A More Familiar Stranger

Chapter 4

Return To The Burrow

Now she wakes up to a brand new day

will she give the very best that she can?

Now she tells them all her master plan today

and now she's worlds away.

- Taxiride

~~ ~~~ ~~

Finally, it was time. Harry, snakes wriggling in his stomach, butterflies in his chest, he lined up with Hermione, Lily and Draco, ready to Floo to The Burrow.

Lily went first, with Hermione right behind. Draco and Hermione had already discussed that Harry should go third, with Draco bringing up the rear, just in case. Draco hadn't really thought it necessary, but now, seeing how nervous Harry was, he was glad on this added precaution, gripping the back of Harry's black shirt with one hand. Harry could not make a break for it without taking Draco with him, and Harry knew it.

He steadied himself, finally stepping into the flames, still aware of Draco's hand on his shirt, yelling "The Burrow!"

He was aware of the familiar sensation, the dizziness of the grates of many fireplaces whizzing past, before starting to slow down, vaguely aware of Draco's body pressed behind him. And then, in a great gust of ask and smoke, he tumbled out of the Weasley's kitchen fireplace.

There was no one there.

He and Draco looked at each other in complete confusion and Draco opened his mouth to speak when a beautiful woman walked through the door. She had very straight auburn hair, it brazed around her sapphire eyes, her glowing skin smattered with freckles just around the nose. She was tall and elegant. It was Ginny Weasley.

She stopped dead at the sight of them, and her eyes widened when the message that her eyes were sending her brain finally got through.

"Harry!" she screamed in absolute delight and disbelief, as she raced across the kitchen quicker than lightning to fling her arms around him, almost knocking both Harry and Draco, who was still gripping his shirt, to the floor.

"Heya Gin!" laughed Harry, hugging her back fiercely.

"You're here, you're here, you're here," she repeated quietly into his shoulder before drawing her face back to look at him with unsure eyes, turning to Draco for reassurance.

"Gin," Draco said quietly, as Harry continued to hug her to him. "It's really him."

Suddenly, from nowhere, Molly rushed forward, folding Harry and Ginny into her embrace, crying helplessly. Hermione was right behind her, smiling faintly. Draco leaned back and continued to watch this amazing family reunion.

Finally, Molly managed to untangle her daughter away from Harry and stepped back to survey him, a dangerous glint in her eye. She opened her mouth, but Harry abruptly cut her off. "I know Molly...I should have written, and I'm sorry...I don't need the lecture, Hermione and Sirius have already beaten you to it anyway-" she shut, and then opened her mouth again. "-I was in Australia, that's where I've been all this time, and I'm meant to be going back there in just over two weeks, but I promise you right now, I won't go away like that again, okay? I promise." He stared into the eyes of a woman, who, for six years of his life had been like a mother to him.

Molly stared at him, tears impending. "I've missed you Harry Potter. We all have."

~~ ~~~ ~~

Dinner was a riotous affair.

Fred and George, along with Fred's wife Angelina Johnson, turned up quite quickly, having walked out of a meeting when word came from their mother that Harry was back, alive, safe and sound. Oliver Apparated in a short time afterwards from Quidditch practice, and, as team captain of Puddlemere United, tried to talk Harry into trying out for Seeker within in first ten minutes. Harry told him he'd think about it. Percy and Arthur arrived late from the Ministry, Arthur welcoming Harry with a life-threatening hug and Percy pompously shaking Harry's hand for a good couple of minutes before Oliver distracted him with a kiss. Harry, who had never seen them together, found the whole thing utterly amusing. Draco sat next to him and gave him a running commentary on the Weasley World, and what everyone had been up to, or down to, since they last saw him. This lasted several hours.

Finally, after the food had all been eaten, and many of the Weasley's were drifting off to their respective homes, Harry finally asked the one thing that had been playing on his mind ever since his collision with Hermione in the Supermarket the day before.

"Where is he buried?" he asked Arthur quietly as they stood in the kitchen, their wands out, doing the dishes.

Arthur sighed. "In the cemetery just over the hill, underneath the biggest of the three trees. He would sometimes go out there, and sit under that tree for hours. I think it gave him a sense of peace. He'd go out there, look up at the clouds...it's where he would go to get away from the rest of the family. So it made sense that he was buried out there."

"Can I?"

"Go ahead...straight over than hill and keep walking in a near straight line through the trees...you can't miss it." Arthur patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Harry unlatched the door and stepped out into the cool of late evening, the wind was completely still and the moon shone down on his face. Full moon, pondered Harry, Moony'll be out tonight. He continued to walk until he was out of sight from the house, his long lanky figure fading into the distance.

He walked through the trees, feeling the silence rush upon him like a wave of fire, the undergrowth crackling under his feet, an owl hooting in the distance, low and haunting. He padded through the wood, his feet becoming more cat-like, the Animagus from inside him guiding him, his sense of smell sharpening and his eyes adjusting to the change in light.

Then he saw it. The gravestones seemed to grow out of the ground as he neared them, shadows long against the moons unforgiving embrace...it was spooky and unreal. His step faltered as he saw the solitary stone underneath the old yew tree, wide and beautiful, it's branches holding the air together and leaves glinting to a pale silver in the night. He stood in front of his oldest friend and smiled down.

~~

Ronald Arthur Weasley

April 3, 1991 - May 29, 2008

a loyal son, brother, lover, friend

loved by all who knew him

fought, and died, as a hero

We Will Always Remember You

~~

Harry knelt down in front of Ron, and let himself cry.

~~ ~~~ ~~

Arthur Weasley watched Harry fade out into the night with a look of anguish on his face.

"Where'd Harry go?" asked Hermione sleepily from behind him. "Lily's practically asleep and Draco wanted to get going."

Arthur spoke with regret and pain. "He's gone to say hello to an old friend."

Hermione came to stand next to him, her eyes staring into the fast-approaching night, her brown eyes filling with tears. "I was wondering if he would."

They stood there, side-by-side, lost together in the past.

~~ ~~~ ~~

Harry was very quiet when he returned to the Burrow, hugging Ginny and Molly goodbye and they all promised to return later in the week. Lily was packed off to bed by Hermione, and Draco strode into the kitchen, Harry trailing behind him, to put the kettle on.

As the water boiled and he flicked his wand around for tea, mugs and sugar, he forced Harry into one of the counter seats, sitting down next to him elegantly, peering into his face. Harry looked lost, red-eyed and strangely calm. Draco could only think of one time that Harry had been like this...when Ron died all those years ago.

"You never really faced it before, did you?" he asked quietly, brushing the jet coloured hair away from his eyes with one finger.

Harry shook his head.

"I'm sorry Harry-love, I'm sorry for not being able to be there for you the first time..." Draco leaned over and Harry accepted his hug solely, his heart throbbing hard.

His voice was a whisper when it came. "It's okay Drake...I shut you out, it's not your fault. I just...didn't want to believe that he was gone, didn't want to feel how much I was hurting."

Hermione walked into the kitchen quietly, and saw the two of them sitting there, tea forgotten. They leaned into each other, one head dark, one head light, fitting together like missing puzzle pieces. She joined them cautiously and tentatively slid one arm around Harry's waist, leaning her cheek on his back, feeling the beat of his heart through his shirt. Draco extended his arms to wrap around her too and they leaned there, all together again, a many armed hug, seeking solace, and finding ultimate comfort.

~~ ~~~ ~~

TBC

~~ ~~~ ~~