Moving Out and Moving In

Soon, September seemed right around the corner. On one bright morning, as the birds chirped merrily and the world seemed to move on as though today was just like another day, the scene was different at The Burrow.

"Bye, Chloe! Hermione! Ginny!" Luna warmly hugged the girls as they tearfully hugged her back. They were all in the living room.

"L-Luna...!" Chloe wept.

"Hey! This isn't farewell! I'll write often and will keep visiting! You're so lucky! You'll live near Hogwarts!" Luna choked, tears running down her face.

"It's just, after the war and all that, you have been with us. And now you're going. It's going to be hard!" Ginny sobbed. "You were especially there when Fred..."

"Shh!" Luna placed a finger on Ginny's lips. "That was nothing. I'm your friend, aren't I? And you've always known that I wanted to further my studies in magical creatures and herbs. I will always be in touch, Ginny!"

Ginny gave a watery smile.

"Your career is very important, Luna! No matter how much it hurts us to see you go far away!" Hermione cried.

Luna wiped her eyes, "Hermione, cheer up! Your parents are all set to arrive today! You have so much to look forward to. And like I said, I will not lose touch with you anytime soon!"

The three girls hugged Luna together.

"Chloe, you and Dudley are adorable together! And I'm sorry for doubting his intentions or anything." Luna said.

"No, silly. You were only looking out for your best friend!" Chloe gave a watery chuckle.

"Hermione, you and Ron are a power couple! You both have the capacity to make big differences in the world! I love you both!" Luna said.

Hermione giggled through her tears. "I-I love him, Luna! I could've lost him so many times over the years. Thankfully I still have him!"

"As for you, Ginny! You and Harry are celebrities! Currently and in future too! Don;t forget your poor friend here!" She jokingly pointed to herself.

"Of course not, Luna!" Ginny chuckled. "I do not love Harry for his name, wealth, or power. I love him for who he is!"

The four girls moved from the living room to the garden.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for everything! And I mean this to all the Weasleys, including Fleur. Give her my best wishes!" Luna said.

Wiping her eyes, Molly said, "Of course, dear! Send us an owl if you need anything!"

"Always here!" Arthur chimed in.

"There's Neville!" Luna said warmly as the girls walked towards the gate.

"Hey, Luna! Came to say a quick goodbye before I get to work." Neville said.

"Yours is the late afternoon shift, isn't it?" Luna asked.

"Yes, but I promised to see Hannah before my shift," Neville said. "I'm going to miss you, my friend!"

Eyes watering, Luna hugged him. "I'm going to miss you! Take care!" Her voice sounded muffled against Neville's chest.

"And keep in touch!" Neville told her.

Luna pulled back and warmly nodded at him. He briefly greeted everyone including Dudley, and Disapparated.

"Luna, ummm. Here's the thing. You should remember us when you go to those exotic lands." Ron said nervously. "We'll miss you!"

"Of course, Ron!" Luna hugged him, her head only coming up to Ron's mid-chest due to his tall height.

"Yeah, Luna! Pretty much what Ron said." Harry looked at her sadly. "We're going to miss you."

"Course!" Luna said and hugged Harry, her head resting on his shoulder. "I will, Harry!"

When Luna broke apart, she saw Dudley looking awkward.

"Umm! Yeah, goodbye." Dudley said.

Luna sighed. "Look, I know I've been awful to you."

"We all have!" Hermione and Ginny said together.

"But I am sorry, okay? We are very protective of our friends. And it gets translated into harshness." Luna said.

"Yeah, about that, our wrong judgment of you," Ginny said. "We didn't know you had changed."

"We don't intend to be rude or anything. It's just your past behavior and treatment of Harry." Hermione said.

"I completely understand, guys. And it's ok." Dudley said.

Luna extended her hand, "So, until we meet again?"

"Until we meet again!" Dudley returned the handshake.

"Take good care of her," Luna said. Dudley nodded and put an arm around Chloe, who buried her face in his shoulder.

"Now, we should get going, Ron," Hermione said as she wiped her eyes amidst Chloe's muffled sobs.

"Yes, at what time will Mr. and Mrs. Granger arrive at the airport?" Ron asked as the two made toward the house. Dudley met eyes with Harry, who seemed uncomfortable.

"Uh, maybe take her inside, Dudley," Ginny said sympathetically. "Harry is uncomfortable seeing people in tears. Very rare exceptions exist."

Chloe sniffled into Dudley's chest. "It's ok. I will go inside."

"It's because of us, isn't it? I bet Mum and Dad never allowed you to express yourself properly. So you grew up being uncomfortable when people cried." Dudley asked.

"In a nutshell, yeah," Harry admitted. "Nothing personal. Don't beat yourself for it."

"Sure," Dudley said, and followed Chloe inside. When the duo went into the living room, they saw Ron and Hermione.

"Bye, guys!" Ron said cheerfully. Hermione looked up, her face betraying anticipation, nervousness, and excitement.

"Yeah, bye!" Dudley said.

"Chloe, it's okay." Hermione comforted her.

"I-I don't know! Luna left. You're going. Everyone wants to leave!" Chloe sobbed.

"Not true!" Hermione shook her head. "You and Dudley are going to Hogsmeade. You're going to start living together! You'll get more privacy, and you and Dudley can have more time for yourselves!"

"Like you and Ron? Ginny and Harry Potter?" Chloe asked.

"Ginny and Harry are moving to London, yes. Harry's godfather has left him a house. They will leave in a day." Hermione said. "Ron and I are moving to Oxford, actually. We will stay with my parents for a while, help them get settled and all. Meanwhile, we will be shopping for a new home to ourselves."

"It was bound to happen, Chloe. But we will all stay in touch." Ron said calmly. "Isn't it, Dudley?"

"Yes!" Dudley nodded. He firmly shook Ron's and Hermione's hands, "Keep in touch!"

"Yes!" Hermione said, breaking from Chloe's hug.

"Stay in touch, Hermione. Ginny - you and Harry too!" Chloe said. Dudley turned around.

"Course!" Ginny said. "We are dating two cousins!"

"Yes, and what's the plan again, Harry?" Dudley asked, as Harry seemed to hug Ron and Hermione for ages.

"Ginny will apparate Chloe to Hogsmeade, and I'll apparate you, Big D." Harry said, finally breaking apart from his best friends. "I will miss you both!"

"And so will I!" Ginny said tearfully. Hermione began weeping as the girls hugged.

"And our belongings?" Dudley asked.

Hermione and Ginny broke apart, and Ron gave Ginny a side-hug, "Will miss you!"

"Yeah, me too!" Ginny wiped her eyes.

"I will minimize them, dear," Chloe said.

"Right," Dudley went pink with embarrassment. "Sorry, I keep forgetting small details like this."

"No problem. Happens." Harry said.

When he had finished emptying the contents of his breakfast into the nearby ditch, Dudley looked up to see a picturesque little village of thatched cottages and shops.

"Hogsmeade Village is the only all-wizarding village in Britain," Harry explained for his benefit. Dudley managed to grunt.

Harry followed Dudley's eyes.

"Oh, that is Hogwarts, where we all studied. Yes, even Chloe!"

"Those abandoned ruins? There seems to be a danger sign as well!" Dudley looked shocked.

"That's magic. It's designed to look like that to nonmagic folk." Harry explained.

Ginny and Chloe seemed to be walking already. Harry and Dudley joined them.

They passed Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks Inn where they brought sweets and chocolates, and went to have drinks respectively.

"This tastes good!" Dudley said as he enjoyed his first taste of Butterbeer. "And what are you guys taking? That doesn't look like Butterbeer."

"Oh, we are having Firewhisky. We've outgrown Butterbeer, and we aren't even sure if Muggles can enjoy these drinks." Harry said.

"Yeah, no offense, mate." Ron said.

Ginny and Chloe seemed to relinquish their Butterbeer absently.

Scowling, Dudley cleared his throat, "Okay, where do we go next?"

"Oh, don't you pull off an Uncle Vernon here, Big D. That ain't gonna work here." Harry raised a wagging forefinger.

"How much are you drunk?" Dudley asked. That wasn't how Harry normally spoke.

"No, it's an American colleague at the Ministry. Her name is Nicolette and we sometimes like to talk the way she does." Ron laughed.

After some time, the four of them began walking towards the hills away from Hogwarts.

"The Shrieking Shack is over there. Maybe I will get Teddy here sometime." Harry seemed to reminisce something.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Ginny looked horrified. "If Hermione was here, you know bloody well what she would say! Not even Ron and I would agree to this, Harry. Teddy Lupin is a baby!"

"His father, my father, and my godfather were here! This place's important to them, and by extension to me, and to Teddy!" Harry protested.

"Be that as it may. But not until Teddy is much older if you insist he comes to this place." Ginny said. "He is my son, and he is your son. We raise him and have to think like his parents - Remus and Tonks."

"I agree, dear. I'm sorry." Harry looked down.

"No, my love. I understand. But Teddy is our responsibility." Ginny held Harry's shoulders. Dudley saw tears in both their eyes. Realizing that they needed a moment, he and Chloe stepped away from the couple.

"He, definitely, is!" Harry said. "I have to be a responsible Godfather! And you are already doing a better job at it!"

"I-I..." Ginny's voice broke.

"Oh, please, don't." Harry pulled her close.

As the sound of Ginny's muffled sniffles against Harry's chest drifted across the wind, Chloe and Dudley approached the Shack.

"This place is important to Harry, then. And by the sound of it, Uncle James too." Dudley wondered aloud.

"If you want to know your cousin's past, this is certainly somewhere to begin!" Chloe nodded.

"But who do we ask?" Dudley wondered. "You know, about this place and it's history?"

"Not the people, no. They don't know a werewolf lived here. They believed this place was haunted. Probably still do." Chloe said.

"So, Teddy's dad was the werewolf among the friends?" Dudley asked.

"Yes." Chloe said.

"The godfather?" Dudley asked.

"He was the big, black dog." Chloe seemed to be recollecting something. "And your uncle was... Your cousin's patronus form."

"Meaning?" Dudley asked. Months later, he would know that his uncle's form was a stag - the shape Harry's patronus had taken when he had saved Dudley from dementors all those years ago.

"And the last one is..." Chloe began but Dudley cut in, "That disgusting rat!"

"Yes!" Chloe said.

"Eh? What rat?" Dudley and Chloe turned around to see Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, nothing. We were just talking about what little we know of this place." Chloe said.

"Ah! It's a long story. Will tell you sometime. Anyways, you see that flat over there?"

There was a house with farmland ahead of them right around the corner. A flat stood behind the house.

"That's your house, Dudley. And the owner lives there." Harry pointed to the house by the farmland.

"Right!" Dudley said, his chest filling with excitement.

He turned to Harry, "Thank you, Harry!"

"No problem, Big D! Oh, and George will come here tomorrow so that you can have time to set things around in your house." Harry said and hugged his cousin. Chloe and Ginny hugged too.

"Have a good time." Ginny shook hands with Dudley.

"London! That's dope!" Dudley grinned.

Harry shook hands with Chloe, "See you, Chloe!"

"Yes, Harry! And drop in whenever possible! I really want you both to be on better terms!" Chloe smiled.

"I can totally see that." Ginny smirked.

Harry and Ginny then disapparated as Dudley made forward to meet the owner of the flat.