Together Again

Together Again

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Chapter Two

The sun was setting, casting a soft golden glow on The Burrow one evening in July as Harry Potter celebrated his twenty-third birthday with his favourite wizarding family. Fortunately, all but two Weasley's and Hermione Granger were able to get together and throw Harry a surprise Birthday party. It did Harry's heart good to see his family (yes, they were his family) back together again, especially after the number of them (nine, including all the remaining Weasley's, Harry, and Heroine) that survived the brutal final battle that brought the Dark Side to its permanent downfall. Even Hermione's new fiancé Draco Malfoy had turned up for the occasion.

The garden was full of cheerful voices and clanking Tupperware. Fred and George were discussing Quidditch teams (the Chudley Cannons popping up quite frequently) with their brother Ron, and Ginny was giggling animatedly to Hermione about something. Draco was standing silently at Hermione's side. The Weasley's had put together a wonderful revelry for him.

"Hey Harry, come over here! We've got your presents lined up," Ron called to him.

"Coming!" Harry called.

"This one's from me, mate," Ron said with a smile, handing him a bag of tricks and treats from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade Village.

"Thanks Ron."

"I would've gotten you something a bit more original, but our gold has been running low since Hermione's Engagement Party. I have trouble figuring out what you'd like, too."

"When's your gold ever been high?" Draco sneered.

"Draco, darling, would you not do that anymore? We're adults now; we're not in Gryffindor and Slytherin houses."

"Sorry honey. Won't happen again," said Draco, the familiar satisfying smile after one of his verbal attacks remaining curved on his lips.

"This is great Ron, thanks." Harry chuckled slightly. Although it hurt him to say, he agreed with Draco; Weasley's gold had never exactly been high.

"Open mine now, Harry!" Hermione squealed excitedly.

It turned out Hermione had gotten him his very own superb model Snitch (much like the one Harry saw his father playing with outside on the Hogwarts grounds). He couldn't resist the urge to embrace her, although in his immature (if he does say so himself) days at school he never would've done anything of the sort. Of course, a lot of things had changed since he, Ron and Hermione (also known as the trio) graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself again with a magnificent Hogwarts-like feast. He almost stole a glance at Hermione to see if the superb food reminded her of the Hogwarts house-elves and S.P.E.W. (which she seemed to have given up on at last, as it hadn't gone very far). Ron had expressed before her Engagement Party that he didn't think he'd see the day when Hermione wasn't arguing with constant individuals about the slave labor done by the elves and the misery and woe they endured. Hermione had responded to this by putting the Jelly-Legs Jinx on him. It was actually quite humorous to watch the two of them act like they did at Hogwarts.

Harry spent the rest of the evening listening to the various conversations taking place around the large, eleven-person table. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking about with Hermione about living in Hogsmeade where the Weasley brothers resided, and Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron were discussing Quidditch teams once again.

"The Cannons have got to get somewhere this year. They've got the talent, they just need the recognition," said Ron, disgruntled.

"Ron, honestly, I think you get too into them. They're no where near as good as Bulgaria or Ireland. Both of those teams have already been to the Quidditch World Cup. Since when have the Cannons even gotten close?" said Charlie.

"How should I know?"

"They're your favourite team, you prat. You should know if they've ever gotten to, or close to, as was my question, the Quidditch World Cup."

"Shut up. Look, my point is, the Cannons could go places this year."

"Fat chance, Ronniekins," George sniggered.

"I wish you two would stop with that! I'm not thirteen years old at Hogwarts anymore."

"Awww, Ickle Ex-Prefect is trying to defend himself."

"I'm going up to my room," and with that Ron grabbed up his plate and headed back into the house.

"You'd better follow him, Harry," said Hermione, sounding concerned.

"Why is that?"

"Because! He needs someone to talk to."

"And he has to talk to me, because...?"

"Harry, just go! You know you don't want to see him upset any more than we do."

"I said it before and I'll say it again; I'm not running around trying to make him grow up."

"Harry! Would you just go and try to make your best friend feel better?"

"He won't listen to me."

"It's okay Harry; Ronniekins won't listen to anyone when he gets like that."

"Harry," Hermione shot him such a ferocious look that he finally gave in.

"All right, all right, I'm going."

Harry didn't like talking to Ron when he was having an episode. Ron was really psychotic emotionally, but he'd never admit it and Harry himself wasn't about to accuse him, for putting himself in danger of a verbal attack. So, obeying Hermione's command, he made his way up The Burrow's winding staircase to Ron's orange Chudley Cannons bedroom. Harry opened the door and found Ron gazing out of the window as if lost in thought, which was something you didn't often see.

"Ron, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Harry."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not? If it's coming out of my mouth it's true."

"Is that supposed to convince me?"

"Yes!" said Ron, rather fiercely.

"Look Ron, your brothers have fun making fun of you, but that shouldn't..."

"How would you know, Harry?? You've never been on the bottom rung of the ladder!"

"You're not on the bottom rung; Ginny is."

"Like that's saying something."

"Besides, I know exactly how it feels to be overshadowed in my parents'...well, guardian's eyes."

"I'm not overshadowed in just my mum and dad's eyes. It's everyone we know, all my friends...everybody."

"Listen to me, it doesn't matter if they make fun of you -- especially Fred and George, you should know they just enjoy making their brothers' lives miserable. If you really want to get back at them, don't act affected at all. They're looking for a response, and by running up to your room like a girl, you're giving them what they want."

"When did you become wise beyond your years?"

"I'm trying to help you, you git. If you don't want me too, I'll go home now."

"Fine, go home. I'll owl you sometime."

Harry knew Ron was being his stubborn self and wouldn't budge a muscle, so he left the room, went down the living room to say good- to bye all of the other Weasley's and Hermione and thank them for their get together for him and his gifts. After gathering up everything he was taking with him, he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it into the fire Mr. Weasley had just lit for him. Harry watched the flames grow emerald green, shouted "Diagon Alley!" and disappeared into the fireplace.

He appeared in his own fireplace not much longer after that, Hedwig hooting at him affectionately, her amber eyes gazing at him. He strode over to her, set his presents down on the table and stroked her smooth feathers momentarily before heading to his bedroom for a good night's sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

Two weeks later on another warm July morning, Harry awoke to fluttering and pecking at his window sill. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and putting his glasses revealed the owl to be a very energetic and ecstatic (as usual) Pigwidgeon. Harry smiled at the tiny owl and let him in, struggling to take the small scroll of parchment attached to his minute and fluttering leg.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you Pig?"

Harry opened the letter Pigwidgeon had been carrying and read through it. The smile that had been on his face only moments ago didn't vanish, but the expression changed from happy and amused to slightly puzzled.

Dear Harry,

I'm sorry I didn't say much to you yesterday when you were here; especially about this. My infatuation with you when I was in my first and second years at school never did go away. I thought they did, as you heard Hermione explain. I went with a few boys, snogged a few others. But none of them had filled the void you seemed to have left there in my heart.

Unlike my dear brother Ron, however, I decided to act on this before you grabbed up some other witch. I felt a little weird dropping this bomb on you face to face, so an owl seemed the next best way to let you know. I feel much better about it now that it's off my chest. We can talk more about it if you like; I'll be in Hogsmeade this weekend, if you'd like to meet me somewhere in Hogsmeade. Let me know by return owl.

Yours Always,

Ginny

He blinked, unsure he was reading the parchment correctly. It wasn't upsetting, it was just shocking. Having Ginny Weasley feel this way about him was quite flattering, and it's not like he had his eye on anyone. It wouldn't hurt him at all to give his old friend and his best friend's little sister a chance, so he searched for a quill, ink, and a slip of parchment.

An inch from the parchment, however, he paused. He had no idea what he should write, besides his answer to meeting Ginny in Hogsmeade. He didn't feel exactly the same way she did, but he told himself that it wasn't impossible to begin to feel that way. Finally deciding the wording path he'd take, he dipped the quill in the ink and put quill to parchment.

Dear Ginny,

I'm very flattered. I bet you expect me to put right here that I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way, right? Well, that's not what I'm going to write at all. I think the possibility of -- ahem! -- "us" is a definite possibility. So don't fret, because all hope isn't lost.

I will meet you in Hogsmeade this weekend. Is Saturday okay? I don't have much planned as you can imagine. I'll just be wandering around the Village, maybe in The Three Broomsticks, maybe Honeyduke's. I'll look for you at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. See you then!

Yours Always,

Harry

Harry folded the parchment up and took several minutes capturing Pigwidgeon and tying his letter to tiny Pigwidgeon's leg. He waited several minutes as usual to watch Pigwidgeon fly into the morning sky. He hadn't even been able to eat breakfast with Pigwidgeon's arrival, so he went to his kitchen and got out a box of corn flakes, a carton of milk, and a spoon.

After properly feeing himself, he headed out to his new job at Quality Quidditch Supplies. It turned out to be just as great a place to work at as it was to visit. It paid a reasonable amount (not that Harry needed that much money), and the talk and discussion consisted a great deal of Quidditch (which Harry liked very much).

Finally Friday had arrived and Harry was on his last day of work for the week. The end of the week did not only signify the end of Harry's work week, it signified the time when Harry would meet Ginny again face to face for the first time since her owl arrived. He couldn't say he wasn't nervous at all, but he probably had much less butterflies in his stomach than Ginny did.

"All right Henry, I'm clocking out. Have a good weekend, see you on Monday."

"See ya, Harry."

Harry punched his card in the clock's slot and continued down the winding road of Diagon Alley toward The Leaky Cauldron. He saw a few familiar faces on his path, and he gave a short and polite 'hello' as he passed them. He ran into Seamus Finnigan, however, and knew he couldn't just pass one of his suitemates and best friends at Hogwarts without stopping for a short conversation.

"Hiya, Harry! How've you been?" asked Seamus.

"I've been fine. I hope you're doing all right."

"Yep, never better! Got a house near Hogsmeade and I'm now engaged to Parvati, if you can believe it."

"Engaged?" Harry asked, sounding slightly taken aback.

"Yeah, why? I just proposed last week."

"Well...well congratulations, mate."

"Thanks a lot. Hey, you never talk about your love life?"

"It's non-existent, Seamus. I'll see you, all right?"

"Owl me sometime all right?"

"Will do," Harry called behind him to Seamus.

Harry didn't know why he showed such bitterness to Seamus upon hearing the news of his engagement to Parvati. Normally, Harry would clap Seamus on the back and write him a congratulatory owl the minute he got to some ink, a quill, and parchment. All he felt like doing, however, was grabbing a snack and heading to bed.

It was not, as one might imagine, Harry being jealous of Seamus for having Parvati Patil as a fiancée. Harry was jealous of all of his friends (except Ron) because they all had beautiful girls who cared about them. Draco Malfoy, as much as Harry avoided admitting it before, obviously had a better choice in females than Harry cared to acknowledge. Hermione was certainly an ideal woman (no, not girl) to bring home to the family.

Harry had never given his relationship life much thought, but now he realized that there was only one word to describe how he felt: lonely. The idea of having a woman in his life who showed him the type of affection who no one else could was a good one, and more than ever he was looking forward to meeting Ginny in Hogsmeade on Saturday.

*~*~*~*~*

The sun rose on Saturday morning and Harry felt better than he had since the final battle in which he defeated the Dark Side. He ate a quick porridge and orange juice breakfast, and then got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a green T-shirt. He checked his image in the bathroom mirror and decided he looked presentable enough. Harry grabbed some gold from his at-home stash and located his wand on his bedside table, then Disapparated to Hogsmeade Village.

Upon his arrival in the entirely wizarding village, his first stop was (very predictably) The Three Broomsticks. He ordered a butterbeer (also predictable), and took a seat near the window to get a better look outside. His nerves were working harder than they ever had before as the time passed and Ginny still hadn't appeared anywhere. He left The Three Broomsticks and paid a visit to Honeyduke's, then took another turn up to Zonko's Joke Shop. It felt almost like a betrayal to the Weasley twins to be visiting a rival Joke Shop, but he was only stalling and didn't buy anything. He was purposely avoided Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, for fear that Ginny might be there visiting her brothers or worse, waiting for him; he wanted to buy himself as much time as possible. For a person who'd just realized he was lonely and wanted a companion like Ginny (with that person having already revealed secret feelings), Harry was surprisingly nervous.

After visiting The Shrieking Shack, Dervish & Banges, Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, and just about every other shop or building he could think of in Hogsmeade that might be of any interest to him, he decided to chance an appearance in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He was greeted automatically when he entered, and sure enough, Ginny was behind the counter with her brother George.

"Hi Ginny," Harry managed to croak out in a voice that didn't seem like his. This was ridiculous; he wasn't thirteen anymore.

"Hey Harry! I was hoping I'd see you in here. Would you like to take a walk?"

"Uh...sure, why not?"

"Great, let's go."

"Wait a minute Ginny! You can't just abandon the register!"

"Calm down George. RON!" Ginny yelled.

"What the bloody hell do you want?? Yelling that loud could make a person go deaf."

"Run the register for me will you?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I asked you too! Please Ron, just do me this favor?"

"All right, all right," Ron responded.

"Thanks. Let's go, Harry."

"Where are you and Harry going?"

"None of your business." Ginny rolled her eyes and turned on her heel.

"I don't want attitude Ginny, I want an answer. I'm your older brother, I have a right to know."

"And I have a right, as a younger sister, to keep it from you. Now get out of my business."

With that, Ginny was out of the door, Harry right behind her. Harry shot an apologetic look back at Ron, but he wasn't sure he caught it. Ginny was walking at rather quick pace and heading in the direction of Madam Puddifoot's. Another wave of bewilderment crashed upon Harry as he continued to follow the youngest Weasley through the winding Hogsmeade paths. Harry's suspicions about Madam Puddifoot's were confirmed moments later as they arrived at her front door and Ginny pushed it open. Harry almost laughed a little at being back in the small coffee shop. He had visited this shop once in his fifth year with his crush at the time, Cho Chang. It was free of the cherubs fluttering up above the tables and dropping confetti on the occupants of the table that Valentine's Day, but it maintained a similar atmosphere. Ginny found a table further from the door and rest of the people in the shop than the rest.

"May I ask why you chose to lead us to Madam Puddifoot's?"

"It's a quaint little place, isn't it?" Harry had 'unconvinced' written all over his face. "Okay fine! I didn't want to be overheard by Fred, George, or Ron. I don't feel like hearing their mouths right now."

"Didn't we learn our don't-want-to-be-overheard lesson in The Hogs Head a few years ago?"

"Very funny Harry. You know they won't be caught dead near this place."

"Sorry...that's true."

"Don't worry. So...I take it you got my owl."

"I sure did." What an idiot! Harry thought. Pull yourself together, you sound like a prat!

"Hello, would you two kids like anything to drink?" Madam Puddifoot had just approached their table.

"Oh...yes, I'll have coffee," said Harry, coming to himself momentarily.

"I'll have tea," said Ginny.

"Great. I'll be right back."

"Right, well...back to our discussion...well, if you don't want to take things any further...I'll understand..." Ginny murmured.

"Oh no, I do! Listen, I've been doing a little thinking since I got your owl, and how all my friends are finding partners and husbands and wives and whatnot. After Seamus came to me and said he was engaged to Parvati..."

"He's what?? Didn't see that one coming."

"I know! Anyway, I've recently realized that I want a special girl in my life, and..."

"Here you go, kids."

"Oh, thank you" Ginny said. "What were you saying, Harry?"

"I was saying, I've just realized that I want a special girl in my life and..."

"I heard that part."

"Okay! Look, I've realized that you could be that special girl in my life...you could fill that space." He paused for a moment to let her take in what he'd just said.

"Oh Harry...that just makes me feel a lot better. I felt so much unease writing that owl, my hand wash shaking..."

"I could tell." She laughed a little.

"So does that mean that we're...well, you know...?" asked Ginny tentatively.

"I'm all for it, if you are." His answer was blunt and clear.

"Well I am," she responded with a smile.

"Then I am too."

Quite unexpectedly, Ginny then leaned across the small round table and placed her lips (glossed with Watermelon lip gloss) on Harry's in a kiss that would begin a whole new relationship. Harry knew the short-lived feeling of being lonely was ephemeral as he kissed Ginny back. After a few minutes the two finally parted and finished their coffee and tea. Ginny was in such a strong fit of giggles that it took her another quarter of an hour to finish her tea.

Harry smiled at her and took her hand as they left a tip on their table and left the shop to drop the bomb on her mother and father at The Burrow...and to avoid Fred, George, and Ron for the time being. Harry wasn't sure they were ready to be hit with the information yet, but soon enough they would be. In the meantime, for Harry, it looked like Harry had found that little ray of sunshine to light up his life that he'd been looking for.