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Author: mysty Story: Harry Potter and the Mystery of Myrddin's Torch Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 0 Words: 40,548
The next few weeks passed in adolescent bliss. Harry was still shadowed by the events at the Department of Mysteries last June, but the Weasleys were determined to make the most of their chance to include Harry in familial harmony. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both busy with the Order of the Phoenix so they weren't home very much. Between his work at the Ministry and his missions for the Order, the teenagers rarely saw Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was usually home for dinner, but she seemed to be gone before breakfast no matter how early Harry woke up. She was always friendly and nice, but Harry realized that he wasn't really alone in fighting the evil that was rising up in the wizarding world. People like the Weasleys were resisting every way they could. Thoughts of fighting evil were mostly set aside during Harry's stay at the Burrow. Most days were full of Quidditch and picnics by the pond. In quiet moments, Harry had been able to speak to both Ron and Ginny about last June. Sometimes they talked about Sirius. They'd all spent time at Grimmauld Place with Sirius during the past year. Harry was starting to remember some of the good times he spent with Sirius instead of constantly reliving the night he lost him. The sun was already high in the morning sky. The three teenagers had decided to go swimming and the boys were upstairs getting ready. Through the window came a gray owl with a letter addressed to Ron from Hermione. "What does she say?" Harry asked casually, not bothered that Hermione wasn't writing to him. She probably figured he was still at the Dursleys. "She's coming to visit soon," answered Ron. Rolling his eyes at Ron's quick answer, Harry quickly put on a pair of old baggy shorts and grabbed a t-shirt. "C'mon, Ginny's already down at the pond. Let's go swimming!" Not surprisingly, Harry beat Ron down to the pond to find Ginny standing in a small grassy area picking flowers or something. From far away she seemed to have a yellow ribbon suspended in the air around her turning slowly as she turned and swayed in the little meadow. As Harry got closer he realized the ribbon was actually a stream of small yellow butterflies. They seemed to follow her as she sang a quiet little song. Her voice sounded sweet. It sounded like a children's song. She was a lovely vision - youthful and magical. Harry couldn't help but laugh. She stopped when she heard his voice. He was grinning at her, his eyes intense and sparkling. She studied her hands to avoid his gaze and tried not to blush. "So you caught me, Harry. In my spare time, I like to chase butterflies." Harry had stopped laughing when she noticed him. She looked wonderful. He struggled to speak, swallowing hard, but his voice cracked anyway. "Looked like the butterflies were chasing you, Gin. How did you do that? I don't see your wand?" She was wearing a blue sundress that didn't seem to have any pockets. "Didn't you ever make magical things happen when you were a little boy, Harry?" she asked. "Why do you think the Dursleys locked me in the cupboard?" he answered lightly. Ginny winced, knowing that Harry's light tone covered his true feelings about that cupboard. "Well, when I was a little girl, Mum taught me a song about butterflies and I used to wish for them to follow me. It's just Wishing Magic, but it still works for me." Her eyes were sparkling. Ginny's summer growth spurt had included a graceful rounding out of her figure as well as a couple of inches in height. She still had big brown, half-moon shaped eyes and freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, but the freckles had faded as her face matured. Her hair had grown past her shoulders. Her version of Weasley red had darkened over the years, but the summer sun had brought out beautiful gold highlights. Harry took in the whole image, noticing every detail, as he watched her explaining the butterflies. He was close to her now - close enough to see the golden flecks in her smiling brown eyes. 'He's close enough to touch,' thought Ginny as she looked back into his brilliant green eyes. She dropped her gaze, staring at her feet, then stole a glance out of the corner of her eyes at his smooth, broad chest. He was still slim, but toned from fitness training. His voice sounded deeper as he said, "Does Wishing Magic work like this?" He waved his hand in front of her and produced a beautiful white lily. She gasped and took the flower he held out to her. She looked back up into Harry's eyes which were now staring darkly into hers. Before she could speak, they heard Ron shouting, "Last one in has to do all the Mum's chores for the rest of the day!" He passed them both at a run. Flowers and butterflies all forgotten, Ginny shouted, "Not fair, Ron." She quickly pulled off her sundress, revealing a plain, one piece swimming suit. It may have been plain, but, like all swimming suits, it concealed nothing of her pretty, slim figure. Harry was stunned, unable to move. When did little Ginny Weasley start looking like that? He didn't trust himself to speak. Without noticing Harry's reaction, Ginny ran off to jump into the water after Ron, making as loud and big of a splash as she could. Harry inched toward the water and waded in slowly, glad to cool down. He'd never really learned to swim at the Dursleys. Ginny and Ron were splashing each other. She was yelling at him to do his own chores. Harry just enjoyed the show. She'd gone from charming butterflies to screaming and splashing her brother within a few moments. She was fascinating and full of life. Harry suddenly wished she was splashing him instead of Ron so he snuck up behind her and sent a wave of water crashing over her head. Maybe a little magic went into the splash because it was a tremendous, drenching wave. Both she and Ron stopped. Ginny turned on Harry, laughing and gasping for air. "You're not supposed to use magic, Harry. You're not old enough! And Ron, are you going to let Harry drown your sister? Help me get him." They both started splashing Harry. They splashed and paddled around the pond until lunch time. Mrs. Weasley was busy with the Order today, so they were on their own for lunch. As the three of them were lying in the sun drying off, Ron and Ginny were teasing each other about which one of them should make lunch. Harry closed his eyes and said, "Let me." With a wave of his hand, a tablecloth covered with food appeared: plates piled high with sandwiches, fruit, a bag of crisps, chocolate biscuits, a bowl of strawberries, a jug of pumpkin juice and some metallic cans. "Whoa! What did you do? Harry, you're in trouble now. No kidding! You shouldn't be doing magic. Remember last summer? They'll have you up on charges!" said Ron, genuinely distressed because he was sure Harry was in serious trouble. "Relax, Ron," said Ginny. "Harry didn't use his wand. He just wished the food here. Right, Harry?" She was wearing her sundress again and looking up at Harry trustingly. "I've been doing it all summer, Ron. At first it was kind of an accident, but when I didn't hear from that Mafalda Hopkirk at the Ministry, I figured it must be all right. Either the Ministry doesn't care if I make myself some food or they can't detect wandless magic. Tuck in." Harry already had a sandwich in his hand. As an afterthought, he added, "Maybe we should keep this wandless magic thing to ourselves. OK?" Ron and Ginny both nodded. They knew how hard it was for Harry to be different all the time. This would just be one more thing for people to comment on. Imagine what Rita Skeeter would do with it. "We can tell Hermione when she gets her, of course," said Ron. Nodding his agreement, Harry asked, "When is Hermione coming?" No one answered his question. Instead, Ginny held up one of the shiny cans and asked, "What's this, Harry?" "Haven't you ever had a soft drink? It's a Muggle beverage. I would have thought that your dad would have brought some home. Well, you pull the little tab on the top and it opens a hole and you drink. There's pumpkin juice if you'd rather," Harry answered with a twinkle in his eye. She knew something was up. Harry had that look. Her eyes narrowed and she said, "You first." Harry popped the top of one and took a long satisfying drink and softly burped. "Pardon," he said. Smiling, he went back to his sandwich. Still a little suspicious, Ginny copied Harry. Her burp was softer. "Does it always make you burp?" she asked. Ron took one of the cans, shook it up and said, "Let me try." Before Harry could say anything about shaking it, Ron's soft drink had sprayed all over him and was continuing to flow out of the can. "What the!" Ron sputtered as the other two laughed at him. Ron stood up, towering over them. "I can't believe you tricked me, Harry." "It wasn't a trick. I forgot to say, 'Never shake the can.' Sorry, Ron," said Harry, still laughing at him. "It's the bubbles," he added lamely, trying to stifle his laughter. He was starting to worry. While Harry was over six feet now, Ron was even bigger and still frowning at him. "Brother, dear. Why don't you go jump in the lake to get the sticky stuff off of you?" said Ginny, still grinning her amusement. Ron glared, but looking from Ginny to Harry as though he had a sudden idea, he surprised them both by taking her suggestion. Alone for a moment, they smiled at each other. Harry said, "I really didn't mean to trick him. Soft drinks are one of the few things about the Muggle world I miss. I thought you guys might like to try it." He shrugged. "It's his own fault. We all warned him to take Muggle Studies. These things can be tricky for a wizard with no Muggle experience. And the drink is very good, Harry. It tickles. Thanks for the whole lunch. These are my favorite chocolate biscuits." "I know," answered Harry without explanation. Ginny and he continued to have a quiet conversation while Ron was gone. They smiled and laughed, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company. Watching Harry and Ginny relaxing together, Ron decided to take an extra long time washing off in the pond. The chess master in him had formulated a plan to help his best friend and his sister get to know each other better. ‘If only they could see what I see!' he thought. *** Ron's summer had been restful so far. He had recuperated fully from being attacked by the brain in the Department of Mysteries. The whole experience had given Ron a new attitude. He was the same old silly Ron most of the time. He just seemed to be taking some things more seriously. Harry's new resolve to control his emotions and plan for the future struck a chord with his friend. They had a common goal. Both boys wanted to be Aurors so they talked about the training that they would face. Both Harry and Ron had easily provoked tempers. They knew they had let Malfoy and Snape set them off in the past, but not any more. "Do you reckon Snape will let me take the Potions N.E.W.T. class?" Ron asked Harry. The two boys were getting their brooms out of the Weasley shed so they could practice a little Quidditch in the meadow. Ron had received an E on his Potions O.W.L. While Harry had received one more O.W.L. than Ron, Ron's overall scores had been higher. Like Harry, Ron wanted to go into Auror training after Hogwarts and that meant taking N.E.W.T. Potions with Snape. "I don't know, Ron. Remember me telling you about my campaign to get into N.E.W.T. Potions myself. Why don't you try writing to Snape or Professor McGonagall? Maybe she could help... If worse comes to worse, Hermione and I can share what we study with you and you can take the N.E.W.T. independently," Harry offered, wondering if they allowed independent N.E.W.Ts. "Anyway, don't let Snape stand in the way of what you want. He may be a big git, but we can't let him sabotage our plans." "Nice try, Harry. Snape never gives a Gryffindor a break and McGonagall has no authority over him," Ron said, not convinced. "Don't you see? We have to decide what we want and then go after it," Harry said. "If we don't know what we want, we'll never get what we want. If we know what we want and don't do everything in our power to get what we want, we'll still never get what we want." "That's possibly the most logical thing you ever said to me, Harry. Maybe we should play some wizard chess and see if you've improved," said Ron, laughing. Nodding his head, he paused, then said, "Do you think that applies to girls?" "Do you mean do girls get to go after what they want, too? Of course!" answered Harry, puzzled. "I mean do you think we should decide which girl we want and then go after her?" Ron's eyes were glazing over. Harry looked at his friend and said, "Yes, Ron. I think you should go after Hermione." Ron stared at Harry with his mouth open like he had something to say but wasn't sure what, so Harry continued, "It's obvious to everyone, Ron. Except maybe you and Hermione. All that fuss over Viktor Krum!" Ron sputtered, "What are you on about, Harry? Can't one friend be concerned about another?" Watching Harry just roll his eyes, Ron changed the subject. "How about that Dean Thomas? Not a word from him for two weeks. Some boyfriend he's turned out to be. Ginny deserves much better." Harry nodded. "Ginny is amazing. How do you know Dean hasn't been writing to her? Oh, by the way, when is Hermione coming?" Harry asked. "I pay attention, Harry. She's my sister. I have to look out for her." Ron seemed to be studying Harry's face, not rising to the baiting question about Hermione. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Harry asked. Ron stared at Harry wondering how his friend could say that Ginny's amazing like it was just the truth and had nothing to do with him. Shaking his head, he said, "No, your face is fine. I'm just trying to figure something out. Here she comes." Ginny sprang out of the back door of the Burrow as though she had been released from captivity. She was dressed for the hot summer day in baggy khaki shorts and a white tank top. Wisps of golden red hair escaped her ponytail and her brown eyes shone as she spotted the boys near the broom shed. "Quidditch!" she called, delighted to have some morning activity. Harry handed her the Cleansweep with a lopsided grin. Bursting with energy, Ginny kicked off the ground and away. Looking over her shoulder at the two boys still on the ground, she shouted "Come on, you can at least try to catch me." With that she raced toward the meadow. Harry took off like a shot on his Firebolt. Ron took his sweet time following. Harry slowed as he caught up to Ginny on the faster broom and said, "What did you have for breakfast Gin? Maybe we should feed it to the team before our matches this year." Then he zoomed out in front of her laughing. Flying was his element. It made him feel powerful and free. Add in flying with Ginny, and he was blissful. He felt like nothing could touch them. Ginny loved hearing Harry laugh like that - really laugh out loud - like he was really happy. 'When did he start calling me Gin?' she wondered as she sped up to follow him. The three teenagers played Quidditch all morning. Ron said he needed lots of practice goalkeeping so Ginny and Harry teamed up as Chasers to pound him. Ron's plan to get them together gained resolve while watching Harry and Ginny happily playing tag and flying Chaser routines like they were performing some graceful airborne dance. They responded to each other's movements like they could read each other's thoughts. They returned to the Burrow at lunch happily exhausted. They had promised Mrs. Weasley they would de-gnome the garden after lunch. They didn't get started right away. Ginny wandered outside saying she was going to read for a while. Ron and Harry went into the lounge to finish their game of Wizard's Chess. Of course, Ron won. Harry's king finished by throwing himself to the board and quivering in front of the knight who had trapped him. Ron offered to put the pieces away so Harry went outside. He found Ginny asleep in the back garden under the dappled shade of the apple tree. She was stretched out with her head cushioned on a pillow, her head thrown back slightly. The book she had been reading was slipping out of her hand with her index finger still marking her place. Her hair was fanned out around her and the angle of her head exposed her white throat. Harry thought she looked beautiful. He tried not to make a sound so he could look at her a while longer. Remembering Ron would be there any minute, he decided to wake her up. Conjuring fairies with a charm he'd learned from Professor Flitwick, he had them shower her with little sparks. The fairies circled her sleeping figure throwing multi-colored flashes of light that flickered like glitter and went out. Soon a glowing rainbow of color surrounded the sleeping figure of Ginny. Harry smiled. She was still sleeping. "Oi, Ginny!" he called. "Wake up." Her eyes flew wide. She gasped and dropped her book. "What is it? What's happening?" Then she saw Harry looking at her with a crooked grin so she tried to regain her composure. "I'll get you for this, Potter," she said, but she smiled when she said it. "What is the payback for waking someone up with fairy dust, Weasley?" he returned still grinning. "I couldn't let you sleep all afternoon. We have chores to do." As they spun the tricky gnomes over the back fence, Harry listened to Ginny tell gnome stories from their childhood. Ron laughed, "Remember the time Fred and George made those apples chase you, Ginny? Ginny was about six or seven years old when Fred and George decided to play a prank on Percy. He was being a prat about something and they set up their revenge in the garden so they wanted Ginny to stay away." "If you ask the twins, they were just trying to protect their little sister from the target prank zone, but they decided to convince me that gnomes were evil and scary by telling me all sorts of stupid stories," said Ginny holding up a gnome that was shaking its little fist at her while she smiled sweetly at it before spinning it over that back fence. "Instead of scaring her away, curious Ginny crept into the garden when no one was around and began to play with the mischievous gnomes," continued Ron. "She thought they were really funny. She was laughing and playing a sort of hide and seek game with the gnomes when she accidentally tripped the Percy prank Fred and George had left. A whole bushel of apples that the twins had charmed started flying through the air toward Ginny. They surrounded her head." "They just circled around me, blocking me view," interrupted Ginny, starting to blush. "She screamed like a banshee until Mum came out of the house to rescue her," finished Ron. "Mum was furious that the twins would scare sweet little, defenseless Ginny. It didn't seem to help when they said they were just trying to prank Percy. They were grounded for a month." When Ron's back was turned, Harry reached over to Ginny and with a wave of his hand conjured her a big red apple. "Here's a good apple memory to replace the bad one, Ginny," he said. She gave a little gasp of surprise as he reached up to her face and tucked a wisp of red hair behind her ear. "You've done that a lot for me this summer." He returned to de-gnoming with a smile. Ginny smiled, too. Their time together had been full of little moments like that. Ron didn't seem to mind or maybe he never noticed. Anyway, she was falling deeper in love with Harry every minute they spent together. She knew he only wanted her friendship, but she couldn't help how she felt. She could tell it meant a lot to him to have her undemanding company. He needed friends to support him. It was helping him heal. He talked about his childhood with the Dursleys; the painful experiences that helped make him so determined to be kind to others. He told her about Hagrid rescuing him from Uncle Vernon and his astonishment that he was a wizard. Hogwarts, Sirius and flying, these were the stories Harry told. Ginny talked about life at the Burrow. Harry was amazed that she never seemed to need air when she spoke - not that he minded listening. In return, Ginny just listened when Harry talked. He felt like she just understood no matter how dark and desperate his story. After all, she had been through some difficult experiences herself with Tom Riddle and the diary. He could tell her anything. He definitely told her about things he didn't feel like telling Ron, such as his fear that Professor Lupin blamed him for Sirius' death. He even told her about the prophecy. Talking to Ginny alone, in a sunny meadow next to a beautiful pond was like having their own private world. One warm August night found the three teenagers crowded around two telescopes in the back garden. Ron had read in his Astronomy textbook that August 19th would be the best night for falling stars and suggested that they should try to stay up late enough to see the show. They had sleeping bags, snacks and telescopes all set up. The Weasleys owned two wizarding telescopes. Percy had left a small one behind. The other telescope was ancient and bulky- probably had been around for centuries. They could share. Ginny sat between Ron and Harry on top of her sleeping bag because it was a warm night. It was her turn with the ancient telescope that she was sharing with Ron. She had her Astronomy book spread out on her lap. She was absent-mindedly twisting a lock of her hair that had escaped her messy ponytail. Her face was scrunched up with the effort of finding Cassiopeia. Harry and Ron were both snacking on pumpkin biscuits and talking about the Chudley Cannons. "If they could trade Geoffrey Smith-Knightly for Ryan Miggs as their Chaser, they could win more games this year," said Ron with feeling. Ron clung to the prospect of a victorious Cannons season each year despite any evidence to support his hopes. "You are such an optimist. What can the Cannons offer Miggs? He'd be leaving the team that won the cup last year. No amount of galleons would make it worth his while," argued Harry gamely. "Whoa...," said Ginny. "Check this out." She had her eye glued to the telescope. Both Harry and Ron could see the shower of meteors without the telescope. Harry quickly used Percy's old telescope to see what Ginny was so excited about. It was worth losing sleep over. Showers of light shot through the air and disappeared. 'Wonder what Firenze would say,' thought Harry. "Here, Ron," he said. Harry moved closer to Ginny so that Ron could have a turn with the telescope. Ginny seemed mesmerized by the show. She had on the same khaki shorts and white tank top that she usually wore. The starlight made her glow. Her face shone. She had pulled out her ponytail so her hair fell in waves down her back. "It's so beautiful," she said. "Do you want to look through this telescope, Harry?" "It's just as beautiful without the telescope, Gin," Harry replied. Was he still looking at the sky? Ron coughed and said, "Be right back. I need my book." He hurried indoors. "Ron's been so forgetful lately," said Ginny, glad that she had Harry alone under the stars. Harry laughed and said, "Did you find Cassiopeia, yet? Funny you should have trouble with that one, being a Weasley and all." "Which Weasley is known for their gift for Astronomy, Harry? What are you on about?" "Good point. Well, isn't Cassiopeia the one shaped like a W? Here, I'll show you." He reached his right arm around her shoulder, took her right hand and reached toward the sky. He drew the letter W with her index finger held up to the constellation. Her eyes followed their arms up to the sky hardly daring to breathe. She could hear Harry's soft breathing in her ear. Did he know how he affected her? Struggling to force her heart to stop pounding so loud, she said softly, "There it is." Harry laughed quietly and said, "What else shall we look for? How about Sirius, the Dogstar?" He seemed completely at ease as he pointed out the star that gave his godfather his name. Seeing that he was calm, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed against his chest. "What's your favorite constellation, Harry?" she asked. "Funnily enough, I don't have a favorite, Gin. But Sagittarius seems particularly bright tonight," he answered continuing to point out constellations with her finger. She felt so warm in his arms. He never wanted to let her go. Neither one noticed that Ron was still absent as they sat there peacefully staring up at the sky with Harry giving Ginny a tour of the heavens. They were lost in their own little world. From the kitchen window, Ron watched them laughing and talking out in the yard. He wanted them to have their moments. He wasn't quite ready to leave Harry alone with Ginny overnight, but watching them together looking so happy and at ease convinced him that Harry and Ginny were meant to be together. They both deserved to be happy. As a good friend and a good brother, it was his job to help. Hermione arrived for the last week of August. She took the Knight Bus to Ottery St. Catchpole and walked to the Burrow. The Floo Network was blocked for security reasons. Two weeks in Spain had brought out the highlights in her hair which she was wearing at shoulder length. She was wearing a yellow sundress that showed off her tan shoulders and practically dragging her heavy trunk and Crookshanks' empty cage. She had let the cat out when they were within sight of the Burrow. As she walked up the drive she saw Ginny and Harry disappear into the forest on their broomsticks before Ron burst out of the front door and greeted her with a big shout. 'At least someone was happy to see her,' she thought, wondering if maybe Harry and Ginny had forgotten she was coming today. "Let me take your bag, Miss Granger," Ron said, giving her a big goofy grin. He hefted her trunk onto his shoulder as if it was a box of feathers instead of a large trunk full of books. "We didn't think you'd be here until lunch." "That explains why I just saw Harry and Ginny heading out toward the woods," said Hermione. She looked at Ron curiously. "So, why aren't you joining them?" Ron's ears colored slightly as he listened to her. Even though he towered over Hermione, he still stammered, "I er... I've got some chores to do for Mum." Hermione's eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips before replying, "And you wanted Harry and Ginny to spend as much time alone together as you could manage." She nodded her head as if to show that she at least agreed with herself. As always, she saw right through Ron. "Got it in one, 'Mione. Wow, you've only been here for a couple of minutes and you already have me figured out." Ron said, smiling down at her. "Now you're here, you can help." "What about Dean? Remember Dean, your roommate, Ginny's boyfriend..." Hermione began. Ron cut her off with. "He's not right for her, 'Mione. Harry and she were meant to be. Besides she hasn't heard from Dean much this summer. Are you sure he is really her boyfriend? Wouldn't he owl? Wouldn't he visit?" Just as Hermione shook her head thinking maybe Ron was only clueless about his own heart, he leaned in close and said, "If he really liked her, wouldn't he wait around staring at the front lawn just in case she showed up early?" Then he swept past her and into the house, leaving one Hermione Granger stunned into silence. As lunchtime approached, Ginny and Harry hadn't returned so Ron and Hermione went to look for them. They weren't playing Quidditch in the meadow. As it was a hot day, the second place they checked was the pond. Quiet voices and laughter broke the stillness. Ginny was stretched out on her stomach along a low, wide branch that hung over the pond. Her long hair was hanging down on one side of her face. Harry was shirtless. His hair was dripping wet as though he had just finished swimming. He sat on the bank, leaning against the trunk of the same tree and looking adoringly up at Ginny. He reached up and tucked something behind her ear. She was laughing at something he'd said and looking at him with an equally adoring look. Neither had heard the other teenagers approaching. They were lost in conversation and they both looked very happy. 'Ron is a genius,' Hermione thought. She knew that Ginny's old 'crush' had deepened into love over the years, but she could see with her own eyes that Harry had begun his own Ginny Weasley fan club. It was written all over his face. She had never seen him look like that. He looked so relaxed and so...happy. Ginny saw them first and cried out. Harry frowned at the interruption until he saw who it was, then he was on his feet and racing to greet Hermione crushing her in a big hug. "Hermione, it's so good to see you," he said with a big smile. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this suddenly tall-tan-smiling-cheerful-obviously wrapped up in love Harry. "H-Harry. Wow, you've had quite a good summer, haven't you?" Hermione responded with a smile. She looked pointedly at Ginny, who blushed. "And Ginny! You look like life is good, too. Where did you get a lily?" she asked, touching the white flower behind Ginny's ear. Ginny pulled it off and blushed. "The end of the summer has been better than the beginning - better than I thought it could be at the beginning. I'm lucky to have such good people for my friends," Harry said while staring at his feet. He still had his shy moments. Looking up at Hermione, he continued, "You must be starving. Ron, have you finished clearing out that closet for your Mum? Let's go in for lunch." To Hermione, Harry said, "Ron has been doing extra jobs around the house to earn pocket money and he won't even let me help." Harry put his t-shirt on and slung both broomsticks over his broad shoulder. He turned to Ginny and held out his hand, "Shall we?" Hermione watched in wonder as the two turned to walk toward the Burrow comfortably holding each other's hand. She turned to Ron and said aloud this time, "Ron Weasley. I think you are a genius." "Right you are, 'Mione," was his response before he reached for her hand to follow them. "I probably am."
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