The sun set over the horizon and the little village of Ottery St. Catchpole witnessed the arrival of night. The crickets and little grasshoppers began their usual chattering in the gardens of the various humble cottages lining the main street. The only large and rather unusual building in the skyline was 'The Burrow', a building that looked as if it had begun with one floor or two but more were added as per need. The path up to the front door was old and cobbled. A few hens that usually pecked around the front of the house were now snuggled up in their wire cages. A gnome scurried off across the path, and climbed up a large Eucalyptus tree, growing by the front. A few birds flew into the tree and all was peaceful except the constant chattering from the insects in the shrubbery. The only light in the street shone out from the cottage windows and the *several* floors of the 'The Burrow'.

This was how Harry Potter saw The Burrow for the first time since the holidays preceding his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The car pulled up at the front gate of The Burrow. A balding man with flaming-red hair that had grayed in places, quickly got out. In the semi-darkness of dusk, he looked around him, twice, as if making sure no one was there around him.

'Got Hedwig? Ok… out we come now,' he said in an undertone. His voice betrayed concern and worry yet it had a desperate mixture of cheerfulness in it as if concealing a secret.

Another person, shorter and thinner stepped out of the car with a large cage.

'Shall I get the trunk from the back, Mr.-' he began, placing the cage on the ground but the man quickly cut in.

'No it's alright. You go into the house and I'll get your things now. Best not to risk it-' he said quickly. The other person looked around and then, picking up his cage, walked up the path to the house. He knocked loudly. The door opened a fraction and someone peered out. Suddenly, the door was flung open and the person stepped in amidst a squeal of,

'Harry! Come in quickly!'

Harry stepped inside and just had time to put the large cage down before Mrs. Weasley enveloped him in a tight hug. She stepped back after a moment and looked at him like his mother or aunt would. Well, maybe not the aunt in this particular boy's case.

'My, you've certainly grown…' she said, her eyes shining with tears.

'Mum! It's only been three weeks!' said a voice from behind them. Ron walked into view and hugged Harry.

'It's so good Dumbledore's finally allowed you to come over. It's been very boring here,' he said and stepped back. Harry smiled at both Weasleys.

'It's been worse at the Dursley's. Aunt Petunia definitely remembered the Ton Tongue Toffee. She forbid Dudley to eat any thing I offered…' he said, his eyes glinting mischievously.

'Did something happen?' asked Ron eagerly.

'Well, I did try to get him to eat some Every Flavor Beans… too bad he got the worst ones and went and got everything out at the basin!' said Harry, grinning. Mrs. Weasley chuckled.

'Too bad? It wasn't by chance now, was it?' said Ron.

'Enough of all the jokes. Harry, you go up and wash up. I'll get you something to eat right away.'

'Come on, I've got to show you my room too,' said Ron and started towards the stairs.

'Your room? I've already seen it lots of times. Is there something new?' asked Harry, raising an eyebrow. Ron grinned.

'Yeah, well, I've been saving up and it's finally paid off. You should have a look,' he said and both began the long climb up the zigzagging staircase.

The door of Ron's room was apparently the same as it had been the last year and the year before that, the same crooked, old sign reading "Ronald's Room", and the same creaky doorknob. But before Harry had the chance to comment, Ron opened the door of his room.

Instead of the bright orange hue that greeted Harry every time he entered Ron's room, faded yellow and light green colors faced him. He stepped into the room cautiously, wondering if it was Ron's room at all. The Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite Quidditch team's posters had been stripped from the walls, and all memorabilia and souvenirs bearing the logo "CC" had been, apparently, stuffed into the dustbin. The room even seemed to be cleaner. The empty fish tank was gone, and so were all the Wizard comic books Ron had an untidy library of. In fact, the room seemed entirely changed, no trace of the past arrangement and lifestyle visible.

Harry gave the room another sweeping glance, then turned to face Ron, whose face had the same expression when Harry had first visited the burrow and seen his room.

'Wow Ron, what did you do all of a sudden?' Harry asked putting down the cage. Ron grinned.

'Well… I had this bit of money collected and I wanted to change my room. And anyway the Chudley Cannons have been here for lots of years,' he said. Harry raised an eyebrow, unsure.

'You mean, you don't like the Chudley Cannons anymore?' he asked, an amused smile struggling at the corners of his mouth.

'Well, they weren't doing too well lately, I got a bit… well, doesn't matter. I decided to change my room. Painted it myself,' said Ron, ending in a satisfied and proud manner. Harry looked around.

'It does look good. It looked good before too, at least to me… but this's good too. You've done a very neat job on the paint. Wish I was there too. We could have had some fun,' said Harry wistfully.

'Yeah, like throwing paint at each other,' suggested Ron.

'Or mixing up the green and yellow,' added Harry.

'Or just smacking globs of each color on the orange wall. Red, orange and green. How does it sound?' asked Ron, grinning.

'Not a very good effect, I guess,' said Harry imagining Ron's room in polka dots of yellow and green that looked like they had been applied with a squirt gun on the previously, bright orange walls. Further, Ron would be standing in the middle, covered from head to toe in paint and grinning as usual.

'You should see Ginny's room. She changed it too. Now it's all pink and cream,' said Ron, interrupting Harry's rather colorful imagination.

'Ginny did up too? Oh well, I didn't see the older version of it,' said Harry thoughtfully and then Ron voiced his thoughts.

'Strange but you never saw Ginny's room and you've been coming to our house for four years. Wow, that's something!' he said. Harry grinned.

'Well, guess it happens,' he said but Ron suddenly gave him a devilish look and, grinning, he said,

'Actually, you should have seen it… after all, it was covered with posters of yours.'

Harry's grin faded quite a bit and strangely, he felt himself go red.

'What?' he was able to get out of his throat. Ron grinned satisfactorily. 'My posters?'

Ron laughed and clutched the side of his bed for support. Harry looked on, dumfounded and soon, Ron was able to look up again.

'Sorry Harry, I couldn't help it, the look on your face was worth it,' he said, still grinning. Harry smiled a little.

'It sounded like it was true,' he thought but realized he must have said it out aloud too because Ron was looking at him again, smiling.

'It was true, I mean she had these photographs of yours on the walls until she repainted her room,' he said. Harry looked at Ron, a bit awkwardly. Ron went on,

'But, I'm glad that's over with. I knew, though, that she'd get rid of that childish crush sooner or later.'

Harry, once again, felt himself sink into thought.

Ginny had gotten over her crush on him. Would that mean no more blushing while speaking to him, no more hiding from him and no more looking at him as if he was some great, big hero or something? Well, it did seem that way, at least the way Ron put it. Ginny could now be… be …  that was strange, he never even knew how Ginny really was. He didn't even know the real Ginny. Ginny couldn't be just a blushing, little girl.