A/N; I don’t own anything you recognise. This will be a little break from my other ‘more emotionally charged’ chapters. I don’t intend on turning this into a humour story… maybe make you smile, for a change.
Chapter 4 “ Welcoming the Newcomer
The sun was not yet up when Ron climbed the creaking stairs to the back door of his house. The light outside was a beautiful greyish blue, the one you can only really see in the early morning. Ron had spent the entire night outside; sometimes walking, sometimes just sitting. The day was still so young that he was a little surprised when he saw his mother sitting at the kitchen table through the window of the back door.
“Morning, mum,” he said, opening the door.
Mrs. Weasley raised her eyes to his face, only half surprised to see her son.
“Morning dear. Did you spend the whole night outside?” Seeing his puzzled face, she added before he could reply, “I heard you leave in the middle of the night.”
“Oh… Why are you up so early?” he asked, taking a seat in front of her.
“Do you want a cup of coffee?” she asked back, rising from her chair.
“Sure.”
She then placed a mug in front of him and filled it with coffee before refilling her own.
“Harry is coming today,” she finally answered, sitting back. “We’ll be having a special dinner tonight and I want to cook before it gets too hot. They forecast a beautiful sunny day today and I don’t want to waste it cooking inside.”
“Did he send Hedwig to say he would arrive today or did you guess?”
“He stopped by the joke shop two days ago and Fred told me when he Apparated yesterday to pick up something from his old bedroom,” she explained, taking a sip from her mug.
“When will he be here?”
“Fred didn’t say, but the twins will both be here for dinner. Now, do you want a spot of breakfast before I start?”
“I’ll do it myself, thanks,” said Ron rising from his chair and looking around. He never really cooked anything at the Burrow and therefore didn’t know where everything was. He finally spotted the frying pan he was looking for on a hook on the wall and placed it with a small ‘bang’ on the stove.
“I’m frying eggs. Do you want any, mum?” he asked almost cheerfully. Harry’s visit would take his mind off… other stuff.
“Well…” She was eying him uncertainly. Her husband cooked a few times a year and Ginny occasionally baked cookies, but Ron frying eggs…?
“Morning everyone,” came Mr. Weasley’ voice.
“Good morning, dad. How many eggs do you want?”
“You’re cooking breakfast, Ron?” he questioned, kissing his wife on the cheek.
“Yep!”
“Two eggs, then.”
“Two it is. Mum?”
“Only one.”
“And two for me,” added Ginny, tying her bathrobe at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’ll take three myself so I need eight fresh eggs. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said.
“Do you think it’s safe to let him prepare breakfast, dear?” questioned Mr. Weasley once the door clicked close.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“Mum, why don’t you sit back a few more minutes?” suggested Ron from the doorframe, his hands full of fresh eggs. “Ginny and I will take care of everything.”
“Yeah! I’ll make toast,” Ginny added, already busy setting the table. Her parents glanced at each other a moment and Mrs. Weasley finally took a seat beside her husband.
Soon the air was filled with the smell of frying eggs and toast. To everyone’s general surprise, the breakfast was rather tasty, but as soon as the last mouthful was swallowed Mrs. Weasley shooed everybody out.
“It was delicious, dear,” she said as she gently pushed Ron out, “but from now until I tell you otherwise, this kitchen is my territory. Ginny, gather everyone’s laundry. I’m going to do some later today. Ron, go tidy the twin’s room. That’s where Harry will sleep. Arthur?”
“I’m leaving, Molly! I don’t want to be late for work.”
Once upstairs, Ron quickly saw that the twin’s room was perfectly fine to welcome a guest, so he didn’t have anything to do before lunch. He stood there eying the bed and an idea slowly made its way through his brain, a grin spreading over his face at the same pace. ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘I could add a few special additions for our very special guest…’
Ron popped his head through the kitchen door.
“I’m off the Diagon Alley to see Fred and George for an hour, Mum.”
“Yes, dear,” replied a very busy Mrs. Weasley.
***
“What are you doing?” asked Ginny at the doorframe of the twin’s room some ninety minutes later.
“Setting the room up for our guest,” answered her brother, rummaging in the single drawer of the bedside table.
Ginny noticed the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes bags at the foot of the bed. “I see you’re setting it up in the …er, special way.”
He just grinned back at her.
“Can I add a little something?”
***
Mrs. Weasley was restless once the dishes from lunch were clean and there was nothing else left to do but wait. She tried to sit but jumped back to her feet almost at once to look out the window.
“Is he coming by Knight Bus or Floo Powder or is he Apparating do you think?” she asked her son and daughter, her eyes going from one to the other awaiting a sign from either of them. Neither knew the answer to this.
Ginny was almost as restless as her mother, the only difference being that she was better at hiding it. Ron was not fooled by this somewhat calm exterior. He himself was nervous to finally see his friend again. They hadn’t even as much as sent on owl to each other since he’d left. To say it plainly, he missed Harry.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Ginny was scanning evasively through the pages of a magazine and Ron was mentally reviewing all the tricks awaiting Harry in his room.
Some twenty minutes later, they heard a faint ‘pop’ and someone knocking on the door frantically seconds later.
“It’s me, Harry! Let me in, quick!”
He didn’t need to say. Before he could finish the sentence Mrs. Weasley had yanked the door open and stretched her arms out in a soon-to-be very tight hug.
He dodged her arms saying “Not in front of the window!” and entered the house.
All the Weasleys stood rooted to the spot, glaring at the newcomer.
“Please close the door, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry whispered peering outside through a window, “I’ll explain everything.”
She did as she was told, still a bit shocked.
There was another minute of silence, with Harry still looking cautiously outside before he exclaimed; “The coast is clear! Now, let’s do this properly. Hello everybody!” he said with a big smile.
He turned to Mrs. Weasley and walked toward her with his arms open. It took her a moment to react but she soon embraced him in a motherly hug.
“What in Merlin’s name was that?” asked Ron.
“Wait just another second, Ron.” He turned to face Ginny.
“Hi, Ginny,” he said smiling at her.
“Hello Harry. Welcome home.” She was looking half surprised, half suspicious.
“Now for the explanation; I stayed the night at The Leaky Cauldron and was planning to arrive here just after lunch. As I was bringing down my luggage, I ran into Rita Skeeter. I’ve been avoiding her for a week. She is stalking me to get an exclusive interview. Well, you know how she is,” he added looking at his best friend. “She won’t give up. I had to leave in a hurry and couldn’t even take my trunk with me. For a moment, I thought she would follow me here too. I’m sorry I was rude.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Mrs. Weasley. “Ok then! Well, welcome back, Harry dear!” she said as she was hugging him yet again. She then held him at arm’s length, looking at him up and down. She was simply doing her usual visual inspection and smiled warmly. She thought it would be much worst. He stood firmly, looked healthy and seemed to have a good amount of energy.
“It’s good to see you mate,” declared Ron.
“Same here,” replied Harry, giving his friend a brief one-arm hug.
“Did you get a chance to eat something before Rita got to you?” asked the always practical Mrs. Weasley.
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Why are we all standing here like idiots? Let’s all go sit in the garden to catch up,” suggested Ron.
“But I still have to go back to get my luggage,” observed Harry.
“I’ll go with you in case she’s still waiting for you,” offered Ron.
“Me too,” added Ginny.
“Alright, but you three better come back here quickly. You know we’re having a fancy dinner and, Harry, I’m doing laundry this afternoon so if you have some clothes that could use cleaning, bring them to me as soon as you can.”
“Yes! It won’t be long,” assured her adopted son.
***
“Finally! I thought you’d never come back!” squealed Rita Skeeter.
Apparently, she’d waited for him, sitting on his trunk. She uncrossed her legs and stood up on a pair of very high, vividly purple pointy-toed shoes. Her Quick Quote Quill was also ready, its tip balanced on the page of a notebook resting next to where she was sitting on the trunk.
The three friends stood before her, all looking very annoyed. Ginny had crossed her arms over her chest as soon as she spotted the journalist. The bartender shot a kind of apologetic look to Harry from behind his counter, as if he was trying to say he had been unable to get rid of her. In the meantime, Rita Skeeter jumped on the occasion and started asking questions at once.
“How was it to finally defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Were you scared? Do you have a feeling of freedom since this treat is no longer here? Do you…”
“Stop wasting your time, I won’t answer any questions,” said Harry, interrupting her.
“Oh, don’t be silly, Harry!” she winked at him. “I won’t stop until I get that interview. The Daily Prophet will pay big Galleons for it.”
“I think he was really clear. Leave him alone,” said Ron as he moved a step forward.
“And who do we have here?” she was almost clapping her hands together as she realised who was with Harry. “How was it to second The Chosen One? How did it feel to be trusted by the one who had the fate of the Magical World in his hands?”
The two young men eyed each other and made a move to grab the trunk and Hedwig’s cage.
“You know you can’t avoid me forever. You would do better to get it over. And now, I’ll know where to find you,” she smirked, pointing a long purple fingernail at the Weasleys.
Harry was truly annoyed at this point. “Fine! You have ten minutes, starting now.”
Rita started to bombard him with questions the instant he finished his sentence. One would say she used her time to the fullest extent, making sure none was wasted with useless silence. She covered almost every subject she could think of, from Voldemort to Dumbledore and Harry’s parents. She even asked one or two question to Ron about Harry and also tried to get them to talk about Hermione. They managed to dodge that issue by changing the subject with lightening speed. One of the last things she wanted to discuss as her time was running out was Harry’s future.
“And what are your plans for the future?”
At this, Harry shot a quick look at Ginny, which was not lost on Rita.
“Oh! Ooh! Would the pretty young lady be part of your plans?” Ginny shifted from one foot to the other under the stare of Rita Skeeter.
“Ok, time’s up!” declared Harry. “And I strongly suggest that you stick to the facts… we still have a card up our sleeve, in case you forget.” Harry was obviously referring to her being an unregistered Animagus.
***
The dinner that night was unanimously declared the best meal everyone had ever tasted. Mrs. Weasley’s work had clearly paid off, as the whole family was in a very good mood; eating, laughing and sharing good memories and Harry’s recent adventures. After dessert, they all started to get a little drowsy and the conversation slowly died down. Fred and George were the first to leave the party for their flat in Diagon Alley. Shortly after, the others climbed the stairs, bidding each other goodnight. Ron grinned a little too much as he left Harry in front of the twin’s room. He was suddenly much more awake. He entered his own bedroom but made sure the door stayed open.
A few floors down, Harry was opening his trunk to get out some pyjama pants and a t-shirt. Many boxes were stacked on top of one of the beds so he deduced that the other one was his for the duration his stay at the Burrow.
He changed his clothes, closed the curtains and climbed into bed. The mattress supported his frame very comfortably and he had a fluffy pillow. The entire house was really quiet, creaking softly occasionally and those sounds were really comforting to him. He fell asleep quickly into peaceful sleep.
The next morning, around eight, a pair of similar yet different people was sitting on the stairs, holding flesh-coloured strings to their ears. They both looked like they were waiting for something. One of them seemed to be as sleepy as impatient; he was not used to waking up so early. The other one, a girl, had had to shake him for 10 minutes before she could wake him up.
Some time later, they heard a faint sound. The strings they were holding were spread on the landing, a few stairs down, and disappeared in the space under the door of a bedroom. Inside, a young man was stretching, still laying in bed. He yawned and reached with his left arm to grab his glasses off the bedside table.
In an instant, he was fully awake. His hand had missed the glasses and somehow passed through the top board of the bedside table to plunge directly into the top drawer. The sensation he got was absolutely disgusting; a cold liquid with the consistency of molasses engulfing his hand, and there were lumps in the mix. He slowly turned on his side and put on his glasses with his right hand.
He extracted his hand from the mixture and examined it. He made a face as he realized it not only felt disgusting, it had the smell of a troll too. He decided to get his wand from his trunk to clear it up when he noticed that his feet were held captive by the sheets. Harry sighed; he knew very well who was responsible for all this.
Not wanting to get the sheets all dirty with the mixture on his hand, Harry resorted to undoing the bed and hopping to his trunk while tangled in them. He managed it, falling only once.
He cleaned his hand, untangled himself from the sheets and got to his feet, looking around him. He was sure there were more tricks in the room and decided to go down to breakfast without touching anything else. Before he reached the door, however, he turned on his feet and went to the window to open the curtains. He wanted to open the window to get rid of the nasty smell. He eyed them closely before tapping his wand on the fabric. Nothing happened so he grabbed the edges and spread them open.
The moment they were fully open, a fine powder showered over him. He got most of it on his face and arms. In an instant, his skin started to itch wherever the powder had landed. The itching increased as the seconds ticked by and scratching didn’t help at all. He quickly went to the door and tried to open it. It was bolted shut.
“Ron, I’m going to kill you! Open it!” he urged as the itching became unbearable.
A scrap of parchment appeared on the panel of the door, reading “Who’s the king?”
“You are the king, Weasley!”
“Who’s got the charm, handsomeness and the brain?”
“You have! Now, come on! It’s not funny anymore!”
The door produced a small ‘click’ and opened. Harry hurried out and started to run upstairs, clearly aiming for the shower. As he passed an out of breath Ron and Ginny, he grunted “You are so going to pay for this, Ron!”
“Ginny did some of it too,” Ron yelled after Harry just before he heard to door of the bathroom slam shut.
Upstairs, Harry jumped in the shower fully clothed and turned on the taps. His arms were almost bleeding from all the scratching and the cold water slowly calmed his skin. After most of it had cleared, he started to dispose of his wet and cold pyjamas and t-shirt thinking that those easy tricks didn’t look like Ginny at all.
Once naked, he grabbed the soap and started to wash his body. Looking down at his chest, he saw a tattoo of a huge Hungarian Horntail. ‘That,’ he thought, ‘is Ginny’s work.’
A/N; Only two chapters to go, everyone! Don’t get too excited, you won’t see much more from Harry in the last chapters, this is a Ron “ Hermione story after all! Things will get back to normal in the next chapte. Sorry it took so long to update but both my beta and I were very very busy. And did you notice that wonderful new feature of mnff? It’s so easy to leave reviews now! You should try it… Comments, opinions, poem, praise, rant, questions, etc! Everything is welcomed!