He turned up at the Burrow bright and early the next morning. The Dursley’s had been very pleased to hear he was only staying one night and petunia had woken him extra early so he could be on his way. He was almost sad to go. That is, until Vernon and Dudley woke up and ruined the rarely relaxed silence that he had shared with his aunt. He had said his goodbyes, fully intending on never returning.
“Harry!” Ginny, still in her pajamas, greeted him with a hug that almost knocked him over.
“Harry, so glad you are here! Ginny had been moping all night! What do you want for breakfast?” Mrs. Weasley asked smiling at her now thoroughly embarrassed daughter. It was common thought that Harry and Ginny were in love, even if they didn’t admit it yet even to themselves.
“Mum!” Ginny immediately untangled herself from him and ran over to her mother, glaring. Mrs Weasley glared right back until the two of them erupted in a fit of giggles. “Oh! I’m going to take a shower!” she stated as she flounced out of the room.
Harry just laughed softly. “Erm, nothing actually, I ate at my aunt’s.”
“Oh, well it is good to know that they have been treating you better. Even if its only for the scant few days you are there.” she smiled softly remembering the visit she had gone on two years ago to Harry’s aunt. Telling her of Sirius and asking, woman to woman, that she treat him with kindness even if that means just leaving him alone altogether. Luckily Petunia had agreed, although begrudgingly. “Are you sure you don’t want any eggs?”
“Well, I guess I could have a few. Where is everyone else?”
“Well, Ron and Hermione went to diagon alley early this morning, wedding plans to be made etcetera, etcetera they should be back later this afternoon. And Arthur had some work to do at the ministry.” She sighted softly, “ever since he became minister, he works so hard.”
Harry nodded and began eating his eggs. They sat in silence for the better part of an hour, Harry pondering his life and the lives of his adopted family. Things certainly had been easier around the burrow-monetarilly speaking anyway-since Mr. Weasley had become minister of magic. That and the fact there were two less always hungry mouths to feed since Fred and George moved closer to their shop. However, Mrs. Weasley seemed sad. He supposed it was some loneliness and the fact that her children were all nearly grown.
Ginny reappeared in the kitchen, her hair still damp, stomach grumbling. “Got any eggs for me, mum?”
“Of course, Ginny dear,” she quickly made scrambled eggs for her daughter.
“So, Harry, what’s on tap for you today, with Ron and Hermione off doing who knows what?” Ginny winked and chuckled as her mother made an shocked sound.
“Well, I was going to head over to my house and see what was going on with the order. I figure I will join up now that I am of age and they can’t stop me. Do you want to come? We could stop by diagon alley too and see your brothers.” he added quickly in order to stem the inevitable arguments that were about to be flung at him from both of the weasley women.
“Umm, yeah, why not, I have nothing better to do.” she smiled and patted his hand.
***
They left the burrow shortly thereafter with a crack and appeared in the back garden of 12 Grimmauld place. Harry walked up to the back door and ran his wand down its center. “Narb Tun Nisiar,” he spoke clearly as the door’s locks clanked open.
“Hello? Anyone about?” he called as they entered the house. “I guess no one’s here yet.” he shrugged and took Ginny’s hand. “Did I show you the second library we found upstairs once we broke the last of the Black’s spells on the house?” She shook her head and they went up towards the third floor.
As they passed Sirius’s room Harry paused. The door was slightly ajar and something on the dresser caught the light. Harry left Ginny in the hallway and entered the room. It was only the second time he had entered it. He had ordered it to be kept the way Sirius had it, only to be dusted. It looked completely undisturbed. “Oh, it’s the mirror,” he mumbled as he turned to leave, a lump rising in his throat.
Ginny stood patiently in the doorway as Harry attempted to regain his composure. She fought every fiber of her being from running to him. When he stepped back into the hallway, she tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder. “Harry?”
He pulled her into his embrace and they stood there for several minutes. Then he stepped back from her and closed the door. “The library then?” she nodded.
They entered the room, it was much smaller than the one on the first floor but it was almost cozy. It had very comfortable chairs and the books were mostly works of fiction not spell or dark arts books. Ginny grabbed a copy of the complete works of Shakespear and headed for the window seat. Harry picked up a book too, not even noticing or caring what it was, and sat down in a chair near her.
He was to distracted to read anyway. She was silhouetted in the warm summer sunlight. He just watched her, the way her eyes moved steadily across the page, the way she mouthed the words as she read them. He was staring at her lips and before he knew it he was sitting next to her on the bench, taking the book out of her hands.
“Harry? What?” she said as he took her hand.
He held his finger up to her lips to shush her. “Ginny,” he sighed as he rand his finger over her bottom lip. His mind was racing, his heart filled with love. He moved closer to kiss her.
She leaned into him. Their lips were almost touching. Suddenly reared back, nearly falling off the bench. “He knows!” he clapped his hand to his forehead, feeling like someone had dumped white hot metal into his skull through his scar.
Ginny grabbed his arm, steadying him. “What does he know, Harry?”
“He knows that I Lo–AGH” he fell off the bench this time and nearly passed out. “Ginny! You have to go! You’re in danger!”
Just then there was a clatter from the front door. Ginny looked like she was going to have a heart attack. “Harry?” she gasped as he finally was able to stand again.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” It was Mundingus Fletcher.
Harry and Ginny both breathed a sigh of relief as they ran down the stairs. “We are the only ones here right now, but I suggest we call a meeting!” Harry called, rubbing his skull.
“Right you are, Harry. Arabella Figg–she’s been MURDERED!”
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