, then?"

She frowned but took the cup and drank it quickly "I'm going to kill him. I don't know what he has in that hip-flask but whatever it is does not react well with me."

I smirked "Yeah, he invented that himself. It's not good mixed with Fire whisky."

She nodded glumly "Yeah, I get that now."

I watched as she emptied the cup, her eyes were still lined with black pencil from last night, but her face was pale and the rosy hint in her cheeks was gone.

"Have you been sick?"

"This morning."

I nodded "Good, most of it will be out of your system by now then."

We sat quietly for about ten minutes while she drank three more cups of tea.

"Come on, you need a shower."

"I can't be bothered."

"I know, but you'll feel better."

She groaned but stood up, shivering slightly although it was very warm. Evidently, she had been pissed out of her head last night and so I didn't need to worry about what we had been talking about.

Walking up the stairs, this thought had just passed through my mind, as she opened her mouth "What did I say to you last night?"

"You didn't really make much sense. You were saying something about how I loved fake people but I was secretly in love with you. Something along those lines, anyway."

She nodded "Sorry."

I shrugged, relieved that she hadn't asked for my reply "That's fine."

We reached the ancient bathroom door and she turned to smile at me "Right, just, stay here."

"Not a problem." I said, leaning against the wall and dropping to sit on the floor. "Have fun."

She came out twenty minutes later, wrapped in a towel with her long red hair falling in damp waves down her back.

"You're right, I do feel better."

"Good. Now, go and get dressed and meet me downstairs in half an hour – I'm taking you out for lunch."

"Harry I don't think-"

"Shut up and get dressed."

She shrugged but made for the stairs, stopping when I called her name.

"Oh, Weasley."

She turned around "What?"

"Make an effort, I can't be seen with just anybody."

And then I ran off, before she could throw anything heavy at my head.

X

She spotted me and crossed the garden, standing next to me and Ron while we sat on the bench, discussing the highs and lows of last night's party.

"No, the best bit was Sirius' dancing at three in the morning."

"I disagree, the best bit was Ginny."

"Still Sirius' doing though; what a legend." Ron sighed in awe at the thought of Sirius.

I mimed being sick while Ginny waited beside me. She was wearing denim shorts and a pink vest top. Over the top she had on a small white cotton cardigan. You'd never guess that half an hour ago she couldn't even talk.

"Bloody hell." I looked her up and down "Right Ronald, I'm taking your sister out for lunch even though she didn't bother to buy me a present yesterday."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but smiled as she said "I signed the card didn't I? Now come on, I'm hungry."

I laughed and grabbed her hand, turning on the spot. After a moment of near suffocation we landed on a quiet road, about a quarter of a mile away from a country pub.

"We're not drinking are we?" She asked, as she glanced at the thatched roof and the sign outside.

"Nope. Lunch; like I said."

She nodded and we headed inside, finding a table. It was quite noisy inside, filled with the buzz of families and couples eating their lunch.

I led her over to a quiet table down three steps. I ducked under the beam and pulled her down by the hand. The table was in a booth that made it impossible to see what was going on anywhere but there.

A sunflower was growing in a pot on the windowsill, it wasn't very tall so I poked it with my wand and it grew, looking brighter than before.

"Muggle place?" Ginny asked, as I checked over my shoulder.

"Yeah, nice though. Great food, what do you want?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing." A drawling voice commented, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, while Katherine stood there, leaning against the wall with a pen and pad in her hand.

"I work here."

"Oh, well then..." I glanced across at Ginny, expecting an explosion, but instead she simply smiled.

"I'll have a glass of diet coke please and...The asparagus soup. What do you want?" She reached across and touched my hand innocently, causing flames to burn in Katherine's eyes.

"I'll have the pizza please...erm, Katherine."

The blonde nodded stiffly before walking away. Ginny laughed and clapped her hands together.

"I am awesome!" She told me, howling with laughter.

"I can't disagree."

She smiled "Thanks, Potter, you have just made my day."

I grinned "Feeling better then?"

"Loads, I'm starving..."

...

We walked back later on in a comfortable silence. We didn't really have a direction, we were just walking – after all we could apparate back from anywhere.

"Thanks, Harry." She said, looking at me.

"What for? I've only made you feel better about the whole getting pissed and having a hang-over thing."

She smiled, watching me with her big brown eyes "You know what I mean."

I shrugged "Not really."

"You make me feel better when no one else, not even Hermione, can. I don't know, you're not as predictable as I'd like you to be, which...confuses me. I don't understand you, but you're no longer an arrogant prat. Well, not to me anyway."

I smiled "I try my best. I'm sorry that you spent seventeen years hating me."

"I didn't hate you for that long...more like sixteen." She winked and chuckled to herself.

"You're unbelievable." I laughed.

It was getting dark but I could still make out her eyes through the light of the moon.

"We should head back."

"Yeah, we should, come on."

I took her hand and turned, we landed neatly in front of the garden pond, right between our houses.

I dropped her hand hastily as she glanced at it, but she took it back, and mumbled "You know how you said I didn't get you a gift?"

I nodded, unable to speak. We were extremely close and I felt the warmness of her breath on my face.

"Well, happy birthday Potter."

Then she kissed me and I can honestly say it was the best present I've ever had.

X

I'm so sorry it's been a while, but in the Noth West of England we have this thing called Whit Friday and brass bands hold competitions and I'm in my school band so we've been practising none stop! Google it if you want, that was a crappy explanation. Wish me luck for Friday guys (;