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Author: guruvee Story: Out of the Darkness Rating: Everyone Setting: Post-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 4 Words: 11,090
The next morning dawned and The Burrow was a flurry of activity: Ron and Hermione were busy packing the last of their things, Ginny was trying to find all her new things and Harry was in the kitchen helping Molly get breakfast together. George, too, was putting his belongings into a trunk. "Hermione?" Ron called from the living room. "Have you seen the Portkey? I had it right here on the table." "No. You said you were going to put it in a safe place." Harry poked his head through the door from the kitchen. He gave Ron a sympathetic glance, and then went back to the kitchen where he stepped outside to the yard to check on his own travel preparations. Running his hands through his hair, and silently screaming to himself, Ron started to tear the living room apart. Pulling apart the couch cushions, tossing pillows in the air, Ron was still unable to find the little chit that was their ticket to paradise. On the verge of tears, he ran into the kitchen where Molly was waving the ticket. With relief, Ron gave his mother a hug, took the ticket and tucked it safely away in his pocket. Running up the stairs to tell Hermione that he had found the Portkey, he nearly knocked Ginny over. "Watch where you're going, Ron!" Hermione poked her head out of the room she was sharing with Ginny. "Did you find it?" Ron smiled, and patted his chest pocket where the Portkey was safely stowed. "That's great, Ron. Can you help me finish packing?" "What's left to be done?" "Not much, really. You probably just want to make sure you haven't forgotten anything, and then we just need to shrink the bags." Ron quickly walked over to their open bags and started looking through, thinking of all the things he wanted to bring and checking them off his mental checklist. "Looks like everything we need is here." Then they each pointed to a bag with their wands and cast their shrinking charms. Picking up the palm-sized bags, Hermione tossed them into her purse and asked, "How much time do we have before we leave?" Having just looked at the ticket Ron replied, "About 15 minutes." "Great! I wanted a chance to say goodbye to Ginny." With that, Hermione ran downstairs, with Ron on her heels. Ginny was in the kitchen with Molly. Her arms were wrapped around her mother's waist and her head was resting on her shoulder. Molly was gently stroking her hair, and they both had tear-filled smiles on their faces. When Hermione and Ron stepped through the door, the looked up, wiping their eyes. "You two ready to go?" Ginny asked. Grabbing Hermione's hand with a smile, Ron replied, "Ready as we'll ever be." He looked around for Harry, not wanting to leave without a good-bye from his best friend. "We have about ten minutes before the Portkey goes off." Hermione added. "I can't believe you two are going to America." "Hermione deserves the best. And she's always wanted to go there." He gave Hermione's hand a squeeze, and flashed a grin. "Ronald, dear, Hermione," Molly interjected, "please do take care of yourselves. You'll be away for three weeks and I'd like to see you both come back in one piece." "Oh, Mum," Ron groaned. "We'll be fine." Looking at the clock, Hermione said anxiously, "We should probably be ready to go now. Oh dear, where is Harry?" Ron could see Harry through the window, walking toward the door, but the Portkey was about to go off. "Tell Harry I'm sorry … we had to go." Once again, Ron took the ticket out of his pocket. Each of them grabbed one end of the ticket and, smiling at Molly and Ginny, then at each other, shouted a last "Bye!" They were gone. * * * Once Ron and Hermione had left, Molly looked at her youngest child, her only daughter. A bittersweet smile crossed her face, but as Harry entered the room it quickly disappeared. Molly recalled her first year out of school. Things were a bit different then. Lord Voldemort was gaining power, and those loyal to Dumbledore didn't run off and join Quidditch teams, or take trips 'round the world. Now, the world was a little brighter, the threat of Voldemort had been permanently removed, and Ginny was about to embark on a sporting adventure Molly herself would never have dreamed for her. She really felt as if she were in an empty house. Ron would be back, of course, but eventually he'd probably be off with Hermione to start a family of their own. Or so she hoped. George had his flat, and although he was welcome to come back to stay at The Burrow at any time, she really hoped he would be able to move on. The loss of his twin had been so difficult. On all of them. Percy was so busy at the Ministry and he hardly ever returned for a visit. He had maintained his flat in London after The Battle, and came home when he could, but more often, he would meet up with the family in Diagon Alley whenever he had the chance. Charlie went back to Romania to his dragons. He could not be swayed from his work. He said it made him feel necessary. Made sense of the senseless losses they'd all suffered in the last year. And Bill. Bill was busy with his wife, and the hopes of a large family. And oh, how she desired grandchildren. New life was just what this family needed. But still … it was always different with a daughter. And Holyhead was so far away. But it was the right thing. And as much as she wanted to keep her here, she had already started to let go. "I missed them!" he exclaimed. "I knew I was cutting it close. I should have waited." He shook his head, trying to recall when his priorities had changed from being with his friends to being focused on other things. Ginny looked at Harry, wondering where he'd been, what he'd been doing. She was already feeling a bit lost and melancholy at leaving home. Harry's absence when Ron and Hermione Portkeyed away made her question her decision a bit. She knew she shouldn't feel this way. She'd been away from home before—she'd spent years at school. But this wasn't the same. She was moving away, to be on her own. Ginny almost felt she was leaving not her family home, but her family. Lives were moving forward, and she wouldn't be here to share in their joys and sorrows. Oh, she'd hear about them, certainly. And she would return to The Burrow when she could. But she was signing a contract that would have her committing her time to the Harpies. They would be her new priority. Ginny was excited at the prospect of this new life, new career, but she wasn't entirely sure she was ready for it. She'd gone to tryouts merely on a whim. She hadn't really thought she'd make the team. But she had. And everyone seemed so happy for her. She'd get there. She'd feel that way. But right now, looking around The Burrow, it was difficult to imagine any other place as home. "Yes, Harry, you did," Ginny smiled sadly. And just as quickly, her mood brightened. "But I will NOT let you miss my leaving." "Of course not," Harry smiled. "I'm going with you." "You have time for a bite to eat first?" Molly asked them. "Mum," Ginny groaned. She was actually anxious to leave. "Of course, Mrs Weasley," Harry replied. "I always have time to take a bite of one of your delicious meals." Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "Mum, we'll eat, but I'm supposed to meet Gwenog Jones at three o'clock. I wanted a chance to settle in a bit first." "Well then, you've plenty of time. Come along, have a seat." As usual, Molly had cooked up a feast for a few. Old habits die hard, they say. And as much as Ginny wanted to get going, she knew she'd have to find a way to thank Harry for making her stay to enjoy one last meal as a resident of The Burrow. * * * Lee and George were busy with parchment and quill. Their list of testers was growing and they hadn't even asked them yet. But at this point in time who wouldn't want to test new WWW products? With Verity busy in the front of the shop, the two men had plenty of time to work on their lists of testers and lists of ideas. They heard the bell on the door jingle and smiled at each other that business was going well. "Lee, what is the Heart Pounding Pomade supposed to do?" "Don't you remember? That's the massage lotion. Warms the body up, with nice tingles." "Ah yes." "Why don't we send some to Ginny and Harry?" "Lee!" "What?" "I don't want to know what Ginny and Harry are doing. If you need to send –" Just then the curtain of beads rattled, and Verity poked her head in the back. "Sir, there's someone here to see you." "An investor?" cried Lee. "A manufacturer?" asked George. "A lady!" exclaimed Verity. The old friends looked at each other, questions on their face, silently asking each other, Who would come to see us? A/N: Thanks to Ladybug and her fabulous suggestions and corrections. Where would I be without you, my friend? To all my readers, I apologize for the slow movement at the present time. The next chapter is in edit mode, but the following chapters require some research on my part. So until I get back to the research location, it'll be a bit slow coming. I hope you won't be disappointed. As always, please read and review. Your comments provide inspiration for further creativity!
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