A/N

Style/Speech/Length: Because several readers commented these points (and my wife just agreed with these comments) I think I'll give it a try to write longer chapters with more direct speech/showing and reserve the 'telling' to things I think to be less important for the story (especially many events every reader should know about the original story).

Harry's character: In many stories I saw a very self-confident Harry, in my eyes too self-confident. In my story I imagine Harry as a boy who just lost his great chance to have a happy life (with Sirius on the run again) and who tries everything to behave like he assumes his host expects from him. I would like to hear your opinions about this point (and the critic expressed by several readers that this Harry is too wimpy).

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Red-headed Delight

The Burrow – 16th of August

"He looks happy, doesn't he?"

Startled through Ginny's soft voice Hermione looked up from her book and focused her eyes on the thoughtful face of the young girl. Despite their differences, they had been able to form a close friendship over the past year. The events around the chamber of secrets, in particular, had brought them closer together. Hermione followed Ginny's stare to the field in front of the Burrow where the Weasley boys were fooling around with Harry. After his arrival thirty minutes ago she hadn't been able to do more than a short greeting and an even shorter hug before the twins more or less dragged him away into the open. She had enjoyed the hug, as she seemed the only one he allowed such a gesture from willingly. But she had sensed the tenseness of his body and anxiously awaited an opportunity to speak with him about the last few weeks.

"Yes, he seems so," Hermione responded equally softly. "I assumed you would be with the boys. You know – flying around and all."

Ginny reciprocated her smile with a pained expression. "Later," she sighed.

Hermione frowned. She had expected Ginny to be really happy to have Harry in the house. That she had a crush on the boy since their first meeting – even since before Ginny went to Hogwarts – had been no secret. A few months ago the red-headed girl even started a conversation about Hermione and her relation to Harry. She had been obviously relieved to hear …

"He is very important to me, Ginny. I care for him, his welfare and his happiness. He deserves so much more than he experienced in the past. In a way I even love him. But it is a love towards a brother I never had. I more than once dreamed about asking my parents to adopt him so that we could live together in the summer and winter break. But I won't stand between him and the girl he loves."

Now he was at the Burrow but after the first very happy moments Ginny started to be depressed and Hermione had no idea about the reasons of this change of mood.

"What troubles you?" The quiet question caused Ginny to turn around and blush a bit. Her face showed that she was struggling with herself about answering truthfully or not. "You know that I'll keep your secret? But I can see that something is amiss. I really expected you would be happier about Harry's arrival. You've been waiting for weeks."

Ginny's throat escaped a shuddering sigh and she even seemed to fight with tears. "He's only here because of Ron." Hermione started to object but Ginny resolutely shook her head. "You know it. Without Ron and you he wouldn't visit us. Harry doesn't really see me. I'm only the little sister, not even a real girl. He even forgot my birthday." Ginny sighed. "I know I sound like a spoilt little girl but I can't help to feel disappointed. I really thought Harry and me to be closer now – after everything."

This Hermione had noticed a while ago and had hoped to remind Harry about in time. Obviously it was too late and the harm was already done. What could she say? In a way Ginny's assumption was correct: Harry certainly had failed until now to see more in Ginny than Ron's little sister and if he really noticed her adoration, it seemed to be more of a nuisance to him. But on the other hand: Why should he have remembered her birthday? Apparently Ginny had hoped – after the events in the Chamber – that Harry would be closer to her than before. But until now his behavior hadn't changed: He liked her, but wasn't really close. Apparently Ginny estimated their relationship to be stronger than Harry felt it to be. Even the twins were certainly more important to him than Ginny.

While Ginny again stared through the window, Hermione used the moment to look at her intensely. Ginny had turned thirteen five days ago and while it was visible that one day she would be a real beauty – certainly not sharing the appearance with her more matron-like build of her mother – in the moment she still was very undeveloped. Her curves a bit boyish, her legs long and slender, her breast only just beginning to grow. In two years at most Ginny would be a real heartbreaker but Hermione knew that "you only have to wait" was a weak encouragement if half of the girls in Hogwarts were ogling Harry.

Until now it had been mostly the fame of 'the-boy-who-lived' that caught their attention but now, with Harry growing into a real teenager, with his slightly tanned skin and more time spent on sports, it was only a question of time before the older girls noticed the bodily change. An even greater problem would certainly be Harry's interest in Cho Chang. Since that Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw he had ogled the dark-haired beauty more than once in the Great Hall, much to Ginny's chagrin.

"Boys," Hermione tried to hold her voice happy, but failed miserably. "You can't live with them, you can't live without them."

Despite her unhappy happiness Ginny tried to fight her mood and even smiled a tiny smile. "Yes, boys," she whispered. Thoughtful she looked at Hermione. "You have the same problem, don't you? I mean with Ron." Hermione's ears turned pink but Ginny didn't stop. "I know you fancy him."

Now it was Hermione's turn to sigh. "He only thinks of me as a kind of running lexicon, happy to help him with the homework. If he's speaking about girls he's never thinking about me but only girls like Lavender."

"He's a prat," Ginny responded absolutely convinced and her immediate reaction brought a smile on Hermione's face again. Ginny swayed slightly back and forth, deep in thoughts, pondering about something, causing an uneasy feeling in Hermione's stomach. The sight of a Weasley – irrespective of which one – so deeply in thoughts meant trouble most of the time.

"I have an idea," Ginny announced at last. Hermione nearly groaned but tried to look fascinated. "I help you with Ron and you help me with Harry."

Hermione tried to grasp the idea but her mind always wandered to the question of morality and friendship. The relation between Ron and Ginny had never been as deep as between both and their elder siblings. Hermione on the other hand had meant it quite earnestly as she spoke about Harry's welfare. To manipulate him into a relation with Ginny seemed inconsiderate. Yes, Ginny was a very intelligent and beautiful girl, but somehow Hermione wasn't able to imagine Ginny and Harry together in ten years, with a small house and a toddler running around.

But she had to watch helplessly as Ginny warmed up to the idea. "Ron doesn't allow me to be with you three. And sometimes I fear that I'm a bit too clingy for Harry's taste." Hermione couldn't help but nod slowly. She was a bit surprised to hear that Ginny noticed this but she certainly was correct about both points. "But if you invite me, they can't say no. I would be there as your friend and spend time with Harry quite naturally."

This didn't sound too awful. Ginny and she were friends and she liked to spend time with her. To increase that amount didn't seem too painful. At least Ginny didn't expect her to influence Harry. "And perhaps you could remark something positive about me towards Harry from time to time." And there flew the innocence out of the window. "Or leave with Ron to visit… something. You with him and I with Harry – later I mean. I don't want to press the matter."

Certainly not, Hermione groaned inwardly. But what could she say? Ginny liked Harry; perhaps she was even in love with him. She deserved at least a chance and if she misused the opportunity Hermione could still intervene. And perhaps that would really help her with her own cause with Ron. "Alright, it is a deal," Hermione offered her hand to a happy smiling Ginny. Why did she still have this uneasy feeling in her stomach?

.

The knot in her stomach unraveled as Ginny skipped out of the house and down the open field. Charlie, the twins, Ron and Harry were talking animatedly, brooms in their hands. It could have been expected that even with the twins telling Harry about their newest prank ideas, the boys would sooner or later start a little game. Would Ginny be allowed … Charlie detected her and waved at her to catch up with them. Ginny grinned broadly. Charlie had always been her favorite brother. Would she be in Harry's team? She hoped not. Being in the opposite team would allow her more opportunities to be near him and even touch him from time to time, to ogle him without being creepy.

As the girl reached her brothers her eyes examined their faces. How much of this joy was honest? How much of it resulted from Molly's orders the day before? Her mother had been quite adamant about all Weasleys trying to give Harry a happy time at the Burrow. Ginny had been a bit surprised about this and apparently her brothers too. They would have behaved well without her orders and Harry relished the summer weeks with them every time. There was no need for encouragement. So what had been the reason? Perhaps the conversation between her parents the evening before? The conversation they had after her mother's return from a Hogwart's visit.

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One day before

"We have to assure that Harry stays with us."

As Ginny reached the chamber of her parents to ask about the plans for the next day she heard her mother's voice and halted her steps. Looking around she wasn't able to detect any of her brothers. For a moment she hesitated. Her mother disliked eavesdropping but this was about Harry. As silent as possible she stepped nearer and pressed her ear against the door.

"But why," she heard her father's voice, a bit whiny in the moment? "It is his decision. If he wants to …"

"Nonsense," Molly was completely steady in her opinion. "He is fourteen years old; he can't know what's good for him. We have to help him to make the right choice." Ginny suppressed a groan. How often had she been on the receiving end of that sentence? Molly certainly held to the opinion that none of her children – not even Charlie and Bill – were old enough to make their own decisions. Hastily she gripped her mouth to stop the laughter as the thought crossed her mind that Molly supposed Arthur not to be old enough either.

Arthur sighed. "I don't know, Molly. James obviously trusted her enough to make her Harry's godmother."

"Pshaw!" Molly wasn't convinced. "He only made her godmother because of those former contracts. And trust – he trusted Sirius too and we all know what kind of decision that led to."

Sirius, Ginny wondered? She had heard from her brother that the rumors about Sirius were false, that he wasn't the murderer all assumed and that Harry liked him. What could be wrong about him?

"Now this is a bit unfair," Arthur grumbled. "Sirius had been James' best friend. It always seemed a bit weird to assume he could be able to betray him. And now we know the truth. And we know that James' trust was justified."

"Innocent or not – Sirius is nothing else than a big boy. He's no more qualified to be a father figure than Ron. But while Ron will grow up in the future, Sirius obviously missed his moment. He'll be a rash, prankish boy for the rest of his life. Certainly not a man I would trust with the welfare of a teenager. Until he's proven innocent it is impossible anyway."

Arthur agreed with that at least. "But sooner or later it will be possible. Dumbledore will prove his innocence and then …"

"Then we will care about that. Until that day we have to make sure that Harry is in the right hands and that's certainly not the house of a Deatheater."

"You know that she isn't, Molly," Arthur objected. "Mrs. Greengrass has never been a Deatheater and neither were her parents."

"I didn't mean her but her husband. You know quite well that he's an ally of that unholy Malfoy. There had been rumors ten years ago about Mr. Greengrass supporting 'his' cause with money. Nobody who's a friend of a man who did such terrible things to our little daughter should be allowed near Harry."

Arthur signed again, sounding resigned: "And Dumbledore thinks this is for the best? We can't simply explain the matter to Harry?"

"No, that wouldn't do," Molly contradicted. "Simple reasons wouldn't convince him. He's too influenced by this 'everyone deserves a chance'. Naturally that's not bad in itself but it makes the matter more complicated. Let's do what Professor Dumbledore said. We make sure that he likes his stay and I'll speak with Ron, Ginny and the twins regarding the next school year. You'll see: in no time he'll forget about this stupid adoption."

With Molly's steps nearing the door Ginny didn't wait for her father's response and hurried away. Nor did she see the shadow that left the window place around the corner and hurried to the upper floors.

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Presence

A snap in front of her face brought Ginny back to reality. Charlie's face was hovering in front of her, a broad smile plastered on his face: "Back with us, Ginny-kin?"

Ginny smiled back before she grimaced: "I had such a nice daydream – about nice brothers, athletic, handsome. And now I'm back and find – you."

"We are," Georg started.

"Very handsome," Fred completed.

Ron was only able to growl a bit while Charlie started some muscle flexing poses to impress his little sister.

"Alright, alright," she laughed heartily. "I'm impressed. Now please stop this, Charlie, or we have to shoo away all the birds around." Charlie sniffed a bit, falsely downtrodden until Ginny punched his arm: "So, you handsome and athletic Weasley-boys. What shall we do now? A little Quidditch to show our guest that we're still the best team out there and not those poor fakes we'll see tomorrow?"

Charlie hugged her, the twins seemed to be calmed down again and even Ron grinned, thinking about the Quidditch finals they would visit the next day. Somehow their father had been able to organize extremely good tickets and every Weasley was eager to go there. A few minutes later two teams had been build, one consisting of Harry, George and Ron, the other containing Charlie, Fred and Ginny. They would play without a seeker, with a combined keeper/beater and two chasers. The teams were surprisingly unevenly matched instead of the best laid plans. While both Fred and George weren't very impressive keepers and used most of the time to send bludgers towards everyone irrespective of teams, it was Ron who convinced everyone that he should really stay with the keeper position and never again try his hands as a chaser.

Harry tried every trick in his repertoire but to no avail: the combinations he planned with Ron always failed, every single one of them, the mood of Harry darkening with every error of the slowly getting irate Ron. It didn't help that Ginny showed quite a talent as a chaser and the teamwork of her and her brother belonged to the best Harry had ever seen aside from the current Gryffindor chaser trio.

"Harry, your goal is over there," Ginny screamed in the golden boy's direction as another pass to Ron failed its target. Harry's loud grumbling only broadened Ginny's smirk and even the death-glare of Ron couldn't stop her good mood.

"Ron, perhaps Harry should play solo-chaser and make the goals alone. And you could – I don't know – perhaps sing a victory song for Charlie and me."

Ron's face now assumed the red color of his hair. He rushed near his sister and tried to throw a Quaffle at her head – unsurprisingly missing again as Ginny avoided the attack easily. "Are you mad," Ginny's gesture telling what she thought about her brother's ire.

Before another fight could erupt Charlie ordered an end to the game. "I think it is time to prepare for dinner. And we have to end early today. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"You've been playing well," Harry congratulated Ginny as they stored away the brooms.

She flashed a smile: "Do you think so? You weren't bad yourself out there. You'd only to struggle a bit with your team."

Harry shook his head and whispered: "Be nice to him. I don't think that Ron's very proud about his play. And you know how easily he gets depressed."

Ginny sighed and nodded: "Alright, alright. I'll be nice to him. But only because he's my brother – and you bade me." With a last sweet smile towards a confused Harry Ginny hurried away.

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The sun neared the horizon and the sky was blood-red. With a "humpf" Harry slumped on a seat near Hermione on the porch.

"I'm stodged," he whined. "It was way too much to eat."

"You could have stopped after the third course," Hermione responded without looking up from her book or the slightest hint of compassion.

Harry growled slightly: "And I thought you'd be my friend. Beasty girl, you."

For a moment Hermione succeeded in holding onto her bland face but then a laugh forced its way. "You should really have expected that Molly would try to fatten you. You're always so scrawny after …" She hesitated as her mind fetched up with the thought that he hadn't spent the last weeks with the Dursleys. After a minute of uneasy silence she started anew: "And how have you been so far?"

Harry looked down to avoid her eyes, carving senseless signs into the sand with a stick in his hands. "Good, the weeks had been good. I even did most of my homework."

Looking up he caught Hermione heavily blinking about this statement. "Really?" she whispered with a rough voice. "Really?" Hermione tried a second time, clearer now after clearing her throat.

"Yes, really," Harry grinned, happy but not surprised about her reaction. "I'll show you later but I think what I wrote so far is okay." Closing his eyes and turning his face towards the sun he continued more balanced: "The past few weeks have been nice…" He struggled for some moments: "No, not nice, but different to the summers before."

"Different as in 'positive different' or more as in 'ugly different'?" Hermione asked. She wasn't sure what to think about this evolvement. Until now she didn't know much about the last month, only that Harry had spent the weeks in Greengrass Manor and that Molly's sentiment about those people wasn't very positive. From her remarks they seemed to be something like the Malfoys and certainly Harry wouldn't enjoy spending times with the Malfoys?

"The house is very nice – a central building with three wings around. An own gym and swimming hall belong to the manor. They have house-elves." As he saw Hermione's frown he hastily added: "But they treat them friendly and they have clothes on, something like servant uniforms." Hearing this Hermione relaxed again.

"Oh, I have a tomcat now." Hermione stared at him with wide eyes. "I got him from Mrs. Figg. By the way: Did you know that Mrs. Figg is a Squib? She lives there to have a watch, on orders from Headmaster Dumbledore." She was stunned by that news. Mrs. Figg was a Squib? And watching Harry by order of Dumbledore? "She … she was sad about not realizing what was happening in the Dursleys' house. She gave me the tomcat as some sort of apology. His name is Balou, he is far smaller than Crookshanks and his fur is black-white and very soft."

Hermione smiled softly. Seeing him with this happiness in his eyes, hearing his voice with such care speaking about his tomcat – she knew how loving he already was towards Hedwig, but this …

"What about Hedwig? I mean … you can't have two pets at Hogwarts."

"I know," Harry answered crestfallen. "I'll take Hedwig with me. I thought about asking Ginny. Perhaps she can care for him. What do you mean?"

Ginny would love to help him this way and to have an excuse to see him daily. "You should ask her. I'm sure she'll agree." But her mind already went back to the past weeks. "And what about that family, how have they been?"

Harry didn't respond instantly. Instead he played again with the stick in the sand before he said with an unsteady voice.

"Lord Greengrass is quite an ass. He's a friend of Malfoy and he acts like a bad copy of 'dear Lucius'. Then there is Astoria. I don't know if you ever saw her. She is two years younger than us but already engaged to Draco. Poor blood forever – I mean 'pure blood', you get the impression." Hermione felt a bit depressed now. This sounded bad, quite as bad as told by Molly.

"But then there's Lady Agatha. She is the family's matron and you certainly would like her – a bit like Professor McGonagall but more easygoing. She went to school with my grandma and told me stories about their youth. They had been Ravenclaws. Oh, she gave me a picture book." You don't have much choice with blood relatives. But how could a woman like this Lady Agatha choose a husband for her daughter like this prat? Hermione decided to speak about this point later.

"Roxanne is … I mean Lady Greengrass, she is a kind woman, very intelligent." Hermione frowned. If Harry was on first-name with her then this relation was perhaps more important than she first imagined. "We have been in Muggle London, visiting the tower. She showed us the Downing Street, you know, that's where …"

"The Prime Minister lives," Hermione complemented. Play-acting or real interest – that was the question, Hermione pondered. Certainly Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be able to show someone the Downing Street if his life depended on it. "Us," she asked after a moment. "You said 'she showed us…' "

"Oh, yes," was there a tiny blush on his cheeks? "Daphne had been with us most of the time. You would like her. She's intelligent, likes to read and learn. She even forced me to do my homework." Hermione looked down as a smile crawled on her face. That was certainly a point in her book. "But she doesn't like me," Harry added and Hermione's smile turned into a deep frown. "I don't know why, she doesn't really know me, but … I think she hates me."

Hermione watched him in silence. With a few sentences it would be possible to sway him away from that family. The Weasleys would certainly be happy about such a move. But this was Harry, her friend, her kind-of-brother. He deserved honesty and help.

"And is it important for you? Her opinion about you I mean," she asked with a soft voice.

Harry breathed deeply through his nose several times to steady his nerves. "I don't know. Sometimes she is so infuriating. She said that I don't belong to Hogwarts, that I'm starting trouble." He pondered for a moment before he shook his head. "No, she said: I attract trouble, not that I start it. And she glares at me all the time. And when we're together she never speaks with me about personal things, only school things or history or other neutral themes."

Several times Hermione sensed the urge to comment, but every time she pulled back. Somehow she sensed that Harry needed this moment to think about Daphne, that he told these things not only her but also himself.

"But then … as I told them about the chamber of secrets and how Lucius Malfoy had been part of it" Hermione inhaled deeply, but nodded in Harry's direction to continue "she had been the first to say 'I believe you'. Okay, she added that slight remark about me simply not able to hide lies, but in a way that was nice, wasn't it?"

Hermione nodded weakly, a deep frown visible. At last she shrugged, coming to a decision about the matter: "I can't say anything about them in the moment. I would really like to meet them, especially Lady Roxanne and Daphne. You know – to get a first handed impression."

Harry nodded agreement. "I think that should be possible. They'll be at the Quidditch finals. And perhaps – I could ask her about you visiting us."

"You want to go back before school starts?" Hermione asked in wonder. Molly had made it quite clear that she assumed Harry would be in the Burrow until September.

"I'm not sure. As we planned my visit to the Burrow Roxanne and I agreed on me returning after a week. But I had a row with the Greengrass girls two days ago and now …"

Hermione patted his arm gently. "We'll see. Let's wait how the finals go and perhaps I can take a look at them. You have a few more days to decide. And perhaps you'll get tired of Ron and me after a few days."

Hermione was quite shocked as Harry hugged her as those shows of affection were normally started by her: "Never." This is certainly a change for the better.

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A/N

The next 3-5 chapters should be about Quidditch and the start of the school. After that I'll make greater leaps. I think there have been more than enough descriptions about the choosing of the Champions and the first test and my descriptions about that part can be a bit shorter.