Over dinner, Draco, Luna, Neville, and I talked about a surprising number of things and I was pleased to find that Draco and Neville got on really well. It was a testament to how much we'd matured and how things had changed over the past three years. It was clear there were still hang ups from the war but I knew all about them. We were, as Neville had said, all coping in our own ways. And it was clear from the way that Neville had initially reacted to Draco's appearance, that he was struggling, though he kept it hidden. It was also apparent that Draco carefully hid his emotions behind carefully constructed barriers, his grey eyes often seemed unfathomable beyond the few glimpses that I'd caught when he briefly let his guard down.
'You really need to get a logo and have printed headed paper. Then it becomes official. And register your company name,' said Luna, returning to the subject of our Quidditch Championship.
'Hannah's really good at art,' said Neville. 'She's working for a graphic designer and printers off Carkitt Market.'
'Who's Hannah?' I asked, watching Neville's cheeks flame.
'Hannah Abbott,' he said. 'She was in Hufflepuff, our year.'
'Oh,' I said. 'So, do you think she could come up with something. We can't afford to pay her much yet but we could probably get you both into one of the matches.'
'Really?' he said. 'She'd really like that. She played for Hufflepuff, you know.'
'Oh... one of the Chasers?'
'That's right.'
I remembered who she was now.
'Who?' asked Draco.
'Pretty,' I said, 'mousey brown hair, long, normally worn in two fancy plait things when she was playing. Brilliant turning speed but not so fast on the straight. Had a really accurate left-hand throw, particularly good on the left-hand hoop. That was the one to guard when she was playing.'
'Oh, I know. Are you dating?' Draco asked Neville.
Neville blushed again. 'We just started going out officially. I've liked her for ages but only plucked up the courage recently. Some hero I am, it's taken me nearly three years,' he smiled depreciatively.
'I don't think anyone is particularly good at being "a hero" afterwards,' said Luna. 'Not unless you're someone like Gilderoy Lockhart. But then, he wasn't actually a hero in the first place, was he, Harry? I think it's funny how the papers keep calling us heroes. I certainly don't feel like one. Really, all I want is to see my friends and go back to my own bed. That doesn't feel very heroic.' She smiled at Draco. 'Please don't misunderstand me, I love staying with you and Uncle Lucy and Aunty Cissa, but really, I just want to go home. Somewhere that feels like home is important at times like this. You can see it with Harry and here, or Neville and the school. And, Draco, I can see you're terribly unhappy in the new London home, but I'm sure things will work out for you soon. You just have to be patient and follow your heart. You'll find your place very soon.'
I think we all just accepted what Luna said as the truth. It felt right. Grimmauld Place was home to me now. I just needed to finish making it feel like that. Tomorrow, I decided, I would tackle the dining room.
'I think I probably need some advice with the formal sitting room,' I said. 'I'd be interested in your opinions.'
'Oh. Let's go and look at it now,' said Luna. 'I'm sure we could come up with something between us.'
'Harry,' called Walburga as we passed. 'Harry, come here at once.'
I sighed and rolled my eyes. 'I'll catch you up,' I muttered.
'We've decided,' Walburga announced, 'that you should have a party here, before the Ministry Gala Dinner on your birthday. You need to celebrate your birthday privately with your friends too.'
'That's a great idea,' said Draco from behind me.
I turned around and scowled at him but he just smiled sweetly.
'What if I don't want to have a birthday party?' I said, slightly petulantly.
'Why ever not?' said Phineas N. 'Isn't this an important birthday?'
'I thought seventeen was important for witches and wizards.'
'All birthdays are important for witches and wizards,' said Dorea.
'Especially the ones between seventeen and twenty-five,' said Eduardus.
'You're making that up,' I accused.
'No,' 'no,' 'no,' The Portraits chorused.
'It is important, darling,' said my mum. 'Especially your twenty-first.'
'You definitely have to listen to your mother,' said Draco, seriously. He was standing very close and it was slightly distracting.
'Yes,' The Portraits said in unison. 'Draco's right.'
'Naturally,' he said smugly. 'Well, I'm glad that's settled. We'll get planning.'
'I'll let Minerva know,' said Phineas N.
'And you must invite all the Weasleys,' said Dorea.
Walburga said, 'and—'
'Wait!' I said loudly. 'You're all ganging up on me and I feel bullied. I'm not having a party; the house is in not fit state to invite anyone in. And if I were to have one, I would write the invite list, thank you very much.'
'But we just agreed you're having a party,' pouted Sirius.
'And you'll just have to get the house finished, the important bits anyway. You've got a couple of weeks to finish downstairs. No one needs to see the bedrooms—' said Walburga.
'Don't...' I held my finger out threateningly, pointing at several of the predictable culprits in turn, 'say anything...'
It was remarkable how innocent my father, Sirius, and Remus could look. I wondered how often Minerva faced those expressions and just let them get away with murder because, really, it was hard to stay cross with them. Regulus was failing to hide his smirk.
'I can still help you write an invite list,' said Draco, looking at Phineas II quizzically.
I glared at him, that is, I glared at Phineas II because I was sure he'd been waggling his bloody eyebrows meaningfully at Draco. I didn't trust the lot of the buggers in the slightest. And I shook my head in resignation. I supposed the party would be going ahead. And it would be good to have a deadline to get the major decorating done by and I suspected that Ron and Hermione might want to stay so they didn't have to organise transport back to Devon so late at night. And I knew I'd probably invite Dromeda for the same reasons, plus it meant Nettie could babysit for Teddy while we were at the Gala Dinner. And that meant I needed to get at least three bedrooms completed in the next three weeks.
I sighed.
'Harry,' Luna called from the door into the Drawing Room. We went up to meet her. 'Harry, we think you should have creams and champagne-golds in here because of the floor and the beautiful ceiling. You could even get away with white gossamer curtains but I think heavier ones for winter would be better. I can just see it with a tall Christmas tree and white lights and decorations, and the fire roaring away merrily...'
I have to admit, I was very taken with the idea. I could imagine friends sharing warm evenings with me and I really liked the idea. I wondered, briefly, if Molly would relinquish her hold on the family Christmas dinner and I could have everyone here.
'I've seen a lovely champagne-coloured sofa in a shop near Draco's house. We could go and see it tomorrow. It's got that kind of antiqued look to the velvet but it's very deep cushioned and with a buttoned back. I think you should have three matching ones with the coffee table from the Snug in the middle.'
I watched Neville who was far away in thought, I didn't think he was even aware of the conversation happening around him as he walked out of the room.
'But the table in there has my jigsaw on it,' I said to Luna, puzzling over Neville's behaviour.
'Well, you'll have to do your jigsaws in here. Then you'll be certain to use both rooms,' she said. 'I do think you should see these sofas.'
'Okay, we'll go and see tomorrow,' I sighed, feeling very tired and a little overwhelmed.
'Especially as you need to get things finished now,' said Draco, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
'Apparently, I'm having a party here before the Ministry Gala Dinner on the 31st July. I'm feeling slightly bullied in my own home.'
'Oh no, Harry, you mustn't feel bullied,' said Luna. 'It is a lovely idea and all your friends and extended family will be able to see the hard work you've been putting in here and we can help celebrate your birthday properly. But only if you feel it up to it. You must decide on that, we can't do that for you.'
'It just feels like an awful lot of pressure. I was enjoying sorting things out at my own pace,' I said, sitting on the windowsill and looking across the huge empty room.
I could really see Luna's vision for the room and I spent a moment just trying to envisage the sort of sofas she had described set up in a u-shape in front of the fire.
Luna and Draco watched me silently. Draco looked puzzled.
'What's Neville up to?' I asked, changing the subject.
'Oh, probably thinking about your garden,' Luna said.
'Perhaps we ought to go and find him,' I muttered, worrying about The Portraits in case they had waylaid him.
I was relieved to find he hadn't gone down the stairs; he was in the Snug, looking out of the window.
'Oh, hi Harry,' he said, as I joined him. 'I was just looking at what you've got out there.'
'A mess. But I need to leave it until next summer. There's too much to deal with in the house first. And I haven't really got the brain capacity to deal with it and as much as I'd like to have somewhere to sit outside and enjoy the space with my friends over the summer, it's not going to happen yet.'
'Actually,' Neville said, 'would you trust me to look at it for you? I've got an idea or two and, now term has ended, I have time.'
'I'd love you too, but you'll need to talk to Dusty,' I said, nodding to the House Elf, just visible at the far end of the long walled-garden. Dusty had lit a bonfire down there the previous evening and it seemed it hadn't stopped burning as he started on clearing the brambles and rotten old trees and then I added various horrible furniture from the Old Library and the broken bits from the piano.
'Brilliant,' said Neville and he disappeared off downstairs with Luna accompanying him.
'You okay,' came a quiet voice behind me. If felt comfortably familiar as Draco stepped up into the space by the window beside me.
'Yeah. Probably just a little fatigued. There's been a lot happening over the past few days, well, since I got back really, and I haven't really stopped. And now this party. I don't do parties, Draco. I'm not that sort of person. I'm just so awkward around large groups of people. It feels overwhelming.'
'It doesn't need to be more than your closest friends.'
'But it will end up being more because Phineas N. is right, I should invite Minerva. And if I invite her, I should invite Hagrid, and probably some of the other staff too. And I have to invite the entirety of the Weasley family. And I haven't been to see Molly yet, and I know I should but I can't quite face the fuss. And if I invite the Weasleys, that means their partners, naturally, so that means Pansy and Blaise too. And you, of course. But will they be okay with me? And then there's Nev and Hannah, and Dean and Seamus. But then I get into trickier ground because I definitely ought to invite Xenophilius. But should I invite your parents? Which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable because of Dean being held at the Manor. And, also, I will absolutely be inviting Andromeda and Teddy. And really, I'd like whoever remains from the Order. And suddenly the whole thing has escalated beyond belief and then I'm already worrying because, despite how you and your mum are being treated by the Press as heroes, how will your family actually be accepted by those closest to me, and what about your mum and Dromeda...?'
'Hey,' said Draco softly, steeping marginally closer so his arm pressed up against mine. 'I said I'd help. And I should think my parents would be beyond delighted if you invited them because that smacks of a forgiveness I shouldn't think they can imagine. And, if it helps, I know mother has written to Aunt Andromeda and I think father has written to Dean to apologise and explain the situation. And everyone else will just be happy to see you and be grateful you invited them. And I should think Luna's right that people will want to see what you've done here.'
We watched in silence as Neville and Luna carefully edged along a narrow path that Dusty had managed to clear through the undergrowth. When they reached Dusty and his bonfire, there seemed to be a lot of animated discussions going on, and then some wandering, well, more like clambering, to other parts of the garden, and then pointing, and more discussions, and more pointing.
'Looks like Neville is taking your garden in hand,' Draco said quietly and I was very conscious that his arm still touched mine.
'I wonder how Dusty is taking that.'
'More importantly, how will you take that? It's your garden.'
'I'm not sure I care at the moment.'
'Well, is there anything you particularly want from it, when it's finished.'
'Somewhere for Teddy to kick a football around or to fly on a training broom when he's old enough. That's clearly not relevant at the moment. Flowers... lights... and, most importantly, a space to sit and eat and have barbeques with friends in the sunshine.'
'I've never had a barbeque,' Draco admitted.
'You haven't!' I turned towards him.
He mirrored my action, his eyes impenetrable as he said drily, 'can you really imagine my father with his sleeves rolled up and cooking his own dinner on a barbeque?'
'No, I suppose not. We should immediately remedy your lack of barbeque experience. Well, when I can actually get in the garden.'
We were stood a little too close together and I watched as his gaze flicked between my eyes. He took a deep breath and turned back to the window so I turned back too.
We stood in silence for a while, just watching Neville, Luna, and Dusty tramp around the garden. It was a strange sort of silence, filled with suspense.
'I probably ought to head off,' Draco said eventually, though he didn't sound like he felt any urgency to leave.
'The others are coming in now.'
'Yes, I'll cajole Luna along. Thank you for dinner again, Harry. And for last night, I'm not sure I thanked you in my drunken haze.'
'I enjoyed it,' I said. 'Both nights. I'm glad things have changed between us.'
'Yes,' he said quietly.
I didn't look at him as he moved away because I was afraid of what he might see in my eyes, if he truly looked.
'Harry,' he said carefully. 'Things will work out.'
When I turned to ask what things, he'd already left.
***