AN: You are about to embark on an amazing journey! I hope you enjoy this fic. I employ many devices to keep my readers interested. There will be action, romance, death, jealousy, and surprises at every turn. Never trust anything I say in a reply or in my Author's Notes (except for this part here where I'm telling you not to trust me. Trust me on this).
A warning! Spoilers will be implemented to cause you all to hate and despise me and ultimately, read the next chapter. I do it to torture, torment, and generally drive you crazy. I refuse to stop doing them, they are my trademark and make me inexplicably happy. Also, I drop little hints into replies and in my Author's Notes. I hope to encourage CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!
I am not J. K. Rowling and a good thing too because she has a tough life catering to all of us demanding fans. Poor dear...
A boy sat at the window, drumming his fingers against the pane. A curious scar was reflected in the glass.
Harry stared out gloomily. A dull rain was beating upon the house and the sky was dark. His heart felt empty, a hole in it now that Sirius was gone.
He had been at the Burrow for three days now. The Weasleys had invited him to stay for the remainder of the summer. Harry was thrilled when they owled to say that they were coming to get him. It had been a long summer. He was still amused when he recalled that day.
Harry sat down dejectedly at the table while Uncle Vernon huffed behind a newspaper. Aunt Petunia simpered over Dudley, the diet finally forgotten, as she loaded his plate with sausage, bacon, and eggs. The entire family had avoided Harry like the plague ever since his return to Privet Drive.
Suddenly, the table started to shake. The Dursley's all pushed back quickly and huddled together while Harry watched, intrigued. Uncle Vernon had a piece of bacon hanging from his mouth which he quickly inhaled as a tall, red-haired man seemingly dropped from the sky, directely onto the table. Uncle Vernon's face steadily turned purple as Mr. Weasley righted himself.
"Sorry about that," he said, extending his hand. "We've met before, of course-"
Dudley ran screaming from the room with his mother hot on his heels. "Little Diddykins!"
However, the Burrow was quiet now. Mrs. Weasley was off in Diagon Alley doing the school shopping. Ron had gone along to get new school robes for he had grown out of his old ones. Afterwards, they would be picking up Hermione at the train station. The twins had left early to get to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes where business was still going strong, especially since school was starting again and students were stocking up for the pranks they would play.
It had been a difficult summer for Harry. He couldn't imagine where he would be without the constant communication from the Order of the Phoenix. They knew the right words to say and when to say them. During the first month of the summer, Remus Lupin and Professor Dumbledore himself came to Number Four, Privet Drive to discuss with Harry the will that Sirius had left behind. Though he inherited all that his godfather had, Harry was still saddened by the visit. He'd give it all, plus his own small wealth to have Sirius back for a day. Tears gathered in his eyes and he lifted a hand to brush them away. As he did so, he heard the door behind him open and the footsteps of somebody entering.
"Harry?" said Ginny. "I thought you had left with Mum and Ron." She crossed over to him by the window and sat down. "Are you alright?"
Harry sighed, feeling like he would rather not be seen like this by anyone.
"Would you be?" he asked.
Ginny seemed taken aback by this question. She had grown up in the shelter of her protective family. She had experienced little sadness and knew no grief. Having no answer to give she simply reached out and gripped his hand. Tears filled her eyes as this triggered a reaction and he began to cry desperately against her shoulder. All the grief that had been pent up inside him came billowing out.
"Why did he do it? He could have--he should have stayed at Grimmauld Place where he was safe! Just like Dumbledore told him to!"
"Oh Harry," Ginny said her lower lip trembling. "What would you have done in his place? You disobeyed orders yourself when you went searching for him. Could you deny him his right to choose?"
She was shocked by her forwardness but she knew this was something Harry needed to hear. He continued to cry but he stopped yelling.
"I know you are right. Everyone is right. But it still hurts so much. Sirius was all I had. Now he is gone and I feel like it is all my fault. It's the worse kind of pain because there's nothing I can do to fix it!” He buried his face in his hands.
“No Harry,” Ginny said. “It wasn’t your fault. It was that horrid elf.”
Harry answered saying, “If he hadn’t died this summer, I would certainly kill him now.”
In reply, Ginny put a consoling arm around his shoulder. “Harry?” She paused briefly and then went ahead. “Harry, I think you’re wrong. Sirius wasn’t all that you had. You still have us.”
He looked up as if noticing her presence for the first time. “Ginny, I”“ Before he could finish the door opened again.
“Well well well. What have we here?”
Little bit of a cliffhanger for you!! As said, the dreaded adventure with spoilers will now begin!
Is it possible, he thought, that I could-could like Ginny? Not just as friends but as something more?
Have fun with this and leave a lovely review!