Because Home is Where You Are

by VanillaScent

Chapter One: Helena In, Ginny Out

NOTES: Hello every one, nice to see you all again. ) I'm VanillaScent and I am back to writing some Harry Potter fanfiction for about 2 years... Wow! Long time and NO D/G! Oh the pain! But I have been reading some wonderful D/G fics so I survived. Well now I'm back to writing. Please read and review and this story will get better and funnier when there are some D/G interaction. BTW, if you are looking for "Love Can Make You Feel Stupid," I'm sorry to tell you that I deleted that fic and all my other past fictions due to horror that I actually posted those horribly written stories.

DISCLAIMER: No. I don't own anything so shut up.

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"Honestly, Ginny. We love you and we love sharing this flat with you. But... Harry... he's engaged now," Hermione said cautiously, choosing her words carefully. She took a quick glance at Harry and Ron, both who were looking anywhere but at Hermione or Ginny.

"Oh really?" Ginny said in mild shock. "Congratulations, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, giving Harry a big hug. "It's Helena, right? Oh, I'm sure she was bloody ecstatic!" Ginny said happily.

"Ginny..." Ron said. "We... I mean, Harry, er... What I'm saying is that..."

"What?" Ginny asked, finally sensing there was something wrong. "What's wrong? What happened to Helena?" Ron nudged Harry hard in the ribs.

Harry cringed and rubs his ribs, sighing in defeat. "She wants to move in with me. And Ron... and Hermione," Harry said softly.

Ginny did not reply right away. Hermione, Ron, and Harry both stared at the littlest Weasley nervously, waiting for her reply. They were prepared for the Weasley temper, if it had to happen. "Well, so what?" came Ginny's reply.

Harry and Ron and Hermione blinked. "That means you have to move out," Ron blurted out quickly.

"You're kicking me out?"Ginny cried out loud.

"Not really!" Hermione piped in. Ginny glared at the trio. "You'll just be moving!" Hermione said quickly to try and make Ginny feel better. "We've found you a roommate and everything. You're flat rent for this month's been already paid by us and it's only half the price. Oh Ginny, please don't be mad!"

But right after Hermione finished saying her last word, Ginny walked into the bedroom she shared with Hermione and slammed the door shut.

"Well, that went well," Ron said, breaking the slight silence. Hermione turned around to glare at him.

"Honestly, Ron. Do you think she actually took that well? Would you take something like that well?" Hermione demanded.

"Calm down, you two. This is all my fault," Harry barged in.

Ron and Hermione did not stop glaring at each other, though. Harry sighed to himself and mentally cursed at himself for the trouble he caused. If it weren't for Helena and her desire to get to know Harry's closest friends and their families, all this trouble would not have been caused. He just hoped that Ginny would be okay the next morning and like the flat that he and Hermione had found for her.

While Hermione and Ron continued to argue, he walked into his bedroom that he shared with Ron and closed the door slowly, drowning out the argument going on between his best friends.

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Ginny could not believe what Hermione, Harry, and Ron were doing to her. More particulary Harry but she didn't have time to specify the issue. They were kicking her out. They were kicking her out!

Of course, Ginny thought. Of course they would be kicking me out. I'm always the third wheel. People would think they were a threesome from how close they stick with each other all the time.

Sighing, she got up from her bed and headed for the bathroom to wash up. Perhaps it would be better living with another roommate... Just as long as the person that Hermione had found wasn't someone like Snape or anything, she was fine with moving. If she had her pick, she'd much rather stay with people she knew but even Ginny had to admit that the flat was getting kind of crowdy.

Yeah. It would be better to get away from this place and live as an independent woman. Surely I would do better if I went out, got a new roommate and lived a bit more independently. In a way, I feel sorry for Helena because she'd be living in such a crowded flat, Ginny thought as she turned on the water for her bath. With a postitive attitude, she stepped into her bubble bath and tried her best to relax and feel good about her having a chance to get away from the trio and live a bit more by her own terms.

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"Gooooood morning!" came a cheery voice the next morning as Harry and Ron both stepped out of their bedroom.

With that kind of sick and sweetening voice, it was bound to make Harry and Ron wake up abruptly from their grogginess. When they both opened their eyes widely, they both found themselves staring at their kitchen table filled with all kinds of breakfast food. Waffles, panckaes, sausages, egss, and some other stuff that nor Ron or Harry could name. Forcing their eyes to move from all the food they looked up to see who had woken up at the wake of dawn to complete all this.

"Ginny?" Ron said dumbly, staring at his little sister, dressed in a sunny, yellow sundress, holding out a plate of blueberry pancakes to Ron.

"Pancakes?" Ginny asked sweetly. "They're blueberry. You're favorite, Ron."

Ron's mouth immediately watered. "Bl... blue-- berry? Did you say blueberry pancakes, Gin?" Ron questioned slowly as if it hurt for him to talk. Ginny nodded slowly, still smiling cheerfully and pushing the plate of pancakes a bit closer to Ron's face.

Ron was flushed when he swiped the plate of pancakes from his sister. Grabbing the plate, he rushed over to the kitchen table and started gobbling up all the food into his mouth, unaware of Ginny's weird mood this morning.

Harry, on the other hand, was definitely aware of Ginny's slightly off mood.

"Ginny, are you feeling okay this morning?" Harry asked quietly.

"Hmmm?" was Ginny's replied. "Oh! Of course, Harry! You guys just took me by surprise was all, last night!" Ginny laughed slightly.

"So... you're feeling okay," Harry said uncertainly.

"Just peachy!" Ginny replied and turned around to grab a plate of pancakes. She offered them to Harry. "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

Harry grabbed the plate of pancakes. Ginny knew he favored them with a passion. She was an evil girl. An evil little witch.

"Morning, every one," came from Hermione's room. Hermione yawned loudly and stretched her muscles, not noticing her two best friends filling their stomachs with pancakes before her eyes.

"Goooooood morning, Hermione!" Ginny replied in a sing-songy voice.

"Morning, Ginny. Sleep well? You seem extremely happy this morning," Hermione asked cautiously. Ginny only got beyond happy when she was trying to make things positive. Just a small bit she learned from one of her only girlfriends.

" I slept wonderfully. I'm expecting you and Harry to take me to see my new roommate, today, I hope?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. To be honest, Harry and I have only seen the flat. The person who lives there seems to be busy all the time. But the flat really is quite wonderful. It's clean and it's near Hogsmeade and the price isn't actually that high. I'm sure you'll love it, Ginny," Hermione assured her friend. She might be exaggerating a teeny bit, but everything that she had just said was actually quite true.

"She's right," Harry added. "We haven't actually met the man who lives there now but we asked the landowner to leave him a message and the next day we got a letter saying that you were accepted to be the bloke's roommate. Excellent, eh?"

"A bloke!" Ron suddenly exploded. "No one told me my little sister here was going to stay with some bloke that none of us has ever met!"

Hermione rolled her and Harry tried to stifle a laugh. Ginny galred at her older brother and retorted, "Relax, Ron! I'm sure he's a very decent guy... or Harry and Hermione wouldn't have let me live with this new roommate."

Ron did not look convinced, though. He continued to chew his blueberry pancakes but glared at Harry and Hermione, nonetheless. "If anything happens with Ginny and this bloke we have never met, then you two are going to get it," Ron warned. "Honestly, Hermione! And you too, Harry! Never meeting this guy and expecting Ginny to go live with him? He could be a death eater!"

"Please, Ronald," Hermione said. She only called him "Ronald" when she was really annoyed with his stupidity, "He's got to be a decent guy. And you know that Voldemort was dominated with his fellow death eaters ages ago! And you're living with the person who had done so! So far, the Ministry of Magic has confirmed that there are no more such things as death eaters!"

Ron ignored Hermione and continued to stuff his mouth with pancakes and eggs. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're just lying so every one won't panic," Ron said.

"Anyways! Hermione, have some breakfast," Ginny said happily, clapping her hands together. "I made your favorite homemade biscuits!" She turned around and walked back into the kitchen and came out with freshly baked biscuits. Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Bis-- biscuits?" Hermione said. "Well... I guess I could have a little." Then, she picked up one biscuit and delighted her mouth. "Mmmm..."

Ginny smiled to herself in delight. She'd woken up extra early this morning and needed to cool her stress down... And the only way she could do that was to cook. She was happy to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione all enjoying her cooking. With that, she took off her apron and headed to her room to get dressed.

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"I trust we'll be meeting him today?" Ginny questioned when she came out of her bathroom to see Hermione there, trying to pick out an outfit. Hermione was never one to make outfits a huge deal but today, she was just so much of a... girl.

"Yeah, I guess. Now, Ginny... Which one looks better with these pair of jeans?" Hermione asked, holding up a white blouse and a pink t-shirt.

"Hermione... You look fine. Are you trying to look good for my roommate?" Ginny asked jokingly. "Well, he may be gay, you know. Like Colin?"

Hermione stopped worrying ouver her outfit and stared at Ginny. "Colin's gay?"

Ginny giggled. "Isn't it obvious? My best friend is gay. I found him staring an issue of Boy Toy. You know that muggle porn magazine?"

Hermione gasped. "No!"

"Yes! It was hilarious, I tell you. It took him quite a while to admit it to me, too," Ginny answered smiling.

Hermione laughed at the thought. "Well, now we're just getting off track. Now, Ginny, do you have anything I can borrow?"

"Are you positive you're not trying to hit it off with my unknown roommate?"

"GINNY!" Hermione gasped as Ginny collasped into a fit of giggles.

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"Tell me why you're dressing up again?" Ginny asked. Of course, she remembered Hermione telling her why she had wanted to look good but Ginny wanted to have a little fun with Hermione.

"I'm meeting Oliver..." Hermione said in a low voice. Ginny giggled and rolled her eyes. "What?" Hermione said sheepishly.

"Well... The thing I don't get is why this is such a secret," Ginny stated.

"I'm 32 years old and single and I haven't been on a date ever since I broke up with Viktor and that was seven years ago!"

Ginny laughed again, making Hermione blush. "Well, I know some one who's madly in love with you."

"I know about Neville, Ginny! You've no idea how obvious he is."

"Not Neville this time, Hermione," Ginny said and rushed to the Apparation point. "Pity that Harry can't make it to meet with my anonymous of a roommate."

Hermione did not rush to the apparation point like Ginny. Instead, she stood there, frozen when Ginny had completed her last statement. "Wait, Ginny! WAIT!" she called. She wanted to know who was 'madly in love with' her.

Ginny chuckled slightly and pulled out her wand. She motioned for Hermione to hurry and when Hermione had reached her they both immediately Apparated away to Ginny's new roommate's flat.

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"We're looking for 5663 Elden Street. Would you mind helping us?" Hermione asked a nearby shopper.

"Up the hill and turn to your right," the old man answered.

"Thank you, sir!" Hermione and Ginny called as they rushed up the hill.

Hermione and Ginny had been trying to find the flat for about half and hour now. It was amazing how sucha smart witch like Hermione was so bad at finding directions.

"We found it! Thank Merlin!" Hermione panted as they came to a halt. Ginny was relieved as well and looked at Hermione.

"Where to now?"

"Up there... I see it," Hermione said and walked up the path with Ginny following behind.

"You're not that great with directions, Hermione. We should have brought Harry," Ginny let Hermione know.

Hermione glanced at Ginny. "You're over Harry, right?"

Ginny made a strange noise. "Hermione, you know I have feelings for him as a brother. Besides, it's not like I can do anything about him now. He's going to be married," Ginny answered.

"Ginny, you haven't been on a date since last year," Hermione protested.

"Well, I'm beating you. You haven't been in one in seven years!" Ginny laughed and made Hermione shut up.

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Hermione and Ginny had made it to the flat two hours later. They'd taken a left turn when the old man had told them right and had to start all over again. Ginny mentally swore to leanr how to drive those muggle carts or whatever so she wouldn't have to walk. They would have Apparated, only if Hermione had been sure where the flat was.

And they were now standing outside the flat's door with Hermione about to knock on it. "Before we see who your roommate is, Ginny, I want you to know that if it were up to me, I'd rather have you staying with us rather than Helena," Hermione said. Ginny stared at her.

"Why? I always thought you liked Helena," Ginny said.

Hermione laughed slightly, "True, but she's not as good as a cook as you," Hermione replied and Ginny laughed with her. Finally, they knocked on the door.

Knock! Knock! KNOCK!

"Wester is coming! Wester is coming!" came a small voice from inside. Hermione and Ginny both stared at each other.

Then the door opened.

"Yes?" a small house-elf asked.

Ginny's jaw dropped a bit and Hermione's eye got wide. "Are you-- are you the owner of this f-flat?" Hermione asked.

"No! No! Wester is not the master of this flat! This flat is master Drake's flat!" Wester explained in horror. "Who are two misses?"

"I'm looking for the owner of this flat," Ginny stated.

"Who's looking for the owner?" came another voice from inside.

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END NOTES: So, a wonderful place to end the first story! cackles Awe, yeah, a stupid cliffe! But come on, we all know who he is! So cheer up and review so you can make ME happy! I'm not expecting a lot of reviews as this story kind of has a mellow beginning but please support me and review to tell me that you want to continue reviewing! Yours, Vanilla