Once and for All

Chap 1

Once again, Harry was back at the Burrow for the summer, but it was a far different place than he had remembered. Unlike the usual cheerful and messy atmosphere the house usually radiated, everyone was quieter and moodier. Their clock wasn't helping either. Every time someone walked past it, it was clear that the hand with "Fred" engraved on it had disappeared, so now only George was pointed at "work" along with his older brothers and father. Mrs. Weasley would dissolve into tears at the slightest reference, and Percy, feeling that somehow it was his fault, spent most of his time locked in his room when he wasn't at the Ministry. Despite all of this, Harry could not wrap his head around the fact that this home, the same place that had hosted a wedding only a year before, was now preparing for a funeral. Going to Tonks and Lupin's has been bad enough-Harry wasn't sure how much more he could take.
He and Ron mostly spent their time busying themselves with chores and such, or hanging out in Ron's room playing halfhearted wizard's chess. Harry had already sent in his applications to be an auror and was now waiting for their reply, while Ron seemed reluctant to make any decisions yet. Hermione had understandably chosen to spend the summer with her parents, who thankfully had regained their memories and moved back home from Australia, but Harry couldn't help wishing she were here as well. Not only did he feel the need for someone else to understand their adventure, other than Ron, but Hermione would have fussed them to get busy and do something, which would have been a great distraction. Unfortunately, Ron had never been a great motivator for such things.
Ginny was also unusually distant, spending most days in her room or the twins' old one.
"She was really close to them, you know," Ron told him in a low voice, even though they were alone in his room. "The twins. She always loved their pranks-she even helped make some of them." He shook his head mournfully. "And now George isn't even here to help."
"Or get help," Harry pointed out. "He was the closest to Fred."
"Yeah, true," Ron admitted, his fists curling up. "Wish I killed that death eater."
Harry knew he should say something like "it wouldn't have changed anything", but he felt the same as Ron. Fred didn't deserve to die. "When I'm an auror," Harry said in a low voice, "I'll catch him. Him and Greyback."
Ron shook his head. "You can't promise something like that, mate, but thanks."
He nodded, not sure what else to say. Ron turned around and started rummaging through a closet, though Harry couldn't tell what he was looking for.
"You should talk to Ginny," he said over his shoulder.
Harry glanced cautiously at him. The thought had crossed his mind a couple of times, but he wasn't sure how supportive Ron would be. Before he could respond, he heard a flapping noise moments before a ball of feathers hit him in the face.
"OW, what the..." He muttered, spitting out feathers as Ron snatched it before it fell, snickering. "Smooth." Suddenly the owl began to flap around eccentrically, almost jerking out of Ron's grip. The smirk disappeared, and Harry was the one laughing as Ron sputtered, trying to take the letter off the owl. "Feathery git," Ron muttered, staring at his owl, Pig, with an annoyed look as it hopped to the window. "First it took me forever to put the letter on, then he comes late and it's hard to take it off. Mind you, it was hard enough training him to come to this window instead of the kitchen."
"Why does he need to come in here?" asked Harry.
Ron's ears turned red. "Well, I've, umm...I wrote Hermione a couple of times, and the first time she replied George got a hold of it."
Harry tried not to grin as he thought of that scene. "Is this a normal letter, then?" asked Harry, glancing at the letter uncomfortably. He didn't mind Ron and Hermione being together, but reading love letters from either one of them would feel strange.
"Well yeah, but our letters aren't like that," Ron said quickly. "I mean, she's not like Lavender."
"Do you still have the necklace?" Harry asked, grinning slightly.
"Nah, I asked Hermione how to do that incinerating spell weeks ago."
"Bet she loved that."
Ron laughed. "Yeah, she was pretty specific with the instructions. She even wanted me to send it to her so she could do it herself."
"Sounds about right," Harry agreed, but he wasn't really paying attention to the conversation anymore. He was looking at Pig, and was just remembering that Ginny had been the one to name the owl. How could Ron already be communicating with Hermione so easily while he, Harry, couldn't figure out how to approach the girl living under the same roof?
"Just do it," Ron said, seeming to read Harry's mind. "I'll just read this and then let you know if it's a normal one."
Harry cast him a relieved glance. "Thanks, mate."
"No problem."