You Don't See Me

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Lingering Tensions

The next morning, I walked sleepily into the kitchen and placed my coffee mug next to the issue of the Daily Prophet I had spread out over the kitchen table. I was soon on my second cup, but neither the caffeine nor the cold shower I'd taken had done much to get my blood flowing.

Any moment now, my older brothers would be arriving with their respective families. It was bound to be a busy week for all of us at the Burrow. The date of the anniversary was a week from today. My parents, for their part, didn't want to make a big deal out of the affair but all of us children insisted on a celebration anyway.

"I should have went to bed early last night," I mumbled, falling into a chair. I stared at the words going in and out of focus on the paper. Folding my arms, I dropped my head and yawned.

"Good morning! Still the early bird as always I see," a voice came from behind.

I raised my face just enough to make eye contact with Harry, who was looking annoyingly awake.

"You spent the night here?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, I had no choice," he explained. "I was too tired to Apparate back home when our conversation broke up late last night and Abby fell comfortably asleep in the twins' room while waiting for us to finish."

"Oh," was all I could say in return.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. His jet black hair was still uncombed, but his green eyes seemed alive.

"Be my guest," I replied. He then reached for the box of cereal and poured some for himself. Within seconds, he was digging into his breakfast.

And there we were, just like the old days when Harry spent half of his summers here at the Burrow. There was no denying the fact that a lot of things have changed since then, but I still enjoy remembering those years. Life was far simpler back then compared to now when we both have so much more in our lives to think about.

"So, did Sirius and Remus spend the night here as well?" I asked Harry. I thought it was possible since we had a couple of empty bedrooms after my brothers moved out.

"Nope," he replied. "They said they had to be back at Hogwarts since Prof. Dumbledore had called a staff meeting today. Your parents invited them to stay for the night but they insisted on Apparating back."

"Too bad, I didn't get the chance to say farewell," I said. "My head still aches from going to bed late last night though."

"Late? Are you kidding? You went to bed much earlier than the rest of us," Harry confirmed.

"At one o'clock in the morning?"

"Still early compared to us who stayed up until three o'clock in the morning," he countered with a smile.

"Oh dear, then why do you look so awake?" I asked. "I still feel like a zombie despite having finished two cups of coffee."

"Jet lag probably," Harry said. "I'm used to waking up early no matter how late I slept the night before. Maybe you just need to get used to Britain's time zone again."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said, covering my mouth as I yawned again. "Even though I've been here for a couple of days already, I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet."

"You'll get used to it," he replied, finishing off his cereal. Then he bolted from his seat as if he'd just remembered something. "I have to go wake up Abby. I promised to take her downtown today to buy her outfit for the school presentation."

"School presentation?" I inquired.

"Oh! Haven't I told you yet?" Harry replied, settling back into his seat. "Abby asked to be enrolled in pre-school since she wants to socialize with kids her age. I figured it would do her some good as well while she's not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts."

"Muggle pre-school? That's cool! I wish I got to go to one as well," I said.

"Hey listen, the presentation's going to be next Tuesday. I was just wondering -" Harry went on.

"Yes?" I replied tentatively.

"If you'd like to come and watch Abby perform?" he burst out. "I'm sure she'd be delighted. She really likes you, you know that?"

"I really like her too. She's such a smart kid for her age," I replied.

"Well, that's one reason I love her so much," he proudly said. "She's the best reminder I have of Cho."

I sat there, just watching his profile, my heart pounding. This line of conversation was making me tense, but I didn't want to stop him. He obviously wanted to talk about this and I wanted him to feel better. He missed his wife so much, but there was nothing I could do about it. At least he still had his daughter. Abby was more than enough reason for him to go on living even after all the losses he had had.

****

While waiting for the arrival of my siblings, I decided to take a walk around Ottery St. Catchpole for some sight-seeing since I had nothing to do at home. Mum gave me permission on the condition that I won't take long. But then, I had so much fun reminiscing that I completely forgot the time. Rushing back home, I began to think of excuses I'd give to my parents and my brothers on why I was late.

Walking to the front door, I went inside, took a quick look around the living room... and stopped. The whole family, minus my parents and the grandchildren, were sitting on the couch looking up at me as if I had done something to merit detention. I had forgotten that we were going to have a family meeting.

"There you are!" Bill greeted me animatedly. "We've been waiting for you, Gin. Come on in and let's have a little talk."

"Sorry I missed your arrival," I mumbled, taking my coat off and walking into the living room to join the rest. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing so far," Charlie replied. "We just got here."

"It's nice to see you again, Ginny," Charlie's wife, Erin, addressed me. "I almost didn't recognize you when you walked in through the front door."

Via, Bill's wife, kissed my cheek as I sat next to them. "You've grown into a gorgeous lady, Ginny," she said. "I can't believe it's been seven years since I last saw you."

Angelina said the same. I smiled meekly. My sisters-in-law sure knew when a compliment was needed, and I loved them for that.

Of my six brothers, only Percy and George had remained unattached over the years. Well, Percy was married just a year after I left but the relationship didn't work out and so they parted ways. Since then, he has opted to remain single. George, on the other hand, probably abhors commitment since he changes girlfriends every other week. I'd rather not ask him who the flavor of the week was this time.

"Can we start now? Mum's bound to be home with the kids anytime soon," Percy sighed irritably.

"Okay, let's get down to business," Bill started. "Charlie, why don't you tell everyone here what needs to be accomplished for the anniversary party this Sunday?"

Charlie cleared his throat before he began, "Well, to start off, we obviously need someone to take care of the food. Plus, we need to find a gift for Mum and Dad coming from all of us. It has to be personalized."

Hermione raised her hand for a chance to say something. "Leave the food preparation to us ladies. We can take care of that," she said.

"What about the decorations? Who'll take care of the banners?" Ron asked. "And how about the kids' participation in this?"

"George will take care of that. Won't you, Uncle George?" Fred said. "He's very good with kids," he added in a whisper. George groaned in return. Apparently, this was one way of getting George to handle some responsibility and commitment.

"Charlie and I shall take care of setting up the garden then," Bill went on. "Oh, and Ginny -" he added.

Angelina cut him off trying to point out that someone had just walked in through the front door. For a moment I thought no one had noticed. But then, Harry's presence was just too hard to ignore.

"You were saying?" I asked Bill.

"Harry!" Bill got to his feet, smiling, shaking Harry's hand. "It's great to see you. Why don't you join us?"

"Bill! Hi!" Harry replied. "Sorry to interrupt. I didn't know you had a family meeting going on."

"Oh don't be silly! You know you're family too," Fred replied cheerfully. "Have a seat. We were just planning what to do on Mum and Dad's anniversary this Sunday."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked. I smiled at that remark. It was very typical of him to always volunteer for something even though nobody asked him yet.

"Actually, I think we've got everything covered," Bill said. "But wait, maybe you can help Ginny out."

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "Hey, you haven't even told me what I have to do yet."

"You're in charge of buying the gift," Bill replied. "Find something that would best represent Mum and Dad. No matter how expensive, we want it to be something special."

"I can do it alone," I said. Honestly, I wanted to think of a million excuses just so I could avoid working with Harry Potter.

"You need a guy's input on this, that's why we're asking Harry to help you," my brother explained.

"Harry, I hope it's not much of a bother for you?"

"No need to worry," he replied. "It's fine with me."

"Hey, Charlie, so what's our contribution to the celebration?" Ron asked, growing impatient.

Charlie hadn't told him, Fred and Percy what their assigned tasks were yet. In the end, Percy was to help Bill and Charlie in decorating the garden while Fred and Ron were to distract our parents and keep them away from the Burrow while the rest of us prepared for the party next Sunday.

This was going to be an event to look forward to.

****

I wrapped my cozy scarlet robe around myself after stepping out of the shower that evening. I dried my shoulder-length hair with my towel for a moment, and then walked out of the bathroom and into my bedroom.

What I didn't expect was to find my door ajar, and I almost ran right into Harry when I entered.

"God! Harry!" I exclaimed, my heart leaping to my throat and beating about one million times per second. "What were you trying to do? Scare me to death?"

"Sorry," Harry said. He leaned against the edge of my bookshelf and crossed his arms across his chest. "Your door was open."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down, holding my hand to my chest. "Well, that doesn't mean you can just bust right in whenever you want to," I ranted, putting my hands on my hips. "Do you even know the meaning of the word privacy?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Gin." Harry looked down at the floor, then back up at me. "I just need to ask a huge favor."

I looked over my shoulder at the hallway. "Meet me at the garden in 5 minutes, okay? I just need to get dressed."

"Ooops... sorry, Gin. I didn't mean to embarrass you like this," he apologized.

"It's all right, okay?" I smiled in assurance. "Now better go downstairs or Ron will surely go mental if he finds us both in here," I hurried over to him and led him to the door.

A few moments later, I strode out the kitchen door and immediately spotted Harry sitting at one of the benches in the garden. I silently walked over and sat down on the empty space beside him.

"So spill," I said. "To what do I owe the honor of this evening rendezvous?"

Harry glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "As I said, this is a huge favor," he said.

"Okay," I answered tentatively.

"Can you pick up Abby at school tomorrow?" he asked. "And also, can you stay with her at home while I'm gone for a couple of days?"

"What?"

"I have to go somewhere for official Ministry business and there's no one I could ask to baby-sit for Abby at the 11^th hour and so I decided to ask for your help," he rambled on. "This is really an emergency and so please, don't say no," he pleaded.

"But, but, you can always leave her here. Mum would be very glad to look after Abby,"

"I'd love to if only the Burrow wasn't so far from her school. I hate to bother Hermione or your Mum because I know they've got their hands full with the twins already," he said. "Plus, the kids of your brothers are here as well. So please?."

"You want me to stay at your house with Abby?" I asked again. "How long would you be gone?"

"Only for two days," he replied. "I'd be glad to pay you, please just say yes."

"Harry," I said. "You don't need to do that. I'll gladly baby-sit Abby while you're away so don't worry about it."

"I owe you one," Harry said. He turned to me and gave my shoulder a quick massage with one hand. "Thanks."

"No problem," I responded, nodding.

I rubbed my temples as I said those words. I couldn't believe I'd gotten myself into this. I had been so proud telling everyone that I was over my crush on Harry and now this had to happen.

It's like Harry's forever fated to be a part of my life. Why did he ask me to help of all people? Oh, who was I kidding? He wasn't interested in me! His only priority was Abby's welfare and everyone knew that. Still, I hated myself for easily giving in to his requests. He might think I was still harboring feelings for him.

But I reminded myself that I was doing this for Abby and not for him. I had no reason to feel guilty because my intentions were clear and I wasn't after his affection.

If only it wasn't so hard to convince myself. Life would have been much easier.

****

The very next day, I informed my parents of Harry's request and explained I needed to stay over at his house to watch Abby. They immediately agreed and even asked that Abby spend the upcoming weekend at the Burrow. As I returned to my room to pack, Drew and Charlotte dropped by and insisted that they wanted to go with me as well. Hermione overheard our conversation and patiently told her kids that they should just wait for the weekend since Abby would be coming over and then they could play. The twins relented and left my room as soon as their mum announced that grandma just finished baking some tarts downstairs.

"So, you're really going?" Hermione asked as soon as the twins had left the room.

"I gave my word, Hermione," I replied. "Don't worry, I promise I won't do anything foolish."

"I know you won't," she patted my back. "Just give my regards to Abby, okay?"

"Yeah I will," I said. "You'll tell Ron won't you?."

"I bet he knows it by now," she replied.

We both managed a laugh before quietly slipping into the hallway to carry my stuff downstairs. Unfortunately, we ran into my brothers (except Ron) which meant I had to explain the whole story all over again. They had thought at first that I was already going back to New York but were relieved when I explained my itinerary.

"You're going to live at Harry's?" George asked mischievously.

"Only for two days, George," I replied. "And I'm there to baby-sit. Harry's going away on some official business for the Ministry."

"Oh goody, Ginny's going to play mommy." Fred added.

"I am not having this conversation!" I exclaimed, throwing out my hands. I couldn't believe my brothers still teased me like that when it came to Harry.

"Fred, George, lay off of Ginny." Bill interrupted.

"Seriously sis, you have fun okay?" Charlie said. "But remember your assignment."

"I will. I promise," I assured them.

****

I didn't have much trouble locating Abby's school since Harry had given me specific instructions and I was pretty familiar with the place itself. I arrived just in time for dismissal and waited for the children to come out. Moments later, the little girl came into view and I hurried over to introduce myself.

"Abby? Hi! You still remember me?" I greeted the little girl as I met her. She nodded.

"Aunt Ginny!" she squealed, giving me a hug. I was impressed. Apparently, this kid had an excellent memory. "Where's my dad?" she inquired curiously.

"That's why I'm here," I explained. "Your dad had to go away for a few days because of work and so I'll be watching you for the meantime."

Abby seemed to take it all in stride. "Will he be back soon?"

"Why yes of course, sweety!" I answered. "He'll only be gone for two days."

"So you're my baby-sitter for now?" she asked again.

"Yes I am. Why?"

"Do you know how to cook?"

"A little bit," I replied.

"Will you read me bedtime stories before I go to sleep?"

"Of course, I will. Any story that you like," I said.

"Brilliant! My old baby-sitter was such a bore! She didn't read me any stories and instead watched television after we had dinner," Abby complained. "I'm glad Dad didn't call her again."

"Well, I promise you one thing," I said to her. "We're going to have a great time together while I'm your baby-sitter. So, would you like to have some ice cream first before we head home?"

"That would be great!" she exclaimed. "Thanks Aunt Ginny!"

As we headed back to the car, we met a little girl whom I presumed was Abby's friend since the kid's eyes lit up when she saw us.

"Hi Abby!" the girl greeted us.

"Hello Megan!" Abby greeted in return. "Is your mum here yet?"

"Yup! She just went inside to talk to the teacher for a moment," Megan replied. "Where are you going?"

"We're going for some ice cream," Abby said. "Want to come?"

"No thanks. Mum promised to take me somewhere too."

"Okay, bye," Abby told her friend.

"Bye," Megan replied. "By the way, your mum's really pretty."

I froze in place. Oh great, now this kid thought I was Abby's mother. I silently waited for Abby to correct her friend but I was caught off guard by her reply.

"Hey, thanks Megan!" Abby answered back. "She will be. Soon."

I groaned silently. This was a lot more trouble than I expected.

(To Be Continued...)