Chapter 2 Home sweet home

After a few weeks of hard work Harry, the Weasley's and Hermione finally came threw the door of The Burrow.

"Finally HOME." Yelled Ron.
"Ron how can you say that." Came Hermione.
"What? I am home you know." Was Ron's reply.
"I know you are but some of us don't have a home anymore think about that will you." Said Hermione.

"What do ... ," but Ron kept his mouth shut when Harry walked in with sorrow on his face.
"Harry I didn't Ron began, what I mean is I'm sorry for .. Now that's not what I want to say. OOOOOOOO."And he dashed off.
Harry looked confused as he looked at Hermione."What was that all about?" He asked.

"His yell of finally home. " Hermione told him. "I didn't like it and told him to think about the people who didn't have a home anymore and than you walked in. I think he thought that I meant you which is basically true, but not completely because I was more thinking about Luna who's house was destroyed when we were there and you still have Grimauld place, so you have a home to get back to, but I think there could be some repairs needed to that place now I mention it but still it is a home."

"WOW Hermione STOP you're rattling." said Harry
"I get the picture and will talk to Ron."
Harry went to Ron's room and knocked. "Leave me alone." Came Ron's voice from the otherside.
"Ron it's me." Said Harry.
"Leave me alone please," came Ron's voice again. "I am a terrible friend so just leave me alone or better stay away from me completely so I can't hurt you anymore."
Harry tried to open the door but Ron had sealed it magically. "Ron you open this door now or I will blast it open." Harry said.
"You wouldn't." came Ron'svoice.
"Want to find out do you?" Asked Harry.
"I will count to 5 and if that door isn't open by than you will be in for a big surprise.
1,2,3,4,"
And the door swung open.
"OKAY okay keep your wand straight. It's open ok." Ron said in defeat.

"For Merlin's sake Ron what's wrong with you?" Asked Harry
"I walk in the door and you start apologizing for something I don't know and than you just dash of and lock yourself in your room. Than you are basically telling me to get lost and forget about you. Like that will ever happen. You even make me threaten you that I will blast the door so you will talk to me. You forget that you're my best friend and that whatever it is you said or will say I can handle it."
"Not this time mate," Said Ron.
"I basically yelled finally home and well I never thought about how you must feel because well we both know that your relatives will never let you return now the war is over. So you don't have a home at all to go back to."

Harry started laughing which made Ron feel more ashamed than he already was.
"Is that it." said Harry.
"Ron how many times must I tell you I do have a place to call home and that is right here with you at the Burrow.
I always asked Dumbledore to let me stay here for the summer so I would feel at home but he didn't let me because of the protective spells that were cast by my mother.
I know that now but that does not mean I felt at home there.
This is my home Ron don't you forget that." Harry told his friend.

Ron's eyes started to flash.
"You really mean that?" He asked.
"Yes I do." Harry told him. "Besides Hermione was more or less talking about Luna and her father when she told you to chill and not me."
"What? Luna and her father and not you is she mental?" Ron asked out loud a bit to loud.
"NO I'M NOT," Came Hermione's voice, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH."
"Sorry mione," Said Ron,"But how come you thought about them and not Harry?" He asked her.
"Well," She said, "Harry has a home. Two to be exact the first off course being his parents home in Godric Hollow and the second Grimauld place in London."
"Nice places I have." said Harry sarcastic.
"First place is the one were my parents got killed and the second is almost completely destroyed by death eaters."
"Harry could you please comedown a minute dear," sounded the voice of .
"Coming." Harry called back.
The trio got up but Harry was stopped by Ron.
"So you're really not mad at me?" He asked Harry.
"No Ron I am not and yes you are still my best friend and no I won't go away and leave you be."He added with a smile. With relieve all over Ron's face the trio went down to find a lot of people there, who most of them looked like to be ministry officials.

"Mum what's going on?" Ron asked his mother?
"We are sorry dear," She said "But these people are with the new ministry and are here to debrief you three on what you have been doing the last year."
"Well you can just tell them to leave than because we won't tell anything." Harry said.
"This is something between the three of us and we will rather die than tell a living soul what we've done."
Harry took out his wand and so did Ron and Hermione.
The ministry officials immediately took out their own wands.
To Harry's and everybody's surprise Ginny took out her's as well and stood beside Harry.
"Ginny this doesn't concerns you." Harry said.
"Yes it does," Came her cold reply. "I've let you go off once and it almost got you killed.
If you want another battle that's fine but this time I am standing right beside you.
I love you Harry or have you forgotten that?" She asked.
"No I haven't." He said, than he turned his attention back to the ministry officials and said to them. "So are you all willing to take on four kids which have fought in the battle of Hogwarts and of whom has one defeated Voldermort?" At the mentioning of Voldermorts name a few of the officials got out at once.

The last official stood still in the kitchen and started talking.
" you must understand that we need to know why you and your friends left all the wizarding community for almost a year, and in that year never asked for any help from the ministry or from you friends parents or who ever."
"Mr. Who ever you are," Said Harry. "All the ministry needs to know is what we did was necessary. In the end it got the job done and for your information we couldn't go to the ministry because there wasn't one. Now if you please will leave the house and never return for any information about what we have done. You can tell the new minister that if he comes with the same questions you just asked us I won't let him leave just as easy. I have enough of being pushed around and to do what I'm told is best. The three of us have defeated the greatest evil wizard that lived in the last decade so please leave."

The wizard lowered his wand and walked over to Harry his hand stretched out, but stopped at the four raised wands.
"First let me apologize and second let me introduce myself." He said.
"I am Elphinstone Urquhart. The new Minister of Magic you previously mentioned of who could also come but would also not get any answer and who I must say to my own horror would not be able to leave as easy as I was just a few moments ago.
My wife already told me that you would not agree to tell anything and I am afraid that she is right in every way about what you would do." The minister said.
"Although she didn't mention that you would use force on me when I would return later."He added with a smile.
"Your wife sir?" Harry asked,"And how may I know her?"

"Oh that's easy she is your head of house or was if you are not returning." The minister told Harry
"You mean professor McGonagall is your wife." Came Ron. "WOW who would have thought that?"

"Sir I'm sorry." Said Harry, "But like I told professor McGonagall the other day and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley time and time again. We will never tell what we have done in those months we were on the road. That is not only because of a promise we made but also because that we believe that this bit of information must die with us."
"But why Harry?" Mr. Urquhart asked.
"Simple Sir, the thing is that what we needed to do is way too dangerous to get out in the open." Harry said.

"To Dangerous," Came Mrs. Weasley "But Dumbledore thought it was not dangerous for you three?"
"No Mrs. Weasley he did not," Harry told her "He told only me at first. After he died his portrait told me to tell Ron and Hermione so they could help me. That's when I told them about the mission I had to do.
At first I wanted them to stay but they insisted that they wanted to come with me. I hardly could convince Ginny not to come and I even had to break up with her to get her to stay here.
This is the only thing what I can tell you about it and please don't ask anymore."Harry concluded.

He looked at Ginny who was standing beside him and took her hands. "I hope you can forgive me for breaking up with you because I never really wanted to do that. I just thought it was the best thing to do because I didn't know if I ever would return."
She pulled her hands from his and grabbed his face.
"Only if you promise me that you will never do that again." She told him.
You can break up with me for the right reasons not because you think that you may or may not die. We will talk about this later, okay."
Than to Harry's surprise she kissed him on the lips and took his hand again.

All of the spectators were smiling and at that point Mr. Urquhart walked over to Harry. Ron, Hermione and Ginny raised their wands but Harry told them to lower them. When Mr. Urquhart was in front of him he offered Harry his hand and he shook it.
"It is ok Harry that you don't want to tell us." He told Harry "I know now that it is for the right reasons. I will ask my wife to stop badgering you about the issue and I hope that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will also honor your request to leave the subject alone."
"Thank you Minister," Harry said "That means a lot to me."

"I have one final question for you Harry." Mr. Urquhart said.
"Have you thought about the offer my wife made?"
"No sir not yet," Harry said. "I wanted to talk about it first with my friends and with Ginny about it. But please tell her that as soon asI have made up my mind I will send an owl to her with my reply."

"I understand," Said the minister "And I will tell her. Good day to you all he said as he walked to the door. Oh I almost forgot. Arthur can you come by my office on Monday please?" 's shock was on his face so the minister smiled. "It's nothing very serious just some things I want to discuss with you. Can you make it around 10 in the morning so you can still have a little sleep in and I will see you there."
"All right sir, yes sir, I'll be there sir." stuttered Mr. Weasley.
The minister smiled and walked out of the house, and just when he was outside the gate with a crack he disaperatted.

"Ok what do you want to discuss with us and why did you name Ginnyseparately?" asked Ron when the four of them were back in his room.
"Oh Ron," Hermione said. "Don't you get it. We are his friends but Ginny is his GIRLFRIEND." She said the last word just that little more extra so Ron would get the picture just a little bit faster.
"Well I hope she is." Harry added. Ginny smacked his arm and he laughed. "Did you really think I would give up on you that easy?" She asked.
"Well no," He said. "But than I must say I never gave up on you either. I always looked on the marauders map to look at where you were. I was horrified when I saw you in the dungeons alone because than I knew you were in trouble.
I almost apperated directly to Hogwarts to help you but I didn't because I knew that I could only help you by completing our mission."

Harry looked at the three persons that meant the most to him.
"Okay, what McGonagall asked me was if I was gonna return to Hogwarts for my seventh year and complete my NEWTS." He said.
"Is she joking." Came Ron's reply. "We have done more with the six years study than most would do in a life time they should give us all our NEWTS right away."
Hermione looked at Harry and said. "That's not all she asked is it?"

"No,"Said Harry. "She wanted me to return for my Seventh year to complete my education so when I left Hogwarts in the summer it would only be for a month, so I could return in September as the new Defense against the dark arts teacher."
"Harry that is great." Said Hermione.

Ron looked at her and said. "Are you joking Hermione that job is jinxed. No teacher ever lasted more than a year and a few even died."
Harry looked at Ron.
"Ron, I didn't needed the reminder about the death part," He said, "because for one account I am responsible for that teacher's death."
"No you were not." Ginny said. "it's because Voldermort was on Quirrel's head that he died. It is his fault not yours." She looked furious at Ron, "And if you say one more thing about this you wish you hadn't."
"Sorry." Ron said is a low whisper.
"But Harry didn't you want to become an Auror?"Hermione asked.
"I did, but now I don't know." Harry said.
"Teaching in the DA was really great and when I think about it, I think I have seen enough war and dark wizards to spare me a lifetime."
"I think it would be wonderful for you to teach." Said Ginny, " You were really good at it and a lot of us are here today because of what you have taught us in the DA."
"Well mate I must say that I can't blame you for wanting a quite life after what we have been through this year, even I don't want to be an auror anymore so I would say go for it."

Harry looked at Hermione and she just was looking back. "Do you really want my opinion or are you gonna guess it?" She asked.
"Well," He said, "I think you would like me to take the job offer but not next year but this year. Like I do know enough to teach the first six years and I could get my own classes with the other seven years. Am I right?" Harry said
She smiled. "You know me so well, yes you are right." she said.
"I think that McGonagall will be pleased if you accept for next year, but I will write my own letter to her to ask for my own return and that you should start teaching the first to six years from the start of this year."Hermione told him.

"Well you only have to write her about the teaching than." Harry said with mystery in his voice.
Hermione, Ron and Ginny looked a bit puzzled.
"When she asked me if I wanted to return I wanted to know if that also was meant for you two. She wanted me to ask you if you would want to come back and give your replies with my own.
So what do you say Ron? Are you up for one more year at Hogwarts?"Harry asked
Ron face lit up like Christmas had come early.
"Are you kidding me? I would love that. Not many students get a year off and can come back to complete their studies." Ron said with joy.
Hermione looked at Ron and he started laughing.

Harry and Ginny joined him and finally Hermione got the joke and joined in the laughter.
"Ron you fool" She said, "I really thought you were serious."
"No that would be me." Came a voice from the door.

All four looked in shock at the door and there stood the source of their shock.