The End

a/n: Written for the Changing Seasons Fic Exchange on LJ

Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere sunset all is snow. - James Russell Lowell

~*~

Harry strolled round the picturesque village, the bag slung over his shoulder was brimming with provisions. When Molly had requested that someone go do the shopping, he had readily volunteered. The atmosphere at The Burrow varied from hour to hour and day to day at the moment, and Harry felt slightly uncomfortable at times being there; it was like he was intruding or something. His head told him this simply wasn’t true, but following the final battle and the death of Fred, the Weasleys had closed ranks, pulling him and Hermione with them, as they left Hogwarts and returned home to grieve and recover as a family. His heart wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this.

So he had left Hermione and Ron talking in the kitchen, and escaped to the village of Ottery St. Catchpole some hours earlier. He had quickly ticked off the items on his shopping list, added an item or two as he went, but now he had some time to spare before he had to return home.

As he sat down on a nearby bench and opened a Muggle can of pop, he smiled. Despite everything that had happened, and the difficult days that still lay ahead, The Burrow was home, and almost everyone he considered ‘family’ was there.

A cry from further down the street, caused him to look round, and he saw two young boys, brothers by the look of them, fall round the corner, while jostling with each other, and trying to cause the other to fall into the verge, all the while laughing out loud.

Harry sat and watched them for a while, feeling a strange sense of loss, but not quite sure what for. He had lost so much the past few years.

As the two boys came past, he caught snippets of their playful jibes, and he grinned, they reminded him of the good times at The Burrow, and how he’d finally found a family.

His thoughts then turned to his other family and the last time he’d seen them.

Harry looked at his watch, his decision made. He had just enough time to go and visit Kingsley, and return home before Molly would start to worry.

* * *

“Are you sure you want to do this Harry?” asked a concerned Arthur Weasley. “I can go with you or we can send someone from the Order if you want.”

Harry was touched by Arthur’s concern, and the fact that he could offer it after all the Weasleys had been through these past weeks, it meant more to Harry than he could ever begin to explain. He felt his throat tighten as he replied. “I’m sure Mr Weasley. This is something I need to do.”

“I thought it might be, son,” replied Arthur proudly, placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

Son? Harry had to swallow and avert his gaze from the older man, lest he notice Harry’s eyes welling up.

“You know the co-ordinates?”

Harry nodded in reply. The neatly folded piece of parchment he had obtained from Kingsley yesterday was stuffed in his back pocket.

“Okay then, lad, we’ll see you later.”

Harry nodded in reply, looked back up and smiled at Arthur, then turned and walked out of The Burrow to join his friends Hermione and Ron in the garden. Their voices were loud enough for there to be no need for them to be standing as close to each other as they were.

Harry coughed politely, and they both turned to look at him, but showed no inclination to move apart.

“So, where is it again?” asked Ron for the forth time that morning, causing Hermione to huff rather loudly.

“We go the third bench on the left of the village green, tap the plaque four times with my wand and, Dedalus will know a member of the Order is waiting to speak to him. He already knows the war is over, so they should be prepared.”

“Don’t know why you want to do it anyway, any of the Order could have gone and got them.” There was no mistaking the dislike in Ron’s voice for the people they were about to go and collect after nearly a year of them being in hiding.

“They’re his family, Ron,” said Hermione, nudging Ron with her elbow, rather hard.

“Hey! There’s no need for that!” exclaimed Ron rubbing his arm, “I was only saying…”

“You’re always only saying, Ron….”

“No, Hermione, Ron’s right to ask,” interrupted Harry, keen to be off.

Ron’s face lit up and clearly said, See? I told you so!

“But, you’re right as well, Hermione,” added Harry.

Ron’s face fell and his friends both looked at him, confused.

“I don’t really care about my aunt and uncle.” Hermione’s expression quickly changed and Harry quickly added, “Oh, don’t look at me like that Hermione. I’m happy they’re alive, but they never really cared about me…”

“So, why then?” asked Hermione.

“Dudley.”

“Dudley?”

“Yeah, Dudley. I think he finally started think about things for himself back then, and well.”

“You want to give him the chance?” said Ron, finally understanding.

“Yeah.”

“Right then, why didn’t you just say so?” said Ron, as he made to take his friends arm.

As Ron reached for him, Harry made a snap decision and stepped back slightly from his friend, who looked at him in confusion.

“Actually guys, do you mind if you don’t come along?”

“Who else is going to? You’re not going alone,” exclaimed Ron.

“I don’t intend to,” replied Harry. “I’m going to ask the person I should have done in the first place.”

“Who?” asked Ron.

“Ginny,” replied Hermione, with a knowing look at Harry.

“Err… Yeah,” replied Harry. “I’ve shut her out of so much this past year. I think it’s time to start letting her back in.

If she’ll let me,” he added nervously.

“She will,” said Hermione, while Ron just nodded and smiled knowingly.

“Thanks,” replied Harry, pleased by their confidence, and he pulled them into a quick hug before turning and jogging back into The Burrow.

At the door he paused and shouted over his shoulder, “Besides, I figure you guys could use a little quality time yourself!” He smirked as he could hear his friends trying to splutter a denial as he disappeared inside.

* * *

Harry sat on the bench back, with Ginny sitting on the bench itself leaning against his legs slightly, while they waited for Dedalus to collect them.

“You al l right there, Harry?” asked Ginny, concerned by Harry’s silence since they arrived at the village green.

“Yeah, just thinking,” replied Harry resting a hand on Ginny’s shoulder.

“Nervous?”

“A little.”

“You’ll be okay,” replied Ginny, lifting a hand to cover the one of Harry’s resting on her shoulder, giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

“You’re with me, of course I will,”  replied Harry, sliding down on to the bench proper so he was sitting next to Ginny.

“Anyway, how are you doing?” They both knew he was talking about Fred, without him having to say his name.

“I… I’m fine, I think,” replied Ginny. “I have my moments, sometimes I’m okay, sometimes I’m not. Most of the time it’s somewhere in the middle, but well, you’d well… know what I mean I suppose.”

Harry didn’t reply but just squeezed his girlfriend into a tighter hug.

“But,” continued Ginny. “Today’s a good day. Today I got my Harry back,” she added with a grin.

Harry kissed the top of her head, “It’s good to be back.”

“And when it’s not a good day or hour, you’ll still let me be there won’t you?”

“You just try and not be,” replied Ginny, her eyes blazing, “and you damn well better let me be there for you as well.”

“I don’t suppose between, you, Ron and Hermione, I’ll have much chance to sulk, will I?” replied Harry with a slight grin.

“Well not for long anyway, everyone needs a little sulk every now and then.”

Harry snorted, and was about to ask when she had one planned for, when he spotted someone walking across the green towards them, the way he dressed and interacted with the people he passed on the way, it could only be a wizard trying to appear as a Muggle.

“Hi there, Dedalus,” said Harry as he stood up and greeted the man who was going to take him back to his family.

* * *

“Right, Dudley,” said Harry, handing over a train ticket to his cousin, leaving the rest on the table. “I’ll keep in touch. Yeah.”

Harry, turned round and started to walk away, but stopped when he heard his cousin speak.

“Mum. Dad,” said Dudley quietly, resolutely looking at his ticket rather than them, “I think I’ll go on ahead.”

“Dudley! you can’t mean-”

“Yes, Dad, that’s exactly what I mean.”

Uncle Vernon turned an interesting shade of puce and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could start to bluster his son interrupted.

“Come on Harry, before I let them talk me out of it.”

Harry took his cousins arm and moments later they rejoined Ginny. To say the atmosphere was uncomfortable was understating matters somewhat, but a hesitant introduction, they all sat round one of the picnic tables, discussing the previous year, Harry and Ginny were understandably guarded in what they told Dudley. Not only were they still coming to terms with some of the events themselves, but there was only so much Dudley would be able to understand.

Dudley, however went into great detail about what he had got up to over the preceding months, how frustrating he had found being locked up with his parents, slowly coming to terms with just how bigoted they were and not just to the wizarding world.

“I realised that their hatred of everything you represented,” said Dudley and Harry had to shake his head softly at Ginny when looked like she was about to say something, before nodding to his cousin to continue.

“Well,” continued Dudley hesitantly, “Mum and Dad hate everyone really that doesn’t fit their vision of ‘normality’. I spent a lot of time talking to Hestia and Dedalus as there wasn’t a lot else to do and yes they’re a bit odd, but really there are people at Mum and Dad’s church that are a ‘bit odd’ but because Mum and Dad like them or want to impress them, then they’re okay.”

Harry just nodded, not sure what to say to his cousin. He had obviously grown up somewhat, his behaviour nearly a year ago at Privet Drive, before they left on their separate journeys, and his conversations back at the safe-house and now here, all pointed to that, but there was still a little bit to go. For the first time in his life, he thought there might be a chance, he and Dudley might - just might - get on.

“Will they be okay with you just leaving them, then?” asked Harry. “Uncle Vernon didn’t look very happy earlier. He probably thinks I’ve kidnapped you, and won’t go back.”

“Then he’d not be far wrong,” said Dudley, with a slight smile.

“What!” exclaimed both Ginny and Harry.

“What do you mean, Dudley?” asked Hermione.

“Well, I’ve decided to do a course at Uni or college depending on where I can get in, Sports Science or something. I’m not good at many things, but I do enjoy my boxing. You never know, something might come of it, but more importantly I need to get away from Mum and Dad for a bit, it’ll do them good, and allow me to find my own path. Dedalus said he might be able to help find somewhere.”

“You do realise what kind of help, he was on about, don’t you?” asked Ginny slyly.

“He didn’t say and I didn’t ask,” answered Dudley.

“And what you don’t know can’t hurt you eh, Big D.”

“Exactly, Harry. Exactly.” replied Dudley.

* * *

“Well I don’t suppose that was what you were expecting,” said Ginny as they walked away from dropping Dudley off.

“No!” not really,” laughed Harry. “I suppose we all have to grow up at some point though.”

“Even people like Dudley and Ron,” replied Ginny with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Don’t let him hear you say his and Dudley’s name in the same breath,” said Harry.

“Why ever not?” replied Ginny innocently.

“You’re terrible,” laughed Harry, pulling Ginny towards him and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I suppose, it’s to be expected though - this growing up thing,” said Harry thoughtfully, “who knows how close Dudley and I’ll be, in the future, or if we’ll ever talk again. I’d like to think we will tough, even if it’s only every now and then.”

“You will,” said Ginny. “I’ll make sure you do.”

“And us,” replied Harry, “We’ll be okay, won’t we?” Harry just found himself unable to look at Ginny as he spoke and so watched a young mother struggle up the kerb with a pram as a small child also tugged at her coat.

“We will, Harry, we will,” said Ginny softly, before adding, “I know we’ve all been through so much pain and heartache, but you see, the thing is, we can now start afresh, and take all the time in the world we need to do so. Some things will be easier than others, and some things might not happen as we’d like, but in the end summer will arrive.”

“Yes, yes it will,” said Harry, as the two of them strolled down the road together heading towards the park Harry knew so well, content enough in each others presence to not need to talk any further. Ginny was right, thought Harry, as they walked passed a set of swings. There was still work to do before summer would come again, but sooner or later it would. He knew that he, his friends, his family would fight just as hard to get there as they had in the war.

Some things, he thought, they reach a covered spot they could Disapparate from, and looked at the red-headed girl next to him, I’ll fight even harder for.

a/n Many, many thanks to Katieay for the beta, I really didn’t give her enough time to be able to do a proper job of this, and that is anywhere near readable is down to her!