Chapter IV

They spent the next day cleaning up Regulus's old room. Although he had not told them, Harry intended to give this room to Ron and Hermione. While Harry had taken Sirius's old room, Ron and Hermione slept in the living room or in the dim room on the third floor. Harry thought he understood why they chose that room. It was the old room in which Sirius used to keep Buckbeak. They had thoroughly cleaned it out of course since they started cleaning top down this time, but Harry had a grim idea that they felt unwelcome in his house, so they took the least pleasant room.

This idea bothered him. He had a renewed affection for his friends after, yet again they had shown loyalty to him and perhaps even love. That morning Harry suggested that they clean out Regulus's room, they have been postponing that since his room-being the Black family's favorite child-was the largest room with the best furniture. Yet after all these years, it was uninhabitable all the same.

Harry had ordered Kreacher to purchase a king-size bed, new mattress, curtains, shellac for the wooden floor tiles and lamps. He wrote several notes indicating that the required gold should be taken from his vault at Gringotts and handed them to Kreacher.

Their well learned and well practiced spells got them through half of the work more quickly than either of them had imagined. Hermione told them it's all because they had so much practice in renovation now. She was right of course. Once the room was positively junk free and slytherin free, Kreacher popped in front of them with a bow.

"Master Harry, Kreacher did as master ordered!"

"That's great Kreacher, when will they arrive?"

"Kreacher will summon them when master commands it!"

"Eh... What is going to arrive, Harry?" Asked Ron.

"You'll see!" said Harry with a grin.

Harry had considered how Kreacher would feel about giving Regulus's room to his friends and had asked him the night before. Kreacher replied "Master Ron and mistress Hermione have helped master Harry defeat the dark lord and fulfill master Regulus's dying wish, Kreacher is grateful, and they are kind to Kreacher". "That means a lot to me Kreacher, So I want you to go to Regulus's room and take anything that you may want from the room for yourself, we'll be cleaning it out tomorrow." Harry had told him and Kreacher left him with teary eyes and muttering many thank-yous under his breath as he left to do so.

"Kreacher can you vanish everything else in this room? The things that will be replaced I mean."

"Of course Master! "

And with that, Kreacher snapped his fingers and the bed, the drawer and closet. The writing desk and curtains, the old lamps, all vanished. Ron and Hermione were both staring at Harry.

"Are you ready Kreacher?"

"Say the word Master Harry!"

"Ron, Hermione, Come here!"

And they came to him, looking confused, Harry didn't want them to get crushed by the new things, having no idea of their size. Then he said "Do it Kreacher!".

Kreacher snapped his fingers several times and in turn, a superb and comfortable looking bed and mattress, delightful bright forget-me-not blue curtains, golden chandelier and candleholders, an exquisite writing desk made from ebony wood and a matching drawer appeared into the room.

"Excellent!" Exclaimed Harry, who was pleased with Kreacher's taste.

"Is master happy with Kreacher's choices?"

"Of course Kreacher you did great!" Replied Harry.

Kreacher bowed his deepest.

"Harry what is all this stuff?" Asked Hermione.

Harry turned to face them.

"It's your room, you and Ron's."

"What?" Ron gasped.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked a bit nervously, for a second he considered if they were going to be offended.

"Harry..." whispered Hermione.

"I reckoned you've been sleeping in the living room and upstairs, and I reckoned you're my only friends, and you should have a proper room and I want you to know that you always have a place here"

He looked at them, Hermione's face was full of affection and Ron looked like he had forgotten English temporarily.

"If you want it of course!" Harry added.

And before he knew it Hermione hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Harry!"

Harry was looking at Ron over Hermione's shoulder.

"You didn't have to spend so much gold mate!" Ron looked uncomfortable.

"Gold? I didn't spend anything. I just used my 'I defeated the dark lord so give me free stuff card'." Lied Harry with a smile and as Hermione let go of him Ron grabbed him by both his shoulders and then shook his hand and then decided it wasn't enough, and he too gave him a crushing hug. It wasn't awkward, not even a bit.

"Thanks Harry!"

"Oh don't mention it, do you like it?"

"Like it?" Hermione replied with teary eyes. "Its beautiful Harry!"

"King size bed too, nice mate, real nice!" Said Ron with a grin.

"You can return or change anything you don't like, Kreacher will take care of it."

"Change what? These are the best stuff out there, I recognize the mark of the carpenter! Blimey... That stuff aren't cheap... You sure you got them for free?" Ron asked uncertainly

"I did pay for it Ron, but I got a very good deal when they knew who was buying." Harry felt like he couldn't keep this lie up, and he didn't want another episode of muttering and bitterness.

"Harry I'll pay you back!"

"Shut up! Pay me back for what? And If you say that again I'll jinx you!"

Hermione was still looking around the room with utmost delight and then turned to Harry.

"How does Kreacher feel about this?" She asked.

"I told him, he said you fulfilled Regulus's dying wish, and he wouldn't mind you having this room, and I think it shows, look at the stuff he picked, worthy of kings and queens!" Harry ended with a nod to each of them.

"Nice taste to be honest!" Said Ron.

"Isn't it perfect Ron?" Asked Hermione, still teary-eyed.

"Blimey yea it's awesome!"

And they kissed and embraced each other. Harry made to leave the room, but then he paused at the door.

"Listen, I know I've been... Not quite myself in the past few months, but I would never push you two away from me, and I'm sorry if you felt like that, this house belongs to you as much as it does to me and I want you to know that no matter what happens in the future, this will not change between us. I know that the burrow can be a little too much and... Well Hermione your parents are in Australia... So this is it, your home! If you would call it that!" Harry ended, feeling hot in the face, but he had to say these words to his friends who stuck with him all this time.

Hermione let go of Ron and hugged Harry again, sobbing, and Ron patted him on the back.

"Well then, I'll leave you to decorate." And as he made to leave, he realized that the R.A.B golden sign was missing from the door, Kreacher must've taken it, Harry thought to himself, and then he waved his wand and made a new golden sign that read, 'Ron & Hermione' and put it in the empty place of the prior sign.

"There!" He said as he left the room behind and Ron and Hermione in a tight embrace.

They spent the whole day upstairs, decorating and redecorating the room. Harry could hear Hermione's soft screams of delight every time she placed something in a good position and Ron's grunts every time she changed her mind.

"But if it's here..." And Harry would hear the sound of something heavy getting dragged across the floor.

"... Then we can wake up with the sunlight!" Hermione would say excitedly.

"Hermione we're not farmers! I don't want to wake up with the first ray of sunlight!"

And on and on they argued and moved stuff around.

Harry settled in the kitchen with a piece of parchment, ink and quill, trying to write a reply to Ginny's letter. Harry was feeling superb that day and if he was honest with himself, smugly pleased with what he had done for his friends. He had rarely seen Hermione so excited. "They deserve it!" he thought to himself. But all of that positivity vanished as he began to read Ginny's letter.

Dear Harry

I hope you are well, I know I'm not. We are helping the staff renovate the castle between classes. It earns house points. I wonder if you received any of my letters Harry and if so, I wonder even more why you haven't responded. Ron says that you stopped opening letters, I understand. I thought of sending a howler, but Luna talked me out of it. Luna is a completely different person, you wouldn't recognize her anymore, she isn't on good terms with her dad either. They fell apart when she found out that he sold you out to the death eaters.

I say this now, even though it burns me to think of it and I fear if I met you, my lips would betray me.

My heart is with you Harry, it has been since the first time that I saw you. But my mind, my brain tells me that you have left me.

Here is what I want to say. If you are burdened by our relationship or by the idea of one, please tell me, it tortures me to wonder and not know. Not knowing if we are getting back together or if you have forgotten me.

Yours truly, Ginny.

He felt hollow, wilted, and deflated. It was as if he was sitting next to a dementor. At some point, without Harry realizing it, Ron had come downstairs and into the kitchen and was sitting right in front of Harry. Harry blinked. The shape of Ron came into focus out of the blur. Harry folded the letter and looked down at his blank parchment.

"Are you OK mate?" Ron was looking alarmed. "Is it that bad?" He pointed at the letter.

"Bad?" He muttered to himself. "Not really..."

"Then why do you look like you just got the dementor's kiss?" Ron frowned.

"I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow!" Harry said abruptly before he could stop himself.

"Yea well... That bad then?"

"No I just... Have to see her."

"I don't know what you're thinking to be honest."

"What do you mean?"

"You keep saying she won't be safe with you... Well I think that's rubbish, no offense mate!"

Ron's voice was calm and cautious.

"Ron... I don't think its over!"

"What's not over?"

"The danger!"

"What? The death eaters? They wouldn't dare anything in Hogwarts and the Burrow is as safe as ever!"

"Wouldn't they? They dared a few attacks in Diagon alley. They dared a few more murders... I don't know... I think they know that they can't wiggle out of it this time, that they're finished... It makes them more dangerous. They went after the people who killed death eaters during the war at Hogwarts! Your mom killed Bellatrix Ron, and I did Voldemort, can't you see a scenario in which she will not be as safe as you think?"

"Even if so, she'll be safer with you, with us than on her own!"

"She's not on her own but at least she's not associated with more than one reason to be hunted!"

There was a pause, Harry knew that Ron didn't want to have a row, so he took his chance.

"Don't tell Hermione I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow, she'll start giving me 'girl advice' and I'm not having it right now. I'll go in the morning" Said Harry.

"She'll know! When have we managed to hide anything from her?"

"Yea well you don't tell her, I will, when I get back."

Ron nodded.