Harry Potter and the Secret Nurse

Chapter Twelve
Summer Lovers/Some are Lovers

Early the next morning Harry was struggling with Hermione to move the cauldron out of the cold fireplace.

“Bloody hell, it’s still hot, what was the Order cooking up last night?” said Hermione as she strained with the lift, "Hurry up! They'll be here any minute!"

Harry's wheelchair kept up with Hermione and rested the base of the cauldron on the foot pegs moving it hastily aside.

"You shouldn't have bothered cleaning up the place so much," said Harry.

"Why?" asked Hermione.

An explosion of dust that instantly coated the kitchen floor answered the question, as a laughing young woman framed between two fallen suitcases climbed up off the floor.

"Wooo, that was fun!" said Ginny as she stood up, "I never get bored with that ride."

Ginny took off a heavy cloak that protected her clothes from the dust and began to shake it off on the floor.

"Ginny! Shake it off outside!" said Hermione as she batted dust off of Ginny.

"Oh Hermione! The whole family is coming through there, and the luggage. This kitchen will have more dust than a dessert in just a few seconds," said Ginny.

True to her word, all the Weasley clan one by one and all their traveling belongings popped through the floo, coating the entire kitchen (all the way up to the cupboards) with a thick cloud of chimney dust. The Weasleys, familiar with this mode of travel, engaged in the practiced exercise of beating dust off of each other. Hermione coughed and struggled before she could even see she was helping the twins.

"You two could have Apparated!"

"Don't mess with tradition, Hermione!" said Fred, covered in so much filth he looked like an ancient find.

"Well when Ron and Ginny finally learn to Apparate I'll be glad to say good bye to that tradition," said Mrs. Weasley who gave Hermione a hug, "So sorry about the mess dear. We'll magic it off as soon as the rest are through."

Ron, the last, finally came and Harry pushed his way through with his chair to pull Ron up the floor.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed, "You still in there?"

Ron looked over Harry's chair. Harry was a little taken aback to see Ron frowning a little.

"Mum's told us all about it," said Ron, rubbing his eyes, "I thought you'd be out by now,"

Hermione got frustrated and blurted out, "Well so sorry that Harry couldn't-"

"Hermione! He didn't know how serious it was," said Harry.

Harry took her hand, kissed it and held it to his cheek to calm her down a little.

"Hold on! Wait a minute!" exclaimed Ron as his suddenly lit up at them, "You two are DATING!"

In front of the whole Weasley family Harry looked around at everyone who suddenly stared right at them.

Harry stammered out, "Well.. we uhh, sort of, yeah."

"That is to say," Hermione cut in, "We're.. a... yes. We're dating."

Ron lunged forward and hugged Hermione.

"THANK GOD!" Ron called out and he bent down to hug Harry in his chair.

Hermione was utterly flabbergasted at Ron's reaction and asked, "What are you going on about?"

Ron suddenly looked sheepish and muttered out, "Well..."

Another pop came through the fireplace, and a young lady exactly Ginny's size stood up, oblivious to the on on her she sat up and looked around the kitchen looking amused.

"Luna?" Harry asked.

"Oy, that's Ron's girlfriend, mate," said George who teased Ron and rattled some dust out of his red hair.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then to Ron not believing their eyes or ears. As they starred at him, Luna just wandered up to Ron, gave him a kiss on the cheek and wandered off.

"Nice place, Harry," said Luna as she floated around the kitchen, "Of course Dad knew about it the whole time. He just didn't quite know exactly where the Order of the Felix was."

Luna continued to rattle off as Ron looked back at Harry and Hermione.

"We're going steady," he explained, trying to keep a cheerful face.

Luna's foot prints in the dust dragged an outline around the kitchen as she wandered through it examining the place. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried to corral everyone near the fireplace as Mrs. Weasley got her wand out. Mr. ley ley pulled in Luna like a lost sheep as they huddled together.

"Expello Pulvis!" Mrs. Weasley called out.

And a whirl of filth and grime lifted off the floor, people, and everywhere else into a comical looking tornado that scampered back up the chimney, taking all the dirt with it, leaving the family clean as a whistle.

Luna, surprised, examined her fingers and said, "That's handy."

"Cracking good job Molly," said Arthur Weasley who kissed his wifethe the cheek, "Right then! Off you lot go. Up the stairs. Take your bags, should be a lot more room up there now that Harry and Hermione are- uhhh, well, just a lot more room now. Let's go."

Harry wanted to ask if there were any more brothers coming, but he figured he better drop the subject since he didn't want to be bringing up the continuing absence of Percy in front of Mrs. Weasley. Burdened with their goods, the family marched up the stairs. Ron was being a gentleman and handled his girlfriend's bags, although he could hardly cope with them and his own at the same time. The twins were levitating everything else. As Hermione and Harry went up the stairs side by side, they were passed by Luna who just seemed to notice them by surprise. She examined them strangely for a second.

"You two are lovers," Luna said, like it was a discovery.

Luna went on up ahead as Ginny caught up to Hermione.

"I love your shirt," said Ginny as she point to Hermione's tiger striped black T-shirt.

"I got it from Camden Market just yesterday," said Hermione.

“Ah hell! You-”

“Watch your tongue, young Lady!” Mrs. Weasley called down the stairs.

Ginny lowered her tone and said with suppressed disappointment, “You couldn't have waited until we got here? I would have loved to have gone to Camden market!"

"So we'll go back," said Harry.

"Oh good! I want to get some boots!" said Ginny.

"Oh no you don't!" Mrs. Weasley called down the stairs, "You've been spending money like a muggle all summer!"

Ginny then whispered, "Like there's anything decent in Glasgow to spend your money on. We had to stay on the muggle end of town. I couldn't even find a pair of Dockers fit for a blind lesbian up there. We'll sneak off tomorrow."

"Take Luna with us?" Hermione asked jokingly.

"Sure, take her! Luna's a sport," said Ginny as she ribbed Hermione, "Trust me."

Ginny jogged ahead cheerfully to catch up to Luna and show her the girl's room.

"I think she's happy to have a girlfriend around," said Hermione.

"I think she's the only girl here without a boyfriend," said Harry.

"How do you know?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, that's a good point," said Harry.

Harry and Hermione split up into the boys and girl's rooms and Harry was surprised to see the twins unpacking. Ron was looking a little remorseful as Harry wheeled up to him.

"Sorry 'bout that comment about your chair, mate," said Ron as he couldn't even look at Harry, "I just thought you'd be out of that thing by now."

Harry smiled and patted Ron to cheer him up about it, "Don't worry about it. It's not permanent."

Ron did cheer up and then asked, "So how did you wind up in there?"

Harry was caught completely off guard by this question, realizing he had thought of absolutely no cover. He figured he and Hermione better get together as soon as possible to get their stories straight.

"It's that fight we had at the ministry," said Harry, "They said they wanted me off my feet for a while."

Harry was hoping Ron would dismiss just exactly who the heck "they" were.

"Oh yeah, me too, mate," said Ron, "Those brains I ran into. They say they want me to seee mae mad head-shrinker."

Harry was amused to find out the slang for psychiatrist was the same in both the muggle and magical worlds.

"Heard they're arranging for one at Hogwarts this year," said Ron.

"They're getting a councillor at Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, that’s the word they used," said Ron, "You know what they are?"

"Back when I was in grade school we had what were called Guidance Councillors," said Harry, "But they also had Councillors who were also psychiatrists. Or were they psychologists? Both maybe. They helped kids out who had trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Ron.

"Like.. I don't know... kids problems. Coping with homework, bullying, depression, anxiety, growing up, that sort of stuff," said Harry.

"Mad muggle head doctor faff," said Ron, "I thought no muggles saw them unless they've gone totally loopy."

"Everyone has problems, it's just like a check up, for your head. You don't have to be mad to see one," said Harry, "Personally I think it's a good idea. I don't understand why Hogwarts never had one before."

Ron muttered under his breath, "Maybe because the whole thing is rubbish."

"Did you ever see one of these councillors, Harry?" asked Fred.

"Yes I did, actually," said Harry, "For a few years just after Kindergarten. She was a really nice lady, helped me cope with being an orphan and bullying and all."

"How?"

"She taught me how to run and hide," said Harry, "I really liked her. It's a shame the school dropped her. I cried for a week when she left."

"Were you sweet on her?" asked Ron.

"Sort of, it's just, she was the only adult in my life back in the muggle world who was ever nice or helpful to me," said Harry, "HEY! Speaking of being sweet on someone, what the.. I mean... LUNA?"

"Well, I'm not really comfortable-"

"Either you tell me or I get it all out of them," said Harry as he pointed to Fred and George.

"Oh you wont get much out of us," said Fred.

"He's been as tight lipped with us as he's been with his own mum," said George. And And the twins left the room to pilfer the kitchen and snoop around the Order, which was pretty much their reason for staying in the first place. With the brothers’ tactical retreat made, Harry was left alone with Ron, who knew by Harry's look he was not getting off the hook with Luna.

"She started writing me almost every day after we left Hogwarts," explained Ron, "She's really persistent. I mean, she even claimed to have this magical cure for that brain thing I ran into and... uh..."

"Yes?"

"Harry, she does things to me that would get us both arrested in the muggle world," said Ron, "Know what I mean?
"Y
"Yeah, I do," said Harry, and he dropped it.

"You and Hermione? How'd that start? Have you two been seeing each other behind my back for a while or something?" asked Ron.

"No, it's not like that at all," said Harry, "I was a real wreck after the fight at the Ministry. I mean was really messed up. I was stealing money from my Uncle and getting drunk. Hermione came and took me from the Dursley's to stay here. Good Lord, Hermione rescued me and after that, it just kind of happened, you know?"

"Yeah, happens that way sometimes, don't it?" asked Ron, "So, how long are they letting you stay here this time?"

"As long as I bloody well want," said Harry, "Sirius willed it to me, it's my home now."

"SHAG A HAG! NO SHIT? This is your home, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Yes, and I'm not just living in it, either," said Harry, "Sirius willed me the property of the house, as well as the Black fortune but I can't touch that until I'm eighteen or something."

"Seventeen, Harry," Ron corrected, "In the wizarding world, you're of age at seventeen. Jeez, Harry, if this is your house, that means you're host of the Order! That must make you a full-on member, you must know loads of what's been going on."

"I'm a host, but no member," said Harry, "However, I definitely can tell you loads about what's been going on here. A lot more than you buggers told me last year! I'm not just host of the Order, but the Ministry is here as well."

"The Ministry?" asked Ron, reacting in his usual shocked manner, "What are they doing here?"

"Well they... where the hell did Fred and George fuck off to? They should hear this too," said Harry, looking out into the hall, "They must have the munchies again. Let's go back to the kitchen, I'll tell you all the whole thing."

"What about Hermione?" asked Ron.

"She knows as much as I do," said Harry, "She'll get Ginny... and Luna up to speed. Don't worry."

"Don't humour me, mate, she'll get Ginny up to speed," said Ron as he followed Harry out the room and down the stairs, "Luna kind of makes up her own mind about what the speed is."

Back in the kitchen, while stealing cookies and chips, Harry told Ron, Fred and George the whole story about the dining room trial where Professor Umbridge was granted amnesty but at the cost of exile.

"You snapped her wand?" Ron asked belatedly, "Right in front of Cornelius Fudge and everybody?"

"Yup, in the middle of my birthday party I chucked the remains into that fire, right there where you lot came through," said Harry and he pointed.

"SWEET!" said Fred.

"WICKED!" cried Ron.

George looked into fireplace and asked, "Did you see what was in the core, Harry?"

"No, I just threw the pieces into the fire. I never looked to see what was inside it," Harry said as he thought about it.

George stuck his hand deep into the ashes and said, "Well I could tell you what it was."

George took out two pieces of a long blackened conical shape with a swirling groove pattern that travelled down the length of each piece.

"Well, that would explain why her wand was so thick," said George as he hefted the burnt pieces, "Umbridge's wand held a unicorn's horn."

"A unicorn's horn?" Harry asked disbelievingly as he took one of the pieces, "Don't you have to kill a unicorn to take it's horn?"

"I've yet to hear of anyone who got the horn off a live one," said Fred.

"That's the mark of a dark wizard, that is," said Ron.

"No, not a dark wizard, a CURSED wizard," Harry corrected, fingering the piece in his hands, "I remember something Firenze told me in my first year about killing a unicorn. To kill something so pure, a wizard lives a half-life, a cursed life. But that was for taking a unicorn's blood."

"I'm sure the same thing must apply for taking its horn, that's got to be as bad at taking its blood," said Ron.

"I wouldn't want to be in Umbridge's shoes, that's for certain," said Fred.

Harry thought neither would he, he would hate being freezing cold and all alone all the time. The girls came into the kitchen all chatty and cheerful, including Luna. They all partied it up for a while, downing butterbeer and planning mischief. Fred and George explained the only reason they came was to offer their skills and services to the Order. And if refused they were going to stay and find ways to interfere anyway. As guests of Harry they were as welcome to stay as the Order itself, and stay they would, even though they already had their own apartment in London.

"We've got a place above the store," said George.

"But we're not staying there for long," said Fred.

"We're looking for a flat, uptown," said George.

"Yeah, real swanky type," said Fred, "When we move in you're all invited for a big soirée."

Hermione perked up and said, "Wow, you pronounced it right."

George caught Hermione off gaurd by saying, "Fred et moi sont civilezed maintenant, Hermione."

Fred then jumped in with, "Oui, nous faisons beaucoup de changements à l'image de Weasley."

Not to be out done, Hermione promptly replied with, "Ainsi, vous tous les deux prenez des cours français d'immersion. Êtes-vous ?"

"Well worth the cost," said Fred, "A little French goes a long way with rubbing shoulders with the right people."

Right after Hermione asked what kind of right people, Luna unrolled a copy of the Quibbler that had a picture of Fred and George dressed in their bright green suits and bowlers. They each had an arm of a popular French model and were standing in front of a famous nightclub.

"No freakin’ way!" said Hermione as she instantly recognized the glorious young woman on the cover.

"See? You're not the only one who can make headlines in this gang, Harry," said Fred as he and George slapped Harry on the back.

"Well I'm glad someone else is for a change," said Harry.

"Oh come one, Harry," said Hermione as she held the magazine accusingly, "They printed this up as a joke!"

"It's as real as any other story my dad ever printed," said Luna.

"That's not saying a lot," said Hermione, "I'm sorry but until I see this woman knocking on our front door asking for you two I just can't believe-"

"Excuse me, is George in here?" Kingsley Shacklebolt interrupted as he looked into the kitchen.

George waved and Shacklebolt said, "Dumbledore would have a fit if he knew I was doing this, but I have a weakness for a pretty lady."

Shacklebolt ducked out and a young lady walked in.

"Excusez-moi?" came a voice from the kitchen entrance.

Hermione was chuffed to see the unmistakable face of not the model in the photo, but her slightly older and equally beautiful sister.

"Iz George here, si-vou-pleh?" the beautiful young woman asked, pronouncing "George" with a very soft "g".

George stepped forward and greeted the woman with a kiss as Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Well, we can't both date the same woman," said Fred, almost regretfully.

"You brought her here?" Hermione asked, "Are you mad? SHE'S A MUGGLE!"

"I am most zertainly not a muh-ghell," the woman said disdainfully and she let of a string of French insults at Hermione, who retorted a few of her own.

George corralled his woman out into the hall making promises he would see her later and gave her cab fair money. Fred explained these models were actually full-blooded witch's who they met through an introduction from Fleur Delacour when she and Bill came to visit their new shop.

“I’m sorry George, but who would have ever thought a witch would spend their life on something as frivolous as modeling?” Hermione asked, semi-apologetically, “Oh yeah, they’re FRENCH!”

Harry whispered, “Hermione, reign in the claws.”

“Well I just get so-“

Harry interrupted Hermione by grabbing her hand and with a desperate “Ex-Nay!” kind of look on his face he pointed to Hermione’ hand. Hermione looked down and was shocked to see her index finger was extending an inch of claw and she quickly retracted it.

Consciously Hermione stuck her hands in her pockets and tried to change the subject, “So.. anyone hear anything about the two new Auror instructors we’re getting this year?”

Everyone chided Hermione for even thinking about school. Luna held hands with Ron and was uncharacteristically talkative and focused. The only thing Ginny was interested in was how soon they could go shopping. She had actually made money for the first time in her life that summer working the cash register in Fred and George's store as a part time salesperson. Almost a third of what she made had to be spent on floo powder going back and forth from the store and the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley insisted that Ginny save her money for her school year. Ginny figured she could make some extra money in the shop on weekends and spend it at Hogsmead.

"Ginny, you're not allowed to leave Hogwarts on weekends to work until your sixth year," said Hermione.

"Ooh pooh," said Ginny, "I've gotten by for this long without two knutes to rub together."

"Don't worry," said Harry, "No one in Gryffindor is going to be without butterbeer or candy this year."

Fred and George slapped Harry on the backut hut his plans to "share the wealth" in Gryffindor this year, building him up like it was going to be a huge frat house party all year. With her arms crossed Hermione restrained her usual tch-tch about the whole thing. Harry handed Hermione another butterbeer, telling her to lighten up, and she immediately spilled it onto her shirt and pulled Harry away to the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen.

"Harry, we can come back to your house on weekends to be TOGETHER, get it?" Hermione explained with a hush, "But we can lose that privilege if you party around too much and get into trouble."

"Ah hell, you're right. I'll be good for us, promise!" said Harry, "Listen, uhhh, what did you tell Ginny and Luna about me being in the chair?"

"Oh shit, yeah, I told them your Uncle put you in there," said Hermione.

"What? Oh no, I told the guys it was my fight at the Ministry," said Harry.

"That wasn't very imaginative Harry," said Hermione, "You were on your feet at the end of that fight. Why would you be walking then and not now?"

"Damn, they're going to figure out we're being dodgy about this," said Harry.

Hermione thought for a moment, then said, "We have to stick with one side or the other. I say I'll set the boys straight about it being your Uncle and whenever they ask you about it, you say you don't want to talk about it since you've always hated talking about your Uncle anyway."

Harry was amazed Hermione could whip up such a tight plan in such a short time and said, "Brilliant, done."

"And Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't smuggle booze into the tower this year," said Hermione, "It's not the trouble, it's... you're just not that good of a drinker."

“Okay, okay.”

“Seriously, you can’t handle your liquor.”

"Alright! I get it," Harry said reservedly, "Don’t worry, without Fred and George, or Lee Jordan around, I imagine Gryffindor is going to be deadly dull this year."

Hermione smirked and went, "Right."

Harry asked the chair to transform itself into a scooter and rode it back into the kitchen.

"Hey! Who wants to go for a joyride?" Harry called out.

Ron marvelled the scooter up close and was anxious to go for a spin first. Luna thought it was darling. Ginny climbed on to the seat behind Harry and told him to take-off, they were up around the ceiling before Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen.