Chapter One – Hermione’s Arrival

It was three weeks into the summer holiday after the final battle. All the Death Eaters were being rounded up and put into Azkaban. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the new Minister for Magic and Minerva McGonagall was the new Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. School was to resume in just a few weeks, and for once, life would be normal for the magical community. The Wizarding world was at peace. All except for one tall, redheaded boy.

Ron Weasley had been pacing in the living room of the Burrow for the past hour, while Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley watched him with amusement, knowing smirks on their faces.

"Why so nervous, Ronald?" inquired the mischievous Fred Weasley, who had just come down into the living room.

"Is it maybe because a certain bushy-haired someone is coming to visit?" Fred's twin, George continued, whilst sliding down the banister into the living room.

"Shut-up, you two, I'm not nervous!" replied Ron angrily, his face turning a shade of red that could even rival his hair.

"Ron, you're wringing and rubbing your hands together so hard I think I can feel the heat coming from them," said Ginny, doing her best not to burst out laughing.

"And you've been pacing around the living room for the past hour," pointed out Harry, resettling his spectacles on his nose.

Everyone in the room (Ron being the only exception), was wearing a huge grin. They knew perfectly well why he was so nervous. Eyebrows furrowed, Ron opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the sound of a knock on the door. Instead of finding out what he had to say, the twins, Harry and Ginny laughed together as Ron let out a strangled yelp and jumped about a metre into the air.

Molly Weasley sauntered out from the kitchen to open the door. In walked the reason behind Ron's nervousness.

"Hermione!" Ginny ran to her friend, smothering her with hugs and smiles.

"Hi, Ginny! It's so nice to see you!"

"Hermione dear, how lovely it is to see you again! Are you hungry? We'll eat dinner just as soon as everyone gets home from work," said Mrs. Weasley, giving Hermione one of her signature motherly hugs.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Weasley. I'm looking forward to dinner!" Hermione smiled.

Mrs. Weasley bustled off to continue making dinner, a reluctant Ginny following (or being dragged, rather) to help her.

"Harry, it's so nice to see you again!" Hermione said, grinning from ear to ear. She brought her black-haired friend into a tight embrace, eliciting a few jealous feelings from Ron.

The twins cleared their throats at the same time, announcing their turn to say hello to Hermione.

"Hi, Hermione-" said Fred.

"-nice to see you-"continued George.

"-again," finished Fred. The twins had the strange habit of completing each other's sentences.

"Oh hello, Fred, George," said Hermione, smiling and nodding to both of them. "How's the shop going?"

"Oh, business is-"

"-great!"

"By the way, Hermione, a certain young lad -"

"-by the name of Ronald -"

"-has been a nervous wreck -"

"-waiting for his fair lady to arrive." they finished in unison, bowing exaggeratedly.

Ron's cheeks and ears were a crimson colour by then, and he gave Fred and George a glare, promising himself that they'd pay for this later. But all thoughts of revenge were wiped from his mind when he heard Hermione squeal his name.

"Oh, Ron! I'm sorry, I almost forgot about you," said Hermione in an apologetic tone as she flung her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.

Suddenly, Ron wasn't the least bit mad at her for forgetting to greet him. He was exploding inside, an odd mix of emotions flooding him as he felt her body against his, her arms around his neck. Just the thought of her skin against his was thrilling. He wanted to keep her there forever, to bring her even closer. He wanted to kiss her with all the passion he'd bottled up for four years. He could feel the electricity running through his body. It was as though thousands of Snitches were fluttering inside him.

His mind had gone foggy, his vision suddenly blurred, and he couldn't think about anything except Hermione Granger: the way she smelt, looked, and most importantly, the way she felt in his arms. But before he had returned to his senses long enough to say or do anything, she had pulled away. She had already moved on and struck up a conversation with Harry. What they were talking about didn't matter. Ron was too distracted to join in on the conversation. He was smiling as if in a daze, far too happy to send a glare towards the sniggering and winking Fred and George. For Ronald Weasley, life was close to perfect. But he couldn't help but wonder if Hermione had felt the same. Had she experienced the electric sensations inside her body that had run through his? Had she felt the urge to kiss him like he had for her?

What Ron didn't know was that Hermione had felt exactly the same way. She was just better at hiding it.

Chapter 2- Midnight Trips

Ginny, Harry and Ron sat on Ginny’s bed talking to each other and to Hermione while she unpacked her suitcase.

“This year at Hogwarts is going to be great. No You-Know-Who, no Death Eaters, no danger, no worries,� said Ron, grinning widely as he thought about his seventh year.

“Ron, we’ve got NEWTs this year,� said Hermione.

Ron chose to ignore this and just kept talking. “We can do whatever we want. We’ll play some pranks. Oh, we’ll use the really evil pranks on the Slytherins. This is going to be…� He trailed off, his imagination running wild as he dreamed up possible pranks and practical jokes.

Hermione had given Ron a disapproving look when he had mentioned pranks, but she decided that she didn’t want to argue with him right now. So she stayed quiet.

“We can get away with anything! McGonagall wouldn’t dare expel Harry,� said Ron.

This time Hermione couldn’t keep quiet. “And why would she not expel Harry? He is a student at Hogwarts, just like the rest of us.� Her lips thin and pursed, and eyebrows raised, she was giving Ron a look that could match Mrs. Weasley’s.

“Hermione, Harry saved the entire bloody Wizarding World. If it weren’t for him, we’d all be dead by now. I bet all the teachers will be in awe at the very sight of him,� replied Ron, a huge grin on his face, knowing he had made a good point.

“Imagine Slughorn, drooling and staring at Harry,� commented Ginny, breaking the awkward silence. Then they all started laughing and making jokes about their various professors.

“Imagine McGonagall trying to get his autograph!� said Ron, clutching his sides and rolling around on the bed.

“Or Professor Sprout taking his picture every five minutes!� laughed Hermione, letting go, and laughing with the others.

“Imagine Madam Pomfrey—" but Harry was cut off by the sound of Mrs. Weasley’s voice, coming from downstairs.

“Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny, come down here! Dinner’s ready!� called Mrs. Weasley from the floor below.

“Food!� exclaimed Ron, as he jumped from the bed and raced downstairs.

“Food is always the most important thing on his mind, isn’t it?" asked Hermione, smiling, while she, Ginny and Harry walked down the stairs after Ron.

When they reached the bottom landing, they headed for the dinner table, to find it was covered in delicious food, with a steaming beef roast in the middle.

“Hello, Hermione, so nice to see you again,� said Mr. Weasley in his usual cheery voice.

“Hi, Hermione,� said Charlie.

“Hello, Mr. Weasley. Hi, Charlie, how’s work?� Hermione found Charlie’s job, working with dragons, really fascinating.

“It’s great. Norberta’s child has grown to be bigger than me,� replied Charlie with a cheery voice, much like his father’s.

Hermione then spotted Percy, who was sitting at a far corner of the table, with his head bent low. He was writing furiously on some parchment and from the looks of it, he had already written more than three feet.

“Hi, Percy, what are you writing?� asked Hermione.

“Oh, hi, Hermione,� Percy said, as he looked up for the first time in half an hour. “I’m writing a letter…to a friend,� he muttered, while turning red around the ears and cheeks.

“We’ll give you a hint,� said Fred, who was already seated at the table beside George.

“Her name starts with Penelope,� said George.

“And ends with Clearwater,� finished Fred.

“And he’s not writing a letter, it’s more like an essay,� added Ron.

By this time, Percy had by-passed red, and his whole face had flushed a brilliant crimson colour.

Hermione knew they were being insensitive about Percy’s feelings for Penelope, but she couldn’t help smiling a bit, seeing the humorous side of the situation.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley came to the table and told everyone to sit down and eat, saving Percy from any further embarrassment.

During dinner, Harry was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on his food. He was seated directly in front of Ginny, and it was taking most of his will power to restrain from glancing up every few seconds to stare at the beautiful redhead, who also happened to be his ex-girlfriend. Instead, he tried to focus on his barely-touched dinner.

“Harry, dear, are you all right? You don’t seem to be eating much.� said Mrs. Weasley in a concerned voice.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Weasley - just not very hungry.�

Halfway through dessert (blueberry pie) he chanced a glance at Ginny. She didn’t catch his eye; instead, she leaned over and whispered something to Hermione, which made them both giggle. Harry’s face grew hot, and he looked back down at his plate, suddenly very interested in his dessert.

Are they talking about me? Does she notice how hard I’m trying just not to stare at her? thought Harry. Usually, he found Ginny’s ability to be able to tell exactly what he was thinking very cute, but right now, it was just causing him embarrassment.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~

That night, Ginny lay in bed, wide awake. Her stomach was empty - she hadn’t eaten much at dinner - though her mind was full. It’s been months since the final battle, why hasn’t he confronted me yet? Is he just scared? Or perhaps he’s moved on? Oh, yes, he probably, met some stupid Veela on his journey and now he’s forgotten all about me!

Deciding she wasn’t going to get any sleep on an empty stomach, she crept downstairs and started satisfying her hunger with some leftover pie.

What’s wrong with me? I defeated the greatest Dark wizard of the century, so why can’t I talk to Ginny? I’ve known her for eight years, for Merlin’s sake! Oh who am I kidding? She’s probably moved on, with another guy now. And what guy wouldn’t have her, with her fiery red hair and beautiful soft brown eyes— Harry snapped out of his thoughts by a noise that came from downstairs. He froze, listening intently, trying to block out Ron’s snores…yes, there was someone downstairs, and he could hear footsteps. He crept downstairs, his wand clutched in his hands as entered the living room.

Ginny froze, her spoon halfway between her plate and mouth. She heard footsteps; there was someone in the living room. Who could that be? Everyone’s asleep upstairs, so then it has to be an intruder. She tiptoed to the entrance of the living room, and froze with fear. There was someone standing in the middle of the living room. From the looks of it, it was a man, taller than herself, with his back turned to her. Oh, bloody hell, what am I going to do? Who the bloody hell is this? A million thoughts raced through her mind. A Death Eater, or a Muggle robber, or You-Know-Who back from the dead! OK, calm down, it can’t be Voldemort. He’s gone, forever. Now what can

I do to get rid of this guy? I could call for help…no, he could kill me and make a run for it by the time anyone gets downstairs. Oh, why did I leave my wand upstairs? Stupid, I’m so so stupid…oh yes! I’ve got it!

Struck by and idea, Ginny grabbed the knife that was sitting on the kitchen counter. She crept up behind the intruder, stood on her tip-toes, and in one swift movement, she wrapped her arm around his neck, in a choking position, and pointed the knife at his throat. “Don’t move,� she whispered. She still couldn’t see his face, but at least she had him in a position where she had the advantage.

Harry’s entire body stiffened with anticipation of what could happen, none of which could be good. Someone (probably the intruder) had wrapped their arm around his neck, ready to choke him, and was pointing a knife at his throat. Who is this person? A Death Eater? What are they doing here?! Is it an attack on the Burrow? There could be more outside! Why would a Death Eater be pointing a knife instead of a wand? These were the thoughts racing through Harry’s mind, until his attacker spoke again.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?� Ginny whispered. Not wanting to reveal his identity to this uninvited guest, Harry quickly devised a plan. Putting his plain into action, Harry elbowed his opponent in the stomach - hard. Out of shock and pain of being hit, the person dropped the knife; Harry caught it, spun around and launched himself at the figure, still in a state of shock. Both of them landed on the ground with Harry on top. In less than a second, Harry had both the knife and his wand pointed at the unknown person.

“Ginny?� exclaimed a very shocked Harry. Ginny - whose eyes were shut tight, waiting to be killed - opened her eyes.

“Harry?� she whispered, also stunned.

“I thought th-that -� Harry stammered.

“- you were an intruder?*� Ginny finished his sentence.

“Me, too,� he said.

They stared at each other for a few moments, green eyes boring into brown ones. Harry’s entire body was tingling from being on top of her, his body pressed on to hers. He realised how wonderfully she fit under him. His mind was screaming at him to get off of her, but his body did not want to move. They were still just staring at each other.

After the initial shock had worn off, Ginny realised how perfectly she fit under Harry. Through the thin spaghetti-strap top she was wearing, she could feel his well-toned chest pressing into her own chest. Years of Quidditch had done his body good.

Then suddenly, Harry snapped back into reality. He hastily got off of Ginny and stood up. He offered her his hand to help her off the ground. His fingers tingled as he felt her smaller hand fit perfectly into his larger one, and he helped her to her feet.

But as soon as Ginny got up, she regretted it immensely, as her stomach seared with pain. She whimpered and fell to the ground on her knees, clutching her stomach. As Harry, shocked, watched her go down, something registered in his mind. Oh, Merlin. I elbowed her in the stomach. I hurt Ginny. Harry knelt down beside her, gathered her in his arms, lifted her and placed her on the sofa right beside them.

“Ginny, are you OK?� he whispered softly. Ginny opened her eyes and gave Harry a weak smile.

“I’m fine,� she responded, although it didn’t sound very convincing.

“Do you mind if I take a look?� he asked. He knew that what he was asking was unreasonable, but he had to check to make sure he hadn’t hurt her too badly.

She just shrugged, so he took hold of the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up about three inches. What he saw mortified him. Beside her belly button was a huge, blue bruise. When she saw the expression on Harry’s face, Ginny asked, “What? What is it?� Then she looked down at her stomach and was shocked into silence for a moment.

“It’s not that bad,� she said, trying to lighten the mood. He brushed the tips of his fingers over the bruise, which sent goose-bumps up and down her spine.

“Oh, Ginny, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did this to you. Oh Merlin, I’m so stupid. I hurt you so badly. What are your parents going to say? I—“

“Harry, shut up. It was no one’s fault. We were both playing the hero, trying to capture the non-existent attacker. And my parents don’t have to know about this, nor does anyone else. This will be our little secret.� She winked at him playfully. “Let’s just go upstairs. OK?�

“Yeah. OK.� He stood up, and so did she. He hated himself even more when he saw Ginny wince from the pain.

“Just let me put away the pie,� she said. Harry grinned.

“So that’s why you were down here? A midnight snack?�

“I was hungry! I didn’t eat much at dinner. What were you doing down here?�

“I was in bed and I heard noises, so I came down to investigate.�

“Oh yes, the brave Harry Potter once again saves the day. Except this time, the day didn’t need saving.� She started to laugh, and so did he.

Ginny put the pie away, and she and Harry went back upstairs. As they were about to part ways in the middle of the hallway, Harry stopped abruptly. “Ginny, I…umm…err…goodnight,� he finished lamely. Something flitted across Ginny’s face. Was it disappointment? No, it couldn’t have been. She covered up quickly by putting on a large smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Goodnight, Harry.� And she walked away to her room, and shut the door quietly. Harry just stood there, in the middle of the hallway, for how long, even he didn't know. It was probably only a few minutes, but it felt like much more. Finally, he went back to his room. I’m such a coward. Why didn’t I just tell her that I still have feelings for her? That I haven’t forgotten about her. That I still love her. Was that really disappointment on her face? No, it couldn’t have been. I was probably just another wince from the pain. As he began to get sleepier, and his eyes began to close, the last thought he had was about how milky white and wonderfully smooth the skin on her stomach was. And then he fell asleep.

I hope he didn’t notice the disappointment on my face. And with that last thought, Ginny closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

The next morning Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny came downstairs to find a table full of food for breakfast. Ginny was doing her best to hide the pain she was feeling in her stomach, and she must have been doing a good job, because no one seemed to notice anything.

Mr. Weasley, Percy, and Charlie had all left early for work, and Mrs. Weasley was frying some sausages on the stove. In the middle of the table were four envelopes, each with a Hogwarts crests on the front. Hermione and Ron’s envelopes were especially bulky.

There were the usual papers in the envelopes: list of books, ingredients, everything they had gotten since their first year. However, this time, there was also a letter explaining that all students would be returning to re-do the year they did not get a chance to complete, since it wasn’t properly completed the first time. Between the Death Eaters invading and teaching at Hogwarts, a wizarding war on the rise and people dying left, right and centre, there was hardly a chance to really learn anything that year. However, there would be new first-years coming, so there would be double the amount of first-years. There would even be a new room put into each house dormitory to accommodate the second set of first-years.

But Hermione and Ron’s envelopes contained something extra.

“I got Head Girl!� shrieked Hermione.

“I got Head Boy,� Ron groaned.

“Oh Ronny, that’s wonderful!� Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she hugged her youngest son.

“Ge-rroff, mum,� came the strangled reply of the Weasley’s youngest boy.

“Oh, and you too, Hermione! It’s so wonderful that you’ll be Heads together!�

While the teenagers finished breakfast, Mrs. Weasley proceeded to tell them about the Heads at her third year at Hogwarts. There had been a Gryffindor girl with a Slytherin boy, and it was ‘horrendous’, as Mrs. Weasley put it.

After breakfast, Harry and Ginny stayed in the kitchen to help clean up. Ron and Hermione could be seen from the kitchen window, sitting side by side on the garden swing.

“You know this means you can’t pull pranks on the Slytherins or goof around in classes, Ron,� said Hermione.

“Why not?� asked Ron, groaning some more.

“You’re Head Boy, for Merlin’s sake, Ron! You have to be more responsible and set an example for the rest of the school.�

“All right, all right, whatever…�

“Dumbledore trusted you with this job Ron; you have to take it seriously.�

“I’ve always said Dumbledore’s off his rocker.�

After a few moments of silence, Hermione said, “Ron, I just realised something.�

“What’s that?�

“Dumbledore didn’t trust you with this job - McGonagall did.�

“Oh. Right.�

And they settled into a silence again, this time a slightly sadder one.

Meanwhile, Ginny and Harry had been put to work in the kitchen. They were chopping vegetables and peeling potatoes, while Mrs. Weasley was busy feeding the chickens.

“You know we could do this by magic, and it’d be a lot quicker,� said Harry. “And less painful,� he added as he cut himself again with the knife. Ginny just shrugged, and they both continued to do it without magic. Anyway, it’s an excuse to spend time with Ginny, thought Harry.

They went on like that for another quarter of an hour, not really saying anything. Suddenly, Ginny put down her knife and the potato she was currently working on.

“Harry, I don’t want us to go like this.�

“What do you mean?� Harry asked, suddenly nervous.

“It’s so awkward and weird between us, I don’t want it to be like that anymore.� And it was true; things were pretty awkward between them. Other than last night and now, they had never been in a room alone together since the start of summer. And they barely ever talked to each other if there weren’t other people around.

“Can’t we just be friends again?� she asked. Although this was not what she wanted, she wanted to be so much more than friends; but this was the first step.

Harry’s heart sank. She just wants to be friends. She probably has found someone else.

He forced a smile on to his face. “I’d like to be friends again.�

“Good,� she said, smiling.

Hermione and Ron had just finished their ‘Heads’ talk, and Hermione was just about to get up to leave, when Ron spoke again.

“Hermione, err, I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk…umm…with me? We’ve got about an hour before lunch, and the path to the Muggle village is nice, and pretty short. But if you’re tired, we could just wait ‘til after-� Hermione cut of Ron’s rambling.

“Sure, Ron, let’s go.�

Ron was right; the path to the village was very pretty. Hermione gazed up at the blue, cloudless sky, and then at the beautiful wild flowers growing on either side of the path.

They talked about nothing in particular. They mostly walked in silence, simply enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company.

About halfway there, Ron took hold of Hermione’s hand and held it in his own. Hermione blushed, but didn’t pull away. By the time they reached the Muggle village, it was almost lunch time, so they headed back at a much quicker pace.

After the awkward silence that followed their becoming of friends again, Harry and Ginny began to feel more at ease with each other. They talked about nothing and everything. They talked about returning to Hogwarts, their futures, and their favourite flavour of Berty Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

By one o’clock, Harry and Ginny had finished cutting and peeling the vegetables, and Ron and Hermione had just returned.

“Where have you two been?� Harry asked as all four of them were setting the table for lunch.

“Just taking a walk,� replied Ron vaguely, as Hermione turned slightly pink, remembering how her hand had not left Ron’s until they reached the back garden of the Burrow. Ginny gave Harry a knowing smile when Hermione and Ron weren’t looking.

Lunch was a quiet affair, other than Ron and Hermione’s occasional bickering.

“Ron, stop stuffing so much food into your mouth at once,� Hermione said in a stern voice.

“Uhm ‘ungre,� replied Ron with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

“That’s fine, Ron, but that doesn’t mean you have to forget your manners.�

‘Er-my-o-nee, -op –elling –e –at -o –o� Ron struggled to say, now working on swallowing his chicken.

“Oh, Ron, that was disgusting, I didn’t even understand what you said,� replied a nauseated Hermione.

“He said ‘Hermione, stop telling me what to do’,� said Harry matter-of-factly. Ginny and Hermione gaped at him.

“You understood that?� asked Ginny, half amazed, half disgusted.

…………

Dinner was somewhat of a special occasion that night. All the Weasleys gathered at the Burrow to eat. Bill and Fleur came, Charlie of course, Fred and George came, along with their girlfriends, Angelina and Alicia; Percy and his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater arrived shortly after the twins.

Halfway through dinner, Percy and Penelope stood up.

“We have an announcement to make.� Percy said over the loud chatter at the table. A few moments later and the talking died down, and Percy continued. “Penelope and I have found a flat near London that we want to buy. It’s nothing fancy, and not too expensive, but we really like it.� Percy said. He was holding Penelope’s hand and they both looked really happy.

There was a surprised silence before all the talking started all at once again.

“Oh Percy! That’s wonderful news! We must go see it as soon as possible! When are you moving out?!� exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, she was almost crying from the sadness of another Weasley child leaving her nest; of coarse she was also delighted to see Percy all grown up, moving out, and possibly falling in love.

“Yes! He’s finally moving out!� exclaimed Ron, earning himself a stern look from his father.

After rolling her eyes at Ron, Penelope answered, “We’re planning to move out by the end of the year.�

“We were hoping Mum and Dad could come take a look at it before we buy it,� added Percy.

…………………………..

After dinner was cleared away, everyone sat in the living room, talking and laughing. Only Percy and Penelope seemed to have disappeared, but no one took much notice.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were telling everyone about their journey hunting down the Horcruxes. Harry went upstairs to get the Golden Snitch, which had held the Resurrection Stone. But on the landing before his destination, he saw Percy and Penelope in Percy’s room. As he got closer, he realised they were snogging passionately. Harry was so shocked he couldn’t move.

He watched as Percy pushed Penelope against the wall, and pulled his lips away to plant kisses on her chin, neck and collarbone. Harry had never seen strict, prim-and-proper, rule-abiding Percy act this way. He watched as Percy slid his hands under Penelope’s shirt, causing Penelope to let out a soft moan, which snapped Harry out of his shock. He hurried up to Ron’s room, got the Snitch and went back downstairs without looking back at Percy’s room.

After everyone had looked at the Snitch, Fred and George started entertaining everyone with jokes.

“I just realised Penelope and Percy are gone. Where did they go?� asked Hermione quietly so that only Harry and Ron could here.

“You don’t want to know,� replied Harry, and he gave her an ‘I’ll tell you later’ look.

The rest of the evening passed by pleasantly and loudly, as most Weasley gatherings do.

Lying in bed that night, Harry imagined doing with Ginny what he’d seen Percy and Penelope doing. With the last miserable thought that he probably never had a chance with her again, Harry fell asleep.