Disclaimer- Standard procedure, its all JKR's characters you know the drill...



As Hermione bid farewell to her two closest friends, Harry and Ron, she had the strangest feeling of foreboding. She looked around to find her parents. “That’s odd,” she thought to herself. They’ve never been late before. In fact, they were usually an hour or so early. “Maybe they got stuck in traffic”

Platform 9 and ¾ was almost deserted as Hermione started to worry. She didn’t have any Muggle money on her to use for a taxi. She could try to borrow a phone to call, but who could she call? Ron didn’t have a phone, and even if he did, there wasn’t much he could do from the Burrow. She could try to phone Harry, but the chance of the Dursleys ever helping Harry was the same as her ever being a Quidditch captain. The sun had begun to set as she sat and wondered what to do, the sky turning a deep shade of purple.

“Purple!” she whispered to herself. She could take the Knight Bus home! She had a few Galleons left from their last Hogsmeade visit. Hermione shivered. The thought of going home by herself scared her for some reason. The feeling of foreboding intensified.

“I know,” she thought to herself, “I’ll go to the Burrow first! Maybe Mrs. Weasley will let Ron ride along with me. My parents keep saying how they want to meet my friends. Then, in case by some chance they just forgot, it won’t look to suspicious that Ron’s with me.”

Hermione gathered her trunk and her cat and went through the barrier to King’s Cross. When she reached the street, she threw out her wand arm and the huge, violently purple Knight Bus appeared in front of her. The conductor, Stan Shunpike, helped her get her things aboard, and then asked where she’d like to go.

“The Burrow,” she said confidently, “in Ottery St. Catchpole.”

“Right you are, miss,” said Stan, as he pocketed her money and gave her a ticket. It’s a good thing she had money left, she thought to herself, as the Knight Bus sped down a crowded motorway, swerving madly in and out of traffic. Otherwise, she would have had no way home.

As the bus finally came to a halt outside the Weasley home, Hermione couldn’t have been more grateful. She quickly gathered her things and left. As she stepped off, she told Stan not to get too far, as she may be needing another ride shortly.

“Why?” he asked, “it looks like they’re home.”

“I know,” she said, “they aren’t who I’m worried about.”


Hermione climbed the steps to the Weasleys’ front door and knocked. She heard footsteps inside, and the loud twittering of the owl called Pig.

“Hermione!” Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. “We weren’t prepared to see you until later this summer! Is something wrong, dear?” she asked, seeing the look on Hermione’s face.

“Well, I’m not sure exactly,” she began, and then proceeded to explain her parents absence and the strange feelings she’d been having. By the time she finished, Ron and Ginny had both come in, and seeing the look on her face, chose not to interrupt.

“I’ll certainly let Ron go with you,” said Mrs. Weasley, “Although, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to wait for Arthur to get home. Something about this doesn’t seem right to me, either, dear, and I’d like for you to have an adult with you as well.”

Hermione didn’t object. Actually, she felt quite relieved knowing that Mr. Weasley would be there in case anything really was wrong. As they waited, she chatted to Ginny and Ron, and they all helped Mrs. Weasley prepare dinner. It was odd, but Hermione had the feeling that this was not going to be something unusual for very long.

“Oh look, dear, Arthur’s on his way now,” said Mrs. Weasley, looking at her clock as the hand bearing her husband’s name spun from “Work” to “Traveling.” It then spun again and rested on “Home” as Mr. Weasley popped through the front door.

“Something smells wonderful, Molly,” he said, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. It took him a moment to notice that there was one person in the room who did not have the trademark Weasley red hair.

“Why, Hermione!” he said, “We weren’t expecting you for a few weeks!”

“Yes, Arthur, we need to discuss that," Mrs. Weasley cut in before Hermione could explain. “You children finish setting the table while I explain things.” With that, she led her husband into another room.

“I hope everything’s alright,” Ginny said, in a rather small voice for her. “Mum and Dad usually talk about just about everything in front of us unless it's important.”

“I’m sure it's fine,” Ron reassured them. “Since they’ve started the Order up again, they never talk about anything in front of us.”

“I guess that’s true,” Ginny said, although she still sounded worried. Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came back into the kitchen.

“Well, I do think Molly was right to ask you to wait for me, and you did the right thing for coming here first instead of going straight home, Hermione," said Mr. Weasley, his voice sounding oddly tense. “As soon as we finish dinner, you and I and Ron will take the Knight Bus to you house and see what’s going on. More than likely, your parents missed the owl saying what day you were coming home. Surely they must not be overly used to owl post.”

“That’s fine,” said Hermione, more worried by the second. It seemed as if Mr. Weasley wasn’t telling them something. She could see it in Mrs. Weasley’s eyes. She was concerned for something, even if she wouldn’t say what.

After a wonderful, even if unusually quiet, dinner, Mr. Weasley and Ron helped Hermione carry her things out to the end of the drive. They left Crookshanks there. He was having far too much fun chasing gnomes to take him now, plus she’d be back in a few weeks. Ginny said that she would take care of him until Hermione returned. At the end of the drive, Mr. Weasley threw out his wand arm, and for the second time that night, the Knight Bus appeared in front of Hermione with a loud bang.

Once aboard, Hermione seemed to feel even more scared than she was before. The three of them spoke very little, but every once in a while, Ron would peek over at Hermione and give her a reassuring smile, as if to tell her not to worry, everything would be fine. Hermione did her best to return the smile, but she feared the worst.

As the Knight Bus turned onto her street, narrowly missing the street sign, she heard the driver, Ernie, gasp. She immediately looked up and knew why.

“Bloody hell!” she heard Ron gasp under his breath. Mr. Weasley had gone pale. He was the only one who truly knew the horror of what they were about to see.

As Hermione slowly stepped off the Knight Bus, she felt as if she were about to faint. There, in the sky, floating directly above her house was the sign that the wizarding world feared above all else…

The Dark Mark.


Before she knew it, Hermione was in tears. She knew now why her parents weren't there at the station, but she refused to accept it. Something about this just didn't seem real, like she'd wake up to find it all a dream. That must be it, she thought to herself. I'm still on the train and I've fallen asleep, and this is just a nightmare. She found her leg and pinched herself, and immediately burst into tears. She wasn't dreaming. She now noticed that Mr. Weasley had his wand out, walking slowly towards the front door. She made to follow him, but Ron held her back. She had forgotten he was even there. Mr. Weasley was inside the house now; she could see his wandlight through the windows. Neighbors that had been peeking out their own windows were now starting to emerge from their homes, wondering what this light was and what it meant, who were these two people they had never seen before, and why was the Granger girl crying. The answer was horribly simple.

The Grangers were dead.

After a few days, the numbing shock of what happened started to wear off, leaving Hermione with overwhelming sadness. The Weasleys had offered to take her in, of course, and being she had no close relations, she agreed. Mrs. Weasley made all sorts of excuses for wanting her there; the house was too empty and too quiet with the twins gone, it'd be nice to have another girl in the house, and other stories, but Hermione knew the truth. They wanted to keep her safe.

Mr. Weasley came home that night and told them that everything had been resolved. The neighbors had their memories modified to think that the Grangers had moved, the few family members she had were told that it was a car crash. Hermione thought that to be odd, considering how long Harry had believed the same about his parents.

Living at the Weasleys was probably better for Hermione than she cared to admit to herself. She and Ginny kept busy, Ron was always asking for help with their summer homework, the twins Apparated in to show off new items for the joke shop, which was apparently going very well. Still, they respected her privacy and knew to let her be when she suddenly retreated to the room she and Ginny now shared. Recently, Ron had taken to following her up there, to "lend moral support," as he called it. She thought he simply wanted to be around her, or at least that's what she found herself wanting to think.

The only bad thing about living with the Weasleys was the dreams. That wasn't their fault of course, but Hermione found herself sleeping less and less, catnapping whenever she felt she had to. Ginny had noticed. She tried staying up whenever Hermione was, but it became to exhausting for her. The things she saw in her dreams frightened her too much to willingly return to sleep. Going to bed, seeing the Dark Mark over her house, it was all too much to handle. Once, when she accidentally fell asleep on the sofa, Ron woke her soon after and said that she had been crying in her sleep.

For all Ron's faults, he had been amazing through all this. He always seemed to be thinking about her, what she needed, what she wanted. It was different, but it was nice. A few times, she nodded off on the sofa and found herself leaning on his shoulder. He didn't seem to want her to move, and to be honest with herself, she didn't want to move, either. For some reason, sleeping near Ron or on his shoulder like that was the only time she could really rest.

About a week later, at three in the morning, Hermione decided to do the boldest thing she'd ever done. She made sure Ginny was asleep (you could always tell with Ginny, she had a very pronounced yet quiet snore) and then snuck into the hall. As quietly as she could, she made her way to Ron's room. She tiptoed in, shutting the door behind her. She could tell he was asleep, too, his snoring wasn't nearly as subtle as Ginny's. She hesitated for only a moment, then quickly crossed the room and crawled into bed with Ron. She felt him awake with a start, then, realizing who it was, he slipped his arm over her waist and they both fell into the best sleep they'd had in weeks.

After doing this every night for about a week, Ginny seemed to notice that Hermione was a little brighter.

"What's your secret?" she kept asking. "Are you sneaking Sleeping Potion behind our backs or what?"

"I don't know what it is," Hermione always replied, giving a sidelong glance at Ron. His ears turned a bit red. "I'm just sleeping better. Better than ever, actually."

She looked over in time to see Ron grinning. Something was beginning to happen with them, although neither of them had really expected it. Ginny glanced between the other two, shrugged, and left for the garden with her mother. The garden was very prosperous this summer, as Crookshanks had chased off all the gnomes.

That night at dinner, Ginny made another keen observation. Hermione was eating with her left hand. That's odd, she thought to herself, Hermione's right handed. With the pretense of retrieving her fork that she had just dropped (on purpose) she glanced under the table, just in time to see Ron and Hermione let go of each other's hands. With wide eyes, Ginny sat back up, trying her hardest not to laugh. Hermione was looking at her with pleading eyes, as though silently begging her not to say anything. Ginny responded with one of her scolding you-are-SO-telling-me-later looks, which Hermione understood.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Hermione confessed what she'd been doing. Ginny sat there dumbfounded for a bit, but quickly regained her voice.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'd never tell. I'm just glad my knucklehead of a brother can make you feel better."

"It's the weirdest thing,'' Hermione said, her eyes wide. "I'm to the point now where I can't sleep without him." Ginny got a quizzical look on her face.

"Has anything....else...happened?" she asked, knowing full well that she was on dangerous ground.

Hermione didn't respond right away. Ginny looked at her and noticed she was going about three shades of red.

"You have to tell me! I'm your best friend!" Ginny shouted as loud as she dared at that time of night.

"Alright, alright, don't wake up your mum and dad!" Hermione whispered back. "But you have to promise PROMISE not to say. We agreed not to tell anyone until we told Harry, and we're not even sure we're going to."

"But you have to tell him! He may be a boy but he's not that thick." Ginny said.

''We're still thinking on it," Hermione said, dodging the subject nicely. "Anyway, we've only kissed a few times and we've started holding hands a bit when we think no one's looking." Ginny was grinning from ear to ear.

"Aww, my big brother and my best friend! How cute is that!" Ginny exclaimed before dissolving into quiet giggles.

Once she had composed herself, she told Hermione that she better get going.

"If you're not there, he may start to think you don't like him anymore!" she called at Hermione as she left the room. "And we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"

Hermione thought a moment and said, "No, we wouldn't want that at all." With that, she disappeared into the hall with a smile on her face, one of the first true smiles Ginny had seen since Hermione moved in.

******

Today was the day Hermione had been worried about for the last week. She could tell that Ron and Ginny were a bit nervous too, although they did their best to hide it. She had to give Ginny credit, she hadn't said a word about anything, even when she accidentally saw Ron give Hermione a quick kiss before he went out to practice on his Cleansweep. Today, however, would be a new challenge. Today, Harry was coming.

Mr. Weasley was going to collect him from his aunt and uncle's on his way home from the Ministry. Mrs. Weasly, whom Hermione was having trouble calling Molly, even though she requested it, was making a fantastic dinner. The twins would be joining them as well, and even though Fred and George didn't live there anymore, Hermione suspected that they knew something was up, just by the way they had been glancing at each other upon Apparating into a room where Ron and Hermione were.

Two days earlier, Ginny had sent Errol to Dean with a note breaking up with him. It just wasn't worth it, she told everyone, although she had told Hermione in confidence that it was because of Harry. The letter she had gotten back from Dean was very pleasant, saying that he had been thinking the same thing but was too shy to say it, so it was all for the best, but Hermione had a strange feeling that something would be said if Harry started dating a dorm-mate's ex-girlfriend.

When Hermione questioned Ginny's decision, Ginny simply said, "I'm not as over it as I thought I was. Something about being around him in the D.A. and everything that happened that night at the Department of Mysteries, I just couldn't stop the flood of feelings from rushing back."

Hermione definitely knew how she felt. She was getting to the point where everytime she was around Ron, she blushed. This had to have been a dead giveaway, but if Mrs. Wea- Molly hadn't noticed, Hermione was not going to bring it up.

Soon, the girls were in the kitchen, helping Molly prepare some of the best food they had seen. The twins had Apparated in early, so they and Ron were setting up a picnic table so they could eat under the stars. Quite often, one of them would sneak a look at the clock, to see if Mr. Weasley's hand had spun to traveling yet.

Then, at about five-thirty, everyone jumped as the hand spun to the spot they had been waiting for. They knew it would take longer than usual, as tonight, Harry and Mr. Weasley would be flying rather than Apparating, as Mr. Weasley usually did, but they also knew it would not take long. Everyone waited with baited breath as the hand finally spun around to home, and the sound of two people landing rung from the front yard.

"Harry!" Hermione cried as he enter, running to him and hugging him. For the first time she could remember, he hugged back with both arms, holding her as hard as he could. She almost started crying again, but the moment was broken with a few of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes fireworks lighting off. Ron crossed to Harry and hugged him as well, although much quicker than Hermione. Ginny hung back a bit until Harry looked at her and said "Well?" and she ran to him and hugged him.

"Oh Harry!" cried Fred and George together, lighting off more fireworks and showering everyone with Bubbling Confetti, one of their newest tricks. "You look just like we remember!" and with that, they ran over to him and practically plowed him out the front door.

They all went outside then, carrying Molly's excellent cooking with them. Ron and Hermione sat next to each other of course, leaving Ginny at the end next to Harry, which they both seemed oddly pleased with. After eating as much as they possibly could, Molly brought out dessert and they added even more to their stomachs, leaving them fit to burst. Fred and George entertained everyone for a while with some of their newest merchandise. Finally, close to eleven, Molly suggested they all head to bed before they fell over asleep at the table.

"Harry, you'll have your own room this summer," Molly told him. "Fred and George have offered you theirs."

"Alright," said Harry, slightly puzzled. They've had empty rooms before, he thought to himself, but I've still shared with Ron. He opened his mouth to ask why when Ginny kicked him under the table. She shook her head the tiniest bit, then handed him a note that said "I'll tell you later. Meet me in my room at 12 and bring your Invisiblity Cloak." He gave her the tiniest nod back, although he was still thoroughly confused.

She gave him one of the looks that scorch, and he wiped the expression off immediately. He wondered what could possibly be so important and so secretive. He sighed to himself, thinking he'd just have to wait and find out


A/N- Cliffhanger, right?? I cut this off at a different place than I had originally planned, so it may seem a bit abrupt when the next one starts, but if you look at it all together, it works! PS- Thanks for the reviews, I love you guys!!!

At twelve o'clock sharp, with Invisibilty Cloak in hand, Harry tapped as quietly as he could on Ginny's door. She let him quickly and shut the door behind him. He looked around, only having been in Ginny's room once before, and immediately notice something, or someone rather, was missing.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked, thoroughly confused. "I thought you two were sharing a room, and she went up to bed the same time we did."

"That's what I needed to tell you. I have to show you something, but you have to promise not to say anything, because I'm not supposed to tell." Something in Ginny's voice sounded odd, like she was afraid of him or something.

"Alright, let's go then," Harry said. He covered them both with the cloak and they set out.

Up two flights of stairs later, they came to the landing of Ron's room. Harry gave Ginny a quizzical look, like he didn't understand what the significance was. He'd been in Ron's room before; he'd stayed in it every other time he was visiting. Ginny then pointed to the keyhole. She looked terrified now, but she didn't move. Harry looked through the keyhole, and what he saw shocked him.

His two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, were in bed together.


*****

When they got back to Ginny's room, some of the shock had worn off. He pulled the cloak off them and began to question Ginny, but she told him the story before he could finish his first question.

"They've been doing that since a few weeks after her - er, I mean, after she came here. She'd been having trouble sleeping and sleeping with Ron like that is the only way she could get any rest," Ginny explained

Harry opened his mouth to ask another question, but again, Ginny answered before he could.

"That's all that's happened. They weren't sure whether or not to tell you, they didn't want you to be mad, but I thought you deserved to know." Ginny was looking at him almost pleadingly, like she was begging him not to be mad.

"I'm not mad," he said. "It just startled me a bit. Everyone knew that they liked each other since our third year. I just never expected it to happen, they were both too shy."

"I know it's surprising," she said, sounding very relieved that he hadn't started yelling, "but it makes her feel better. Actually, it makes them both feel better."

She hesitated for a moment, "Are you mad?" she asked, her voice becoming more timid again.

He really thought this time before he answered. He wasn't sure how it happened, but the words, "not really, but I am a little jealous" tumbled out of his mouth. It was Ginny's turn to look confused.

"I didn't know you fancied Hermione," she said, in an odd sounding voice.

"I don't," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant. I'm not jealous of Ron for being with Hermione, I'm guess I'm jealous that they have someone like that to be close with and I don't"

"Don't worry about that, Harry," Ginny reassured him. "You could have any girl you fancied."

Harry nodded, but he didn't really believe her. The truth was, he did fancy someone, and he knew her to be involved with someone else, someone he knew. He didn't want to be the type of person to break someone up.

"At least you'll have Dean when we go back to school," Harry said halfheartedly, all but wishing Dean wouldn't be returning for his sixth year. He looked up at Ginny and saw that she had gone a deep shade of scarlet.

"Well, not exactly," she said. "We agreed that nothing was really happening, so we ended it a few weeks ago." She wasn't meeting his eye.

"Oh," he said. Now they were both sitting there, avoiding each other's eyes. He didn't think he'd ever feel this way around Ginny, even with Ron always trying to give them a nudge towards each other. They finally met each other's gaze.

"Well, I better get back to bed," said Harry. "We'll both be in major trouble if your mum came in here." He got up and crossed to the door.

"Harry, wait," said Ginny, standing up and going over to him. She looked him in those amazing green eyes and did the boldest thing she'd ever done, and considering what they'd been through at the end of last term, that was saying something.


Ginevra Molly Weasley kissed Harry Potter.

Harry was taken aback for a moment, and then realized exactly what was happening. Ginny was kissing him. GINNY! His best friend's little sister. Sure, he fancied her, but the gravity of what was actually hitting him. He stood there terrified for about half a second until instinct took over. Before he knew it, his arms were around her waist, pulling her closer. He could feel Ginny smile as they deepened their kiss.

This was everything Ginny had wanted for so long. She couldn't believe she was standing here, kissing Harry Potter. What was more amazing, he was kissing her back! Her arms went up around his neck as they continued kissing. After a few of the best moments either of them had ever experience, the kiss ended and they were just holding each other as close as possible.

"I should go," Harry whispered in her ear. He pulled her closer, clearing indicating that he didn't WANT to leave, but he needed to.

"Just one more minute," she whispered back. She didn't ever want to leave his arms again, even though she knew that the wrath of two parents and six brothers would be upon them both if they were caught like this. Hearing this, Harry's mouth found hers once again.

After another minute or so, they finally broke apart. Harry kissed the palm of her hand as he left her room. It was such a simple gesture, but Ginny felt her heart melt instantly. As her door closed behind him, she collapsed onto her bed in a fit of silent giggles. In his own room, Harry was also smiling pretty brightly. The girl he fancied, the girl he literally dreamed of, had just thoroughly and heartily kissed him. He hadn't acted like a prat, he hadn't ruined the moment. It was perfect.

Everyone in the Weasley house slept very soundly that night. Harry's dreams were not troubled by the prophesy or Sirius; Ginny's were not worried about Hermione or her family. Instead, Harry and Ginny dreamed of each other, being together as they had just a few minutes before. They had discovered, just as Ron and Hermione had, that falling asleep when you're in love is much sweeter than simply dreaming of it.


***

The next morning was, well, interesting at the Weasley home. Harry had to pretend that he didn't know about Ron and Hermione and that he could barely stand to be separated from Ginny, even if she was just in the next room. Ginny had to act like she hadn't told Harry anything and like it didn't equally drive her crazy not to be by Harry's side. Ron and Hermione kept up their charade of separateness, not knowing of Harry and Ginny's struggles. Despite all the secrets they were hiding, they were all doing a pretty good job of it.

The only person who seemed to not control their smiles was, in fact, Molly. All of the children asked why she was so happy, considering all the circumstances.

"That's my business, not yours," was all she would reply. Even when the twins popped in for lunch and threatened to "update" the food, she wouldn't give in, saying they'd find out soon enough.

After lunch, Ginny was fit to burst from keeping her secret, so she broke down and told Hermione what had happened the night before. Well, not ALL of what happened.

"Why was he in your room in the first place?" Hermione asked. She could sense Ginny was keeping something from her, especially since as she asked this question, Ginny's ears turned their lovely indicating red.

"I told you, we were just talking!" Ginny retorted, feeling the heat rising in her face.

"Right, I got that, but talking about what?" Hermione pressed. She had a feeling she knew what they were talking about, but she wanted to be sure before yelling at Ginny.

"IkindoftoldhimaboutyouandRon," Ginny spilled in one breath.

"You WHAT?!?!" Hermione yelled. "We told you WE wanted to do that when we were READY. I can NOT believe you did that, Ginny!!"

"Its okay! He wasn't mad! He expected it," Ginny said in a rush, desperately trying to keep her best friend from being mad. Hermione froze in the middle of her rant.

"Expected it?" she asked. She knew she had liked him for a while, but she thought she had done a fair job of keeping it hushed up.

"Oh, please, 'Mione, we all did!" Ginny said. "Even McGonagall's asked about it!"

Hermione stood there dumbfounded. Everyone knew. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, she thought to herself.


She was proud to be Ron Weasley's girlfriend.

**Meanwhile, in another room**

"Way to go, mate, really!" Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder. Ron hadn't been able to keep the secret any longer. Harry had done a good job of acting surprised.

"It wasn't really any of my doing, but hey, it all works in the end," Ron said with a chuckle. "So now you know, and Ginny knows, and I"m not sure whether or not the twins know, but I think they have the idea and...Harry, why are you blushing?" Ron asked.

Harry had turned three shades of red at the mention of Ginny. He thought for an excuse and none came.
He started to panic as Ron thought out loud.

"Well, its not because of me and Hermione, that's not something YOU'd blush over...I certainly hope its not Fred and George...unless...." Ron's face curled into a evil, all knowing smile.

"You and Gin?'' he asked, hoping that his best bud finally got some sense knocked into him. Harry didn't respond.

"What happened?" he shouted, grinning, although his face quickly turned to concern. "Wait, you know what, don't tell me, its my sister."

"No, no! Nothing like that!" Harry answered quickly. He didn't want to know the pain he'd be in for if he'd de-flowered the only Weasley girl in just one night. Ron's face eased a bit.

"So, what happened?" he asked, still somewhat hesitant on whether or not he really wanted to know.

"She kissed me, that's all,'' Harry said, easing away from Ron a bit, making sure he was out of arm's reach, just in case Ron decided he didn't like Harry kissing his sister and took a swing.

"She kissed you? Isn't that your job?" Ron asked, clearly puzzled. "I know I'm a chicken when it comes to this romance stuff, but even I kissed 'Mione first."

"She just kinda came at me, and it just worked," Harry said. He wasn't sure if he liked being behind the curve like that.

"Well, hey, at least it happened, right?" Ron said, somewhat consolingly, although inside he was jumping up and down for doing something "the right way" when Harry hadn't. Harry grinned and nodded, remembering the fantastic feeling of kissing Ginny.

"Let's go find our girls and tell them we know everything," Harry said. More than anything, he wanted the chance to be near Ginny. Ron grinned in agreement and both boys started down the stairs to find their girlfriends.

Ginny and Hermione stopped talking as they heard the boys bounding down the stairs. They looked at each other and knew that they had to tell them that they knew about each other's relationships.

"Harry, Hermione knows about us."

"Hermione, Harry knows about us."

"Ron, Ginny knows about us."

"Gin, Ron knows about us."

They all stopped for a minute, then burst into laughter. Ron was fairly quick to envelop Hermione into his arms. Harry and Ginny stood back, watching them being so in love with each other. Harry reached for Ginny's hand and pulled her close.

"Aww, isn't this the cutest picture?"

"Just the sweetest, brother dear!"

Everyone looked towards the doorway to see Fred and George lurking in the hallway, pretending to wipe tears from their eyes, leaning on each other with what can only be described as evil grins on their faces. Ginny was the first to say something, and her response shocked them all.

"Well, get used to it boys, I don't plan on letting anyone change this very moment," she said, with a strong look of determination on her face. Harry squeezed her hand.

"Nor do I," he whispered in her ear.

"Me either," Ron and Hermione said, looking into each other's eyes.

The room seemed to shake a bit and it started to glow. Everyone looked to the twins, as if to blame them for what was happening, but they had ran down the stairs, no doubt to tell everyone they could find.

It stopped as suddenly as it started, only lasting a few seconds, but long enough for them all to know that something important had just happened. Suddenly something Dumbledore said months ago registered in Harry's head.

"Love," he said under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, unsure of what she had just heard.

"Love," Harry said again, strong this time. Now everyone was looking at him with questioning looks.

"Dumbledore said there was an ancient magic that Voldemort could never understand," he said, ignoring the shudders at the name. "Its love. All of us in this room know love. Love of friends, love of family, and love for each other." Ginny squeezed his hand as she registered what he said.

"Sorry mate, but I'm still a bit lost," said Ron, hoping Harry would elaborate the reasoning for the room shaking because he loved Hermione. 'Wait, I just said I loved Hermione,' he thought. He liked that thought. Harry rushed on to explain as everything became clearer and clearer.

"When Dumbledore explained everything to me last spring, he reminded me that my mother died for me because she loved me and that was what protected me from Voldemort when he tried to kill me as a baby." He pressed on, again ignoring shudders. "With what happened in the graveyard, he has that protection now, too. Now, we ALL have a new protection within each other."

"That kinda makes sense," Hermione said slowly. "I remember reading in a book somewhere, and Ron, don't roll your eyes at the woman who loves you, that love can bind people."

"I wasn't rolling my eyes, my love, I was simply..." Ron tried to think of something quick, but was saved the trouble as Hermione kissed him.

"Ugh, no offense, I love you both, but THAT is going to take some getting used to," Ginny said with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, and seeing my best friend snog my little sister is something I want to look at every day!" Ron shot back, but he was grinning as well.

"Well I have an idea," Harry said, with a sly grin on his face. "If we're ALL busy snogging, no one will be able to see anyone else."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ginny said, leaning her head back and letting Harry kiss her again, the amazing feeling of it taking her breath away.

**


The last few weeks before the next term went by far too quickly for everyone at the Burrow. Everyone's relationships were out in the open, and there were many stolen kisses around the corners. However, Mrs. Weasley had saved one surprise for one week before they left for school.

"I'll need everyone's help tidying up today, we're having some people over for a bit of a dinner party," she said, with a mischevious glint in her eye that rivaled that of the twins when they were inventing.

"What's the party for, Mum?" asked Ginny. She knew her mother liked entertaining guests, but she wasn't the type to do so without occasion.

"You'll see, its a surprise for all of you," Mrs. Weasley replied. She was determined not to ruin the wondrous occasion for her family. "Just be sure to dress nicely and be in the kitchen around five."

Harry and the other exchanged glances. No one enjoyed it much when they were forewarned to dress nicely.

**

At promptly five that evening, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione filed down the stairs. It was a warm late summer night, so both girls were wearing pretty sleeveless sundresses; the boys, nice shirts and khaki shorts. They reached the kitchen and waited.


And waited.


And waited.

At about five thirty, they were beginning to get impatient. Ron and Harry were having a heated quidditch conversation, wondering who would be made captain of the Gryffindor team for the coming year. Ginny and Hermione were discussing potions, of all things. Hermione was raving about how wonderful N.E.W.T level potions would be, while terrifying Ginny of what would be coming on her OWL year course.

"Alright, its all ready!" Mrs Weasley said as she burst into the kitchen from outside. After they had helped tidy up, she had banished them to upstairs and put charms on all the windows so they couldn't see out.

"What are you wait for? Get out there!" she said, waving at her children to get them out the door. What they saw was incredible. There was a huge banner, which said simply "Congratulations!" Everyone from the Order, with the exception of Professors Snape and Dumbledore, was there, and Bill, Fleur, Charlie and his girlfriend Allison, and the twins had all apparated in for what was apparently a big occasion.

"Mum, who's done something good now?" Ron asked, half hoping it was for him.

"You ALL have!" she replied quickly. "O.W.L scores are addressed to parents as students who don't do well tend to hide them. Harry, Hermione, your scores were also addressed to Arthur and I. You've all done exceptionally well, with the one exception of the boys and their History of Magic, but we'll let that one slide," she said with a smile on her face. Everyone at the event applauded loudly and

"You said all of us, Molly, what about Ginny?" asked Hermione, always quick to notice if someone was being left out.

"Ah yes, Ginny," she said, with a glint in her eye. "As you all know, Ginny will be entering her fifth year at Hogwarts in one week. As all these letters came together, I also had the priviledge of opening her letter from the school as well. Ginny, along with Colin Creevy, has been appointed new Gryffindor prefect!" Applause rang out again as Ginny turned a deep shade of scarlet. Harry kissed her head and squeezed her.

"Alright everyone, enjoy yourselves and fill up, Molly's made way too much food and I'm not keepin leftovers!" Mr. Weasley spoke up, and with that, everyone made their way to the food table. Hermione had quickly made her way over to Mrs. Weasley to find out exactly what her OWL scores were. Harry and Ron were curious, but they were more eager to dig into Molly's wonderful cooking. Ginny hung back a moment.

"Gin, what's wrong?" Harry asked, bringing her some fruit punch.

"I'm prefect," she said in a small voice.

"So? That's a good thing, isn't it?" Harry asked.

"Well, yes, I guess so, but I don't really think I've done anything to deserve it," she said hesitantly.

"Gin, think back a bit," Harry said, with a knowing smile on his face. He knew exactly why Dumbledore would choose Ginny as a prefect. "Think of all you did in the Ministry last spring. He knows how brave you are, how loyal you are, and he knows what you would do to protect your friends. Of course Dumbledore would pick you. I know I would," he added in a whisper.

Ginny smiled. She knew that Harry would encourage Dumbledore's choice, but that was just about the best thing he could have said. She told him so by kissing him.

"Alright you two, that's enough of that!" Mrs. Weasley called with a smile on her face. "Its a party for you, so at least circulate a bit before you start that!" She knew her daughter loved Harry, but it was, after all, a party.

Ron was talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt about Quidditch, and Hermione was comparing O.W.L scores with Tonks. As is tured out, Hermione had scored better, not that anyone was really surprised.

The night passed quickly and as the stars came out, Fred and George put on a spectacular fireworks show. Ron and Hermione were laying together on a blanket, and Harry and Ginny had climbed a tree and were sitting on the same branch, her leaning on his shoulder. Arthur and Molly looked at their children and felt happy that they had all found someone, but at the same time, they were unnerved. Not only was one of their sons absent from the party because he was still angry at them, but the impending fear of what was to come burned in the back of their minds.

The train ride to school was one of the best any of the four friends had taken yet. Ron, Harry and Ginny discussed the coming quidditch season while Hermione lay her head on Ron's shoulder and started in on one of her new school books. After an hour or so, Ginny nodded off with Harry's arm around her. It was raining out, a warm summer ran, the kind Ginny was always saying was peaceful. Harry just stared at her, astonished that it had taken him that long to notice how absolutely beautiful she was.

Ron had also grown quiet watching Hermione read. She was so focused, all the time. He smirked to himself, determined that at least once, sometime this year, he'd somehow manage to pull her out of her library phase and get her to have some real fun. He even considered asking her to try out for quidditch if she hadn't disliked flying so much. Hermione looked up and saw him staring at her. She smiled and snuggled into his shoulder more.

"Well, well, isn't this a pretty sight?" came the sneering voice of Draco Malfoy from the corridor. Before either of the boys, or Ginny for that matter, could say anything back, Hermione whipped out her wand and with a quick bit of spellwork, sealed the door and pulled shades over the windows, blocking Malfoy from their sight.

"Silencio!" she added, so none of the taunts Malfoy was preparing could be heard.

"That was bloody brilliant," Ginny said, still a bit dazed from being woken from her nap so suddenly.

"Thanks," Hermione said. "I know I didn't want to deal with that little prat, I was comfortable right where I was."

They all smiled and nodded in agreement and assumed their previous postions, only this time, Harry too nodded off, laying his cheek on top of Ginny's head.


***


When the train arrived at Hogwarts, Hermione lifted the charms she had placed and they all made their way to the carriages, hurrying to not get completely soaked. Ginny noticed Harry determinedly not looking at where she assumed the thestrals would be. As glad as she was she could not see them, she knew how much it hurt him to be able to. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and he smiled at her in return.

"I'm starving!" Ron said, rubbing his stomach. "I hope the sorting goes quickly."

"You say that every year, Ron," said Harry, amazed at his friend's one track mind.

"Hey, can't help it mate, that charm 'Mione put up
blocked the snack cart lady!" he quickly retorted, grinning.

The carriage ride was quite peaceful; no one spoke much. They were all thinking about Dumbledore's start of term speech and whether or not any of what happened in June would be discussed. Harry hoped it wouldn't be.

When they finally arrived, Ginny, Ron and Hermione left to be briefed on the prefect duties, leaving Harry to sit with Neville, Seamus and Dean. He wondered whether or not he should mention anything about he and Ginny to Dean, but he thought the better of it and didn't say anything, just stared at the bewitched ceiling, mirroring the rainclouds and occasional lightning.

As the the four prefects from Gryffindor took their seats, Ginny in between Harry and Colin, the first years filed in, looking absolutely terrified.

"Did I look that scared when I was sorted?" Ginny whispered to Harry.

"I honestly don't know, I was being beaten by a tree at this point of your first year," he said with a smirk, which she was quick to wipe off his face with a kiss. Across from him, Harry could hear Ron's stomach grumbling and couldn't help but suppress a laugh as Hermione stared at him, marveling how loud his stomach was. He also felt a bit of a thud as Hermione kicked Ron, at which he gave her the 'its not like I can help it' look.

After what seemed like forever to Ron, Gryffindor had received a quite smaller number of first years than what they were used to. Everyone looked expectantly at the Headmaster, waiting for him to stand and address the school in his customary start of term speech. As he did, Harry noticed him look right at him for a moment before beginning. Thunder clapped as he stood.

"Welcome, one and all, to another year at Hogwarts. This year may very well be quite different from years before. Due to other circumstances, there may be times when I, as well as a few other select teachers, will not be in the castle. Also, several new school rules will be put into effect as a matter of safety."

Everyone groaned at the idea of new rules. Dumbledore pressed on. "As many of you know, there was an incident last spring at the Ministry of Magic, in which several of your classmates were involved. I will not point them out, as I'm sure they do not want the added strain on what should be a busy academic year. However, the Minister of Magic has finally chosen to acknowledge the fact that Lord Voldemort has indeed returned."

There were gasps and shudders throughout the Great Hall as the Headmaster said the name.

"Because of this, we will not be allowing any students outside without supervision of a professor. Students for both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures will wait in the entrance hall for either Professor Hagrid or Professor Sprout to escort them to class. In addition, all quidditch practices must be cleared and supervised by either Madam Hooch or the team's Head of House. Any students who are found to be out of bounds will serve a minimum one week's detention."

"Now, on a brighter note, I'd like to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I daresay you may remember him. Professor?"

With that, Remus Lupin walked into the Great Hall and stood alongside Dumbledore, to tumultuous applause. He was beaming, although still looking a bit wary. The full moon was only three nights away.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked around at each other, mouths dropped open.

"Of all the times he's popped in this summer, never mentioned it once!" Ron said.

"I've gotten about ten letters from him, no mention there either," Harry added, quite shocked. He and Lupin had grown much closer since the incident in the spring, (Harry cared not to think about what actually happened, it still hurt a great deal.) leaning on each other to cope with the loss. He'd even popped into Privet Drive once when the Dursleys were on holiday.

"Now that the business is taken care of, I have two words left for you all," Dumbledore said, as the applause died down. "Tuck in!"

And with that, food appeared on all the plates in front of them. Ron's heart lept into his chest as he reached for the plate of sliced turkey in front of him. After he piled his plate, he leaned over and kissed Hermione before stuffing a huge bite of mashed potatoes.

"Weshmay tha a trayshin," he said, through a huge mouthful.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, still amazed at the amount of food her boyfriend could fit in his mouth. Ginny and Harry were looking at him like he was from another planet. He took a massive swallow and tried it again.

"I said, we should make that a tradition," he said. "My parents do it. Every night, before supper, they kiss. Mum always said it was so they would know they still loved each other. We should do it, too."

Harry leaned over and kissed Ginny. "Sounds like a good idea to me!" He said.

"Me too," said Ginny and Hermione together before tucking in to their own meals.

After everyone had eaten to the point of illness, the plates were cleared and Dumbledore dismissed them back to their dormitories. Harry felt a bit down, as he'd be making the walk alone. Both his friends and his girlfriend were prefects and they had to show the first years their way around. Then Ginny leaned over to him.

"The password is Orion's Belt, meet me at the fireplace," she said, then kissed him on the cheek and went off with Ron and Hermione.


********


Harry waited and watched as Ginny, Hermione and Ron instruct the first years on school rules and where the dormitories were. Afterwards, Ron and Hermione sat on the couch as Ginny came to where Harry was waiting, by the fireplace, just like she said.

"Come with me," she whispered. She took his hand and led him out of the common room.

After four flights of stairs and several corridors later, Harry thought it was an appropriate time to ask where they were going.

"I've always love the rain," she said, almost breathless with excitement. "Mum used to have to yell at me to come inside, I'd stand out in it for ages."

Harry smiled as he pictured a young Ginny standing outside in the rain with Molly shouting to get her inside. Yup, he could believe that alright. He was so lost in thought that he noticed that Ginny had stopped and was looking around for something.

"Here!" she said, and pressed a cloud on a landscape that hung about eye level on the wall before them. The painting swung open to reveal an outdoor terrace, overlooking the entire castle grounds.

"Come on," she said, pulling him onto the terrace. "Isn't this incredible!" she said, leaning her head back and putting her arms out, drenching herself in the rain she loved so much.

"Incredible," Harry whispered, although his eyes never left Ginny. She looked at him, knowing in that moment just how much he loved her. She walked slowly to him, putting her arms around his neck.

"I love you, you know," he said, looking deep into her beautiful brown eyes.

"And you know I love you," she said, staring back through his green eyes, feeling as though she could see into his soul. He leaned in close to her and kissed her, the gentlest kiss either of them could imagine. A kiss of pure love.

The thunder rolled again as they kissed again, this time longer, holding it. Nothing more, just holding each other with their lips touching.

From a tower on the other side of the castle, an old wizard smiled, seeing two people so in love. He knew at that moment that everything would turn out alright.

A/N- Fluff, I know, but it gets more dramatic. Anyone with additional ideas as to HOW to GET it more dramatic, email me! I have a few, but they're all kinda old, tired and cliche'd. Read and Review, I'll love ya for it!!