Buried at the Burrow
Chapter 4
Fred, George and Bill went wild. Ron tried to slow them down a bit before they charmed everything in sight.
“Not the loo you gits!” Ron bellowed.
“We’re taking our new found authority very seriously, little brother. What if a Death Eater decided he’d relieve himself before he sneaked in your room to curse you into oblivion? Surely you would want to be notified of the impending danger and it wouldn’t hurt to have him a few parts short.”
They couldn’t help but laugh.
Everything in the Burrow had been covered with a thin veil of dust. It had only been a month since the family left for Grimmauld Place. The four of them separated to tag along with their Minders to see exactly what got charmed, how it got charmed, and the consequences of activating said charm. It was better to be prepared than to stumble across one unexpectantly.
“Okay, remember that the second step on the staircase has a sticking charm.. The back door had to be walked through backwards and if you didn’t say ‘Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes’ while walking through the front door, it will slam shut in your face and the whole of the house will be magically sealed.” Bill said as he got ready to leave. “That was a collaborated charm, were quite proud of it.”
It was nearly midnight before the older Weasleys had finished their job.
“By the way, Mum gave me a list of things that need to be done.” Bill said as he handed Ron the list. “See you later!” He said as he pulled Ginny into a hug.
“Yeah, see ya.” Ron replied absent-mindedly, still reading the parchment from his mother.
“Thanks.” Harry said while nodding in appreciation.
“Oh, you’ll be thanking us alright!” They twins said in unison as the trudged up the stairs to their old room.
“Maybe you should be minding them.” A smile curled Bill’s lips as he watched the twins ascend the staircase. “Good luck.” And with a small ‘pop’ he was gone.
“Blimey, check this list out. I thought we were supposed to be enjoying ourselves! Look what Mums got us doing, we’ll be buried up to our ears to get all this done in a week!” Ron shook his head and handed the list to Hermione.
“Oh, it won’t be so bad Ron, even without magic.” Hermione was still reading down the list.
Harry and Ginny had made there way over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. Luckily it was a warm July night and there was no need for a fire.
A poof of dust billowed from the sofa as Ginny plopped down. “Well, ‘cough’ were here.” She said as she looked at Harry who sat on the opposite end of the sofa. “Thank-you, Harry.”
“Oh, no problem.” He was trying to fight the blush rising to his face.
Ron and Hermione left for the kitchen. Ron, as always, was up for a late-night snack and hoped that something useful, not to mention edible, was left in the kitchen. Harry noticed that his two best friends were hardly found one without the other. He took that as a good sign. It had been a long time coming.
“Harry?” Ginny whispered.
“Yeah?” He mumbled.
“Why did you do this? I remember what Dumbledore told us and all, but...” Before Ginny could finish, Harry replied.
“I thought you might want to spend some time at home. I....” Harry trailed off, he wasn’t about to admit to ‘invading’ her mind and thought that if he continued any farther in his explanation, she would figure it out.
Ginny couldn’t think of what to say next. She knew that he was keeping something to himself. So they sat there in the flickering candlelight, watching a spider weave its web between the candlestick and a picture above the mantle, the silence was only broken by a muffled conversation from the kitchen.
There was a burst through the kitchen door and Ron and Hermione walked out.
“I sure hope they’re bringing us something to eat tomorrow. There’s nothing here but an old tin of biscuits from Hagrid!” Ron sighed. “Well, I’m off to bed. Coming Harry?”
“Yeah, right behind you.” Harry called back over his shoulder as he watched Ron and Hermione start up the stairs.
After a few minutes of silence, Harry turned to Ginny as he got up from the couch, “If there’s anything you need, just let me know. Anything at all, no matter how silly it may seem, okay?”
“Okay.” Ginny smirked as she reached out for Harry’s hand to pull her up off the sofa. “But I’ll have you know that I’m not completely helpless.”
“I know you’re not Ginny, I’ve seen you in action.” Harry returned a grin and led her up the stairs. “Good night, Ginny.”
“Good night, Harry.”
Harry had found Ron’s room exactly the same. The only difference was that the violent orange had a twinge of brown from all the dust. He felt more at home in this room than he did at any other place. It was good to be back.
“So” Ron started as Harry shut the door.
“So?” Harry asked tentatively.
“Why are we really here, Harry.” Ron gave Harry an expectant look.
“Well,” Stammering once again. “You know.”
“No, I don’t know Harry.” There was an edge to Rons’ voice. “All I know is that you had a bad dream and made my sister have the same dream. This is a risk, us being here, I could see it in Dumbledores eyes. We’ve been through too much together for me not to know that it has to be something important -something involving Voldemort, to risk us all. At least in the Department of Mysteries, I knew what we could be walking into, but this Harry?”
After pulling the top sheet off his bed, Harry laid down face up staring up at a Cannon poster. He had resigned to the fact that he was going to have to come clean, he knew Ron had him pegged.
“It’s not what you think. It’s not Voldemort, at least not directly.” Harry began.
Ron pulled the dusty cover off his bed and sat down on the edge of it.
“To tell you the truth, I really don’t know the full reason why we had to come here, Ron.” Harry sighed as he watched the Cannon chaser make a difficult goal, one he’d seen hundreds of times.
“This was your idea wasn’t it?” Ron questioned.
“Yes, and like I told your parents before we left, I did it for Ginny.”
“Why? You’ve been watching her since that night. How does being here change anything?”
“I don’t know. I do know that she needs to feel safe, the Burrow is her home, it’s your home. She needs feel safe around me, to know that I would never hurt her. Ron,” Harry paused, letting his mind find the right words. “Ron, I think that there’s something that Ginny has, something that I need. I need to....”
“What? You don’t fancy Ginny do you? Somehow I don’t think snogging my sister is going to help you!” Ron looked slightly disgusted.
“No, Ron, it’s not like that.” Trying not to blush at the thought of snogging Ginny. “I told you about my dream. What I didn’t tell you is that what I felt for Ginny was so strong. I would have done anything and I mean anything to protect her. If she died, I died.”
At least twenty minutes had pasted since Harry had spoken before Ron replied. “So are you in love with my sister?”
After another long pause, Harry slowly let out his breath and said, “No, but I think that I’m supposed to be.”
“Supposed to be!” Rons’ voice was soft but powerful none the less.
“Look Ron, I told you I don’t know. She’s your sister. She has a boyfriend, there are a million reasons. Besides, I can’t love anyone! Voldemort would find out and kill them. He’s taken everyone I have ever loved away from me! My parents, Sirius, you’re already in danger by just being my friend and I don’t know if I protect you, all of you. I don’t know if I can...” Harry was about to burst. “I’m the one who has to kill him Ron! It’s me! Not you, not Hermione, not the Order, not Dumbledore, ME! I have to kill him to end it, or he kills me and everyone’s dead!”
Before Harry had finished, he found himself yelling at Ron whose face had gone white.
“And I don’t know if I can do it!” And with that he threw opened the door and stormed out of the room.
Harry returned to his spot on the sofa with his face in his hands, trying to ease the pain of what he’d just done. He hadn’t meant to yell at Ron or expose the prophecy. Somehow Ron had pushed him to the edge and he’d fallen off it. Harry sat alone in the dark; anger, guilt and doubt flowing unimpeded through him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Harry? Are you all right?” It was the soothing voice of Ginny, standing there in her nightdress behind the sofa. “We heard you yelling at Ron, Hermione is with him now. I thought I’d see if you were okay.”
Harry didn’t say anything nor do anything to acknowledge her presence.
“Whatever it was you two were fighting about, it doesn’t matter.” Her tone was indifferent, telling him that she had not taken sides.
“It does matter, Ginny.” His voice was cold. Harry shrugged off her hand from his shoulder, he didn’t want to feel her touch. He got up and turned to face her, “I’m leaving.”
Apparently he had said the wrong thing.
“What! You want to leave!” Ginny rounded on him so fast that it would have done Mrs. Weasley proud.
“Yes, I need to leave NOW!” Harry had walked to the other side of the sofa and was making an effort to reach the portkey.
“Oh no you don’t Potter!” Her eyes matched her flaming hair as she stood with her arms folded across her chest between Harry and the inkbottle. “You brought us here, everyone has bent over backwards to keep you, to keep us protected and now you want to walk away!”
“I think that would be best!” Harry was on the bubble of loosing it with her. “I was a stupid git to think that this was a good idea!”
“Well you’re certainly being a STUPID GIT now!” Ginny’s hands were on her hips. There was such a power behind her words that Harry thought they had actually hit him.
“You’re not going anywhere! You don’t have to tell me why you’re all hot and bothered, but you’re going to stay here!” If Ginny was able to use her wand, she would have, lucky for Harry it was just her finger. “So SIT DOWN and cool off!”
“FINE, have it your way!” Harry whipped around and threw himself down on the sofa, smacking his head against the back.
“What was that about?” Ron dared to ask as he, Hermione and the twins stood midway down the staircase gawking at the scene below them.
At the same time Ginny and Harry bellowed, “Nothing!”
“I’ll be surprised if they didn’t hear it back at Grimmauld with as loud as you two were.” Hermione voiced how displeased she was with the whole ordeal. “We should all get some sleep, we’ll sort it out in the morning.”
“Fine, go to bed!” Harry snapped.
“Good night to you too then.” And with that, she went back to Ginnys’ room and Ron into his. The twins gave each other shrug, then retreated to their room as well.
Harry heard Ginnys’ soft footsteps walk away.
“I’m sorry Gin.” His voice still sharp. It wasn’t much of an apology.
“I know you are.” Ginny bit back and with that she left him alone.
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Harry woke up to the smell of bacon. He pulled himself together and got up from the sofa while nursing a stiff neck from sleeping upright. In the kitchen he found Ginny, Ron and Hermione, from the looks of it they had been up awhile. Harry joined them at the table and filled his plate with the bacon and eggs that Mrs. Weasley had dropped off while he slept.
“Glad to see you’re still alive.” Ginny mocked at Harry.
“Glad to see you’re still alive too.” Harry shot back with playful spite more than anger.
“Look, I’ve made up a schedule for us to get some work done today. Mrs. Weasley said this morning that we are to work at least half the day.” Hermione said while handing each a slip of parchment. “Since we all had a bit of a lie in,” glancing at Harry as she said this, “most of the day has been wasted.”
“I thought we’d split up into teams. Ron and Harry can work in the garden while Ginny and I tidy up the house.” Hermione looked at Harry and added, “If you think you can suffer through working with Ron.”
“I’m willing to suffer with him if he’s willing to suffer with me.” Harry glanced across the table at Ron with a half smile.
“Oh, that settles it then, we’ll suffer together.” Ron was now smiling at Harry. If the argument they had last night wasn’t forgotten, it seemed that it was at least forgiven.
“Good! Finish up breakfast so Ginny and I can get to work.” Hermione looked pleased with her hand at manipulation.
The boys shoveled in the rest of their eggs and headed out the door.
“Remember to say ‘Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes’ when you come back in!”
“Yes, ‘Mione!” Ron hollered back as if he was a little kid who’d been reminded to tie his shoes and look both ways before crossing the street.
“I’m sorry Harry, I didn’t know.” Ron said as they walked the overgrown path to the garden. “I had no idea. Did that have to do with the prophecy? The one Voldemort was after?”
“Yes and I would appreciate it if we didn’t discuss it anymore. Did you tell Hermione?” Harry glanced at Ron as they entered the garden.
“No, she asked what had happened. Her and Ginny couldn’t understand what you were yelling. I told her that you’ve just been under a lot of pressure with Sirius and the dreams and all. I won’t lie to her Harry, she’ll figure it out soon enough.” Ron had shut the sagging garden gate behind them.
“Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’ve been keeping this to myself, I haven’t said anything to anyone since Dumbledore told me the night Sirius died. Voldemort doesn’t know and it would benefit all of us if he never found out.” Harry said while he sized up the damaged section fence.
“I can.... forget that I heard it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Ron offered his hand to Harry.
“Thank you, Ron.” And they shook on it.
“Ah, looks like we need some muggle tools, am I right?” Ron scratched his head as he kicked a dangling picket.
“Yeah, I’d say we need a hammer and some nails. I’m guessing that your dad has them in the shed?”
“Anything my dad owns that once belonged to muggles is in the shed.” Ron rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“You stay here, I’ll get them. I know what I’m looking for.” With that Harry started out for the shed.
When Harry had returned with the tools they needed, Ron was busy chucking gnomes over the wall while guarding the hole in which they might return.
“So, what’s up with you and Hermione anyway?” Harry concentrated on nailing a picket in place, hoping that if he acted like he wasn’t paying attention to his answer, Ron would tell him. “You two haven’t had a proper row since I left the Dursleys.”
“We uh, we’ve had an understanding. That’s it, an understanding.” With a slight grunt, Ron swung another gnome around his head and launched it over the wall. Harry thought that his face was red from something other than the work or the heat of the day.
“It just sort of happened. Look, I’ve fancied Hermione since- since I can’t remember when. I was just afraid of what she would think of me, I didn’t want to ruin the friendships we had. I didn’t know what you would think of me and Hermione.” He whipped another gnome he had by the ankles across the fence. Somehow keeping busy with the gnomes made it easier to talk.
Ron wiped his hands on his pants before he continued on, “It all started when we were in the hospital wing. Both of us were concerned about the others welfare, so we kinda looked after each other. I figured that I had nothing to lose but the opportunity. Going with you and meeting the Death Eaters head on was enlightening to say the least. I think I just realized then and there that now was better than never.”
“Well, I think it’s great. It’s about time really.” Harry smiled as he finished up with the fence.
“What do you mean, it’s about time?” Ron gaped at his best mate.
“Just that it’s been obvious that you two have fancied each other for oh, since I can’t remember when.” Harry laughed at the look on Ron’s face.
By the time they had finished mending the fence between them and fence that now separated the gnomes and the wild from the garden, it was nearly two-thirty. Ginny and Hermione were chatting excessively while strolling down the garden path.
“Hey you two! You forgot about lunch. I was beginning to think that Harry finished you off, Ron.” Hermione shouted with a smile.
Ginny and Hermione were now at the garden gate. Ginny seemed to slip into a sudden daze.
“I’ve held my ground valiantly, he’s been insufferable though for sure.” Ron took the glass of water Hermione offered him and emptied it in one large gulp. “Thanks. What time is it?”
“Almost time to go, we better get ready,” She scrunched her nose up as Ron leaned into her, handing back the glass, “at least you need to get ready.”
“Oh, here Harry, this is for you.” Ginny snapped out of her reverie and thrust the glass of water towards him, sloshing it up over the rim.
“Mind yourselves will you! I don’t want to you find you cowering in a corner Harry because my baby sister got the best of you.” Ron called back to them as he and Hermione made their way back to the house where Bill was waiting for them in the doorway.
“Thanks Ginny” And Harry too finished the glass off in one swallow, ignoring Rons’ last comment.
“So, would you fancy a turn in the garden Miss Weasley?” Harry asked in a most formal manner, the question almost surprised himself.
“Oh, that would be delightful Mr. Potter.” Ginny giggled through a grin and fluttered her eyelashes as he opened the gate to let her in.
“Would you mind?” He offered her his forearm after setting the empty glass on the post
“No, not at all. I’m not afraid of a little dirt.” She said as she wrapped her arm around his.
“I don’t think there’s much that you are afraid of Miss Weasley.” Harry chuckled as he led her along the garden path.
They made their first leisurely lap around the gardens’ edge in silence. Weeds had taken over most of the flowerbeds but a few summer buds had bloomed despite onslaught. The garden had really fallen into disarray since he last remembered it, another casualty of the war.
“So, have you enjoyed your first day back?” Harry asked while kicking a large pebble along the path.
“Yes. I’m glad to be back.” Ginny replied as she fingered a blade of tallgrass as they walked by. “I don’t think that we will be here again before going to Hogwarts, maybe for the Christmas holidays though.”
Harry took his arm back from Ginny, stopped and was staring at a patch of prickly weeds that reminded him strangely enough of his prickly behavior the night before. “I’m really sorry that I yelled at you last night. I didn’t mean it, you were just being nice and I blew up at you, I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I suppose you’re forgiven Mr. Potter,” Ginny said cheekily as she continued to walk by herself, blazing a new trail to the far side of the garden through the overgrown grass and untamed shrubs.
Surprised at the ease in which she accepted his apology, he followed after her with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Ginny?”
“Yes?” She called back, hidden behind a large grouping boxwood shrubs.
“Where are you going?” Harry asked as he brushed and ducked a vine of climbing roses and odd branches here and there.
“Here.” She answered back as if he should already know.
Harry had entered a little hollow. Ginny was standing in the middle of what looked like a small seating area buried in an explosion of green. There was a whitewashed bench that had a pair of its legs twisted off one end, a small tray table covered in crusty purple goo and two picket chaise-lounge chairs thick with blistered paint and a few rusty nails sticking out here and there. It looked to Harry like it had once been well kept with a variety of flowers and ornamental shrubs. He wondered why he had never seen it before.
“Where did this place come from? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed it here.” Harry asked as he surveyed the area.
“Oh, my dad built it for mum a long time ago. Sometimes she would get so crazy with Fred, George, Ron...” she was ticking off her fingers as she went on “Bill, Charlie, Percy. I was the angel of course so if she needed to get away, it wasn’t from me.” Ginny sighed and gave her best performance of an angelic look.
“It’s always been here, Dad would put a silencing charm around it so mum could have some time to herself.” Ginny made an attempt to sit on the high end of the lopsided bench but changed her mind when it gave a loud creaked before she rested all of her weight upon it.
“Anyway, I would sometimes come here with her, being the perfect child and all. I dunno, I liked it here. I can see why mum did too, at least before the wiles of nature took over, not to mention the boys.” She pointed to the purple residue on the tray table.
Harry didn’t say anything as she brushed past him and through the thicket they had just entered from.
Ginny tried her best to sound sophisticated as she waited for him on the main pathway,
“Shall we continue our turn, Mr. Potter?”
They had spent the rest of late afternoon meandering through the garden and around the Burrow, not paying much attention to fact that they had circled it at least half a dozen times. Talking occasionally on various subjects from the excitement of returning to Hogwarts, speculations on who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was going to be and Ron and Hermiones’ new found relationship. Harry was surprised that Ginny knew quite a bit about the latter.
They had reached the front door of the house when Harry stopped and checked his watch.
“Ron, Hermione, and Bill are going to be back soon, I should probably clean up a bit before dinner.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind you so much as long as there’s a nice breeze blowing the opposite direction. I think we’d all loose our appetite though if you didn’t.” Ginny took an exaggerated step away in mocked disgust from Harry while fanning her nose in an attempt to hide a grin. “I’m going back to the garden.” Ginny turned sauntered away.
Harrys’ eyes followed her to the gate before he went inside, saying ‘Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes’ as he crossed the threshold. Dumbledore was right, he felt better and from Ginnys return to her normal fiesty ways he assumed she was feeling better too.
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Bill, Fred and George were taking great delight in questioning them. Everything from whether they’d brushed their teeth or not to having each of them rate their level of fun on a scale of one to ten. Ron would always claim his fun level was a dismal two in hopes that they would leave them alone. Unfortunately, it had the opposite affect.
Mrs. Weasley would pop in from time to time as well. Harry decided that she looked worse for the wear and the side of him that was concerned for her welfare was glad that only three days remained.
Harry and Ron had worked hard on all of their assignments, they would finish them quickly and return to work in the garden, only breaking for the lunch that the girls had prepared for them up at the house. Ron and Harry wondered if that was all the girls had to do while the girls questioned the reason behind the their new work ethics. They had only stopped their labors for the day when Ron and Hermione left, leaving Harry and Ginny to their afternoon constitutional.
They had kept their walks formal; Harry would ask Miss Weasley, she would politely accept Mr. Potters’ request, he’d offered up his arm- dirt smudges and all, she would wrap her arm around his, resting her wrist just above his as he held it to his side. They walked wherever their legs took them so long it was within the boundaries of the Burrow. Around the house, circling the shed, skirting the grove of trees to the east and even to the top of a small hill whose peak was spilt with a crooked rock fence marking the end of the Burrow. Ginny was getting suspicious of the fact that he excluded the garden, but hid her curiosity well. Whatever was going on behind that gate was a topic conversation between her and Hermione and both had a pretty good idea what they were up to.
The four of them would spend their time together in the evenings playing games. Tonight’s entertainment was filled by playing Hide and Seek in the house. It was extremely tricky to maneuver through the rooms quickly without getting caught by the Seeker or the charms. Sadly, Hermione and Harry were always the first players to be found if Ron or Ginny was Seeker and spent the most time seeking out the others.
“Unfair?” Ron scoffed at Harry and Hermiones whines, “you’re just not being creative enough.”
Ginny sighed and furrowed her brow, “I guess this proves that I’m a better Seeker than Harry. His qualifications as the Gryffindor Seeker were grossly exaggerated!” She could barely finish before all four of them fell over in a fit of laughs, officially ending the game.
When the laughter died down, Ron got up at said, “Well, I reckon it’s time for bed Harry.” giving him a slight wink.
“Yeah, I reckon so. Big day tomorrow, being my birthday and all!” Harry and Ron walked up to their room with their noses held high, implying a know-it-all attitude, leaving the girls sprawled out on the sofa.
“I think we’re in for a treat, Hermione.” Ginnys eyes flashed devilishly.
“Oh, you don’t say.” Hermione returned the look, both grinning ear to ear.
A/N: Thanks again to my Beta Whizzbee and Beta/Mod Bogus and especially to all of you who have read. Next chapter, Birthdays And Bedlam.