Magic and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by mdauben
Summary: During the summer after the final battle, Harry decides to rebuild his godfather's old motorcycle. Could it be that he will be able to to rebuild more than just that now that Voldemort is gone?
Rating: G
Categories: Post-DH/AB
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2011.07.16
Updated: 2012.11.03
Index
Chapter 1: June 1998
Chapter 2: July 1998
Chapter 3: August 1998
Chapter 4: June 1999
Chapter 1: June 1998
Author's Notes: The title of this story was inspired by the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. Other than the title, however, the two stories have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Harry Potter stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the collection of broken, rusty and greasy parts spread out on a dirty, faded tarp in one corner of Mr. Weasley's ramshackle shed. This was all that was left of his godfather's old flying motorcycle after he and Hagrid had crashed it in the yard of Ted and Andromeda Tonks home while fleeing a Death Eater ambush. At dinner yesterday, Mr. Weasley had told him that while Harry was on the run, he had gone back and collected all the bits and pieces he could find of the old motorcycle after the accident and had been storing them here in his shed ever since. Harry was fairly sure that there were still some significant pieces missing, and much of what was there was cracked, bent, or otherwise broken.
Harry sighed. He hadn't really realized what terrible shape the old motorcycle was in when he had decided to rebuild it after talking to Mr. Weasley last night. Still, since he had lost his Firebolt, the racing broom that Sirius had given him for Christmas several years ago, during the same escape from Privet Drive he was determined to restore this motorcycle as his last tangible link to his late, beloved godfather. It was going to be a lot of work, but he certainly had the time and money to do it. At one point he had planned to become an Auror as soon as he graduated from school, but after the Battle of Hogwarts, he realized he had been spending half his life fighting Dark Wizards and he just wasn't sure now if he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing the same thing. At the very least he felt that he needed a break to decide what he wanted to do with his life and he figured that repairing Sirius' old motorcycle would keep him busy while he decided.
As Harry stood there, he heard the door of the shed open and someone else walk in. Turning, he saw it was his 'ex-girlfriend', Ginny Weasley. Since the day after the Last Battle, he had wanted to talk to her and find out if she would be willing to take him back now that the prophecy was fulfilled and he was finally free to live his life. There had been so many demands on both their time the last few weeks, though, that he had never had a chance to really talk to her. The rare times when they were both free, her family had always been around them, preventing any sort of private conversation. Harry wasn't really sure if any of the Weasleys aside from Ron even knew that he and Ginny had ever dated at the end of his sixth year, so he was understandably reluctant to bring the subject up in front of them. Still, this might finally be the chance he had been looking for.
"Ginny!" he greeted her. "I'm glad to see you here. I've been wanting to have a private word with you but we just never seemed to have the chance."
"Oh," she said a bit cautiously, "what is it you wanted to talk about, Harry?"
"Actually, I was hoping to talk about us," he replied, looking down at the floor and scuffing one of his trainers back and forth in the dust. Taking her silence as permission to continue, he went on. "Ginny, I know that I broke up with you before I left with Ron and Hermione, but I hope you understand it wasn't because I didn't want to be with you anymore. The whole time we were gone I couldn't stop thinking about you. In fact, some nights when I was on watch by myself I would pull out the Marauders Map and stare at it, just looking at your dot in the Gryffindor tower and imagine I was watching you sleep."
He looked up at her again to make sure she wasn't laughing at him for that last confession. Seeing her watching him calmly with no evidence of laughter, he continued. "The thing is, Ginny, that I still care about you and I was wondering… hoping actually… that we might be able to get back together again? That we could be boyfriend and girlfriend like we were those few brilliant weeks before everything fell apart?"
As he finished, Harry saw a strange, unreadable expression come over Ginny's face. He watched her anxiously, waiting for some response but then his insides seemed to freeze when she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Harry asked in a hoarse voice, "Is there… is there someone else then, Ginny?"
Swinging her gaze back to the stricken wizard with a jerk, she replied, "No… no! There's no one else, Harry. Not in the last year and certainly not now. I know you told me I should move on but… I didn't. I couldn't."
Harry's heart started to beat again, "Then… does that mean there's still a chance for us?"
"I'd… I'd like that, Harry. Really I would. If we are going to try again, though, you are going to have to convince me that some things are going to be different this time." she told him, her voice growing firmer with each word.
"Things? Different? What do you mean, Ginny?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
"Harry, when you broke up with me at the end of my fifth year, I didn't argue with you much because I understood why you did it, and you had enough to be getting on with, without me starting a row in front of all those people at Dumbledore's funeral. The truth was, though, that I was bloody furious with you! I'm coming of age this summer, but even last year I wasn't just a helpless little girl anymore. I didn't need some big, strong wizard to protect me and I resented you making a decision about our relationship without even discussing it with me first."
"But Ginny…" Harry began.
"No, Harry!" she continued, her voice rising, "I'm not some delicate little flower, or some fragile china doll for you to look at or play with when things are fine and then put away to keep me 'safe' when things get too dangerous." She stared off for a moment at something only she could see, and then Harry watched as Ginny began pacing back and forth in front of him, waving her arms emphasize her points. "You have to understand, during my sixth year at Hogwarts, Neville, Luna and I lead the DA in a school that was being run by Death Eaters and those bloody Death Eater wannabes in Slytherin! I don't know everything you went through while you were gone, but I was harassed, beaten and cursed on an almost weekly basis for most of the school year because I stood up to Snape, to the Carrows, and to Malfoy and his gang while trying to protect the younger students who couldn't protect themselves. I made the decision to stand up on my own in the face of all that and did it with no one there to 'protect me'. "
"Oh, Ginny!" Harry choked, "I never…"
"Stop, Harry!" she commanded sharply, turning to stare him in the eyes and pointing a strong but slender finger in his face. "I didn’t tell you that to get your sympathy or to make you feel guilty about something you had nothing to do with! I told you that so you will understand that I can take care of myself and make decisions about my own life and when necessary deal with the consequences of those decisions."
Ginny took a deep breath to calm herself and then took a step forward, looking up into Harry's face. "Harry," she continued more softly now but with the same determination in her voice, "I would like nothing better that to get back together now that all that the war is over… for both of us. Before we can do that, though, I have to believe that we will be equal partners in whatever relationship we end up having. If there is a decision to be made that effects both of us, we both need to have a say in making that decision. I understand that there may be times when you do have to protect me, but you have to realize that sometimes I will have to protect you, too. If we are going to get back together it's got to be as equal partners, Harry."
Rising up on her toes, she softly kissed Harry on the cheek and then turned and walked back out the door. Leaving the young wizard determined to prove to her that he would be the partner that she wanted.
The next week the weather in Devon turned unusually hot. One sweltering morning found Harry sitting on a rickety, old stool in the hot, humid air of Mr. Weasley's shed as he searched through the pile of parts on the tarp. Picking up another one, he cleaned it off with a flick of his wand and a quick scouring charm. Turning the part over in his hands, he looked at it carefully as he made another movement with his wand and said, "Reparo!" The part quivered in his hand for a moment, and then lay still. He looked at it closely and then shook his head tiredly and put the part to one side before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and mopping the sweat off his forehead.
"Blimey, it's like a sauna in here, today!"
Harry jumped and turned around to see Ginny in the open doorway of the shed, fanning herself with her hand.
"Yeah," Harry answered as he continued to wipe his forehead. "I thought about just taking everything out in the yard and working under the shade of that big oak tree. At least there's a bit of a breeze out there. I'm not sure I could levitate all these bits and pieces out there without dropping half of them, though, and if I did it the Muggle way it would take half the morning. So, I'm just stuck working in here and sweating."
"Are you a wizard or are you not?" she asked with a smirk. "Didn't Flitwick teach you lot about Cooling Charms in your fifth year? I'm sure that's when my class learned it."
Ginny just laughed as the sweaty young wizard dropped his head and groaned before waved his wand while speaking the proper incantation and the whole shed was suddenly cooler. Ginny walked the rest of the way into the shed and pulled an old box out from under her father's workbench to use as a seat.
"I hope you don't mind a little company, Harry? I was curious as to how you were doing out here, plus I think Mum was going to start finding chores for me to do if she saw me just sitting around the house much longer."
"Not at all, Ginny!" Harry told her, "Let's see. At this point, I'm just trying to clean up all these parts and fix what I can. The problem is, I don't know what half of them are, so I'm not always sure if they are even broken to begin with and even after I repair them, I'm not sure if they are really fixed or not."
"I can see where they might be a problem," the redhead said, looking at the confusing collection of mysterious parts. "I don't suppose you have a list of all the parts that are supposed to be here, do you?"
"Well," Harry said, reaching down and picking something up off the floor, "I found this little book stuck up under the seat. It's got pictures of some of the parts but I don't think it shows everything. Still, it helps." He passed the book to her to look through while he returned to cleaning and repairing some more parts.
After a few minutes he set aside his wand are arched his back. "Ugh, this bending over all morning is killing my back." He straightened up and turned to look at Ginny thoughtfully for a moment. "Say, Ginny, have you given any thought to what you want to do after you graduate next year?"
"Well, Dad would love it if I joined his department in the Ministry next year, and Mum, she's been hinting around about me taking Healer training at St. Mungos." Ginny rolled her eyes at the idea of being a Healer.
"Yeah, those are both good jobs," Harry agreed slowly. "If I remember your OWLs rightly, you've probably got the grades to do either one. I didn't ask what your Mum or Dad wanted you to do, though, I wanted to know what you want to do."
Ginny looked at the dark haired wizard in surprise, before saying, "Well, promise not to laugh, but I thought… what I'd really like do… is to try playing professional Quidditch."
While Ginny looked down and fidgeted on her seat, Harry stared up at the ceiling in thought. "Professional Quidditch, huh? Ron and I used to talk about doing that someday, when we were younger. You know, there are a lot of people who try out every year but only a few of them actually get picked up by a professional team?"
"Yeah, I know," Ginny sighed, "that's just what Dad said when he asked me the same questions."
"Course, you were the best Chaser on our house team," Harry continued as if he had not heard Ginny's disappointed statement. "Honestly, it's been a while since I watched you play, but I think during my sixth year you might just have been the one of the best Chasers in the whole school."
"Really, Harry?" She asked, hopefully. "I mean I'm not blind, I know I'm good but do you really think I'm that good?"
"Well… yeah!" Harry answered, as if surprised that she would question the fact that she was such a good Quidditch player. "Ginny! You're brilliant on a broom, and you've got so much drive and determination that it's like nothing can stop you on the pitch."
Ignoring the motorcycle for now, Harry stood up for a moment to drag his stool closer to where Ginny was before sitting down again and looking directly into her eyes. "Now, if this is what you want to do you really need to show everyone what you've got this coming year. I remember Oliver Wood telling us once that a lot of the professional teams send scouts to the school games, looking for talented seventh years. If they already know who you are even before you show up for tryouts, why that gives you one step up on all the other would-be players."
Ginny was both surprised and gratified by the support Harry seemed to be giving to her dream. When she had first mentioned it to Professor McGonagall during her career counseling at school the professor had not actively discouraged her, but she had done nothing to encourage her, either. Instead she had insisted she needed to work towards enough NEWTs to give her an alternative to fall back on if and when she did not make it onto a team after school.
Her parents had been even worse. They had both tried to discourage her when she had told them about her dream, her father talking about how small the chances were of making a team and how short most player's careers were. Her mother on the other hand had talked about how dangerous Quidditch was at the professional level, and how she would not have time for friends or family with the schedule that players needed to keep, and even how it just wasn't an appropriate career for a 'her beautiful and intelligent little girl.'
Harry's voice broke her out of her reverie, "Of course you'll be the Gryffindor captain this year, so that will help even more to put you in the spot light."
"Wait, Harry!" Ginny interrupted, "I haven't even gotten my Hogwarts letter yet, we don't know I'll be captain! I mean, with McGonagall being Headmistress this year, I don't even know who the new head of Gryffindor House will be, and they're the one that's going to pick the captain.
"Come on, Ginny," Harry replied. "Who else would it be? Not only are you the best player on the team, with Ron and I not going back this year you'll be the only returning seventh year and one of the most senior members on the team. There's really no one else it could be, Ginny!"
They continued talking together about the House team, tryouts and professional Quidditch for some time. When Mrs. Weasley called them to come in for lunch an hour or so later, Harry had not cleaned or repaired any more motorcycle parts, but both the young people left the shed feeling better than they had in quite some time.
Chapter 2: July 1998
Author's Notes: I just wanted to offer a big apology for the long gap in updating this story. I was originally intending to post the second chapter just a week or two after the first, but an unbelievably busy month at the office, along with several unexpected trips out of town for work, put me seriously behind schedule. When I finally thought I was ready to update, I had a new plot idea that required me to almost totally re-write this chapter resulting in what I hope is superior bit of work. Thanks for all the positive reviews the first chapter received and my gratitude for those who have patiently waited for me to continue this story.
July 1998
One lazy early July afternoon found Harry again in Mr. Weasley's shed, hands on hips, looking at the partially assembled motorcycle sitting in front of him. Over the past few weeks, after cleaning and fixing everything he could Harry had begun piecing the vehicle back together. He had the front fork and handlebars attached to the frame, along with the seat and gas tank, although the latter still needed a new paint job. The wheels sat leaning against the wall, clean and shining and round once again and only waiting for a new set of tires before they could be added to the motorcycle. The problem now was the engine and transmission. Although he had been able to fix a great crack in the main part of the engine, he was convinced there were still some gears and other parts missing from inside the two assemblies and he just didn't know how to go identifying the missing bits and bobs, let alone replacing them. It was really rather frustrating as he had not really made any progress on the project for over a week now.
Sighing, Harry walked back out of the shed and over towards the Weasley house. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were hanging a load of sheets and towels out on the line to dry. Mrs. Weasley could have used a household charm to dry and fold them all in a few seconds, but she claimed that doing it naturally out in the sun and wind gave them a fresher scent that she enjoyed, so whenever the weather was nice she would hang her laundry in the yard.
Walking up to them, Harry said, "Afternoon Molly. Ginny. Can I help you two with anything?"
"Oh, no dear," the elder Weasley answered. "We're almost done here and I've already got dinner started. I'm about ready to go sit down and enjoy my new issue of Witch Weekly! Just go ahead and enjoy the nice weather while it's here. I think we may be getting some rain in the next day or two."
Ginny smiled at Harry and rolled her eyes at Mrs. Weasley's response. Despite the fact that she treated him like another son in most ways, she still tended to act like he was a guest when it came to handing out chores around the house. Harry would normally have insisted on helping but he could see they actually were almost done, so he just replied, "If you're sure? I guess I'll take a walk out by the orchard for a while, then."
Sticking his hands into his pockets, Harry strolled over to the stand of fruit trees the Weasley's kept and sat down in the shade of a twisted old apple tree. He always enjoyed sitting and thinking among the rows of trees. Leaning his head back, this time he sat pondering the state of his relationship with Ginny. Since their talks in the old shed last month it seemed they had regained much of the closeness they had shared during most of Harry's sixth year. They talked and laughed frequently and usually sat near each other at dinner or in the parlor most evenings before going to bed. Like his sixth year, though, Harry wanted more from their relationship with the amazing redhead that just a close friendship and he just wasn't sure what to do next. He was still unsure about things between the two of them and did not want to push Ginny if she wasn't ready yet. He found himself more and more often dreaming about their first kiss back at school, though. He wanted to hold her and kiss her again like that, but he still wasn't quite sure exactly how she felt about them, now.
Sighing again, Harry decided to think about something else for a while. Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans he pulled out a well folded sheet of parchment. Laying it out on his lap, he smoothed out the creases and read it through it one more time. It was an official letter from Kingsley Shacklebolt who was now the Minister of Magic. The letter was an invitation for Harry to enroll in the next Auror training class. With all the problems at the Ministry, it had taken longer than Kingsley had expected to reorganize the Auror department but the first new class was starting in about five or six weeks.
Normally, a prospective trainee would need to have a minimum number of NEWTs to even apply for training. Harry remembered having that discussion with Minerva McGonagall during his fifth year, when that toad Umbridge had been 'evaluating' his old head-of-house. Kingsley's letter explained that based on the things Harry had accomplished the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was willing to waive the normal NEWT requirements, although he would still need to pass the entrance exams before he began training. Kingsley, a former Auror himself, assured Harry that he expected the young wizard to have no trouble at all passing those tests.
Harry was brought out of his contemplation of the letter with a start when a shadow fell across the parchment and he looked up to find Ginny grinning at him.
"What happened to 'Constant Vigilance,' Potter?" she asked cheekily before sitting down next to him against the old apple tree. "I've seen you carrying that letter about for the last two days, want to share it yet?"
Without even thinking, Harry blurted out, "It's from Kingsley. He's asking me to join the next Auror class starting in September."
"Really?" The redhead asked, leaning over to look over the letter. "Isn't that what you wanted to do when you got out of school?"
"Well, yeah," he replied, "But I guess I thought it would be… different. I expected that Ron, Hermione and I would all finish school together and take our NEWTS, then Ron and I would join the Auror's together and Hermione would probably start working at the Ministry, too. Now, you and Hermione are going back to school this year and Ron is going to be helping George with the shop. If I decide to go, it's going to be just about the first time I've done anything important without at least one of them since we first met back on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago."
"I think this was bound to happen eventually, Harry," she told him gently. "You're all adults now, you know? You all have adult dreams and adult responsibilities. You all need to follow your own paths now. What you and Hermione and my brother share is special and I have a feeling you are going to remain close friends for the rest of your lives no matter what careers you each decide to pursue, but you can't let what they choose stop you from living your own life."
Looking into Ginny's deep, brown eyes, Harry asked, "What about you, Ginny? What do you think about me being an Auror?"
"Well…" she hesitated, seemingly caught off guard by his question. "I obviously think you'd be brilliant as an Auror. I think you would probably find it a very satisfying career, too, given who and what you are. You always have cared a great deal about other people, Harry."
"No, " Harry interrupted her, "that’s not what I was asking. How would you feel about me becoming an Auror?"
"Uh… what do you mean, Harry?"
"Well, for example, I know you were disappointed when I told you I didn’t think I could go back to school this year," the dark haired wizard explained, a bit apologetically. "We talked, though, about me meeting you for all the Hogsmeade weekends and Quidditch games. As I understand this letter, however, the Ministry is going to be trying to rush all the new Aurors through the training as quickly as possible to replace the witches and wizards from the Department that were killed or fled the country during the war. That could mean we won't be able to meet during the school year as often as we had hoped. I know we aren't officially back together yet, Ginny, but I've asked you to give up so much already, I hate to ask you to wait for me again."
Ginny paused for a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before she replied. "T-thank you for asking me, Harry. I guess I hadn't really considered that. I admit I would rather see you more often, but at least we'll be in touch with each other, we can owl each other whenever we want. It won't be like last year when neither of us know what was happening to the other. Hopefully you can still make some of the weekends and games, and if nothing else I'm sure we can get together during the Christmas and Easter hols, yeah?"
"That's true," Harry answered, a serious look on his face. "What about beyond that, though? Even after I'm through with the training, there will still probably be times when I'll need to be working long hours on a case or even traveling for an investigation. Besides all that, well… being an Auror isn't the safest job in the world. I know you are a strong person, Ginny, but if you are not sure you can put up with those issues please tell me. This is something that will have an impact on both of us for years to come. I want to know how you feel before we make this decision."
Ginny started slightly when Harry said 'we' but otherwise didn't react to his last statement for a few seconds. Finally, looking directly into Harry's green eyes and reached out to cup his cheek with her hand, "You're right, Harry, it won't be easy but this drive to help others, it's part of what makes you who you are and who you are is the reason I care for you so much. Aside from that, while I know it's not quite the same thing professional Quidditch isn't the safest career around either! Plus if I do get chosen as a starting player there will be times I'm going to be traveling or tied up with training, too. You never hesitated to support me in choosing that career, did you?"
Harry smiled at her. "But playing Quidditch is your dream, Ginny. I want to see you up there on your broom in front of thousands of people, playing the game you love. I would never try and keep you from that."
"And being an Auror is your dream, you great prat!" Her smile taking the sting out of her words, she continued, "Can I do any less than support you, too?"
The two of them stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like many minutes while Ginny's hand continued to rest on Harry's cheek. For a brief instant Harry thought that Ginny was going to kiss him, when suddenly they both heard Mrs. Weasley calling them to come info dinner. The moment was lost and Harry grabbed Ginny's hand to pull her up with him so they could walk back to the Burrow. He was sorry that Molly chose that moment to call them, but he wasn't sorry that they had taken the time to talk about the letter. Harry decided that he would be writing back to Kingsley tomorrow, and now he finally felt confident about what he was going to tell him.
~ * ~ * ~
On the last day of the month, most of the Weasley family, plus Hermione and Harry were sitting around the parlor of the Burrow. The Wizarding Wireless was playing some cheerful tune softly in the background and on the low table in front of Harry were a pile of gaily wrapped packages.
"Open this one from Hermione and me first, Harry!" Ron said excitedly, lifting up a heavy, square package and handing it to his friend.
Chuckling at the gangly redhead's enthusiasm for any sort of presents, even those for other people, Harry tore the paper off of what were obviously a pair of books. "Wow!" he said, looking at the titles.
"That first one is the shop manual for your make and model of motorcycle," said Hermione proudly, "it has lists of all the parts that make up the bike, and detailed instructions for servicing and replacing them. The other one is a book about restoring old motorcycles, how to rebuild broken parts and where to find replacements for the parts they don't make anymore. I found them both in a Muggle bookstore near my parent's house. We thought they might come in handy for you to finish your project this summer."
"Thanks, both of you! These are brilliant!" Harry replied with a smile.
The next package he opened was a large, round parcel from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Tearing the paper off, he found this was a motorcycle helmet and a pair of goggles.
"I understand the muggle please-men will write you a citation if you don't wear one of these while you're riding!" Mr. Weasley told Harry excitedly. Mrs. Weasley looked on in fond exasperation as he went on to tell them that he had put a permanent Imperturbable Charm and Super Sensory Charm on the helmet to make riding even safer.
Harry gave Mrs. Weasley a kiss on the cheek and shook Mr. Weasley's hand and thanked them both for such a nice present.
The motorcycle theme of his birthday continued with a pair of motorcycle gloves Charlie had sent from Rumania, a book on muggle motorcycling rules and regulations from Percy, and a pair of sturdy black motorcycle boots from Bill and Fleur.
Finally, Ginny shyly offered Harry a large, heavy package wrapped in bright red and gold paper.
"This one is from George and me," she said.
Harry eagerly ripped the paper off the package and opened the box to find a beautiful leather jacket. Pulling it out and holding it up, he saw it was made of black dragonhide and cut like a muggle motorcycle jacket.
"This is amazing you two! I don't even know what to say."
"Well," said Ginny, shyly, "George mostly paid for it, but I did all the embroidery on the back."
Turning the jacket over and saw that Ginny had carefully stitched a lavish picture of a rampant Hungarian Horntail in shiny bronze thread. The picture covered almost the whole back of the jacket. Harry's jaw dropped as he admired the artwork.
Looking pleased with his reaction, Ginny cheekily told him, "I figured since you didn't have that Horntail tattooed on your chest, you could wear it on your back instead."
"You know Harry," interjected Ginny's mother, "since dragonhide is so resistant to magic the usual embroidery and stitching charms don't work on it, so Ginny had to do most of that by hand the Muggle way. She's been working on it for weeks now."
"And you really have no idea just how tough dragonhide is, until you try to poke a needle through it a couple hundred times!" she quipped, shaking out her hand out dramatically.
"Ginny…" Harry breathed "That's just incredible! I don't think I've ever gotten anything so beautiful before." Laying the jacket across the chair he had been sitting on, he pulled Ginny into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear "I love it!"
To his surprise, Ginny pulled back and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. It was nothing like the kiss he had received from her last year on his birthday, but his heart still raced with the implications of her act. "Happy birthday, Harry."
"Oy!" yelled Ron, "Enough of that! There's still birthday cake to be eaten!"
Harry laughed as Hermione swatted Ron on the arm and Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's antics, allowing Harry to pull her into the kitchen for the promised birthday cake. Nothing had been said, but Harry could not help but feel that somehow despite his worries of a few weeks ago, regaining their relationship was back on track again.
Chapter 3: August 1998
Author's Notes: I apologize for the unreasonably long wait in posting this chapter. I could make up excuses about computer problems or real life commitments, but the truth is I just had a bit of a writer’s block. I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but I just couldn’t seem to get it down in words in a manner that satisfied me. Finally, after going off and working on a couple of other writing projects, I was able to come back and finish this chapter. I’m still not sure if I’m totally satisfied with it but I hope you are not too disappointed in the final result. Luckily, the fourth and final chapter of this story was already completely written so it should be posted within the next few days once everyone has a chance to read this chapter.
With the use of his birthday presents from Hermione and Ron, Harry had made rapid progress with the restoration of Sirius' old motorcycle. He had quickly identified the missing parts; after careful reading he had understood what each of the damaged parts was supposed to do, which had allowed him to magically repair the last couple of broken bits. He had the tank and frame repainted and now had the whole thing reassembled and ready to test!
Harry finished pouring the last of the petrol he had obtained at the small service station in Ottery St. Catchpole that morning out of the can. After wiping the tank off one more time with an old rag and screwing the cap back on he took a step back to admire all his hard work. The bike's tank was painted in the same Gryffindor scarlet and gold as Sirius had used on the original. The chrome mud guards were polished to a mirror-like shine with no trace of rust or grime. The rest of the bike was neat and clean and looked like it had just rolled out of the dealer's showroom.
"Oy!" Ginny said, bumping his arm with her shoulder, "You going to start that thing or just stare at it all day?"
With a grin on his face, Harry straddled the motorcycle and after setting the choke he unfolded the kick-starter and jumped up and down on it. Once. Twice. Three times and the motor roared to life! Making sure he was in first gear, Harry slowly let out the clutch and balanced the rumbling motorcycle as he made a careful circuit of the Burrow's back garden while Ginny cheered and clapped. Arriving back in front of the shed, the dark haired wizard switched off the ignition and set the motorcycle on its kickstand again before getting off.
Ginny walked up and gave Harry a congratulatory hug, which he thought ended much too soon, before saying, "You did it Harry! You finally got Sirius' old motorcycle back together and running."
He smiled back at the happy redhead and replied, "It took a bit of work, but it was well worth it. Now, I just need to get in some practice around here and I'll be ready to go and sit the license exam."
"That's the muggle thing you need to ride, right?" she asked as they walked over to the bench under one of the trees behind the Burrow.
"Yeah, I want to be sure I'm legal to ride it out on the public streets. I don't want to have to Obliviate some poor policeman who asks for my license just because I failed to signal for my turn!" Harry chuckled.
The two sat together on the bench, shoulders touching but no words spoken as they sat looking at the results of Harry's hard work sitting in the bright morning sunlight. "So," Harry broke the comfortable silence, "are you looking forward to your birthday next week? You'll be seventeen this year, a real, adult witch!" He thought about the birthday present he had bought her: a pair of box seat tickets he had hidden in his trunk upstairs for the Harpy's first pre-season game against the Appleby Arrows two days after Ginny's birthday.
"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, with a cheeky grin, "I will be so glad to finally be able to do magic out of school. No more scrubbing the loo by hand or using towels to dry the dishes after dinner!"
"Thank goodness seven years of the finest magical education in the world won't be going to waste," Harry replied with a smirk.
Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, but Harry could see the hint of a smile on her lips as she shot back, "Watch it, Potter! It's not just cleaning and drying charms I know. I'll be free to use my bat-bogey hex after next week, too!"
Harry raised his hands in surrender before they both broke out in laughter. Finally conquering her amusement, Ginny sighed as sat back against the bench and said, in a more serious tone, "More than that, it will be good to finally be treated like an adult."
Harry looked her in the eyes and without even thinking about it, said, "You have certainly earned it over the last couple years, Ginny. With the things you have gone through in your life, and come out of even stronger, you probably earned it some time ago."
She smiled up at him with a familiar, blazing look in her eyes when they were suddenly both distracted by the voice of Mrs. Weasley, "Ginny! Harry! I've got lunch on the table. Why don’t you both come in and get cleaned up."
Smiling, she suddenly gave him a hard shove that almost toppled him off the bench, before jumping up and running towards the kitchen door, calling back, "Come on Harry! Last one there has to do the lunch dishes the muggle way!"
Regaining his balance, Harry jumped up and ran after his companion, laughingly calling her a cheat as he tried to catch her before she reached the door.
Just over a week after Ginny's birthday, and after neatly avoiding the chickens scratching in the dirt, Harry rolled his motorcycle to a stop near the shed in the yard behind the Burrow. He was just returned from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the next town over from Ottery St. Catchpole, where he had passed the exam for his motorcycle driver’s license. He was proud of the fact that he had passed the whole exam honestly and without needing to resort to any magic. Well, he did have to employ a mild Confundus Charm on the examiner when he questioned how Harry and his motorcycle got to the DVLA without a license in the first place, but he felt that hardly counted. Taking off his helmet, gloves and jacket and laying them all on the seat of the motorcycle, he turned with a spring in his step towards the kitchen door of the Weasley home, eager to tell the good news to Ginny.
The dark haired wizard had not taken more than a few steps towards his goal, however, when the kitchen door banged open and the redheaded witch in question came racing across the yard towards him. Her brilliant locks flowed out behind her head like a streaming banner, bouncing with each step she took, and her eyes held that blazing look of excitement he loved so much.
"Harry! Harry! Look!" she shouted, waving one hand at him, "You were right! My Hogwarts letter came while you were gone and it was in there!"
The summer sun glinted off the polished metal of the Quidditch Captain badge she clutched in her waving hand, and Harry's face split into a broad smile.
"I knew it would be you, Ginny! I knew it! What did I tell you!" he yelled, spreading his arms out in welcome.
From several feet away, the excited young witch leapt into his open arms, and Harry swung her around as they both laughed in excitement and happiness. As he set her on her feet once more, Harry looked deep into Ginny's shining, brown eyes and was lost. Without conscious thought about whether this was the right time or place, about whether he or Ginny were ready for this, Harry dropped his lips to hers and kissed her with all the love and all the longing of the past year. Ginny's arms tightened around his neck and she returned the kiss with just as much passion and need as Harry.
Eventually, they ended the kiss when the need for air became overwhelming. After staring into each other's eyes for a long moment, the two just held each other, Ginny resting her head on Harry's chest, while Harry rested a cheek on the top of Ginny's head.
"Well, I see Ginny's told you her good news," said Mrs. Weasley from the back porch of the Burrow while she wiped her hands off on a tea towel. "Now, why don't you tell us how you did on your exam this morning, Harry?"
Harry and Ginny stared into each other's smiling faces for a moment, before turning to face the older witch. With Harry's arm around her shoulders and Ginny's around his waist, the two young people began walking towards the kitchen door.
"It went great, Mrs. Weasley!" Harry exclaimed with a smile. "I passed on the first go and so I'm legal to ride the bike out on the public roads, now."
After congratulating Harry, and admonishing him to be careful whenever he took his motorcycle out to ride, Mrs. Weasley went back into the house, saying she still had housework to get done before Ginny's Father came home.
After Ginny's Mum was gone, Harry turned to Ginny and asked her, with a smirk, "So, now that I have my license, would you like to go for a ride, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny looked excitedly towards the shining motorcycle, but then her face fell and she answered, "I'd love to, Harry, it looks brilliant, but I don't have a leather jacket or a motorcycle hat thingy like yours"
"Hold on!" the dark haired wizard said, before sprinting through the open door of the shed. Ginny stared after him with a puzzled expression until he quickly returned, carrying a large box in his hands. "Here," he said, as he pulled a helmet out of the box and handed it to her before pulling a leather jacket out, too.
Ginny turned the helmet in her hands and then looked at the jacket Harry was holding up. Unlike his helmet and jacket, which were both black, the set he was showing her was a dark green. The jacket was made of dragon hide, just like his, but in place of the dragon embroidered on the back of the one he wore; this one had a shinning gold harpy claw on it!
"Oh, Harry!" Ginny said, looking from the jacket to Harry's eyes, "You shouldn't have! I know how much George paid for your jacket and if Mum knows you bought these for me, she liable to throw a wobbly…"
"Never mind the cost, Ginny, these are as much for me as for you," he assured her. "I wanted to be able to share my motorcycle with you, and to do that you needed proper riding gear. It’s as simple as that. Besides, your Dad even helped me put some Permanent Cushioning Charms on both the helmet and jacket, so he must be all right with it."
Reaching out and running her hands over the gold talon, her face split into a devilish grin and she shoved the helmet back into Harry's hands so she could gather her hair together into a quick pony tail. "Well, in that case let's get dressed so we can go for a ride!"
Suiting actions to words, the two both put their helmets and jackets on, and Harry re-mounted and started the waiting motorcycle. After listening to him explain what she had to do, Ginny climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist as he eased off the clutch and the two of them rolled out of the yard and onto the lane that ran past the Burrow.
Harry turned the motorcycle in the opposite direction from the village and drove in a slow, leisurely manner at first, enjoying the sun, the wind and the feel of Ginny pressed against his back, her arms tight around his waist. As he felt more comfortable with the extra weight of a passenger on the bike behind him, and as the red haired witch relaxed her grip, Harry gradually picked up speed, leaning further and further over in the curves and accelerating more and more down the straights. Ginny quickly picked up the rhythm of the ride, following his lead in the curves and leaning forward eagerly on the straights. After one particularly sharp s-turn, where Harry leaned the bike so far over it seemed they could reach down and brush their fingers along the pavement as it rushed by, first one way and then the other, Ginny pumped one hand in the air and whooped with delight. This brought a laugh of joy from Harry as they continued down the winding country lane.
After riding for an hour or so, Harry spied a convenient place to pull off the road at the top of a small hill next to a low fieldstone wall. Slowing the motorcycle, he carefully pulled over and stopped the motor. Ginny jumped off from behind him as soon as he did this and pulling her helmet off spread her arms and spun around, her cheeks flushed with excitement and laughter bubbling from her throat.
“Harry! That was brilliant!” she exclaimed. “I never realized that Muggles could have come up with anything so exciting without using magic. It was like… like riding a broom just inches off the ground! It was like racing down the pitch, swerving to avoid the opposing Chasers and Beaters. No wonder Sirius loved that motorcycle so much.”
Harry smiled back as he removed his own helmet and unzipped his jacket. “Yeah, I can really understand now, too. I think that we are going to have a lot of fun times with this bike,” he replied, walking over to the stone wall and sitting down where Ginny soon joined him. “I was wondering, would you like to learn to drive, too? I’m not sure we have enough time to get you ready for the exam before school starts, but we could make a start and maybe you can give it a go next summer?”
“Really, Harry? You’d let me drive Sirius motorcycle?” she asked, staring into his green eyes.
“Sure! I mean I love riding with you on the back holding on like that, don’t get me wrong,” he told her with a cheeky grin. “But I just thought you’d enjoy being the one doing the driving, too.”
She pulled Harry’s arm around her shoulder and leaned against his side. “Thanks, Harry. I think I’d enjoy that, too.”
Harry sighed in contentment as he gently squeezed Ginny to his side. The sky was clear and the sun shone down on them, but the temperature was moderated by a gentle breeze. Looking out from where they were sitting, they could see for miles across the rolling Devon countryside, the land a patchwork of fields and small woods.
Harry looked down at the attractive young witch currently snuggling into his side.
“You know, Ginny, this summer has been good for me. I’ve had a lot of time to think and a lot of time with you, and I’ve come to really realize that in my misguided attempt to ‘protect’ you, all I was really doing was stifling some of the very things about you that first attracted me. Your bravery, loyalty, and fierce sense of independence,” Harry sighed. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking at myself, too, and I’ve come to realize that what I want in a girlfriend… what I need in a girlfriend is just that. Someone who can stand on her own when she has to, someone I can count on when things get rough, not some delicate flower or china doll. I guess what I’m trying to say, Ginny, is that you were right all along and I’d love if you gave me another chance to be a better boyfriend for you. One that will support you and accept you for who you are.”
“Oh, Harry, that all I ever wanted,” she replied, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug. “I’ve noticed the changes in you this summer. You’ve been so open and supportive for me. I think we can have a real future together now and I’d love to be your girlfriend again.”
The young couple turned towards each other on the low stone wall and looked deeply into each other’s eyes. Slowly they leaned together, their eyes finally closing as they lips gently touched. This was not the same as the urgent, passionate kiss they had shared earlier at the Burrow. This was a kiss full of love and the promise of a future together.
After what might have been minutes, or hours or several sunlit days, during which time Ginny had somehow moved from the wall to sitting on Harry’s lap, the two finally separated.
“Well,” Ginny sighed, “I reckon we should be heading back to the Burrow. Mum’s probably going to be a bit cross about me taking off with you on your motorcycle without telling her, first.”
Harry looked a bit worried at this and said, “Oh! I guess I didn’t stop to think about that. I just wanted to spend some time sharing this with you and maybe getting a chance to talk about us.”
Ginny laughed as his expression. “Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll just distract her by telling that we are back together. She’s been pestering me for weeks about how much longer I was going to make you wait. She’ll be so excited about that she’ll forget to be mad at us.”
“You are the devious one, Ginny! I’m just glad you’re on my side, again.”
“I always was Harry. You just needed to get your head out of your arse and stop acting like such a noble prat,” she grinned.
Both of them laughed at her cheeky comment as they put their riding gear back on, mounted the motorcycle, and headed back to their home and family.
Chapter 4: June 1999
Author's Notes: Here it is, the final chapter of my little story of magic, motorcycles and love. I want to thank everyone who has read this story, and especially thank the SIYE community for nominating this story for the September Silver Trinket. While this story is finished, I am working on several even longer multi-chapter stories. If by chance there is an experienced writer or beta reader who would be interested in assisting me in putting one of these into publishable shape, please feel free to PM me and we can talk.
Harry was smiling happily as he rolled his freshly polished motorcycle out of the shed behind the Burrow early one summer morning. It was a beautiful, sunny day, he was going for a ride, and Ginny was finally home from school and coming with him! The last nine months had been both the happiest and most frustrating of Harry's life. He was happy because he and Ginny had been back together again, officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but he was somewhat frustrated because Ginny had to return to school for her seventh and final year at Hogwarts and Harry had begun his Auror training. They had not been able to spend anywhere near as much time as Harry might have wished in each other's company. Still, they had exchanged owls several times a week and despite Harry's busy schedule, he had met Ginny for most Hogsmeade weekends and he had also attended all of her school Quidditch games this year, during which Ginny had captained the Gryffindor house team to a decisive Quidditch Cup victory.
As Harry stood there momentarily lost in thought, the two Weasley women walked out of the kitchen door and looked at him and his motorcycle with very different feelings. Mrs. Weasley wrung her hands a bit, while Ginny walked up to Harry and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"Morning, Harry!" the younger redhead greeted him, smiling in anticipation. "Ready for our first ride of the summer?"
Harry smiled and slipped his arm around her waist as he replied, "I've been looking forward to it for months, Ginny."
"Now you two," interjected Mrs. Weasley, "you will be careful, won't you? You know how much I worry when you're out on that Muggle thing, Harry."
"You know I would never do anything to risk this passenger, don't you Mrs. Weasley?" he assured her while giving Ginny a squeeze. "Besides, with all the safety charms that Mr. Weasley and I put on this bike and our gear, I could probably ride it off a cliff or into a brick wall and never get a scratch."
"Well, just don't try and test that out with Ginny on the back!" she replied, somewhat alarmed.
"Don't worry, Mum," Ginny broke in with a laugh, "You know Harry would never do anything like that! He's a very careful driver." She patted him reassuringly on the chest while looking up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Besides, you don't worry about us this much when we're out on our brooms, and they go just as fast 50 feet up in the air!"
"I know, I know," replied Ginny's mum. "It's just that brooms are normal, there's something… unnatural about these Muggle motor-sickles. I mean, they only have two wheels! Why don't they tip over when your ride them?"
The young couple both laughed at the older witch's statement and assured her there was no problem keeping the bike upright while riding. With a final admonition to stay safe from her mother, the two donned their helmets and swung their legs over the motorcycle. With Ginny's arms wrapped firmly around Harry's waist, the young wizard started the motorcycle and they rode out of the Weasley's property and onto the narrow, country road leading into the village of Ottery St. Catchpole.
"Good thing Mum doesn't know about all the other charms you and my Dad put on this bike the last few months, eh, Harry?" Ginny asked him over the sound of the motor, as they rolled out of sight of the Burrow.
"Well," Harry replied with the trace of a smirk, "it's not like we ever lied to her about them, is it? She just never asked, yeah?"
That said, Harry pushed a small, silver button by his right thumb and the bike and its two riders disappeared from view. Next, he pulled back on an extra hand-lever mounted by his left hand and twisted the throttle as the bike rose smoothly into the air until they were flying along around 100 feet over the ground. As soon as they cleared the trees, Harry had swung the bike around and pointed it south towards the coast. They both enjoyed the ride, as they sailed over farm fields and small villages, occasionally swooping down to get a better look at something or rising up to enjoy the sun and wind. After an hour or so of pleasant flying, Harry worked the hand-lever again and gently set them down on a deserted back road, after which he turned off the Invisibility Booster and they rode the last couple miles to the beach on the road, like a normal, everyday motorcycle.
After parking the bike under some trees and out of sight of any Muggles out on the beach already, the young couple took off their helmets and jackets. While Harry sat down to remove his boots, Ginny pulled out her wand and transfigured her jeans into a pair of extremely short cut-offs. Harry stopped what he was doing and stared openly at Ginny's long, shapely legs.
"Like what you see, Potter?" she smirked.
"Merlin!" Harry said while shaking his head as if he'd been Confunded, “I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you, Ginny."
The red haired young woman blushed prettily but seemed pleased at the compliment nonetheless, as she helped Harry pull a big picnic basket and a large blanket out of the two small, leather saddlebags on the motorcycle and then stuff their helmets and jackets into them in their place. Neither bag seemed large enough to hold all these items.
"I'm glad I finally talked Hermione into teaching me how to do that Undetectable Extension charm!" said Harry, "It would be a right pain carrying all this stuff around on the bike, otherwise."
After using his own wand to transfigure his pants into a pair of baggy cargo shorts, the couple walked hand in hand out onto the relatively uncrowded sand, spread out their blanket and lay down to enjoy the sun and pleasant sea breeze.
"So, Ginny," Harry said, propping his head up on one hand as he rolled onto his side, facing his redheaded companion, "when do you have to be in Holyhead for the start of summer training camp?"
Mirroring his pose, Ginny replied, "Well, the camp officially opens the third week of July, but tryouts don't actually begin until the second week of August. Still, I think I want to take advantage of as much time as I can to get ready for tryouts. This is a big opportunity being invited to try for a spot on the Harpies and I certainly don't want to blow my chance!"
"I'm not worried," he assured her. "Remember, those scouts from all the teams that talked to you were really impressed with your chasing skills at school. In fact, I don't think I mentioned this but I attended a couple of the Harpies games last season, to do a little scouting of my own."
"What, looking for another Quidditch witch already, Harry?" Ginny asked playfully.
"Of course not!" he replied with a smile. "I was checking out their Chaser squad though, and honestly Ginny, you already are every bit as good as any of them. I don't think you will have any problems at all getting on the reserve team. In fact, I figure with your talent you'll be moving up to the starting team before you know it."
Ginny laughed and leaned forward to kiss her boyfriend. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harry, but let me concentrate on passing the tryouts first. One step at a time, yeah?"
"Alright," agreed Harry, "but when I'm proved right I expect a signed copy of your first team poster. I bet it'll be a collector's item some day. Famous Ginny Weasley's rookie poster!"
The both laughed at this and kissed some more before Ginny pulled back and asked Harry, "What about you? When do you have to go back to Auror training?"
"Normally, it wouldn't be until September," he told her. "The whole Department of Magical Law Enforcement is still so short handed, though, that they are trying to rush this class of candidates through as quickly as possible. So they are going to compress the last two years of training into a little over twelve months. We'll return to training the last week of July and then straight through till we graduate next summer. I wasn't too chuffed about that at first, but since you will be in training camp by then I guess it all works out. At least we still get most weekends off so we can get together then and I think I should be able to make it to most of your games whenever you play."
"Anyway," Harry said, pulling the heavy picnic basket over and opening the top, "we've got a few weeks until we both have to get back to training. What would you like to do with our free time? Say, we should take Teddy for a day out, together!"
After accepting the sandwich and cold bottle of butter beer Harry handed to her, she replied "Oh, that would be wonderful, Harry! I haven't seen him since Christmas hols. I'm sure Andromeda wouldn't mind a day off, either."
"Well," replied Harry, "I do try to take him out to the park or somewhere at least once a week both to give Andromeda a break and so we can get to know each other. He's really a great kid. I'm lucky to have him in my life."
"I'm sure Andromeda is thankful to have such a dedicated godfather to help her raise little Teddy," the redhead said with a warm smile.
"Come on, Ginny. I'm just doing what anyone else would do in this situation."
Ginny just smiled again and shook her head fondly.
They continued to discuss their family and friends, recent events in the wizarding world and both their expectations for the coming year as they worked their way through the basket full of sandwiches, cold chicken, fruits, pastries, and other treats that Mrs. Weasley had packed for them. Despite their healthy young appetites, they still ended up packing almost half the food back into the basket.
"It sure what nice of your mum to pack that basket for us, but now I'm stuffed!" Harry groaned.
"Ugh, me, too!" agreed Ginny. "Why don't we get up and walk a bit of this lunch off, Harry?"
They both rolled to their feet and after Ginny stood in front of Harry while he cast a discrete Muggle-Repelling charm on their possessions, the two of them then walked hand in hand down the beach. Smiling happily, they both enjoyed the warm summer sun on their shoulders and the cool, damp sand under their feet as they Ginny occasionally asked Harry about some Muggle object or activity they passed as they followed the surf line.
After the couple returned from their walk an hour or so later, the two of them sat down again on the blanket facing the ocean, with Ginny seated between Harry's legs, leaning back against his chest. Harry sighed in contentment and wrapped his arms around her trim waist.
"Ginny," Harry began after a few minutes of comfortable silence, "I know we've only been 'officially' dating for a little more than nine months, but we've known each other since we were children and it's been almost three years since I first started to fall for you."
"Well, if it comes to that you know it's been ever longer that since I fell for you, Harry. Even though I might have dated a couple other blokes along the way, it was only because I thought I never had a chance with you."
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long." he said, looking into her smiling brown eyes. "What I'm trying to say, though, is that I think both of us know by now that this isn't just some school romance or a summer time fling. I love you Ginny Weasley."
"I love you, too, Harry Potter." she replied quietly, her heart warmed by this open declaration of his feelings for her. Harry didn't say it often, not because he didn’t feel it but because he was still hesitant to express his emotions. For this very reason Ginny cherished every time that he did say it.
"You know, when your brother, Hermione and I were on the run that year, I used to comfort myself with the thought that what we… what I was doing was so that you would be able to lead a happy, normal life. There were times that I would have dreams about you standing up in front of your whole family in a beautiful set of white wedding robes, with some faceless stranger by your side. When I would wake up I kept telling myself I would be glad if you could really find that sort of happiness one day but I could never quite seem to convince myself of that until after Voldemort was gone, because then those dreams changed and in place of that faceless stranger by your side I started to see myself there."
Ginny gasped and stared into his green eyes, her heart beating faster, "Harry, do you really mean…?"
Reaching into one of the pocket of his shorts, the wizard pulled a small, velvet box out and held it in front of the speechless witch. Opening the top carefully, he revealed a beautiful diamond and platinum engagement ring that sparkled like magic in the bright sunlight.
"Ginny," Harry said, tightening his arm around her as he spoke, "my life was never as complete as it has been since you became part of it, and I don't want to ever live another day without you here. I want you to be my friend, my lover and my partner for the rest of my life, and I want to be the same for you. Will you marry me?"
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, turning herself around in his embrace and throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she answered him, punctuating each word with a kiss.
Taking a deep breath, she then held out her left hand and Harry slipped the ring onto her trembling finger. After staring for a moment at the bright jewel now adorning her hand, she then threw herself at her new fiancé and they both fell back onto the blanket, soon becoming lost in each other's kisses.
After what might have been minutes or hours or several sunlit days the young couple finally broke apart. With wide smiles, they folded up their blanket and carried it and the picnic basket back to the motorcycle.
"Hermione is going to be at the Burrow for dinner tonight, Harry," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "In fact, I think everyone will be there except for Charlie. It will be the perfect time to tell them all the big news."
"Blimey!" Harry said in mock horror. "Your Mum is going to be like she was for Bill and Fleur's wedding, isn't she?"
"I don't know, Harry," she replied with a sly smile. "After all, he was just one of her six boys. I'm her only daughter!"
"Maybe we should just think about eloping?" he said as they changed back into their riding clothes.
"Oh, no, Harry!" Ginny told him. "I want to stand up in front of my whole family in a beautiful set of white wedding robes, with you standing at my side, just like in that dream you told me about."
Harry smiled and pulled her against him in one more kiss, before they both put their helmets on and mounted the motorcycle. "Well, we best get going then. I don't want to make my future mother-in-law mad at me for making you late for our engagement dinner!"
The couple both laughed as Harry drove the bike back up the road towards their home and family, eager to start sharing the future they would both be a part of making happen.