Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Pride of Gryffindor
DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.
CHAPTER 2: BACK AT THE BURROW
It was a beautiful, sunny day at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter was currently enjoying the grounds. Or rather, he was enjoying the one part of the Hogwarts grounds he was currently on in his lion form. He wasn't going anywhere, not with the sign next to him, which read "Pet me for 5 Galleons."
Just then, his female classmates came outside, chatting and gossiping. A moment later, they were walking over to see what Harry was doing. Once they read the sign, they were all rushing to take advantage of this unheard-of opportunity.
Several minutes, more than a hundred Galleons and countless hugs and scratches-behind-the-ears later, Harry was quite enjoying himself, especially with all the affection.
Just then, it got dark and cloudy, and after a flash of lightening with its accompanying boom of thunder, a female voice rang out across the grounds. "HARRY!"
Marching up to Harry was one exceedingly furious Ginny Weasley, drawing her wand. A moment later, she magically set the sign on fire from where she was; as that burned, all the other girls ran for their lives.
'I'm dead,' Harry thought ruefully.
Right in front of him now, Ginny shook him fiercely, demanding, "Harry, what do you think you're doing?"
"Huh!?" Harry grunted, waking with a start.
"Harry, what do you think you're doing?" Ginny asked playfully, standing next to his bed and looking slightly amused as she withdrew her hands from nudging him awake.
Harry peered at her for a moment, trying to get his bearings and shaking himself of that strange dream.
"I'm sleeping, Gin," Harry mumbled. "Or at least I was..."
Harry was now in the guest room at the Burrow, in a comfortable bed with cotton blankets. His stuff had been set up around the room, and it actually looked much like his own personal room back at Potter Manor in Godric's Hollow.
Throwing the blanket aside, the sat up; only then remembered he was dressed in a white T-shirt and red boxers.
Ginny put a hand to her mouth and tried not to giggle, although she did turn a shade of red; Harry also went a little red at being caught like this.
"Anyway, you asked what I was doing?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Mum's making breakfast, and we were wondering about you."
"Oh," Harry responded. "Give me a few minutes, then."
"See you there, Harry," she beamed. After eyeing him appreciatively one last time, she daintily sauntered out.
Harry shook his head. "Women," he muttered.
As Harry got dressed, he thought about how much his life seemed to change already, even in the past few days after he had killed Voldemort.
Over the past six years, he had gone through all sorts of experiences no teenager, or anyone of any age, should have to endure. Ever since Hagrid showed up on his eleventh birthday, bearing that one special Hogwarts letter, Harry found himself flung into the world of magic. While a paradise at some points, it felt more like purgatory, especially in more recent years.
Monsters, torture, dark rituals, deception, training, battles, traitors, pain, and death.
And that was only the relatively short list.
Now, however, Harry felt like he could achieve the peace he had finally hoped for. He killed Voldemort (plus a majority of his followers), fulfilled the prophecy, and was able to help win a war that included a minimal number of casualties.
He didn't like anyone dying at all, but as he had to tell himself time after time, it could have been worse.
The only thing Harry could do was go on with his life.
As he walked downstairs, he took a look at the refined hallway; in his personal opinion, it was amazing how the Burrow could be made to look better from the outside, especially with all the new rooms, and yet still have the cozy, family look to it.
He was just ten feet away from the kitchen when he had the strangest sense that something was wrong. He kept walking, but he felt like he was in the same place. When he looked down, he saw why.
The carpet, a beautiful Persian rug, was moving under his feet like a treadmill; as he kept running, it just kept moving faster. Suddenly, it stopped, and Harry ran into the kitchen.
The twins' laughing quickly answered his suspicions. "Conveyer-Belt Carpets!" Fred proclaimed.
"We were thinking about making this a prank, except then, this would probably make for a better security trick," George explained with a wink.
"Good thing for Harry, he didn't fall flat on his face just several minutes ago," Ron said, rubbing his forehead a little.
"You okay, Ron?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," Ron said, finally done rubbing where it hurt.
Bill, Charlie, and Percy all greeted him as they walked in, although it was a little strained for a brief moment between Percy and Harry; after having spent the better part of a year fighting, arguing, and doing other bad things (mostly in Percy's case), it would take some time to mend the rift formed between them. However, Harry was open-minded enough to try to give him a second chance.
After that, Mr. Weasley came in, carrying a few letters for Harry. "Here's some mail from your friends, Harry."
"Thanks," Harry responded while accepting them. A moment later, something occurred to him. "Er, with all due respect, why are you giving me the mail? Where's Hedwig?"
"Oh, you got these whole big piles of fan mail," Mr. Weasley said with a cheerful air. Harry looked mortified and tried to slide under the table as his redheaded father figure continued, "Most of it's general appreciation, but that's sorted out from letters from your friends and classmates."
"You can look through it later after you've had your breakfast, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly as she entered the kitchen and started to cook up a sumptuous breakfast.
"Oh, and let's not forget the fan mail for my kids," Mr. Weasley said with a wink before sitting down.
As they all ate, they talked about plans they might have had for the summer, maybe where to go for vacation... and eventually the topic came up with what to do for Harry and Ginny's birthdays.
Harry fell silent. "Er, I dunno... can I get back to you on that one?"
"Certainly," Mr. Weasley said with a smile. "And you, Gin-gin?" he asked his daughter with a hint of fatherly teasing.
Ginny flushed a little while her brothers snickered. "I really have no idea either. Maybe if we go to Egypt again, I can seal these half-dozen in a tomb with Bat Bogies as company for them," she smirked, looking to her brothers, which immediately shut them up.
After breakfast, Harry went to get something from his room when a flash of blur shoved him into a darkened broom closet. He wondered who it was when he recognized the smell of some apple-scented shampoo.
"Gin?"
For the next five minutes, she continued to snog him without mercy.
'I just love the Burrow,' Harry thought as he pressed against her and happily returned the favor. 'The new broom closets are a plus, too.'
After sorting through some fan mail (and disposing of the occasional unwanted knickers), Harry and Ginny managed to find something to do. It was when Mr. Weasley could be heard outside.
"Aw, lookit, the gnomes are back again... I guess the motorbike didn't quite do the job..."
Ginny turned to Harry, and after giving a knowing smile and a wink, turned into a tiger and prowled to the door. After Harry became a lion, they both shot out the door.
They whipped right past Mr. Weasley in two flashes of fur and muscles, who laughed at the escapades, and laughed even more as his feline daughter and surrogate son scared the gnomes away from the property.
'Yup, it is good to be home,' Harry thought cheerfully as he scared a group of gnomes out of a bush, from whence they dived into a pond and swam for their very lives.
TBC...
Sorry, this was more of a transitional chapter... -Quillian
CHAPTER 2: BACK AT THE BURROW
It was a beautiful, sunny day at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter was currently enjoying the grounds. Or rather, he was enjoying the one part of the Hogwarts grounds he was currently on in his lion form. He wasn't going anywhere, not with the sign next to him, which read "Pet me for 5 Galleons."
Just then, his female classmates came outside, chatting and gossiping. A moment later, they were walking over to see what Harry was doing. Once they read the sign, they were all rushing to take advantage of this unheard-of opportunity.
Several minutes, more than a hundred Galleons and countless hugs and scratches-behind-the-ears later, Harry was quite enjoying himself, especially with all the affection.
Just then, it got dark and cloudy, and after a flash of lightening with its accompanying boom of thunder, a female voice rang out across the grounds. "HARRY!"
Marching up to Harry was one exceedingly furious Ginny Weasley, drawing her wand. A moment later, she magically set the sign on fire from where she was; as that burned, all the other girls ran for their lives.
'I'm dead,' Harry thought ruefully.
Right in front of him now, Ginny shook him fiercely, demanding, "Harry, what do you think you're doing?"
"Huh!?" Harry grunted, waking with a start.
"Harry, what do you think you're doing?" Ginny asked playfully, standing next to his bed and looking slightly amused as she withdrew her hands from nudging him awake.
Harry peered at her for a moment, trying to get his bearings and shaking himself of that strange dream.
"I'm sleeping, Gin," Harry mumbled. "Or at least I was..."
Harry was now in the guest room at the Burrow, in a comfortable bed with cotton blankets. His stuff had been set up around the room, and it actually looked much like his own personal room back at Potter Manor in Godric's Hollow.
Throwing the blanket aside, the sat up; only then remembered he was dressed in a white T-shirt and red boxers.
Ginny put a hand to her mouth and tried not to giggle, although she did turn a shade of red; Harry also went a little red at being caught like this.
"Anyway, you asked what I was doing?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Mum's making breakfast, and we were wondering about you."
"Oh," Harry responded. "Give me a few minutes, then."
"See you there, Harry," she beamed. After eyeing him appreciatively one last time, she daintily sauntered out.
Harry shook his head. "Women," he muttered.
As Harry got dressed, he thought about how much his life seemed to change already, even in the past few days after he had killed Voldemort.
Over the past six years, he had gone through all sorts of experiences no teenager, or anyone of any age, should have to endure. Ever since Hagrid showed up on his eleventh birthday, bearing that one special Hogwarts letter, Harry found himself flung into the world of magic. While a paradise at some points, it felt more like purgatory, especially in more recent years.
Monsters, torture, dark rituals, deception, training, battles, traitors, pain, and death.
And that was only the relatively short list.
Now, however, Harry felt like he could achieve the peace he had finally hoped for. He killed Voldemort (plus a majority of his followers), fulfilled the prophecy, and was able to help win a war that included a minimal number of casualties.
He didn't like anyone dying at all, but as he had to tell himself time after time, it could have been worse.
The only thing Harry could do was go on with his life.
As he walked downstairs, he took a look at the refined hallway; in his personal opinion, it was amazing how the Burrow could be made to look better from the outside, especially with all the new rooms, and yet still have the cozy, family look to it.
He was just ten feet away from the kitchen when he had the strangest sense that something was wrong. He kept walking, but he felt like he was in the same place. When he looked down, he saw why.
The carpet, a beautiful Persian rug, was moving under his feet like a treadmill; as he kept running, it just kept moving faster. Suddenly, it stopped, and Harry ran into the kitchen.
The twins' laughing quickly answered his suspicions. "Conveyer-Belt Carpets!" Fred proclaimed.
"We were thinking about making this a prank, except then, this would probably make for a better security trick," George explained with a wink.
"Good thing for Harry, he didn't fall flat on his face just several minutes ago," Ron said, rubbing his forehead a little.
"You okay, Ron?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," Ron said, finally done rubbing where it hurt.
Bill, Charlie, and Percy all greeted him as they walked in, although it was a little strained for a brief moment between Percy and Harry; after having spent the better part of a year fighting, arguing, and doing other bad things (mostly in Percy's case), it would take some time to mend the rift formed between them. However, Harry was open-minded enough to try to give him a second chance.
After that, Mr. Weasley came in, carrying a few letters for Harry. "Here's some mail from your friends, Harry."
"Thanks," Harry responded while accepting them. A moment later, something occurred to him. "Er, with all due respect, why are you giving me the mail? Where's Hedwig?"
"Oh, you got these whole big piles of fan mail," Mr. Weasley said with a cheerful air. Harry looked mortified and tried to slide under the table as his redheaded father figure continued, "Most of it's general appreciation, but that's sorted out from letters from your friends and classmates."
"You can look through it later after you've had your breakfast, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly as she entered the kitchen and started to cook up a sumptuous breakfast.
"Oh, and let's not forget the fan mail for my kids," Mr. Weasley said with a wink before sitting down.
As they all ate, they talked about plans they might have had for the summer, maybe where to go for vacation... and eventually the topic came up with what to do for Harry and Ginny's birthdays.
Harry fell silent. "Er, I dunno... can I get back to you on that one?"
"Certainly," Mr. Weasley said with a smile. "And you, Gin-gin?" he asked his daughter with a hint of fatherly teasing.
Ginny flushed a little while her brothers snickered. "I really have no idea either. Maybe if we go to Egypt again, I can seal these half-dozen in a tomb with Bat Bogies as company for them," she smirked, looking to her brothers, which immediately shut them up.
After breakfast, Harry went to get something from his room when a flash of blur shoved him into a darkened broom closet. He wondered who it was when he recognized the smell of some apple-scented shampoo.
"Gin?"
For the next five minutes, she continued to snog him without mercy.
'I just love the Burrow,' Harry thought as he pressed against her and happily returned the favor. 'The new broom closets are a plus, too.'
After sorting through some fan mail (and disposing of the occasional unwanted knickers), Harry and Ginny managed to find something to do. It was when Mr. Weasley could be heard outside.
"Aw, lookit, the gnomes are back again... I guess the motorbike didn't quite do the job..."
Ginny turned to Harry, and after giving a knowing smile and a wink, turned into a tiger and prowled to the door. After Harry became a lion, they both shot out the door.
They whipped right past Mr. Weasley in two flashes of fur and muscles, who laughed at the escapades, and laughed even more as his feline daughter and surrogate son scared the gnomes away from the property.
'Yup, it is good to be home,' Harry thought cheerfully as he scared a group of gnomes out of a bush, from whence they dived into a pond and swam for their very lives.
TBC...
Sorry, this was more of a transitional chapter... -Quillian
Sign up to rate and review this story