Feeling generous and thought I would post the next chapter earlier than planned! Thank you for all the reviews and ratings so far! Glad everyone is enjoying me story!
Thank you again to Arnel for her brilliance at editing and pointing out my dreadful grammar!
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An Open Secret | ||||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Other, Ron Weasley Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General, Romance Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 57 Summary: Harry and Ginny quickly reunite following the end of the war. However, due to the pain and grief of their losses, their own family fails to recognise the love shared and growing between the young couple. Hitcount: Story Total: 30149; Chapter Total: 4546 Author's Notes: |
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“Kreacher!” Harry called out early one morning, a few days after he had told Ginny he wanted to move out. A large crack echoed throughout the room. “Master Harry,” Kreacher said as he bowed. “What can Kreacher do for Master Harry?” Harry moved off the bed and kneeled in front of his house-elf. “Firstly, I would like to apologise for not calling for you and speaking to you sooner,” Harry said sincerely as he placed a hand on Kreacher’s shoulder. Kreacher’s eyes widened at the apology, unused to such words being said to him. “Secondly, I would like to thank you for all your help. I am very proud of you for giving us the information we needed that helped us bring down the Dark Lord as well as leading the house-elves into battle.” “Kreacher only did what was right. Kreacher did what he thought Master Harry would want him to do.” “You are a good and faithful house-elf,” Harry said proudly. “But I do have a question for you. I was wondering what the condition of Grimmauld Place was, after we abandoned it last year.” Kreacher looked up at his master and smiled broadly. “Kreacher was able to seal the house, Master Harry. Kreacher used his magic to seal it so no one could get in until Kreacher releases it,” Kreacher proudly replied. “Well done, Kreacher!” Harry said beaming. He turned his head towards the door and waved in Ginny as planned. “Kreacher, do you remember Ginny Weasley from her previous stay at Grimmauld Place?” “Certainly, Master,” Kreacher said as he bowed deeply to Ginny. “It is good to see Miss Weasley again.” Ginny shot Harry a surprised look, stunned at the changes in Kreacher. Despite being told the old house-elf’s tale, she had still wanted to see him with her own eyes before she believed what she had been told. “Ginny is my girlfriend and I would like it if you would do or help her in anything that she asks of you.” Kreacher did not immediately respond, but instead he seemed to avidly stare at both Harry and Ginny before coming to a conclusion. “Kreacher will be happy to serve his future Mistress.” Harry and Ginny’s jaws dropped in shock. “Future Mistress?” Harry couldn’t help but question. He knew it was not really a question in his mind. He knew he was in love with Ginny and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was just shocked by the fact that Kreacher somehow knew. “A house-elf has different magic,” Kreacher answered. “We elves can see the bonds and connections between witches and wizards.” “So you can see a connection between Harry and me?” Ginny asked, having managed to push herself past the shock. “Yes, Miss Ginny. The bond between my master and you is very strong. Much stronger than most.” Harry and Ginny turned and shyly smiled at each other at this discovery. It made Harry wonder how the Weasleys had yet to realise the true nature of their relationship, when a house-elf was immediately able to see it. “Kreacher,” Harry said, deciding to move back to the reason he called his loyal house-elf. “I am planning on moving into Grimmauld Place and wish to refurbish it and perhaps if possible, change the wards that surround the house.” “Kreacher can help. Kreacher would be proud to help restore the house to its former glory. Kreacher will remove his former mistress’ portrait and have it destroyed, along the heads of the former house-elves.” Before Harry or Ginny could say another word, Kreacher Disapparated with a loud crack. “He really has changed,” Ginny said surprised at the old house-elf’s behaviour. “Especially if he is going to willingly remove Mrs Black’s portrait.” “Uh-huh,” Harry replied distractedly as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and began planting soft kisses on her neck. “Harry!” Ginny whined with no real feeling behind it as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access. “I was more interested in what Kreacher had to say about us,” Harry commented between kisses. “You’re his future mistress, so you know what that means?” Ginny turned in Harry’s arms to face him to find a cheeky grin on his face. “No, I’ve no idea,” she said teasingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head towards her till their noses were touching. “Well, it means we will be getting married someday,” he said before kissing her nose. “I hope so,” Ginny murmured against his lips before she captured them with hers. HP&GW Harry and Ginny stood in the dark hallway of Grimmauld Place, staring at the blank wall where Mrs Black’s portrait once resided. Neither had wanted to believe that Kreacher would be able to remove it until they saw it with their own eyes. “Once the hall has been decorated, we are going to need to put another portrait up to fill this space.” Harry turned his head to look at Ginny. “Exactly what we would put up there? I don’t have many photos.” Ginny smiled at his use of ‘we’ as her heart leapt in joy at being a partner in the choices made for the refurbishment. “I have one that I think would look good, but you will have to wait and see,” Ginny teased. “I trust your judgement,” Harry said, earning him a blazing smile from his girlfriend. “Anyway, I only want to get a handful of rooms done before I move in. The rest can be done one by one over the next few months.” Harry and Ginny had come over to Grimmauld Place to make a start on its refurbishment. It had only been two days since their conversation with Kreacher and the loyal house-elf had already removed the portrait, the tapestry, and the heads of the former house-elves and removed any objects with Dark magic. Kreacher had also already made changes to the wards, something they were planning to finish today with the help of Bill Weasley and Professor Flitwick. “So what rooms are we doing?” Ginny asked eager to get started as they headed into the kitchen. “The hall, kitchen, drawing room and at least one of the bathrooms and bedrooms,” Harry replied as he pulled some spare parchment, ink and a quill from one of the kitchen’s drawers. “I want fresh furniture and so on for each room, so we will need to make a list of what we will need.” While they waited on the arrival of Bill and Professor Flitwick, they began making lists of what they wanted to do with each room and what they would need to buy. Harry made sure to listen to Ginny’s suggestions as he wanted her input, knowing that he wanted her to spend as much time here as she could and then hopefully move in when the time was right. “Hello?” a voice called from the entrance hall. “Harry? Are you here?” “In the kitchen, Bill!” Harry called back. The moment Bill appeared, along with Professor Flitwick, Ginny shot out of her chair and threw herself into his arms. “Good to see you, too, Ginny,” Bill chuckled. “What are you doing here?” “I said I would help Harry out,” she responded as they all sat down at the table. “Not got anything better to do right now,” she explained, shrugging her shoulders. Bill eyed them suspiciously for a moment, not noticing Flitwick’s amusement, before accepting their explanation. “Mr Potter,” Professor Flitwick spoke up, bringing the conversation to the reason they were here. “What are we looking to do today?” “I want to reset the wards on the house,” Harry explained. “I also want to learn how as well, just in case I want to change or modify them.” “Of course,” Professor Flitwick replied. “Best to leave the house Unplottable and I’m guessing you wish to modify the Fidelius Charm as well.” Harry nodded in agreement. “I don’t think there is much I can add myself,” Bill noted. “But I can add a ward that will alert to visitors, no matter which way they enter.” “Sounds good,” Harry said, pleased with the suggestions, especially the ward to notifying when people arrived. That would help him avoid being surprised. “Is it possible to control who can enter the house via Floo or Apparition?” “The Floo can be controlled by locations, rather than people, but the Fidelius will help control that anyway,” Professor Flitwick answered. “But we can control those who can Apparate in and I’ll show you how to modify the charm for when you want to add people to it.” “Brilliant,” Harry grinned. “Can we get them all in place today?” “No reason why we couldn’t,” Bill said as he rose from the table and headed out into the entrance hall to begin placing the wards. The moment he was out of earshot, Professor Flitwick turned to the young couple. “I’m guessing the family has yet to realise you two are a couple?” They nodded sheepishly in response. “Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me.” HP&GW A few hours later, the wards were finally set with Harry having learned how to set and modify them all. The lists for the furniture and materials needed for the refurbishment were written up as well, with much input from Ginny. Bill and Professor Flitwick had just left, leaving the young couple by themselves once again. “We still have plenty of time before we need to head back to The Burrow,” Harry said once he had closed the front door. “Fancy a trip into Muggle London?” Ginny raised an eyebrow before a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Would you be asking me out on a date, Mr Potter?” Harry pulled her into his arms and leaned down to kiss her, but stopping just before their lips met. “Yes,” he whispered before he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Ginny lost all thought as Harry deepened the kiss, her hands creeping up his shoulders and into his hair. When it became essential for them to breathe, Harry pulled away to begin planting soft kisses down her neck. “I’ll be honoured for you take me out on a date,” she whispered breathlessly. “If we are going to go though, we need not to get too carried away.” Just under an hour later, having walked to Kings Cross Station to take the tube on the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus, Harry and Ginny were walking through the heavy crowds along Oxford Street. “Where are we going?” Ginny as she looked around in awe having never come to this part of London before. “There’s a department store just up here,” Harry informed her pointing out a store called John Lewis. He had visited it once before as a small child when his Aunt Petunia had no choice but to bring him when there had been no one to watch him that day. “It sells a variety of things that we will need.” As they entered the store, Ginny went wide-eyed in shock and awe at just how big the store was before a sweeping realisation came over her. “Harry?” Ginny whispered. “How are we going to pay for anything we buy?” “When I went to Gringotts to talk to the Goblins a few days ago,” Harry answered just as quietly. “I was able to sort my account out and they arranged a Muggle bank account for me, which came with a debit card.” Ginny looked at him confused. “A debit card allows me to pay without the need to carry money around with me,” Harry said in answer to her unasked question. “It’s like paying with my key for a large purchase in Diagon Alley.” “That’s clever,” Ginny said in awe of how Muggles could live without magic. “Shame that most wizards don’t realise that,” Harry said with a shake of his head. “Anyway, we need to go up for the department we want.” For the next hour or so, the couple slowly made their way through departments as they picked items they needed to make Grimmauld Place a home. Harry was glad that he had Ginny with him as she was helpful in picking different items out, especially in regards to the bedroom, whereas he, himself, felt more comfortable picking out what they would need for the kitchen. “I just thought,” Ginny said as they were picking up candles for everyday use. “Won’t Ron want to move in come September?” Harry paused what he was doing as he realised he had not thought about Ron when it came to their living arrangements. To be honest, he knew he wanted his house to be for him and Ginny only, therefore thoughts of asking Ron to live with him had not crossed his mind. “I hadn’t planned to invite him to live with me,” Harry eventually responded. “As much as it may be nice to live with my best mate, I want a place for just me and once you are done with school, you.” “Really?” Ginny asked in surprise. They had not spoken about living together after she was done with school, only about having a place where they could be alone together with no interruptions. “Yes, really!” Harry laughed. “Do you really think I would let you pick out so much stuff if I hadn’t planned to ask you to do so?” Ginny reached up and gently kissed him. “I would love to live with you after I leave Hogwarts.” “Good,” he responded as they kissed each other once again. “Now let’s get this all paid for and back to our house.” HP&GW In the two weeks since Harry had informed Ginny of his plan to move out, the young couple had accomplished quite a bit in regards to the refurbishment of the house. With none of the family in the right frame of mind, Ginny had been able to slip away with Harry every day to help him out. They had, amazingly, managed to completely overhaul the main bathroom, the kitchen and the master bedroom all in time for Harry’s planned move. In amongst the decorating, they had even managed to go shopping in Muggle London for other furniture and even clothes. They had also made the effort to use some of the time at Grimmauld Place to talk. So far they had covered the entire past year, but both had agreed that they wanted to share everything from their lives, whilst also beginning to talk about their future as a couple. It was now the day before Harry’s planned move and he was planning to tell the Weasleys about what was to come. They had toyed with the idea of admitting to their relationship, but decided against it due to their enjoyment of being left alone and the privacy it afforded them. Amazingly, the night he planned to let the family know, everyone, except for Ron and Hermione who were still in Australia and Charlie who had returned to Romania, had shown up for dinner. It was the first time since Bill’s wedding that the majority of the family had come together to eat a meal. While it remained quiet overall, the odd murmured conversation could be heard. It was towards the end of dinner and with a nudge from Ginny that Harry cleared his throat and asked for everyone’s attention. “Erm…..I have something I wanted to say to you all,” Harry nervously began. “I just wanted to say thank you for your hospitality, not only over the past month, but also over the last few years.” Harry took a deep breath before he broke the news to the grief-stricken family. “I’ve decided to move into Grimmauld Place,” Harry paused to let the news sink in before adding, “Tomorrow.” “Grimmauld Place?” Arthur asked, sounding confused. Harry looked at the Weasley patriarch for a moment, wondering what he was confused about before he remembered he had reset the wards. “Oh, sorry, I forgot. I reset all the wards,” Harry explained. “I live at number twelve Grimmauld Place.” A flicker of understanding crossed the faces of all those who had been there before. “Why, though?” Molly asked tearfully. “I just need my own space,” Harry replied. It was not the complete truth, but it was close enough. “I’ve started refurbishing it as well, so I thought it would be easier to live there and get as much done as I can before I start work at the Ministry.” Harry watched as Molly’s face went through a series of expressions. He hoped he hadn’t upset or offended her, but he knew he needed to do this for him and for Ginny. “If you need any help with the refurbishment,” Bill spoke, filling the awkward silence. “Then please feel free to ask me and Fleur.” “I will be happy to help out as well,” Percy said, surprising Harry. “Well, it’s not like I can stop you,” Molly confessed. “But just know that you are always welcome here.” “I know,” Harry quietly replied. “Thank you.” HP&GW The next morning, Harry had packed up the last of his belongings and was ready to permanently move to Grimmauld Place. He was happy, if only slightly upset, that no one but Ginny was there to see him off. “Is it my fault that your mum is confined to her room again?” Harry asked, slightly worried his news had upset Molly even more than she already was. “I can’t say,” Ginny honestly replied as she wrapped her arms around him. She was also feeling slightly ashamed that she was able to see Harry off by herself. “Tell her I will be over in a few days,” Harry responded. “Oh, and tell Ron and Hermione that I will give them the address then.” “Well, you better go, then,” Ginny said as Harry pulled her closer. “They are due home really soon and I don’t think you will be want an argument with Ron about you moving out or our relationship if he comes home and sees us in this compromising position.” Harry pulled her into a passionate kiss, feeling grateful that no one had tried so far to interfere into their relationship. “Ok, I’m going,” Harry said as he pulled away and grabbed his backpack. “Before I do, I just wondered if you would let me take you out for dinner this week.” Ginny smiled. “I would love that. I think you owe me a few dates.” “I do and I have had a few ideas about that,” Harry smiled before kissing her again, finding himself becoming lost in her. “I really should go,” Harry said as he reluctantly pulled away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” “I look forward to it,” Ginny said as she watched him Apparate away. |
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