A/N: First off, trigger warning for the ones who need it! Secondly: It's been years since I've written HP fanfic! This story is for the Camp NaNoWriMo 2015 (April edition), I have started early, obviously, but I just got so excited to share it with you all, and it will hopefully give me the motivation I need to keep it all going when April hits. OK, time to stop my babbling. Please let me know if you enjoy my story!

Chapter Word Count (CWC): 1,515.

Harry could hear the screaming from the end of the block. It grew louder the closer he got, and confirmed his worse assumptions as he reached the door. They were fighting. Though he couldn't tell what was being said, the walls thick enough to muffle the words that mostly seemed to be coming from Ron, it would take an idiot to not recognize it was more than just your typical married couple squabble. Harry and Ginny had raised their voices to each other many of times, but this level of fighting had never even seemed to occur to either of them. Harry rapt his knuckles against the door, the screaming stopped if only for a second before starting up again. Growing concerned, Harry raised his hand to knock again, but was frozen mid-motion as a sharp 'SMACK' sounded. The unmistakable sound reminiscent of a palm connecting with flesh. Unable to move much from shock, Harry pressed a timid ear to the door – more like his body had fell forward so he was forced into the position. The screaming had stopped. He could hear nothing but a slight movement from the other side of the door, and fell forward as it opened. Harry wobbled from the sudden void of space, took a moment to balance himself, then mimed a smile as if he hadn't heard a thing, and hadn't been leaning against the door trying to hear more. Hermione stood there in front of him.

Look at her eyes. Harry had been told this by Hermione once. Look at her eyes. They've been fighting again.

Hermione's brown eyes, usually full of intense excitement were glossed over with a layer of tears. An invisible wall seemed to keep them from falling over to run down her cheeks. Harry couldn't help but notice one of those cheeks had a perfect imprint of a hand, a cherry red blush that would fade in time, but would be forever scarred in Harry's memory. Before he could ask what was going on, Ron appeared behind her. Hermione failed at holding in a flinch as he wrapped an arm around her side, pulled her gently out of the doorway and beckoned Harry in as if nothing had happened.

"Shall we go?" Ron asked, grabbing a bag that had been placed, one of many, in front of the stairs. "We've got the potato salad and deserts. Mum said she'd be making her corned beef sandwiches."

Harry feigned excitement, but shot a wary eye to Hermione after Ron had stepped past them to close the door. With his back to them, he furrowed his brow at Hermione, who shook her head; a small and meek movement that would have gone unnoticed if Harry hadn't been watching her so carefully.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked. Harry jumped, forgetting where he was, and broke away from Hermione's gaze. He grabbed the other bags, throwing a few of them over his shoulder without looking back to Ron. It was hard enough to look at Hermione, let alone look at the guy who put that mark on her face.

"She decided to meet us there. Something about needing to assist in a surprise I'm not supposed to know about."

"Who snitched?" Ron asked, his voice dropping to convicting tones and fearing he'd yell at Hermione regardless of his presence or not, answered quickly.

"No one. I accidentally opened an owl Ginny received a few weeks ago and forced it out of her." It wasn't a bad thing of opening that letter, but the wait for today had been excruciatingly long. His birthday wasn't the surprise, everything had been planned to happen on his birthday, but the guest list and RSVP's they'd received is what made him excited. People he hadn't seen in years were to be showing up. Ginny had made him promise not to tell anyone he knew, and to act extra surprised when they'd pop out at him in celebratory fashion and Harry was bound and determined to make it the best performance of his life, but the feeling had diminished as soon as he saw Hermione. She hadn't said a word since opening the door, instead, she had stood off to the side, one arm hugging herself and was staring at a spot on the floor. Harry had opened his mouth to ask her a question, to get her to talk, when Ron spoke up again.

"Well let's get a move on then. I think I've stalled you long enough for them to hide." Grinning, Ron grabbed a hold of Hermione's arm and they both disappeared with a soft 'POP.' Harry stood alone for a moment. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what in the hell had gone on, before adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder, taking the other bags with both hands, and disapperating.

The Burrow looked just as it did the first time Harry laid eyes on it. Standing there, looming over him, looking ragged and yet managing to hold itself together. It was a warm welcome, but knowing that Hermione was somewhere inside, obviously unable to speak, did nothing to light the excitement in him. He walked to the front door, pushed it open with his foot as far as he could before using the bags he was holding as a bumper to get inside. He had barely slipped the bag off his shoulder before a chorus of voices filled the air around him.

"Happy Birthday!" They screamed, bursting into a song afterward. Harry peeled his lips back into a smile that he hoped was believable. It wasn't the act he had planned and practiced every day for the past couple of weeks, but it seemed to be enough as he was rushed with open arms from all directions. Dedalus Diggles' violet top hat blocking the view of the crowd as he rushed in for a handshake. Stirgus Podmore, Bill and Charlie Weasley, and even Arabella Figg each gave their greeting before he had a chance to breathe. A genuine smile crossed his face as McGonagall approached him and smiled. It had been over a year since his last visit to Hogwarts, but she didn't look a day older than when he first saw her on his first day there.

"Happy birthday, Harry." She pulled him into a hug. Over her shoulder, a very uncomfortable looking Hagrid had been stooping just to fit into the room, snuggly in a corner probably to keep from trampling all those in attendance. In his hands, a cake that was obviously handmade and squished inside a white box. Surrounding him, faces of his friends that he had seen off and on in the past few months greeted him excitedly: Neville and Hannah, Luna, Seamus and Dean. Mixed in were those from the Auror's office that he had seen five days a week for the past ten years. He couldn't believe there was enough room for all these people, on top of the large Weasley family, yet somehow they all fit comfortably, with a little elbow room to spare.

Ginny appeared at his side, grabbed his arm and kissed his cheek. She whispered her sweet nothings into his ear. He had grabbed onto her arm, politely dismissing them from the crowd and led them outside. When he turned to face her, she appeared shocked, a little worried.

"You don't approve of this, do you?" Ginny started. "I knew this was going too far."

"No, no." Harry quickly defended. "It's wonderful. Quite brilliant, thank you." He glanced back at the door, then pulled them away further as if the distance they already had was not good enough. "I wanted to ask you about Hermione." Harry started. "Her and Ron were fighting when I arrived. Not a good fight either. I think he hit her."

"Couples fight, Harry." Ginny answered. "They'll get over it."

"You didn't hear me, did you? He hit her. I'm sure the mark is still on her cheek."

"I was hiding right beside her waiting for you. I saw nothing of the sort. Maybe it was just a sleep imprint."

"It must have been a painful sleep." Harry mumbled. Ginny rolled her eyes and placed a hand against his face, her thumb rubbed a spot below his eye.

"I heard someone get smacked." Harry said. "She answered the door almost in tears."

"Fighting makes girls cry, Harry. Surely you know that."

"Ginny." Harry grabbed her hand, pulling it gently down from his face. "I'm being serious."

"I am too." She stated softly, but Harry wasn't so sure. She stood there, admiring him, before sighing and pulling the hand he had grabbed toward the door. "Don't think too much about it, Harry. My brother is absolutely smitten with Hermione. We both know that, and we both know that he'd never hurt her."

Harry followed, brooding. For the time being, he would join the party, make the most of it, but he'd be keeping a wary eye toward Hermione and try to find time to pull her aside.