“Wotcher, Hermione, Ron,� Tonks said cheerfully as they entered the large, grim house, taking great care not to disturb Mrs. Black’s portrait. Even now, they were still unable to remove it. As hard as everyone had tried, as much as they had cleaned, the place still looked dark and…creepy. The candles left dangerous looking shadows everywhere and sometimes, it looked like something was moving under the wallpaper. Harry once said it reminded him of the Basilisk, without the creepy voice.

 

As they crept through the corridor, Tonks’ arm brushed a shelf, accidentally knocking the vase off. It sailed through the air and headed towards the ground. Quick as lightening, Holly snatched it from midair before it smashed on the floor.

 

“Quick reflexes!� Ron said admiringly. Holly grinned.

 

“Thanks! Not meaning to be rude, but who are you?� Tonks asked, looking relieved that she wouldn’t have to deal with the screaming portrait again. Last week, she was all alone with that cursed portrait, and it had taken her almost an hour to shut it up. Tonks was sure her blood curdling screams haunted her dreams from time to time.

 

“Holly Rose, she’s my mother’s best friend’s daughter, and she wants to join the Order,� Hermione recited, gesturing towards Holly, who waved cheerfully.

 

“She saved us all from that burning house yesterday,� Ron added, his tone of voice suggesting that his last statement would end all argument about her.

 

“Nice to meet you. My name is Tonks,� she said, outstretching her hand to Holly, who shook it.

 

“Shall I introduce you to the rest of the Order, or at least who’s here?� Tonks suggested. She trusted Ron and Hermione, therefore she trusted Holly.

 

“Yes please,� Holly said, putting the vase back on the shelf and rearranging it so it stood in its original position.

 

“I’m so clumsy!� Tonks said, going pink, almost the same colour as her hair.

 

“It happens to the best of people,� Holly said kindly. “I was in a shop once and almost knocked a whole shelf of crystal glasses over!�

 

Tonks looked a little less embarrassed, and smiled slightly. Hermione had a feeling that Holly knew Tonks in the future, but once again, didn’t voice her thoughts. Then again, Holly seemed quite familiar with all of them. Maybe it’s just how she is Hermione contemplated, looking at Holly questionably for a second.

 

“Your brother is here,� Tonks announced as she led them into the living room, visibly tucking her elbows in and becoming very conscious of the objects around her.

 

“Which one?�

 

“The one with a very fat wife,� Tonks said, laughing.

 

“Stop calling Fleur fat, she’s pregnant!� Hermione said, annoyed. Even though she didn’t particularly like Fleur, she didn’t like people getting picked on. It reminded her of her primary school days.

 

“Oh come on, it’s harmless! Pregnant woman are very demanding…and annoying,� Tonks said, rolling her eyes.

 

“How is she?� Ron asked. He was very excited about becoming an uncle.

 

“She’s okay…I guess. But she keeps complaining that she feels sick and has very strong cravings for the strangest foods. The latest was croissants and chilli sauce!� Tonks chuckled. Hermione screwed up her nose in distaste at such an odd mixture.

 

“No wonder she feels sick!� Hermione exclaimed.

 

“We have visitors!� Tonks announced cheerfully as they entered the living room, which was full of people. They all turned round to greet the three newcomers.

 

“Who is this young lady?� Bill Weasley asked.

 

“This is Holly Rose, she wants to join the Order,� Hermione said, gesturing to Holly.

 

“And how did you meet, was she a student at Hogwarts?� Moody asked gruffly. Hermione was the Transfiguration professor there, and became the youngest teacher ever to be employed at Hogwarts.

 

“No, she’s Hermione’s mum’s best friend’s daughter, and she saved us from the house yesterday,� Ron explained, sitting down. It really was a mouthful to say all of those things in one go. Why couldn’t Hermione just say she met her at Hogwarts? It would have been so much easier to remember, and say.

 

“That was a very brave thing to do,� Tonks said admiringly.

 

“It was nothing,� she replied dismissively.

 

“No, that’s Auror qualities there,� Tonks said. Holly just shrugged.

 

“How can we be sure that you’re not a spy?� Moody asked roughly, his electric blue eye was concentrating on Holly in an eerie fashion.

 

“I think that saving our lives and capturing the Death Eaters does show a certain level of trust,� Ron pointed out. Ever since Holly had told them she had saved his life, he felt a sense of protectiveness over her.

 

“I know that, but who can we trust anymore? We thought Snape was on our side and look what happened there…� Moody growled darkly. Everyone broke out into dark mutters. No one had ever gotten over Snape’s betrayal.

 

“Are you sure you want join the Order of the Phoenix? It’ll mean having to go after lots of tip-offs about the missing Death Eaters; it’ll be dangerous,� Bill said seriously.

 

“I think I can handle it. I want to help,� Holly said. She had an air of confidence around her.

 

“I can tell that you are a very powerful,� Bill said. Maybe it was from the way she acted, or just what she was like, but she seemed much older than she actually was. But there was something else about her, something different and unreadable. A dangerous combination.

 

“Thank you,� Holly replied, blushing slightly.

 

“Come and sit down, have a cup of tea,� Tonks said, smiling. Hermione grinned; it was always Tonks who would be the one to try and lighten the mood.

 

“I love your hair, by the way,� Holly said to Tonks, grinning at her.

 

“Thanks!� Tonks beamed, patting her bright pink hair before leaving for the kitchen to get drinks. As Tonks left the room, Moody announced he had to leave. He had some work to do at home.

 

“Have they found any more Death Eaters?� Hermione asked after Moody had left.

 

“No, not yet, not since the ones from yesterday,� Bill said. Tonks then walked back into the room holding a tray laden with cups of steaming hot tea. After handing them out to everyone, the room was silent, appreciating the rare calmness. Usually, it was always very busy, what with people coming in and out of the house and people popping in randomly through the fireplace. Even though Voldemort was no longer the threat, they were still very busy, there was still evil out there in the shape of Death Eaters, Dementors and various other forces. While the others chatted light-heartedly to each other, Holly was brooding and staring into space.

 

“What’s the matter, Holly?�  Hermione asked. Holly broke out of her daydream with a sour look on her face.

 

“I just can’t believe that I let that last one get away — I should have been faster!� Holly muttered, looking angry, more at herself than anyone else.

 

“What do you mean? You caught three Death Eaters single-handedly, while we were just crashed out on the floor, panting like no one’s business!� Ron said, shocked.

 

“But that wasn’t good enough — after all these years and I still fail!� Holly said heatedly.

 

“Stop talking like that! Not many people would have the balls to risk their own lives to save others. You should be congratulating yourself, not beating yourself up!� Tonks exclaimed. Just then, they were all distracted from the argument when there was a burst of flame and someone’s head floated into the fire.

 

“Hello, Ginny,� Hermione said, trying hard to sound normal, in spite of the tense atmosphere. One thing Hermione had really noticed about Holly was she was prone to mood swings. Then again, time travel on such a scale that Holly had done must have messed with her head a bit.

 

“Hi, I just thought I’d check in, see how everyone is,� Ginny said.

 

“Everything’s fine, we were just having some tea,� Hermione replied, lifting up her cup and showing it to Ginny.

 

“Has Harry Flooed in or anything?� Ginny asked, looking around the room for any sign of the raven-haired boy.

 

“No, he’s still out with Remus,� Hermione said, shaking her head and looking at Ginny sadly.

 

“Oh. Well, I’ll talk to you later then,� Ginny said, sounding disappointed. Then she disappeared into the flames.

 

“Look, you all don’t worry about me. It’s my own problems, not yours,� Holly said apologetically.

 

“As long as you’re okay,� Hermione said. Holly nodded and smiled slightly.

 

“Ginny looks well,� Tonks said, smiling.

 

“Yeah, but what are we going to do about her and Harry?� Hermione sighed.

 

“I was sure they would get back together after he defeated Voldemort,� Ron said, frowning and shaking his head.

 

“What happened?� Holly asked, looking concerned and slightly confused.

 

“Harry broke up with Ginny at Dumbledore’s funeral. He wanted to keep her safe,� Hermione explained.

 

“That was five years ago,� Ron sighed.

 

“But it did take another three years to defeat Voldemort,� Hermione added.

 

“They haven’t got back together?� Holly asked, her brow furrowed an inscrutable look spread over her features.

 

“No, they haven’t talked about it at all, they just skip past the topic!� Hermione said, huffing. Holly stayed silent and Bill looked uncomfortable. “And that’s so unlike them!�

 

“I think that we should lock them in a broomstick cupboard!� Ron declared, slapping his hands on his thighs. Holly coughed on her tea and almost dropped her cup. Fortunately, the others didn’t seem to notice, they were too absorbed in the topic of Harry and Ginny’s love life.

 

“No, that’s too overused!� Tonks replied, shaking her head and grinning.

 

“It would work though!� Ron said excitedly. Hermione also shook her head, smiling crookedly.

 

“It’s not like they’re angry at each other, they’re just avoiding the topic,� Hermione explained logically.  “I think it’s hardly likely they would talk about that in a broomstick cupboard, they would be more likely discussing how to kill us. The only thing that plan would accomplish is having a very annoyed Weasley on our tail, after our blood for locking them in there in the first place!�

 

“Oh yeah,� was all Ron could say in response to that little speech. He looked slightly crestfallen that his idea wouldn’t work.

 

“I don’t think you should be talking about locking Harry and Ginny together in a broomstick cupboard, Ron. She’s still our baby sister after all,� Bill said, standing up and looking quite annoyed.

 

“Yes, I know, but Harry and Ginny were great together. Harry is so much better for her than any other bloke and I think that they deserve a bit of happiness. If locking them in a broomstick cupboard or something like that is the only way to do that, then I think that it’s worth it,� Ron said frankly, looking directly into his older brothers eyes.

 

Hermione was looking at Ron in a whole new light.

 

“What, have I got dirt on my nose or something?� Ron asked as he noticed Hermione staring at him.

 

“No, I just never thought I’d hear you speak so maturely,� Hermione said admiringly.

 

“I think hanging around with you has rubbed off on me a bit,� Ron teased, putting an arm around his girlfriend. Then he turned his attention back to his brother. “Okay, if it’s making you feel uncomfortable, we’ll stop talking about Harry and Ginny.�

 

“Thank you,� Bill said, looking a little calmer.

 

“Let’s talk about your love life. Have you and Remus set a date yet?� Hermione said, gazing at the beautiful jewel on Tonks’ left hand. Tonks’ eyes seemed to sparkle almost as brightly as the diamond on her finger.

 

“No, not yet!� Tonks said, beaming. Remus had proposed to her earlier that same year. Ron and Hermione had never seen them happier.

 

“What has Moony been up to these days?� Ron asked. While Harry was training for the final battle with Voldemort, Remus had helped them all prepare and they had all gotten a lot closer. Since then, all of them had been very busy with work. Harry and Ron had become what they always dreamed of being — fully-fledged Aurors.

 

Remus now owned his own business, a duelling club for young people, based on the old illegal club Harry had started — Dumbledore’s Army. So it was fitting that it was named after that. It was a big success; people were still very interested in learning how to defend themselves, particularly due to the fact there were still many Death Eaters on the loose. It did help that the famous ‘Man-Who-Defeated-You-Know-Who-and-top-Auror’ popped into the club occasionally to help his old friend teach, seeing as he had lots of experience.

 

“Great! He’s been quite busy though, with all that paperwork he had to fill in after that boy broke his arm when he fell down two flights of stairs. Thank Merlin Harry was there to catch him!�  Tonks said. Holly raised an eyebrow as she looked at Tonks, then at Hermione and Ron.

 

“We have pretty eventful lives,� Hermione explained, laughing.

 

“I can see that,� Holly said. They were interrupted again when a head appeared in the fire.

 

“We have an emergency! We think there are some Death Eaters near a Muggle village,� the man said seriously.

 

“I’ll go — where is it?� Holly said immediately. The man blinked at Holly, obviously surprised how quickly this new girl had volunteered, and looked at the others for permission. The others nodded in agreement, so he told her the address, then disappeared.

 

“Okay, I’ll be off then,� Holly said, getting up as soon as the man had departed.

 

“We’ll come with you,� Ron said, also getting up. Holly looked surprised.

 

“You don’t have to,� Holly pointed out. She had already tied her hair back in a tight bun to keep out of her face.

 

“We’re not letting you go alone,� Hermione said. Holly smiled as if she had said some private joke.

 

“Thank you for the tea,� Holly said politely to Tonks.

 

“No problem, I expect we’ll see you again soon,� Tonks said. Holly nodded firmly.

 

“I’m sure you will,� Holly replied. Then she left, with Ron and Hermione at her tail.

 

“You know what? I still don’t like Apparating,� Ron said, leaning against Hermione for a second to regain his balance after Apparating to the address the man had told them.

 

“Look on the bright side — at least you haven’t left an eyebrow behind or something like that,� Hermione said teasingly, as they rushed towards the park where the alleged Death Eaters were.

 

“I wondered when you would bring that up again,� Ron said, pulling a face.

 

“Pay attention!� Holly hissed, pointing at the figures in black that were huddled together, some feet ahead of them.

 

“Ready to get them?� Ron whispered, ready to dash forward, but Holly stopped him.

 

Then, out of the blue, she lunged forward and high-kicked something behind them. They heard a dull ompf. Spinning around, they found themselves face to face with a Death Eater. Immediately, they raised their wands, but Holly had already kicked him twice more and punched him hard in the face. He was out cold and hit the floor with a crunch of gravel, and a thud as his head made contact with the hard floor.

 

“Where did you learn how to do that?� Ron asked, dumbfounded, his eyes darting from the unconscious Death Eater to Holly, who was stretching her arms out and flexing her fingers.

 

“Later,� Holly said, sprinting off towards the other Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione followed, but almost crashed right into her when she stopped dead. Looking ahead, they saw what Holly was staring at. Beyond the large, spidery, dark tree, were three Death Eaters.

 

And they weren’t alone.

 

In the centre of them, was a small, tied-up and very frightened little boy.

“I want my mummy!� the boy wailed, his cries echoing in the virtually deserted playground. The boy had light brown hair, the front of his shirt was drenched with his own tears and her had a look of sheer terror in his eyes. He pulled his feet into his body as much as he could,# as tried to move away from his attackers. But it was impossible. The Death Eaters just huddled round him in a sinister manner.

 

“Shut up, you filthy Muggle!� one of the hooded terrors snapped. The boy started to cry even louder. Holly looked absolutely livid, but there was something else in her eyes, something that Hermione was unable to make out.

 

“Let’s go,� Holly growled menacingly. Something inside or her had just snapped. The three of them stalked forward and shot spells at the unsuspecting Death Eaters, hitting them directly in the back. Holly also hit one of them with a particularly nasty looking spell, but she didn’t care what it was. While Hermione and Ron tackled the three now unconscious Death Eaters, Holly ran straight over to the little boy and untied him.

 

“Are you okay?� Holly asked softly, gently picking up the hysterical boy.

 

“Where’d those bad mans go?� the boy asked, looking at Holly with his large, watery brown eyes.

 

“It’s okay, you’re safe now, they’re gone,� Holly hushed, holding the distressed boy tightly. How dare they do that! How dare they kidnap a child just for their own amusement! Holly thought furiously. The scumbags. Holly had to suppress the angry growl from leaving her throat, and looked down at the distressed boy with watery eyes.

 

“I want my mummy!� the boy howled, clutching Holly’s arm as if his life depended on it. Holly held onto the boy tightly, trying to give him reassurance.

 

“It’s okay, what’s your name?� Holly asked with her softest tone of voice.

 

“Alex Taylor,� the boy sniffed. Holly held him tighter, trying to comfort him. It seemed to be working — the boy wasn’t crying as severely as before.

 

“Okay Alex, and how old are you?� Holly asked as she carried him away out of the park. Staying in that place wouldn’t be good for his state of mind. Hermione and Ron watched Holly comfort him, and silently decided to let her handle it.

 

“I’m five,� Alex said, sounding quite proud of himself, in spite of the trauma he had just experienced. He looked at the Playground again and broke out into a fresh wave of sobs. Holly pulled him as close as she could and muttered comforting words into his ear. A minute or so later, the sobs calmed down enough for Holly to think he would be able to talk to her.

 

“Wow! Could you be brave and tell me why you were out here today Alex?� Holly asked gently. Alex’s lip trembled and he looked very upset. He didn’t look like he was going to speak, but then he did, his voice barely coming out as a whisper.

 

“Mummy was mad at me for not putting my toys away and I went outside to hide from her, then those nasty men taked me away!�

 

“It’s okay, those nasty men are being taken away now, they can’t hurt you,� Holly said. Alex was now clutching her round her neck, his tiny hands getting tangled up in her hair. His teeth began to chatter, so Holly conjured up a blanket to wrap around him. Alex’s eyes went as wide as plates.

 

“How do you do that?� Alex asked, looking amazed. Holly bit her lip. How was she supposed to explain this to him?

 

“It’s magic,� Holly said, opting for the honest answer.

 

“Oh wow, can I do it?� Alex said excitedly. Holly smiled; he was no longer crying anymore, in fact, he looked fascinated.

 

“No, sorry,� Holly said, letting out a short laugh. She was now sitting on a bench with Alex on her lap, not paying attention to anyone apart from the little boy in her arms.

 

“What’s your name?� Alex asked.  His previously frightened face was now alight with interest.

 

“My name is Holly,� she replied.

 

“Like Christmas time!� Alex said, grinning and then taking in a shuddering breath.

 

“Yes, like Christmas time,� Holly said. It was amazing how quickly he was able to get distracted from what had happened — the innocence in children was always surprising.

 

“Hey, you two seem to be getting on well.  Do you know who he is?� Hermione asked, sliding onto the bench next to Holly. Alex was transfixed with Hermione’s bushy brown hair.

 

“Yes, his name is Alex,� Holly said, not taking her eyes off the boy.

 

“Where do you live, Alex?� Hermione asked softly, lifting her hand and tenderly patted the boy on the head. Alex pointed one small finger towards the street of houses.

 

“Shall I take him home?� Holly asked, still not letting go of Alex.

 

“Yeah, that would be great,� Hermione said, smiling.

 

“Do you want to walk?� Holly asked. Alex nodded and slipped off her lap and shrugged the blanket off. Holly stood up and he took her hand. “Can you show me the way to your house?�

 

“Okay,� Alex said, pulling Holly by the arm towards the street of houses.

 

“That’s a big boy,� Holly said, smiling down at Alex.

 

It wasn’t long before Alex stopped in front of a small, pretty looking house, which had lots of flowers in the window box and what looked like a child’s drawing in the window. “Is this where you live?� Holly asked.

 

“Yes. Mummy is going to be so upset with me for running out of the house!� Alex said, sounding worried and holding onto Holly’s hand as tightly as he could.

 

“No she won’t, she’ll just be happy that you’re home. I bet that she’s in the house waiting for you right now.  She won’t be mad at you,� Holly assured, taking a step forward and knocking on the door. There was a flurry of noise and a dishevelled woman with very long blonde hair answered the door.

 

“Oh Alex, I was so worried!� the woman cried, sweeping Alex into her arms and kissing him on the top of his head, her own hair swinging over him like a soft curtain.

 

“Mummy!� Alex said, hugging his mother.

 

“Oh thank you for bringing my son back!� the woman said gratefully.

 

“It’s okay,� Holly said, putting her hands in her pockets and balancing on the balls of her feet.

 

“Please come in, I want to thank you properly,� the woman said, ushering her in. Holly slowly entered the house and followed the woman into the living room, which had wallpaper of pale blue and lots of children’s drawings stuck on the wall. Toys were scattered across the floor, with some more spilling out of a large toy box. A lump grew in her throat as she saw a small pile of toy cars lain out on a makeshift road.

 

“My name is Claire, by the way,� the woman said kindly, still holding her son securely in her arms.

 

“I’m Holly,� the young witch replied.

 

“Like Christmas!� Alex squealed, burying his head into his mother. Claire and Holly laughed softly.

 

“Alex, would you please go to your room for a while, while I talk to Holly?� Claire said, kissing her son on the head again affectionately.

 

“Okay, mum,� Alex said, squeezing his mothers hand tightly and then climbing off Claire’s lap.

 

“Say thank you to Holly,� Claire said, looking lovingly at her son.

 

“Thank you!� Alex said, hugging Holly before leaving the room, picking up a toy car on the way out. Holly had a tear in her eye as he left the room. After a moment, Holly came back to herself and looked at Claire.

 

“Thank you for bringing my son back,� Claire said again.

 

“No problem,� Holly replied, nervously looking around the room at all of the toys and the drawings.

 

“Where was he?� Claire asked, looking concerned.

 

“He was at the park,� Holy said, deliberating whether to tell her that her son had been kidnapped. “He was kidnapped.�

 

All of the colour drained out of Claire’s face. “He was…what! Why?� she asked, sounding terrified and clutching the arm of the chair in fear.

 

“I think the men were not specifically targeting Alex, but he was there. My friends and I have got them now and they are on their way to prison,� Holly said.

 

“Oh thank you so much for saving him!� Claire said, walking up to Holly and hugging her.

 

“No way was I going to let the scumbags get your little boy,� Holly said. Tears seeped out of her eyes as old memories rushed back, bad memories. She closed her eyes for a minute and willed herself not to cry again. She had to be strong. She couldn’t let it get to her, not again. But being with that little boy brought it all back…

 

“Look, I’d better get going, my friends will be wondering where I’ve got to,� Holly said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

 

“Okay, but thank you. If you are ever in town, be free to come and visit,� Claire said gratefully. Holly leaned against the front door after she left, trying to compose herself a bit. She could hear Alex talking to his mother and could just make out the word ‘magic’. That made her chuckle.  Claire was probably just thinking that her son had a very good imagination. I will miss that boy, Holly thought to herself. He definitely reminded her a lot of…

 

“Holly, there you are!�

 

Holly snapped out of her thoughts and saw Hermione and Ron standing not far from her.

 

“Is Alex home safe?� Hermione asked. Holly nodded, taking on last look at the house.

 

“That’s good. Now let’s get back to that park,� Hermione said looking at the door for a second, then in front of them.

 

“So where did you learn all of those cool moves?� Ron asked as they walked briskly back to the park.

 

“What, kickboxing? I’ve been learning it for years,� Holly said, stopping at the gates of the park. She wasn’t really listening to the conversation, all of her attention was concentrated on the vile Death Eaters and on Alex.

 

“They’re amazing!� Hermione said, looking at Holly with admiration.

 

“Thanks,� Holly said, now drawing some of her attention back to Hermione and Ron. Then with an afterthought, she added, “But you do know how to fight without a wand, don’t you?�

 

“No, only if kicking men in their, er, special area counts,� Hermione said, turning slightly pink, the corners of her mouth twitching. Ron froze for a second, then looked slightly sick when he realised what his girlfriend was talking about.

 

“You’re not being serious, are you? You don’t know kickboxing or karate or anything like that?� Holly asked, sounding slightly alarmed. Hermione and Ron shook their heads.

 

“Oh Merlin, I’ll have to teach you then. It really does come in handy,� Holly said, remembering all of the times that her moves had got her out some tricky spots.

 

“That would be wonderful!� Hermione said appreciatively.

 

“What’s going on here — hey!�  Harry stopped in mid-sentence to duck the foot that was flying towards him.

 

“Oh I’m so sorry, you startled me!� Holly stuttered, blushing slightly, putting both feet firmly on the ground again.

 

“No harm done,� Harry said, chuckling and standing up straight again. Holly blushed even more.

 

“What are you doing here anyway?  I thought you’d still be out with Remus,� Ron asked.

 

“I heard that you went out to find some Death Eaters and thought I’d help you out, but clearly you have everything under control,� Harry said, jerking a thumb towards the Order members who were now taking the Death Eaters away. Holly glared at them intensely and looked murderous.

 

“Are you gonna teach Harry and Ginny as well?� Ron asked, remembering Holly’s promise.

 

“Yes, if you want me to,� Holly said, shrugging.

 

“Teach us what?� Harry asked, looking confused.

 

“Kickboxing,� Holly explained, the blush in her cheeks had subsided.

 

“You know kickboxing?� Harry asked, sounding surprised and amazed at the same time.

 

“Yep, I’ve been learning it for as long as I can remember,� Holly said, smiling.

 

“You’ll teach us? Wow, thanks!� Harry said, grinning. Holly laughed.

 

“Seeing as I’m not needed right now, I think I’ll talk to Remus for a while longer and I’ll meet you back at my house in an hour or so,� Harry said after a moment. The three of them nodded. Harry flashed them a grin before dashing off. Hermione looked from the back of Harry, to Ron, with an amused look on her face.

 

“What’s so funny?� Holly asked, now looking at Hermione inquiringly.

 

“Oh it’s nothing, I was just thinking how much the two of you have grown… I still remember when Harry was a small boy that got lost when he used Floo powder for the first time with his broken glasses, and Ron was just a boy with dirt on his nose,� Hermione said, smiling.

 

“Yeah, and you were that little girl who loved to boss us around so much,� Ron said. Then after a pause, he added, “Not much has changed then.�

 

Hermione slapped him on the arm playfully. “I’m not that bad!� she complained.

 

“No, you’re not, at least now you’d rather break a few rules then just sit back and watch — most of the time,� Ron teased.

 

“Well, rules are there to be followed.  I don’t see the point in breaking them for no good reason,� Hermione objected.

 

“Rules are meant to be broken,� Holly said seriously. Ron nodded in agreement.

 

“That’s not true! Why would they be there if not to be followed?� Hermione argued.

 

“Because the people who created them were insane and wanted to control everything,� Ginny said suddenly.

 

“Hey, Ginny, where did you come from?� Ron asked, jumping slightly.

 

“It’s magic,� Ginny said, smirking.

 

“If you’re looking for Harry, he already left,� Hermione said as she saw the red-haired girl glance around. Ginny raised an eyebrow at her friend.

 

“What is it with you lately, all you seem to do is assume that I’m thinking about Harry!� Ginny said, sounding irritated.

 

“We just want you to be happy—� Ron started, jumping as Ginny half yelled at him.

 

“Then just leave me alone!� she snapped, glaring daggers at her brother and Hermione. The two backed off and remained silent, really not wanting to get Ginny any more pissed off than she already was.

 

“On the topic of Harry, he just left to catch up with Remus a bit more and said he would meet us at his house in an hour or so,� Holly said, seemingly unaffected by the argument.

 

“Okay, well if I’m not needed here, I think I’ll go. See you later,� Ginny said shortly, storming off.

 

“Your sister scares me sometimes,� Hermione said as she watched the hot-headed Weasley stalk away.

 

“She scares you? Think about me! I had to grow up with her!� Ron said, shuddering. Holly laughed. “What’s so funny? You haven’t been on the receiving end of one of Ginny’s curses yet, have you!?�

 

“I should hope not!� Holly scoffed.

 

“She did overreact a bit, didn’t she?� Hermione asked, as if trying to reassure herself.

 

“Yeah, completely,� Ron said, nodding fiercely.

 

“She does strike me as a girl who is likely to lose his temper easily though,� Holly pointed out.

 

“Well, she has definitely inherited that from my mother,� Ron said, grinning and remembering vividly the many times his mothers anger had been directed at him, or one of his siblings, mostly the twins.

 

“Shall we go back to Harry’s?� Holly inquired. In truth, she didn’t want to stay any longer. It kept bringing back the same old memories she would rather leave behind.

 

“Good idea.  I’ll need to leave soon though — school is tomorrow. I’ll Floo from Harry’s,� Hermione said.

 

Looking around one last time, Holly stopped a tear from leaving her eye. She wasn’t going to cry, not again. Then they Disapparated from the scene.

 

____________________________________________

 

Now that they were back at the house and all the action was over, Holly suddenly felt totally exhausted. She hadn’t realised how much the mission and seeing that little boy, Alex, had taken out of her. Plus, last night’s sleep had been quite restless.

 

“I’m going to have a nap,� Holly announced to the other two.

 

“Okay,� Hermione said, snuggling up closer to Ron. Then she trudged up the stairs to the room she was currently staying in and lay down, pulling the sheet up to her chin. But sleep wouldn’t come easily. She was just tossing and turning, for what felt like hours, the image of Alex’s pure terror echoing in her mind. It brought it all back, something she thought she had overcome years ago. Finally, she felt herself drifting off…

 

 

“Holly, help me!� a terrified little boy screamed.

 

“I’m coming Jake!� Holly called out, desperately looking around. Then she saw movement and sprinted towards it, as fast as her legs would carry her. The wind sliced through her cheeks, the blood she thought was running down her face was actually tears…everywhere started to go blurry. As if in slow motion, she tripped, and fell hard on the floor. She tried to scramble to her feet, however, her limbs felt heavy, but she felt light-headed at the same time. The small stones cut into her fingers, making them bleed, but she didn’t take any notice. Everywhere was spinning, but she had to get to her feet, she had to save him…she had to save him…save him…

 

“Help me!� a faint voice cried, much more desperate and frantic than before.

 

“I’m coming!� she cried, stumbling forward. The cries were suddenly stifled, accompanied by a flash of light. A snide voice whispered in her ear ‘You’re too late…’

 

“No! I’m…I’m almost there!� she shouted, choking back sobs. Then she saw him. She fell forward, clutching the small boy, who was strewn on the floor. She tried to feel for a pulse, but couldn’t. He was starting to feel cold. Fear exploded from her stomach.

 

“No…no…please!� Holly wept, shaking severely, her breathing becoming ragged. She held the limp body tight, willing, wishing that he would come back. Closing her eyes and rocking Jake back and forth, an image came to her mind. It was Jake, giggling and laughing on her lap, his tiny hands clasping her thumb…Then she was in the street again, crying and hugging the lifeless body to herself.

 

“No please don’t leave me, come back!� she wailed loudly, still rocking him and crying into his hair…

 

 

“Holly?!�

 

Everything rippled, and when everything became clear again, she was no longer in the street — but in her bed. Four people were crowded round her; all the colour had left their faces. As she raised a trembling hand to wipe the sweat from her brow, she realised, with a jolt, exactly what they were staring at.

 

“Oh no,� she whispered, staring wide-eyed at the four, very shocked onlookers, and cursed under her breath. The previously warm sweat that was scattered across her skin — turned icy. She had a lot of explaining to do.

 

 

“What the hell is going on?� Harry demanded, his voice sounding strangely high pitched. They were all in complete shock and they couldn’t take their eyes off her. Holly was instantly totally awake, and she sat up, halfheartedly glancing at the mirror as she did so. Then she turned back to the others, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. It was just as she had expected, like it always was. She closed her eyes for a second and sighed.

“Holly, if that’s your real name, explain what is going on before we curse you into oblivion!� Ginny said heatedly. Holly flinched at her tone of voice, but didn’t move.

“Okay, as you now all know, I haven’t told you everything-� Holly started, only to be interrupted by a scoffing noise coming from an angry looking Ron.

“Let me finish!� Holly snapped as she pushed the bedcover off herself and sat up a little better. Instantly, she regretted snapping. She could still feel herself trembling slightly from the nightmare, but she forced herself not to think about it, to concentrate on the four very suspicious people standing around her.

“Don’t talk to Ron like that!� Hermione objected angrily, pointing her wand at Holly threateningly. Holly didn’t flinch, or even look at it, but dropped her gaze onto her bed sheet as she thought about what she would say next, trying to calm herself down a bit by concentrating on her breathing.

“Okay … I’ll explain. I’m a Metamorphmagus,� Holly said, looking up from her bed as she tried to keep her voice as even as possible. She bit her lip before adding, “But then again, I think you all got that. The reason why I didn’t tell you is that it would be another reason not to trust me.�

“How can we know what you really look like?  You could be just posing as someone else!� Ron exclaimed, glaring and leaning slightly away from her as if she would attack them at any moment.

“That’s exactly my point!�

Holly started to run her fingers through her hair, which she then remembered she needed to alter. Somehow, her features had started to merge with Jake’s. Her hair was much darker than before, and it was starting to shrink towards her scalp and her eyes were starting to melt into an ocean colour. Whenever she experienced those dreams, she lost control of her powers. It was something she really needed to get the hang of.

Blinking, she shifted her features back to her usual blue eyes and brown hair. She kept her eyes away from the people around her, she didn’t want to see the suspicion and the fury in their eyes. Just then, an idea struck her.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t Death Eaters’ and other evil people’s Patronus’ usually some sort of evil creature, to reflect on their nature?� Holly asked, directing her question mainly at Hermione, who was looking at her reproachfully, her wand was still pointed at Holly.

“Well … yes,� Hermione said, not entirely sure where she was going with that.

“Explains why Wormtail’s was a rat then,� Harry muttered under his breath, watching Holly with narrowed eyes. He too had his wand in his hand and pointing at Holly.

“So what if I were to show you my Patronus, and you would see it’s not an evil one and maybe believe me?� Holly asked, her eyes flitting to from Ron, to Hermione, to Ginny, and finally Harry.

“What have we got to lose?� Ron said, whilst the others nodded uncertainly. Holly pulled out her wand and muttered the charm she had learnt so many years ago. A lioness pounced out of the tip of her wand, the pure white light blinding them all for a moment. Her lioness roared silently and then flexed her back, stretching elegantly. The four watched it bound around, entranced.

“Wow,� Ron said, his eyes were wide with amazement. Holly laughed dryly as the lioness dissolved into the air.

“That doesn’t prove anything,� Ginny said automatically, still looking at Holly very suspiciously.

“Well, it proves I’m not evil, doesn’t it?� Holly said as she glanced at Ginny. Holly quickly looked away from her as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Looking at Ginny filled her with emotion. She looked down at her bed quilt and tried to concentrate on that. She didn’t want to cry.

“Not necessarily-�

“Look Ron, my Patronus is a lioness, not a bloody snake or spider or anything else creepy like that!� Holly exclaimed, sounding slightly irritated. She just wanted to be alone so she could cry on her own. Like she always did. Ron’s eyes widened slightly after Holly’s statement. Hermione noticed Ron’s odd look.

“What’s the matter?�

Ron jumped and blushed. Evidently, he didn’t think that anyone saw him.

“I just hope I never meet someone who has a spider for their Patronus,� he mumbled. Holly bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. At any other time, she probably would have laughed, but not then.

“Do you really want to know why my powers went haywire when I was asleep?� Holly had a blank look on her face as she tried to stay neutral, as she tried not to let the tears escape from her eyes. This is my only option, I have no other choice, Holly thought miserably, really not wanting to relive the memories again.

“Enlighten us,� Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. She knew her Patronus theory was legitimate, but she wasn’t ready to leave it just yet.

“Because something happened when I was younger, something terrible,� Holly said, pausing as the memories flooded over her again, merging with her dream. Fortunately, what had happened in her dream was not what really happened; her own imagination and guilt had created that. She shuddered.

“What was it?� Harry asked, either not noticing or ignoring Holly’s distressed look at bringing back old memories. Holly looked at the ceiling, refusing to look at Harry.

“I was eleven at the time. My parents had gone out for a meal and I was left with my four-year-old brother and the babysitter.� Holly paused as a lump grew in her throat. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying. She looked at all the others and realised she would have to go on, no matter how hard it would be.

“We were out in the garden, I was reading a book and Jake was playing with his toy cars — when it happened. It was quite cloudy, Dad said it would probably rain in a few hours and I had to remember to bring the washing in for Mum, she liked drying clothes the Muggle way. Suddenly, these men — Death Eaters — just appeared in our garden and started to attack us. Everything started to explode, all the plant pots started to blow up and the soil went everywhere. I was so scared, I had no idea what was going on, it was just chaos. One minute, everything was fine, my brother was humming, pretending it was a train noise, next minute, he was dead. Jake was murdered right in front of me, when he was still playing with his toy cars. They killed him, to get back at my parents. He had no idea what was going on.�

Holly squeezed her eyes shut to stem the tears, the whole scene unfolding in her head again, every single sound, the screaming, the crashing, the lights... She didn’t want to continue, she just wanted to curl up in a ball, but she kept on going anyway. She looked at nothing in particular as she continued, her voice was slightly higher and shaky than normal.

“Then one of them turned to me. He was going to kill me. He would have, almost did, if our babysitter hadn’t got me out of the way. But then they killed her and I just stood and watched, I felt like my legs were made of lead. Just as they were about to kill me, my parents came home, sending spells back at them and distracting them from me. But the Death Eaters escaped. I’ll never be able to forget the looks on their faces when they saw Jake dead. He was just lying there, he still had a cheeky smile on his face and his favourite blue car clasped in his hand. Ever since that day, I have run it over and over in my mind, whether I would have been able to stop it … to stop them dying.�

By this time, she was sobbing, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. All of her thoughts and feelings were bypassing her brain and pouring straight out of her mouth. She didn’t want to continue, she wanted to stop, but she couldn’t.

“He shouldn’t have died … he was only four! He was just a child!� her tears and sorrow was starting to be replaced by anger. She was only dimly aware of something surrounding her, four sets of arms engulfing her into one giant hug. There are times when words of comfort really are no use. They are just as empty as the shell of the person the words are being said to. Sometimes, the only way to help is just to listen, to try and understand. Letting the person express what they’re feeling, to get it all out, is the only way they will ever be able to heal. At that moment in time, as they heard Holly sobbing, they realised that this was one of those times. The protective bubble that Holly had carefully made around herself had burst, and now had a chance of recovery. She was going to be alright.

For the first time in years, Holly actually felt slightly better, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had finally told someone her darkest secret, or at least the root of it, one that had been simmering deep inside of her for years. It was consoling to have someone to listen, who wouldn’t ignore her, or try to change the subject like everyone else. As they moved away from Holly, Hermione spoke, her voice breaking slightly.

“You know that it wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have done anything to stop it … you were just a child, too. If you did, you would have been killed,� Hermione said, sniffing. Holly’s story was heartbreaking. She was telling them something directly from her heart. Hermione couldn’t imagine how much pain that caused her, and still did. Her guilt, the grieving, the confusion — were all muddled up with her childish imagination.

“Then I should have died! I should have died, not him!� Holly said angrily, her flushed cheeks stained with tears that were still falling.

“No, neither of you should have died. It was cruel that you had to witness such a horrible thing,� Hermione said firmly, tears falling down her cheeks, too. By that time, Ginny was crying as well, and even Ron and Harry’s eyes were moist.

“I think I know what you’re going through, survivor’s guilt. I should know, after Cedric and Sirius and Dumbledore,� Harry said, looking at Holly in an understanding way. “But then again, they weren’t my family.�

“Friends are the family you chose. That’s what my father always used to say to me,� Holly replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. As Holly said that, Harry knew that she was right. Even though Hermione and the Weasley’s weren’t actually family, they were as good as, and were so much more than the Dursleys ever were. If anything were to happen to them… Harry shuddered at the very thought.

“Any death, whether they’re family or not, is still hard, very hard,� Hermione whispered. Holly nodded slowly.

“We’re sorry we had a go at you just then,� Ginny said apologetically. She could now understand why Holly hadn’t told them, now the initial shock was over.

“It’s alright, it’s my fault that I didn’t tell you before,� Holly replied, sighing, trying to stem the tears that were spilling from her eyes. She remembered the times her brother used to almost force her to play wrestle with him or play with his little toy cars, and she gave a watery smile. Everything is going be alright, she thought, the happier moments of her brother’s short life burned in her memory. Everything was going to get better, at least about her brother’s death.

“Do you know who the Death Eaters were?� Ron asked as he looked at Holly intently. Holly nodded again.

“Then why don’t we just go after those murdering gits right now and stop them!� Harry said, ready to get up that moment and get them immediately. He had gone quite pale, which made his black hair contrast with his skin even more.

“No. I’ve thought it all through, a lot, and even though it’s very tempting, it probably wouldn’t change anything. Others would be sent instead,� Holly explained heavily. Her whole body seemed to sag as she said it, as if someone had punctured a balloon.

“You’ve really thought everything through, haven’t you?� Ginny asked with a hint of admiration in her voice. But it was still touched with sadness. She was so brave, she had been through so much. Ginny had no idea how she got the strength to carry on fighting, to help people she barely knew, in a time she didn’t belong to.

“Well, as much as I could,� Holly said, shrugging and wiping her damp cheeks with her sleeve and sniffing.

“I’ll go and make some hot chocolate for everyone,� Hermione said softly. When she was growing up, her mother would always make a cup of tea or hot chocolate for people when they were upset, and Hermione had carried on that tradition.

“You look really pale,� Ron stated, sounding concerned. Holly was looking even paler than the ghosts that resided in Hogwarts.

“I’m okay, I think. It’s all the memories,� Holly replied, her hand rubbing her locket unconsciously, her fingers tracing the familiar decoration on the front. Ginny gave her another quick, comforting hug. Thoughts of her own lost brother came to mind, of Percy Weasley. She glanced over to Ron, who took hold of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Ron had been her rock after Percy’s death at the hands of the Death Eaters; he knew when to be serious and when to crack a joke to cheer her up. Out of all of her brothers, Ginny had always felt closest to Ron. She didn’t know what she would have done without him.

“I think what we need then is chocolate,� Ginny said, nodding her head solemnly.

“Good idea, thanks,� Holly replied as Ginny took her arm and led her down the stairs, with Ron and Harry following. Then Ginny quickly rushed into her room and returned with a large box of chocolates. Harry and Ron looked like Christmas had come early. As she offered one to Holly as they sat on the sofa, Ron lunged forward and was just about the swipe a sweet, when Ginny slapped his hand away.

“These aren’t for you, are you upset?� she snapped, giving her brother a dirty look.

“I am now!� Ron retorted, rubbing his hand and glaring at Ginny.

“Don’t be such a baby!� Ginny said as Holly took a sweet gratefully and popped it in her mouth.

“Thanks, Ginny,� Holly said, starting to look better, as colour started to fill her face again. As she noticed Harry and Ron looking longingly at the delicious chocolates, she added, “I think you should give the boys some before they leave a pile of drool on the floor!� Ginny snorted, and then passed over the box.

“Whoa, Ron, one at a time, you’ll make yourself sick!�

Ron looked bashful as he tried to shove four chocolates in his mouth at the same time. His cheeks were bulging and made him look remarkably like a hamster.

“Just don’t cough … or sneeze near me,� Harry laughed, looking at Ron with a slightly amused expression.

“Chocolate always makes me feel better when I’m feeling down,� Ginny remarked, also eating a chocolate.

“Or when you’ve been attacked by Dementors,� Harry added thoughtfully, and then shuddered as the image of the hooded terrors floated into his mind.

“Hermione, come and have some chocolate,� Ron said as the curly haired witch walked into the room, carrying five cups of steaming hot chocolate.

“Don’t mind if I do,� Hermione replied, choosing a milk chocolate truffle after putting the drinks down and sitting next to Ron, who pulled her close.

“You know, I haven’t had this much chocolate in one place in a long time,� Ginny said musingly, looking from the chocolate box to the mugs of hot chocolate. Hermione nodded in agreement.

“Aren’t those the chocolates from that pretty little village we visited?� Hermione enquired, glancing at the box it came with.

“Yep. It was from that tiny shop with the pink flowers and those delicious cakes,� Ginny replied, licking her lips, then taking a small sip of the warm, creamy, chocolaty liquid. Just perfect.

“Oh … I remember that village, it was a Muggle village, wasn’t it?� Ron asked, just clocking on, and grabbing his mug much less delicately than Hermione and Ginny did. Hermione winced as Ron almost caused half of his drink to slosh out of the mug.

“Exactly,� Ginny replied, deliberating what chocolate she should pick next. Then she noticed Holly, who was staring into space, her drink was left untouched.

“That little boy, Alex, he reminded you of your brother, didn’t he?� Ginny said softly, placing the cup on the table very carefully.

“Yes … At least I was able to save one little boy. I don’t know whether I could have coped if I had lost him today,� Holly said heavily as she fiddled with a piece of chocolate she was holding.

“But we didn’t,� Hermione soothed, feeling the urge to go over to Holly and hug her tightly.

“Yeah, but we could have,� Holly said, leaning back into her chair and taking in a shuddering breath.

“You have to know that it wasn’t your fault.  You couldn’t have stopped it happening,� Hermione repeated again. Holly didn’t say anything this time, but waited until the chocolate had completely melted on her tongue. It was quite soothing in a strange sort of way. A moment later, she felt the warmness from the chocolate start to spread through her body.

“This is the first time I’ve ever spoken about this,� Holly said, her voice breaking slightly. The others were shocked, Ron fumbled with the chocolate he had just picked up, and it fell onto the table with a resounding thud.

“What? You didn’t talk to your parents, or the rest of the family about it?� Hermione asked incredulously. Ron was watching Holly intently, not making any effort to pick up the fallen chocolate.

“I tried, but they never wanted to talk about it, or were always too busy. How was I meant to talk to my mother about how her son was murdered, how her baby boy was killed?� Holly said quietly, remembering the look of pain in her mother’s previously warm eyes whenever she mentioned her brother. It was as if part of her was gone, Jake was gone. Holly couldn’t even bear to think of his funeral and his tiny coffin.

“What about your father, why didn’t you talk to him?� Harry asked, rousing Holly from her thoughts.

Holly gave a hollow sort of laugh as she looked at Harry lopsidedly. It was the first time she had looked at him since she started her story about her brother. “I wish I could have, I really do.�

That statement seemed to tell them that the subject was over, that she couldn’t bear to talk about it anymore. And they understood. Instead, they sat, picking at the chocolates and taking comfort in each others’ presence. Holly picked up her mug of hot chocolate and inhaled the scent deeply. Nothing could beat a nice hot chocolate.

“But you do know, that if you want, you can always talk to us,� Harry said, making it clear that she was not alone. Holly smiled weakly.

“I know, thank you.�

Once again, there was silence, only the sound of people sipping their drink or biting into a chocolate.  Suddenly, Hermione glanced at her watch and jumped up from her seat. She picked up her mug and swallowed the rest of her now lukewarm drink in one gulp.

“Oh Merlin, I’m really sorry, but I have to go. Minerva’s expecting me — in five minutes,� Hermione announced regretfully, her eyes falling on Holly, who was nursing her mug of hot chocolate and looking slightly better.

“See you later,� Ron said, kissing her before she rushed to the fire and scooped up some of the glittery powder.

Just before she left, she took one last look at her three friends in the room, who all waved goodbye. She could tell they were all thinking along the same lines as her. There was something about Holly that was honest, almost familiar. Today, they had learned a bit about Holly’s past, and even that little snippet scared them. She must have seen so many things in her life, had to go through so many things, and they all felt a surge of sympathy for her. But as hard as they tried, they couldn’t understand why they trusted her so much. In their guts, they knew that she was telling the truth. But there were some thing’s that just didn’t add up. Questions that didn’t have answers. They had a nagging feeling in the corner of their mind that she was hiding something, but for the life of them, they couldn’t think what it could be, or why she was keeping it hidden. As the flames whirled around her, Hermione came to a decision. She was going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Whatever the answer may be.

The next couple of days passed surprisingly quickly and all of them easily adjusted to Holly living at Harry’s. It was even starting to feel like she had always been there, she just seemed to fall easily into their routine, always being the first one up and making tea for everyone once they woke up. Ron and Ginny had recently moved in while they saved up money to buy their own places, and Harry had always felt that the more people who lived in his house, the better.

 

Holly had already been involved in another Order mission and Flooed to Hogwarts briefly to visit Hermione and arrange their first training session, which was set for next Saturday. She had been very persistent about that, and every time any of them would ask about what they would learn, she would tap her nose secretively and smile.

 

As usual, the four of them were lounging in Harry’s sitting room, appreciating time together without any of them working or being out. Ron was chatting to Harry about Quidditch and how they hadn’t played for ages — which actually meant two weeks — Ginny was staring into space, and Holly was flicking through a newspaper. None of them were surprised when a head popped into the fire, as they got people Flooing in as often as a Muggle’s home phone would ring.

 

“Hello, Fred,� Harry said cheerfully as he looked up to see who was visiting, and instantly recognised them. They hadn’t seen each other in a while, work had just slowed down for Harry and Ron, and the twins were still very busy with their chain of joke shops.

 

“Hello everyone,� Fred said, grinning. “Mum told me to ask you if you wanted to come over to dinner today. George and I are around and so are Bill, Fleur and Charlie.�

 

“That’ll be great,� Ginny replied, nodding at her brother.

 

“Okay, I’ll tell her, she’s just rubbing Fleur’s stomach right now — she wants to feel the baby kick again. But I’m going to cut this conversation short because my knees are starting to hurt,� Fred told them. Then suddenly he noticed Holly lounging on the sofa, where she was still flicking through the newspaper.

 

“You must be the new Order member, Hermione’s mother’s best friend’s daughter, if I remember correctly,� Fred said politely. Holly nodded. “I would shake your hand, but they’re temporarily disabled right now.�

 

“Nice to meet you,� Holly said, looking away from her newspaper for a moment at the head in the fire.

 

“Likewise. See you at dinner,� Fred said, grinning. And after a pop and a burst of flames, his head vanished. Harry remembered how much it hurt when he just put his head in the fire. He made a mental note that from then on, if he ever Flooed just his head, he would place a pillow or something under his knees. He felt like he had dislocated his kneecaps.

 

“That was one of my other brothers,� Ginny explained as her brother’s head disappeared, leaving the flames crackling merrily.

 

“I thought he looked a bit familiar,� Holly laughed, sounding slightly sarcastic.

 

“Oh, I was just wondering, when did you learn you were a Metamorphmagus?� Harry asked. He had wanted to ask her for a while now, but had never gotten round to it. Holly laughed and grinned at Harry.

 

“Oh, years ago, I think I was about eight ... I had a cold and my father was showing me a photo album of him and his friends at school, and I sneezed and my hair turned pink!� Holly laughed, smiling as she reminisced. “My dad was very surprised; I think he found it very funny though!�

 

Harry laughed as he imagined the scene as well. He could picture an eight-year-old Holly flicking through a photo album, sitting on her father’s lap, surprisingly well.

 

Holly smiled and then continued to look through her newspaper, then stopped flicking as a picture caught her eye.

 

“Look at him, he’s pretty cute,� she commented. There was a picture of a boy, about seventeen, with what was obviously light blond hair, and an attractive face. Ginny looked over Holly’s shoulder at the black and white picture, then pulled a revolted face. A second later, she lifted her hand and placed it on Holly’s forehead as if to check her temperature.

 

“Strange, you don’t seem to have a temperature, but you must be ill — that’s Draco Malfoy!� Ginny said, sounding absolutely disgusted and taking her hand off Holly’s forehead. At the other side of the room, Harry and Ron choked on their drinks.

 

“What!� they both yelled, throwing Holly very alarmed looks.

 

“That’s Malfoy! Oh my, he looks so different! I didn’t realise!� Holly cried, now looking very sick as she actually threw the newspaper across the room in revulsion. In her time, she was sure he was bald ... or was that his father? Or was it both? Yes, that’s really what you should be concentrating on! Holly scolded herself.

 

“Well that was smart of me,� Holly muttered to herself a moment later. She sighed, pulled out her wand and muttered ‘accio Newspaper’ and the paper sailed back into her hands. For a moment, she was tempted to rip out the offending pages and set fire to them, but then settled on just changing the page. She didn’t want to go over the top. The other three were in shock. How could she like Malfoy!?

 

“Hey, look. Harry’s in here,� Holly exclaimed, starting to read the article.

 

“What else is new?� Harry said, still looking at Holly with a peculiar look on his face. How could she think that Malfoy was good looking?

 

“The stupid press just won’t leave him alone,� Ginny muttered crossly.

 

“You’d think they’d be bored of me by now,� Harry said idly. It had been a long time since he had accepted that, no matter what, the press would never leave him alone. It was just a fact of his and his friends’ lives. He didn’t like it, but he was adjusting.

 

“It’s not like you would just have a quiet life now anyway,� Ron commented. Harry laughed.

 

“True. But I don’t think I’d like a quiet life, I do like a bit of danger,� Harry said, thinking how perfect being an Auror was for him.

 

“They have no right to poke into your life all the time,� Ginny complained, still not happy at all about the article.

 

“Unless we move to Australia or something, I don’t think they will ever leave me alone, so there’s no point getting upset about it,� Harry assured her. Thinking again, he realised they would probably still track him down there as well. No way would his ‘fan club’ allow their beloved hero disappear from the public eye for longer than about a week.

 

“So what are they saying this time?� Ron asked, looking at Holly with mild interest.

 

“It’s about the fire the other day and-� Holly started, then froze.  She raised her eyebrows in surprise, and shock.

 

“What’s the matter?� Harry asked. Ginny scanned over the article Holly was talking about and her eyes grew wide.

 

“The Prophet has seen me and well...� Holly threw the paper over to Ron and Harry, where they also began to read.

 

Harry James Potter, famous for his defeat of You-Know-Who two years ago, has still refused to step out of the spotlight. Forever involved in numerous cases for the Ministry along with his friend Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter is always where the action is.

 

Sources confirm that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Ginevra Weasley were involved in a ferocious house fire four days ago. Why they were in the house is one of the questions people want to know the answer to, as well as the woman who was with them. Eyewitnesses say that they have never seen this woman before, and seemed to be able to fight to a spectacular standard. It is speculated that it is Harry Potter’s new girlfriend-

 

Harry and Ron didn’t need to read any more and the four of them sat in silence, digesting this information. Harry tossed the paper to the side and muttered, “Bloody Daily Prophet.�

 

“Out of anything, I wasn’t expecting that,� Ron said blankly. “I didn’t know they knew that Holly even existed!�

 

“Which is still technically true,� Holly added.

 

“I know ... but didn’t they think Hermione and I were dating at one point?� Harry asked, adding a very inappropriate snort of laughter, then suddenly turning serious again and frowning over the article. He had chosen not to reply to Holly’s last comment.

 

“Oh yeah…� Ron said reminiscently, remembering that year and the awful Rita Skeeter. Then he, too, brought his attention back to the article in front of him.

 

“You know, one of these days, I think we seriously need to go down to the press and put them in their place!� Ginny said, shaking her head crossly.

 

“I agree ... oh wait, Hermione!� Ron exclaimed, hitting himself round the head.

 

“What about her?� Holly asked, no longer looking unnerved over the article, in fact, she looked perfectly normal.

 

“Her students are going to go crazy about this!�

 

“Oh, I’m sure Hermione will be able to handle it. She was able to deal with all the other rumours that have been going round, hasn’t she?� Ginny said almost casually.

 

“But maybe I should check up on her…� Ron started.

 

“Look, I’m sure she’s fine, and very busy, come to think of it. She told me she was giving her class a test today and it would take a long time to mark,� Harry explained.

 

“And Mum’s expecting us,� Ginny added. Ron realised that they were right. He knew how competent and independent his girlfriend was, and also knew that he didn’t want to be late to his mother’s. Her temper was still as scary as it was when he was seven and he made Ginny cry.

 

“I think the more appropriate thing we should be doing though, is trying to cure Harry of his unhealthy appetite for the spotlight,� Holly said in the most serious tone she could muster, even though the corners of her mouth were twitching and the last word was accompanied with a sort of giggle. She could see the funny side of the article. At first, she was unnerved over it, but there was no point crying over spilt news, was there? Harry threw her a dirty look, then ruined it a second later by grinning. He was thinking along the same lines as Holly; the newspapers would always say things that weren’t true, he could either laugh about it — or cry.

 

“So what are we going to learn in training on Saturday?� Harry asked, sounding curious. Holly smiled and tapped her nose.

 

“It’s a surprise!�

 

“Well, I’m going to get changed,� Ginny announced, getting up from her seat and leaving the room.

 

“I wonder what Mum’s going to say about the Prophet’s latest spout of rubbish,� Ron said musingly.

 

“She learnt years ago not to trust a word that newspaper says, I doubt she even reads it,� Harry said. Then a moment later, he added, “Come to think about it, why do we read it?�

 

“To keep up with your celebrity status of course,� Ron replied with a tone of voice that suggested what he was saying was obvious.

 

“Just a question; will I still be as, for lack of a better word, in the ‘spotlight’ in the future?� Harry asked. Holly looked thoughtful for a moment.

 

“I’ve only got one thing to say about that. Was Dumbledore ever out of the ‘spotlight’?� Holly asked, the smallest of smiles growing on her face.

 

“I’ll take that as a no then,� Harry sighed, thinking about his old mentor. He had always been in the newspapers and he defeated Grindelwald so many years ago, sometime in the 1940’s, and he was still one of the most famous people of all time. Harry already knew he himself was in many history books, and had been since he was eighteen months old. Holly suddenly burst out laughing.

 

“What’s so funny?� Harry asked, quite disgruntled about Holly’s reaction.

 

“Oh, it’s just, when I was at Hogwarts, we were taught all about your past and from the look on your face, you’re not any happier about the prospect now, than when it gets introduced in Hogwarts!� Holly replied, smirking as Harry looked both shocked and annoyed.

 

“What? I get taught about at school! That’s just great, even more publicity!� Harry moaned. He could just see it now ... Mr. Binns floating into the classroom and starting to ramble on about his life. He could just picture a large photograph of himself on the wall. He would try and leave that picture frame, maybe try and visit the Fat Lady or something ... Harry shook his head. He was really getting off topic, he needed to stop before his imagination went into overdrive.

 

“I don’t know what you’re smirking at Ron, does a flying car ring any bells?� Holly told him. Ron’s smirk was wiped off his face instantly.

 

“I’m in there too?� Ron croaked, looking at Holly with a mixture of despair, confusion, and even slight pleasure. A small part of him was quite pleased he was famous, he had always wanted to beat his brothers at something.

 

“Yeah, of course! That time you beat McGonagall in the giant chess game? That’s a legend!� Holly exclaimed, laughing.

 

“Oh wow ... that was almost ten years ago. Where has the time gone?� Ron said, whistling. Harry nodded. Suddenly, an image of the troll in the girls toilets and a tiny Hermione popped into his head. He smiled. Oh happy days.

 

“I can’t say the same thing,� Holly snorted.

 

“Good point,� Ron laughed, then frowning as he thought about it.

 

“I wonder if I’ll get to see myself as a baby,� Holly said musingly, a strange sort of grin on her face.

 

“That would be weird!� Harry said, shaking his head. His eyes wandered to the staircase, and then they almost popped out of their sockets. Holly swivelled round to follow Harry’s line of sight.

 

“You look ... amazing...� Harry sputtered as Ginny walked into the room. She was wearing a very pretty white dress that was cut off just above her knees, showing off her slender figure. Her auburn hair was loose on her shoulders and her eyes were of a smoky purple. It was simple, but elegant, and Harry was completely entranced.

 

“Thanks,� Ginny said, apparently unaware of the effect she was having on Harry.

 

“So what time are we going round Mum and Dad’s?� Ron asked, ignoring Harry’s stares, as if it were a usual event. Either that, or he didn’t even notice.

 

“What about an hour?� Ginny replied, glancing at her watch.

 

“Great.�

 

“Do you think your parents will be okay with me coming as well?� Holly asked, looking slightly worried.

 

“Of course they will,� Ron assured her.

 

“Why wouldn’t they?� Ginny said as she pulled out a compact mirror and started to apply some lip gloss. Holly didn’t say anything, but leaned back on the sofa, frowning slightly at Harry, as if she were trying to work something out about him.

 

“Have you had any more nightmares lately?� Harry asked after he eventually tore his eyes off Ginny and caught Holly yawning.

 

“No, I’ve had a lot to think about lately, though,� Holly explained, twiddling with her hair.

 

“Do you want to take a nap before we go out then?� Ginny suggested, knowing how dreadful it felt going out when she was short on sleep.

 

“That would be great,� Holly said appreciatively, getting up and leaving the room, yawning once more.

 

Forty-five minutes later, Ginny was shaking Holly awake. “Wake up; we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.�

 

Holly grumbled and sat up. Her brown hair was still as neat as it was before, in spite of sleeping on it. Maybe it’s because of her Metamorphmagus abilities. Ginny thought idly and automatically wondering whether the same thing was true for Tonks. Within fifteen minutes, the four of them were ready to leave and were standing around the emerald fire.

 

“Ladies first,� Harry said, gesturing for Holly and Ginny to go first. Ginny smiled, then walked into the fire, called out ‘The Burrow’ and disappeared into the flames.

 

“I guess your parents live at a place called ‘The Burrow’ then?� Holly asked Ron, who looked sheepish and nodded.

 

“Sorry, I forgot you hadn’t been there yet,� Ron said, apologetically.

 

“Easily done,� Holly said casually, then she stepped into the fire, repeated what Ginny said, and departed. Just as Harry went to follow, Ron called out.

 

“Harry, wait, I need to talk to you about something, in private,� Ron said, pulling at his best friend’s arm.

 

“What’s the matter?� Harry asked, his piercing emerald eyes locking with Ron’s determined blue ones. He knew his best mate very well and could tell from his face that he wanted to tell him something very important.

 

A few minutes later, Harry and Ron staggered through the fireplace. “What took you so long, did you get lost or something?� Ginny asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

 

“No, we ... forget something,� Ron said shiftily, looking at his feet. He was grateful when his mother engulfed him in a hug and drew Ginny’s attention away from them. Harry noticed that Ginny’s white dress was dusted with soot. Ginny did too, and pulled out her wand and muttered ‘Scourgify.’ All traces of soot vanished, and the dress was clean and white again, as if she had just bought it from the Muggle shop where Hermione had taken her.

 

“It’s so good to see you all again,� Mrs. Weasley said as she hugged Harry.

 

“Same here, we’re sorry we didn’t come earlier, it’s just there’s been a lot of things going on-� Ginny started, but was cut off by Mrs. Weasley.

 

“You don’t need to explain, it’s just good that you’re here now.�

 

Then she turned to Holly, a smile adorning her features. “Well, I’ve heard quite a lot about you, you’ve made quite an impression on the Order.�

 

“I don’t know about that, Mrs. Weasley,� Holly said, biting her lip bashfully.

 

“Call me Molly, dear, and yes you have. Saving Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione from that fire and taking part in all of those Order missions? That’s very brave of you.�

 

“Well, I just want to help people,� Holly said, just as a band of redheads bustled into the room, calling out greetings.

 

“We wondered when you would all come over!�

 

“Yeah, long time no see!�

 

“Aww ... has work been too much for you all?�

 

Harry wasn’t sure who was saying what, and grinned. There was always something going on at the Burrow, it was never quiet or boring, the house seem to have a particular energy that was almost addictive.

 

In the sitting room, Mr. Weasley was busy reading a book. “Hello everyone,� he said, when he realised he had visitors. He put his book down, stood up and hugged his youngest. “It’s nice of you to come round. It’s been quite a while since the family’s all been together.� Mr. Weasley’s voice was tinged with sadness.

 

A lot of things had changed since the second war with Voldemort: Charlie had moved back to Romania to work with dragons, the twins had a string of joke shops, least of which was the one in Hogsmeade. Recently, they had opened a few in America, which took up a lot of their time, and imagination. And Bill had his hands full with his pregnant wife, who had just gone for a nap after a hard day of complaining, eating, and having the baby use her bladder as a space hopper. Oh, and more eating.

 

But not all of the change was for the better; they were all still coming to terms with the death of Percy, who had died jumping in front of a curse meant for his father. In the end, his family loyalties had shone through everything else. Whilst Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were completely devastated about the loss of their son, they were very grateful that they hadn’t lost anyone else.

 

“So how has work been so far?� Charlie asked Ginny, giving his baby sister a proud smile.

 

“It’s great, I’m really enjoying it and learning loads. Although, it does annoy me when people don’t tell me how they got the injuries; it’s a lot harder to heal someone when you don’t really know what you’re dealing with,� Ginny explained. Ginny was a Healer at St Mungo’s, and a very good one at that. After helping the injured during the war, Ginny had decided that it was what she wanted to do with her life, and her grades were good enough for her to get into Healer academy immediately, and more recently, a job as an employed Healer.

 

“Why aren’t you working now?� Charlie asked. He had managed to persuade his boss to let him have a few days off to spend time with his family.

 

“I’ve got a late shift, it starts at eleven tonight,� Ginny said, not looking very thrilled at the prospect of working through the night. “That’s when all the freaky cases happened. Like last time I took a late shift, a man turned up with his head transfigured into a toaster!�

 

“What a shame. I’d hate to work that late,� Charlie said, but there was a hint of mirth in his eyes. “You need your beauty sleep!�

 

Ginny slapped him on the arm in response to such an insult.

 

“What about your girlfriend, have you just abandoned her in Romania?� Ginny teased.

 

“I asked her if she wanted to come, but she was busy with work,� Charlie said, a smile appearing on his features as he thought of his girlfriend.

 

“So you didn’t abandon her this time?� Ginny said slyly.

 

“Shut up, I only did that once, and that was an accident!� Charlie said, a blush creeping up in his cheeks. Ginny giggled to herself.  One of her favourite hobbies as a child was teasing her brothers, and it was still very enjoyable. That was one of the advantages of being the youngest; she could get away with more and could find out things about them that no one else knew.

 

“Yeah ... right...� Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. Then she turned away from Charlie to talk to her father, who was talking to Bill at the time. Charlie smiled as he watched her smile and chat eagerly with their father. She had really grown into a young woman, she was no longer that little girl who once chased him round the house trying to put on the make-up she had nicked from their mother. He smiled again and then walked towards his twin brothers, who had identical looks of mischief on their faces. Charlie knew that they were up to something, and secretly, he enjoyed seeing their pranks immensely. During the war, it was a light relief from all the death and destruction. He noticed Ron walk over to him, grinning and holding onto a virtually untouched bottle of firewhiskey.

 

“So Charlie, how are the dragons these days, have you got a burn in the shape of America yet?�

 

_____________________________

 

Later that evening, after everyone had finished eating, Fred and George decided to engage in some ‘research’ with Holly as their test subject. Not that she knew, of course, they didn’t usually tell their other subjects beforehand, and they weren’t going to start now.

 

“So ... Holly, where are you from?� George asked, a mischievous grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. Most people were sure that Fred and George thought they were still children, and had just refused to grow up. A bit like Peter Pan, when Holly came to think about it, but without the pointed ears and the crocodile that swallowed an alarm clock. Holly raised her eyebrow slightly, and for a split second, she actually considered telling them the whole truth, just to see their reaction, but she resisted. Instead, she opted for one of her favourite techniques — sarcasm. She knew what they were going to do — for her it was obvious — and she wasn’t going to fall for it.

 

“I came from my mother’s tummy, what about you?�

 

“A sense of humour, I like it. I think we’re going to get on great!� George said pleasantly, not affected by Holly’s obvious sarcasm, it was something they were very accustomed to, being well known users of the technique themselves.

 

“Do you want a sweet?� Fred asked, pulling out a bag full of sweets. It looked like it was full of biscuits, sweets and toffees. But it was actually a bag of Canary Creams, Ton Tongue Toffees and some of their newest inventions. Holly smirked inwardly. She recognised them instantly and had no intent on reliving their effects. She had enough experience with them in the future ... or her past. Holly shook her head as if to clear those thoughts, it just gave her a headache.

 

“No thanks, I’m not really in the mood to become a Canary or have an extra large tongue, thank you very much,� Holly said absolutely seriously. Fred and George looked slightly shocked, but recovered quickly.

 

“How dare you accuse us of such things!� Fred said dramatically, the firewhiskey the two had been drinking were making them over act slightly, which to others, looked very comical.

 

“Well then why don’t you both eat one first!� Holly challenged. Fred and George gruffly put the bag away and didn’t say anything. Holly laughed.

 

“We’ll get her before the night’s over,� Fred whispered to his twin.

 

“It’s time to step up the mark,� George replied. Then the two of them left a smug Holly to plot their next move.

 

Unfortunately, their plans did not go too well.

 

_______________________________

 

“Holly, open this door!�

 

Ginny knocked for what seemed like the hundredth time on the bathroom door.

 

There was no answer.

 

“I know my brothers are prats, but you’ll need to turn them back sometime,� Ginny called out. Still no answer. Ginny was losing her patience very quickly.

 

“Open this bloody door this instant, young lady, before I blast it open!!�

 

Ginny cringed as she realised how much she sounded like her mother. There was a scuffle of noise and the door swung open. Holly looked pissed off.

 

“They deserved it!� Holly huffed, crossing her hands over her chest, her face slightly flushed and her bright blue eyes seemed to shoot daggers.

 

“Perhaps they did, but-� Ginny started, only for Holly to interrupt her.

 

“There are no ‘buts’ about it, they’ve been trying to prank me ever since we arrived here and I’m sick of it! Didn’t you see them make my drink pour itself all over me! They wanted to be clowns and they are!� Holly snapped. Ginny bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing out loud. She had to admit, it was funny and definitely a good piece of magic.

 

“Let’s go back to the sitting room,� Ginny suggested. Holly nodded. As they walked back slowly, Ginny had to ask Holly something.

 

“Where did you learn that spell?� Ginny asked, unable to resist. Holly looked pensive for a moment, her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked slightly confused.

 

“I honestly can’t remember!�

 

“You do remember how to turn them back though?� Ginny asked quickly, really not wanting to have toys for brothers for the rest of her life.

 

“Yes, of course, I’m not going to use it though,� Holly said, looking determined and also quite stubborn.

 

“What? They’re going to stay clowns ... forever?� Ginny said, almost fearfully.

 

“Not forever ... just until they’ve learnt their lesson!� Holly said firmly. She took a deep breath in before they walked back into the sitting room. Everyone stared at her and Holly fidgeted on the spot slightly. I came round here intending to give a good impression, but instead I turn two of the family members into clowns. Good going! Holly scolded herself. Damn me and my short temper!

 

“Er, sorry about that,� Holly said uncomfortably as she saw two identical toy clowns lying on the sofa. The whole room didn’t know whether to laugh about the situation, or scream at Holly. However, Harry and Ron found the whole circumstance very amusing, and huge smiles were plastered on their faces — but only when Mrs. Weasley wasn’t looking of course.  Mr. Weasley was looking shocked, but also quite perplexed.

 

“I think they’ve learnt their lesson,� Ginny murmured in Holly’s ear. Apprehensively, Holly pulled out her wand and muttered the countercurse. There was a burst of colour and the small toys started to grow, their clothes started to change and their hair became redder. Within seconds, the twins were back, both with identical looks of shock and admiration plastered on their faces.

 

“Well that was unexpected,� George said, stretching his newly grown limbs.

 

“You definitely put us in our place!� Fred added. Both of them looked very serious for a moment, and then they simultaneously burst out with laughter.

 

“Best prank I’ve seen in a while…� Fred was able to choke out, however, he didn’t take his eyes off Holly, looking ever so slightly afraid of her.

 

“Very amusing!� George laughed, which was the signal for the rest of the room to relax and in Harry and Ron’s case, join in the laughter.

 

“Remind us never to try and prank you again,� George said cheerfully.

 

“Good, I’m glad we’ve cleared that up!� Holly said briskly, but she was smiling now. She could tell that even though they were laughing, they understood her meaning perfectly and would be a lot more cautious around her in the future.

 

“Where did you learn it?� the twins asked together, looking very intrigued.

 

“I can’t remember,� Holly laughed. She had learnt so many spells over the years it was hard to remember where she had learnt them. That was the first jinx that came into her head.

 

“You will have to teach us that spell one day,� Fred said, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye.

 

It’s good that they’re able to take pranks, unlike some other people who would sulk for hours after being targeted, Ginny thought, looking fleetingly at Ron, whose laughter was starting to calm down. He in particular, always longed for the day when someone would be able to beat the twins at their own game, and that day had finally come.

 

“Ok, but not tonight, we have to go,� Ginny said after glancing at her watch, it was half past ten and unfortunately, that meant that it was time to leave for work.

 

“Oh, well thank you for coming round and giving us all a ... laugh,� Bill said, grinning.

 

“We’ll see you all soon,� Ron said, smiling at his family.

 

“Goodbye dears,� Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes slightly wet with tears. She always got very emotional when her children left ... she just wanted her family round her, particularly after Percy died. She forced herself not to cry as her two youngest left the Burrow. Then she turned back to the rest of the family and her eyes lingered on her daughter-in-law’s growing stomach and felt herself swell with happiness. Her family was growing; it wouldn’t be long before she would be able to hold her first grandchild, something she had dreamed of doing for years.

 

_____________________________________

 

“That was a great trick you played,� Ron said, laughing.

 

“What? I didn’t know you liked it, I thought you were laughing your head off about something else!� Holly said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She didn’t mean to amuse everyone so much. She was just so irritated at the twins and wanted them to get a taste of their own medicine.

 

“I’m going to get changed ... got work soon,� Ginny sighed.

 

“Lucky we’ve got time off,� Harry commented. Ginny snorted.

 

“After how much work they made you do, you two barely slept for two months!� she told him. Harry just shrugged.

 

“It wasn’t that — oh, it was, wasn’t it?� Harry said, laughing as he remembered the past few months, better called the Months from Hell.

 

“And I thought those days at Hogwarts with all that homework was exhausting!� Ron exclaimed. Ginny laughed.

 

“I’ve got a much more flexible schedule,� Ginny said, then she rushed out the room and up the stairs. Harry watched her leave, his eyes looking at her almost longingly. Holly was starting to get irritated. Even though she had only been in the past for a few days, Harry and Ginny were starting to annoy her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t snap anytime soon, like she did earlier. Particularly if she told them anything ... unexpected.

                                                                                              

Within ten minutes, Ginny came back downstairs, pulling on her jacket.

 

“I’m gonna go now, see you all later,� Ginny said cheerfully, buttoning her coat over her uniform.

 

“Don’t fall asleep on the job,� Harry called out teasingly. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him before leaving.

 

“Oh, before I forget, Remus said we could use his club on Saturday, for training,� Harry told her, as he turned his attention to Holly.

 

“That was nice of him,� Holly commented. Yesterday, Harry had explained who Remus Lupin was, and also caught her up to speed with what was going on in the Wizarding world and who she would most likely need to know. A minute later she added, “When do you two start work again?�

 

“Next week ... unfortunately,� Ron answered, looking glum.

 

“I thought you enjoyed your work?� Holly inquired, tilting her head to the side questionably.

 

“I do,� Ron started slowly, as if he was thinking about how he would put it. “But when they send you on every mission that’s even remotely dangerous, it starts to get on your nerves.�

 

“The downside of being Harry Potter, is that you’re expected to get involved in every mission in the whole country, no matter the risks, with your best friend,� Harry sighed, shaking his head in annoyance.

 

“Oh poor you,� Holly said dramatically. In response, Harry threw a cushion at her and laughed.

 

_____________________________________________

 

 

“Come on, I want to go!� Holly half nagged, half whined. It was finally Saturday, the day of their first training session.

 

“Keep your socks on, we’re coming!� Harry called out, rushing in the room ad throwing an old Quidditch top on at the same time. Ginny also walked in after him, tying her long red hair back in a ponytail.

 

“This is so exciting!� Ginny said, grinning widely.

 

“It’s not really meant to be exciting, it’s supposed to help you learn how to fight!� Holly said, sounding annoyed.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But you’ve been so secretive about it, I can’t wait to find out what you’ve got planned!� Ginny replied just as Hermione and Ron joined them, all clad in loose clothes, as instructed by Holly.

 

“I’ll meet you there,� Holly said, smiling as they all Disapparated, leaving her alone. A wicked grin passed over her features as she thought about what she was going to do.

 

_________________________________________

 

“Where’s Holly?� Ron asked his friends as he noticed she was missing.

 

“I don’t know, maybe she forgot something,� Ginny guessed, looking around for the younger witch as well.

 

“We’ll meet her inside,� Harry said as he pulled out the key from his pocket and started to unlock the door into the dark hall.

 

“A little help with the lights please?� Harry requested. The other three instantly pulled out their wands and set the candles, which were dotted around the room, alight. Now that the room was lighter, Harry was able to have a good look round. It was almost exactly as it was the last time he visited, except now it was empty, not teeming with people, and it was a lot tidier. They were in a large hall, with a stairway that led to another floor. Virtually everything was made out of mahogany. Harry smiled proudly at his friend’s achievements, he had really helped thaw the rift between werewolves and people.

 

“Where is Holly?� Hermione said out loud, now slightly confused. One part of her brain was telling her that Holly was coming, that she had forgotten something, but the other, much smaller part, was disagreeing.

 

None of them noticed a dark figure sneak into the room, their wand raised.

 

“Something’s not right,� Ginny said slowly. Her instincts were telling her something, something was not how it should have been.

 

“Stop being paranoid — ARGH!�

 

Ginny threw herself at her friends and knocked them over, automatically casting a shield charm at the same time. A jet of violet light bounced off it and crashed into the wall, showering the room in bright sparks. Laughter erupted from the far end of the hall, where the spell came from, where there was darkness. A figure stepped forward, clothed in black.

 

All that was visible was a pair of piercing red eyes.

"What-who are you?" Ginny shouted, clutching her wand tightly as memories of the war came flooding back to her. For a fleeting second, Harry thought it was Voldemort and he grimaced. Then the moment was gone. Voldemort was definitely gone. He could hear the slight sound of his friends breathing beside him and Harry gritted his teeth.

"I have to say, I’m quite disappointed. I expected better reflexes from the four of you. It seems that in the last two years, you have become sloppy," the figure said softly.

The figure walked towards them and then continued to speak. The figure’s footsteps echoed in the silent room, like short, sharp gunshots piercing the air. Somehow, the room seemed colder, as if a sudden breeze had escaped into the building.

"Only Miss Weasley was able to catch on, but still not fast enough. If I wanted to, I could have killed you all."

"Who are you?" Harry repeated forcefully. He narrowed his eyes and squinted, trying to figure out who it was. But he had no success, the person’s face was hidden by a black hood, with only their vivid, glittering red eyes visible.

"You know who I am."

Now the four of them were starting to get worried. The figure took a step forward; its eyes were fixed on Harry. Harry could feel his heart beating painfully in his chest.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Every single sound seemed to be amplified, Harry was sure that if someone dropped a feather a mile away, he would hear it. He scorned himself for acting so weak and he tried to compose himself.

"It’s a shame you really do have excellent reputations, I was under the impression that I was in for a better challenge."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Harry raised his wand in the familiar combat position, his Auror training and years at Hogwarts coming into play. For the first time in a while, he was feeling scared. Low level Death Eaters were easy, no real threat. They would come at him with sloppy attacks and it would only take a few lazy flicks from his wand to disarm them. But he could tell that this stranger was powerful, he could feel it. All of his experience from Auror training had given him a sort of sixth sense, and the person seemed to ooze power and confidence.

Next to him, Ron shuffled his feet. Harry was sure that he was feeling the same way. Harry turned away from Ron and fixed his fiery green eyes on the figure advancing on them, ready to curse it, when all of a sudden the fierce red eyes were replaced with a brilliant blue and the person lowered their hood. He gasped and almost dropped his wand as he instantly recognised the eyes. They were unmistakable.

Holly was standing a few feet ahead of them, watching them with a satisfied grin on her lips.

"Holly? What-Why-How…-" Harry couldn’t manage to form a full sentence. He was in too much shock.

"I thought that a good way to start our lesson was with a ‘hands on’ experience. From your reactions, I could see that only Ginny’s was somewhat good," Holly said, not looking very pleased. She now had her hands crossed over her chest as if she was a teacher telling off naughty students. She ignored their slack, shocked faces and continued.

"I gathered from just now, and from the last few days, that you’ve grown overconfident, slack, lazy and would be easy to kill."

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny simultaneously flushed, obviously shocked, but they didn’t say anything.

"So you had all of this planned for how long?" Ginny asked accusingly. Her eyes were narrowed at the smirking brunette. Holly was seemingly unaffected by Ginny’s tone of voice, in fact she seemed to find it mildly funny. For a moment she didn’t answer, but lifted the glamour charm she had placed on her clothes so that they looked a bit like Death Eater robes and sniffed.

"Pretty much since I said I would train you," Holly said simply, laughing. All four of them were astonished.

"Bloody hell, I thought Voldemort was back," Harry said nervously running a hand through his hair, something he had started to do lately when he was worried or stressed. Half the time, he didn’t even realise he was doing it, although his friends did.

"That’s exactly my point. I thought that scaring you shi —I mean, witless, would show me what you’re really like," Holly said pulling out her wand, and grinning almost evilly. "Now time to start the real training."

"Can we have a second to recover please?" Hermione asked, holding her right hand to her heart. Her other hand was resting lightly on Ron’s shoulder.

"Do you think the Death Eaters and other evils in this world will let you have a break to ‘recover’?" Holly asked, her eyes flashing warningly. All of them were stunned with Holly’s sudden change in attitude. She really meant business.

"It’s not a game, and I don’t think you should act like it is," Holly said shortly, as if she read their minds. Hermione stood up slightly straighter, but didn’t remove her hand from Ron’s shoulder.

"Where should we start?" Harry asked, slightly scared of this new side of Holly. And she knew that fact full well, and was prepared to use that fact to her advantage.

"Why don’t we start with a few spells," Holly said, with a tone people would use for three-year-olds. She still had her wand in her hand, which was pointing at them.

"But- ARGH!"

For the second time that day, Ginny had to dodge a spell that hurtled towards her. Next to her, the others did the same thing.

"Fight back! All of you!" Holly ordered. Her wand was pointing directly at them and she was standing in combat position, bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready to move at any moment.

"What? All of us against you? That’s not fair!"

"So what? Life’s not fair. Impedimenta!"

For the next ten minutes the four of them tried to bring Holly down, but with no success. She was just too fast. She had already knocked out Hermione and her last spell had just missed Ron. She was very clever with her spells and would trick them in where she was placing them. Once, Harry was sure one of her spells actually bent slightly towards him, and it just skimmed his arm.

As Holly concentrated slightly more on Ron, Harry and Ginny exchanged glances for the next plan of attack. Instantly, Harry did what Ginny had wordlessly instructed just as Ron got hit on the arm by a curse. Harry Apparated closer to Holly and Ginny did the same on the other side of her, simultaneously throwing spells at her as soon as they reappeared and giving Holly absolutely no time to react, let alone any time to defend herself. Holly was knocked out. Finally. Harry, Ginny and Ron grinned at each other in triumph, although Ron winced from the sudden flash of pain in his arm. For a moment they just stood and tried to catch their breath. Ron rushed over to Hermione and revived her, his clumsy footsteps clattered loudly on the hard floor. Harry and Ginny tackled Holly, feeling a bit calmer now they knew Holly wouldn’t be hitting them with anymore spells; at least for the moment. Harry was almost reluctant as to wake her up. He knew she would start them working straight away and not even let them have a break.

"Enervate," Harry muttered as he reached Holly. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, catching sight of Harry and Ginny and smiled.

"Well done, though you took your time," Holly said as she stood up and brushed herself down.

"Why are you so bloody fast?" Ron moaned as he walked over to Holly, holding onto Hermione’s hand tightly. All of them had sustained injuries from Holly’s numerous jinxes and curses, which Ginny quickly and efficiently cleared up as best she could.

"I practice. Alot. By the time I’m through with you lot, you should be just as fast, hopefully faster," Holly said seriously. As the four of them watched Holly talk disbelievingly, they knew without doubt that she was very determined, very powerful, and extremely committed, even ruthless. She would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, which was a very scary thought. All of them had the same thought running through their heads.

Thank Merlin she’s on our side. If she wasn’t…

They all shuddered at the very idea.

"What I thought we should do first is to go through some spells; you’re bound to have forgotten some, and also your aims. Don’t give me that look Ron, your stunner wasn’t exactly spot on!"

"I only missed you by a bit!" Ron said defensively, his ears glowing slightly.

"But it still missed me, didn’t it!" Holly said, shaking her head. For a moment, she stayed silent, her lips pursed together as she looked at each of the critically.

As they stood almost in a line facing Holly, Harry felt as if he was in the army and Holly was their officer, barking orders to her new recruits. Before he was able to mull over his thoughts anymore, his attention was drawn back to Holly.

"Has anyone played the Muggle game darts before?" Holly’s tone of voice was quite light as if she was discussing the weather. It was a big contrast to her earlier manner. Although surprised, Harry, Ron and Ginny still automatically turned to Hermione who nodded slowly.

"My dad let me play once…years ago," Hermione said, screwing her eyes together as she reminisced. Then after noticing the confused looks on her companions’ faces she automatically started to explain.

"Darts is a game. There’s a board and a target in the middle-that red circle- and you throw darts- they’re like pointy sticks- at the board to win points," Hermione explained.

"It doesn’t sound very interesting," Ron commented, but not looking quite so confused after Hermione’s explanation. Holly shook her head and rolled her eyes at Ron.

"What does ‘darts’ have to do with spells?" Ginny asked. Holly grinned.

"We’re going to use that concept; and instead of using darts, we’re going to use spells," Holly explained as she conjured up a large dartboard and levitated it so it hung in midair.

"So we just throw spells at it?" Harry asked, eying the board with interest, unlike Ron who was looking at it with a raised eyebrow as if it was completely ridiculous. Holly chose to ignore Ron’s expression and answered Harry’s question.

"Not exactly, I want you to aim for the circle in the middle," Holly announced, pointing at the red coloured circle in the middle of the dartboard. It was about three centimetres wide, about the right size for beginners.

"You want us to aim for the titchy little circle?"

"Yes, Ron. It shouldn’t be too hard," Holly said. They all looked apprehensively at each other.

"Look, it’s easier than it looks; you’ve all had about ten years of practise with magic. So who wants to go first?" Holly looked at them expectantly. As she had suspected, Hermione was the first to step forward, throwing a stunner. It missed the circle by about an inch, which was pretty good for her first try. The others had similar success, Harry’s spell just missed the target by a few centimetres, but Holly had expected his to. She had to give him some credit; he did defeat Voldemort after all.

It wasn’t long before the four of them had all vastly improved, their spells hitting the centre virtually every time. But now, Holly decided it was time to start the physical aspect. They could practice spells anywhere and at anytime, that was what Ron and Harry did for a living!

"Okay, well done, but I think it’s time to start the fighting." Holly said, smiling.

All four of them looked excited about the concept of learning how to fight properly and learn those ‘cool moves,’ as Ron put it. Holly was relying on the fact that she would be able to use their enthusiasm to her advantage when she taught them, and Holly was prepared to teach them as best she could, to prepare them for the future. She knew she wouldn’t be able to teach them as well as her own teacher, but she would try her best.

"This next stuff won’t be nearly as easy as what you’ve been doing so far, I don’t think any of you will get very far today, but it will come, in time. Also, I’d like you all to be aware that you will be getting lots of bruises, maybe even a broken bone or two, by the end." Holly smirked as her ‘students’ took in her words. "Any volunteers?"

The four of them looked at each other nervously, each of them expecting the other one to step forward, but none of them did. Holly put her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot on the floor loudly. She looked directly into each of their eyes as if to say ‘go on, step forward.’ No one did. Then, apprehensively, Harry stepped forward, looking extremely nervous.

"Excellent, thank you. Now put your hands up-no, not like that! That’s better. Now let’s begin. I want you to try and block me as best you can."

Harry looked very surprised about being asked to start so abruptly, but recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to dodge the fist that was flying towards him. Holly’s fist collided with the side of Harry’s face with the sound that was like a train hitting a lorry. Ron snickered and Hermione and Ginny gasped. This is going to be harder than I imagined, Harry thought, frowning, as he gave Holly his utmost attention. He didn’t want to get caught unawares again. Just that one punch made his eyes water and his face sting horribly. At least she doesn’t wear rings, Harry thought as he tried to dodge another attack.

After fifteen minutes, Holly finally stopped her attacks on Harry and turned to the others, who were now looking pretty frightened. One by one, she fought with each of them and mentally made a list of their strengths and weaknesses. In the end, she came to the conclusion that there was a lot of work to be done, but she was confident that they would be able to do it. They all had natural reflexes. Each of them had different strengths, but needed to build them up and expand them to other areas. For example, Ginny’s main strength was her agility, but she needed to improve on her co-ordination and the force and technique behind her punches. But the one person she wanted to concentrate particularly on was Harry. He had a lot of potential, she knew that for sure, but he was very reluctant to use his fists against her. Ginny had also noticed that and was looking quite annoyed. Quickly, she formulated a plan for her next move.

"All of you did really well, but before we go, I want to try something out on Harry." Holly beckoned him over. As he stood in front of her, looking slightly afraid, she was struck with the strangeness of the situation. She was teaching Harry Potter how to fight. Before she was able to enjoy the irony about it all, Harry cleared his throat, wordlessly telling her to stop daydreaming and to stop staring at him. Holly felt herself blush slightly as she noticed that Harry looking slightly uncomfortable, and she scolded herself for staring at him. Now just was not the time to get lost in her thoughts, particularly in the middle of looking at someone. The room was now starting to smell faintly of sweat, and she knew that meant it would soon be time to wrap up their lesson

"Now, I want you to hit me as hard as you can," Holly said calmly. Harry looked for a minute as if he would protest, but Holly gave him a look her mother was best at, the look that told people that you had no other choice. Uneasily, Harry raised his fists and took a swing. She blocked it. He tried again. She blocked it again. Damn that girl’s fast, Harry thought irritably as he failed to hit her again. Not that he actually wanted to hit her, it didn’t seem fair and he had always believed that you shouldn’t hit girls under any circumstances.

"She’s just too bloody fast!" Harry muttered under his breath, not loud enough for even Holly to hear.

"Look, keeping a cool head is good most of the time, but when it comes to physical combat, you need to get angry!" Holly said with a trace of impatience in her voice. She could tell he was holding back and that just wouldn’t do.

"Why?" Harry asked gruffly as Holly easily dodged his fist. In fact, she was actually looking slightly bored.

"You need that extra push, that energy, now you need to get angry!" The annoyance and impatience in her voice was now very clear.

"How can I-"

"I think you need a bit of help, what if I mention Snape and Dumbledore? Or what about Voldemort and your parents?"

Anger started to rise in him as Voldemort and Snape started to form in his mind…the image of Dumbledore’s body falling from the tower…

"Still not enough, Potter," Holly said tauntingly as Harry missed once again. She decided it was time to turn it up a notch. "What if I do this?"

Holly transformed into Voldemort.

"Or this?"

The leering Voldemort became Peter Pettigrew.

"Or this?"

Peter Pettigrew twisted into Severus Snape, his long black robe billowing round him, the very familiar look of loathing was etched on his features. Harry clenched his fists so tightly they turned white and his nails bit so fiercely into his palm he was sure it would be bleeding. Over ten years worth of loathing and hatred that was bottled up inside of him started to burst out. This was the man who told Voldemort about the Prophecy, the man who made his life miserable at every opportunity, invaded his mind from the first moment he stepped into his classroom, the man who- Harry thought he heard something crack behind him.

"Get ANGRY! HIT ME!" Holly as Snape roared, taking a step forward. Harry threw yet another punch, and missed. There still wasn’t enough speed or power behind it. It was far too easy to dodge and block. Then Holly used her last resort, the one she had hoped she wouldn’t need to use.

"You’re pathetic Potter, just like your father! He would only ever fight when it was four against one! He was an arrogant, selfish, stupid man who deserved to die!"

Something inside Harry just snapped. Something shattered in the background, but Harry didn’t pay any attention to it.

In front of him was not Holly, but his worst enemy, the man he hated more than anyone in the world… In blind hatred and fury, Harry punched Snape’s sneering face without holding back. And this time, he didn’t miss; it was to fast for the young Metamorphmagus to dodge. For a moment, he was just standing glaring at his worst enemy, whose jaw was already starting to swell, the next moment; he was face to face with Holly.

"Well done," Holly said, smiling in triumph, in spite of the pain. She started to rub her jaw gingerly. Harry felt a flush of guilt.

"I’m so sorry-"

"Don’t apologise. That was what I wanted you to do. No pain, no gain, right?"

"But it doesn’t seem fair that you have to go through the pain-"

"Believe me, I’ve had worse. Great punch though," Holly said, mustering up a smile, in spite of the ugly bruise that was starting to spread and swell from her chin. "But maybe that’s enough for tonight. Well done, all of you!"

If the four of them weren’t already intimidated by Holly, they were now. If they didn’t already know Holly before today, they would have been terrified. Once again, Harry was very curious about what had happened in her future, what had happened to her.

He looked over to his friends and saw that Ginny was looking at Holly’s bruise with concern and Hermione was repairing the glass Harry must have broken from a burst of accidental magic.

"I’ve got some potions that’ll help that," Ginny offered. There was no actual cure to bruises but there were some remedies that would help bring the swelling and pain down. It was strange that they could cure broken bones, even removed bones but they couldn’t find a cure to bruises, people just had to grit and bear the marks until they faded away. Luckily, there was a Muggle assist, in the form of make-up.

"That would be great," Holly said gratefully. As they went to leave, Holly muttered something in Harry’s ear.

"Good job today, Harry, although I don’t think a real enemy will wait that long for you to hit him. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about bringing your father into it, it seemed to be the only way. I didn’t mean it, not at all."

"It’s alright, I understand," Harry replied, and then wincing as his eyes locked with the ugly bruise on her face. Holly flashed him a grin before leaving. Harry gave her a thoughtful look before he too Disapparated.

Harry, and all of the others, realised that Holly’s bruise would be the first of many. Holly was definitely not going to take any crap and she was going to push them beyond their limits and not let them stop to draw breath. She would be able to prepare them for the future, whatever would happen. Once again, they were immensely curious about what was going to happen. Something big, if she was pushing them this hard. Harry tried not to sigh as he thought about that. He thought that, once he had defeated Voldemort, he would be able to have a normal, calmer life, with a family, a big house and a cat. Harry glanced at Ginny, then Holly.

But then again, when would life ever be easy what your name’s Harry Potter?

Harry smiled about his last thought, but it slid off his face when he saw Holly walk over to the sofa holding an ice-pack on the side of her face. The moment Ginny had got home, she had fed Holly a potion to help the bruise and had virtually forced the ice pack on her face. She had already threatened to glue it there with a permanent sticking charm if she tried to remove it.

"Can I take this thing off now, it’s really annoying!" Holly moaned five minutes later.

"Do you want to have a huge bruise?" Ginny replied sharply. Holly shifted the ice pack and winced slightly.

"I really don’t care," Holly said honestly, making a face which she instantly stopped when Ginny gave her a stern look.

"Just leave it on for a few more minutes," Ginny said brusquely, her Healer instincts had kicked in. Huffing loudly, Holly slumped back on the sofa and reluctantly did what she was told. Now that she was no longer in ‘training mode,’ she was back to being more relaxed and sarcastic.

"I’m gonna go to bed. I’m exhausted," Harry announced, smiling as he saw Hermione dozing lightly against Ron. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled at Harry.

"I think we’re all going to sleep well tonight!" Ron laughed, yawning. They hadn’t been worked that hard since Auror training. Holly snorted.

"That was only the introduction!" Holly replied. After seeing their faces she added, "Don’t worry, you’ll adjust. It’ll probably be easier than you think."

Holly felt like laughing out loud after seeing the looks on their faces but she wasn’t worried. She was going to push them, but she knew they would be quick learners.

"Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher?" Hermione asked. After the way she had acted with them today, Hermione thought she would make a great teacher. She would easily be able to handle a bunch of rowdy students.

"I like the idea, but it’s just not possible," Holly shrugged.

"Why not?" Ginny asked, agreeing with Hermione that she would make an excellent teacher.

"I can’t prove what marks I got in my exams, because technically, I’m not alive yet," Holly explained with a small laugh.

"Good point," Hermione said, frowning slightly and wondering why she hadn’t thought of that before.

That gave Harry an idea. He made a mental note to send an owl the next day and then he left the room, smiling. It was only until he reached the top of the stairs that he stopped grinning.

How did Holly know about his dad and Snape and everyone else? How did she know what Snape acted like around him? How did she know how to push his buttons like that? And how the bloody hell did she know what Voldemort looked like when he was long dead before she was even born? It was yet another thing about Holly that just didn’t make sense. What was she hiding?

Harry shut his bedroom door with a snap, deciding to think more about that after he was rested. His head was pounding and his eyes were closing of their own accord. Tiredness just makes you paranoid.

_______________________________________________________

The next morning came all too quickly for the residents at Number Fifteen Godric’s Hollow. They were all worn out from the previous nights training, which had drained them physically, magically and mentally.

Holly however, still got up very early and had spent her morning contemplating what she would be doing next. She had quite a lot of time to kill and now she thought about it, she really didn’t know what she would be doing. She couldn’t get a job like everyone else, how could she explain why she had no past? She knew all about this before, back when she wasn’t totally sure whether she would have to go, but now that it was actually a reality, it felt a lot different. Scary. Holly sighed, got up and made some tea for everyone, the aroma of the tea and the breakfast she was currently making herself filled the house and started to wake some of the occupants.

By ten o’clock, everyone in the household was awake and fed, although they were not in the best mood. Harry was currently on his way to the bathroom.

Humming along to the music from the Muggle CD player Harry had borrowed from Hermione, he strolled over to the bathroom, opened the door-

A high pitched scream echoed through the house, followed by an unmistakable shriek,

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!"

Most days, the house where Ron, Ginny, Harry and Holly lived, was like a well oiled machine. They all got on with what they needed to do in the mornings before they went to work and if Harry was lucky; someone would clean up after all of them without him having to do it. No hassle at all.

However, today proved not to be Harry Potter’s day.

He was aching all over, badly needed to pee, and had a furious red head on his tail looking ready to kill. Ginny Weasley was chasing a terrified and embarrassed Boy-Who-Lived down the corridor, screaming herself hoarse wearing only a light blue towel.

“Harry James Potter, you are a dead man!� Ginny shrieked, her cheeks stained red from anger, embarrassment, and the heat from the shower. Harry was turning red and redder by the second as well, and was trying to put as much distance between the two of them.

 “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you!� Ginny shouted, glaring at the back of Harry’s head. This statement caused him to freeze on the spot and reluctantly turn round to face her. He looked like he had severe sunburn.

 “I…I…I…� Harry stuttered, unable to tear his eyes off Ginny’s body, and also finding it impossible to say a whole sentence.

“Didn’t you get a good enough look just then?� Ginny snapped, her eyes narrowing. If it was possible, Harry turned an even deeper shade of crimson as if his already sunburnt face had been splattered with tomatoes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were in the shower!� Harry replied, surprising himself with his ability to speak again. Ginny’s yelling had snapped him out of his staring, but he couldn’t bring himself to even look at Ginny’s face let along maintain eye contact.

“Are you deaf?� Ginny retorted, glaring and pulling the towel tighter to herself defensively.

“I had my music on, it’s quite hard to hear over it!� Harry said defensively.

“Well you shouldn’t just barge into rooms without knocking!� Ginny scolded.

“It’s my house!� Harry bit back, his temper rising.

“So what? It doesn’t give you the right just to wander into any room you feel like, other people live here too!� Ginny said angrily, glaring daggers at Harry. At that point, Harry was extremely grateful that Ginny didn’t have her wand on her. He didn’t even want to imagine what type of hexes the angry witch would hit him with.

“What’s going on, it sounds like World War Three in here!� Holly asked, after following the shouting and coming face to face with two very red faced people.

“Your friend here just walked in on me in the shower!� Ginny spat, crossing her arms and refusing the look at Harry. She was clearly livid and was making absolutely no effort to control her temper.

“You did what?� Ron exclaimed, staring in horror at a very shell shocked Harry. Sensing that there was nothing he would do to make the situation any better, he would only make it worse. He cringed one last time turned away from everyone and promptly disappeared.

“Come back you coward!� Ginny yelled at the spot Harry was standing a moment before, as if he would actually hear her.

“Calm down Gin-� Hermione started, reacting to the situation the calmest out of all of them, except perhaps Holly, who wasn’t speaking but wincing every time Ginny yelled, and when Harry disappeared.

 “Don’t bloody tell me to calm down, I don’t see your privacy getting invaded like this!� Ginny ranted, still staring at the spot Harry was at a moment before. Hermione could also tell that Ginny was getting this angry because she was very embarrassed.

“I’m going bloody kill him!� Ron muttered darkly, his brotherly instincts overpowering his loyalty to his best friend.

“You’ll have to wait in line,� Ginny growled. “Urgh, I hate him!�

“Before you go on the rampage, I think you should go and get dressed,� Hermione said, humouring Ginny, and then gesturing to the towel still wrapped around her. In her rage, Ginny had also soaked the area around her, thanks to her dripping wet hair. Ginny turned around and stormed off to her room slamming the door behind him.

“That girl is really scary sometimes,� Ron said, shuddering after Ginny had left. Then his memory started to work again, and he looked angry. “I’m going to hunt Harry down and murder him for walking in on my sister!�

“Ron, stop…I’m sure you getting a place in Azkaban isn’t the solution. I’m sure it was just an accident,� Hermione said softly, grabbing Ron’s sleeve.

“But still-�

“Everyone’s entitled to mistakes,� Hermione said calmly, wrapping an arm around Ron’s waist, not to calm him down, but to stop any sudden escapes like Harry.

“I guess you’re right,� Ron said after the initial shock wore off. Hermione smiled crookedly. Of course she’s right! Now she had to calm Ginny down enough so she wouldn’t curse Harry into oblivion. Which, based on the loud bangs and crashes coming from Ginny’s room, wasn’t going to be an easy task.

“Shall I find Harry?� Ron asked quietly.

“You can try, but I don’t know where he would have gone,� Hermione replied, ignoring the thuds coming from Ginny’s room. Apparently, she hadn’t calmed down in the slightest.

“I have a few ideas,� Ron said, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought where his best friend could be. “Good luck with Ginny though, I think you’re going to need it!� Ron winked as Hermione paled slightly and then he too disappeared. Holly and Hermione were left alone to face the wrath of Ginny Weasley.

 _________________________________

“Harry.�

 As Ron looked at the shadowed form of his best friend, all of his previous anger evaporated. He could tell, just from the way he was standing, that he was beating himself up over what had just happened. He knew that Harry would never do such a thing on purpose, especially to Ginny. He frowned as he heard no reply.

“Harry,� Ron repeated, taking a few steps closer to him.

Still no reply.

“She didn’t mean it, you know Ginny. She acts before she thinks, and has a temper to rival my mothers. I don’t blame you for leaving. I would have, my sisters scary,� Ron said, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“I am such a git,� Harry said quietly. Ron had no idea how he could respond to that, so he decided to repeat what he had said before.

“Ginny didn’t mean it, she overreacted, she knows that it was an accident,� Ron replied, taking a firm grip of Harry’s shoulder and swinging him round so they were face-to-face. Harry’s eyes were riddled with guilt and shock.

“I can’t believe I upset her so much though, it’s just-� Harry blushed and broke eye contact with Ron. If Ron knew what he was thinking at that moment, he would kill him on the spot, regardless of the consequences. No, remembering exactly what Ginny looked like in the shower was not a smart move.

 “Hermione will be able to calm her down,� Ron said, thankfully not understanding exactly why Harry had just blushed.

“I can’t believe I just left like that, I’m such I coward! What possessed me to just go like that!� Harry moaned more to himself than to Ron.

“Blimey Harry, you’re definitely not a coward, it was a ‘fight or flight’ reaction, and for once, you chose flight. It was a natural reaction, plus I think I was best that you left before the situation got anymore out of hand than it was already,� Ron consoled him. Harry stared at the floor and kicked a stone. Then finally, he looked at Ron with a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Where did you hear about that? Fight or flight?� Harry asked. Ron shrugged.

“Hermione of course, she told me about it one day and it just seems to have stuck in my mind,� Ron replied.

“She’s one smart witch, Hermione is,� Harry muttered to himself.

“Yea, she is. If anyone can help Hermione see sense, its her,� Ron said thoughtfully. Harry fell silent again.

“Thanks Ron, for not killing me and for well…talking,� Harry said finally, struggling with his words a bit.

“No problem mate, what are friends for?� Ron said smiling.

“I think I’d better stay out of the house for a few hours though,� Harry added.

“I think you should,� Ron replied, nodding. Ron knew his sister and he knew it would take her a while to calm down, particularly when it involved Harry.

“Why don’t we do something about what you told me the other day?� Harry asked, his face finally breaking into a small grin.

“Great idea,� Ron said, smiling too. Then he frowned and looked at Harry oddly.

“Just one question though.�

“What?�

“Why the hell are you standing like that?� Harry laughed half heartedly and dug his hands in his pockets.

“I just really need the toilet.�

_____________________________________

“Ginny, please open the door!� Hermione asked, knocking insistently on the closed door of her friends’ bedroom, which had been sealed shut with numerous charms.

“I think she’s trying to tell us something, but I can’t think what!� Holly said sarcastically. Hermione glared at her.

“You’re not helping!� Hermione scolded, stopping her constant knocking for a second to throw Holly a dirty look. Holly raised her eyebrows, then looked thoughtful. A moment later, she strolled over to the door and muttered loud enough for Ginny to hear,

“Harry’s just came back, here’s your chance!�

After a moment of scuffling, the door was thrown open and Ginny was standing in front of them, her face was flushed with anger.

“You fell for it!� Holly said smugly, but then fell silent after the murderous glare Ginny threw her. Ginny muttered something that sounded like ‘bloody immature’ and tried to shut the door again, but Hermione stuck her foot in the doorway, blocking it from closing.

“Move. Your. Foot,� Ginny said through gritted teeth.

“This is ridiculous-�

“Are you calling me ridiculous?� Ginny growled accusingly at Hermione.

“No, this whole situation is ridiculous,� Hermione said patiently.

“You know Harry didn’t do that on purpose, he’s not like that!� Ginny tugged at the door, hoping in vain it would close, but Hermione refused to budge. Hermione looked directly into Ginny’s eyes in a pointed way as if to say ‘calm down and think more rationally’. It didn’t work.

“Stop staring at me like that. I’m not apologising! I did nothing wrong.�

Hermione huffed indignantly. “Why do I live with a group of people who are so infuriating?�

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Hermione challengingly. Hermione crossed her hands over her chest in response. Neither of them budged.

“Oh this is stupid, Accio Ginny!�

There was a loud screech as Ginny was dragged out of her room by the summoning charm. Her wand flew out her hand and through her open bedroom door. Getting back to her feet, Ginny advanced on Holly, her damp hair almost crackling with fury.

“You didn’t just do that…� Ginny whispered looking both shocked and angry. Holly started to back away.

“Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a smart move…Hermione a little help here!� Holly called out, starting to sound a little hysterical as Ginny took a few more steps towards her. Ginny then glanced at Hermione, and at her wand.

“Hermione, could I please borrow your wand so I can teach our little future friend a lesson?� Ginny said, her voice laced with sweetness, her eyes promising vengeance. Hermione too backed away, shaking her head.

“No way, I’m not gonna help you curse her,� Hermione replied, holding her wand behind her back. Ginny acted like she hadn’t heard her.

“I haven’t used my Bat Bogey curse for a while…� Ginny muttered.

“Oh come on, you don’t want to curse me! I’m here to help you, remember? I only did that to get you out your room, didn’t I Hermione-Hermione?�

As Holly went to address the bushy haired witch she was shocked to find that she wasn’t there. Eyes wide, she stared at Ginny again. It was then Holly noticed the dark rings around her eyes. Ginny was tired, if not exhausted. That, coupled with lack of caffeine made Ginny much less understanding and forgiving than usual. In other words, Holly was in trouble. Ginny took a step forward, her hand twitching towards Holly’s wand.

“Ginny, stop!� Hermione half shouted. Holly and Ginny’s heads snapped towards Hermione who was rushing towards them with a goblet.

“Where did you go? I turned around and you were gone!� Holly said, confused. Hermione didn’t even look at her.

“Ginny, drink this, you’ll feel better after this!� Hermione said, thrusting the goblet towards Ginny, who eyed it suspiciously.

“What is it?�

“It’s a mixture of your extra strong coffee, pepper up potion, and chocolate. Remus recommended adding the chocolate. I don’t think you slept very well last night,� Hermione explained quickly. Hesitating for a moment, Ginny looked at Hermione, then took the goblet from Hermione and virtually swallowed all the contents in one.

“Oh that’s quite nice…� Ginny muttered, drinking the rest. A moment later, Ginny relaxed and closed her eyes, smiling. A minute or so later, her eyes snapped open and her mouth made an ‘O’ shape. She looked shocked.

“Oh Merlin, I can’t believe what I’ve done!� Ginny moaned, putting a hand to her head in exasperation. “Damn me with my stupid short temper!�

“Your temper is part of who you are. Harry knows that and he also knows that you’re particularly cranky first thing in the morning before you’ve had caffeine and something to eat, and that he should keep his distance,� Hermione said rationally, patting Ginny on the back. Ginny looked at Holly and bit her lip.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to overreact like that, I don’t know what came over me, I just felt so angry for no reason and…�

“Don’t worry about it, it happens to the best of us! You don’t know how many times I came close to cursing my cousins…I even cursed them a few times…but that’s a long story,� Holly said, grinning. Ginny looked relieved.

“I can’t believe I overreacted like that, Harry will never forgive me. I don’t hate him!�

“Of course he’ll forgive you!� Hermione insisted.

“Harry and Ron will probably be gone for a few hours, so we don’t have to worry about them,� Holly added. Ginny looked a little relieved and sighed.

“Well, I’ll just have to deal with him when he comes back,� Ginny stated, darting back into her room for a moment and coming back, brushing her damp hair.

As the three of them walked slowly to the sitting room, Hermione said to no-one in particular, “I wonder if Ron found Harry.�

“Knowing them, I’m pretty sure he has,� Ginny said thoughtfully. “But I don’t know what they’ll be doing.�

“Oh, I hope they don’t pull any stupid stunts and get themselves in trouble,� Hermione said, managing to sound both worried and stern at the same time, a feat not easy to master. Hermione was remembering their years at Hogwarts and how Harry was a trouble magnet. Although they were older, they still acted like teenagers.

“They’re Gryffindors, what else would you expect?� Holly joked, grinning. Hermione rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,� Ginny assured her. Holly nodded. Then Holly glanced offhandedly at the calendar, grinning as she noticed the date.

“Ginny, what are doing the Friday after this one?� Holly asked casually, still smiling.

“Nothing, why?� Ginny asked, looking curious.

“Well, make sure you keep that day free because you will be becoming an Aunt then,� Holly said, her smile growing as she saw the excitement on their faces.

“Are you sure?� Ginny asked excitedly.

“As long as everything goes to plan, she’ll be born then,� Holly said, nodding.

“It’s a girl?� Ginny whispered, her eyes sparkling.

“Yep.�

“I’m gonna be an Aunt!� Ginny squealed, jumping up and hugging Hermione excitedly, then turning round and hugged Holly as well.

“This is so exci-wait, how do you know when she’s born?� Hermione asked.

“She is, was a friend of mine,� Holly explained. Ginny and Hermione looked at Holly with sympathy. Sometimes, they forgot how much Holly had given up coming here.

“When they tell you though, you’ve got to act surprised!� Holly said, now smiling. Hermione and Ginny nodded feverously. Each of them looked at each other, and for some unknown reason, cracked up with laughter.

_____________________________________

“I think I’ve chosen one,� Ron announced, looking slightly nervous as he showed the object to Harry, who smiled approvingly.

“It’s perfect,� Harry replied. Ron relaxed, looked thoughtfully at the item on his hand again, and came to the conclusion that it was the right one. The more Ron looked at it, the more he was convinced. Nervously, he walked over to the counter and purchased it, thankful for the considerable pay the Ministry gave him. He pocketed it carefully and followed Harry out of the shop, his moneybag now empty apart from a few Sickles.

“Maybe we should go back now,� Ron said, noticing that the sun was just starting to set, staining the sky scarlet.

“I think we’ve been gone long enough,� Harry replied, thinking that the day was pretty well spent. Not only had they got what Ron wanted, but Harry had also remembered to send his letter. Grinning at his best mate, they both disappeared with a pop, reappearing in the unused alleyway near Harry’s home. This was not only so they wouldn’t accidentally appear in front of an unsuspecting Muggle, but also to give them a little time to prepare for facing the girls again.

As the two silently walked back to his house, Harry could hear the ground crunching under his feet, the far off sound of a bird, and the even more distant sounds of people talking as his nerves started to emerge again. One of the only things Harry was truly afraid of was Ginny. He hated arguing with her, it just didn’t feel right, almost unnatural. He loved it when she was laughing, and smiling. Just seeing her would always brighten his day, but at the same time, made him ache inside. It hurt so much to be so close to her, yet so far. Merlin, he wanted to hold her, and kiss her and never let go- stop it, she’s moved on, that’s ancient history! She doesn’t see you that way anymore and you shouldn’t too! Harry thought. He frowned, trying to shift his thoughts away from the long red haired Weasley, with no avail.

“Earth to Harry?� Ron said jokingly, nudging Harry’s arm. Harry blinked and tried to give his best friend his full attention.

“Please say something, Harry, you’re starting to scare me,� Ron said, his eyebrows raising as he studied Harry.

 “What? Sorry,� Harry muttered, finally able to push thoughts of Ginny out of his mind.

“You had that look on your face again, you know, like the one you had when we were searching for the Horcruxes, when you hadn’t slept for weeks.�

“What, the half dead look? Thanks!� Harry replied, coming back to his senses and chuckling quietly.

“No, you know what I mean, that your minds off somewhere else,� Ron said, grinning good-naturedly. Harry looked at the grey floor, not wanting to realise his mind was off with Ginny. One of the bad things about being in love with his best friends little sister was the fact he couldn’t talk about it with him, he’d probably chop off his unmentionables for having such thoughts about his baby sister. Harry was pretty sure that Ron, and all the other Weasley brothers, would still be in denial that Ginny had actually grown up even when she was married with children. Harry’s insides twisted involuntarily at the thought of Ginny marrying and having children with anyone else apart from him.

Harry took a gulp of air before he slowly started to open the door, wondering what was in store for him. As the two of them walked anxiously towards the sitting room, Harry was able to hear muffled voices.

“What do you think they’re talking about?� Harry asked nervously, his stomach turning.

“There’s no use asking me. They’re girls, who knows what they’re thinking,� Ron replied, also looking on edge. As Harry placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it, the door swung open, revealing a slightly pink Hermione. The second she caught sight of them, her eyes narrowed and her voice became stern.

“Where have you been all day?� Hermione demanded, not looking very happy.

“We were…out,� Ron said shiftily, looking anywhere but at a pretty angry Hermione.

“Oh, I never thought of that! That really narrowed it down!� Hermione said sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.

“Is that them?� the voice of Ginny called out.

“No, I think Hermione’s telling off the pizza guy,� Holly replied in a very sarcastic tone. Harry and Ron had to suppress a grin and looked at Hermione with straight faces. She looked at them sternly for a moment, then pulled them roughly by the tops and into the room. Holly and Ginny were on the sofa, Holly for some reason was sitting on the sofa upside down, but her eyes were fixed on the boys. Harry felt himself flush as he came into eye contact with Ginny. He quickly looked away and started at the floor as if it was of great interest.

“Oi, wake up and pay attention, Potter!� Ginny’s voice rung through his head like the bell from Hogwarts. He jumped slightly, but didn’t look up from the floor.

“I’m sorry,� Harry mumbled at the carpet a moment later.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t catch that?� Ginny said sweetly, obviously trying her hardest to heighten Harry’s embarrassment. Although she was quite astonished that Harry had actually apologise so quickly, she still wanted to publicly embarrass him. Harry felt the blood rush to his head as he muttered louder,

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have walked in without knocking first.�

“Yes, you should have. But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for overreacting like that,� Ginny said softly.

“No you have nothing to apologise for, it’s all my fault,� Harry said, finally gathering the Gryffindor courage to look Ginny directly in the eye.

“But my temper-� “No, stop, don’t. Your temper is what makes you you, I don’t want you to change it and I’m sure as that hell that I don’t want you to apologise for it!�

“But-�

“I don’t want to hear it, you’ve done nothing wrong,� Harry replied, looking at her sternly. Ginny cheeks had turned pink and without think, she threw her arms around him. Ginny suddenly felt horribly embarrassed as she realised what she had just done. She was hugging Harry tightly, she could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, his hair was tickling her ear, and his aftershave smelt fresh and just so Harry. Hurriedly, she let go of him and mumbled something to the floor, stepping away from Harry. If she had looked up, she would have seen Harry turn redder than her hair. Everyone was so distracted by the two red faced people in the middle of the room, that they didn’t notice Holly head butting the pillows in frustration. As much as she didn’t want to see them snogging each other senseless, they were so obvious that she just wanted to shoot them. Or at least give them a good poke with her wand.

“Now that’s all sorted, I’m going to go to my room,� Ron said shadily, trying to edge towards the door. He was happy the two of them had made up; he knew they would, and now he just wanted to leave.

“Oh no you don’t Ronald Weasley. Where have you been all day?� Hermione demanded, raising an eyebrow sternly.

“We went shopping,� Ron explained, looking away from Hermione’s piercing gaze and throwing Harry an almost desperate look. Hermione looked sceptical.

“I thought you hated shopping!�

“I do, well not really. When I have to wait in every shop for about an hour, I do,� Ron stuttered, twisting his hands together tensely. He wasn’t any good at lying, particularly to Hermione. Hermione could see right through him as if he were a window.

“I do not take an hour in each shop!� Hermione retorted angrily. Ron swore. He had just put his foot in it again.

“I didn’t mean it like that-�

“But you didn’t buy anything,� Hermione objected suddenly, her hands had now found her hips again in a fashion that reminded Ron strongly of his mother. Relieved that she didn’t decide to continue the argument, Ron smiled. But once again, he realised that it was the wrong thing to do when Hermione’s glared intensified.

“We did,� Harry said automatically. As Hermione rounded on him, he pulled a few small objects out of his pockets, when then proceeded to grow into three plastic bags.

“What did you buy?� Holly asked, sounding interested as she swung round and sat up properly on the chair.

“Not much, some Quidditch stuff, some clothes for Holly, we had to kind of guess there, I hope they’re alright, and a few other things,� Harry said, peering into the bags, then chucking one over to Holly, who grabbed it in midair. Ron silently thanked Harry for speaking for him and getting him out of that tight spot.

“You didn’t have to…Thank you,� Holy said gratefully, smiling and then peering into the bag excitedly. She looked like a small child at Christmas.

“It was just a few things, some everyday wear and some robes, nothing fancy,� Harry said lightly. Holly gave them a bright smile and then rushed out of the room, evidently to try on her new clothes. All of Hermione’s anger melted away. As clueless and infuriating the two boys could be at times, they still managed to be very sweet and sensitive sometimes, even though it didn’t happen very often.

“Erm, I’m gonna go upstairs as well,� Ron said, after realising that the girls were no longer angry with him. Harry smirked as Ron quickly exited the room.

“What wrong with him?� Ginny asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“He fine, trust me,� Harry smiled, a knowing glint in his eye. The he left for the kitchen, leaving Hermione and Ginny to roll their eyes and simultaneously say,

“Boys.�

 _____________________________________

“Harry, you’ve got a letter!� Holly yelled from the kitchen where a large tawny owl was perched on the windowsill. Holly had stroked the bird, taken the letter off him and fed him a treat. She was stroking the bird affectionately when Harry came rushing into the room, looking very flustered and confused. He blindly bumped into the door frame as he walked in and barely missed bashing into the table. His top just wouldn’t go over his head and he was getting very irritated. Holly laughed as she caught sight of him. Somehow, he had managed to put his arm through the hole in his top where his head should have been and he was trying to force his head through the sleeve.

“Stand still,� Holly giggled, yanking the top off Harry, then straightening it out before handing it back to him; suddenly feeling very much like her mother for a moment.

“I think the bloody thing’s shrunk,� Harry grumbled, eying the top with annoyance.

“I don’t think so, I think the problem was that you were trying to put your head through the sleeve,� Holly replied, shaking her head.

“Was I? I didn’t realise,� Harry said as she hurriedly pulled it over his head again. As she looked at the clock, he swore loudly. “We’re going to be so late!� Harry muttered distractedly. Today, Ron and Harry had to go back to work, but hopefully they would have calmed down a bit.

“Well you should have woken up a bit earlier and not fallen back asleep,� Holly said pointedly. Harry glared at her for a second.

“Have you seen Ron?� Harry asked after a moment.

“Not since he was eating breakfast,� Holly replied, watching Harry dash around the room, quite amused. She wondered whether he realised that his top was the wrong was round. He was really not doing a good job with his clothing today, even his jeans looked worse for wear and quite creased.

“Harry, you’ve got a letter,� Holly repeated. Maybe I should just let him go off with his shirt like that and see how long it takes him to realise… Harry gave her a bright smile as he took the letter from her.

“Thanks,� Harry said, instantly recognising the handwriting and ripping the envelope open, then scanning the letter eagerly.

“Who’s it from?� Holly asked, curious about what the letter was about. The handwriting looked sort of familiar, but she couldn’t place it…

“It’s from Remus, I asked him if he needed any extra workers for the club,� Harry explained.

“I thought that one job was enough for you,� Holly said, for once totally oblivious about what he was implying.

“Not for me silly,� Harry said teasingly. “Remember on Saturday after training, when Hermione asked whether you would like to be a teacher, and you said you couldn’t because of the whole having no past thing, well I thought that if you wanted to, you could work at Remus’ club. He knows us, so he won’t need to look into your past, or the lack of it, you’ll still be able to help the order, and you get to teach kids defence! That’s of course, if you want to,� Harry added hastily after the strange look on Holly’s face.

“You did that…for me?� Holly asked incredulously. Harry shrugged.

“It wasn’t much, I just sent him an owl asking him-�

“No, that’s a lot! Thank you! I can’t believe you did that for me! When do I start? What should I wear? Are you sure he’s okay with it?!� Holly was now rambling happily to herself. Harry grinned again just as Ron rushed into the room.

“Thank you Harry,� Holly said gratefully after her rambling finished. She wanted to hug him, but realised it would be quite awkward, they had only just met!

“Remus said you can go and visit him whenever you want, if you want I’ll take you this evening and introduce you,� Harry offered.

“Great idea!� Holly replied cheerfully. Then with an afterthought, she added, “I think you need to change your top, it’s the wrong way round.� Harry glanced down at himself, and then looked sheepish. He pulled off his top in one fluid motion, just as Ginny walked into the room. Ginny’s eyes instantly caught Harry’s bare (and very toned) chest.

“Oh, h-hello, I thought you had already left,� Ginny said, stuttering slightly with her words as she tried to rip her eyes off his chest, and try to stop the small blush growing on her cheeks. Harry smiled at her, not seeming to notice that Ginny was starting to blush. Ron didn’t seem to notice either, only Holly did. She bit her lip. Now who’s staring, Holly thought to herself.

“I always knew you never had a tattoo!� Ron said, grinning at Harry. Harry looked confused for a second.

“What? Oh yeah, my Hungarian Horntail. Should I ask Hermione if she’s looked for that Pygmy Puff of yours yet?� Harry said teasingly, raising an eyebrow. Ron blushed and almost dropped the cup he was holding.

“Guess what Ginny? Harry got me a job!� Holly said happily, shifting the topic away from the current, and very odd, topic. She was pretty sure that Harry had taken his top off in front of his friends before, but Ron had only just remembered about it now.

“He did? That’s really sweet of him,� Ginny said after she finally tore her eyes off Harry after he had put his top on again. Harry just shrugged again.

“Harry here is just being modest,� Holly said, walking over to Harry and patting him on the shoulder.

“Ron and I have to leave now, see you all later,� Harry said, nodding and smiling briefly at them before heading to the door. Just before it shut, Ron popped his head through, called out to Holly and threw the cup over to her. Evidently, he had forgotten he was still holding it and didn’t fancy going to work holding a cup with little dancing unicorns on them. Before Holly was able to glare at the red head, Ron dashed out again and closed the door with a snap. After they left, Ginny sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Immediately, the image of Harry’s bare chest popped into her mind and she snapped her eyes open again and frowned. Things had been slightly awkward between the two of them since the whole shower incidence, but she had also realised that she couldn’t stop thinking about the certain raven haired man. Why can’t I stop thinking about Harry? I was never like that before, it was fine, well not totally fine, but now… In a sort of daze, Ginny wandered out of the room and outside, hoping the fresh air would clear her head.

Behind her back, Holly mouthed the word ‘DENIAL’ towards her and looked very frustrated. She really didn’t want to get involved in their love lives, just thinking about plotting with Ron and Hermione gave her the creeps.

Then she too, left the room, muttering in annoyance, knowing there was nothing she could do about them, there was nothing she could say that would help Ginny with Harry. They would sort it out on their own, eventually. They’d better, Holly thought, scowling. If they don’t, they’ll have me to deal with.

 

It wasn’t long before Ginny wandered back into the living room where Holly was sitting on an armchair reading a book. The fresh air did not relax her, or calm down the millions of thoughts that were rushing throughout her head. Whoever made up the stupid rule that fresh air helps clear your head was lying, Ginny thought. She curled up on the sofa and carelessly grabbed a random book from the table. Bloody Harry Potter, Ginny thought irritably, flicking through the pages with more ferocity than needed for the book. If Madam Pince were there, Ginny would have been running out the room to avoid the violent books trying to knock her out now. Bloody feelings.

Holly sighed as she looked up from the Muggle novel that Hermione had lent her, and saw a thoroughly confused and upset Ginny trying to read. Holly was reading a book which was about a gold rind that possessed evil magic and a man that reminded her of Albus Dumbledore.  Strange what Muggles come up with, Holly thought with amusement.

After a while, Holly carefully folded down the page she was on and set it down on the table. Her was attention drawn to the red head sitting near her who was currently reading a worn out copy of ‘Quidditch Through the Ages,’ without much enthusiasm or attention. Her eyes kept on flickering away from the page as she lost concentration, her mind obviously distracted by something, or in this case someone. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was taking up all of Ginny’s attention.

"You’re being unusually quiet," Holly said with a cheery tone as she tried to brighten the mood. Ginny jumped and looked at her lap almost guiltily, rustling the pages as if she was looking for a certain page.

"Sorry, I’ve just had quite a bit to think about…" Ginny muttered. Her voice sounded distant, and even slightly sad. Holly bit her tongue to stop herself from saying what was on her mind at that particular moment. Harry was quite a sensitive subject with the youngest Weasley. It was not a subject that you’d like to bring up when she was in a bad mood, and even more so when she was angry with him.  But maybe something else could help.

"So, is there anything that’s not too future-altering you would like to ask me? I know that you want to ask something," Holly said seriously to the brooding Ginny. At these words, Ginny turned her head towards Holly, a surprised look askew her face. Holly couldn’t believe she was voluntarily telling anyone about future events. She knew full well that terrible things might happen to those who meddled with time. However, she also knew that the only reason she came back was to meddle, and maybe telling someone else something about the future might help her to relax as well.

"This is definitely a change of attitude! I was under the impression that you were very tight lipped about future events," Ginny exclaimed, but there was a hint of mirth in her voice.

"Well, I trust you’ll ask sensible questions, unlike the boys. Don’t tell Hermione, but I think that your questions would be a bit more interesting than hers, which would probably be very logical and very boring," Holly explained, grinning as Ginny let out a short bark of laughter. Holly smiled, happy that she was achieving her goal. Ginny bit her lip and frowned as she tried to think of suitable questions. Holly watched her until her face broke out into a large smile.

"I’ve got a question about you. Did you have a boyfriend in the future?" Ginny asked, always eager to hear about such things. It was Holly’s turn to laugh as she leaned back on her armchair and reminisced.

"I had a few over the years, not too serious though…  I am quite surprised that anyone asked me out in the first place," Holly said thoughtfully. "But I didn’t leave one behind when I came here, if that’s what you mean," Holly added after a moment.

"Why not? I’m surprised that people weren’t queuing at your feet for you!" Ginny exclaimed, slightly annoyed. Holly blushed intently at the compliment.

"Thank you, but I think it was because they were scared, mostly," Holly explained.

"Scared?"

"Well, I do have quite a nasty temper when I’m in a bad mood or if someone irritates me. I was probably able to beat all the boys in school in a fight, not to mention they were pretty intimidated by my family, and my younger, yet terrifying, cousin." Holly laughed, a sudden flashback to the day she got into a punch up with one of the Slytherin school bullies, and won, washed over her. Ginny burst out laughing.

"I can imagine that would be terrifying for any teenage boy. What type of guy do you look for anyway?" Ginny asked, genuinely interested in her tastes. She knew Hermione’s taste, which was her brother. She didn’t feel very comfortable hearing about his brother’s love life.

"I’m not too fussed, as long as they’re kind and have a sense of humour," Holly said thoughtfully.

Ginny marvelled over how similar their tastes were, and then had to stop herself as the image of Harry popped into her head.

"But I don’t think I’ll be looking for anyone anytime soon," Holly said almost grimly. Ginny looked at her strangely.

"Why not? You’re young, single…what’s the harm in it?" Ginny inquired.

"I could ask you the same question, but it’s not that simple," Holly muttered, not sure whether she wanted to share that certain secret with Ginny yet; it was slightly embarrassing.

"Isn’t it? You don’t have to commit to a guy you flirt with, just find someone you enjoy spending time with and get on with," Ginny said simply, ignoring the first thing Holly said.

"Easy for you to say, you’ve got your guy," Holly muttered, then cursed herself as she realised that she had just spoken out loud. She had meant to keep that particular sentence in her head.

"What did you say?"

Holly sighed with relief, grateful that she hadn’t spoken quite loud enough for the red

head sitting next to her to hear. She had no idea how she’d get herself out of that.

"Nothing. But what about you and Harry?" Holly asked, keeping her face innocent even though she was venturing into dangerous grounds. She had always thought that the direct approach was always best, and this situation was no different. (True, she had never had to do this before with the people involved, but then again, everything she had done since she arrived in the past had been nothing like she’s ever done before.) Ginny was in a better mood now, and this could be her only chance to ask her.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, avoiding eye contact with Holly and acting distinctly jumpy.

"You know! He’s single, cute, brave and no longer has all those burdens he had at school," Holly said suggestively, stopping herself from flinching as she spoke those words. She never thought she’d say those words in her entire life. Ginny glared at her.

"Then why don’t you date him?" Ginny snapped, looking cross. Holly screwed up her nose and looked at Ginny strangely, at loss at what to say.

"Nah, I think he’s a bit too old, and well, he’s really not my type," Holly shrugged, trying

to sound calm. Ginny didn’t realise how much that statement actually disturbed her.

"He can be a bit of a git sometimes, can’t he?" Ginny said, slowly smiling. Holly snorted. "Even though his whole ‘destiny’ thing has gone, he still hasn’t got rid of his overbearing nobleness and his whole ‘hero complex!’"

"It’s not his fault," Holly said automatically jumping to Harry’s defence before she even realised it.

"He’s a great friend though, I know why Ron and Hermione always stuck with him at school," Ginny said, smiling slightly.

"He seems great, and oddly calm for someone who had defeated the most evil wizard in history quite recently," Holly said seriously. Ginny shrugged and looked pensive for a moment.

"I guess its because he’s known he’d have to do it for most of his life, so he’s got used to it," Ginny suggested. She paused for a minute before adding, "so why don’t you want to date anyone right now?"

Holly thought for a second on how she could say it. After she had looked at Ginny again, she knew that Ginny would understand, or at least try her hardest to.

"Well, I don’t want to date anyone because…whenever I look at any guys…. I automatically think ‘he’s as old, or older, than my father!’"

Holly bit her lip and cringed as she realised how strange it sounded.

"Oh…I understand, they’re like twenty years older than they are now in your time…" Ginny said after a minute. Holly nodded. She then voiced her real fear.

"Its not just that, I’m also scared that if I get together with someone, I might inadvertently change who he’s with in my future and effectively kill their children," Holly exclaimed.

"But the future hasn’t happened yet, so it can be changed. Look at Ron!" Ginny replied.

"It has for me, what if I stop my best friend’s parents from getting together or something, wouldn’t that mean I’m murdering her?" Holly sounded quite disgusted with herself.

"That doesn’t make you a murderer, like I said, the future can be changed, Ron’s proof of that, but sometimes, it’s for the better, not everything is ‘meant to be.’ Plus it’s not like you’re going to marry the first guy you see, will you?"

"I guess you’re right, but I’m still going to avoid any dating, it just feels wrong to me," Holly said, shuddering.

"Its up to you. It’s your life, I have no right to say what you do, I’m not your mother," Ginny said kindly. Holly smiled.

"Thanks for listening," Holly said quietly. Ginny smiled, sincerely enjoying their girly time, in spite of it getting redirected towards Harry.

"No problem."

______________________________________________________

 

Later that day, not long after Ginny had left for work, Holly jumped when she heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Automatically, Holly rushed to the source of the noise, her right hand unconsciously clenching round her wand that was in her pocket. When she reached the kitchen, she stopped, blinked, then laughed. Harry looked up at her helplessly from the floor.

"What happened here?" Holly asked, gesturing to the now snapped chair that was under Harry. Harry started to blush, which was quite out of character for him.

"Someone tried to attack me on the way home. Bloody stupid move if you ask me," Harry said, pointing to his torn robes. He was obviously trying to avoid the question. Holly raised an eyebrow and continued to eye the broken furniture. Harry looked down and muttered sheepishly, "then I accidentally walked into the chair and tripped over it."

Harry was now thoroughly embarrassed, Holly’s laughing did not help matters. He tried to stand up, then promptly fell back on his backside as he unintentionally stood on the hem of his robes. Holly laughed again and offered him a hand to help him up, which he took. After standing up and brushing himself off, he pulled out his wand and quickly fixed the chair.

"I can’t wait to tell everyone how clumsy you are!" Holly said teasingly, grinning.

"Don’t you dare!" Harry exclaimed, looking both shocked and embarrassed he didn’t really want the others to know he could be as clumsy as Tonks, he didn’t think he could bear the embarrassment. Holly grinned and flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes, as if to challenge him. Just as she was about to retort cheekily, they were interrupted but the loud sarcastic voice of Ron Weasley.

"Thanks for leaving me with all the paperwork mate, you’re just a great friend! I-Oh hello!"

Ron had walked into the kitchen and noticed Holly grinning at Harry. Ron was carrying a very large and boring-looking stack of papers, and what looked like a large report book. He smiled at Holly, then dumped the papers on the kitchen table.

"What are they for?" Holly asked curiously, eyeing the papers with interest.

"Oh, just some boring legal documents Ron and I have to fill in and sign, and a couple of reports the ministry wants us to look into, you know, suspicious behaviour, missing people, stuff like that," Harry explained also looking at the papers with an expression that was the opposite to Holly’s.

"So who attacked you on way home?" Holly inquired, looking a lot more serious now. Harry shrugged.

"Just some desperate criminals who probably wanted to try and catch me for to look good when I was unawares. Their plan failed spectacularly though, Ron called the Order to take them after I’d already pinned two of them to the floor and he’d stunned the other one," Harry explained lazily, scratching his nose.

"See, the training is already coming in handy! I’m glad you’re both alright though," Holly said.

"That’s nice to know. So what have you been doing today?" Harry asked.

"Not that much really, mostly I talked to Ginny and read that book Hermione lent me," Holly replied, noticing the swift glance Harry gave Ron as she mentioned Hermione.

"Well, Remus knows I’m bringing you later to see him, so you won’t need to worry about that," Harry said in a business like tone.

"Thanks," Holly replied warmly, absently picking up a paper from the pile and flicking through it. As Holly looked away from Harry and Ron for a moment, Harry mouthed

‘soon.’ Ron smiled briefly and suddenly looked quite nervous.

"You don’t mind if I have a look, it looks interesting, plus, I might recognise something or someone," Holly asked.

"Sure," Ron replied, shrugging and leaving the room. Holly smiled and picked up the reports from the top of the pile. As she looked through tone, she wandered back into the living room, followed by Harry. The boys collapsed onto the sofa.

"We make a good duo, you know that," Harry said cheerfully to Holly, who looked up from the papers with a raised eyebrow.

"You’re always looking for trouble and trouble always seems to find me," Harry said, unconsciously rubbing his old scar. Ron chuckled.

"Very funny, Harry Potter. Hey, maybe I should just stick by you all the time, seeing as you’re a trouble magnet. I’ll fight them off while you lure them in with that special charm of yours," Holly replied sarcastically.

"I’ve defeated Voldemort, I think a few bits of trouble aren’t too hard for me," Harry said waving his hand in the air dismissively.

"Defeating Voldemort doesn’t make you invincible, you know," Holly said quietly, in a tone that was almost angry. With that, she got up and left the room. Harry frowned.

"What did I do?" Harry asked, bewildered. Ron shrugged.

"She has more mood swings than you did in our fifth year. I don’t think that we’re ever going to really understand that girl though," Ron said, sighing.

__________________________________________________

 

"Calm down, Remus won’t bite!" Harry said, trying to reassure the brown haired witch

who was currently wringing her hands and biting her lip anxiously.

"Well, not when it’s not full moon," Holly replied snappishly. Harry glared at her.

"That is really not funny."

"I know, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean it, I just get like this when I’m nervous," Holly said quietly, staring at the floor.

"It’s okay, but can we go in now, I don’t like just standing at a doorstep, it makes me feel like a salesperson."

Holly nodded slowly and swallowed. Aside from the biting comment, Harry was finding Holly’s reaction quite amusing. Usually she was so calm and in control, and Harry wondered why she was getting so nervous. Perhaps she just wanted to give a good impression. Harry smiled slightly and then opened the door. The room was filled with clutter, people and noise. Spells were soaring through the air, cries of ‘Expelliarmus’ echoed against the walls. Harry smiled again as he remembered the old DA and how much it reminded him of Remus' club, except, it wasn’t illegal and wasn’t being taught by a fifteen year old that everyone thought had lost the plot.

Adults were strolling around correcting people techniques or teaching a group new spells. A few people turned around to look at the newcomers, and many broke out in excited whispers. Harry sighed exasperatedly. No matter how many times he went to the club, or anywhere that had people for that matter, he still received the same reaction. At least Holly looks somewhat calmer, Harry thought to himself as he glanced at her.

"Do you always get such a huge reaction?" Holly asked quietly, a hint of amusement in her voice. Harry nodded, then his face broke out into a large smile as his eyes sought out his old friend. Grabbing Holly’s arm, he pulled her towards Remus.

"Hello there!" Remus said cheerfully as Harry and Holly approached him.

"Hello Remus, how have you been?" Harry asked. Remus grinned in an almost mischievous way, a way Harry had always imagined he would when he was at school and a Marauder. That smile and the twinkle in his eye had returned when he started to date Tonks.

"Everything’s great. As you can see business is still going strong," Remus replied happily.

"That’s great! I’ve brought Holly here so you could meet her and see whether she would be suitable to work here," Harry said. Remus turned to Holly, who was now looking a lot more controlled and calm; more like the Holly he knew.

"So you want to work here?" Remus asked.

Holly nodded.

"What makes you think you would work well here?" Remus asked with a tone he adopted whenever he was asking questions in an interview. Holly didn’t even skip a beat when she replied.

"Well, I’m pretty good at defence. I’ve had loads of experience with various dark forces and I would like to share my experiences, so if they are attacked, they will know what to do. I just want to help people."

"Plus, she will easily be able to control them, believe me. She kept us all in line the other day. We didn’t dare step out of line," Harry added. Remus looked thoughtful for a moment, then stuck out his hand.

"Welcome to the team."

Holly shook it, looking relieved.

"How old are you by the way?" Remus asked.

"I’m nineteen."

Remus looked surprised.

"You look older, at least your eyes do. It reminds me a bit of how Harry’s were like when he was about your age…" Remus said softly, his eyes briefly flickering over to the raven haired man who was watching Holly thoughtfully. Holly looked at the floor.

"Well, I’ve seen a lot of things that I wish I hadn’t," Holly explained quietly after a moment.

"I see... Well, I hope you’ll enjoy working here. Can you start tomorrow?"

Holly nodded, smiling.

"You’re free to have a look around if you want and I’ll see you tomorrow, first thing."

With that, Remus rushed off.

“That was a quick interview,� Holly mused as Remus disappeared from view.

“It wasn’t really gonna be an interview, I think Remus just wanted to see the person he was hiring,� Harry replied.

“Its great you’ve got that sort of trust with him…and with me. Its nice to know that you don’t think I’m dangerous or anything,� Holly said after a moment.

“Well you have saved our lived, particularly Ron’s. I’m not one to trust people quickly but I don’t know, there’s something about you…I can’t really explain…over the years, I’ve been able to sense what type of person someone is and you I feel…� Harry didn’t know why he was saying these things, the words seemed to just be coming out of his mouth.

“Familiarity?� Holly added quietly. Harry thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I know what you mean because I feel the same, I feel safe with you guys and….� Holly seemed to run out of words and so had Harry. The two of them spent a moment just watching the children and teenagers learn spells, not knowing what to do or say. Something seemed to shift between them. Finally, Harry cleared his throat.

"So do you want to have a look around?" Harry asked, still ignoring the occasional stares. He fiddled with the front of his robe, still not knowing what to say.

"Nah, I already know what the place looks like from last week. I think that if we stay any longer, you’re going to explode from all of the stares," Holly said lightly, glancing around the room, at the same time breaking the uneasy tension that had set between them. Harry chuckled. Just as they left the room, Harry spoke.

"What sort of dark forces have you faced in the past?"

Holly stiffened.

"I don’t really want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t. I thought that you Harry, out of anyone, would understand that, after what you’ve been through over the years."

Just as Harry went to reply, there was a pop and she was gone.

_________________________________________

 

There was only one word that could describe how Hermione was feeling when she Flooed to Harry’s house for the weekend. Confused. Both her boyfriend and best friend were acting very oddly and she could not think why. Ginny and Holly welcomed her in their usual manner; Ginny with her squeeze-the-breath-out-of-you hug and Holly with a cheerful comment and a large smile. Although Harry acted normally, Hermione could instantly tell that he was hiding something. And Ron was just completely obvious. He had never been a good liar, especially to her; his pale face and nervous smile immediately told her that something was wrong, or at least something he was not telling her. And when Harry not so subtly dragged Holly and Ginny out of the room a few hours after her arrival her suspicions were confirmed.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you about something important," Ron said after clearing his throat for what must have been the tenth time. His voice was shaking slightly, but it was determined. She could detect the distinct, fragrance of Ron’s aftershave as he stood up and sat next to Hermione on the sofa.

"Sure, what’s the matter?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice casual even though she was anything but. She was dying to find out why Ron had been acting so oddly. Ron turned several shades lighter and he swallowed. He looked like he was about the throw up.

"I-er-I…." Ron was completely tongue tied, and his ears were turning a brilliant shade of red. Frowning, she put an arm around Ron’s shoulder.

"Are you okay? Are you ill?" Hermione asked softly, her voice filled with concern. She wasn’t used to Ron looking so ill. Ron shook his head.

"No, I’m not it’s just…" He paused again, then dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wand, muttering something. Nothing happened. Cursing under his breath, he repeated the spell. Hermione gasped as the lights dimmed and the whole room suddenly became a lot more formal, resembling one of the restaurants Ron had taken her to shortly after Voldemort’s downfall. She could even make out the quiet hum of romantic music. Hermione bit her lip and gazed into the relived, yet nervous eyes of the man that had captured her hearts many years ago. She recognised the song from Fleur and Bill’s wedding, when they first danced together and when Hermione had realised that Ron had finally matured. Ron had also shared that when he danced with her, it was when he truly realised how much he loved her. She smiled at the memory. Ron was also looking deeply into her eyes, as if he was looking deep into her soul.

After a moment or two, Ron seemed to have gained confidence and he sat up a bit straighter, his skin and ears slowly returning to their natural shade. He cleared his throat yet again and took her small hands in his, enveloping them.

"Y-You know I love you, don’t you?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. Ron took a deep breath in, still maintaining eye contact with her.

"For a while now I’ve been thinking about asking you something and after the fire and Holly telling us I wasn’t meant to survive, I realised something. My whole perspective of life has been changed. Between being an Auror and working for the Order, I could be dead tomorrow. I should be dead. I’ve realised that life is just too short to waste, I don’t want to waste a minute. I don’t want to spend any longer with us like this."

Hermione stifled a very shocked gasp, horror flooding her. For a moment, she was unable to breath. Is he breaking up with me? Hermione took a few deep breaths in, forcing herself to calm down and think rationally, something she was so accustomed to in all situations apart from when it involved Ron. Silently, she pushed down that line of thought, knowing she needed to hear all the facts before jumping to conclusions. But if he’s not breaking up with me then is he-

Hermione jumped as Ron went to pick up his glass from the table and his hands were shaking so badly that he accidentally knocked it all over the table. The glass rolled onto the floor, the wine staining the tablecloth and floor scarlet. Ron cursed.

“Harry’s gonna kill me…� Ron muttered, leaning forward to pick up the fallen glass. He froze when he heard a small thud not too far from his head.

“Don’t worry, a quick spell will get rid of-what was that?�

Hermione leaned forward too and suddenly saw the small velvet box.

Ron swore quietly as Hermione picked up the box. Hermione sat back up and did the same. Eyes transfixed and hands trembling, she slowly opened it. She gasped.

“Ron is this-“

"Yes, Hermione. For I while now, I’ve wanted to prove how much you mean to me, how much I love you. I don’t want to go any longer without being married to you. I want to be able to call you my wife. Will you marry me?"

Hermione gasped again as Ron got down on one knee with a small velvet box in his hand. He opened it up to reveal a stunning diamond ring sitting snugly within. Hermione doubted whether she had ever seen anything so beautiful and elegant, and so perfect for her in her entire life. Hermione grinned widely then launched herself at Ron and kissed him full on the lips.

"Yes of course! Yes!" Hermione said when she finally pulled away. Ron had a goofy sort of grin on his face and after kissing her briefly on the lips again, he slipped the ring on her finger. He may not have proposed in the way he envisioned, but it was still perfect.

"I love you Ronald Weasley," Hermione said, a few more tears of joy falling from her eyes. Ron smiled and tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek as the two of them got lost in each others eyes. Just as Ron leaned in to give his fiancée another kiss, they both jumped violently as a loud crash was emitted from the other room. It was followed by the muffled sound of Harry’s apology. Hermione giggled and Ron chuckled.

“I love you too,� Ron replied. Then he wrapped his hands around Hermione’s left one and a moment later, their lips met again, once again oblivious to all their surroundings as they both were absorbed in each other, as if there was nothing else in the universe except the two of them.

Ron didn’t even notice that his right knee was damp from kneeling in the spilt wine.

"Well, it’s nice of you boys to join us again."

Standing at the doorframe of the sitting room, looking a little worse for wear and quite nervous, were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Their hands were in their pockets and they were both sporting identical guilty expressions, which proved very humorous to those witnessing it. As soon as Holly caught sight of them, she burst out laughing, her voice echoing through the otherwise silent room.

"Oh come on, it’s really not that funny," Ron complained, giving Holly a slightly dirty look as she doubled over with laughter, leaning against Ginny for support. Ginny was also grinning mischievously, her eyes dancing with mirth. Harry raised his arm up and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, his green eyes glancing at everyone in turn.

 

"Oh, yes it is!"

"Where have you been? You’ve been gone for hours!" Hermione immediately demanded. "Anything could have happened! Have you had anything to drink? You better not have!"

"Of course we haven’t had anything to drink, it was only Butterbeer," Harry said quickly, cutting off Ron as he opened his mouth, ready to retort. Hermione stood up and put her hands on her hips as she glared at them. Harry couldn’t help but shrink back the slightest bit.

"Hey, lighten up Hermione! They did seem pretty terrified earlier... Although I think you should check their accounts, in case they’ve.... bought any dress robes!" Holly burst out into pearls of laughter again, clutching her sides. Ginny raised an eyebrow, amused but was clearly getting worried for her sanity.

"Oh, you told her then..." Harry muttered, starting to turn red, all fear turning into annoyance in an instant as he gave Hermione and Ginny an angry look.

 

"What that you got sent owls from dressmakers? Yeah, of course," Ginny said, smirking. Ron swore, giving his sister quite a dirty look.

"Language, Ronald," Hermione said. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Don’t roll your eyes at me!"

Ginny changed the beginnings of a laugh into a hacking cough as Hermione and Ron paused their bickering turned to her. She caught Harry’s gaze and shot him a look that clearly meant ‘they’re at it again,’ as they directed their attention away from Ginny a minute later and at each other again. Harry strolled over to the sofa that Holly and Ginny were sitting on and sat in between the two of them. Holly reclined back in the seat, still watching Harry, obviously trying to suppress a giggle.

"I reckon Hermione was just looking for an argument, she was in a pretty bad mood after Holly hit her," Ginny said, shrugging her shoulders.

 

“I didn’t mean to!� Holly defended herself as Harry raised his eyebrows at her. “It’s not my fault that when I stretched she was standing right behind me!�

 

Ginny’s mouth twisted into a smile as she looked slyly at Holly, who was starting to turn slightly pink.

 

"They’re going to suddenly disappear in about an hour aren’t they, you know, once they finish arguing," Harry suddenly said with distaste, scrunching up his nose as he looked away from Ginny and at the couple.

"Probably," Holly said, snorting. "Maybe that’s why they argue, so they can make up. At least that’s what I think."

Ginny pulled a face and mockingly covered her ears, her face twisting in disgust.

"Stop talking. Please. Ron’s my brother, if you had forgotten."

"-Ronald, why do you always insist on starting an argument like this! Stop being so ignorant! We’re going to get married and you’re acting so childish!"

"I’m not the one who started the argument! You did, jumping down Harry’s and mines throats about being out! We’re grown men!" Ron retorted defensively. Harry made a funny noise at the back of his throat, half way between a cough and a laugh.

"I really feel sorry for Ron when Hermione’s pregnant," Ginny muttered to the other two. "She’s going to be an absolute nightmare."

"Rather Ron than me," Harry snorted. Two sets of eyes turned on Harry.

"What, you’re thinking you’re going to get an easy pregnancy?" Holly asked, raising her eyebrows.

 

"Well technically, I won’t be the one that’s pregnant..."

"Oh, very funny."

"How did we get onto this topic?" Ginny wondered aloud, shifting uncomfortably on the spot, her eyes wondering around the room.

 

"Wait, where have the quarrelling duo gone?" Harry asked, noticing suddenly that the room was a lot quieter with the absence of two people. Holly caught Harry’s eye briefly, smirking at the quite befitting nickname Harry had just dubbed Ron and Hermione.

 

"They’ve disappeared! I didn’t even notice," Ginny said, looking around as if expecting the two of them to suddenly appear. She frowned. “That’s quite bad, we’re either all going deaf or something, to miss the noise of their arguing suddenly going...�

"You don’t think-"

"They’re back!" Ginny called out, purposely cutting Harry off the last part of his sentence, looking a little ill and muttering ‘you git Harry,’ under her breath.

"Where did you go?" Holly asked, trying to keep a straight face as she addressed the couple.

"We just went to the kitchen to get a drink," Ron said, shrugging her shoulders. "Why where do you think we went?"

"Never mind, nowhere," Harry said, catching Holly’s eye and grinning. Ginny looked like she was having trouble looking either of them in the eye.

"Sorted out your problem?" Holly asked. Hermione nodded. Ron sat on the armchair and Hermione joined him.

"Of course," Ron said, kissing Hermione affectionately on cheek. He grinned at Hermione and then processed twirl and play with some of Hermione’s frizzy locks with a look of fascination on his face.

"Promise me something, Hermione," Ron whispered in her ear, not loud enough for the others to hear them.

"What?"

"That you’ll never change your hair. It’s perfect the way it is," Ron replied. "Actually, don’t change at all." Hermione blushed and kissed Ron hard on the lips.

"Oh, and they’re at it again," Ginny muttered, pointedly looking away from them. Harry snorted.

"Seeing as they didn’t offer us a drink," Harry said, pointing a thumb towards the couple. "Do either of you want a drink?"

The two girls shook their heads.

"Fine, I’ll just get one for myself," Harry said, getting up and leaving the room.

"You know, I don’t even think if Voldemort himself walked into this room, they would be separated," Holly said critically, looking at Ron and Hermione who were firmly stuck together as Harry walked back into the room.

"Well they do only get to see each other on the weekends,� Ginny said thoughtfully, scratching her head. “It must be hard for them trying to squeeze in all their normal arguments and romance into less than three days. I don’t think I’d be able to do it, to be frank."

"You just reminded me! Holly, how do you know what Voldemort looks like? I hardly think that people have taken pictures of him," Harry asked as he sat on the other side of Ginny. Holly suddenly became much stiffer and turned a shade paler than normal. She visibly shrunk into her seat.

"I don’t know what you mean," Holly said quickly, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"You turned into him when we had our first training lesson, and it was a dead on look-a-like of him. You even had his voice, I would just like to know how you know exactly how he looks like," Harry asked, starting to feel a bit uneasy.

"I...I...can’t say," Holly replied quietly, sounding defensive.

"Why not? I’m just curious," Harry asked, starting to get quite suspicious. He noticed that Ron and Hermione had stopped kissing and were now looking at Holly.

"Because I can’t!" Holly said a little too sharply for their liking. She had wrapped her arms tightly around her body and her long brown hair had swung into her eyes from where it was tucked round her ear.

"What is it, you can’t or you won’t tell us?" Harry said accusingly. "There’s no point trying to hide this from us, we’re not going to just drop it. You’re hiding something."

"Well, I don’t have to tell you all what happens in my life, do I?" Holly spat angrily. Harry was taken aback by her reaction and didn’t say anything for a moment. The atmosphere had become undeniably cold very rapidly.

"We’re not asking you to tell us everything, but this... Harry...we all want to know... we’ve all seen him before...why can’t you tell us how you’ve seen him?" Ginny asked after a minute or utter silence. She looked quite worried.

"Wait, he didn’t come back did he?" Ron asked suddenly, sounding very alarmed.

"Oh don’t be ridiculous, Ron," Hermione scoffed. Then she paused for a second. She turned to Holly, concern filling her brown eyes. "He hasn’t has he? Please tell me he hasn’t!"

"No, no, he hasn’t come back," Holly said, sighing and shaking her head. "That’s impossible. He’s well and truly dead this time."

"Thank Merlin," Harry said, letting out a sigh of relief. He had been momentarily stunned at Ron’s declaration. The mere thought of Voldemort somehow managing to come back frightened him terribly, even though he knew that there was no way in hell he could come back again. It was unfathomable to even imagine it.

"Then how...."

Ron trailed off after one look at Holly. She looked awful, her hair appeared to be as thin as dark cobwebs, a myriad of colours one second and then back to normal in a blink of an eye. It could have been a figment of their imagination.

"It’s a long story," Holly said finally, her voice trembling.

"Give us the short version then," Harry replied.

"Okay....� Holly paused for a second to take a breath in and collect herself together. She looked almost... defeated in a way. “W-when I was younger, I was a very curious kid...my family didn’t tell me the whole story about what was going on or what had happened in the past, but I wanted to know. I now know though that I was too young to know everything, all the horrors.�

 

 “But being the arrogant, curious and stubborn little witch I was, I found my own resources...which included pestering and moaning people until they told me what I wanted to know, researching from books...and one method I’m not proud of and wish I never did."

"What’s that?" Ginny asked softly. Holly looked at Ginny, apprehension shining in her eyes.

"I shouldn’t be telling you this...I shouldn’t have told you any of this..." Holly muttered, seemingly speaking to herself. She wringed her hands unconsciously and bit her lip.

"Well it’s too late to stop now," Harry said, trying with all his might to sound gentle even though he didn’t feel it at all. He didn’t like how this story was going.

"I...I snuck into a Pensieve," Holly said, looking around the room, everywhere, anywhere but at the people surrounding her.

 

"What did you see in the Pensieve?" Hermione asked softly. Holly shook her head and her hair turned back to its usual brown, seemingly bringing herself together in the process. Her cheeks gained some more colour and she sat up a little straighter.

"Lots of things. I kept on going back for some reason. Perhaps I was hoping for a happier memory, or maybe it was just because I really wanted to know...I’m not sure of anything about that time in my life anymore," Holly said, shrugging.

"Any in particular?" Harry asked. Holly nodded; looking up at Harry with an almost fearful look in her eye that was so unlike her.

"Once I saw...I saw...the graveyard."

Harry felt the colour drain from his face, knowing exactly what graveyard she was talking about. In one painful second, a floodgate felt like it had been opened and everything came rushing back...the fear, Cedric’s scream, his laughter... and then he blinked and it all dissolved in a rush of icy wind. He hadn’t thought of the Graveyard in any other time apart from him dreams in a while, and he had to admit, he preferred it that way.

"What Gr-oh...oh," Ron started, his eyes widening. He fell silent, as did the rest of the room.

"You-you-what?" Harry stammered. The ability to speak in full sentences temporarily removed from him through shock. "But-how-why-when-what?"

"That’s not all is it?" Hermione asked quietly. Holly slowly shook her head. Ron cursed quietly under his breath.

"I might as well just tell you it all, now you know half of it...." Holly started, pausing to take in a deep breath.

"What could be worse?" Ron muttered to Hermione, who then elbowed him to be quiet.

"I...I saw the Chamber of Secrets."

Holly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were all shocked to see the beginnings of tears. Ginny started to cough and Harry automatically patted her on the back until the coughs subsided. Then Ginny looked up at Holly.

 

"What?"

"No...You couldn’t have.... It’s not possible.... You’re lying!" Harry exclaimed suddenly. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. She couldn’t have seen his most personal memories. She just couldn’t have. He felt almost violated; he had never shown anyone those sorts of memories, not even Ron or Hermione.

 

"No I’m not. I wish I was, but I’m not," Holly whispered unhappily. "Do you think I enjoyed seeing you almost get killed, and seeing Ginny lying there, looking dead!"

"But...they’re my memories," Harry said weakly. He shook his head furiously. "No it can’t be true; you have to be lying!"

"What do you want me to say? I can’t prove to you what I’ve seen! It’s not like I like to remember them! I have to keep remembering seeing you almost die, seeing Cedric Diggory die, see him come back to life! Do you think I chose to dream about a giant bloody snake trying to kill me!" Holly replied, abruptly losing her temper. She was trembling and looked like she would very much like to get up and hit something. She looked at Ginny. "I’m sorry for bringing that up, Ginny."

Ginny opened her mouth, but no words came out. Ginny looked much paler as if she too just took a trip back to the past. (Figuratively speaking of course.) Harry instinctively wrapped an arm around the redhead.

"How old were you when you saw the memories?" Hermione asked.

"For most of them, I was about ten or eleven," Holly replied. Ginny started to draw herself closer to Harry, seeking some sort of comfort from him. She could feel him shaking slightly and he had stiffened as Holly spoke.

"Harry...."

Ginny was cut off as Harry started to speak, his tone biting and harsh.

"How did you find my memories?"

Holly winced at the harshness of his tone. She bit her lip, her eyes darting around the room. She bit her lip, then cleared her throat.

"Well, you’re part of the Order aren’t you?" Holly said, unconsciously picking at her cuticles. Before waiting for him to reply, she continued. "I sometimes stay around other Order members houses if my parents were busy....either working or with the Order...so it was quite easy, once I knew where to look, to find your Pensieve, Harry."

"No, that can’t be true, because Harry doesn’t have a Pensieve, and they’re pretty rare and expensive," Ron said, frowning and shaking his head.

"Yes he does, Dumbledore left his to him," Hermione said. She too looked shocked, but unlike Ron and the others, who were staring at Holly like drugged up monkeys, she bore an expression of deep thought.

"Oh yeah..."

"How could you forget a thing like that?" Ginny asked, speaking for the first time and sounding like she had a head cold. Harry didn’t reply immediately, he was still trying to process the information and the flashbacks.

 

"Well...at the time, I wasn’t very sure I would live to be able to use it, what with Voldemort." Harry paused and glanced at Ron and Hermione. "Trying to do me in all the time."

"Where is it now?" Ron asked, his brow furrowing.

"It’s in Gringotts," Harry replied. He looked at Holly again.

"I know what I did was wrong Harry," Holly started, looking quite upset. "But I couldn’t go without knowing, I couldn’t...and then Jake...."

Holly was on the verge of tears. Ginny was just about to reluctantly move from Harry’s arms to comfort Holly, but Hermione beat her to it, pulling Holly into a tight hug. After a second, Ginny decided to join in the hug anyway and she could here Holly give out a wet chuckle as Ginny tackled them both as she joined in the hug. After a few minutes and a few words which were exchanged between the girls, Hermione and Ginny moved to a more comfortable position. Ginny sat at a slight angle, away from Holly. Awkwardness had settled in between them and neither of them knew what to say.

"You do seem to have a knack for getting into problems and trouble, don’t you? Almost as bad as Harry," Ron joked. Holly snorted.

"I do, don’t I?" Holly replied softly. Then she looked down again. "I’m sorry for all of this, guys."

"Don’t be, you have nothing to be sorry for, what happened was in the past.... Or the future, oh never mind," Hermione said, shaking her head. After a few moments, Holly began to stand up.

"Harry, can I have a word with you please? In private," Holly asked quietly. Harry glanced at Ginny for a split second.

"Sure."

He followed Holly out of the room. Holly shut the door and hesitated before turning around to face Harry.

"Okay, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it," Holly said, a sense of dread creeping up into her features. She bit her lip and her movements were distinctively jumpy.

"What?"

"Okay...I wasn’t totally honest in there, I didn’t say everything-"

"Why-"

"Please don’t interrupt me. What I mean is that I didn’t just see the Chamber. I saw the Chamber, twice. One with Ginny waking up in the end, the other where she didn’t."

Harry took a sharp intake of breath and unconsciously clenched his fists. Something that was so private, something Harry would never think another living soul would see.... He couldn’t bring himself to look at Holly.

"I’m so sorry, Harry, I wish I didn’t see it, but I have to tell you. I reckon that that is what you’ve been dreaming about, and I can honestly say that that nightmare is horrible. It’s really not healthy to keep that in, I get why you don’t want to tell Ginny, blimey, that would be beyond awkward if you did considering the circumstances, but you should tell Ron and Hermione. It gave me the fright of my life seeing Ginny dead, I thought I’d fallen into a parallel world or something... Telling someone might even stop them."

"Y-you saw my dream?" Harry said, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. Holly nodded.  A sudden surge of anger flooded over him. She had invaded his privacy and then tried to lecture him again!

 

Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t mentioned anything!"

Before Harry could open his mouth, Holly had already pushed passed him and fled up the stairs. He wasn’t sure whether or not to follow, and then after a minute or two, he decided to go back to the sitting room. His three friends looked at him.

"What’s the matter? Where’s Holly?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"She went upstairs, she’s a bit upset," Harry replied gruffly.

"What did you say to her?" Ginny demanded. Harry’s head shot up.

"Me? I didn’t do anything!" Harry said defensively.

Hermione gave Harry a look then stood up, pulling Ginny with her, rushing out the room. On the way out, Ginny cuffed Harry round the back of the head, muttering something too quiet for Harry to hear.

Harry raised a hand to rub the back of his head, more due to the wounded pride than actual pain, and frowned. He then processed to throw himself onto the sofa and close his eyes. His head was spinning and he had a headache.

"What did Holly want to talk to you about?" Ron asked. Harry opened his eyes again, feeling slightly queasy for some reason. He hesitated as he tried to think how to answer.

"Oh she just wanted to ask me something about the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, hating himself for lying to his friend. But he just couldn’t say it, not right now. He made sure that Ron couldn’t see his face and thankfully, Ron didn’t ask anything more.

Upstairs, Hermione and Ginny were knocking on Holly’s door.

"Please, just leave me alone!" Holly’s voice called out.

"We just want to talk!" Hermione replied.

"No! I don’t want to talk anymore, I just want to be left alone!" Holly called out. Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances.

"She’s so bloody stubborn," Ginny muttered to her friend. Hermione paused to raise an eyebrow at Ginny, who luckily didn’t notice and therefore didn’t question why Hermione had suddenly stopped knocking. Hermione didn’t really want to have to explain that in fact Ginny was even more stubborn than Holly most of the time.

"Why are you still talking to me?  I’ve just told you I’ve snooped into your memories and you’re trying to comfort me!" Holly’s muffled voice called out.

"You’re upset, we just want to help," Hermione said, not sure what to say. She had carefully avoided her mention their memories herself, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it yet.

"No I’m not, I’m fine!"

"Just tell me what Harry said that made you suddenly run up here and I’ll go and kill him for you," Ginny said. From through the door, they heard Holly snort most likely unwillingly, with laughter.

"We’re not going to get anywhere without this door opening," Hermione said patiently. There was silence, and then a minute later, the door opened.

 

"Hey, there’s no need to cry," Hermione consoled her, pulling her into a hug as a single tear fell from Holly’s eye, which she quickly wiped away as if ashamed.

"Its...I just tried not to think about it and then Harry said about seeing Voldemort, there’s no other way I could tell you how I’ve seen him..."

"I know, I know," Hermione said, patting her on the back. While she was hugging Holly, she was thinking. Thinking about Holly, about how she arrived, and what she had told them about herself so far. Slowly, Hermione was starting to piece together the young witches past and it was not looking good.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know anymore.

“Hey.�

 

Ginny looked around from where she was washing the dishes the Muggle way towards the doorway, unconsciously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. (She had tied it back after it kept on swinging into her eyes and threatening to get covered in bubbles.) Harry was standing by the table, a tentative smile playing on his lips. The colour had returned to his face and the scowl he had been sporting earlier had gone. She didn’t know whether Holly had left her room yet, she didn’t seem very willing to when Hermione and Ginny left her half an hour ago. She gave him a small smile.

 

“Hi.�

 

“Are you alright?�

 

Harry was watching her closely, as if her were scrutinising her. Ginny quickly looked away and nodded her head, then continued to scrub away at a mug with quite a bit of force. It was one Hermione had bought her for Christmas, a Muggle mug with a picture of the four of them on it. It was taken on Ginny’s nineteenth birthday, all of them solitarily smiling at the camera. (Hermione told her afterwards that she found the wizard version of those mugs slightly unnerving; the moving people in the pictures would always shield their faces when they were washed. It seemed almost cruel to use them when they seemed to be almost real.)

 

“Are you sure?�

 

Ginny stopped washing the dishes, placing the clean ones on the drying rack. Then she sighed and turned to Harry, untying her hair at the same time. “I’m fine. . . I’m just in a bit of shock, that’s all.�

 

“You’re not the only one. It made me realise though,� he paused, looking into Ginny eyes. “That we’ve never actually talked about, you know, the Chamber. Not since it happened really.�

 

Ginny shrugged and pulled out a chair, then sat on it. She tilted backwards unconsciously, running her hands through her hair briefly to get rid of the kinks.

 

“Well, for basically the first five years of knowing each other, I don’t think you even realised I existed.�

 

There was a definite hint of teasing in her tone, her mouth curling into a slight grin.

 

“Hey that’s not fair, I knew, I was just...�

 

“A very thick prat?� Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Thanks Ginny, it’s just so wonderful to know what you think of me.�

 

Ginny laughed.

 

“So...� Harry started, pausing as he carefully sat down opposite her. He laid his hands on the table. “Do you want to, you know, talk about it?�

 

Ginny stopped rocking on her chair and bit her lip.

 

“It happened so long ago but-“

 

“It doesn’t make any difference about how long ago it was,� Harry interrupted her. Ginny gave him a strange look.

 

“Usually I would be annoyed at you interrupting, but seeing as you’re actually right...� Ginny said, trailing off, as she stared into Harry’s eyes, noticing that it contained a pain she recognised as the same as hers. The pain that would never go away, no matter how much time passed. It was the pain of being touched by pure evil. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

 

“You know, you’re probably the only person who will ever understand what its like to be.... affected... by Riddle,� Ginny said softly after a moment. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Well, I’m not the only person, I mean, Ron and Hermione for example-“

 

“No,� Ginny interrupted quietly. “I mean actually meeting him, being attacked...possessed...� Her voice trembled at the last word. Harry opened his mouth, and then closed it again, looking quite lost. He understood what she meant now.

 

“If its not too painful... can you please tell me what happened that year... I never really understood...� Harry’s low voice stopped suddenly and he looked guiltily down at the table. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. Her palms were starting to sweat as she thought about her horrible first year at Hogwarts. She cleared her throat and then started to speak, quietly at first.

 

“I was always jealous of my brothers, they always used to tease me about not being old enough to go to Hogwarts...they always used to brag how exciting it was there and I was stuck at home peeling potatoes with mum. I was so looking forward to starting school, I was so excited,� she paused, her throat constricting a little. Harry’s warm, encouraging gaze gave her the courage to continue. “Then I found the diary in my cauldron, I thought mum had given it to me or something. So I wrote in it...and he was so nice to me...and you know what happened there....he used to listen to me, and I told him everything... everything....how my brothers, Ron in particular, used to ignore me, and how you didn’t even know I existed, and how you were so nice not to laugh at me when I used to trip up and stuff....� she paused again to cough and blush slightly. Sometime during her talking, Harry had moved so he was sitting beside her, listening attentively.

 

“You couldn’t have known it was Voldemort, he was smart and cunning and well...he knew how to manipulate people. You can’t blame yourself,� Harry replied quietly. Then he looked down. “And I’m sorry for being such a git back then.�

 

Ginny shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

 

“You did nothing wrong back then, you were perfectly nice to me, but I had that hopeless crush on you....and thank you....I know it was Voldemort who did all that, but it’s still reassuring to hear you say that.�

 

Harry caught Ginny’s hand and squeezed it gently.

 

“Anytime,� he said, catching her eyes again and smiling slightly.

 

“So where was I?� Ginny said faintly. She frowned, suddenly remembering. “Oh well, at school... I’m not sure when I realised, but I noticed I seemed to end up places I couldn’t remember going...I felt really tired, I could barely sleep, and then Mrs Norris got petrified and it all began. No-one seemed to notice...not one of my brothers...� Ginny’s tone suddenly became harsher. “Well perhaps Percy, he noticed I was a bit paler than normal, but he was more interested in his girlfriend. But how can I blame them? They’re boys. They had their own lives, they didn’t need their little sister to barge into them. Ron particularly, made that clear.�

 

“Have you talked to them about this?� Harry asked. Ginny shook her head. “You should. But for the record, they do love you more than anything...they were just...how can I put it... boys show their... affection differently to girls... you’re their little sister, you’re like their little princess...�

 

Harry seemed to be struggling immensely with his words and also looked even slightly uncomfortable. But he didn’t drop his gaze from Ginny’s. However, something in his phrasing seemed a bit...off. Her eyes narrowed in spite of herself.

 

 “Where did you hear that?�

 

Harry cocked his head to the side. “What?�

 

“The Princess thing.�

 

“Well...er.... a coincidence?�

 

Ginny raised an eyebrow and moved closer to Harry.

 

“Ok...Ron told me once loads of stories about when you were all younger, as did Charlie and Bill....when they were a little bit tipsy...�

 

“What?�

 

Harry’s cheeks turned red. “Change of subject please?�

 

“Ok...for now...� Ginny said, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

 

“So are you going to talk to your brothers about this?� Harry asked, cocking his head to the side.

 

“Probably, but not yet,� Ginny sighed. “I’m still not used to talking about it...I haven’t even really told Hermione or my mum anything...�

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I’ll leave if you like,� Harry said, suddenly standing up. Ginny caught hold of Harry’s hands again.

 

“No, I want to. I need to,� Ginny said, her eyes imploring him to stay. Harry sat back down, not letting go of Ginny’s hands. They were sitting facing each other.

 

“I don’t want to push you, or pry,� Harry replied quietly.

 

“You’re not.�

 

Ginny swallowed and closed her eyes for a second, her mind filled with old memories.

 

“Okay, well, the irony of the whole situation, the more times he...possessed me... the more I closed up to the world and opened up to him. I never noticed at the time how he was manipulating me, making me dependant on him, making me resent everyone else. He told me me how my brothers didn’t care about me, not in those words of course, how he was the only one I could trust...and I believed him.�

 

“Ginny, please stop blaming yourself, you couldn’t have known! You tried to fight him, but he, he was pure evil, he wouldn’t stop .You couldn’t have stopped him,� Harry said fiercely.

 

“But you did! All these years, you’ve fought him, you’ve never so much as thought of turning to the dark side or giving up-“

 

Harry gave a hollow snort.

 

“Oh I have before thought of giving up before, believe me... but there’s a difference Ginny, I knew what I was fighting was evil, it was an actual physical battle. What he did to you was much subtler; it was...a seduction...�

 

Ginny shuddered and clenched her fists. She took a deep breath in.

 

“Do you want a cup of tea? I’m going to go and make a cup of tea!� Ginny said abruptly, starting to stand up. It was Harry this time that grabbed hold of Ginny’s hand and gently tugged her towards him. She sat back down on her seat, not wanting to look at Harry. They were both silent for a moment before Harry started to speak again. His voice was weaker and cracking at first, but gradually growing in strength.

 

“Listen to me Ginny...you have a strength that I could never have... you have an inner strength, you managed to go on after all that happened, rebuilt your life, came back stronger, and you were only eleven. My courage isn’t the same, mine is...like an adrenaline rush. It comes in bursts. I could never have to strength that you have. If you knew what he was, I knew you would have fought, and would have won.�

 

Ginny felt a lump grow in her throat, but she forced it down. 

 

�You have that strength too Harry, you have had that since you were small, you’ve lost so many people...your parents, you saw Cedric die, Sirius....� Ginny trailed off as Harry’s eyes glazed over for a second.  “That’s what we’re all about really, aren’t we? Surviving, going on after those we love die.�

 

As the two of them fell silent again, Ginny noticed that Harry tracing light circles on her hand with his slightly callused thumb and couldn’t suppress a slight shiver. She wasn’t sure whether he even knew he was doing it, but she couldn’t deny that she liked it.

 

“I don’t know anymore Ginny, so much has happened, I still haven’t worked everything out in my mind yet,� Harry said finally.

 

“Well, you’ve got your whole life for that now,� Ginny said, smiling slightly.

 

“Yeah...� Harry said, the light seeming to come back in his eyes which had faded at the mentioned of the deceased slightly.

 

“It’s funny that even after all these years, if feels like it only happened yesterday. The war, the Chamber, everything,� Ginny said after a minute, her eyes wandering around the room.

 

“Does it still hurt to think about him?� Harry asked quietly.

 

“Not so much anymore, even less since you got rid of him for good...since I knew he could never come back again for me.� Ginny said, giving Harry a slight smile.

 

“Yeah, you’re not the only one being able to sleep easier without think he would try and kill me again,� Harry added, returning her smile. Then his face turned serious again as he looked deeply into her brown eyes. “Will you do something for me Ginny?�

 

“What?�

 

“Will you talk to your brothers? Tell them how you felt that year. They deserve to know. For me. Please.�

 

Ginny hesitated, a small frown decorating her features.

 

“Okay Harry, for you. Although it’s going to be quite an awkward conversation,� Ginny replied, letting out a nervous laugh that was too high to be real.

 

“I think that they’d appreciate knowing how you feel, they’ve all grown up since then, even the twins. They’ll understand.�

 

After a moment Ginny nodded, and Harry squeezed her hand.

 

“Be with me when I talk to them?�

 

Without missing a heartbeat, Harry replied. “Of course.�

 

Harry leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, lingering for a moment. Ginny closed her eyes briefly.

 

“Thank you for listening Harry, thank you for understanding,� Ginny said, her voice trembling the slightest bit as Harry moved away from her, not breaking eye contact with him.

 

“No problem, anytime. If there’s anything you want to talk about, ever, I’ll always be there. I promise,� Harry said sincerely.

 

“You’re not going to disappear again are you? Like when you went to find the Horcruxes, or like last year?� Ginny said, her voice almost breaking with emotion, a lump rising in her throat, tearing her gaze from him for a moment, and she looked at the floor. Somehow, the thought of Harry never leaving again, seemed to be a dream. He was Harry Potter, the hero of the Wizarding world! Why would he want to stay here?

 

“Hey, that was just something I had to do. I’m not going to leave again,� Harry said, tentatively raising a hand to graze her cheek softly, the roughness of his fingers contrasting with the smoothness of her cheek. “Next time, if there has to be a next time, I’ll at least tell you first and ask what you think. I won’t just go running off any more, I swear to you, I won’t.�

 

“Thank you.� Was all Ginny could say. Then she pulled Harry into a tight hug. Harry was just Harry, a man who had happened to defeat Voldemort, but was still just an ordinary man, she way being ridiculous to think otherwise.

 

 “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?�

 

Harry’s voice was muffled due to the embrace, and Ginny smiled involuntarily, feeling as though she had just drank a bottle of Butterbeer on a cold day. They both felt closer to one another than ever before, and there wasn’t even a hint of awkwardness. It even felt as though those awkward feelings between the two of them had never been there in the first place.

 

Many hours passed before Harry and Ginny left the kitchen to join their other friends, and by that time, Ron was already asleep on the sofa, Hermione was dozing off and Holly had already gone to bed. More words were exchanged in that time, a closeness was established that had always been there beneath the surface, but was unnoticed, untouched, never properly formed, until then. In those hours, the two didn’t just feel as if they got to know each other even better, but themselves as well, in an indescribable way. Their past events had tied them to each other, answers to questions and feelings that only the other could answer and understand. Many witches and wizards had suffered during the war, but no-one had experiences that were as unique as the two of them, which had unknowingly caused a bond to form between the two of them the moment that they left the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago.

 

 

 

“I would just like to say, I think you have all been doing very well in training so far- Ron pay attention.- I don’t think I can teach you anything more about spells, actually I think I need you guys to teach me, I’ve never been able to do some certain spells very well, and we’ve still got some stuff to do, you’re definitely not nearly as cocky as you were before! Well Ron I think you need some work on that, and Hermione, you need to stop trying to think as much during the duels, and let your instincts take over, they won’t lead you wrong, oh and Ginny, try not to jump around too much, it’ll wear your energy out. Oh also, Harry you need to stop trying to take over the whole battle and rely on your friends a bit more, half the time, you’re more concentrated on the others than your own fight-�

 

“And this is meant to be a ‘well done’ speech,� Ron grumbled to Hermione, who made a shushing noise at him. Holly shot him a dirty look.

 

“I’m not trying to say it in a bad way, Merlin knows you’ve improved so much. Other than a few little things, I’m happy,� Holly said, smiling at them. Ginny was giving Harry a look that was saying ‘let go of that bloody stupid hero complex you have, you git,’ Harry was looking sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck, Hermione was listening attentively and looked as if she was very much wanting to take notes and Ron was looking sullen.

 

“I’m not cocky,� Ron said, frowning. He turned to Hermione. “I’m not, am I?�

 

Hermione hesitated. “Well...�

 

“Oh Hermione you’re meant to be on my side!� Ron whined, raising his hands in the air.

 

“I am Ron, its just sometimes, you get a bit overconfident when it comes to duelling...only a little bit!� Hermione said, her voice getting higher as Ron stormed away from her.

 

“Oh just ignore the bigheaded prat,� Ginny said loudly enough for Ron to hear. “He’s just grumpy because Harry almost beat him on chess this morning.�

 

“He did not!� Ron shouted, glaring at his sister.

 

“He did and don’t try to deny it like you did when Bill beat you that time!� Ginny said in a singsong voice.

 

“Bill didn’t beat me and I haven’t played him since I was seventeen!� Ron defended.

 

“And why do you think that is?� Ginny said, obviously mocking him. Ron started to move towards Ginny, glowering.

 

“Okay, break it up kids and try and act mature,� Holly said, grabbing Ron by the arm and pulling him to the side.

 

“Look, I didn’t mean it in a bad way, but I’ve noticed that sometimes, you tend to try and wait until the last second to dodge and don’t take the first opportunity you get to beat the opponent once you feel you have the advantage. It’s not a massive thing, but it is worth working on, you never know, it could save your life,� Holly said in an undertone. Ron seemed to relax a bit and Holly smiled lopsidedly at him.

 

“Okay, thanks,� Ron replied, smiling back.

 

“No problem, now that’s get back to the others, they’re starting to look a bit impatient,� Holly said, gesturing to the others. Harry and Ginny had now conjured two large sticks and were sparring with each other, attempting to playfully whack each other with it, both laughing. Ron snorted and walked over to Hermione, who was watching Harry and Ginny with a smile on her face.

 

“They’re mad aren’t they?� Ron said, making Hermione jump slightly as he suddenly appeared beside her again. He stuck one of his hands in his pocket and bounced on his heels, looking at Hermione through the corner of his eye.

 

“They’re just as mad as each other,� Hermione agreed, laughing. She turned to Ron, slipping a hand into his. “Are you in a better mood now?�

 

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I overreacted,� Ron said, looking down at the engagement ring glittering on Hermione’s left hand.

 

“It’s okay,� she replied, smiling back at him. Ron placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then whispered,

 

“I love you.�

 

“I love you too.�

 

“Okay, I hate to break this up, but maybe we should go back to the training,� Holly said suddenly, clearing her throat. The sticks Harry and Ginny were holding faded away and after giving each other a grin, they looked at Holly.

 

“I hope I didn’t offend anyone from what I said, but I thought it would be best to be truthful, there’s no point in sugar coating it.� Holly was interrupted with a chorus of ‘no of course not!’ and ‘don’t be silly!’ Holly smiled at them. “Good, but we’d better get back to what we were going to do before the interruption.�

 

She unconsciously looked at Ron for a fraction of a second, as did the others. Ron’s ears turned pink and Hermione giggled quietly.

 

“I thought that this time, it would be a bit more relaxed, play a few games, you know, just have a bit of fun for once. I know I’ve been quite harsh on you lately...� Ginny snorted and muttered ‘broken leg’ disguised badly as a cough. Harry winced, as did Hermione and Ron. Holly had certainly been harsh, feeling that just missing one week of training for Hermione and Ron’s engagement party meant three weeks of extra intense training, which had resulted in a quite a few broken ribs, a fractured jaw and a broken leg. Although the four of them did find it quite amusing (even though it shouldn’t have been in the least bit funny) when Holly joined the rank of the injured, breaking three ribs in the course of one session. Ron had noted earlier that it was lucky Ginny was a fully trained Healer and was able to fix their injuries. They didn’t know how they could explain extensive injuries every week without raising eyebrows and maybe even making the newspaper. Ginny had grumbled at first about her Healer abilities being taken for granted, but came round after she experienced injuries herself and couldn’t think of a reasonable explanation to go to the hospital with them.

 

“So who’s up for a game of stick-in-the-mud?�

 

Twinkling fairy style lights adorned the room; crystals that shone like stars bathed the room in a soft glow. Hundreds of people, smartly dressed, littered the beautifully decorated hall, where people cheerfully chatted with each other as they met new faces and got reacquainted with old ones. The occasion? The wedding of two people, two people who belonged together.

“May I introduce to you, for the first time, Mr and Mrs Ronald Weasley!�

Alongside a deafening applause came a shower of glitter and confetti over the couple; both dressed in their traditional outfits, hand in hand. As their eyes swept across the room, their gaze fell on a table which held those closest to them; their close family and best friends. As Ron caught the eye of his dark haired best friend, he winked briefly at him and then looked back to the woman on his arm, who followed suit just mere moments after. Then ensued a kiss which begun a thunder of wolf whistling and cheers.

“I love you,� Hermione whispered to her new husband as they rested their foreheads together. Ron wrapped an arm round her waist.

 

 “Speech! Speech!�

Begun by none other than the Weasley twins, and soon joined by the rest of the crowd, the sounds of clinking glass echoed through the room.

“Come on, Harry, start it off mate!� Fred called out to him across the table, grinning ear to ear. The said persons face was practically glowing as all eyes fell on him. Next to him, Ron nodded reassuringly to him. Reluctantly, Harry got to his feet.

“Well, erm,� Harry begun, feeling his face heat up even more as he stumbled on words. “I’m... the best man... and it’s probably proper to say a few words today.�

Harry had tried to write some sort of speech but when he did, it always felt too forced; fake. In the end, after consulting Hermione on his problem, she advised him just to say what he felt in the moment. Harry had a vague idea what he wanted to say, he had spent many hours pondering over what, out of the thousand memories they had shared, would be appropriate. Clearing his throat, he began.

“We all know what Ron and Hermione are like.... they always bicker, they always fight, but they’ve always made up. Ever since I’ve known them, that’s how they’ve been and I don’t think that’ll ever change.�

Harry paused for a moment to take a drink and gather his thoughts.

“I’ve known for ages that you two were meant to be together....  probably even before they admitted it themselves... well, Ron, anyway. I mean, it took until our fourth year for Ron to even realise she was a girl!�

A small outbreak of laughter rippled through the crowd, and Harry relaxed a little.

“There’s always been this thing with them... even when we were first years, there was always something more between them, something more than just friends, and I am glad that they both realised it and acted upon it, because I have never seen them as happy as they are together. I am honoured and proud to be here today, at their wedding, as Ron’s best man. I wish you all the best for the future. You deserve it.�

Harry raised his glass and tipped it in the direction of his two best friends, bowing his head a little in the process. Hermione had tears in her eyes, and Ron wrapped an arm around her. On the other side of him, he heard Ginny say, “That’s lovely, Harry.� Harry smiled, and then leaned towards Ron.

“Your turn, mate,� Harry whispered, grinning. At this, Ron turned slightly pale; but got to his feet nonetheless, after a little encouragement from Hermione.

“Well, I’m not very good at this sorta thing....� Ron begun, his voice displaying his nervousness. “I usually leave Hermione to do all of the talking. But...er... couldn’t manage to persuade her this time.�

Harry grinned up at his best friend. Unlike Harry, Ron had carefully prepared his own speech, Ron had taken it upon himself to lock himself in his office for hours on end. He later asked for Harry’s advice on some things, and he had only been too happy to oblige. He was the best man after all.

“I’m not going to lie to you Hermione,� Ron begun, gazing down into his new wife’s eyes. Harry noticed a definite shift in his confidence as he locked eyes with Hermione; he almost seemed to forget the audience was there. “I can’t stand here and say ‘ever since I first set eyes on you, I loved you.’ because it’s not true. When I first met you, I thought you were an annoying know-it-all who looked her nose down at people like me. I was insensitive and rude, and it took a twelve-foot mountain troll to knock some sense into me. I think I owe that troll quite a bit, because without it, I dunno whether I would have been able to see past my original impression. If we had never become friends after that, and if we never did, I wouldn’t be the person I am today- and if I had managed to survive all these years without you, I definitely wouldn’t be even a fraction as happy as I am now. What I’m trying to say is, I want to thank you for always being there, for putting up with me, for teaching me so much; and most of all, for loving me and letting me love you, and for agreeing to marry me today. I love you, and I always will.�

Hermione was now in tears, and with his last few words, Hermione stood up and pulled Ron into a kiss and Harry chuckled at the couple. As harry expected them both to sit down, he was surprised when Hermione suddenly cleared her throat.

“I just want to thank everyone for coming today, and sharing this day with us. I also just wanna say a thanks to our dear friend Holly, who without her, this say wouldn’t be possible,� Hermione said, her voice distinctly softer than Ron’s, but it appeared to reach everyone in the hall. On the other side of Ginny, Holly turned beetroot red and slouched down in her seat, as if she was trying to hide herself, but smiling nonetheless. A minute later, Ron sat down, certainly looking relieved; Harry couldn’t help but inwardly smile. Ron thought he was now off the hook for all the classic groom embarrassment, but he was wrong.

It was a little while before menus started to arrive at the tables, along with the instructions on how to order the food. The idea behind the method came from the Yule Ball; if Harry remembered correctly. The instructions told them that they were to tap on the specific meal with your wand- and shortly afterwards, the chosen meal would appear on the persons plate. Hermione had performed the charm herself after seeing the “outrageous price they were charging for something which was quite simple to do yourself!�

“What are you having, Harry?� Ron asked, his eyes sweeping over the menu.

“I’m thinking of maybe having a steak,� Harry said after a moment.

“What? That’s what I’m having! I’ve ordered it and everything!� Ron exclaimed. After a moment, he added, “you better not be using Legilimency on me!�

“Ah come off it, you know I’m completely rubbish at it,� Harry replied, waving his hand.

“Yeah yeah, that’s what they all say,� Ron said. “Better not be hearing that you’re going to try and steal my wife as well as my order.�

 

“They look happy, don’t they?� Ginny remarked, breaking a silence that had fallen over them for pretty much the whole day. Although they had exchanged short words, no full conversation had transpired between the two since before the whole ceremony and party had begun.

“Yeah, they do,� Harry replied after a moment. He glanced over at Holly, who was watching the couple with a smile on her face. His stomach clenched for a second as he thought that if she hadn’t come into her lives, today truly wouldn’t be happening because his first ever friend would have died.

“I wonder if we’ll ever have this,� Ginny said quietly. “Y’know, married and all that.�

Harry turned his head sharply towards Ginny at that, and Ginny, realising what she was implying, suddenly begun squirming in her seat.

“What I mean is...er.... if we’d ever find the right person... separately... not... I don’t mean us getting married!�

In spite of the awkwardness of the turn of the conversation, Harry couldn’t help but think fleetingly of how cute she looked as she stuttered; her cheeks flushed slightly pink. Harry coughed uncomfortably, something sinking in his stomach.

“Yeah. Of course. Obviously,� Harry said after a moment. Of course not. Harry chanced a quick glance at Ginny, and immediately turned away when he turned to find himself staring into her chocolate pools. Somehow, he was sure she was doing the same thing. In an attempt to take his mind off Ginny, he searched for Ron and Hermione and it took a moment for it to register that they were now dancing. He hadn’t even noticed that the music had begun. A spotlight was enveloping the couple, and the long traditional wedding dress passed down to Hermione from her late grandmother starkly contrasted with Ron’s neat, black dress robes that resembled his own. But it worked. Hermione looked beautiful in the lacy gown, the long train sweeping around her as they rotated around the dance floor. Beside him, Ginny sighed.

“I never thought that my thick-headed brother would be one of the first of us to get married.�

“Is that so?�Harry replied. Ginny nodded her head and slumped back in her chair, carelessly pushing up the strap of her dark blue bridesmaid dress in the process.

“I always used to say to him when we were kids that he would never get married,� Ginny said absently. “That he was way too annoying for any girl to want to marry him.�

Harry laughed.

“At least now I’ve got a lovely sister in law out of all these frills,� Ginny continued, gesturing around the room. “That’s a plus, I guess.�

“So you won’t be going for the full works, frilly dresses and flowers everywhere when you get married then?� Harry teased her, already knowing the answer. Ginny shook her head fiercely.

“Let me be there when you tell your mum please?� Harry continued, grinning. “I know she’ll want her baby girl to have a big princess wedding!�

A look of horror washed over Ginny’s face.

“Well, I’ll just have to cross that when I come to it,� Ginny said resolutely after a moment, crossing her hands over her chest.

“If you say so,� Harry said, picking up his drink, sighing and taking a swig of it. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Ginny. A few minutes passed before he nudged her gently with his arm.

“You’re rather glum, whats up?� Harry asked, lowering his voice a little. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all day.

“Well, you’re hardly a ray of sunshine yourself,� Ginny replied bitingly. After a moment, she added, “Sorry.�

“You’re right, I dunno its just... hang on, I asked you a question!�

Ginny smiled weakly and cast her eyes to the dance floor. Other couples had now joined Ron and Hermione, like glowing silhouettes.

“Its just.... this wedding reminds me that while everyone else seems to have someone else in their life, I’m still stuck on my own,� Ginny admitted, indicating to the dance floor. “I don’t even have a date.�

“Well, that makes two of us, Gin,� Harry replied. “And we made a pact, remember?�

Shortly after Ron and Hermione had announced their engagement, the two of them had decided to make a pact- that if neither of them got dates for the wedding that they would go together. Not surprisingly, almost eight months later the wedding came and the two of them were sticking together for the night.

“But you’re Harry Potter,� Ginny replied rather dolefully. “And I’m just, well, me.�

“I don’t think being you would be so bad,� Harry said, smiling at her and nudging her shoulder playfully. Ginny leaned her head on Harry shoulder.

“Just ignore me, I’m just all funny because it’s my big brother’s wedding, and well...� Ginny trailed off.

“Don’t worry about it,� Harry told her.

“Thanks.�

For a few minutes, the two just stayed where they were, and watched the couples dancing.

“Aren’t they cute,� Holly suddenly remarked from beside him, bursting him out of the little bubble that contained the two of them. Ginny sat up. “Well I’m gonna get another drink, and have a hunt for someone who isn’t in such a nostalgic mood.�

Holly grinned and then winked at them before whisking off through the cluster of dancers. She was wearing an identical dress to Ginny.

“I think we have just been snubbed,� Ginny said after a moment. Harry laughed.

“All well... I’m enjoying myself with you,� Harry replied.

“Well me-Oh look Viktor Krum did turn up in the end!�

Harry glanced in the direction Ginny was staring in, recognising the haughty features.

“I bet Hermione’s happy about that,� Harry said.

“I bet Ron’s not. It seems big of him to let him come, I mean, even now he seems rather... what’s the word? Bitter about him,� Ginny said.  

“Well, I don’t think Ron had much of a choice really in the matter,� Harry said. “Besides, if I know Ron, he probably will want to use this as a chance to gloat.�

Suddenly, the song playing changed into a noticeably more upbeat tune.

“Oh I love this song,� Ginny said, tapping her foot in time to the music.

“Cool,� Harry replied absently as he begun to try and sought out familiar faces in the crowd. Beside him, Ginny went quiet again. Her leg begun to jiggle more and more to the music and she started to tap the table with her fingernails.

“Got ants in your pants?� Harry joked. But his smiled faltered from the look on Ginny’s face. “What’s wrong?�

“Well, I was hoping that you, although I should have realised that you would need anvil sized hints for you to knock you out, would at some point ask for a dance,� Ginny said, looking at him expectantly. Harry raised his hands.

“Wait noooo way... I don’t dance,� Harry said quickly. Ginny straightened her posture.

“Don’t be ridiculous,� she scoffed. “Its a wedding, isn’t it? That’s what these events are for! Dancing and drinking.�

“I think I’d rather just stick to the latter,� Harry muttered under his breath. “I thought today was about Ron and Hermione ‘binding their love together forever’ and stuff.� Harry used his fingers to demonstrate air quotes around the phrase that seemed to become Hermione’s personal catchphrase for the wedding. Ginny rolled her eyes.

“So you’re not going to dance with me at all then?� Ginny said with clipped tones. “What about our pact?�

“What about it?� Harry replied. “I can’t remember the part of the pact that said we were forced to dance.�

Ginny abruptly stood up.

“Fine,� she said, slamming her glass back on the table. “I’m gonna find someone who will dance with me then, you miserable old git.�

 

 Elsewhere, the hosts of the party had finally been able to catch a moment alone since the dancing begun; amidst the well-wishers, the many congratulations and the constant interruptions as people cut in to dance with the bride. All of the Weasley brothers, along with Hermione’s father, Ron’s father, their cousins and friends had all danced with her, and she had already confided in Ron that her feet with beginning to ache in her high, unpractical shoes. Ron immediately begun to tease her.

“You still haven’t danced with-�

“-Oh no more... please,� Hermione said wearily, leaning into Ron’s embrace as they sat together on two abandoned chairs near the dance floor.

“I swear, the twins took you away even longer just to wind me up,� Ron said, eying his twin brothers suspiciously.

“Nothing could ruin our day though,� Hermione said. “It’s been perfect.�

“Yeah it has,� Ron said giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Unless of course, you suddenly decide this has all been a big mistake and you make a run for it through the bathroom window.�

“Oh don’t be silly,� Hermione said. “I’d Apparate of course. Wouldn’t want to ruin my dress!�

“Oi you,� Ron replied tweaking her nose and laughing as Hermione stuck her tongue out at him playfully. For a moment they left a comfortable silence between them as they looked around at their guests.

“You are enjoying yourself, aren’t you?� Ron asked. Hermione looked at him quizzically.

“Of course I am,� Hermione replied. “Why, don’t you think I am? Aren’t you?�

“No,� Ron immediately replied, then at the confused expression on her face, he hurriedly continued. “No-I, that’s not what I meant. Oh bloody hell.�

Ron ran a hand through his hair. Hermione grabbed it and interlocked their fingers, waiting patiently for him to continue.

“What I mean is,� he begun more carefully, “is... after all your planning, after everything, am I-is it everything you wanted it to be?�

Ron tried to continue on with his sentence ignoring the little slip up, but failed miserably and he looked down at the floor, loosening his grip from Hermione’s hand. His ears were tinged pink.  Hermione detangled her hand from Ron’s and threw her arms around her new husbands neck, pulling him into a passionate embrace. As they broke apart, Hermione whispered.

“All of this, its just extra details,� Hermione whispered fiercely in his ear. “It’s only you that really matters. And today has been perfect. Nothing could change that, Ronald.�

A silence ensued for a moment.

“Not even when the best man almost dropped the rings?� Ron said jokingly, earning himself a poke in the ribs and a giggle.

“Not even that,� Hermione said playfully. “It’s our day. Come on, lets enjoy it.�

She leapt to her feet and dragged Ron to his feet in the process. As he pulled her close, he couldn’t help but remark,

“I thought your feet hurt.�

A sharp tap in his shin reminded Ron who he was dancing with.

“Well, I’m sure I can stand dancing a little while longer with my wonderful husband,� she said back, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling.

 

“Are you always so moody at such joyful events?�

“Shut up.�

“Ooh, touchy.�

An agonisingly long time after Ginny had left Harry alone, Holly reappeared and had plopped herself down on the seat next to Harry.

“I don’t get why Ginny is out there, socialising and having a laugh and you’re just sitting here looking sulky,� Holly said. Almost unconsciously, Harry began to search for Ginny. He soon did, and with a dull thud in his stomach, saw her dancing with a fair haired man Harry didn’t recognise. Holly followed his line of gaze and sighed heavily; muttering something under her breath he couldn’t hear.

“Have you talked to Ron or Hermione?� Harry asked.

“A little bit,� Holly said. “Well, Ron mostly. Hermione was too busy dancing.�

“Who with?�

“One of the twins, when I was talking to him at least. Ron didn’t look too pleased.�

Harry smiled.

“So are you gonna dance at some point then?�

 “Don’t you start.�

“I’ll take that as a no then. I don’t blame you really; I’ve never really been a fan of dancing. Got two left feet, I have, when it comes to dancing. I’m fine flying, or duelling, but trying to move to a beat? Nah.�

“I thought you liked it,� Harry said, frowning. “I saw you dancing.�

Holly shrugged.

“Its something to do, I guess. And it means you get to have a chat to someone. There’s usually at least one person as well who’s as bad; or worse than me,� Holly said thoughtfully. Yeah me, Harry thought. Holly stood up.

“So are you gonna come and dance, or what?� Holly said, extending her hand. “We can both be fools.�

Harry hesitated.

“Look, you can either come nicely, or I’ll just have to drag you,� Holly said, a grin on her face that promised that she wasn’t joking.  After a moment, Harry dragged himself to his feet. Perhaps the drink was starting to affect him; he was definitely starting to feel a little funny. Holly’s grin widened and she grabbed his arm and begun to drag him towards the dance floor. Suddenly, it wasn’t feeling like such a good idea anymore. He tried to stop, but Holly’s grip just tightened and she continued to pull him along, and kept on pulling him through the crowd of people. His bad feeling got worse. Abruptly, Holly stopped and Harry, lost in thought, kept on going and crashed right into her. Much to his surprise, she didn’t react.

“Well then, I think I’m going to just visit the ladies room,� Holly said, sounding rather pleased with herself. “Play nice. You better not try and sit down again while I’m gone, Potter.�

Before Harry could open his mouth and ask for an explanation, Holly was gone. But the person standing in front of him answered all his questions, and he silently cursed the time travelling witch. Dressed in her dark blue bridesmaid outfit, her hair beautifully curled and her brown eyes sparkling with confusion, was Ginny Weasley.

“I thought you didn’t dance.�

“I don’t.�

“Then why-�

“Holly dragged me here. Literally.� Harry hesitated for a moment at the slightly hurt look on the redheads face. “And well, she kinda convinced me it was a good idea.�

“What, you took one look at me and went off the idea?� Ginny said, a grimace-like smile indicating to him that she was only half joking.

“No,� Harry said quickly. “I took one look at the dance floor and decided it was a bad idea. But by then, Holly had me and I had no chance.�

Ginny laughed dryly.

“So are you gonna sit back down now then?� Ginny asked.

“No,� Harry said after a moment. “It doesn’t feel like such a bad idea anymore.�

“Yeah?� Ginny said, giving him a lopsided smile. “So do you wanna.....?�

“Huh?�

“Dance, silly,� Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

“Er....�

“This is a dance floor you know,� Ginny said teasingly. “That’s what you’re meant to do.�

“Erm...�

Harry licked his lips.

“Sure.�

Ginny smiled at him and extended her arm.

“Merlin Harry, you don’t have to look quite so scared,� Ginny told him. “It’s only dancing, it’s not gonna kill you.�

At Ginny’s trusting eyes and warm smile, Harry allowed himself to relax a little, letting Ginny teach him a little how to dance. After a while, he almost felt like he was enjoying himself. He even slipped away to steal a dance (and chat) with the bride. Time flew by a lot faster as he mingled with the crowd, staying quite close to Ginny, but also talking to different people. He even got a few free drinks out of it. At one point, Holly had joined them and attempted to do what she called ‘salsa,’ but what Harry would have called it a mess and a tangle of limbs. When Harry had told that to her, she had just shrugged and remarked that she had “seen it somewhere and had always wanted to give it a shot.�

At this, and the slight sway in her movements, Harry seized her glass.

“Hey!� Holly objected, trying to snatch her drink back. Harry sniffed it, and then pulled his wand out and tapped it. It glowed with a slightly bluish tint.

“You know this has alcohol in it, don’t you?� Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

“I think you’ll find it doesn’t! It’s from that punch over there, you know, the non-alcoholic one?�

“I think you’ll find it does,� Harry replied, resisting the strange urge to add “young lady� at her rather sullen tone. “Which explains.... never mind.�

Holly frowned and then her look darkened.

“If I find out who did that, I’ll-“

Holly stopped, as if hit by a sudden revelation.

“Oh, they are so dead.�

With this, Holly stormed off.

“So do you think it was the twins?� Harry asked Ginny has he felt her rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Of course, it’s right up their street,� she replied, laughing.

“I don’t think she drunk much of it, or she probably would have noticed herself,� Harry noted, keeping an eye on Holly as she stormed off, making sure she didn’t trip over or do herself an injury somehow. As she disappeared from his sight, he turned back to Ginny.

“Would you be so kind as to escort me in this next dance, Mr Potter?� Ginny said smoothly, a grin quirking on her lips.

“I would be delighted Miss Weasley,� Harry replied in an equally posh tone and Ginny giggled, extending her hand out for Harry to take. Harry pulled Ginny to him, but unfortunately he misjudged the distance and the lack of resistance between them and pulled her closer than he meant to. Their bodies bumped together and Harry swallowed. Ginny tilted her head back a little to look at him, but she made no effort to move away from him.

“Well well, Mr Potter,� Ginny said, her voice low. “Didn’t know you had it in you.�

Harry just smiled weakly.

“You know me,� he half-joked. “I’m just full of surprises.�

What possessed him to say that?

“I do know you,� Ginny replied, smiling softly. They continued to slowly dance in silence- with most of Harry’s attention on his feet to stop himself tripping, at the same time trying to stop the intoxicating flowery scent which was undeniably Ginny, from distracting him.

“This is nice,� Harry said unthinkingly. Ginny smiled.

“See? I told you dancing was good,� Ginny said teasingly. Harry shrugged. Its not the dancing which is nice, Harry thought. It’s you. It’s because I’m dancing with you.

Then Ginny surprised him by resting her head on his chest as they continued to dance. Harry was immediately bombarded with her flowery scent. He felt dizzy. All too soon, the slight pressure on his chest ceased.

“I like dancing with you Harry,� Ginny admitted. “With other people, it usually feels, I dunno, kinda... “

Ginny paused, a slight frown decorating her features as she attempted to find the appropriate word.

“Awkward?� Harry offered. Ginny’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! Exactly!�

They fell into silence again, and Harry took a moment just to look at her. She was looking stunning; more so than usual. Her fiery hair glittered in the lights; her brown eyes were shining with a mischievous glint, warmth spilling out of them. One thing that his eyes were drawn to was thin, barely noticeable scar just below the left side of her jaw- a token of a childhood play with her brothers. In that light, it seemed slightly more prominent than normal. He still remembered when she told him the story of her scar on one of those lazy days in his sixth year. He remembered leaving a trail of kisses along the jaw line, he remembered her laughing, telling him to stop. He remembered her wrapping her small hands round him. As he drew his eyes away from her jaw line, something seemed to change. He caught Ginny’s eye again, but something was different. Something felt different. In her eyes, he was certain he could see a want; a want he was sure was reflected in his own eyes. His eyes were frozen with Ginny’s; he could feel her pressed up him, soft curves against his own squarer frame. A slight tremble ran through her small body. One of Harry’s hands was gently resting on her waist, and without really knowing why, not really thinking of what would happen afterwards, he gently slid his hand down to her hip. He was no longer conscious of the slowly rotating movements the two were doing as Ginny moved inches closer to him, their breath mingling, and their bodies pressed even closer together. He felt like he was melting in her eyes, unblinkingly staring into his own.

Perhaps it was the Firewhiskey that was seeping into his system which made him do what he was doing, but he found himself beginning to lean closer to her. Ever so slowly, ever so gently, he pressed their lips together. As everything seemed to melt away at the sheer pleasure of something he had dreamed of for so long, something clicked and he pulled away quickly.

“I’m sor-�

Harry’s apology was cut short as Ginny threw her arms around Harry and kissed him. Their lips crashed together, years of longing fuelling a passion that was bursting into flame as they kissed. Time seemed to stop; the music muted, all Harry could feel was Ginny, pulled close to him, his hands finding their way to her soft hair.

All too quickly, they broke apart. Everything felt surreal- something that he had dreamt about for years- never thought would come true, had actually happened. Was he dreaming? It sure felt like he was.

“You seem to like kissing me in front of a large audience, don’t you?� Ginny whispered teasingly after what felt to be age. Harry grinned giddily at her.

“Well, you kissed me back,� Harry replied back, swooping in close to whisper in her ear. Ginny laughed.

“True.�

“Does that mean...� Harry began after a moment, swallowing nervously. “That you still like me.... like that?�

“I never stopped Harry.�

Those words were magical to his ears, and he couldn’t resist kissing her again, his hands tangling in her hair once again, a familiar fashion he employed all those years ago, in those heavenly weeks in his sixth year. He had wanted to do this for so long... why hadn’t he done it before? It was only when they broke apart again, both flushed, that he became conscious that people had crowded around them. Feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, he searched out his two best friends. Hermione was beaming, one hand linked firmly with that of Ron’s. Ron had an eyebrow raised in what looked to be amusement, a grin on his face. Harry returned his eyes to Ginny and then swept her into another kiss. Minutes could have been days, he couldn’t care less; as in that moment, with Ginny in his arms, everything was perfect.