"I'm covered in cake!" Nat whined, sitting on her bed and pouting. I laughed, cause guess what! I'm so awesomely ninjafied I didn't get hit once! Hahahaha! I'm amazing. Just saying. "Oh be quiet! You cheated!"
"Using a fort is not cheating!" I miffed. How dare she! "Your just jelly cus you didn't think of it!" I stuck my tongue out, crossing my arms defiantly. She rolled her eyes, grabbing a fresh pair of pajamas. Dad and Maxie decided to wait till after we go to Hogwarts to go on their honeymoon so we decided to at least give them a night alone. We're flooing to the burrow in ten minutes.
"Hey guys! Oh sorry Nat!" Harry closed the door quickly, squeezing his eyes shut. Nat squealed, covering herself up quickly. I, on the other hand, fell to the floor howling in laughter. I was literately wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.
"Oh my god!" I panted, squeezing my sides. "That was brilliant!" I laughed, pointing at Nat.
"Oh so you like the fact that your boyfriend saw your cousin naked?" I shut up. Then I proceeded to glaring at her. "Exactly!" She snarled, getting dressed quickly. Ooohhh Fred is going to be maaaaaddddd. "Potter!" She yelled, "Get in here!" Harry walked in, face pale and eyes squeezed shut. I tried not to laugh because as much as I don't like it, it was down right hilarious!
"Yes?" He muttered, opening one eye sheepishly. Oh this jut keeps getting better and better!
"See that woman on the wall up there?" She pointed to a picture of Lilly and James. Lilly was swatting at James who was laughing hysterically, much like I did a minute ago. He nodded his head, looking at his feet. "I'm pretty sure she taught you how to knock!" She hissed, putting her hands on her hip. Backing away slowly, I grabbed a pair of pajamas quickly, not wanting to miss this.
Harry's head shot up and he glared at her, but his face was still red. "I did knock! And you guys didn't answer!" Nat rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air and mumbling something about, 'stupid ugly git! I give up!' Laughing, I walked towards the door.
"Well. I'm going to change. Now you know. Don't open the door on me! Or you will be in trouble!" I teased, winking at Harry as I slipped out the door. I'm pretty sure my lovely cousin sent me a not so lovely hand gesture. Laughing to myself, I skipped down the hall and into the bathroom.
I pulled Harry's t-shirt over my head quickly. Yes. Harry's t-shirt. It's quite comfortable! I wear it all the time. Of course I'm not allowed to sleep in just a t-shirt because Dad doesn't like that, so I always wear a pair of shorts with it. But since Harry's so much taller than me, the shirt hangs down over my shorts. It's kind of like a minidress on me. I pulled my still wavy hair up into a ponytail and wiped off the majority of my make up, leaving nothing but the eyeliner. Cus it's kind of hard to get that off. For me. Nat just swiped it off. Anyways.
I went ahead and brushed my teeth so I wouldn't have to at the Weasley's, but kept the toothbrush with me to take over there, that way I can brush my teeth in the morning when I wake up. Molly is going to take us all to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get our school things, so that will be fun. And Maxie and Dad can have a pre, one day, honeymoon. I feel bad that they can't go right away, but hey. Better late than never I guess. When I threw the door open, Harry was waiting, leaning against the wall.
He looked at his t-shirt and smiled. I wonder if he knew I have it? "I was wondering where that went," he smirked, pushing off the wall. Apparently he didn't. Blushing, I looked down, not sure what to say. "I like it on you!" He whispered, and when I looked up, he was already smiling down at me.
"Oi! Potter! Black! I don't get to be all lovey dovey with Fred until we get to the Weasley's, so you can't be all lovey dovey till we get there either! Arm off Potter!" Nat pointed at Harry's arm, then grabbed my hand, pulling me backwards towards her. I laughed, shrugging my shoulders at Harry, who was pouting by himself.
"Hang on a sec, I just gotta grab my bag!" I giggled, turning around, but Nat had a tight grip and yanked me backwards.
"Make up, clothes, those shoes you like so much and that ring and the necklace you wear all the time. All you need is your toothbrush," Nat shrugged handing me my bag. I opened it up in surprise, dropping my toothbrush in there. It was my ring Harry got me back in first year and my locket from Christmas. Then she had my favorite outfit and shoes. I closed the bag back, slinging it over my shoulders.
"Aw! Natty! I didn't know you knew me so well!" I giggled, hugging her tightly. Laughing, she patted my back awkwardly. "Don't worry, I know all your favorite stuff too!" I winked, skipping down the stairs. Welp, I'm barefoot. And I'm getting in an ashy fireplace. Should be fun. "Come on! Lets get Nat to Fred!" I cheered, jumping the last three steps. Dad and Maxie were downstairs with champagne glasses, smiling and making googly eyes at each other.
"Bye kids! Thanks for the evening off! We love you!" Dad said, walking over to kiss my forehead. He hugged Nat and Harry while Maxie hugged all of us.
"Bye Dad! Bye Mum! See you tomorrow!" I waved, pulling Harry into the fireplace and taking a handful of powder. "The burrow!" I dropped the powder and felt the familiar spinning, watching the different fireplaces show up. When I saw the right one, I grabbed Harry's hand and stepped through, landing neatly on the familiar rug.
I missed this place! The night I met Nat appeared in my mind, making me smile. The way all of us girls stayed awake, playing get to know you games an laughing. The boys coming up and joining us. The night we all slept in the tent. It all came back in a rush and I was glad to be back.
Nat stepped through a minute later, looking around with a small smile. When I looked out the window, I saw the lake, where we all played chicken. And the broom shed, where Fred and George taught me how to fly when I was little. So many memories are here, and I still have so many to make at Grimmauld Place! I'll always have three homes. The Burrow, Grimmauld Place, and Hogwarts. I don't know what I'll do when I graduate Hogwarts.
"Well? Are you going to move?" Nat asked, looking at me in concern. I gave her a small smile, nodding. I walked into the kitchen, looking around the corner. Suddenly, I heard footsteps on the stairs.
"Nat? Is that you?" Fred called, appearing at the banister. She came running, a full smile on her face.
"Freddie!" He beamed, rushing down the stairs. Geez! The boy sounds like an elephant herd! He was followed by the rest, George following on his heels. Ginny, and Ron raced each other, pushing and shoving, and Mione came last, skipping down elegantly.
"Gracie!"
"Ginny!" I yelled, dropping Harry's hand. She rushed forward, wrapping me into a Weasley death hug.
"I need to tell you a secret!" She whispered, giving me a small smile. I nodded in confusion, looking around to make sure no one else heard. "Come with me! They're all busy anyway!" She giggled, taking my hand and pulling me towards the back door. I looked around, making sure no one was watching. Harry caught my eye, but I shook my head quickly. He nodded, turning back to Ron.
She pulled me out to the same broom shed I looked at earlier, opening the door and pulling me inside. She shut the door and turned to me, a huge smile on her face. "At the portkey, there was another boy. Cedric Diggory! Know him?" I tried to remember the name, but came up blank. "He plays quidditch, for Hufflepuff!" Then it hit me. He was the one that caught the snitch last year when the dementors attacked the field. Git. They should have called the game, no one should have one. It wasn't fair! I nodded bitterly, trying not to look displeased. "He was checking me out Gracie! Told me I'm cute!"
"Awe! That's great Gin! But, he was a sixth year when we played last year. Isn't that a bit old for you?" I asked, biting my lip in hesitation. She glared at me, crossing her arms.
"Nat and Fred are two years apart. Cedric is only four years older! It's not that big a difference!"
"Ginny. I'm your big sister, and
I want you to be happy. He's almost an adult, and I don't want him pressuring you into things. Even if he doesn't mean to, there's always that possibility. And even if he says it's okay, what's to say he won't cheat on you to get it somewhere else. Gin, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm happy for you. I really am. I just want you to be safe," I whispered, keeping my eyes on hers. Tears welled in her eyes and I instantly regretted my words.
No. I'm right. It's my job as big sister to make sure she's safe, to look out for her. No matter what. She bit her lip, nodding silently. "Your right Gracie. Thanks for looking out for me," she croaked, hugging me again. There was a knot in my throat as I stood there, hugging my little sister. I made her cry. I'm always getting angry at other people for making her cry, and here I am, doing it myself.
"I'm sorry Gin. I didn't mean to upset you. I just don't want to see you get hurt!" I whimpered, holding her tighter.
"Gracie. You didn't upset me. I was just mad at myself for not thinking more about this. I know better than to even consider it, I just, I was excited that someone liked me. Someone older. It made me feel special!" She sighed, looking away. There's another stab at my heart.
"You are special Ginny! And you just need to wait. I promise, you'll find a guy who gives you that same special feeling, with out being older, or wanting you for things beside you. It'll be the little things he does that mean something to you," I said, Harry's face popping into my mind. She looked up at me curiously.
"Does Harry give you that feeling?" She asked, looking at me carefully. I nodded, letting the smile creep over my face. I subconsciously gripped the brim of Harry's shirt, balling it up in my hand. She giggled a bit, shaking her head.
"What?" I asked, feeling a little self conscious. Weird.
"You went all googly eyed! You spaced out!" She laughed, pushing the door of the shed open. Scowling, I stuck my tongue out and crossed my arms, letting go of the shirt. She just laughed harder, walking back towards the house. "Oh wait till Nat and Mione hear about that!" She teased, pushing the door open.
I glared at her, my face heating up. "You'd have to tell them what we were talking about!" She looked like she was thinking about it, then shrugged.
"I'll just ask them if they ever get a special feeling about a guy like I asked you. Then I'll tell them your answer!" She smirked, sticking her tongue out. I stopped in my tracks, glaring mercilessly.
"Answer to what?" Harry asked, walking into the kitchen. He looked back and forth between Ginny and I, confusion and curiosity clear on his face. I felt the heat pour into my cheeks while I looked at Ginny wide eyed. Please tell me she wouldn't.
"Oh. I asked Gracie if,"
"If I thought the wedding went well!" I cut her off, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the stairs. Harry looked like he didn't believe me and Ginny snickered beside me. "Well we're going upstairs! Come on Ginny! Bye Harry!" I jerked her arm, dragging her up the stairs, leaving Harry confused by himself in the kitchen.
"Weak!" Ginny laughed, teasing me. I glared at her, pushing her inside our/her room. Nat and Mione were already sitting on the bed, talking. "You guys just missed the funniest thing in history!" Ginny laughed, falling to the floor. Ooh, if I was a mean person! The things I would do!
"Gracie? Why is your face all red?" Mione asked, a small smile on her face. I shot her a glare, daring her or Nat to say a word.
"What happened Ginny?" Nat sat up on her knees eagerly, looking at Ginny like she was pure gold. I scoffed. As if! The girl is evil! Plain evil! She looked up at me, as if considering whether she should tell or not. I pleaded with my eyes, begging her not to. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"If it was anyone else!" She glared, standing up beside me. "Well I wanted to get a drink, but someone dragged me out of the kitchen!" She looked at me again. "Nat, want to help me?"
"Sure. Mione, Gracie, want some tea?" She shrugged, standing up and moving to walk towards Ginny. We nodded silently, and I walked towards the bed, collapsing onto it and grabbing one of my old magazines Ginny had stacked in the corner.
"Please?" Mione smiled, they nodded walking out the door. I swear if she tells her!
Harry's POV*****
"Ron! Grab the cloak!" I hissed, throwing the door open. He and the twins looked up in surprise, staring at me in shock. Rolling my eyes, I ran to my trunk, pulling it out. When Gracie dragged Ginny upstairs, I knew she was hiding something. Something she was embarrassed about. So I obviously had to know.
I figured Ginny would tell Natalyn and Hermione, so I followed them up here and tried to listen. I had to take off running when Nat and Gin walked out. Obviously going to get drinks is a way for Ginny to tell Nat with out Gracie knowing. Can't believe she missed that. Then again, she probably knows they'll find out anyway.
"What's going on?" Ron whispered, climbing under the cloak. The twins followed him, crouching down as far as they could so we wouldn't get caught.
"Gracie's hiding something she's embarrassed about and I want to know what it is! Ginny made up an excuse to get away so she could tell Nat! They're in the kitchen!" I hissed, walking down the steps. All of them grinned wickedly, nodding in understanding. When we got down there, Ginny had the pitcher in hand and Nat was shifting from foot to foot.
"So, tell me!" Nat cried, shaking Ginny's shoulder. Gin spun around, walking around to make sure no one was listening.
"Okay. So I had a mini crush on a guy okay? Don't ask because I talked to Gracie about it and she had a lot of good points. He was almost five years older than me. Almost. She talked me out of that."
"Damn right she talked you out of it!" Ron hissed, keeping his voice a whisper. He and the twins looked angry, but I shook that off, continuing to listen.
"Anyway, I told her he made me feel special," don't want to know what that means. "And," she paused looking around again. "Wait a minute!" She started feeling around in the air, coming closer towards us. I backed away, panicking a bit.
Nat smirked, standing up straight. "I get it. You think they're listening. It has something to do with Harry!" Ginny smirked, nodding her head and continued to feel around the air.
"I knew it!" Ron whispered, smirking at me.
"I heard that!" Ginny said, smirking in our direction. So many smirks! "Harry, get out of here! It's none of your business!" Ginny hissed, crossing her arms defiantly. Sighing, I took off the cloak.
Nat smirked again, pushing off the counter. "Fred, if your in here too, and we find you guys, no snogging for three weeks!"
"She's playing dirty!" George whisper yelled, looking outraged. Fred stood there in shock, then turned to me with a pleading look.
"Fine!" I grumbled, heading towards the stairs. The guys followed, giving the girls dirty looks. Ginny watched me all the way up the stairs. When she ran back to Nat, I threw the cloak on, running towards the door. The guys followed, making almost no noise. We stopped on the stairs so they could get covered, then stopped in the doorway to listen.
"Okay. So I asked her if Harry gave her that special feeling you know?" Nat nodded, looking like she understood completely.
"And?"
"She completely spaced out! Her eyes went all googly and she got this goofy grin! She even wrapped the hand around the bottom of the shirt! I don't even think she knew she was doing it! Like she spaced out Completely! If you said anything to her she probably wouldn't have heard you!" Ginny giggled, smiling at Nat.
"Oh geez! You know, Harry does the same thing! You should see them at home! They're not apart for more than ten minutes! That's something new for her though. She's never spaced out like that!" Nat shook her head, grinning.
"Do you feel that way about Fred?"
"Do I feel? Duh. Am I going to go all googly eyed and brainless? No! I ain't makin a fool of myself!" Nat laughed, picking up two glasses, Ginny picked up the others, smiling too. "Lets go! She probably already knows you told me anyway. We tellin Mione?"
"Later. Wait till Gracie goes to sleep!"
"So stay up till three in the morning because she can't sleep?" I turned to Ron in confusion, but when I looked over, he and the twins were giving me the same look.
"When did that start?" Ginny asked, looking as confused as the rest of us. Nat smirked, shaking her head.
"I'll tell you later. You'll want to sit down for this one. I can tell you when and why. You know, she talks in her sleep now? You'll see later!" They came towards the stairs at a quick pace. We all backed, up breaking into a run. We ran inside the room, leaving he door open. They all jumped on a bed and I dropped the cloak by the door, sitting in the corner and taking the quaffle off Ron's nightstand. Throwing it up in the air, playing with it.
"So Harry. Still playing seeker?" Fred asked, right as they walked past the door, peaking in on us. I rolled my eyes, sitting up to look at Fred.
"Duh!" I smirked, laying back down and throwing it up in the air again. Ginny muttered something under her breath and they kept walking. As soon as they heard the door closed, Fred and George hopped up, laughing at me.
"Oh Gracie! Does Harry give you that special feeling too?" George gasped, batting his eyes. Fred twirled his hair and grabbed his shirt, smiling all weird and nodding. Ron howled in laughter, rolling around on the bed. I threw the quaffle at them, hitting Fred on the back of the head.
"Shut it!" I scowled, trying not to smile. To tell you the truth, I'm pretty pleased with myself right now. Gracie's happy, I'm happy, and I really want to go see her right now. Nat was right when she said we haven't been apart much lately. I've almost lost her three times in the past two years. Five if you count the time we went after the stone and the World Cup. I'm not wasting any time we have together.
"Oi! Harry!" Ron yelled, hitting me in the face with a pillow. Fred and George were laughing, but since Ron is my best mate, he had the decency to not laugh, just look amused. "You had that goofy grin Ginny was talking about!" He snickered, looking at me weird.
"Whatever. Just thinking." I rolled by eyes, picking up the pillow and shoving it under my head.
"About Gracie!" The twins chorused, wiggling their eyebrows. It's still weird how they do that. I rolled my eyes again, ignoring them.
"Hey. Mum might let you guys sleep in the living room together. She'd probably check on you ever ten minutes. Oh! We could put up the tent again!" Ron yelled, sitting up quickly.
"Brilliant!" The twins smiled, rubbing their hands together. I nodded eagerly, looking out Ron's window. "We'll go ask! You get the girls!" George said, walking out the door. Ron and I hopped up, rushing to Ginny's room.
"Oi!" Ron pounded on the door, stopping for a few seconds at a time.
"I'm coming! Chill!" Gracie yelled, opening the door. "What do you want?" She asked, glaring at Ron. The rest of the girls came to the door, all looking the same.
"Don't get snappy!" He teased, poking her in the stomach. She swatted at his hand, trying not to laugh. "We wanted to know if you lot wanted to stay in the tent again?"
Every one of their eyes lit up and they all nodded eagerly. I chuckled, stepping forward. "Come on then!" I motioned towards the hall, where Fred and George stood waiting. We all got down there and the twins still hasn't said anything. "Well?"
"They're setting it up now!" They fist pumped the air, and we all broke into cheers, running outside to the yard. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley finished quickly, smiling at us.
"Night!" They called, walking inside. We all climbed into the tent, taking the blankets and pillows that were scattering the floor.
"Wanna share?" Gracie asked, coming to stand beside me with a smile. I nodded, handing mine to her. I watched her as she spread one out on the ground, folding it so we had more padding and then putting the pillows at the edge. I smiled as I realized the there wasn't much room, meaning I'd get to sleep beside her tonight.
"Done!" She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. Her blanket, was laying still folded, on the ground at the foot of the make shift bed. I noticed everyone else was already tucked in. She yawned, turning to Fred, who was curled around Natalyn. "Fred? What time is it?"
He looked at his watch quickly. "Almost two!" She nodded, laying down and pulling the other blanket up, curling into a ball.
"Coming?" She asked, her eyes wide. I could tell she was tired, that's when she looks so innocent. I smiled at her, laying down and covering her up before covering myself up. I wrapped my arm around her waist securely, then made sure she was comfortable.
After a few minutes, I felt her relax, and I knew she was asleep. She flipped over in my arms, scooting closer to me. I filled the gap by tightening my arm, bringing her closer to my chest. I kissed her forehead. "Night Gracie!"
I don't know how much longer I lay there, waiting for Nat to tell Ginny. Looking around, I caught Ron's eyes, and knew he was waiting too. I think Fred and George are as well, but I'm not sure. "Pst! Ginny!" Nat whispered, wiggling around a bit.
"I'm up! Now tell me!"
"It started after the whole thing with Pettigrew last year! When they had that big fight!" Nat whispered, her tone sad. She sat up, looking over at Gracie and I. I snapped my eyes shut, trying not to get caught. "She can't sleep now. I think she's scared, but doesn't want to admit it. I ask Uncle Sirius if Harry can stay in our room. Not her. They fell asleep beside each other in the bean bags one night and she stayed asleep, didn't move around and didn't talk. If he's not there she wakes up with nightmares and it's horrible. I'm really worried Ginny. She's scared, more than she lets on. And not just about Pettigrew. That's more of a grudge. She's worried about what he's going to do now that he can help, er, you don't like the name. You-know-who. Don't say anything though. She doesn't think anyone knows! I was kind of worried, I wasn't sure Harry would be with her tonight and I thought she was going to freak out and get embarrassed because you all found out!"
"Poor Gracie! Why does she do that? Try to take everything on herself? Does Sirius know? Have you told him?" Ginny asked, looking over here again.
"I don't know why she does it. She knows we're all here for her." Nat paused, biting her lip. "Honestly, I'm not sure she knows she does it!"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked my question for me. I glanced down at Gracie, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms. Where she belongs.
"She's so tired! She sits up, takes a few deep breaths, tells herself it was only a dream and goes back to sleep! Then she wakes up all happy and acts like it never happened! It weird! And no, I haven't told Sirius, but I'm pretty sure he knows!" Ginny nodded, but I didn't pay much attention. Gracie whimpered, pulling my attention to her. I had let go with out thinking about it, trying to get a glimpse of the two, trying to hear better. I waited for a minute, watching. The tent was dead silent.
She shook her head back and forth, her eyes squeezed shut. Her breathing was ragged, and uneven. "Oh no!" Ginny whispered, looking around. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know! She's never done it when Harry was there! It's like she feels safer with him!"
"Are they touching? Like when she doesn't have them?" Nat nodded and Ginny bit her lip. Gracie whimpered again and Ron and I shot up, staring at her. I pulled her into my arms, rocking her slowly.
"Shhh. It's okay love," I whispered, holding her as close to me as I could. How did I not hear her before? How did I not know? I shook my head, wiping away the thoughts. What are we going to do at Hogwarts? I looked over at Ron and he nodded before laying back down. I knew he had heard the story too. When Gracie smiled, I laid back down, keeping her close.
A lots happened today. The wedding was definitely fun. Coming to the burrow was great. But this, honestly scares me. I don't want her having nightmares. It's bad enough I'm having them, not her too! If I can help her, you better believe I'm going to!
I looked around to see everyone else asleep. I kissed Gracie one more time, then pulled her closer, letting sleep take over.