The Summer of 69'

Ron walked into The Burrow, out of the hot summer sun. "FRED!" he yelled up the stairs, "I'm back! I have it!" The thunder of feet was heard above his head and moments later, he was met by a mass of red hair and a big toothy grin. "Wow, you really need to brush your teeth!"

"Lay off, Ronald!" Fred shoved him playfully in the shoulder.

"Watch the merchandise! This wasn't cheap you know!" Ron moved the guitar away from the banister and his brother.

I got my first real six-string

Bought it at the five-and-dime

"I can't wait to play it!" With that, Ron dashed up the stairs knocking Fred over the banister. He landed with a loud thud on the couch below.

"That kid has issues," he muttered to thin air.

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Played it till my fingers bled

"MUM!" Ron complained from the table, "Can you conjure me up some more lotion for my fingers? They're killing me!" Mrs. Weasly turned from the stove.

"Ron, it's your own fault. Playing that thing day and night. It's a wonder I still have eardrums." Ginny looked up from the table.

"She's right you know. Even the gnomes are gone."

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"MUM!" George yelled from upstairs.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasly replied at the same volume.

"I can't find my bloo-my calendar!" he yelled back. "I think Ginny used it as-"

"Oh, shut up! I did not!" Ginny interrupted. Mrs. Weasly muttered a spell under her breath.

"Thanks mum!" George called down the stairs. A moment of silence passed before he continued. "Wait a minute-"

It was the summer of '69

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"Okay, lets take it again, from the top! Ginny, count us in!" Harry yelled over the noise from the street.

"One, two, three... "

Me and some guys from school

had a band and we tried real hard

"Sounds great guys!" Hermione clapped as they finished the set. "You'll be the next Witches!

"Thanks, 'Mione." Seamus blushed as he fiddled with his guitar strings. Lavender smiled. They were so cute together. Too bad she had a thing for Harry...

"Alright, one last time!" Ernie clapped his hands to get the rest of the band's attention. "Pansy, you're doing great on lyrics, but put more emphasis on the 'ooooh' okay?"

"Sure thing, darling!" She paused. "Hey, that rhymed!"

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Ernie quit and Pansy got married

"Come on, Ernie! We can't play bass without you!" Ginny whined as he packed up his things.

"You guys never want to do what I want, so I'm outa here." Ernie slammed the door behind him.

"Yeah, speaking of which," Pansy began, "seeing as how Ernie and I are getting married in a few months, I'm gonna have to go with him. Sorry guys."

I shoulda known we'd never get far

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Oh when I look back now

That summer seemed to last forever

"How many more days?" Ron rubbed his eyes as they settled into the porch swing after a hearty meal.

"Not sure," Harry mumbled as his eyes became droopy with sleep.

"It's gotta be half over by now," Ron commented sleepily.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, eyes closed. "Gotta be..."

And if I had the choice

ya - I'd always wanna be there

"You gonna miss this someday?"

"Miss it? What? You've got to be kidding! We'll always be together, Harry!"

those were the best days of my life

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"Aww, mum! Not the dishes! I just did them last-"

"Don't even start with me, Ronald." He cringed. "You know that George did them last night, Ginny the night before, and-"

"Fred the night before," he finished in unison with her. He knew all right.

"Now, get going! You have the laundry to do next."

Ain't no use in complainin'

when you got a job to do

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"So, do you come here often?" Ron asked, trying to keep his cool. She was really pretty and it made his knees weak.

"No. I just moved here for the summer," she replied. He was kinda cute, in an odd, homely sorta way.

"Hummm..." The gears in his head turned as he put his hand in hers and she grasped it tight.

Spent my evenin's down at the drive-in

and that's when I met you

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He fingered her hair as they sat on her front porch. She turned to look at him and he smiled his "I want a kiss" smile. She happily obliged.

"You know," she whispered when they were done, "this has been a great summer."

"Yeah. It has." Ron said dreamily as he put his head on her shoulder.

"But it's almost autumn," she started softly, taking his head in her hands.

"Yes..." Ron looked up, suddenly worried.

"And when autumn comes, I have to leave," she whispered into his neck. "But I'll come back, I promise."

Standin' on your mama's porch

you told me that you'd wait forever

She held his hand tightly as they watched the stars come out. He kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He was so lucky to have her. She was kind and beautiful; everything he ever wanted in a girlfriend, but she was leaving. Why did life have to be so unfair?

Oh and when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

Those were the best days of my life

Back in the summer of '69

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"So, what do you wanna do?" Ron played with his sister's hair in the hot August morning. She was gone; she wouldn't be back till next summer.

"I dunno, what do you wanna do?" Ginny snapped the rubber band wrapped around her wrist. This was so boring.

"I don't know. I asked you first." Ron sighed. This was going to be a long three weeks.

Man we were killin' time

we were young and restless

We needed to unwind

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I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no

"So, today you turned twenty. How does it feel?" Mrs. Weasly cleared the cake from the table as Ron mulled over his gifts.

And now the times are changin'

"It's so different, Mum; from when I was little." He took another sip of beer. "Why can't she still be around?" Mrs. Weasly came over to him and put her arms around him.

"Dear, you must forget about her." Ron looked up at her. "She wasn't good enough for you. Besides, what about Hermione?"

"What about her?" Ron yawned.

"Isn't she-"

"Mum, she and Harry are getting married in a few months." Ron started.

"Three months, twenty days, five hours, thirty two minutes and fifty seven seconds." Mrs. Weasly muttered under her breath, but Ron didn't notice.

"I can't do that to my best friend!"

"Fifty four."

"Besides, she never thought of me like that anyway."

"You never know what women-" Mrs. Weasly started again.

Look at everything that's come and gone

"Anyway, Mum, I'm going to go up to my room. You know, big day tomorrow. I'm finally starting my job at the Ministry." Ron trudged up the stairs, his fingers calling for his only escape.

"Forty nine."

"What mum?" Ron turned from the top of the stairs to look down.

"Nothing dear. Nothing at all..." Mrs. Weasly sighed heavily as she started on the dishes.

Sometimes when I play that old six-string

I think about ya wonder what went wrong

"Ron, I love you," she whispered in his ear as they stood, arms wrapped lazily around each other in the summer evening

Standin' on your mama's porch

you told me it would last forever

"I love you too, -"

Oh the way you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never

those were the best days of my life

back in the summer of '69.