I did spell Audrey wrong and I do know how to spell it right I just got the spelling from an internet HP Dictionary I was using, and just guessed it was the way JKR spelt it. Sorry. Well here's the next part. It's a little different. Just to get you all interested. I hope you enjoy it. I won't be posting until at least Monday NZ time (So that's well ahead for most of you, you might get it on Sunday.). Thanks once again for the reviews etc. This part will push this story over 5000 hits. So I'm guessing there is at least a couple of hundred people actually reading each part.
Harry lay awake thinking things over for a while it felt strange being in Percy's room. Harry knew Hermione had it last year when she stayed but he had never slept in there beforehand. He couldn't help but wondering if Ron would sneak down to Bill's old room as it now had a Queen bed in it for when Bill and Fleur stayed. Even though he imagined Ron might be more inclined to behave after Hermione had threatened him with not being able to touch her for a week if he ever spoke about what they may or may not have done in front of his parents again.
It had been a most amusing argument, for Charlie, Harry and Ginny who had pretended to play exploding snap. Harry had noticed either the pack was defiantly malfunctioning or Charlie was making it snap very loudly whenever Hermione seemed to glance their way, as it exploded many times when there was defiantly no matching pair.
He was also a little worried about Ginny. She was clearly still tired and had looked a little on edge as they had said goodnight. Well it had hardly been the scene Harry had wished for where they would have parted outside her bedroom door, kissing finally for the first time since his birthday. She had just smiled at him, placed a hand on his knee to pull herself up off the ground where she had been sitting and declared she was ready for bed before taking off up the stairs.
Charlie must have seen the surprised look on Harry's face because he had nudged him saying. "Don't take it personally, there's just big brothers watching."
Harry had headed to bed after that himself. Noticing that Ginny's door was already shut when he walked past, so he had lain awake wondering if she would sleep tonight or not. He knew there must be a good chance her brain had registered he was alive after spending most of the day with him. So it was on these thoughts he finally drifted off to sleep.
Waking in the early hours of the morning he realised that he was in need of some more pain potion and once again cursed the bruise on his chest and just wished it would get better. Dragging himself up, he then slowly made his way down the stairs, pausing on the last landing when he realised there were voices in the Kitchen. It didn't take him long to know for sure that it was Hermione and Ginny.
"Stop stressing about it Ginny. It's not as bad as your making it out to be. I'm sure he will understand." Hermione was saying.
Harry heard Ginny groan. "And just how am I supposed to tell him?" He heard her ask.
"I don't know. Maybe just tell the truth. We know things weren't easy at Hogwarts this year. He knows Neville, you and Luna ran the underground. We all did things in this war we didn't really mean or want to do."
Harry heard Ginny sniff. "But….but you've just told me there wasn't anyone for him this year. Do you really think he'll understand that I've been with someone?"
Harry had to control the chest monster that threatened to explode in his chest. He wanted to gasp out loud, and felt an anger rise up which at the same time he knew he had no right to feel. After all he had broken up with her before leaving. But the thought of her with someone was gutting. His brain worked overtime, trying to work out who it was, Neville?...No he wasn't her type, and they had always just been friends, but maybe running the underground and DA together. Sheamaus?...Harry couldn't really see Ginny going out with Dean's bestfriend.
He turned and as quietly as he could and made his way back to Percy's room. He didn't want to hear anymore. As he lay back on the bed he now realised with sick amusement that he not only still had a sore chest, but it ached now also with something more fresh and defiantly something more internal. He tossed and turned until he finally heard Hermione sneaking past on her way back to bed, but even then couldn't bring himself to get up for some pain potion. The thoughts of Ginny kissing someone unknown were too real he wasn't sure how to react if he ran into her on the stairs.
"Oi….wake up." Ron exclaimed throwing open the door to Harry's room mid-morning. "I've never known you to need this much sleep." Only to stop talking when he noticed the Harry was actually dressed, and reading in bed. Ron turned his head sideways. "A history of the Ministry." Ron questioned then rolled his eyes. "I see some light reading kept you up here this morning."
Harry shrugged his shoulders. He could hardly tell Ron he was avoiding Ginny, and well everyone. "It's Percy's. Thought it might be worth knowing. I still wouldn't mind being an Auror." He mumbled.
"Well if you want to read something you should come down stairs. We've been going through the mail." Ron told him taking a seat on the bed. "We could be anything we want you know. I've even had an offer from the Cannon's."
Harry had to hide a laugh they can't have ever truly seen Ron play. But then again they hadn't won a game in the whole time Harry had known Ron so maybe he would fit right in. "Okay. You do know they just want your name on the line up though don't you?" He asked trying to break it to Ron.
Ron nodded his head. "Yeah Hermione broke it too me, and your both right." Then looked down at his feet, Harry noticed that his best friend looked a lot more serious than he normally did. "I don't think I could do it anyway, not now, all that travelling and Hermione wanting to finish school. I'd never get to see her."
Harry pretended to gag before slapping Ron on the back. "Must be love, she's coming before Quidditch, never thought I'd see the day."
"Oh, ha ha." Ron bit back then sighed. "There's more to life than Quidditch. This year has taught me that. Anyway get up, there's something's in the mail I want to show you. I reckon we could get by without paying for anything ever again in our lives."
Harry sighed, unable to get his brain to work fast enough for a reason to stay hidden in Percy's room. Not to say he would be thankful for some pain potion, wishing it would numb the sick feeling he had as well as the pain he was still feeling from his bruises.
Walking in to the Kitchen Molly smiled at him. "You must have slept well." She exclaimed taking a plate and removing the warming charm from it. "I managed to save you some breakfast before Ron ate it all."
As Harry sat down he noticed the huge pile of mail that everyone was looking through.
"Hey Harry. We hope you don't mind but we thought we would sort your mail. It's already been read by some Auror's so we didn't think you would mind us having a look." Charlie piped up. "I think they must have kept the love letters. There is only the ones you got on the first day."
Harry didn't want any love letters. Well he would have welcomed any from Ginny until the middle of last night. He glanced with a quick look at Hermione and Ginny who were looking through what look like a shop catalog. Ginny shot him a smile, which he just nodded back to. Then felt guilty. He was being a prat and he knew it.
Hermione looked up at him, studying him for a moment. "Are you alright?" She asked as he starred down at the breakfast Molly had placed in front of him.
Harry nodded. "My chest is a little sore, that's all." He tried to explain. "Didn't sleep that well."
Hermione as he could have guessed just jumped straight up and retrieved him a vial of potion from the pantry. "Well you know you should be taking this every 4 hours. Even though I would have thought you would be feeling a bit better by now. I suppose it's good I made Gin a sleeping potion in the middle of the night. It meant we all got some sleep."
Harry nodded, sneaking a glance at Ginny. So that was how she had slept.
Charlie was opening another letter addressed to Harry, not that Harry felt like caring. "Oh, another product wanting you to endorse them, I'm sure it was always your life's dream to be the face of Gillywater." Charlie placed it on one of the piles in front of him. "These are the more uninteresting offers. These are the more interesting." He pointed to the pile next to the first one. "These are from people claiming to be related to you." Charlie pointed out another one.
"I wonder where they've been all my life?" Harry muttered.
"That's what I would like to know. It's not like the wizarding world hasn't known you've been at Hogwarts for 6 years before this year." Hermione scoffed.
Ron who had grabbed a piece of bacon off Harry's plate and shoved it in his mouth, added. "Thy wnt the fame. That's what."
"Ron, please don't talk with your mouth full. It's not a nice sight." Ginny rolled her eyes then looked at Hermione. "And you kiss him?"
"Not when his mouth is full of food. No." Hermione answered. "Harry you've also got a pile of job offers, and an offer from just about every Quidditch team in the UK, and then there is the letters of congratulations. I think you should look at those first. The one on top is from the Prime Minister."
Harry's eyebrows shot up. "As in the Muggle one?" He asked.
Hermione nodded. "Apparently there is a link from the Minister of Magic to the Prime Minister. Kingsley met with him yesterday and he gave Kingsley the letter to pass on to you. He's going to try and recommend you for a Knighthood." She added excitedly.
"A knighthood? Like as in he gets some armor and a sword?" Ron asked looking confused. "I thought muggle army's had guns and major's now days."
"No…..yes, well it's different. The Queen still places a sword on each shoulder to knight him. But Harry's not expected to fight for her or anything he just gets called Sir Harry Potter afterwards." Hermione explained.
Ron splattered his pumpkin juice he had just drunken. "No way. Really? I want one. Sir Ronald Weasley at your service." He stood up and bowed.
"You can have it." Harry told him. "What would I be getting it for? They can hardly tell the world I saved them from a terrible wizard."
Hermione sighed. "That's his problem. He explains he's trying to think of something to honor you for."
"Oh, a meeting with the Queen of England. Well that would be something." Molly Weasley sighed dreamily from the corner. "I used to dream of marrying a prince and being the first magical queen since the middle ages."
Ron and Charlie smirked, and tried very hard to keep themselves from bursting into laughter.
"Really?" Ginny asked. "I never wanted to be a princess. I always wanted to play Quidditch and…" She looked at Harry and turned slightly red. "Well, I didn't want to be a princess anyway."
Harry pushed the rest of his breakfast away from him, suddenly not wanting it any more. He had to get over it, he kept telling himself. Surely she wasn't with the guy any more? After all she had kissed his hand the other night, and pretty much said she thought she couldn't live without him.
Ginny seeing he had finished tried to catch his eye. "Harry, I was wondering if…..well if we could have a talk?" She asked with enough hesitation for Harry to know what was coming. Ginny wasn't the type to be nervous.
Harry stood up knowing he wasn't ready for this, his emotions were still too raw. "Sorry, I'm not feeling that well." He told her as he headed towards the stairs. "I think I'll just head back to bed." Harry caught her eye as he left the Kitchen, he could see tears starting to well, as she nodded at him then took off out of the outside door. He felt worse, while the little voice inside his head reminded him over and over. It's your fault if she dated someone while you were away you're the one who broke up with her.
Please R&R. I want to see if anyone can guess where I'm going with this. It's almost tempting to almost offer a prize if someone could guess who Ginny was talking about.