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Post by Harry Potter on Feb 23, 2012 13:38:27 GMT -5
The Burrow was a home, the kind of home that Harry had always wished he'd have grown up within. With a close family, more love in those walls than in the world, and knowing what true safety was. The first time he stayed there his second year sealed the deal for him; he knew where he could always go if he needed a warm meal or a hug. All the same, the times had changed so drastically that a meal and an embrace wouldn't do much good other than put up an illusion of safety. That was what this all was in a way. A trick that Harry had pulled over his own eyes, telling himself he can enjoy something like any average student of Hogwarts could. Where their troubles didn't exceed those of spots and dating. He had to pile them in, add those regular issues to the ones held specifically for him as his own private brand of torture. Even in the time he was alone at the beginning of the year he hadn't managed to calm himself down enough to accept that Sirius wasn't going to come back. To acknowledge that his foolishness and failure led to his godfather's death and in that he has no one to blame but himself for it. It confirmed many a thing for the scar-headed youth, one of which was that protecting his friends and loved ones meant placing them above all else, but doing so wisely. He'd always have the will to rush in headlong. Now, however, he knew that there was more to things than simply beating and surviving them, triumph was achieved when all are safe from harm.
These thoughts flew throughout Harry's mind as he laid back on the grass beside the marsh, finding the cozy spot right in the middle of the makeshift Quidditch Pitch in the backyard. He hadn't really known of what he would be getting up to for the day, especially with Molly Weasley out for some shopping instead of giving the usual hefty list of chores. Likely degnoming would have to be done with Ron and the usual dusting of the living room, but for now they seemed to have a free Saturday. One that Harry was taking advantage of to do what he hadn't done in what seemed to be ages: breathe. He just laid back, relaxed, looked toward the scantily clouded sky and took to breathing. It was a calming feeling that he couldn't go without for much longer. After seeing Dumbledore, watching his interaction with the Dursleys, learning of his inheritance as well as being informed that this year would have many a goal for him Harry understood that this would likely be his point of relaxation. There was a war going on and the public finally accepted it, the only issue of which was the added pressure in them all knowing that Harry was the one. The Chosen One as they called him, destined to rid the world of the ultimate evil. No one seemed to take into account that he was a sixteen year old just trying to get good marks in school.
Slowly Harry's hands shifted to tuck behind his head, a smile slowly spreading across his features while a beam of sunlight reflected off the corner of his glasses. He completely let himself adjust to the surroundings. It was the Quidditch Pitch, it had to be, something about being in a place like this where for years he had felt there was only one focus and none of the outside troubles. Every time he came on the pitch it was about the game, it wasn't about other things or troubles, sometimes that did interfere but he had his eyes on the goal at all times. It was such a peaceful place and moment that Harry could feel himself slowly drifting off to sleep. |
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Post by ginny on Mar 1, 2012 21:35:17 GMT -5
At the moment, Ginny was hiding. Okay, so maybe calling it hiding wasn’t exactly the correct term; it wasn’t as if she were under a table or in a closet. It was more like she was staying out of sight…and sound. She had been in various parts of the house that day, trying to keep out of the line of vision of her mother, who would no doubt spot Ginny in an instant and put her to work doing numerous chores. It wasn’t exactly how the young red head wanted to spend the few precious days of her summer vacation that she had left. She had already degnomed the garden three times since arriving home, annoying little pest they were, and had dusted the entire house so many times that she had officially lost count. There were few days since returning from Hogwarts that Mrs. Weasley hadn’t put Ginny to work, usually helping her with the household jobs. It hadn’t taken long for the sixteen year old to come to the conclusion that her mother was doing it mainly to keep an eye on her, as if Ginny would somehow manage to sneak off and get into trouble. The fight that had taken place at the Ministry of Magic had startled the mother of seven to such a point that Ginny was hardly ever alone. Needless to say, she was beginning to feel a little suffocated.
There was another reason why Ginny avoided most of the house though, and that was to keep away from Fleur. Why her eldest brother wanted to marry the woman was beyond Ginny, who found her to be extremely irritating and humorless. The first time that Ginny had met the French woman was during the Triwizard tournament at Hogwarts and from what Ginny remembered, Fleur spent most of her time talking badly about Hogwarts. It had been a shock to find out that Bill was dating Fleur, but to find out that he wanted to marry her was a completely different matter. To put it simply, the youngest Weasley had been completely taken off guard by the announcement and even more so when she discovered that Fleur would be staying at the Burrow. Of course, Ron wasn’t against that at all, much to Ginny’s annoyance. At least Hermione seemed to be on the same page as her, thank Merlin. And then there was her mother. Mrs. Weasley’s reaction to the news of the upcoming wedding had been similar to Ginny’s, which was probably one of the few things the two have ever agreed on when it came to Bill.
Thankfully, today seemed different from the usual routine. Her mother had decided to go on a shopping trip and for the first time since coming home, hadn’t left a list of chores that needed to be done. Still, Ginny didn’t want to take the chance and waited till her mother had left before moving to the lower levels of the house. There was always the chance that her mother would see her and sudden come up with a job and Ginny was going to take every precaution that she could. Slipping out the back door, Ginny made her way outside. It felt nice to be out in the fresh air and as luck would have it, the sun was even making an appearance. For a while she just let her feet take her wherever, not really caring where she ended up. It wasn’t really a surprise to her when she found herself nearing the open area that the family used as a quidditch pitch, she had after all been entertaining the idea of getting some practice in before heading back to school. What did surprise her though was the sight of Harry Potter taking a nap on said quidditch field. “If that is your master plan for winning the house cup, I have to warn you that you may end up disappointed.” Ginny spoke when she reached him, a smile crossing her face.
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-OOC: I'm so sorry for how long I made you wait for a reply. I was struggling with how to end it, and I hope the whole thing ins't complete nonsense. |
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 10, 2012 13:59:37 GMT -5
After living in a cupboard for all those years it was a blessing to be in somewhere as free as the magical world. He felt like a captive back there, even with the room he now had it wasn't a change. He was like their slave, sometimes he could use the excuses he got each year such as threats from people or using Sirius as reasoning to fear him. Whenever he was stuck in his 'prison' he was only let out to perform tasks and almost starved if it wasn't for the gifts he received through the post. All that struggle made him so much more appreciative of what was around him. Seeing The Burrow, how the family interacted and how close they were, it made him feel more secure than ever. It was just like Hogwarts for him, being around the people he cared for and being able to smile without a worry; even for just a moment. He'd always remember the past and seeing Fred and George getting up to their nonsense while Ginny tries to run along with them, or when Harry himself was around run away...he really didn't get that; Ron trying to show Harry everything and doing his best to not get embarrassed...and Percy. Never mention Percy, he was still on thin ice and the family relationship with him wasn't getting much better. That letter he sent Ron really did get to Harry as he remembered how things were a few years ago. Percy was always the more annoying of the lot but never so much that there had to be exorbitant amounts of concern. He simply went into the Ministry at the wrong time and became as corrupt as the politicians in. Harry felt the worse for Molly and Arthur, the latter having to see his son at work often and face his disappointments. It made Harry want to just explain to Percy that he had a father of his own right there and to appreciate it because he has no idea what it's like to not have one.
The biggest highlight of this summer was the addition of another guest. This one wasn't to the delight of the females but Ron and Harry truly didn't mind. Not at all actually, it wasn't a sight they'd be turning their heads away from. Fleur was staying over to better assimilate with the Weasley family for her fiance Bill. Molly of course was against marriage, Hermione and Ginny thought of her as a regular prissy princess type. It was more of a comical sight than anything else. Dinner was always hilarious seeing Fleur indirectly insult Molly's cooking and the other girls' manners. The most amazing thing to Harry was that Hermione was more often scolding Ron for 'observing' Fleur around the house than Harry. He always wondered about them, but since he was the latest to come around and Hermione basically branded him fragile she was being extra kind to him. What the whole thing showed Harry was that he didn't ask to be part of the Weasley family, he was brought in willingly and he didn't have to try and work for it. It was natural, but when they feel something is unnatural they fight it. Harry could see what might be a little Weasley in Fleur. It was just under many layers. It still fascinated him watching it all silently, wondering what it would be like to be part of a family trying to look out for a siblings best interest and finding that you may have met your match in a french woman.
Harry hadn't a care in the world, not a single trouble or wonder. he could relax and let his mind at ease without fretting over things. Well, not most things. It was little things that regular people had to deal with. Dumbledore was working to secure victory for the Order in this war, things were looking up for their side, they might have a non-secretively evil DADA teacher this year and he had a mission this year that didn't sound dangerous at all. Then there was this one thing, just a little thing that was bothering Harry a little bit. At the end of the year Ginny said something about dating Dean Thomas. He was a pretty good guy, polite, talented, good looking, basically mister perfect. As far as their year went he was the good looking one. It would only make sense that the perfect guy and perfect girl would be together. For some reason it really bothered Harry though. He didn't get it, maybe it was because he remembered her when she was little still and the thought of her dating his friend was weird...that had to be it. He then heard a familiar voice, the one belonging to the girl he was just thinking about...as weird as that sounded. He opened a single eye before the next and looked up to see her with a smile slowly forming followed by a chuckle at her words. "And what strategies would you suggest, since you're such a professional with master plans?" he sat up and brought his legs up, resting his arms on his knees. She was so different now, it was hard to believe she was the same girl from the Chamber of Secrets after all of these years.
OOC: No worries :) take your time, it's really good! |
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