Beta Reader: Arwrite, Luke Knight, Tyler Nator and Jiya

Chapter 3

Harry woke up the next morning in Ron's room. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since he was discharged from the Hospital Wing. Getting up, he noticed that Ron was still snoring softly. After getting ready for the day, he walked down to the kitchen. Mr Weasley was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet while Mrs Weasley was busy cooking breakfast for everyone.

"Good morning, Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley," Harry said to them.

"Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?" Mrs Weasley asked him with concern.

"Yeah, I don't remember having any dreams. Anything new, Mr Weasley?" he said.

"Oh! Harry, sorry. I didn't see you come down. What did you say?" Mr Weasley said, looking up from the paper.

Mr Weasley never acted like this. Looking towards the older woman, he could see that she was just as troubled. There was something that wasn't right.

"What's wrong? You both seem worried," he said.

Heaving a sigh, Arthur explained "Percy resigned from the Ministry yesterday."

"What? Why?" Harry asked, surprised.

"He thinks that because of his obsession with his career for the past three years, he disregarded his family and he's got it into his head that he is responsible for what happened to Fr- Fred," Mr Weasley said, sadly. Harry noticed that Mr Weasley could not say his son's name without getting choked up.

Again, Harry felt a stab of guilt.

I have again created trouble for this family, his thoughts echoed in his mind.

He was about to say something but was cut short when they heard a voice from the bottom of the stairs.

"Good morning, everyone," Ginny said, as she came down. She first went to give a hug to her mother before coming back to hug her father.

Next came Ron and Hermione together; followed by Charlie with his bag a few minutes later.

"Good morning. How are you feeling, Harry?" Charlie asked, clapping a hand on his back.

"Good morning, Charlie. I'm fine. Are you leaving for Romania?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I have some work pending there. Now that the war is over, I can give it more priority. I'm planning to leave after breakfast." Charlie sat down and prepared himself a piece of toast.

Ron started the conversation again as they all began eating breakfast, "So, what's Percy going to do now?"

It was clear the news of Percy's resignation had reached home after Harry went to bed.

"He'll find another job, though Kingsley has convinced him to stay for the rest of the week. Oh, speaking of Kingsley, I recall him asking me to tell you three to stay alert. Rumours say that the Death Eaters are planning an attack of revenge on you. Especially you, Harry," Mr Weasley said, with worry evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be careful," Ron exclaimed, with a mouthful of cereal.

"Swallow your food first, Ron." Hermione admonished him.

"Also, Kingsley said you three will each be awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class," Mr Weasley said, his face cracking into a smile for the first time.

"I don't want an award." Harry replied, with a scowl.

"Harry, listen. This is the way people thank you. You should accept it, even if you don't like it," Mrs Weasley explained kindly.

This ended the discussion of awards, even though Harry didn't like it, he didn't say it in front of the Weasleys who were being so kind to him, even after all he did.

After breakfast, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny walked out towards the house boundary. Walking up to the pond, they all sat down under a big tree.

"Have you seen Kreacher?" Harry asked them. "He agreed to come here with me."

"Yeah, I saw him last night; he was sleeping in his basket near your bed, but I haven't seen him this morning." Ron said.

"Kreacher," Harry called.

With a pop, Kreacher appeared in front of Harry and bowed.

"Master Harry called Kreacher?" he asked, standing back up.

"Yes, Kreacher, I was worried about you. I haven't seen you in a while," Harry said.

"Kreacher was at the Black house, Master Harry. Kreacher has identify black magic left by the dark wizards," Kreacher explained.

"Kreacher, you could have hurt yourself; you shouldn't have gone there alone," Harry responded in a worried tone.

"No, Master Harry; the curse cannot hurt Kreacher. Elves' magic is different from humans. Kreacher is already identified many curses, but cannot remove them."

"Don't worry, Kreacher. I will ask Bill and Mr Weasley for help to remove them," Harry let go a big sigh of relief. He paused for a few moments to gather his thoughts before he spoke again. "Kreacher, go and find Mundungus Fletcher; we need to get our things back."

"Thank you, Master Harry. Thank you," Kreacher excitedly said, and with another pop, he was gone.

"Why do you want to bring back all of those things from the Black house? I thought you didn't want them." Ron asked curiously.

"I don't want those things back for me; I want them for Kreacher," Harry responded.

"Oh! Harry, you are such a nice person," Hermione exclaimed happily and hugged him.

"Hey! What are you doing, hugging my boyfriend in front of me?" Ginny asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm, smiling all the same, her eyes had a mischievous glint to them, which put a smile on Harry's face.

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"Bill, Mr Weasley, can I talk to you?" Harry asked before everyone sat for dinner.

"What do you need, Harry?" Arthur asked.

"This morning, Kreacher was at Grimmauld Place and he has identified most of the curses. I want to remove them but I can't do it since I am not allowed to do magic. Um… I was hoping you two would be able to help me out," Harry said, hesitation clear in his voice.

"Hmm, the place is old and who knows what state it has been left in since we vacated?" Arthur answered. "The sooner we clear it, the better. What do you say, son?"

"Let's deal with it tomorrow. As you say, the sooner the better," Bill agreed.

"Is that alright with you, Harry?" Mr Weasley asked.

"That's great," Harry was relieved that they had agreed.

"I will meet you two in front of Grimmauld Place, say, at ten thirty in the morning." Bill said to Mr Weasley and Harry.

"Alright," Harry said and looked towards Mr Weasley to check if it was okay with him.

"Fine with me too. And Harry," he added, "we are always happy to help you, so you don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

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The next morning, at ten thirty, Bill, Mr Weasley and Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place. Slowly, the building showed itself and the front door as well as steps appeared. Bill entered first. As an extra precaution, Mr Weasley entered next, wand out. Harry was last. At times like this, he desperately missed having his wand to assist in defending himself. For the next hour, Harry watched Bill and Mr Weasley wave their wands removing the unseen curses and destroying things that could not be repaired or freed from the dark magic placed on them.

"The Death Eaters were really thorough. It's a good thing Kreacher has already identified most of them. We would have been here for days, otherwise!" Bill sat down on the arm of an old armchair in the living room, puffing slightly.

"Yeah, Kreacher did a great job. You have transformed him Harry," Mr Weasley agreed with Bill.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Harry was sitting in the living room of the Burrow, thinking now that he had been there that morning, he knew what condition Grimmauld Place was in. Nearby, Ron and Ginny were playing exploding snap while Hermione was reading something about Australia. Mrs Weasley came with the afternoon tea and put the tea tray on the table, the sound of which jolted Harry back to reality.

"Harry, have you thought about your future?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"I've been thinking about it for a couple of days," Harry said, looking serious.

"And what have you decided, dear?" Mrs Weasley put down the tea on the coffee table.

"I always wanted to be an Auror, but I also want to complete my education," Harry said.

Ginny smiled at his statement, happy that she wouldn't have to spend another year living without Harry, which didn't go unnoticed.

"That's good, Harry. I'm going as well. What about you, Ron?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Err... I don't know, but I think since Harry is going, I will go," Ron replied, after thinking for a few minutes. Hermione was so happy by this that she jumped on Ron and held him tightly in her embrace.

"Are you both planning to play Quidditch, too?" Ginny asked happily.

"Yeah, but only if I just get to be back on the team, I don't want to be captain this year." Harry didn't want that responsibility.

"I am glad that you three have decided to complete your education," Mrs Weasley smiled, as she poured tea and handed the cups around.

Before she could say more, there was a loud sound outside the back door. Everyone went outside with their wands out, except for Harry and sighed in relief at what they saw. Kreacher was walking towards them, dragging Mundungus Fletcher with him.

"What is this? Why are you here? I won't allow you to hide your stolen things in my house," Mrs Weasley screamed, upon seeing Mundungus Fletcher. She hadn't forgotten his past activities, and Harry sincerely doubted that she ever would.

"I didn't come here willingly!" Mundungus spat while struggling to be freed from the invisible ropes Kreacher had cast.

"Who brought you?" Mrs Weasley said, angrily glaring at the rest of them.

"Err... Mrs Weasley, I ordered Kreacher to bring him," Harry said.

"Harry, you? But why?" Mrs Weasley said.

"Mundungus has some things that I need back from him, "

"Things! What things? I don't have anything," Mundungus replied, still struggling to get free.

"Don't you dare lie to master harry!" Kreacher roared, running towards him carrying a frying pan in his hand. Harry raised his hand to stop Kreacher.

"Kreacher, have you eaten anything since we came from Hogwarts?" Harry said.

"No, Master Harry. Kreacher hasn't eaten anything since yesterday," Kreacher said.

"Go grab something to eat, either from the table or from the kitchen. We will start our conversation when you are finished. It will also give our non-reliable friend time to think about whether to cooperate or not,"

Mundungus was looking at everyone with hopeful eyes.

"Don't look at us like that. If Harry wants someone to hex you, I will be happy to do the honour," Ginny snarled angrily.

"Maybe, I will. I wouldn't mind seeing your famous Bat-Bogey hex," Harry told her, grinning at Mundungus.

"Have you eaten enough?" Harry asked when Kreacher came back.

"Yes, Master Harry,"

"Good," Harry replied, smiling towards him. "And never go hungry again in the future. Okay?"

Kreacher nodded at him in response. Harry pulled a chair from the nearby table and placed it in front of Mundungus, who was sitting on the floor against the wall.

"So, Mundungus, have you decided whether you want to cooperate with us or will we have to force you to?" Harry asked.

"What do you want? I don't have anything with me. Please, let me go," Mundungus pleaded.

"I said not to lie to Master Harry!" Kreacher roared, again raising the frying pan, ready to hit him.

"No, Kreacher, he's telling the truth. He doesn't have our things with him at the moment, but if you want, Mundungus, I am ready to negotiate with you under certain conditions," Harry told him in a slow and calm voice.

"Wh... What co... conditions?" Mundungus's eyes flicking between the frying pan and Harry.

"That you bring some of the items back which Kreacher thinks are most precious to the Black family and Kreacher, you will only choose those items that are most important to you and should not be Dark. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master Harry," Kreacher replied, happy to be getting back some of the treasured possessions.

"And Mundungus, I am giving you a second chance by not handing you over to the Aurors, so don't abuse my trust. But you will pay for the things you stole," Harry continued in a tone of warning.

"What? But I don't have any money," Mundungus sputtered indignantly, his confidence returning.

"That's your problem," Harry replied calmly.

"Bu..but..." he trailed off as Harry raised his eyebrow. "Alright, alright! I will buy them, but I will need time to do so."

"Ok. I'll give you one year's time," Harry told him. "Kreacher, let him go." Kreacher snapped his fingers and freed Mundungus. As Mundungus was about to leave the house, Harry called him back.

"Mundungus, I won't stop you from dealing in dark artifacts or stolen goods if you promise me that you will provide me with all the information that I need," Harry said to him.

Mundungus nodded in agreement and sprinted out of the house.

"Can Kreacher ask Master Harry something?" Kreacher asked when Mundungus had disapparted. "Why is Master Harry give that thief one year to get Master's stuff?"

"Because Grimmauld Place needs repairing and cleaning, so I gave time for us to sort it out. Plus, he always has some useful information that we would never be able to acquire from any other source, and I want to stay on his good list," Harry told him.

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At dinner time, when Harry and Ginny came in from their walk, they found George sitting at the table.

"Hello, George," Harry greeted him.

"Hello, Harry, Ginny," he greeted back.

"I haven't seen you since we came back from Hogwarts,"

"Yeah, I've been at Diagon Alley,"

"Are you planning to re-open the shop?" Ginny cheerfully inquired.

"Yeah; if I don't, Fred will come out of his grave to haunt me. We knew that there would be a possibility that one or both of us wouldn't come back, so we promised each other that if either of us lived, then we would re-open the shop and take it to the heights we both had dreamed," George said to them with a sad smile.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, looking around the room.

"Ron and Hermione are upstairs, packing for her trip to Australia," Mrs Weasley answered, walking into the room. "And Harry, you have a letter from Kingsley." She handed the letter to Harry.

Opening it, he frowned as he read.

"What does it say?" George asked, noticing the frown on his face.

"Kingsley wants us to give an official story about this past year," He gave George the letter to read.

"I agree with Kingsley, Harry," George read over the letter again.

Harry looked at him with an expression on his face that said, 'Do you know what you are talking about?'

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," George said, "I know what I'm saying. It will help you avoid most of the media's drama."

"I will talk to Ron and Hermione after dinner before deciding," Harry sighed.

After dinner, Harry and Ginny told Ron and Hermione about Kingsley's request.

"Well, I agree with him," Hermione stated. "It will help avoid rumors and the drama that the media is so good at causing when it comes to you."

"That's what George said." Harry looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I agree with him, Harry. At the very least, the truth would be out there. Rita Skeeter won't have any more rubbish to publish." Ron put his view across and Harry nodded his head.

"Ok, so who will write it?" Harry asked; both Ron and Harry looked towards Hermione with a grin on their faces as the same thought passed through their minds.

"What?" Hermione asked, pretending that she didn't know why they were looking at her.

"You'll write it," Harry and Ron chorused.

"What? No, I am not going to write it," Hermione raised her nose in the air.

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You know Harry and I aren't good at writing. You helped us these past years," Ron pleaded. Hermione was fighting hard to stop herself from laughing.

Though Harry had somehow guessed that Hermione was teasing them, he played along with Hermione, and after ten minutes of teasing Ron, both Harry and Hermione weren't able to control themselves and burst out laughing. When Ron looked at Ginny, who was sitting and laughing silently at Harry's side, he got the reason why everyone was laughing and joined in. They decided that Hermione will write a condensed version of the story with Harry and Ron providing their point of views from time to time.

After a few minutes, Mrs Weasley cornered Ginny.

"Ginny, please help me with the clean-up."

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After half an hour later Ginny came back just as Ron and Herimone left, and flopped down next to Harry.

"She knows," Ginny said as she snuggled close to Harry.

"Who knows what?"

"Mum knows about us,"

"WHAT?!"

Harry stiffened as he heard this. He tried to move away from Ginny, looking around to see if Molly was close by.

"Will you stop? She is ok with it," Ginny annoyedly said.

"Is she ok with me dating you?"

"Sometimes you really as dumb as Ron. Yes she is ok with you being my

boyfriend," Ginny stressed the word 'Boyfriend'

Hearing this Harry sighed in relief and pulled her closer, burying his head in her hair

They stayed up late, Harry let her copper curls entwine around his fingers. He lavished attention upon her, enjoying their alone time together.