The Time of Destiny

Abraxan

Story Summary:
Complete. Sequel to "The Refiner's Fire." Harry's Seventh Year, complete with adventure, training, snogging, hospital visits, etc. Watch for ficlets to be added from time to time to fill in missing scenes in the epilogue. Canon-based through OotP. HP/GW, RW/HG, RL/NT

Chapter 07

Chapter Summary:
Ron and Harry talk about Hermione and her correspondence. George has a new girlfriend. Harry learns about another “female mystery” and teaches Ginny and Molly how to make brownies. Harry’s birthday party has #12 Grimmauld Place rocking, as does some news that gets shared during the party. Dobby and Winky have a surprise.
Posted:
08/11/2005
Hits:
7,993
Author's Note:
“Gooseberry,” which you’ll see used in this chapter, is a British term referring to a person who is an unwanted extra on a courting couple’s date. Many thanks to Kelpie, my brilliant Brit-picker, and to Blakevich, Starfox, Iris and Asad for beta reading!


Chapter 7 - Matters of the Heart

The assembly line was working very well, and the twins were delighted. Production time had been cut in half. There were still things that had to be done by hand, though, which was why Harry and Ron could be found at the cutting table most days. This particular hot afternoon, the boys were carefully cutting tansy roots into identical slices.

"Have you heard from Hermione?" Ron asked with unusual casualness.

"I've had a couple of cards from her, yeah. Sounds like she's having a good time in Italy, eh?" Harry replied nonchalantly.

"Um. . .I guess," Ron said uncomfortably.


Harry looked at his friend curiously. "What's up, Ron?"

The redhead looked at him with sad, serious eyes. "I haven't heard from her at all," he murmured in a choked voice.

"What? There's got to be a reason for that," Harry said, shocked at the news. "Are you using Pig or Hedwig to send your letters to her?"

"Pig."

"Well, maybe it's just too far for him, y'know? He's too dinky to make such a long journey. Use Hedwig next time. She can get there with no problem."

Ron's face brightened. "You won't mind?"

"Of course not! Ginny can use Pig, you use Hedwig. Perfect solution."

"Thanks, Harry," Ron replied sincerely.

* * * * *

Several days later, Harry and Ron were once again working at the cutting table, this time dicing caterpillars.

"I hate dicing caterpillars," Harry grumbled. "They're squishy."

"Yeah, and hard to hold, too," Ron agreed, equally grumpy. "But it will be amazing to see people turn into butterflies from the Butterfly BonBons these little chaps are going into!"

"Yeah. I think those are probably the prettiest hexes the twins have come up with," Harry agreed.

"You know where they got the idea, don't you?" Ron said slyly.

"No. Where?"

"That new girl suggested them. The pretty girl with strawberry blond hair? What's her name, Clarice? I think that's it. George fancies her." Ron grinned, glancing toward the sweets wrapping station on the assembly line where a pretty young woman a few years older than them was working. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail that bobbed cutely as she worked.

"She is pretty," Harry agreed. "Have they been going out much?"

"Just started," Ron confided, and was about to say something else when Hedwig landed in the middle of their table.

"Careful, girl, we need those!" Harry cried as she bent to eat some of the caterpillars waiting to be diced. "Wait, I've got part of a biscuit in my pocket." He dug out the remains of his breakfast scone and gave it to her as Ron removed the letter attached to her leg.

"Hermione finally wrote to me!" Ron cried, his face wreathed in smiles. His smile quickly faded as his eyes raced down the page. His face went from his normal healthy colour to palest white, to beet red, and back to white again, this time with bright red blotches, as he read. He growled a curse and threw the parchment down, stamping away in an obvious rage.

Harry was dumbfounded. What could she have written to send Ron into such a state? He sent Hedwig up to Merlin's perch so she could get some water and rest, then picked up the parchment and followed Ron out of the shop's back door. "What's up, mate?"

"Did you read it?" Ron asked, his face so tight-lipped it was hard to understand his words.

"No."

"You read it. Maybe I misunderstood something," he said, his eyes tortured, no glimmer of hope in their bright blue depths.


Harry skimmed down the page and his jaw dropped in disbelief. He went back to the top and read it again, more slowly.

"Dear Ron," it began, "I'm sorry I haven't written. Pig brought me letters from you several times, but I didn't reply because I just didn't know what to say. Then Hedwig arrived and I realized you'd noticed I hadn't written, so I thought I'd better get this over with. I'm so sorry, Ron. I care about you, I really do, but I've met someone else. His name is Lorenzo. He lives here in Florence - they call it 'Firenze' in Italian. He's 23 and has a Master's degree in Art History. He's working in a museum now and hopes to be the museum director one day. He's taken my parents and me around the city, giving us tours of places tourists never get into, letting us see the artwork and artefacts in storage in his museum, and showing us the country around here, as well. We've been using Firenze as our home base on this holiday, and Lorenzo was our first tour guide here. He's become much more than a tour guide to me. . . ."

The letter went on and on, talking about places she'd visited and things she'd seen, but through it all, Lorenzo hovered in the background. Harry was as astonished as Ron.

"I'm sorry, mate," he gasped. "I had no idea. . . ."

"She didn't let on when she wrote to you?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"No! Honest, I didn't know anything about this." Harry watched the emotions running across his friend's open face. Ron seemed to be collapsing in on himself, folding up into a miserable ball of grief. Harry put his arm across his friend's shoulders, giving him the only kind of support he could think of at the moment.

"D'you think she's going to . . .marry. . .him?" Ron said after a while. "I didn't read it all the way through."

Harry glanced down at the parchment again. "No, she doesn't say anything like that," he replied. "Nor does she say anywhere that she's in love with him," he added hopefully.

"She doesn't?" Ron asked, his eyes brightening a little. He took the parchment from Harry's hands and read it through all the way this time, then handed it back to Harry in disgust. "She didn't say it in so many words, but it's there just the same," he said miserably.

"What are you two doing?" George said as he came out of the back door, leading a giggling Clarice by the hand.

"Taking a break," Harry replied, hoping George would leave it at that. Ron just turned away, his misery obvious even if his face was hidden.

"Little bro, what's wrong?" George asked in concern.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Ron lied.

"That's Harry's line. You can't say you're fine, especially when you aren't," George chided him gently.

"Erm, George?" Harry said quietly. "The day's almost over. May we go a bit early? I'll clear up our station first."

George looked at his little brother's distraught face. "Sure, Harry. You two go on. You were nearly done with the caterpillars anyway, right?"

"Yeah. I can spell some knives to keep up the work if you want, but it's never as accurate that way," Harry offered.

"You're right, they never are cut as well that way. Just finish them tomorrow, then," George agreed.

"Thanks," Harry said, dragging Ron back into the building. When he glanced over his shoulder, he could see George and Clarice were already deeply engrossed in snogging. He shoved Ron into the tea room and told him to wait there, then raced to clean up their station.

"Hedwig, you go on back to The Burrow, OK? Merlin, you can go back to Grimmauld Place if you want. I'm going to stay with Ron a while." The two birds took off for their destinations, and Harry joined Ron in the tea room. Soon they were walking down Diagon Alley, both of them with their hands shoved deeply in their pockets, their heads bowed in thought, quite upset by what they'd read.

"Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?" Harry asked after a while, giving up on trying to think of something that might cheer up his friend.

They were passing a pub when Harry spoke. "Let's go in here," Ron said gruffly as he looked through the doorway into the dimly lit interior.

"If you want a pub, The Leaky Cauldron isn't far. We've never been in this one before," Harry said quietly. It wasn't the most savoury-looking place he'd ever seen, more like the dark and dreary Hog's Head in Hogsmeade than the much more cheerful Three Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron.

"This one suits my mood just fine," Ron said bitterly as he shoved through the doorway and slouched to a seat in the back of the dimly lit room. "Ogden's Old Firewhiskey," he told the bartender as he passed by.

"What?" Harry said in dismay. "You don't drink that stuff!"

"Then it's time I tried it, don't you think? Apparently, she wants a grown man, not a schoolboy. I'm on my way to being a grown man," he growled, slamming into a chair and sitting down with a thud. "I've heard whiskey makes you forget your troubles. That's what I'm looking for."

"If that's all you want, I could do a Memory Charm on you," Harry offered with a crooked grin, hoping to tease Ron out of his dark mood.

"What'll it be, sir?" the bartender asked Harry as he set the glass of whiskey in front of Ron.

"Nothing, thanks," Harry replied.

"You have to have something or you can't be in here, mate," the man said gruffly. "House rules."

"Butterbeer, then," Harry said, annoyed at the man, the place, the situation and his best friend. He had a date with Ginny tonight. She'd worry if he was very late or didn't contact her. He'd have to call and postpone it, or cancel it altogether if Ron kept on the way he was.

Ron picked up the glass and took a sip, then made a horrible face. "Ugh! How does anyone drink this stuff?"

"Have some butterbeer," Harry suggested. "How about some crisps, as well?" Ron just shrugged, too miserable to reply properly. Harry ordered the crisps when the man brought his butterbeer, but by that time, Ron had held his nose and downed the whiskey in one gulp, coughing and sputtering after he did so. Harry pounded on his back. "You OK?"

"Fine," Ron wheezed. He looked blearily up at the bartender. "More! Make it a double!"

"No, Ron, don't!" Harry said, putting a calming hand on his friend's arm. "That's not the way to solve your problem."

"And what IS the way to solve my problem? You're the great Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world! If anyone can solve a problem, it should be you!" Ron snarled, jerking his arm away from Harry's grasp. He took the new drink from the bartender and downed it quickly. "Goes down smoother after the first one," he commented. "Another!"

"Ron, please. You've got to eat something or you're going to be sick. Or at least drunk," Harry warned him.

"I'm fine!" Ron declared. He drank whiskey and ate nothing until he passed out, his head hitting the table with a thud. Nothing Harry had said made even the slightest difference. Ron was determined to get drunk, and that was all there was to it.

"I hope you're happy now," Harry grumbled. He turned toward the dark corner beside him, so his back was to the rest of the bar. To anyone else, it appeared he was talking to Ron's inert form. He pressed the ruby on his ring and said, "Ginny Weasley" very quietly.

"Harry!" she said brightly. "You're late! Is everything OK?"

"Shush," he warned in a whisper. "No, everything isn't OK. Hermione wrote Ron and broke up with him and he went out and got drunk. I don't know what to do with him. Is your dad home?"

"Ron's WHAT?" she cried, then immediately quieted. "Sorry. I'll get him. He just got home." Her face remained above his ring, but he could see her looking around and heard her end of her conversation with her dad. "Dad? Harry's just called and he says Hermione broke up with Ron and now he's drunk. Harry doesn't know what to do with him." She nodded a few times, then turned back to Harry. "Dad wants to know where you are. He'll come to you and take care of Ron."

"We're in The Gargoyle and Banshee. It's a small pub on Diagon Alley, a few doors down from the Quidditch shop, on the same side."

"Do they have a fireplace? Can he floo there?"

"He might be better off Apparating to the twins' shop. It's not far from here," Harry replied.

Once arrangements had been made, Harry and Ginny ended their call so Harry could try to take care of Ron until Arthur arrived.

Ron sat up suddenly. "I'm not feeling too well," he said, then was sick on the floor.

"I'm not surprised," Harry said sardonically as he did a quick Cleaning Spell to clear up the mess. "You drank probably half a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey all by yourself."

"It's not as good as Seamus thought it would be. Good ol' Seamus. I miss him," Ron said, his speech slurred to the point of being nearly incomprehensible. "I love you, Harry, did you know that? You're the best mate a bloke could have." He wrapped his arm tightly around his friend's neck, leaning his forehead on his Harry's.

Harry choked on the foul breath coming out of his friend's mouth. "Eauw, Ron, that's dragon-breath, that is," he complained, trying to turn his face away.

"I love ya, mate. D'you love me too?" Ron asked plaintively, his eyes unfocused and bleary, his head wobbling so that the tip of his long nose was smearing Harry's glasses.

"Yeah, when you're sober," Harry allowed as he pushed Ron away, vowing to never again follow his friend into a pub when he was in such a black mood.

Arthur came striding into the pub, the twins close behind him. "Harry! Thank you so much for letting me know," he said, sitting down on Ron's other side.

"Dad! How are you! Did you know firewhiskey isn't what it's cracked up to be?" Ron said with a silly giggle. "Bloody hell, I don't feel too well." He skin had a greenish tinge again. He swallowed hard, trying to control his unruly stomach.

"Do you have rooms upstairs?" Arthur called to the barman.

"Yup."

"Well? A key, man!" Arthur demanded, annoyed by the man's slow reactions. By the time the barman finally sauntered slowly over to their table with a room key, Arthur's temper was fully blown. "HOW DARE YOU SERVE WHISKEY TO A MINOR!" he snarled. "I'll have your publican's license for this!"

"He didn't tell me he was underage, and just look how big he is. He looks old enough to me," the barman said defensively.

"Good going, Ron," Fred said to his brother, who was swaying dangerously on his chair. "Even George and I haven't managed to get roaring drunk like that yet!"

"And now that I've seen it," George said, giving the matter serious thought, "I'm not sure that I want to experience it for myself."

"Too right," his twin agreed. "Let's go then," they said together, each sliding an arm under their younger brother's arms. Harry and Arthur led them upstairs to a dingy little room with a bed far too small for Ron's gangly frame. They got Ron settled in and stood around looking at each other helplessly.

"Now what?" Harry said uncertainly. "He's been sick once already. How long before he's sober? I've never been with anyone this drunk before."

"I brought a potion that will help him, but I want him to suffer a bit first," Arthur said seriously, "so he won't be eager to repeat the experience. We had this problem with Bill once." He looked at the twins. "You two might remember it. He got completely plastered with some friends just after they graduated from Hogwarts. It's a miracle nobody got hurt."

"Yeah, I remember that," George said solemnly. "I never saw Bill out of control like that. It was scary."

"Yes, that's why I let you boys see him like that. I was hoping to teach all of you a lesson. Getting drunk isn't the answer to problems, and it's not a good way to celebrate things either. It's just dangerous in far too many ways."

"What happened to Bill?" Harry asked cautiously.

"He decided to Apparate home," Fred said with wide, serious eyes. "Splinched himself."

"He didn't!" Harry cried.

"He did," George agreed. "We found the top half of him in the orchard. The bottom half was still in the pub in Ottery St. Catchpole. Luckily, some other wizards found him and covered him up before any Muggles saw his legs kicking around under the table by themselves!"

"It was a right mess getting him put back together as I recall," Fred commented.

"If Ron saw all that, why would he think getting drunk was a good idea?" Harry asked in total confusion.

"Ron was still quite young when that happened. He may have just thought it was funny," Arthur replied seriously.

They stood watching Ron sleep. His long arms and legs were splayed out in all directions, hanging off the small bed. He slept with his mouth hanging open, a line of drool sliding down his cheek. He came partially awake every so often due to an unusually loud snore, and then he'd settle back down again.

"I expect he'll be sick at least once more, and then he'll have a ruddy great hangover in the morning," Arthur said sadly. "I'll give him a small dose of potion after he's sick again. He'll sleep the rest of the night fairly peacefully after that."

As if on cue, Ron rolled up out of bed and was sick all over the floor, moaning miserably the whole time.

"Better out than in," Arthur said philosophically. "Get as much out as you can, lad." With a wave of his wand, the sick vanished from the filthy floor.

"That's probably cleaner than it was before," Fred said ruefully.

"Too right," George agreed as he opened the window to air the room.

Once Ron settled back into bed, Arthur gave him the potion. The boy immediately fell asleep. Arthur glanced up at the young men standing around him. "George, Harry, you both have young ladies waiting for you. Why don't you go on? Fred, if you don't have other plans tonight, I might need a hand with him later."

"Yeah, I'll stay with you, Dad," Fred agreed.

"I'll stay too," Harry offered. "I feel sort of responsible. I tried to stop him, but I just didn't know how to do it without Stunning him, and once he'd had a drink, I was afraid he'd choke if I did Stun him - you know, if he got sick?" He looked rather ill himself.

"You did very well, lad," Arthur assured him. "You called for help when you needed it. A lot of young people would try to handle such problems by themselves. I'm glad you let me know what was going on."

"I was scared. I've heard of Muggles drinking themselves to death at parties at universities," the young man admitted. "I didn't want that to happen to him. I tried to get him to eat something, but he wouldn't."

"Imagine that!" Fred said with a sudden grin. "Ron refusing to eat!"

"That's amazing, that is," George agreed. "Well, this has been fun and all, but Clarice awaits, so I'm off!" He smiled jauntily and Disapparated.

"Harry, I know you want to help, but you've done all you can here," Arthur told him. "I know you have plans for tonight with Ginny. If you wouldn't mind, when you go to The Burrow to get her, would you please tell Molly how Ron's doing before the two of you leave for your date? You can tell her a lot more than I can with an Adfero, and the fireplace downstairs looked a bit too dodgy for me to want to make a call in it."

Harry looked from Arthur's face down to Ron's. His friend was sleeping soundly now, his colour had improved and he seemed to be doing all right. "Is he going to be OK?"

"He'll have a horrible hangover, but he'll be fine. A good pounding hangover is excellent preventive medicine," Arthur said wisely. "I doubt he'll do this kind of thing again."

"I hope you're right," Harry said, looking rather tired.

"Are you all right?" Arthur said.

"Just. . .I don't know. I'm upset about Hermione too, and then there's Ron," he said, gesturing to his best mate, who chose that moment to snore resoundingly, making Harry grin. "Well, at least he does sound a bit healthier."

"Go on, then. Fred and I can deal with Ron. You go and reassure Molly and Ginny for me, all right?"

"OK," Harry said, then waved as he Disapparated. A moment later, he appeared in the Weasleys' front garden. He walked to the door and knocked on it. Ginny opened it instantly and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, I was so worried! Are you all right? How's Ron?" she asked as she led him into the house.

"Ron's sleeping it off, and I'm fine," he replied. He heard soft sobbing coming from the kitchen. "Is that. . .?"

"Mum's taken it pretty hard," Ginny said quietly. "She's very worried about him. Bill did this once -"

"And splinched himself, yeah, I heard," Harry replied. "Erm. . .your dad wanted me to tell you two how Ron is."

"Come in, then," she said, leading the way.

"I don't want to embarrass your mum - she's crying," he said with the discomfort men usually feel around crying women.

"She'll feel better after you talk to her," Ginny assured him. "Come on."

Harry took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, then followed his girlfriend into the kitchen. Molly Weasley sat at the table with a dish towel held to her face, trying to cry quietly. She looked up suddenly when she heard them come in.

"Oh! You surprised me," she said, doing her best to smile. She swiped at the tear streaks on her face, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. "Hello, Harry, dear. You look tired. Are you hungry? Have you had tea?"

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley. Yes, I am tired, and no, I haven't had tea," he said, sitting in the chair next to hers. "Mr. Weasley asked me to come and tell you how Ron is."

Her eyes widened in fright. "Is he all right? What happened?"

"He's sleeping it off now. He was sick twice and then Mr. Weasley gave him some potion. After that, he looked better, and he was snoring rather normally when I left," he assured her. "Mr. Weasley said Ron would have a hangover and that he'd probably learn his lesson from this. He and Fred are staying with him."

"Fred's there, too?" Molly asked. "I'm glad Arthur doesn't have to deal with it alone."

"George was there too, but Mr. Weasley sent both of us off because we had plans for the evening. Fred was free and agreed to stay with him."

"Plans for the. . .oh! Yes! You and Ginny run along then. I'm sure you had something good planned," she said, trying to act normally.

Harry looked at Ginny and saw agreement in her eyes. "Actually, we didn't have anything special planned. We'd thought we might just hang around here, if you don't mind."

"Oh, no, you should go and have fun," Molly said, her voice determined, but her hands shaking as she spoke.

"Harry's hungry, Mum," Ginny said briskly. "What do we have to eat?" They both knew that Molly truly enjoyed cooking. If they could get her distracted by cooking for them, she might cheer up eventually.

Molly got up and wiped her hands on the towel. "Let's see what we have," she mused, poking around in her cupboards. She pulled her head back suddenly, stifling another sob.

"Mum! What's wrong?" Ginny asked. Her mother was in tears again, waving her hands in front of her face as if that would make her sadness go away.

Ginny went and put her arm around her mum and looked into the cupboard. "Oh," she said, reaching out and pulling a lumpy little cup off the shelf. She held it out for Harry to see. "This was Ron's. He made it when he was little."

"I'm just having. . .you know," Molly said, looking at her daughter helplessly.

"A crying day. I know," Ginny said sympathetically, patting her mum gently on the shoulder.

"A crying day?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Every so often, Mum or I will have a day when we just cry for no good reason at all, sometimes all day long," Ginny said with a shrug. "And if something bad happens, that crying day is even worse."

"I've never seen you. . ." Harry began, completely baffled.

"I hide it from you," she admitted. "I do it in my room. Most of the girls do the same thing. It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Uh. . .OK," he replied, adding "crying days" to the mysteries of females he'd never truly comprehend.

"C'mon, Mum, we're going to make you something special!" Ginny said encouragingly.

"We are?" Harry said, cottoning on to this "we" business.

"Yeah! Didn't you tell me you liked cooking, but didn't know how to cook with magic? It's time you learned, Mr. Potter!" she teased.

Before Harry knew what was happening, he found himself wrapped in a frilly pink apron, much to Ginny and Molly's amusement, and standing in front of the stove, his wand in hand, watching Ginny as she started making a simple meal. "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you like to cook?" Ginny said as she got some potatoes out of the bin and waved her wand to set a scrub brush to work washing them.

"Sweet stuff, actually. Biscuits, tarts, something Americans make called 'brownies,'" he replied with a grin. "Aunt Petunia made me make meals rather often, but my favourite part was dessert." He reached over Ginny's head and lifted down a saucepan she was trying to reach. "Since I have my own house now and can cook what I like, I'd love to learn how to cook with magic," he said, smiling at Molly and winking at Ginny.

"Brownies? What are brownies?" Molly asked, her interest piqued. "How did you learn to make something American?"

"One of the vice-presidents of my uncle's drill company is married to an American. They've come to parties at my uncle's house before and she's brought brownies. She brought the recipe with her the first time, since it was an unusual dish. She thought Aunt Petunia would like to have it, but Aunt Petunia looks down on American things. She never made them, and threw the recipe away, but I rescued it from the bin because I liked them so much. I took the recipe to Mrs. Figg's and she and I made some a few times. They're delicious, especially if you like chocolate," he said with a grin, knowing all the Weasleys were as crazy about chocolate as he was.

"What are they like, brownies?" Molly asked, getting up and starting to help Ginny with the dinner preparations. Harry was mostly only being allowed to stir things so far.

"Like a rich chocolate cake, but more. . .um. . .moist, more dense? Sometimes they have walnuts in them," he answered.

"We have some lovely walnuts, as well as some chocolate," Molly said, her eyes lighting with interest. "What else do you need?"

As they assembled the ingredients for both dinner and the brownies, Harry and Ginny worked together to make Molly laugh as much as possible. Harry was deliberately clumsy with the cooking spells she and Ginny tried to teach him, having very comical results when the white sauce he was supposed to be pouring out of his wand neatly into a saucepan decided to spew and covered his face in a gloppy white mess.

Ginny wiped some of the sauce off of his cheek and licked her finger, pronouncing the sauce "delicious!' and adding, "Aim better next time!" The rest of his culinary experiences weren't much more successful, mostly on purpose.

"Now, Harry, it's just not that hard!" Molly chided him after they'd been working on a seasoning spell for a while, but then she noticed the twinkle in his eye. "Oh, you!" she said, smacking him playfully on the arm. "You are a charmer."

"I'm trying," he admitted with a crooked grin.

"Yes, you're very trying," Ginny teased, then stood on tiptoe to kiss his flour-spotted cheek.

An hour later, the three of them were relaxing after a very satisfying dinner of chicken, boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables, and were ready to sample Harry's brownies.

"They smell fantastic!" Ginny enthused. "Do they taste as good as they smell?"

"Better!" Harry promised. He cut the brownies into squares and served one to each of the ladies, then took one for himself. The brownies were still warm and their aroma was mouth-watering. "I hope they taste good, anyway," he said a bit nervously before taking his first bite.

"Oh, Harry, they're wonderful!" Molly enthused. "I'll have to write that recipe down. The boys will love them!" At the mention of her boys, Molly's face stilled, sadness filling her eyes again. "I wonder how Ron is?" She started to rise from her seat. "I'm going to check on him myself."

Harry put a hand on her arm. "I'll go, if you'd like. I don't think that pub is any place for ladies."

"But it's safe for young boys?" she fussed.

"Not really, but I'll be all right. I'll Apparate over there and come right back."

"Thank you, dear," she said wearily.

"I'll take some of these to Mr. Weasley and Fred, shall I?" he offered.

"Oh yes, that would be lovely," Molly said eagerly, getting up to wrap some brownies for Harry to carry in his pocket.

"Be careful, sweetie," Ginny said, squeezing his hand as he stood up.

"I will." He waved as he stood a bit away from them and Disapparated. When he arrived at the pub, he knocked quietly on the door to Ron's room. Arthur answered it right away.

"How is he? Mrs. Weasley is worried," Harry said in response to Arthur's raised eyebrow.

"He's sleeping soundly. No change. I think she can go to bed without worrying about him anymore," Arthur assured him as he led him into the room.

"Hi, Fred," Harry said. "Fun night?"

"Oh yeah, loads of fun," Fred said with a sigh. "Remind me to knock the stuffing out of Ron for ruining a perfectly good evening."

"I will," Harry replied with a smile. "I've brought you both a treat."

"What is it?" Fred replied, instantly interested.

"Brownies. Made 'em myself, with a bit of help from your mum and Ginny," he said proudly as he opened the napkin and displayed the sweets.

"What are brownies?" Fred asked as he took one and bit into it. "Oy! Heaven!"

"They're a Muggle American treat," Harry replied. "I got the recipe from someone in my uncle's company. She gave it to my aunt, but she didn't want it, so I nicked it. They're good, aren't they?"

"Muggle American? Oh my, they do know how to make a lovely cake!" Arthur enthused. "Well done, Harry!"

"Glad you liked them. I'll go back to The Burrow now," he said, turning toward the door.

"I thought you and Ginny had a date tonight?" Fred said, licking brownie crumbs off of his fingers.

"We're staying in. Your mum was lonely," Harry said with a shrug. "We've had fun making dinner and the brownies."

"You two have wild dates, you know that?" Fred teased. "Go and have some more of that bizarre fun!"

"Yeah, we'll do our best," Harry replied with a grin, then Disapparated, appearing soon thereafter just outside the kitchen door of The Burrow. He knocked lightly, then went in. "I'm back!"

"Hi, sweetie!" Ginny cried, greeting him as if he'd been gone for ages.

"Oh, Harry, dear, how is he?" Molly asked, worry creasing her face.

"He's fine. He's sleeping now. Mr. Weasley said it's safe for you to go to bed now. He and Fred will stay there with Ron, but he's sure he'll be fine once he survives his hangover."

"Thank you, dear," Molly said, heaving a sigh of relief. "I am rather tired. Thank you both for spending the evening with me. I know you would have had more fun doing something else, but I certainly appreciate your kindness."

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. "It was fun," Harry said with a warm smile. "You know how I love to eat."

"Yeah, Mum, we had a good time. And now we know how to make brownies!" Ginny agreed.

"You two are so sweet," Molly said fondly. "I'll say goodnight, then. Ginny, don't forget to lock up."

"I won't," she assured her mum. As Molly trudged slowly up the stairs, Ginny turned to Harry. "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm knackered. I'd be just as pleased to stay here and play chess with you," Harry said, stretching and yawning. "Oh, sorry!" he said when he finished his jaw-cracking yawn.

"Do you want to go home?" she asked softly. "You've had a hard day."

"No, baby, I'm spending the evening with you," he said, leaning over and resting his forehead against hers. He straightened up and glanced out of the window. "It looks like there's going to be a lovely sunset. Why don't we go for a walk and enjoy it?"

Before long, they were seated under a huge oak tree watching the sun go down in a glorious display of reds, golds and oranges against the wispy clouds near the horizon. Ginny was snug in Harry's arms, resting her head on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and sighed contentedly.

"You make me so happy," he murmured, turning his head to softly brush his lips across her temple.

"Same here," she said, lifting her face to him. They kissed gently for a while, then turned back to watch the sunset at its most brilliant, the zenith of the sky already a deepening blue. "You take me to all the best places," she said, a smile in her voice.

Harry chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah. I love sitting here with you." She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, reaching up to kiss him again. When they finally broke apart, they were breathless, and the sky was spangled with stars.

"I've missed you," he said, his thumb gently tracing the line of her jaw, then trailing down her neck to run softly along her collarbone.

"Mmmm, me too," she murmured, sliding her hand between the buttons of his shirt. "You feel so good." She began undoing his buttons slowly, one by one, kissing each part of his chest as she exposed it. "You taste good, too," she said with a soft chuckle.

"You're driving me mad, you do know that?" he said, watching her in amusement and trying to control his quickly rising passion.

"Um-hmm. That's the idea," she teased, finally pulling his shirt free of his jeans. She blew a raspberry on his tummybutton and glanced up at him teasingly, but was surprised to see his face looking much too serious. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. My mind just flashed onto Ron and Hermione for some stupid reason. What the bloody hell are we going to do about them?" His face was distraught.

"Nothing at the moment. This is our time, remember? She's made a mess of things, Ron's sleeping off his first, and hopefully only, session with the booze, and you and I have a free evening under the stars," Ginny said reasonably. "Do you really want to spend this time talking about them?"

"Well, if you put it that way," he said with a moan of pleasure as she ran her hands deliciously over his skin and then shoved his shirt off of his shoulders. He got into the spirit of things and performed a Cushioning Charm so they wouldn't have to lie on the ground, then began to slowly, tantalizingly slide Ginny's soft cotton t-shirt up over her shoulders, stopping when he had her arms pinned together just over her head.

"Now I've got you where I want you, my pretty," he teased, trying to sound like a villain in an old movie. He blew a raspberry on her tummybutton, then tried to cover every square inch of skin below her chin with kisses.

Ginny quickly went from giggles to gasps and moans of pleasure, finally wriggling out of her shirt herself so she could be more of a participant in their play. She had to stifle a shriek of laughter as Harry turned her over and attacked the heart-shaped birthmark on her bum, growling, nibbling and kissing it until Ginny couldn't stay quiet anymore, then stifling her laughter with a kiss that quickly became deep and passionate. Hands and mouths explored all the delicious territories available, delighting in a pleasure they'd missed for far too long. Finally, they rocked together toward a shattering climax, holding each other tightly as they became one.

Harry rolled onto his side, pulling Ginny with him. They lay together in a tight embrace, arms and legs entangled, breathing each other's breath. He kissed her softly on the nose and stared seriously into her eyes. "I'm never going to let you go," he murmured. "Never, ever."

"I love you, Harry. I'll never let you go, either," she whispered. "I wish I could live inside your skin. I want to be part of you forever."

"You are a part of me," he replied softly, kissing her forehead gently. "Forever."

They relaxed under the stars, their bodies softly outlined in moonglow, cherishing this peaceful, blessed time together. Before long, they fell asleep.

* * * * *

Some time later, Harry sat up. A sound had startled him awake.

"What is it?" Ginny asked sleepily.

"Dunno. Get dressed," he whispered, grabbing his glasses and wand as he got to his feet. He put his glasses on and stared into the darkness, trying to discover what had awakened him. Ginny wordlessly handed him his clothes and he dressed as quickly as possible. He was just pulling on his trainers when he heard it again.

"There! What's that?" he hissed when he heard the cries of someone wailing in distress. "It's coming from your house!" He took a few uncertain steps down the hill toward The Burrow. The only lights he could see were coming through the kitchen window, lights he and Ginny had left on when they went outside.

"It sounds like Mum!" Ginny said in sudden fear.

"I'm going to Apparate down there," Harry said.

"Be careful," Ginny said as he disappeared from sight, and reappeared a moment later next to the kitchen door of her home. She raced down the hill, but they'd gone a long way from the house. Ginny cursed the laws that said she was too young to Apparate. What if Harry needed her? What if her mum needed her and she could only get there as fast as she could run? Why hadn't she thought to put a Shrinking Spell on her Firebolt and carry it in her pocket the way Harry did? That was a mistake she wouldn't make again! She ran as hard as she could down the rocky slope, watching Harry make a stealthy entrance to the house.

Harry had Apparated to the wall beside the kitchen door. He activated his glasses and used them to scan around the corner visible through the window in the door. Nobody there. As quietly as possible, he opened the door and slipped through, his wand at the ready. He crept through the downstairs and found nothing amiss, then heard Molly's voice again, a frightened, frightening sound from above. He went up the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could, checking each room he passed, but all were empty. Finally, he came to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door. He turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open, leaping into the room and pressing himself to the wall as he'd seen police officers do on television shows. He scanned the room and found nothing amiss except Molly Weasley tangled in her covers, apparently in the midst of a horrible nightmare. He moved to her bed and untangled the covers, calling her name softly as he did so.

"Mrs. Weasley? Mrs. Weasley, wake up. You're having a bad dream," he said in a soothing voice.

"No! NO! NO!!! Not my baby! Not Ginny! NO!" she cried, her arms flailing wildly.

Harry pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. "It's all right now, Mrs. Weasley. Calm down."

"NOOOoooooooo!" she cried, tears flooding down her face as she trembled in his arms.

"MRS. WEASLEY! Please wake up!" Harry said, wishing Ginny would hurry up and arrive.

"Wha. . .Harry?" Molly said, finally waking up a little. She pulled back from his arms and looked up at him. "Where's Ginny? What happened?"

"She's on her way. You were having a bad dream," he told her.

"Ginny! GINNY! Where is she? GINNY!" Molly cried, still in the throes of her dream.

"She'll be here in a minute. We were way up on the hill when we heard you. I Apparated down here to see what was wrong. Ginny's a good runner. She'll be here soon," he assured her, hoping he was right. Weepy females weren't something he was comfortable dealing with, and this was his girlfriend's mother, which somehow added another layer of awkwardness to the situation.

"She's all right? Are you sure?" Molly asked, her eyes still fearful.

"Yes, she's fine. Let me turn on a light so she'll know where to find us." He pointed his wand at the lamp and it flared into life, brightly illuminating the tracks of many tears on Molly's puffy, red-eyed face. "Can you tell me what happened? Are you all right?"

Molly stared at him wordlessly. She was trembling and still looked very frightened.

Harry sighed and pulled her close, rubbing her back comfortingly, as she'd done with him many times. "When you're ready, you can tell me what happened if you want to," he offered, "or you can tell Ginny when she gets here. There's no danger here - I checked the house, and nobody's here but the three of us. And the ghoul in the attic, of course," he added with a chuckle, hoping to make her smile.

Ginny came racing into the room. "Mum! What's wrong? Are you all right?" She sat on the edge of the bed opposite Harry and rubbed her mother's shoulder gently. "Mum?"

Finally, Molly pushed back from Harry and looked at each of them with pain-filled eyes. "I . . .I had a bad dream. I was worried about you for some reason," she said, gazing at her daughter. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mum. I was with Harry. We were just up on the hill there, under the big oak tree. We went out to watch the sunset," Ginny explained quietly. "Harry's had a hard day. We actually fell asleep. That's why we're out so late." She could see on Harry's watch that it was well after midnight.

"I'm sorry I kept her out so late, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said quietly. "I was tired when we went out there, and . . . well . . . we woke up when we heard you."

"And raced to my rescue, you darling children," she said fondly, wiping the tears from her face with her fingers.

"It's late, I should be going home," Harry said, starting to rise from the bed. As he let go of Molly, he looked at her in concern. "Mrs. Weasley, you're still shivering. Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, dear," she said dismissively, doing her best to pull herself together.


Harry snorted with laughter. "When someone says 'I'm fine,' it often means they aren't fine at all. What's wrong?"

Molly shuddered. "I felt a cold chill run over my body while I was having that dream. I dreamed something happened to Ginny, and then Arthur and the twins and Ron. And I woke up and none of them were in the house, and I panicked."

"The twins don't live here anymore, Mum," Ginny reminded her.

"I know, but they were in my dream," Molly insisted. "Something bad happened, and all of you were involved in one way or another." She glanced up at Harry. "Not you, dear, you were fine in my dream. But the others. . . ."

"Would you like me to stay and guard the house tonight?" Harry offered.

"Oh, I hate to trouble you," she protested.

"It's no trouble. I'll just send Remus a message that I'm staying here. He won't mind."

She looked up at the tall young man standing in front of her. His arms around her had felt so comforting. He was a warm, lively presence filled with love and concern for her whole family, not just Ginny and Ron. She couldn't love him more if he were her own child. But in truth, he was no longer a child, and hadn't been one for quite some time. After a few moments' thought, she smiled. "It would be nice to have a man in the house, Harry. This house has been full of men for so many years, it just doesn't feel right to not have at least one man there."

"Well, if I qualify, I'm happy to help out," he said with a grin.

"You qualify," Molly replied, chuckling. "Thank you, dear."

"My pleasure," he replied.

"Why don't you use Ron's bed, dear? We don't have yours set up in there right now," Molly offered.

"It would be hard to guard the house from the room at the very top. I'll sleep on the couch downstairs," he replied.

"You don't have to do that," Molly protested.

"If I'm to be the man of the house for tonight, that couch is the best place for me to be," Harry said in as mature and manly a voice as he could manage.

"All right, then. I'll take down some blankets and pillows," she said as she started to get up.

"Mum, you go back to sleep. I'll get them for him," Ginny said, tucking her mother in carefully.

A short time later, the couch had been lengthened and broadened magically into a suitable bed for Harry. As he lay back on the pillows and pulled the blanket up over his shoulder, he grinned at Ginny, who was busy tucking him in.

"Having fun?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"It would be more fun to get in there with you," she whispered, then giggled and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too. Good night," he said pulling her into a serious kiss before sending her off to her room.

Harry lay awake for a long time, watching the gentle movement of the stars through the window and remembering the wonderful time he'd spent with Ginny that evening. In her room high above him, Ginny was doing the same thing. Finally, they slept.

* * * * *

After he got over his initial reaction to Hermione's letter, Ron became the biggest flirt on Diagon Alley, but anyone with half a brain could see his heart wasn't in it. The day after he recovered from his hangover, he swore off both firewhiskey and girls forever. A few days later, he changed his mind about girls, at least, going far to the other extreme. Any half-way pretty girl he saw, he flirted with, asking out as many as would speak to him for even a short while. None of the girls lasted more than one date, since Ron went rapidly from outgoing and friendly to withdrawn and morose with no warning, often spending his time with the girl telling her all about Hermione, which didn't go down well at all.

Harry, Ginny and the twins tried to be supportive, but he was resisting all their efforts to cheer him up. Harry and Ginny went out with Ron and his "girl of the day" several times, and wound up feeling quite sympathetic to the girls. Ron was being truly pathetic when he wasn't in a towering rage.

"I don't know how to react to Hermione when we see her again," Harry confided to Ginny one evening. "I mean, she's my best friend, but what she's done to Ron. . . ."

"Yeah. She's my best friend, too, but he's my brother. I don't know what to do," Ginny agreed. "Ron's going through an awful time. I don't know how long it's going to take him to get over her."

"He's making a right mess of his life these days," Harry grumbled. "He has all the girls in the shop angry with him. I hope he sorts himself out soon."

"All we can do for now is be there for him as much as possible," Ginny sighed. "I wish I knew a magical cure for a broken heart."

"I actually did some Cheering Charms on him without his knowledge, but they barely made a dent in his attitude," Harry replied. "I thought about the Draught of Peace, but that seemed a bit risky. I didn't do a very good job on that one in class."

Ginny sighed. "I thought of that, too. I may try making some. Or maybe Mum could do it. She's quite good with potions."

"Worth a try, anyway," he agreed.

A few days later, Ron came into the shop looking more cheerful than he had since that letter's arrival.

"Morning!" he said cheerily as he joined Harry at their workstation.

"Morning, yourself," Harry said with a grin. "What's up with you?"

"Mum fixed the best breakfast this morning," Ron said. "I've never had such good porridge."

"Porridge? Well, your mum is a good cook," Harry said agreeably. He glanced up as one of the twins walked by, mouthing "Draught of Peace" and pointing to Ron behind Ron's back. Harry chuckled, glad Molly had found a way to make her youngest son happy for a while. Unfortunately, the effects only lasted a few hours, and by mid-afternoon, Ron was back to being gloomy.

When Harry went to the supply room to get more frogs' spleens, Fred followed him in.

"Seems like the Draught of Peace Mum put in Ron's porridge worked for a while, anyway," Fred murmured as he searched for something on the shelves.

"Yeah. Too bad doubling the dosage puts a person in a coma," Harry commented.

"I think I'd like Ron better in a coma," Fred grumbled. "He's no fun at all anymore."

Harry turned and faced Fred. "Do you or George have any ideas? We've got to get him past this before school starts or he won't be able to study at all."

"He's pretty well useless here, as well," Fred said in disgust. "Next time I see Hermione. . . ."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what I'm going to do when I see her, either. She could have been kinder about it," Harry agreed. After a moment's silence, he added, "But they really seemed to love each other. I just don't understand it at all."

"Me neither," Fred said, lifting a jar of horned toad livers down from the shelf. "Ah well. George and I have never been 'in love' the way Ron was with Hermione. I guess we can't relate to his problems."

"Yeah," Harry said, thinking about how he'd dealt with his grief over Casey. "D'you suppose I should lend him my Pensieve?"

"If he removed his memories of Hermione, he'd have a ruddy great blank for all his years at Hogwarts," Fred reminded him. "That would certainly have an impact on his N.E.W.T.s."

Harry nodded. "That's why I haven't offered it. What a mess."

"Too right."

They went their separate ways, Harry to slice frogs' spleens alongside Ron, Fred to do something unimaginable with horned toad livers that would eventually turn into something quite funny. Harry wished some of the ever-present humour in the shop would rub off on Ron, but it just wasn't happening. Harry sighed as he shoved the jar of spleens over to Ron and they started cutting in uncomfortable silence.

* * * * *

"Ginny! Ron! You have letters from Hogwarts!" Molly called one morning.


Ginny nearly danced down the stairs. "That should be my O.W.L. results!" she said excitedly as she ripped open the envelope. "I got eleven O.W.L.s!" she squealed in delight.

"Oh, congratulations, dear! I'm so proud of you!" Molly said in delight. "What's in your letter, Ron?"

"Nothing worth talking about," he grumbled, tossing the envelope on the table. A "Head Boy" badge slid out, lying there winking in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Ron! That's not - you're Head Boy! That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!" Molly cried, holding the badge in both hands. She looked up at him and her face fell. "What's wrong?"

"Guess who's Head Girl?" he snarled.

"Hermione?" Ginny said softly.

"Of course," he snapped. "I'm going to send that back."

"You are not!" Molly said in no uncertain terms. "You will wear this with pride and will fulfil your duties to the best of your abilities! If you don't like Hermione being Head Girl, well, then. . .," she paused, trying to find the perfect thing to say, then finally hit on it. "Just think of her as a Slytherin!"

Ron almost smiled for a second. "Yeah. A Slytherin. She's been acting like one, so why not think of her as one," he said snidely. He stamped off toward the stairs, but Molly noticed he did grab his Head Boy badge and take it with him as he went.

* * * * *

"So what are we doing for your birthday?" Ginny asked one night when she and Harry were talking via their rings.

"Since the house is looking so nice, I thought we'd have a party there," Harry said cheerfully. "Dobby and Winky have already started planning a menu."

"Sounds good! Who's coming?"

"All the Weasleys, of course, and Remus and whichever Order members can make it," Harry replied. Since his home was also headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, he couldn't invite just anyone to his party. All the guests would have to be people who already knew how to find the house to protect the secrecy of the location.


"All the Order members, eh? Even Snape?" Ginny teased.

"Well, maybe not ALL the Order members," Harry amended with a chuckle.

Several days later, Number 12 Grimmauld Place was rocking with loud music and laughter as Arthur, Molly, Bill, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus and Tonks all joined Harry in his birthday celebration. Dobby and Winky were in their element, serving mountains of delicious food quickly and unobtrusively. They and Harry were all blushing from the compliments they received on the redecoration that had transformed that dark, musty old pile into a bright, lively, warm home.

"It's all down to Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Dobby and Winky," Harry said modestly to Professor McGonagall, who hadn't seen the house since the redecorating had begun. "I just wanted the place to be light and cheerful. They did the rest. We still have a bit to do in the rooms upstairs, but this floor is finished."

"Well, it's lovely," Professor McGonagall said warmly. "I would never have thought it could turn out so nicely. Well done!"

"Thanks," Harry replied, blushing.

She leaned in to whisper to him. "Tell me, Harry, have you added any more animals to your Animagus forms?"

"I haven't had time to work on them, honestly," he replied. "I've been so busy at the twins' shop, and working here, and getting my homework done. . . ."

"I quite understand. I was just curious," she said with a smile. "Do you plan to try any more forms? Or are you satisfied with what you've done?"

"I don't know. It might be fun to be a dragon, but it wouldn't be very practical," he said, grinning as he watched her expression go from startled to amused.

"No, not very practical at all, but fun? Quite possibly!" she allowed. She glanced around the room. "Where is Merlin? Didn't he want to come to the party?"

"He says this music sounds like banshees screaming, so he and Hedwig stayed upstairs," Harry replied. "They're in my room, on the right at the first landing, if you want to go and say hello."

"I believe I will," she said with a girlish blush, then headed up the stairs.

Harry grinned as he watched her ascend the stairs, her eyes twinkling and a smile of anticipation on her face. Merlin had taught her the incantation to make it possible for him to speak to her, rather than him only being able to speak to Harry. McGonagall and Merlin were enjoying a rather odd relationship, almost a courtship of sorts, from what Harry could tell.

"Wonderful party, lad," Remus said, clapping his godson on the shoulder.

"Yeah, and great music, too!" Tonks added. She and Remus were holding hands and looking quite pleased with themselves.

"Thanks! Ginny picked the music. I think her taste is similar to yours, Tonks. Weird Sisters rule!" Harry replied cheerfully.

"Did I hear you mention my name?" Ginny said, sliding in under his arm.

Harry gave her a little squeeze and looked down at her fondly. "I was just giving you credit for the music. Tonks likes it."

"Cool!" Ginny said, grinning at Tonks. Her smile slipped at bit as she looked from Tonks to Remus and back again. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Tonks said, stifling a laugh.

"What are you two so smug about?" Ginny asked, squinting as she studied the two adults in front of her.

"Us? Smug?" Remus said, trying to look innocent.

"Yes. Smug. What's up?" Ginny pressed.

"We'd hoped to wait until later," Remus said cautiously.

Ginny glanced from Remus to Tonks again. The young Auror's sparkling eyes and Remus's blush gave it away. "You're engaged? What?"

Remus and Tonks looked at each other, guilt and then glee chasing across their faces. Finally, Tonks leaned in and whispered, "Engaged!"

Harry looked from Tonks to Ginny in surprise. "How'd you know that?"

Ginny responded by squealing and jumping up and down. "That's terrific!" then gave Harry an arch look that said quite clearly, "Girls just know these things."

"Shhh!" Remus cautioned. "We don't want to spoil Harry's party."

"How would such good news spoil my party?" Harry asked, a huge grin on his face. "Congratulations! I'm happy for both of you!"

"When are you planning to announce it?" Ginny asked quietly, doing her best to control her excitement.

"We only just decided a little while ago," Tonks said. "He asked me after Harry cut the cake."

"My cutting the cake inspired a proposal?" Harry said in amused disbelief.

"Well, we were talking about cutting cakes and one thing led to another, and, well. . ." Remus replied, blushing madly.

"I think it's brilliant," Harry said. "If you want to announce it, most of our friends are here - they'd love to hear the news!"


Remus and Tonks looked at each other, and then smiled and nodded after some wordless communication.

"OK. We can announce it here," Remus agreed.

Harry took out his wand and silenced the music, then tapped on his goblet with his fork. When everyone quieted and was looking his way, he said, "A-HEM! I'd like to have your attention, please! It is my great pleasure to announce. . .that Remus has something to tell you!" He turned toward his godfather with a grand flourish and a huge grin.


Remus stepped forward, blushing madly but holding Tonks' hand tightly. He raised his eyes to the crowd of his and Harry's dearest friends and cleared his throat. "Um. . .yes. Well. . . ."

Tonks laughed and playfully shoved his shoulder. "Want me to do it?" she teased.

"I'm perfectly capable," he said with a chuckle. He looked back at the waiting crowd. "I'm more pleased than I can say to announce that Tonks has agreed to be my wife."


The room erupted in cheers. Tonks and Remus were soon surrounded by well-wishers, Remus's hand being pumped or his back being pounded by friends who were delighted at the news, while Tonks was receiving hugs from everyone.

"Where and when is the wedding?" Molly asked. "We have plans to make!"

"You can have the wedding here if you want," Harry offered.

"Or at The Burrow!" Molly added.

"Thank you for the offers! We have a lot of things to sort out. We'll let you know where and when and all that. You're all invited!" Tonks said happily.

Harry noticed Ron slouching against the wall sadly. He left Ginny with Tonks and the happy crowd and went to stand by his best friend. "What's up, mate?"

"Nothing," Ron said quietly.

"OK," Harry said agreeably. "When you want to talk, you know where to find me."

"Yeah. Attached to Ginny," Ron grumbled.

"Am I neglecting you?" Harry teased.

Ron was silent a minute, then said, "No," rather grudgingly.

"C'mon, Ron. You've hardly eaten today. You're losing weight, y'know. It's starting to show," Harry said. He'd avoided talking to Ron about his lack of appetite, but the redhead's face was gaunt and his cheeks were deeply hollowed. He'd probably lost fifteen pounds, and he'd never been overweight despite the huge amounts he normally ate.

"Not hungry," Ron grumbled.

Harry pulled Ron into the next room where it was quieter. "You have to snap out of this, Ron," he said urgently. "I've been trying to let you sort yourself out because it seemed to be what you wanted, but you're going to make yourself ill."

"You'd be ill if Ginny left you," Ron said defensively.

"Yeah, you're right, I would be. Hopefully you'd be around to knock some sense into me," Harry said stoutly.

"You were ill when Casey died," Ron added.

"I know. But Casey died a horrible death. Hermione didn't," Harry said reasonably, ignoring Ron's flinch at the sound of his former girlfriend's name. "She'll be at school with us again soon. You've got to pull yourself together so you can study properly. And there are loads of pretty girls you haven't gone out with at Hogwarts. Parvati. Lavender. Susan Bones. Loads of others. Why don't you give them a chance?"

"They won't want me," Ron said darkly.

"Why not?"

"There must be something wrong with me if Hermione could promise to love me forever and then leave me for some Italian guy." Ron sounded defeated.

"There's nothing wrong with you, mate," Harry assured him. "Hermione's the one who changed - you didn't. We don't know what happened to her while she was away. She didn't sound like herself in her letter. Maybe her parents put some kind of pressure on her or something. We just don't know. She's not answering my letters anymore either. We won't know what's going on until we see each other at school and can talk it out."

"You honestly think her parents did or said something to her to change her mind about me?" Ron asked, suddenly much more interested in what Harry was saying.

"I don't know. But it's possible. They were pretty upset by what Ginny, Remus and I told them when Hermione was in the hospital after she was hurt on the Astronomy Tower." Hermione had been so badly hurt by a miscast spell of Draco Malfoy's, she'd been taken to St. Mungo's to recover, where her grieving parents finally heard the truth about all the adventures she'd been having since she'd started at Hogwarts. Harry studied Ron's face for a long moment, pleased to see the first spark of life in his friend's eyes in many days. Harry didn't want to give Ron a false hope with what he'd just said, but it was a thought that stuck in his mind, that maybe the break-up was Hermione's parents' doing, somehow. He decided to change the subject entirely.

"Let's think of something fun to do. I'm thinking of getting tickets to a concert for Ginny's birthday present. Do you want to come along?"

"As a gooseberry? I don't think so," Ron snapped.

"You could bring a girl with you," Harry said patiently.

Ron straightened up and looked at Harry seriously. "No, Harry, that's all right. Thanks anyway," he said gently. "That's Ginny's present. I would spoil it for both of you."

"No, you wouldn't," Harry persisted.

"Thanks for asking, mate. Maybe sometime when it isn't her birthday, OK?" Ron replied, doing his best to be upbeat and friendly.

"OK. I'll hold you to that," Harry promised.


They went back and rejoined the party, and Harry was relieved to see Ron finally getting a plate and putting some food on it. He hoped Ron was on the road to recovery from his broken heart at last. But what were they going to do about Hermione when they all got together again? Harry tucked that worry into the back of his mind and went back to enjoying his guests.

A short time later, Dobby tugged on Harry's sleeve. "Harry Potter, sir? May Dobby have a word?"

Harry smiled and bent down to speak quietly with the elf, who was whispering. "Of course. What's up? Are we running out of food?"

"No, Harry Potter, sir, that's not it." Dobby looked around nervously.

Harry picked up on the elf's edginess instantly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, no, sir, nothing is wrong. Dobby needs to ask Harry Potter's permission for something," he said, wringing his long-fingered hands and shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot.

Harry glanced around. His friends were beginning to notice their quiet conversation. "Come with me, Dobby. We'll go somewhere we can talk." He led the elf into the kitchen, which was as full of people as the rest of the house. Harry glanced at Dobby, who nodded toward the pantry. "OK," Harry agreed, then followed the elf to the pantry door. Dobby opened the door and went inside, snapping his fingers to light the lamp inside the small room as Harry pulled the door shut behind him.

"Thank you, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is very sorry to take you away from your guests, but . . ."

"That's not a problem, Dobby. What's bothering you?" Harry squatted so he was at eye-level with the elf.

"Dobby and Winky. . ." Dobby's voice trailed off.

"Is everything OK? You're not fighting, are you?" Harry asked in concern.

"Oh, no, sir! We is not fighting at all! We is getting along very well! Dobby just. . .Dobby, um. . .it is difficult, sir." He was wringing his hands again.

"Spit it out, Dobby," Harry encouraged him.


The house elf looked horrified at the idea of spitting at his master.


Harry chuckled, understanding Dobby's expression. "It's just a way of saying, 'say what you mean,' Dobby."

"Ah. Yes. Well, the thing is, sir, Dobby and Winky. . .is. . .um. . ." He stopped again, looking very uncomfortable. He pulled his ears nervously.

"What?"

"Iswantingtomarry,sir," Dobby said in a rush.

"You and Winky want to get married?" Harry said with a grin. "That's brilliant! I'm very happy for you. When's the ceremony?"

"Ceremony?" Dobby asked, perplexed.

"How do house elves get married? Does someone lead a service or ceremony where you take vows, the way wizards and Muggles do?" Harry asked curiously.

"The master gives permission, then he tells the elves they is married to each other," Dobby explained.

"When do you want to do this?"

"Whenever it suits you, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby said excitedly. "Dobby has been asking Winky for months now, and she finally agreed. Dobby wanted to ask Harry Potter's permission right away. Dobby is sorry to interrupt Harry Potter's party, sir."

"That's not a problem, Dobby. Don't worry about it," Harry assured him. "I think a celebration is in order, don't you? We already have all of our friends here, unless there are others you'd like to invite?"

"No, Harry Potter, sir. You and the Weezys and the professors who are here are our friends - and Miss Granger as well. She's the only friend missing."

"She won't be back from travelling until we leave for school, I believe," Harry told him.

"Then everyone we would want to be here is here!" Dobby said, grinning broadly, but then his smile faded. "But Winky and Dobby does not want to impose on Harry Potter's party, sir."

"I would be honoured if you would have your wedding during my birthday party," Harry said sincerely. "And I believe all of our guests would enjoy being here for it, as well." He smiled at the delighted expression on his friend's face. "When do you want to do this?"

"When is it convenient for you, sir?" Dobby asked humbly.

"How about right now? Will that do?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, thank you, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby's huge ears were pricked upright with happiness, his face beaming with joy.

Dobby went off to find Winky and Harry moved back into the living room, where most of his guests were gathered. When he saw the house elves coming slowly through the door, he smiled at them and again silenced the music with his wand. Everyone looked at him expectantly. Those who had been in other rooms came in to see why the music had stopped.

"What's going on, Harry?" Ginny asked as she moved from talking to Professor McGonagall to join him.

Harry grinned down at her. "Just watch." He looked at his friends and grinned. "I had no idea when Ginny and I planned this party that it would have so many other happy occasions tied to it. Remus and Tonks got engaged!" He led a cheer for the blushing couple. "And now Dobby's just informed me that he and Winky want to get married!" More cheers erupted, making both house elves blush and drop their ears shyly. "Dobby says all that's required for them to marry is for me to give permission and say they're married, but I thought, since we're already in the middle of a party, why not make it a celebration?" More cheers and some whistles erupted from the crowd, who gathered around the house elves to congratulate them, shaking Dobby's hand and patting Winky fondly on the back.

"Are you two planning to have children?" Molly asked while she was talking to them.

"That is up to the master to decide," Dobby said, his ears suddenly drooping.

Harry heard this exchange. "Would you like to have children?" he asked.

Dobby turned his huge green eyes to look seriously at his master. "Oh, yes, sir!"

"I think it might be fun to have little house elves running around," Harry said, smiling at the thought. "But I want you to know this, both of you," he added. "Your children won't be slaves. They'll be born free. We'll find them good jobs with families willing to pay for their labour and give them vacation days when they're ready to go to work. And they'll be welcome to visit you whenever they want. Is that all right with you?"

Dobby beamed, but Winky looked crestfallen. "Our children will be. . .free?"

"You know I don't believe in slavery, Winky," Harry said kindly. "Don't you want your children to be free? There will be plenty of households willing to pay them when they're old enough to work." He glanced around at his friends and saw nods all around. "See? There are jobs waiting for them with the people in this room."

Winky looked around in amazement. "You good sirs and ladies would hire free house elves?" Her eyes widened as she saw all the smiling faces around her nodding. "You is too kind, all of you good sirs and ladies. Thank you," she said humbly.

"All right, we've got a wedding to plan!" Molly said enthusiastically. "What do we do first? What are you going to wear, Winky?"

Winky looked down at the pretty little dress she was wearing. "This?"

Harry glanced over at Molly and shook his head, reminding her that "clothes" had a bad connotation for Winky.

"It's beautiful! How about flowers? Do you want to carry a bouquet?" Molly asked.

"I believe I can provide that, if you'll allow me the honour," Dumbledore said, waving his wand and producing a bouquet filled with miniature roses and miniature orchids. "Will this do?" he asked as he handed it to Winky.

"Oh, Professor, sir, you is too kind to Winky!" she said, admiring the flowers with tears in her huge eyes.

Dobby took her hand and stood expectantly in front of Harry. "We is ready, sir," he said solemnly.

"All right. Do you take vows, or what?" Harry said. He glanced up at Dumbledore for help.

"Harry, they only need you to say they're married. If you'd like to say some words, or suggest some vows, that would be fine," the headmaster said.

"Erm, OK. I've actually never been to a wedding before, but I've seen them in films." Harry looked at Ginny for help. She just smiled at him, trusting him to do the right thing. Blimey, what a responsibility, he thought as he took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. "Uh. . .OK. We're gathered here to witness the marriage of Dobby and Winky. They've chosen to spend their lives together in marriage and we're here to help them celebrate." Yeah, that's a decent opening, he told himself, but what do I say next? He thought a moment, then went on. "Dobby, do you promise to love Winky and take good care of her all of your life?"

"Oh, yes, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby replied enthusiastically.

"Winky, do you promise to love Dobby and take good care of him all of your life?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir! It will be my pleasure," she said, dropping her eyes and blushing.

Harry couldn't think of anything to add. He thought he'd covered the most important things in those few words. "Well, then, I pronounce you married! I wish you a long and happy life together." He grinned at Dobby. "You may kiss your wife."

Dobby turned to Winky, taking her shoulders in his hands, and very solemnly rubbed noses with her. Winky was in tears and laughing at the same time.

"Throw the bouquet, Winky!" Fred cried. "Let's see who the next victim. . .erm, bride will be!"

Winky threw the bouquet and Tonks caught it, waving it triumphantly in her upraised hand, then handing it back to Winky.

"I'm glad I caught it, but you should enjoy it. Professor Dumbledore made it for you," Tonks said as she handed it to the house elf.

"Thank you, miss," Winky said, bobbing a quick curtsey before Harry could tell her off.

"Dobby, you and Winky have the rest of the night and tomorrow off as a wedding present," Harry told them. "We can clean up this mess."

"Oh, no, sir, Dobby and Winky. . ."

"Just got married and deserve a little holiday," Harry interrupted quickly.

The house elves waved as they headed off to their quarters, huge smiles on their faces.

Harry felt a hand clap his shoulder. "Well done," Dumbledore said. "I like the bit about their children, as well. Well done, all around."

"Thank you, sir. This has certainly been the most eventful birthday party I've ever had!" Harry said, grinning broadly.


Dumbledore moved off and Ginny took his place beside Harry, slipping her hand into his and leaning her cheek on his arm. She sighed as the elves closed their door behind them. "And they lived happily ever after," she said.

"Huh?" Harry said, smiling down at her.

"That's a line from old children's stories. I love stories that end that way. I think that's the way Dobby and Winky are going to live - happily ever after."

"I hope so," he replied. "I wouldn't mind living that way myself," he added, leaning down and rubbing noses with her.

"Sounds good to me," she agreed.