Harry was ripped from a dream by the sound of deep humming. He tried to roll over so he could look up towards the sound, but landed on the floor. He realized he wasn't in his bed, or rather Ron's old bed since he'd moved out of the Weaslys', but on the sofa. He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but he did however remember searching ads all over the Daily Prophet and other periodicals to find a house for him to live in. He didn't like being a burden to Mr. and Mrs. Weasly and their youngest, their daughter Ginny. Even she, at almost twenty, was moving out on her own soon. And Harry, now 21, no longer felt the love of a new family but the guilt and shame of staying with someone else's parents.
Harry was now fully awake. He looked up at where the sounds had been coming from. There was the bright, shining face and flaming red hair of Ginny Weasly.
"What are you doing up so early?" Harry asked, his voice still somewhat groggy. He made himself get up back on the sofa Ginny laughed.
"Early? What are you doing up so late?" Ginny smiled as she sat next to him. She handed him an ice cold glass of water. Harry smiled as a thanks while he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fix it. Ginny was now no longer smiling herself but thrusting a piece of paper at him. On it was an address and it was circled in bloodred ink. Harry shrugged, setting the paper down on the sofa beside him.
"What's this?" he asked. Ginny looked at him in a way that made him think he'd done something horribly wrong. He shrugged once again.
"That's an address."
"Yes, it is an address. What I mean is, why did you give this to me?"
"There's a house there. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, one living room, one kitchen. A place to live. Go. Buy it, now," Ginny ordered sternly. Harry laughed off Ginny's demand.
"I can't just buy a house, Ginny. I have to see it, I have to find out a price," Harry said, handing her back the paper. Standing up, she shoved the paper back at him.
"It's Saturday. You don't have to work. I'll go with you," Ginny explained simply as she grabbed her bright pink sweater off a hook on the door and held the door open for him. Harry, in morning sleepiness and surprised daze, walked in an almost tranced state to the door.
A woman formerly owned the house Ginny desperately was trying to get Harry to move into. She greeted them inside and told them all about the history of the house.
"My father built this house. We were dirt poor and me, my three sisters, and my father slept in this one room. But the memories we shared! There used to be a ghost of a beautiful young woman. She would always shriek in the mornings, so we were never late to get up. I built that second bedroom just two years ago. Never knew what's happened to her since my father died though," the woman said, embellishing every detail. Ginny smiled an artificially sweet smile. The woman motioned for them to sit on the sofa. Ginny pulled Harry with her. Harry was uncertain about the house. The house was awfully tight. He wanted to be alone after all these years. He didn't want the risk of ghosts appearing in the middle of the night. Ginny didn't care - she wanted Harry out.
"You two look like you've just married! I think you'll love it here. It's a very quaint first-house," the woman exclaimed. Harry laughed, about to explain, when the woman continued, "I'll tell you what. I have a soft spot for couples like you. I'll give you the house for much cheaper." Harry shook his head. He opened his mouth, but Ginny kicked him in the shin.
"Thank you! We love the house. When would purchasing it be good for you? We haven't brought any coins with us," Ginny said convincingly. Harry gaped at her as the woman shrugged.
"Anytime today is fine. I have to move soon, or else my room I've rented will most likely go to someone else. Just come by later," the woman replied. She got up and opened the door for them. "Thank you so much for coming." Ginny nodded, flashing her one more bright smile before exiting. Harry tried to fake an excited smile as he stumbled out the door, still obviously confused.
"Ginny, what was that all about?" Harry barked at Ginny in a low voice through his teeth. Ginny shot him another disapproving look.
"I was getting you the lowest price possible. Money isn't the problem for you now, if ever," Ginny snapped back. Harry huffed.
"What are you getting at?" Harry asked roughly. Ginny made a psh sound at his question and walked quickly ahead so that she was a ways in front of Harry. The two didn't speak another word to each other until they reached the burrow.
"Guess what?! Harry's moving out!" Ginny declared in a huffy-cheerful way as she thrust the door open. Harry shouted back louder then Ginny.
"No, I'm not, Ginny!" Ginny raced up to Harry's room, and Harry ran after her. "Ginny?! Ginny, what are you doing?" Ginny had flipped open a suitcase in a split second. She was guiding all his clothes and bedsheets and anything else that would fit into the suitcase with the tip of her wand. She shut the suitcase and slammed it against the wall.
"Well, packing's done," Ginny mumbled as she pushed past Harry and dashed into her room. She slammed the door shut. Before she did, Harry could see a stream of tears sliding down her cheek. He sighed. He decided against going after her and went downstairs.
Harry couldn't take the silence in the house any longer. Well, without the five boys it was pretty quiet anyway, but this silence was coated in tension that couldn't be cut with a knife. He traipsed up to Ginny's door and lifted his fist up to the wood. He sighed and shook his head. He turned around and opened the door to his own room when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Ginny?" he asked quietly, spinning around. Ginny managed a weak smile, as if she was covering up for another hidden emotion. Her eyes were bloodshot and her eyelids puffy. Harry could tell she'd been crying.
"You need to, and you have to, but I don't really want you to move," Ginny said quietly. Ginny's face heat up with red at her own words.
"Why not?" Harry asked suspiciously. He thought he knew the answer. He wondered why he bothered asking. Ginny huffed childishly. She through her arms down and stomped her foot.
"Harry, we we're never friends! Face it, we've never gone anywhere together, just us, like you do with Hermione," Ginny cried. Harry let out a frusterated laugh.
"Ginny, what are you talking about? Of course we're friends!" Harry shouted. Ginny shook her head.
"No, Harry, we've been classmates. Schoolmates. You've been like a brother to me. But we're not friends," Ginny explained slowly. Harry was hurt. He'd always thought so. The news hit him sharply. Ginny, realizing what she'd said to him shook her head compassionately. "No, Harry, we may not be close friend but I like you. And I care about you." Harry finally looked up at her, as he'd been looking down at the ground.
"I care about you too," Harry said after a few moments of silence. Ginny smiled and jumped up. She hugged Harry tightly and then let go.
"Oh, Harry. I'm so glad you're not upset about what I said, about us, not..being..friends," Ginny said, still beaming. Harry still had one more question.
"Then why don't you want me to move, if we're, not, well, friends," Harry asked. Ginny blushed again. She took a step back, trying to escape what she'd told him just ten minutes before. Finally she straightened herself up again, knowing an answer to explain.
"It doesn't matter what I want," she said slowly, "because I can't ever be friends with you." Harry felt rejected and slouched in his stance. He nodded somerbly and sighed. He kicked open the already slightly ajar door. Sitting on his bed, he closed his eyes so he could only hear the sounds of the outdoors. Then he could hear the sharp creaking of the door as Ginny slowly stepped inside. Harry breathed silently as he tried to sleep and forget about everything on his mind. Because he was so silent, he fell off of the bed when he was startled by the slamming open of his door. Ginny rushed to the side of his bed and towered over Harry, who was still sitting on the ground.
"I can't ever be friends with you," Ginny spit out desperately, "because I love you too much." Harry could barely breath as the shock blocked his lungs. Ginny's eyes widened in disappointed anger. "Well, are you going to say anything?" she demanded. Harry jumped up so that he was now standing taller over Ginny. She waved her arms as an attempt to encourage him to speak.
"Ginny, I care about you very much as well," Harry finally said. Ginny looked away, her vision blurred with a tear.
"That's all?" she asked, still not facing him. Harry couldn't talk as fast as he could think. Before he could say anything else, he pulled Ginny's face toward his and kissed her. Ginny rest her hands on his arms until he let go. Harry pushed down Ginny's shoulder until they we're both sitting down on the side of the bed. They sat in silence, both of them waiting for the other to say something. Ginny couldn't take it anymore and let out a loud laugh.
"What?" Harry demanded. Ginny shook her head and looked towards him sympathetically.
"I..I just haven't felt like this before...it's, different, and it's just all happened so fast," Ginny explained. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Well, are we friends now?" Harry asked sarcastically. Ginny laughed.
"I think that idea is kind of awkward, now," Ginny said. Harry chuckled under his breath. Harry thought of how Ron had been so upset with Draco Malfoy when he had kidnapped Ginny. He was so protective of his sister. How would he feel if--
Harry jumped up, startling Ginny.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Harry shook his head.
"Ginny we can't ever tell Ron anything," Harry requested of Ginny. She scoffed and stood so she was level with him.
"I'm not going to hide anything from my brother!" Ginny yelled. "What I do does not concern him in any way, so he has no business telling me what to do."
"Ginny, do you care that Ron is going to kill me? He is going to kill me. He'll never forgive me, you know," Harry explained, pacing back and forth in front of Ginny. She followed him as he worriedly moved about.
"How do you know that?" Ginny asked seriously. Harry laughed at her comment.
"Oh, yeah, Ginny, he'll just love that I kissed his sister!" Harry cried. Ginny shrugged.
"If you give him a Chocolate Frog before you tell him then you have a pretty good chance," she said sarcastically. Harry stomped his foot.
"This is serious!"
"And you're seriously mental. Look, I have to go to work it's already--damnit! I'm late again," Ginny shrieked. She grabbed a thick coat and rushed out of the room.
Harry was reluctant to knock on Hermione and Ron's front door. Not only was he worried for his own safety, but Hermione and Ron we're a couple now - not just his buddies, their friendship kind of came as a package. No one came for a few minutes, but Hermione answered. She looked at Harry as if she didn't know who he was.
"Oh, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. Harry looked behind her to see that Ron wasn't in the living room. He pulled her outside.
"I didn't something that Ron's going to kill me for," Harry whispered. Hermione's eyes widened.
"What did you do, Harry?" Hermione asked in a whisper, pulling the knob of the door behind her and slowly shut it.
"I hugged Ginny," he lied. Hermione shrugged.
"So?"
"After I kissed her," Harry finished. Hermione let out a gasp. She yanked his arm all the way accross the yard so there was no chance of anyone else hearing.
"Finally!" Hermione cried in a whisper, hugging him. "This is wonderful! I swear, it's taken Ginny long enough." Harry's eyes widened in anger.
"You knew?" Harry shouted. Hermione laughed.
"Of course!"
"Will Ron feel the same way?" Harry asked hopefully. Hermione's smile disappeared and rested her hand on his shoulder.
"No hope there. You're just going to tell him straight out," Hermione stated. Harry shook his head furiously. He pushed her hand off his shoulder and took a step back.
"No, there's absolutely no way I'm telling him."
Hermione led him into the living room, where Ron was sitting eating a mess of eggs that he must have made himself. He smiled at Harry and got up. Patting him on the shoulder he said,
"Harry, nice to see you around here."
"Yeah we'll see," Harry muttered under his breath.
"What's that?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head.
"Nothing. Sit down, there's something Hermione needs to tell you," Harry said. Hermione pushed Harry over as she sat down next to Ron. Ron started to hypervenalate.
"What, what? Hermione? What do you need to tell me?" he asked frantically. Hermione shot Harry a deep glare.
"No, Harry needs to tell you something," Hermione snapped. Harry sighed and gave Hermione a pleading glance. "Harry," she said sternly. Harry nodded sadly.
"Your sister is in a relationship with someone you know," Harry finally blurt out. Hermione angrily mouthed him the word, 'what?'. Ron gave the plate to Hermione and stood up, taking over a horrified stare. Hermione flipped out her wand and shot a spell at the plate turning it into a throw pillow. If Ron was going to throw anything at Harry when he heard the news, the pillow was going to do the least amount of damage.
"Who is it? Ah, I'll kill him! If its Draco, I'll go mad...Harry, who?" Ron yelled. Harry didn't say anything to or look at Ron. "It's Draco? It's Malfoy?! MALFOY? HARRY HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! HE'S IN AZKABAN! HE'S--" Ron was now jumping around frantically.
"No, Ron! Calm down! It's -- it's, it's me," Harry said loudly over Ron's screaming. Ron stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly. He laid cold, confused, hurt eyes straight on Harry. Taking a step forward he started to reach for his wand, then stopped himself.
"Hermione," Ron said, whipping around so he was facing her, "Is it true? Did you know!"--he turned to Harry quickly again--"Traitor! Traitor!" Hermione jumped on Ron and pushed him away from Harry.
"Ron, stop! Stop! STOP! RON, STOP!" Hermione yelled at him. Ron fell limply onto the couch. She sat down with him and patted his arm until he was calmer once again. She wrapped her hands around his arm. If he tried to lunge at Harry again, she would just pull him back.
"Harry, how could you do this to me?" Ron asked, his voice cracking with concern. Harry shook his head. He was about to answer his question, when Hermione interrupted.
"Did you expect Ginny to be single forever?" Hermione asked. Ron shrugged.
"Well, yeah," Ron mumbled.
"Don't you think if she's going to go out with anyone, it should be your best friend?" Hermione continued. Ron shrugged and scowled. He hated when Hermione was right. Hermione nodded towards Harry, signaling him to speak.
"I really like Ginny, and I think she's happy. Your sister should be happy, right?" Harry asked. Ron nodded in agreement.
"It's just..."
"Yeah?" Harry questioned. Ron shrugged, sliding down in his seat.
"I think," Ron said, sighing as if testing the words, "that you and Ginny would be better together then anyone else." Ron got up off the couch, still uncomfortable. He was getting used to the idea. Harry smiled and pat Ron on the back. Ron forced a smile back and pat Harry back as well. Hermione beamed and jumped up beside them.
"There we go. Now off you go now, I have work to do and papers to grade," Hermione mumbled. Ron pffted.
"I am going to sleep, or something...emotions aren't my department. I'm not so good with the love stuff," Ron mumbled, rushing off to the bedroom. Hermione laughed quietly at her husband. Her husband..., Harry thought to himself. She's married...she fell in love with Ron, then she married him. That's how it works, I supposed. Harry once fell in love with a beautiful girl with shiny, black hair. Her name was Cho, and her skin was like the white-yellow glow of the morning sun. But her personality didn't fit her good looks, and Harry broke it off. When the time came, she thrust items with her wand. They hit him.
Will that ever happen to me? Harry asked himself, comparing his life to Ron and Hermione's. He was now sitting on the couch with a cup of thick, creamy hot chocolate. Hermione had long since left to the bedroom. It was dark outside and Harry wondered if he should be going home. Then he remembered his earlier plans that day. Or really Ginny's plans for him that day.
He arrived at the woman's door late in the night with some gold galleons in his pocket. She arrived at the door in a sweater and a long, orange skirt. She wasn't even in her bedclothes. Even though it was probably well past midnight, the woman didn't seem to mind his late visit.
"Come in, come in. Where's your wife?" the woman asked. She led him inside to the couch where she handed him a cup of tea in porcelein cups. Harry shrugged.
"Ginny's back at the..the old house," Harry said, pointing off into the distance to give her an idea of where Ginny was. The woman smiled.
"Are you interested?" she inquired. Harry nodded and handed her the coins from his pocket. The woman smiled and handed him a piece of parchment and a quill pen dipped in deep blue ink. Nodding at the paper, he took it from her and lay it down on the hard, wooden coffee table. He enscribed his name by a crimson "X". "I should be moved out by tomorrow morning. It won't take long, I don't have that much." Harry looked around the room. The room was completely bare except for that table and couch. He peeked into the kitchen from his seat where there was nothing except a table and many shelves. Harry left the house, his pockets now empty except for his hands and turned back to the burrow.
The burrow was dark and he snuck up to his room. He stripped the bed of all sheets and pillows and stuffed them into a drawstring red bag. He organized his suitcase and set them all behind the bed. He lay down on the mattress and drifted off to sleep.
His sleep was broken in a few hours though. Light bursting through the window blinded him. He stood up and sleepily wiped his eyes. He grabbed the bags he'd laid beside his bed the night before. He dragged them onto the sofa where no one was sitting. Mrs. Weasly was serving Ginny some pumpkin juice and sandwich she'd whipped up.
"Is there a holiday, Harry? Where are you going?" Mrs. Weasly asked jokingly. Harry realized he'd given no one any notice that he was moving. Ginny smiled.
"Did you get the house?" she asked him. Harry nodded. Mrs. Weasly nodded her head in a surprised manner.
"Moving, Harry? Well that's wonderful!" she exclaimed. She came over to give Harry a tight good-bye hug. "Not that we haven't loved having you staying with us." She quickly let go of Harry and turned to Ginny. She added to her seriously, "Learn from him, Ginny." Ginny scowled once her mother's back was turned around again. Harry sighed. He knew Mrs. Weasly knew nothing about what had happened just the other day, and yet he was about to ask them both a very important question.
"Your moving out soon too, right, Ginny?" he asked first. Ginny shrugged. Mrs. Weasly answered for her.
"Yes, Ginny is." She seemed just as impatient to get her last moved out as Ginny had been forcing Harry into his homeownership.
"Where?" Ginny asked. Harry smiled to himself, as he was about to ask that next himself. At least it wouldn't be obvious.
"Anywhere with working plumbing," Mrs. Weasly joked smiling. She left the room to the attic. She was probably getting Harry an old winter coat of one of Ginny and Ron's older brothers.
"She seems ready to have the house quiet for the first time in decades," Harry said. Ginny gave a sarcastic laugh. "Why don't you live with me? It's a two bedroom." Ginny's eyes widened and pumpkin juice squirted from her mouth. She couldn't stop coughing.
"What the hell did you ask me?" Ginny coughed, more surprised then upset. "We - we - we haven't even been out yet!" Harry blushed. This wasn't like him to be so impulsive - unless it involved saving a life or saving the wizarding world.
"I know, Ginny. But I've never lived alone by my rules and my freedom. I went from abusive relatives to Hogwarts to your home," Harry explained. Ginny shrugged, still bewildered. "Ginny, we live across the hall. If we move into this house, we'll still be living across the hall and out on our own, too. Everyone's happy." Ginny nodded to note that she was following his words.
"Let me just get one thing straight. Your asking me as a favor, and as a friend, right?" she asked.
"I thought we weren't friends," Harry replied. Ginny nodded.
"Well, a different kind of friend," she said simply. Harry nodded. "Okay, okay Harry, I will." Harry hugged her tightly, but in a friendly sort of way. She pushed him off, and Harry was offended. But she exlained her actions by saying quickly and in a whisper,
"What am I to tell my mum and dad about this? Not only am I moving, I'm moving in with you, Harry!"