Nothing Stays the Same

By jessebelle

Author's Note: Okay, longer wait then expected, but not quite the length of last time. School started, as did the college search, but I'm happy to say that I've been officially accepted to UWSP for the fall semester. Yay me! So I can relax a bit and write more, homework and the scholarship search pending.

Now without further adieu… the promised Weasleys.

NSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTS

Ginerva Molly Weasley was not like her mother. She preferred pranks to Homework, quidditch to cooking, and sleeping to worrying. However at the moment she was doing a pretty good impression of the Weasley Matriarch.

"I'm telling you, something's wrong with Harry. How come neither of you two are worried about him! You're supposed to be his best friends!" Hands on her hips, flushed face, screeching voice; yep, Ron thought, she looked and sounded like their mum.

"Calm down, Gin. Nothing's wrong with him he's Harry!"

The youngest Weasley rolled her eyes. "Exactly, he's Harry and trouble seems to gravitate towards him"

"She's right about that." Hermione consented, however her voice was one of calm. "You've been telling us something's wrong for a few days now, why are you so sure something's been happening to Harry?"

This gave the red head pause. She really didn't want to disclose about the birthday present for Harry, nor that she had a lightning bolt charm around her neck that was connected to Harry's charm, allowing her to feel Harry's emotions. However, she did have a few plausible reasons why her older brother and his best friend might worry.

"Well for one, he's Harry, but I think we've got that reason covered. Two, he's the boy-who-lived with an insane megalomaniac after his head, and three…have you forgotten about those bloody relatives of his? After what happened with the Triwizard Tournament, Harry needs the support and love of his friends. I don't think the Dursleys are helping his mental state. He needs us."

Hermione and Ron took this into consideration, then Hermione's eyes widened in realization. She'd been thinking only of Harry's physical state, but mentally…her best friend needed her.

Ron came to this realization only moments after Hermione, looking away in embarrassment. "Right, so something's wrong with Harry. What can we do? We're here, he's at Privet Drive, and we don't have a flying car this time."

Ginny grimaced, she hadn't thought that far. Floo was out, as was apparition, and Surrey was too far to fly to on their brooms. The only options were, "The Knight Bus or a port key."

Hermione nodded, but her face looked unconvincing. "Yes, but we can't get a port key and I doubt your mom would just not notice the Knight bus. Plus we don't have any money."

As Ron's ears reddened, Ginny sighed. That left the one, last ditch option. "Right, I didn't want to tell you about this, as I didn't want to be teased," She gave Ron a pointed look, "but there's a reason I know for sure Harry's in trouble, and it's also a way to get to him."

Hermione's eyebrows rose as Ginny reached into her shirt and pulled out the pendant. It was a gold lightning bolt with a few crystals here and there. "What is that?"

Ginny sighed. "It's a charm that connects me to Harry, or at least to the necklace I sent him for his birthday."

"You sent Harry jewelry for his birthday?" Ron chuckled, but then stopped when he noticed the looks Ginny and Hermione were sending him. "Uh, right. So how does it work?" Hermione's eyes brightened at this and she turned, interested to hear how Ginny had accomplished such an advanced form of magic.

Seeing this, the younger girl smiled. "Don't worry; I'll give the specifics to you later. Basically Harry's charm is for his protection, and there's an alarm on it that lets him, well…everyone know if someone has bad intentions. But I didn't tell him that his charm is connected to mine. It lets me feel his emotions, his pain. It's a way of sharing his burden I guess." She sighed. "There's also a charm that will act as a port key and take me to him if I say the password."

Hermione looked suitably impressed. "Ginny, that's seventh year magic. How did you-?"

Ginny sighed. "You're not going to like my source, but if you really want to know you can't tell anyone, especially Harry." Her eyes were pleading.

Hermione nodded. "Of course."

"Do you remember my first year?"

Hermione nodded, feeling guilty. "Yes, the Chamber, but what-?" Her eyes widened in realization. "The diary."

Ginny nodded sadly. "Yeah, the diary. I gained a lot of magic while I was being possessed, both good and bad." Seeing Hermione about to interrupt, she quickly continued. "You don't have to worry; I checked all the spells out and cleared them with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. They were surprised, but they helped me. The necklaces are perfectly safe."

"Are you positive?" Hermione gave the girl a searching gaze.

"Absolutely. Now all we have to do is be touching, then I'll speak the password and we'll be taken to Harry, where ever he is."

Ron and Hermione shared a look, then turned to the youngest Weasley. "Okay"

Ginny nodded back at them. "Do we need anything to bring for him?"

"That'd be a good idea. Why don't we all go get anything we think might help him and we'll meet back here in a few minutes."

Following Hermione's suggestion the group dispersed. When they came back, each had a variety of things. Taking stock of them, Ginny was pleased with everyone's choices. "So Ron has some quidditch things to take his mind off everything, I have a few first aid things, and Hermione has some school books and his homework." She and her brother shared a grin. "Well then, everyone join hands." She took Ron and Hermione's hands, then watched with a grin as Hermione and Ron hesitated, before the girl finally grabbed his hand, forcefully. She took a deep breath, smiling at the sight of Ron's reddening ears and Hermione's growing blush, before whispering the password. "Pickled Toad."

Different from a port key, there was no jerking feeling from the navel, nor any unbalanced sickening feeling. Instead it was like their surroundings just faded out, to be replaced by the surroundings of…the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts?

The trio all looked at each other in confusion, before a figure on one of the beds caught their attention. Turning they found themselves face to face with a pair of bespectacled green eyes that stared at them in shock, confusion, and a touch of embarrassment. "Ginny, Hermione, Ron?" NSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTS

Harry Potter, like most, hated the Hospital Wing; which was an unfortunate fact considering how much time he spent there. It'd been a day since his wonderful dream of his parents and his confrontation with Remus, Sirius, and the Potion's Master, who oddly enough, seemed to have a change of heart over the summer. He hadn't dreamt of his parents again, even though all he seemed to be doing was sleeping. He felt a lot better then he had before, but due to the reduction of the pain potions, he was now feeling the discomfort.

He'd been awake for a while now, listening to the sounds of Madame Pomfrey working in her office, the bangs that occurred every once in a while, which he assumed was his godfather and Mooney due to the yelling that happened after, and the annoying bird outside his window. He was bored, and about to start counting the ceiling tiles for the fifth time since his first year at Hogwarts, when he noticed a shape materialize in the middle of the room. Followed by two loud booming voices.

"I am the ghost of Christmas past!"

"And I of Christmas Future!"

"Padfoot! Moony! When did you get my invisibility cloak?" But both Marauders were too busy laughing at the expression on his face to answer his question. "Sirius!"

"Sorry Kiddo, couldn't help it. The look on your face-" he began to laugh again.

Remus had calmed down and smiled warmly at the boy. "We ah…found your cloak and figured we'd try to-"

"Scare the crap out of me, well, you succeeded. But at least you cured me of my boredom. I'm going crazy in here!"

Sirius smiled sadly, placed a hand on the boy's shoulders and gave him back his invisibility cloak. "Sorry kiddo, but we're going to have to return you to the horrors of the Hospital Wing. No that I'm free I have quite a few things that need to be done so I can rejoin society. I need to get my licenses renewed, go over my Gringotts account, find a place to live-"

"Since you're free does this mean I get to come live with you now?" Harry watched with dread as Sirius and Remus shared looks. "If you still want me too that is." Stupid! How could he be so dumb to think that Sirius would want to be responsible for a teenager, let alone one that was a murderer and connected to Voldemort. That man probably wanted to start his own family now, not just take care of the reason his best friend was dead.

Sirius's head whipped to the boy on the bed so fast after hearing his godson talk like that. "Are you kidding? Of course I wasn't you to come sty with me." He moved to the bed and pulled Harry into his arms, careful of the boy's injuries. "I just need to make arrangements and do stuff."

"So I don't have to go back to the Dursleys?"

This time it was Remus who reacted, letting his wolf to the surface. "Never, Harry! You'll never go back there." And to show just how upset he was at the idea, his eyes flashed yellow.

Harry sighed in relief, then realizing he didn't want them to know what Vernon had done, he quickly explained. "Good, because it'd be really nice to be able to at least do my homework during the summer and ride my broom. Plus I'm tired of being surrounded by people who hate me."

Over his head Remus and Sirius shared sad looks. "Well, you'll never have to worry about that again." Sirius stood up from the bed. "Why don't you get some rest and we'll be back for dinner, okay?" He knew Lily and James were waiting for the boy to fall asleep so they could spend time with him.

Harry sighed and nodded "Sure, leave me to my boredom."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"And you could always work on your homework." Remus suggested with a smile, and upon seeing Harry's reaction he chuckled. "Or not. But enjoy the quiet, okay? We'll see you later."

"Bye kiddo!" Sirius ruffled his hair.

"Bye guys." And then Harry was alone, again.

It was half an hour later that he'd finally succumbed to counting the marks on the ceiling. He was up to 1,908,881 when he saw another figure forming in front of his bed. Figuring it was Sirius and Remus and wondering how they'd gotten his cloak again, he wasn't too worried. Then when he saw the three come into focus, his eyes widened in amazement. He stared at the three figures in shock before he was able to speak.

"Ginny, Hermione, Ron?" The trio stared back at him and he immediately became self conscious of where he was and how he'd gotten there. "Uh, guys? Explanations?" he looked to Hermione for answers, but the girl just stared at him sadly. Feeling even more aware of his embarrassment, he looked away, but suddenly someone was there, holding his chin and making him look their way. He found himself staring into a pair of brown eyes, eyes that didn't hold pity or anger, but something he couldn't describe.

"Don't you dare look away Harry James Potter; you have nothing to be ashamed of!" And once again Ginny sounded like her mother. She waited until he met her eyes, then finally she released his chin before sitting down on the bed next to him. He watched as she turned to the other two, his best friends, with a smirk.

Following her gaze he found Hermione and Ron standing there in a stupor staring at him, but they were holding hands. After a cough and a nod form Ginny, they both realized this and he watched as they jumped apart, horrifies. He couldn't help but chuckle, which attracted their attention. In the time it took for him to blink he suddenly had a lapful of Hermione, her arms around him and her hair tickling his nose. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. Ginny kept telling us something was wrong, but I didn't believe her. Oh, I'm

so-"

The boy-who-lived's eyes were wide in fear; he'd never dealt with an emotional girl before. Looking to Ron for help, the boy mouthed 'say something.' He awkwardly began patting Hermione on the back. "Uh, there there?"

He heard Ginny's snort and turned to see her rolling her eyes. With an evil grin she mouthed 'pathetic.' He turned back to the girl in his lap with a new determination. "Shh, Hermione, it's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. You couldn't have known something was wrong." He heard her sobs lessen and smiled triumphantly at the two red heads as Hermione calmed down. She slowly sat up sniffling. Then realizing that she was sitting on Harry's lap, she blushed scarlet and jumped up. Harry grimaced, her weight having hurt his injuries.

Seeing this, Ron was quick to ask, "You okay, Mate?" But the look in his eyes told Harry the question was deeper then that.

Taking a deep breath, Harry gave a sad smile, telling the truth for once. "I don't know." Everyone was silent then; Ron taking a seat in the chair next to his bed, Hermione sitting on his other side. The silence was deafening before he finally asked the question that had been swimming around his brain. "Why are you here? How did you get here?" At this he watched as Ron and Hermione shared looks before turning to Ginny. The red head blushed, looking more like the girl he'd met years ago with her elbow in the butter dish. He smiled at the memory, but kept his gaze on her.

She sighed, then slowly she reached out a hand. He watched curiously as she reached a hand down his shirt. The incredulous look Ron gave him was humorous, but he kept his eyes on the girl. Slowly she pulled out the toad. He blushed slightly, and he could hear Ron choke in surprise. Still holding the necklace with one hand, Ginny reached down her own shirt with the other and pulled out another charm, this one a lightning bolt. He felt his face flush redder, but it was nothing compared to her. She leaned forward and he held his breath. Instinctively he reached up and grabbed both necklaces, his hands on top of hers. As soon as he held both of them, he gasped in surprise.

He could feel the power, feel her; Ginny. His eyes locked with hers. She was….nervous, confident, understanding. But the emotion she was feeling the most was…love? Hermione calling their names broke the connection, but she sounded far away. Like they were in slow motion, slowly they looked toward the other witch, his hand dropped from Ginny's, and as soon as they lost contact…WHAM! The two were jerked back into reality. Suddenly everything was louder, brighter, and he felt…lighter somehow, more alive. It took a second to realize that Hermione was still calling their names. "Harry! Ginny!"

"What?" they spoke in unison. It was Ron who explained.

"It was like you two were somewhere else, it was freaky."

Harry took a deep breath. "Yeah." He turned back to Ginny. "That still didn't explain anything."

Ginny took a deep breath. "You know how I charmed you necklace?"
He nodded and thought back to Dudley trying to steal his breakfast and the 'alarm' with a smile. She continued. "Well, I also made another pendant for me, one that's connected to yours. It allows me to feel your feelings so I know if you're in trouble. There's also a charm that brings me right to you, kind of like a port key. I could feel your pain, then I couldn't feel anything so I knew something was wrong. After convincing these two you needed us, we used my charm to bring us to you. And now we're here. Are you mad?"

Harry briefly wondered how she'd managed that type of magic, but was more in awe of the fact that sh-they'd cared enough to check up on him and travel all the way to Hogwarts for him, even if it had been with the help of magic. Noticing the looks they were giving him, he realized they were still waiting for his answer. "Oh, no, I'm not mad. I just wish you would've told me about the extra enchantments. It's kind of weird knowing that you're feeling my feelings though. I haven't wrapped my mind around it yet, so after I think about it I'll let you know, though I suppose you'll already have figured it out."

Ginny gave a sad laugh. "Yeah, I just don't want you to throw away our new friendship because I overstepped my bounds. You have a habit of keeping all your feelings to yourself and I figured it would be good for you to share them with someone, even if you didn't know you were. That and it helps me keep tabs on you. With everything that's happening now, well…you get the picture."

Harry sighed. "Unfortunately."

"Harry, why are you here; in the hospital wing at Hogwarts instead of with the Dursleys." Hermione couldn't help but ask. She didn't expect Harry's reaction though. He winced, as if he was in physical pain, and judging by the bandages, he could've been. However she also noticed the light that had been in his eyes, had dimmed and he seemed to be shutting off emotionally. Right before their eyes they watched as his familiar mask appeared, hiding his real feelings. She wished she hadn't asked.

Harry tried his hardest not to let his feelings show. He didn't want anyone knowing what had happened with Uncle Vernon. He knew he was weak, but everyone seemed to think he was strong, a hero. If they knew the truth, that he was able to be taken down by a mere muggle, what would they think? He went with a half truth, leaving out some details and letting everyone else fill in the blanks.

"I was attacked." Sure enough he watched the wheels spin in Hermione's head.

"Oh, Harry! Voldemort got to you already!" He looked away in shame, and that made it more convincing even though he wasn't trying to be.

Ginny could feel the pain, embarrassment, shame. All were his real feelings, and they helped mask the fact that he was lying. She imagined the horrors the death eater's had put him through, and cursed the fact that he was a trouble magnet.

But to everyone's surprise, it was Ron who was more observant…who picked up on the fact it was a lie. "No, it wasn't death eaters, was it Harry?" Most people pegged the red head as someone who didn't care, didn't have feelings. Hermione had even claimed he had the emotional range of a teaspoon. But what they didn't know was that behind the jokes was a strategist, someone who watched, observed, and planned. He watched as Harry froze, saw the green eyes turn and face his. He noticed the pain, humiliation, and fear.

Though many didn't notice, it was Ron who'd forced the twins into helping rescue him before second years. He'd been the one to help him escape his prison, literally if you counted the bars on the windows. Each year it was him who forced Harry to eat, helping the boy get his weight up. And it was Ron who shared a dorm with him and listened to all his nightmares.

Harry's breath caught in his throat and at the moment he reminded everyone of a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Hermione suddenly doubted the conclusion that she'd come to, and realized in shock what Ron was implying. Ginny felt the flood of feelings Harry was going through, and she too realized the truth. And Ron…Ron continued to question his best friend, because he knew until Harry admitted it, the nightmares would continue and he'd never get over it.

"It was the Dursley's, wasn't it? I'm betting Vernon, because I doubt your aunt would bother to even touch you, and you're able to handle Dudley so he wouldn't have left this much damage."

A strangled sound came out of Harry's throat. He couldn't speak, his throat felt tight. "Am I right Harry? Did he do this to you?" It was getting hotter. Harry felt dizzy. He knew. Ron knew.

"Ronald! Stop it!" Hermione screamed, seeing the affect the red head's words had on her best friend.

"Come on Harry, admit it. Say it. You were attacked by your Uncle."

"You're making it worse!" Ginny could feel Harry's feelings and was feeling a bit peaked herself.

Ron knew. They knew. He was weak. Ron would tell. Everyone would know.

"We know Harry; all you have to do is admit it to yourself."

No, can't say it. Didn't happen. Attacked by death eaters, that was his story. "stop."

"Ron!"

"Harry, say it. It wasn't death eaters, it was your uncle. Did he hit you? Kick you? Tell us, tell me."

No, not gonna, he wasn't, it wasn't. The trio watched as the boy on the bed shook his head. They could hear him mumble, see the panic in his face. Hermione and Ginny had both gotten up by now, and Hermione was holding the other girl, keeping her steady as she was his by the onslaught of Harry's emotions. Tears came to their eyes as the truth of the situation hit them.

"no."

"Harry!!" and with Ron's last yell, the damn broke.

"He did it. Uncle Vernon hit me, stabbed me with a bottle. Said I was a freak. I am a freak, a murderer. He didn't want me. Sirius doesn't want me. Doesn't matter he's free, gonna get a new family. Hurts, Merlin it hurts. No one, no one cares. You think I'm a hero, but I'm not. Broken, and now that you know I'm gonna be alone. Dream ended, reality sucks. No friends, have to fight Voldemort. Killed Cedric. Weak.-"

The girls held on to each other, crying, listening to the boy's words. And Ron, Ron let out a breath of relief. Harry had admitted it, that was step one. Now he had to fix the damage. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the boy on the bed. And instead of a crying boy, he saw another brother. He pulled him into a hug, forcefully as Harry thrashed.

"No, I don't want to hear another word about you being weak, Harry Potter. You're one of the strongest people I know. Everyone who knows you does think of you as a hero, but not because you've defeated Voldemort. I'm sure I speak for Hermione and the rest of my family when I say that we think you're a hero because of the things you have done, and the way you've dealt with the bad hand you've been given. When it came to destinies, you got a bloody bad one, but you have the strength to get through it, and I don't want to hear otherwise. As for no one caring, well, you're wrong. I care, Hermione, cares, Ginny cares, and I could give you a two foot list of others who care about you, but we don't have the time. What happened to you was Not Your Fault! Your uncle is a horrible man and deserves a lifetime with the dementors for what he did to you. He will pay, maybe not right away, but someday he'll get what's coming for him.

As for the big one, you killing Cedric, well, that's a bloody big load of crap. You're not a murder Harry, it wasn't you who killed him, it was Peter, and the rat will get his, Sirius will make sure of it. Now snap out of it and talk to me!"

Slowly Harry began to still, his sobs lessened, and his body worn out. Ron kept hold of him until he pulled away. Only then did he release the boy-who-lived. "Better, Mate?"

Harry exhaled shakily. "Yeah. Thanks."

Ron smiled. "Don't mention it." Harry smiled and the red head continued. "Seriously, don't mention. I have a reputation to maintain you know."

Hermione and Ginny both gave shaky laughs. Then suddenly Harry was being hugged by the two girls. Both were giving him hugs that rivaled Mrs. Weasley's and as Ron watched Harry turn colors. "Uh, girls?"

The looked curiously at Ron. But it was Harry that answered. "Can't –gasp- breathe!"

"Oh, sorry." "Sorry, Harry!" and he was released.

Everyone was quiet for a while; the only sounds were their breathing. All four of them sat on the bed processing what had just happened. Finally Harry broke the silence. "Thanks…for everything."

"No problem Harry. Unlike these two we don't have a load of older siblings to look out for us. But you're like my brother, and I love you." Hermione met his intense green eyes.

Harry gave her a smile. "Good, because you're like my sister. We gotta stick together you know." And the two came to an accord.

"Hey, what about me?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I love you too, Ron."

Harry and Ginny both shared grins as Ron blushed brightly at Hermione's words. Feeling sorry for him, Harry interjected. "Yeah, Ickle-Ronnickins, you're family too."

"Awww, Harry!" And the group laughed. Then Ron got a big grin, "And now we've got Ickle-Gin-Gin. Can't forget the baby of the group." Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement.

But instead of getting upset, Ginny just grinned. "Yep, that's me. But considering it was the baby that got us here, I expect a bit more respect."'

Ron sighed. "I suppose." Then he rolled his eyes as the girl gave him a hug, but didn't pull away.

They stayed that way for a while, talking, catching up, then they decided to stretch out. With a grin, Harry and Ginny kicked Hermione and Ron off the end of the bed, laughing as they fell to the floor. The two huffed then moved to the adjacent bed. Occasionally yawning, the group shared stories.

"So Hermione, how did you first figure out you were a witch?" Harry had been wondering this for a while, and by the interested looks on the Weasley siblings' faces, they had too."

Hermione blushed. "You don't want to know-"

"Yes, we do!" The three spoke in unison, but kept their voices down.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine, but only if you tell me your stories first." She sent a challenging look to the boy who lived.

Harry sighed. "I didn't know I was a wizard until Hagrid told me on my birthday," Seeing their protests he held up a hand and continued. "Wait, wait, I did have a few interesting cases of accidental magic though. One time I turned my teacher's hair blue. Another time I was running from Dudley and his gang and I ended up on the roof of the school." He grimaced. "It was cool, but the punishment wasn't worth it. Then another time I shrunk this god-awful sweater Aunt Petunia wanted me to wear. Luckily she thought she just shrunk it in the wash. Of course, you all know about that time at the zoo when I vanished the glass in the reptile house, right?" Seeing their nods he grinned sheepishly. "That's pretty much it for me. Ron, any interesting things happen while you were growing up?"

The red headed boy grinned proudly. "Yep. Unlike Neville, we kind of always knew I had magic. When I little, after the spider incident with Fred and George, I, uh, got revenge."

Harry looked at the grin on the Weasley siblings' faces and felt himself smiling. "Well?"

"Oh, right. They'll kill me for telling you this, but since you're family…the twins used to have their own stuffed animals, an owl and a toad. That first night I was having nightmares about it when suddenly I wasn't the one screaming anymore. It was the twins', and their cries were joined with the croaking of Fred's toad and the hooting of George's owl. I'd turned them into real animals."

"Seriously?"

Ron grinned proudly. "Yep, and I didn't even get in trouble for my revenge. Then there was a time when I was being chased by all the garden gnomes. I was scared and tired of running. The next thing I knew all the gnomes flew out of the garden like I'd done a repelling charm. Mum was real happy with that one; gave me quite a few chocolate frogs. That's when I started collecting."

By the end of the story the friends were all laughing quietly so as not to disturb Madame Pomfrey. They could certainly picture Ron's stories.

"How about you Ginny. I can't imagine it was easy growing up with all those brothers?" Hermione looked over to her only female friend, curiously.

Ginny grinned. "Yeah, it was kind of tough. It helped that I was the only girl and the baby. Let's see…the first time I performed magic was when I was four. Ron thought he was one of the boys and refused to play with me. I got upset and Ron ended up not being able to go five feet away from me for the rest of the week."

Ron paled at the reminder. "I remember that, we ended up having quite a few tea parties, and I'd never played with so many dolls in my life. Then there was the dress up." He shuddered.

Ginny smiled evilly. "Yep, though I seem to remember the tea parties as your idea. We'll have to ask mum, and she did take quite a few pictures."

Harry and Hermione burst out laughing as Ron turned an interesting shade of red. In between bouts of laughter, Hermione managed to make requests for copies of the pictures. To Ron's horror Ginny assured the girl she had plenty to spare.

"Any more interesting stories, Gin?" Harry looked at the girl sitting next to him with a smile.

"No, none that I can think of."

Ron made a noise of disbelief. "Yeah right, you had your accidental magic mastered. She used it all the time to get us in trouble."

Everyone looked over to the girl, but Ginny was a picture of innocence. "Why Ronald, what ever do you mean? Would I ever do a thing like that to my darling older brothers?"

In unison the golden trio affirmed Ron's accusation. "Yes!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and yawned. "Right then, Hermione, you're up. And give us plenty of details."

The brunette sighed heavily. "Fine. So as you've probably notice, my hair is a bit…wild. That's my fault."

Ron and Harry shared looks over the girls' heads. This was gonna be good.

"Anyway, when I was little I had a huge imagination. I loved playing pretend and sometimes I went a bit…overboard. My first use of magic was when I was five. I was pretending I was a dog, one of those really furry dogs and for two weeks I went around the house on all fours barking. My mum even let me eat out of a bowl on the floor, claiming she didn't want to stunt my imagination. Finally at the end of my time as a dog, my dad mad a comment about how I wasn't fluffy enough to properly pet, because my hair was originally straight. I took offence, started barking like mad, and then :poof: I had this." Hermione pointed to the bushy mess on her head.

"No way, you've got to be making this up!" Ron stared at the girl, but had a grin like it was Christmas.

Hermione shook her head. "I wish I was. I've tried everything to tame it, but it stays this way no matter what."

"Maybe you should contact the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad; they might know what to do." Ginny gave her friend a grin.

Hermione nodded, thinking on the concept. "Maybe." She yawned.

"So did you have ay other, uh, incidences?"

"Yes, the hair thing wasn't enough to lead us to thing I might be magical. The candy incident however…"

Ron raised his eyebrows, interested. "Candy?"

"Yes, candy. You know my parents are dentists and don't approve of sweets. Well when I was seven I had a bit of a sweet tooth. One day at the grocers, I spotted the candy aisle and through a tantrum. My mum dragged me out of the store kicking and screaming. When we got to the car it got worse. Then suddenly as I was shouting for candy, the car just started to fill up. Chocolate, toffees, candy bars; every sweet you can imagine just appeared out of thin air. In a word it was…magic. My parents freaked out, then suddenly the candy was gone. My parents forgot all about it, or assumed it was a dream. We didn't' connect the dots until I got my Hogwarts letter." She yawned again.

"Wicked!" Ron turned to Ginny. "How come that never happened to me?"

His sister grinned evilly. "Because you aren't lucky enough. So how did your parents react to your Hogwarts letter?" She looked over to her brunette friend, then smiled. Hermione was asleep, leaning against her brother.

Ron turned to see what she was smiling at and blushed. "Uh?" He looked to Harry for help.

The boy-who-lived grinned. "Let her sleep, Ron."

The red head nodded. "Right." But he kept his eyes on the girl using him as a pillow.

Seeing her brother was distracted, Ginny turned to Harry for conversation. "So."

"Yeah. He sighed. It was quiet for a moment before…

"I'm sorry for invading your privacy." "Thank you for the gift."

Then realizing what the other had said, they both chuckled. "Don't worry about it." Harry smiled shyly.

Ginny returned the smile. "And I'm glad you liked it." Then they were back to awkward silence. A snore broke through the tension and they turned to look toward the other bed. Upon seeing the bed's occupants, both struggled to hold their laughter.

"Aww, I wish I had a camera. They're just too cute!" Ginny stated as she watched her brother who had fallen asleep against Hermione. With a grin she hopped off the bed and walked toward the two. Reaching them she carefully arranged them so they were now laying down, Hermione on Ron's chest. How she managed to do this without waking either of them up, Harry didn't know. She got back on the bed after covering them with a blanket. Turning to Harry, she was puzzled at his grin. "What?"

He shrugged but answered her question with one of his own. "How come they didn't wake up?"

At this a knowing look appeared on her face. "Oh, well, I lived with Ron my whole life, even shared a room with him at one point, and you've forgotten that I've shared a room with Hermione every time she's come over. Those two care both heavy sleepers; they have to be with Ron's snoring."

Harry chuckled at this as he watched his friends sleep. "No kidding. The first charm Neville learned on his first try was the silencing charm. He couldn't take the snoring any more." But when he turned back to Ginny for her response, he only got a soft sigh. She had fallen asleep against him. He took a deep breath, as she was resting on his shoulder, and the extra weight wasn't helping the pain. Then taking a chance, he slowly moved back so he was lying down, pulling her with him and adjusting her so she was resting against her side but not hurting him. It was only after he accomplished this that he realized the position they were in; closer then Ron and Hermione, his arm around her, holding her body close to his. It was…intimate. A yawn interrupted his thought process, and it was then that he was hit with an epiphany. He felt safe and loved; a new feeling for him but one he hoped to feel a lot more. And surrounded by this new, happy feeling of contentment, he fell asleep; Ginny in his arms and his friends by his side.

NSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTSNSTS

A/N: Yay! I finally finished. I know it's been a while, but I've been writing this chapter in bits and pieces during school. I hope you liked it! Anyway, I'll try and update sooner this time and I already have the next chapter planned out. Please review and tell me what you think.

Toodles,

jessebelle

Chapter completed Nov. 8, 2006