Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Hey everyone, and thank you for the fantastic reviews. I am really touched by all of your comments, and I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.

Thank you so much to the reviewers who expressed their support about the harrowing times we have lived through. I'm very touched by what you said. I know things will definitely get better now. Thank you for thinking of us all here in the USA.

Oh my goodness, it makes me feel so much better to know that quite a few of you feel the same way I do about Cursed Child. "It's a myth, a nightmare" is the perfect way to put it. As far as I'm concerned, the whole thing was all in Albus Severus's mind, a figment of his twisted imagination. I like to either think that, or that it never existed at all, which is what a few of you said. Thank you for expressing all of that.

As far as the pacing of this story goes, yes, it will speed up. There's a chapter I'm really anxious about writing, and it will be Harry's birthday chapter, which will be chapter 30. After that, things will go a lot faster. Harry's birthday chapter will be a really emotional one; the trust between Harry and Sirius will grow even further. I know I'm going to enjoy writing it.

As for Grimmauld becoming Order HQ again, you'll have to wait and see. And yes, since Sirius is becoming a much calmer and more rational man for Harry's sake, any confrontations between him and Molly certainly won't be the same. I hope you enjoy the changes I make with everyone's characters.

Everything that has been said about the Diggorys, I agree with. Like I said last chapter, I think it's a sin they weren't included more in the original. That's definitely going to be a major change in this story. I'm really glad you like the letters exchanged between them and Harry.

You'll also be seeing Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet, and the Ministry play huge roles in this story too. As for Dobby, he will make an appearance later on as well. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the sweet little house-elf. I still get emotional when I think about what happened to him in book 7. His bravery truly knew no bounds.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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The Burrow was bustling with activity, as it usually was during the summer months. There were the usual games of Quidditch, the regular degnoming of the garden, and the usual explosions coming from Fred and George's room. There were the comings and goings of Arthur as he went to work at the Ministry every day, and the groans of the ghoul every night as the occupants of the house settled down to sleep. The delicious smells of Molly's cooking permeated the household every day, making everyone's mouths water.

Despite this normalcy, there was something very different about this summer. There was a tension in the house that hadn't been felt since the year 1981, when the war against Voldemort had been in full swing. Many of the Burrow's occupants had been too young to remember it, but Molly and Arthur recalled it with crystal clarity. Those had been times no one remembered with fondness. They had been full of fear and uncertainty, with neither Molly nor Arthur knowing whether they would see tomorrow's sunrise.

Now, it seemed that history was repeating itself. Though the Burrow was trying to retain its normal atmosphere, only a fool would have not seen the layer of anxiety that coated the house from top to bottom. Fred and George's pranks and jokes only grew more raucous, as they used humor as a desperate defense mechanism to cover up any uncertainty they felt. They, along with Ron, still argued with Ginny over letting her play Quidditch, but the arguments seemed more intense than usual. Molly's formidable temper was also slipping more than it normally did, and every night, she couldn't stop the nightmares that plagued her, her imagination playing grotesque images of her family, all dead, with her unable to do anything to save them. Her worry was eating her alive, and Arthur was doing everything he could to stay strong and steady for her, even though he sometimes wondered if he was succeeding.

The Weasley children also knew that something else was going on with their parents. There were quiet conversations behind closed doors which no one was privvy to, and Ron wondered if these talks had anything to do with the upcoming war. He was deeply frustrated by the fact that he and his siblings weren't being told anything - hadn't they been through enough to be trusted with what was going on? Deep down, they all knew it was for their protection, but they didn't want to have the truth hidden from them. They wanted to know it.

But above everything they felt, any worry that crawled through their gut about the inevitable second war with Voldemort that would ravage the wizarding world, most of the family was extremely scared for someone they thought of as one of their own. A young boy who had come into their lives and touched them, from the first moment they'd seen him at platform nine and three-quarters on his first day at Hogwarts. A boy who had been taken into hiding, and hadn't been seen or heard from since.

Every morning when Ron awoke, he'd ask his mother the same question when he came down for breakfast. "Have we heard from Harry today?" he'd ask, his stomach tying itself in knots as he waited, with a thumping heart, for her answer.

"No, darling," Molly would say every day, her expression trying to show strength and reassurance, but failing. It was plain to see that she was just as worried for the boy as Ron was. "Be patient, Ron," she would add on some days, and Ron wondered whether she was trying to tell herself this as much as him. "He'll contact us when he's ready. He's been through some horrible things. Give him time, Ron. He'll be in touch with us soon."

But how soon? Ron thought, his heart aching as he rose from bed on yet another morning. It had now been two weeks since term had ended, two weeks with nothing but silence from Harry. Ron desperately hoped that his best friend was all right, that he was healing and that Sirius was taking good care of him. He despised the amount of vitriol that was being thrown at Harry - the Daily Prophet had been running articles on him ever since he'd disappeared from Hogwarts. The writers were constantly speculating on what nefarious plots the boy was concocting while in hiding, and Ron wanted nothing more than to wring each and every one of their necks. He was extremely thankful that Rita Skeeter hadn't been one of them; Hermione had made sure of that. Ron felt a burst of admiration whenever he thought about what Hermione had done to that vile, revolting beetle.

The day before, Ginny had cornered Ron just as they'd finished eating breakfast. His skin prickled just at the thought of what she'd said to him, but the uncomfortable feeling that churned through him was because he knew, deep down, that she had been right.

"Ron, I know you're worried about Harry. We all are," she'd said to him after he'd asked his daily question to Molly, and she'd replied with her normal answer of "no, darling, not today". "But Mum's right. You need to be patient with him. He's been through so much, and he's never really gotten the chance to process any of the last four years, has he?"

Ron, wracked with grief and worry as he was, had turned on his little sister, snarling at her, "Don't you think I bloody know that? But I'm his best friend! How much ruddy time does he need? Why isn't he contacting me? I need to know if he's okay!"

"It's not about what you need, Ron! It's not all about you!" Ginny snarled back at her brother, her temper just as hot as his. "For once, can't you understand that this is about him? Some friend you were to him this year, Ron, so don't get on your high horse about how he needs to contact you because you want to be there for him now. He'll contact you when he's ready, and only when he's ready."

Ron's face had gone red with fury, wanting nothing more than to raise his wand and hex his sister into oblivion at that moment. But his conscience stopped him; what she had said hit home, and his stomach twisted with guilt because he knew she was right. He had been constantly chastizing himself for being a terrible friend to Harry this year, and hearing Ginny say it so directly drove the point home like nothing else could.

At seeing the display of emotions cross Ron's face, Ginny had softened. "I'm sorry, Ron," she'd said sincerely. "I shouldn't have said that."

"You're right, though," Ron had said. "I just ... I just don't know what to do for him."

Ginny had put her arm around Ron, and squeezed his shoulder in support. "He will contact us," she'd said with conviction. "It might not be for a while, but he will contact us. He's Harry after all, he's not going to forget about us." She'd smiled then, but there was sadness behind it. "When he does, we can figure out what to do for him."

Now, as Ron made his way downstairs the morning after this conversation, he wondered whether he should even ask his mother whether Harry had made contact yet. Maybe he should just wait for Molly to say the word - after all, he knew she would if Harry had written to them. And he decided this was what he would do as he entered the kitchen - he honestly couldn't bear to hear his mum say "no, darling, not today", one more time.

"It's about time you woke up, ickle Ronniekins," said Fred as Ron took his usual place at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, little brother," George snickered. "Don't want to waste the day, do you?"

Ron just looked at his brothers and said nothing. Wasting the day was exactly what he wanted to do. He wished he could just sleep the days away until he knew whether Harry was getting any better.

At seeing the look on Ron's face, Fred and George instantly backed off. They gave him sympathetic looks and went back to their breakfasts, casting sidelong glances at their despondent little brother every now and then. Ginny, who was sitting beside Ron, patted his shoulder as he began to dig into the delicious sausages and pancakes Molly had prepared.

For once, there was silence at the table as everyone ate. Arthur and Percy had gone into work already, and Ron wondered what they were both up to. Percy ... his older brother didn't bear thinking about. Ron, Ginny, and the twins had all tried to stay away from the stuck-up, deluded, obnoxious git. He wasn't saying much, but it was obvious he wasn't the slightest bit concerned for Harry. As a matter of fact, he was glad that the family hadn't been contacted by him. The family had even kept from Percy that it had been Sirius who had taken Harry into hiding. As far as Percy was concerned, Sirius was still a wanted convict who deserved to be locked back up in Azkaban. Even Molly and Arthur were mistrustful of what Percy would do with any recent information on Sirius, and this was devastating to them. Ron knew that if he confronted Percy, it might result in fists flying, not only his own but the ones belonging to the twins and Ginny too. Even though a part of him desperately wanted to have it out with his brother if only to release some of the worry and frustration he was feeling, he knew it would only make things worse. Best let Percy stew in his idiocy - when he finally figured things out, he would hopefully feel ashamed and disgusted with himself for the rest of his pathetic life.

When the meal ended, Ron brought his dish to the sink, knowing that his mum would raise her wand and make the dishes wash themselves after everyone had finished with them. He washed his hands, and was about to slouch out of the kitchen and go back to his room when, all of a sudden, a beautiful, heart-stoppingly familiar, snowy white owl flew in through the kitchen window.

Ron's breath caught in his throat, and a feeling of pure, complete joy such as he had never known flooded through his body. For the first time in three weeks, a true smile came to his face. "Harry!" The exclamation burst out of him without him even realizing it. "It's Harry!"

He, Fred, George, and Ginny all crowded around their mother, whose eyes had filled with tears, but she was smiling through them. With shaking hands, she untied the parchment from around Hedwig's leg. "What does it say?" Ron asked, his heart racing. "Is he okay?"

Molly, knowing that this was the moment Ron had been waiting for for weeks, handed the parchment to him. "Why don't you find out, dear?" she said softly. "Read it."

And so, Ron did. He read it aloud, knowing that everyone else in the room would want to know what it said.

Dear Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to contact you. I didn't forget about any of you, but I have needed time to work through everything that has happened. I'm sorry if I worried you guys.

Sirius has been taking good care of me - he truly has been wonderful. I wish you all could get to know him better, and sometime soon, I know you will. I trust all of you, but it's best if I don't tell you where I am for now. Just know that I am doing okay, and I miss all of you.

Please stay safe, and take care of yourselves. I will contact you again soon.

Love,

Harry

After Ron had finished reading, it took a while for his heart to slow down. Molly walked over to him, tears pouring down her face, and embraced him. Fred and George were silent; though they liked to use humor in emotionally frought situations, no joke seemed appropriate to crack now. After Molly had released Ron, Ginny embraced him too, her face displaying the rawness of her emotions as well.

"Well," said Molly, trying to speak without her voice quivering, "now we know he's okay. He's contacted us, and he's okay. I know we all want to see him, and want to know where he is. But we should respect his decision - like he said, it doesn't mean he doesn't trust us."

"I know, Mum," Ron said, and honestly, he did. There was a part of him that wished there had been more to the simple letter, but he remembered Ginny's words from the day before. This wasn't about Ron, it was about Harry. This had to be on his terms, and the fact was, Harry had made contact with them and was thinking about them. And Ron knew that for now, it would have to be enough.

"We should write back," said Ginny, her voice small and soft. She blinked rapidly, trying desperately to stay strong for them all. "He needs to know we're here for him."

"Of course we'll write back, dear. Let's do it together," Molly said, and they all sat back at the kitchen table. Molly retrieved a piece of parchment, and they all helped her write the letter which would be delivered back to Harry.

Dearest Harry,

Thank you so much for writing to us. There's no need to apologize for taking your time - we're just very glad that you are healing, and that Sirius is looking after you. We just want you to know that we will do whatever it takes to be there for you. We only ask that you let us know if you need anything.

Don't worry, we are all safe and taking care of one another. Fred and George are still causing mischief, and Mr. Weasley and Percy are working at the Ministry. Ron and Ginny have been very worried about you, and send all of their best wishes. As for me, I am sending all my love to you, and am hoping that you continue to take good care of yourself. We care so much for you, Harry. Thank you again for letting us know you are all right.

All our love,

The Weasleys

As Hedwig hooted gently and flew out of the window carrying the letter, Ron again wondered where exactly she was going. But, he reminded himself, it didn't matter. His best friend was safe, and that was all he needed to know.

Later that afternoon, as he, Fred, and George took to the skies, they let Ginny join them, for once. They had all agreed, without words, that there would be no arguments today. Something that felt like hope had been born anew, and it was a feeling that none of them had felt in quite a while.

And Ron didn't know what would happen in the weeks, months, and years ahead, but he had heard from Harry. And right now, to him, that was the most important thing in his entire universe.