Rating:: PG-13
House:: Schnoogle
Genres:: Action Romance
Era:: Multiple Eras
Spoilers:: Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:: Published: 04/16/2005

Updated: 04/16/2005

Words: 5,069

Chapters: 1

Hits: 639

What Happens Now?

livejournalgeek

Story Summary:: Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione are trying to get over Sirius' death. Since what happened in the Department of Mysteries, all of them have grown up. Ron most of all. Ron tries to cope with his feelings towards Hermione and vice versa. Harry knows he wants Ginny and he knows he's gonna have her, but can he keep her? Lucius Malfoy goes on trial and there is something different about Draco, when going through this.

Chapter 01

Chapter Summary:: Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione are trying to get over Sirius' death. Since what happened in the Department of Mysteries, all of the have grown up. Ron most of all. Ron tries to cope with his feelings towards Hermione and vice versa. Harry knows he wants Ginny and he knows he's gonna have her, but can he keep her? Lucius Malfoy goes on trial and there is something different about Draco, when going through this.

Posted:: 04/16/2005

Hits:: 639

Author's Note:: I would like to thank my beta Krissi. She has made all of this happen for me. I thank her. :)

Chapter One ~ Ice

ICE

The ice is thin come on dive in underneath my lucid skin,
The cold is lost, forgotten
Hours pass days pass time stands still light gets dark
And darkness fills my secret heart forbidden

I think you worried for me then the subtle way that I'd give in but I know
You like the show
Tied down to this bed of shame
Tried to move around the pain but Oh
Your soul is anchored

The only comfort is the moving of a river,
You enter into me a lie upon your lips,
Offer what you can, I'll take all I can get,
Only fools here,

I don't like your tragic sighs as if your God has passed you by,
Well hey fool that's your deception,
Your angel speak with jilted tongues the serpents tail has come undone,
You have no strength to squander,

The only comfort is the moving of a river,
You enter into me a lie upon your lips,
Offer what you can I'll take all I can get,
Only a fool's here to stay
Only a fool's here to stay
Only a fool's here…

Sarah McLachlan

Ron was lying on his bed at Number 12 Grimmauld Place thinking. Hermione was supposed to be there in an hour maybe, maybe less. Ginny was excited, because then she would have a girl to talk to. Ron had written Harry over the summer, but Harry was only brief in his letters back. He wouldn't write more than a paragraph. He knew Harry was still upset about Sirius' death and he was too, but he couldn't stand for Harry to be this way. This wasn't his best friend.

"But it is," he said to himself. This is Harry. This is his best friend. This was the Harry that had never been uncovered and had somehow been slipping out in the past years and now it was in full bloom. Ron closed his eyes and swallowed. He should have seen this part of Harry long ago. But he was to naïve. He had thought that he was Harry Potter. He had been the perfect person in Ron's mind. So now he and Hermione have a distant and dark friend. Harry had begun to close up and he wouldn't confide in them as much as he used too. Harry was like ice. Hard and cold sometimes. Harry was slipping away from them and there was nothing they could do, but watch it happen.

But there was something they could do. They would have to make Harry talk to them, tell them what was wrong. They knew his life wasn't the beautiful picture everyone wants it to be. They knew his life isn't perfect. He has problems. "More problems than a bloke of sixteen should have," Ron muttered to himself.

Life isn't fair, Ron concluded. Life is never what you want it to be. It is always full of complications and difficulties, but they were Wizards. They are different from the other people in the world. They have more problems with their lives than anyone does. The problem now was Voldemort.

Voldemort. Ron shuddered at the name. How could someone, be so evil? Why would they want to? "Power. Power is the reason," he whispered. Yes, that was it. Power. Power would make you do crazy things. Power is the root of all evil in the Wizarding world. Ron had often wondered what it would have been like if he and his family had been Muggles. He knew it would be quite different and they would probably be a disgrace, but people already said they were a disgrace to the Wizarding World.

This is reality. Wizards have problems, but what if the wizards got into a fight with the Muggles? Who would win then? What if Voldemort took up Muggles to help him? How could they defeat Voldemort? Ron groaned. There is just no answer. They wouldn't know until the War and even now they had no idea when that will be.

If we lost… Ron wouldn't let himself finish that thought. It would be horrible. He heard his mother's voice telling them it was time for dinner and heard a crash and Mrs. Black's voice. He sighed. "Oh Tonks, you clumsy Bludger," he said to himself. With that he stood up and made his way to dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry stood in front of the mirror hating himself. He wanted to throw something at the mirror and wanted to watch it shatter and fall to the floor. He turned to go to his bed and suddenly turned around again and slammed his fist into the mirror. It broke and glass shattered on the floor. His chest was heaving with anger. He could see, in what little glass was left, that dawn was breaking. He had hardly slept over the summer. Not since Sirius died.

He would wake up in a sweat and his scar would be burning. How could Sirius leave him at a time like this? He needed him. He couldn't go on alone like this. He had to get out of this house. The house he had grown up in was haunting him. He couldn't stand be chained here. He turned and glared out of the window. Slowly the anger resided and left him in grief. He slid down the wall and hung his head in his hands. His shoulders shook with the force of crying and when he could cry no more he felt like he was drained of all energy. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

There had to be some explanation. That veil, that stupid veil that took Sirius from his life forever. But had Sirius not been there none of that would have happened. Yet had Harry not believed what he had seen to be true, Sirius would still be here. Harry opened his eyes and looked out of the window. The sky was an orange yellow and it made everything seem so serene. He looked about his room, noting that books, clothes, quills, rolls of parchment and his broom was strewn about the room.

He felt like he was ice. Everybody seemed to think so too, since they were very careful when speaking to him. They spoke to him as if he would break if they said something. He hated it. In his friends letter's they were so gentle, as to not upset him.

He looked at the clock angrily. It was almost six in the morning. He would be seeing the Weasley's in a few hours. He would be seeing his two best friends in the entire world. The two of whom, he would get angry with for no reason at all. The last letter Ron had written him he had said they were to pick him up at nine o'clock on his birthday. Today was his sixteenth birthday.

He, Harry Potter, was sixteen. He picked up a piece of the mirror and looked at his broken reflection. He had noticed the changes his body had taken over the summer and he noticed the darker look his eyes had taken. He agreed that he wasn't ugly, but a handsome boy. His jaw was the sharp jaw of his father and he had the eyes of his mother. He wasn't half as tall as Ron, and probably not as built, but he was handsome in his way too. He had the lips of his father, but the nose of his mother. He had never really seen what other girls have, but now he did. He shrugged and ran a hand over his jaw and chin. He needed to shave, before the Weasley's and Hermione arrived. He wondered how Ron shaved, knowing he did, because he had mentioned it in a letter once.

He opened the door quietly and made sure his aunt and uncle were still asleep before slipping down the hall and into the bathroom. He turned and looked for the razor that he had seen his uncle use many times before and spotted it. He looked at it for a moment, a bit uncertain. Then he remembered he used shaving cream also. He looked through the shampoo, soap, and other necessities. Finally he found it. He squirted a little onto his hands then he smoothed it over his skin. He picked up the razor nervously and began. When he was finished he rinsed the stuff off of his face and then he looked at his work. His first time and not even a scratch. He gave a slight smile that would make the girls melt and then walked back to his room, satisfied.

He began to put his belongings in his trunk and when he was finished it was almost eight. He had only one hour left to spare. Since it was a Saturday, his family wouldn't be up till later. He decided to pick up the mirror he broke and then he dumped the pieces in the trashcan by him. He felt his scar tingle unpleasantly, but he was used to it by now. He went to Hedwig's cage and looked at her for a long moment, until a pair of girls brown eyes floated in front of his face. He hadn't realized he had been looking at Hedwig's brown eyes. The pair of eyes had startled him.

"It must be because I'll be seeing her in less than thirty minutes," he muttered to himself. As he reached down to look for his broom, he noticed a letter that he had obviously never opened. He didn't recognize the handwriting, he was about to open it when he looked at the clock. They would be here in a few minutes. He stuffed the letter in the pocket of his trousers. He would read it later, he thought to himself.

He dragged his trunk downstairs along with Hedwig's cage. He walked into the kitchen, when he heard four people falling out of the fireplace.

"Gerroff me Ginny!" He heard Ron's voice say quietly. He heard shuffling and then three other voices.

"So… this is where Potter lives eh? Nice place, to bad their Muggles," said a voice Harry didn't recognize. He heard Ron's angry voice.

"Shut it Smith." Harry didn't know who "Smith" was but it was familiar. He had recognized the name. "It's enough you have to be here because of Ginny, but you don't have to be rude. I've put up with you for to damn long," Ron said in a voice full of anger and frustration. He heard Hermione scold Ron.

"Ignore him Zach. Where's Harry anyway. His stuff is right here, but no Harry," he heard Ginny's voice say. He put two and two together and realized that it was Zacharias Smith who was with them and for Ginny. Her new boyfriend. He clenched his fists. He shouldn't have thought about her at all. He walked out of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. Ron looked over at him and then he smiled. Harry smiled back. "We've been looking of you." Harry let out a slight laugh.

"So I heard," he said and his eyes settled on Zacharias. "Smith," he said with a slight not of his head. He, Smith, slid his arm around Ginny's shoulders as if claiming her. And Harry had to fight with himself.

"Potter," he said and raised his blonde eyebrows. In a way, he reminded him of Malfoy. Harry moved his eyes and let them settle on Ginny. She hadn't grown much, but she had let her hair grow out. It was full and a deep rich colour. Her lips were parted slightly and felt his eyes travel her face. Her eyes were a bright brown and they were looking at him, as he was she. Harry slowly let his eyes travel her body. Yes… she had changed a lot. He thought to himself. She was wearing jeans and a tee shirt that looked like they used to be Ron's when he was nine.

"Hi Ginny," he said tightly. Harry saw that in her eyes, it wasn't the look she used to give him. It was warm, but only in a friendly fashion. She smiled and suddenly he felt like it was only he and Ginny. He wanted to jerk her to him and kiss her passionately.

"Hi Harry," she said with a small laugh. He felt the heat in his cheeks. He couldn't believe that he had just thought that. She was his best friend's little sister. Hermione had noticed the exchange between he and Ginny and she cleared her throat.

"Are we ready to go? Do you have all of your stuff?" she asked in a motherly type of voice. He nodded and went to pick up his stuff, but when he did, his hand accidentally brushed Ginny's and he felt as is an electric shock went through him. He tried to shake it from himself, and he glanced at Ginny and she was now holding Smith's hand. He had the sudden urge to throttle him. When he had his trunk Ron looked at him.

"Okay… here's the thing. We're staying at the Burrow because it," he indicated Smith, "will be staying with us. Mum will be there when we get there, but no one else will. Okay?" Harry nodded and wondered if he would be able to talk to anyone about what's going on. He stepped by the fireplace and Ron handed him some Floo Powder. When he did, he whispered, "Lupin and Tonks will come by tomorrow. Don't worry." Harry looked at him. How'd he know what he was thinking. Ron pushed Harry into the fireplace and Harry stumbled slightly. Harry threw the powder and said the words.

When he stumbled through the fireplace of The Burrow there was no one to be seen. He moved out of the way with his trunk so everyone could come through. After a few moments, Ron stumbled through cursing. Harry watched him as he sat on his trunk with an amused smile. Ron looked to where Harry was watching him and he smiled also.

"Smith. I hate that bloke," he said with bitterness in his voice. Ron continued to dust off his trousers and then, without warning, Hermione tumbled through and landed on Ron. He fell on the floor with a "whoof" and Hermione laughed. She stood up and helped him up. His ears and face were red from embarrassment. Next came Ginny and Zacharias. Smith was holding Ginny and she had her arms around his neck as they stumbled through the fireplace. Harry felt his jaw tighten and he clenched his fists at his side.

He just felt that Smith was making a show of it. But how could he know that you would of a sudden develop feelings for her? A voice in the back of his head asked. He brushed it away impatiently, knowing he would have Ginny sooner or later. He averted his gaze and looked at Hedwig. Still he had no relief because then Ginny began talking. He realized with a painful pang that her voice made him feel floppy inside.

"Fred and George, Charlie, and Bill should be here in an hour. Mum's supposed to be here. I can't imagine where though," she added thoughtfully. Harry chanced a glance at her and was relieved to see that Smith wasn't touching her. It was taking a lot of self control t not throttle him. At that precise moment, Mrs. Weasley apparated before them. She smiled and rushed to greet Harry. He stood up and she hugged him tightly.

"Hello Harry dear," she said as she stood back. "I hope your family has taken care of you. You seem awfully thin," said as she observed him. Smith rolled his eyes and Ron shot him a look. Even though Smith was in the DA he wasn't really fond of Harry. Ron didn't like him period. "Ron you take Harry's things to your room. Your brothers and father should be here in a little while." Harry and Ron walked upstairs with Hermione behind them. Ginny wanted to follow, but Smith held her back. He said he wanted to talk to her. She had looked at Harry and Smith had noticed.

Ron opened the door to his orange room and Harry felt like he was home again. After Ron closed the door Harry asked the question that had been nagging him.

"How'd Ginny get together with Smith from Hufflepuff? I thought she had been looking at Dean?" Ron gave him a look at if studying him then answered.

"Well obviously they had become buddy-buddy after she had dumped Corner and they met because of the DA. Over the summer he wrote her and said he wanted to go out. At least," he cast a look at Hermione, "that's what she says." Hermione laughed.

"That's what Ginny told me Ron," she said and then looked at Harry. "So… what happened to your hand?" He looked down at his hands and noticed that his right hand was cut up. He blushed slightly.

"I uh… I cut myself cooking," he said not wanting to tell them the real reason. She nodded; knowing it was a lie, but didn't want to pressure him, remembering what happened last time.

"Well… like I told you mate, Tonks and Lupin will be by here tomorrow to talk to you privately. They wanted to come today, because of your birthday, but the Order needed them. They said Hermione and I can listen too," Ron said in a low tone. He didn't want Smith to hear them. Harry nodded. He would wait to ask questions till tomorrow.

"When did Smith get here?" he didn't realize it was the second question concerning Ginny in less than five minutes. Ron hid his smile, hoping.

"Two weeks ago. Same time as 'Mione." Harry caught the nickname and glanced at Hermione and Ron who didn't seem to notice the name. They at in silence for a few moments until a knock on the door startled them. Harry opened the door and Ginny was standing there. She looked up at Harry he had an overwhelming urge to kiss those pink lips that were parted slightly.

"Can I come in?" He nodded, and stepped back, rubbing the back of his head, ashamed of the thoughts he was having. She handed Ron a note and then smiled at Harry and he felt like he would burst his seams. Harry saw Ron's cobalt blue eyes flick over the sheet of parchment then he smiled. He stood up and placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"Um… Ginny and I will be back up in a little while," he said and then looked at Hermione. "You stay with Harry." And with that he walked out of the room and Ginny stopped for a moment and looked at Harry.

"Do you shave?" He was startled so all he could do was only nod and placed his hands in his pockets. "The after shave smells good. You look good." And she walked out of the room. Harry stood immobilized for a moment and then looked at Hermione.

"D'you like it in France?" She shrugged. She hadn't said much since they had arrived and Harry was a little worried about her. She titled her head up to see him as he looked down at her. "How's Krum?"

"He's fine. He was in France while I was so he got to meet my family. It was nice. But the question… how have you been Harry? I know that when you would right to Ron and I you didn't right more than a paragraph. Your hand also tells its own story. You can tell us you're fine but we know you're not. Why can't you just tell us what's wrong?" That's why she was quite. She wanted to ask the questions at a good time. Harry's eyes darkened and he felt the anger whip around him.

"I have been fine. It's not of your business anyway. If I say I'm fine and I'm not and I'm not saying that I'm not fine," he added when she opened her mouth to protest. "Then you shouldn't question me. My hand has nothing to do with it. I was angry and I hit something. Maybe I don't want to tell you everything. I'll tell you when I'm good and ready," he said angrily. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Okay… maybe it was a bad time to bring it up," she said mostly to herself. He sat down on the edge of his bed and plucked at the spread.

"What's Ginny doing?" he asked suddenly. "Er… and Ron," he added hastily. He mentally kicked himself. He can't do that! He can't just keep asking about Ginny. If she had noticed she sure was good at not showing it.

"I don't know." Yet she looked as if she did know. He shrugged and was about to stand up and open the door when it opened and Ron stood there.

"Mum wants you both downstairs," he said in an anxious tone. Harry shut the door behind them and followed Hermione downstairs. When Harry reached the landing, everyone yelled happy birthday. Harry was shocked. He had almost forgotten.

In the middle of the room there was a banner and it sparkled. And it read:

Happy Sixteenth Birthday Harry!!

Harry smiled and laughed a little. He saw the twins sitting on the arms of the chairs and were smiling broadly at him. Ginny he noticed was sitting on Smith's lap and he wanted to tear them apart. She was holding her gift tightly while grinning and Smith was leaning against the couch playing with her hair. He had one too and was smiling slightly. Mrs. Weasley led Harry to a chair and sat him down. Ron handed him his gift first and the tips of his ears turned red. Harry took the gift and told Ron thanks. He opened it and thought it was so cool. It was a book of the best Quidditch plays ever played and the most famous teams. He looked at Ron who coloured.

"I thought the Quidditch Captain should have it," he said weakly. Harry looked at him, astonished.

"Who said that I should be the Captain? I would have expected you to follow Charlie's lead. It seems you have earned it. Prefect," he said with a smile. Ron let out a low chuckle. His voice was twice as deep as Harry's was. Fred and George gave him their gift, which was a gift package, from their shop. Everyone laughed when he opened it and it flew around the room and said, "Ha Ha… you shouldn't have done that." Harry laughed and then it finally came back to him. After everyone had given him his or her gift, Ginny was the only one who remained. She walked up to him slowly and handed him the gift. When he took it, he was shocked to find that it was really heavy. It was wrapped in gold paper and had a scarlet ribbon around it. Harry took careful care to not mess up the wrapping and the ribbon.

When he pulled away the paper he looked at Ginny. She was avoiding his eyes and he couldn't figure out why. It was the best gift anyone had ever given him. The cover was red and had a black binding. It had the Gryffindor Crest emblazoned on it and the pages, if you looked at it while the book was closed, were rimmed with gold. He opened it and felt tears smart the backs of his eyes. His mum, dad, Sirius and Lupin were waving at him and his parents were holding each other.

Harry turned the page and saw a sketch of his father and at the bottom of the sketch Lily Evans was signed. She had sketched his father. On the page next to it, Sirius was sitting back against a tree reading a book and his father was sitting beside him trying to get his attention and Sirius was smiling slightly. He lifted his eyes and found everyone looking at him, but only wanted to look at Ginny. She met his gaze and swallowed.

"Ginny… this is," he searched for the right words. "Wonderful. I love it. Did-did you make it?" She nodded and Harry smiled. "I love it even more, knowing you did it." Smith's eyes snapped up to Harry and he ignored him. Ginny looked shocked, but pleased. She blushed and looked away. Harry would talk to her later about it. He wanted to thank her in a special way, and not in front of everyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner Harry sought out Ginny. He found her sitting in the backyard under a willow with a book. He was angry that Smith had his head in her lap and was playing with her hair. She was reading to him and the scene looked like one out of a Muggle movie. He walked up behind them and cleared his throat. She looked up and smiled at him while Smith opened his eyes to see who the intruder was.

"Can I speak to Ginny?" When Smith made no move to get up, he shifted. "Er… privately?" Smith sighed and stood up, looking to relaxed for Harry's taste. Ginny was looking at him with puzzlement showing on her fine brow. Smith leaned down and lightly brushed his lips upon hers. He whispered something to her and she smiled warmly at him. He turned and walked into the house, leaving Harry alone with Ginny. "You want to walk with me?" he asked nervously. Maybe he could walk off the nervousness. She nodded and dog-eared her book and laid it down in the plush grass. They began walking and Harry didn't know how to start.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked as they rounded a corner that concealed them from the Burrow.

"I wanted to talk to you about the present you gave me," he said looking at the darkening sky. He stopped walking when he couldn't see the Burrow and knew no one could see them. "I really do like it. It's the best thing anyone has ever done for me. It's the best gift I have ever gotten. How did you make it?" He sat down on the ground and reclined slightly and he lightly, tugged her hand. She sat down next to him and her hair fell over her shoulders. He had the sudden urge to run his fingers through the mass and feel it's softness.

"Well after we left Hogwarts we went to the vacation house and I started looking through old boxes and things and I found everything. Obviously, Snuffles had kept everything. Kreacher hadn't taken anything that I know of. I started thinking about what I could do with it all and by the time I had figured out what I could do, Zach wrote to me. So I had to bring everything here and do it, before you got here. I didn't know if you would like it, but it was a good try I thought. Hermione said you would love it," she said and Harry moved slightly closer to her. Their hands were almost touching because of the positions they were sitting in. "I guess you like it?" she whispered to him. He looked at her and lifted his hand nervously and took a tress of her hair in his hand.

She turned her head and her eyes were warm. He couldn't place the look in them. He leaned towards her.

"Yes… I love it," he whispered and lightly brushed his lips over hers. He pulled back to look at her and saw that her eyes were closed. That was enough encouragement. He leaned forward and took her lips in a kiss and she sighed against him. He slid his free hand around her waist and pulled her to him. She slipped her arm around his neck and he lowered himself over her. He had never kissed a girl like this before. With Cho it wasn't the kiss he had been wanting for a first kiss, but who could pass it up? It was a kiss.

He had his hand on her small waist and slid it up into her hair. It was as soft as he had imagined it would be. He pulled his mouth away and he kissed her forehead. She had her eyes closed and he relished in having her so near. She moved her head up and lightly kissed his lips. A voice startled them and they jerked apart. They sat up and Ginny pressed her hands to her cheeks trying to keep her flush from coming up. Harry stood up quickly and pulled her to her feet. She stepped back from him so no one would know what they had been doing.

"Ginny!" the voice called again. Harry knew it was Smith, wondering where Harry had taken his girlfriend. Harry mentally slapped himself. He had forgotten all about Smith. Ginny was smoothing her hair when Smith appeared. "Why are you all the way over here?" he asked a little uncertain. If he really trusted Ginny why should he question her?

"Harry just wanted to know what I think Hermione would like for her birthday and he didn't want anyone to hear," she said avoiding Harry's eyes. Smith cast a skeptical eye at Harry and took Ginny's hand, bringing her close to him. She was biting her bottom lip. When they were back in the house Ginny said she was tired and excused herself for bed. Not long after, Harry said the same and Ron followed.

"Did something happen between you and Ginny?" he asked as they changed for bed. Harry looked at him and shook his head.

"No. Why?" Ron shrugged and pulled his spread down and slid into bed.

"Both of you were really quiet when you cam back with Smith and she looked upset," he said as he turned the light off.

As Harry lay in bed he smiled. If only you knew why she was upset. He thought smugly. Smith came to bed not long after and Harry fell asleep thinking of the soft pink lips that belonged to his Ginny.

Author notes: I don't know if you can tell, but this is a new author. This is my first faniction almost. I hope you like it. If you do, please review.