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A Trunk, Some Magic, And A Girl
By The Seeker

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Category: Harry's Magical Trunk Challenge (2007-3)
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance
Warnings: Death
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 26
Summary: Featuring Harry's Magical Trunk, in several iterations, our story follows the Fabulous Four, as they prepare to hunt horcruxes, play some pranks, customize a magical trunk, and fine tune a plan to love Tom to death. All in a day's work for our Hogwarts' Heroes. Right? Humbly submitted for the June Challenge and your reading pleasure. ***A sincere 'Thank You!' to all of you who nominated my other story He Didn't Stand A Chance for the June DSTAs for Best Romance and Best Overall. To now have the story make it into the voting round in both of those categories is beyond unbelievable. Thank you!
Hitcount: Story Total: 5620



Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
The pull of Harry's Magical Trunk was too hard to resist. Herewith, in one chapter, is the highly truncated version of what Harry, Hermione, Ron, and, I hope, Ginny, will go through in Deathly Hallows. I'm sure you'll find a few familiar names along the way. I hope you enjoy this light offering and will be motivated to leave a review. Thank you!




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A Trunk, Some Magic, And A Girl



“The wards are failing.”

Arthur’s words startled the two-hundred and fifty-three wedding guests, and they turned as one in the direction the groom’s father was looking. The sight turned their stomachs, as dozens of Death Eaters rained curses at the wards surrounding the Burrow. In an instant, panic ensued, with people yelling at each other, pushing to get away, and getting nowhere.

Arthur went to the raised stage, where the band had been playing Sunshine of Our Love just a few moments earlier, put his wand to his throat and whispered, ‘Sonorus.’ With his voice now magically amplified, he said, “Everyone, please calm down and listen to me.” Surprisingly, they did just that. “Thank you. This is why we provided Portkeys for each of you. Just touch it with your wand and say ‘home,’ and you will be returned safely there.” Amid the chorus of ‘homes’ echoing through the reception area, Arthur added, “If you’ve misplaced your Portkey, please see me, and we’ll take you to our apparation zone.”

Apparently, none of the guests had misplaced their Portkey, since no one approached the senior Weasley. While this had been going on, the Weasley brothers, including Bill, his new bride, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and several Order members had moved in the direction of the Death Eaters, who were casting dozens of curses in the hope of bringing down the wards and leaving their mark on the festivities.

The wards continued to hold, and once all the guests had left, the family members and their friends Portkeyed to number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry was the last to leave and was relieved to see that the Death Eaters had given up and apparated away when they saw all the guests departing. Bedlam reigned when he arrived at number 12.

Harry’s eyes frantically raked the room until he found Ginny, with her hair like a fiery sunset, which she wore like a crown for the wedding festivities. In a second, they were holding each other tightly, whispering their relief that both of them were safe.

Ginny breathed in his ear, “Even though you arrived just seconds after I did, it felt like hours . . . I love you so much.”

He smiled into her mesmerizing soft brown eyes. “I had the same feeling. I couldn’t get back to you quickly enough. I love you, too, Gin.”

While hoping their precautions would prove to be unnecessary, Arthur, Molly, Bill, Remus, and Tonks had set up evacuation procedures for the guests, friends, and family. Bill and Remus had strengthened the perimeter wards at the Burrow. Portkeys were personalized for the guests. The family and their house guests had packed their trunks before the wedding ceremony, and Molly had shrunk them, so she could transport them should the need arise. The good news was that no one was hurt. The less than good news was that their precautions had been necessary.

Molly was dealing with the disappointment, anger, and frustration she and the others were feeling by doing what she always did in a crisis.

“Who wants sandwiches?” she asked, as she placed the platter and an assortment of drinks on the kitchen table. “When I checked the pantry, it had at least two weeks of food, a case of Butterbeer, and . . .”

“I’ll have a sandwich.” Harry, Ginny, and Hermione bit back smiles, as Ron unsurprisingly was the first to respond.

The teens overheard Arthur talking to the newlyweds, “Bill, Fleur, I’m so sorry this had to happen.”

“Zank you, Monsieur Weezlay. But we are married. Zat’s all zat matturs.” Fleur surprised everyone by quickly hugging her new father-in-law.

“Dad, Fleur’s right. We’re lucky we got as much in as we did before they arrived. We had a strong feeling we wouldn’t get through today without a hitch. At least, no one got hurt. If you don’t mind, we’re going to change into our traveling clothes, then leave on our honeymoon.”

Arthur clapped Bill on the shoulder and nodded. After whispering something to his mum, Bill and his bride found their trunks and levitated them so they could go upstairs and change. Forty-five minutes later, they returned to say goodbye to their friends and family, then they apparated to an undisclosed location for their honeymoon. Bill knew the twins far too well to divulge where he and Fleur would be staying.

********************


“Bloody hell! Where did you get this?”

“Language, Ronald.”

By the time Hermione opened her mouth to reprimand her boyfriend, Harry had already spoken the oft-repeated phrase. All Hermione could do was roll her eyes, as her two best wizard friends collapsed in laughter. Ginny tried but couldn’t hold back any longer and joined her brother and boyfriend in their mirth.

Finally, Ginny choked out between laughs, “Hermione, we’re not laughing at you. But it was funny.”

The corners of Hermione’s mouth started twitching, and soon she was laughing, too. “Harry, that was pretty funny.”

When the four friends calmed down, an inquisitive look came over Hermione’s face. “Where did you get this, Harry?”

The four teens were in the Room of Requirement, which was currently configured for a small meeting. Ron and Hermione were seated on a burnished gold sofa, with red piping, while Harry sat in a contrasting chair — red with gold piping — with Ginny comfortably ensconced on his lap.

Ginny and Harry exchanged glances, and Harry finally said, “It’s a long story. Dobby?”

With a soft ‘pop,’ the house elf appeared. “Dobby is the luckiest house elf in the world. He is so lucky he knows Harry Potter, the greatest wizard alive. To be able . . .”

Harry held up his hands, “Dobby, would you bring us some snacks and drinks, please?”

“Harry Potter asks Dobby ‘please?’ You are too good to me . . .”

“Uh, Dobby? Could we have the food now?”

“Yes, sir, Harry Potter, sir. Right now,” and he disappeared, returning moments later with an assortment of snacks, Butterbeer, and cold pumpkin juice.

After setting out the refreshments, and slapping Ron’s hands several times, so the girls could make their selections first, Dobby asked, “Will Mr. Potter, sir, and his wonderful friends” — he rolled his eyes at Ron — “be needing anything else from Dobby?”

“No. This is great. Thank you, Dobby,” and the house elf apparated away.

Harry took a deep breath, “Remember when we were at Grimmauld Place for Christmas?” Hermione and Ron nodded; Ginny didn’t, because she already had heard the story. Actually, she was chowing down like a smaller, much prettier version of Ron.

“Well, I was searching through the attic, you know, just to see what was up there. I found this old trunk and saw an envelope sitting on top of it.” He paused, “It was addressed to me.” Two pairs of eyes immediately widened. “It was from Sirius.”

Ron couldn’t stand it anymore, “What did the letter say? C’mon, speed up the story.”

Hermione reprimanded him, “Ron, it’s Harry’s story. Just relax.”

He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Harry.

“Sirius said the trunk had magical properties.” The friends leaned toward Harry. “It can be shrunk; wards can be cast; and selected people can apparate directly into it.”

Hermione smiled, “So that’s why you side-along apparated us here.”

“Well spotted, Hermione. Let me add you to the list of approved people for apparation. I, Harry James Potter, hereby allow Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley to apparate into and out of the trunk.” He tapped both of them on the head with his wand, and a glowing gold halo briefly surrounded his two friends. Harry smiled, “Okay, you’re approved.”

The two friends smiled, and Ron asked, “What about Ginny?”

She smirked at her brother, “Harry’s already approved Dobby and me.”

“Which reminds me,” Harry added. “There may be times when I don’t want anyone to apparate into the trunk. Only I can control that feature.”

Hermione and Ron nodded, then Ron’s ears began to turn red, “You’re not going to snog my baby sister in this trunk, are you?”

All three teens responded simultaneously, “Ron, that’s none of your business . . . I’ll snog whoever I want, wherever I want . . . Since when do I need your permission to kiss your sister?”

Ron sensed he was in a losing position and decided for once that silence was his best defense.

Finally Hermione asked, “How did you manage to hide from the twins for the week before the wedding?”

Harry and Ginny traded mischievous glances, and Harry said, “Ginny put all of her school items in the trunk, including several robes spilling over the sides, and most importantly, an ever growing pile of dirty laundry overflowing on top of it. So, I would just apparate there whenever they would try to find me.” Ron and Hermione started laughing.

Ginny smiled, “The twins didn’t stand a chance, since no one would expect Harry to hide in a pile of stinky laundry, especially with some of my unmentionables in it.”

“Ginny! That’s way too much information,” Ron protested, his ears turning a telltale red.

Ginny grinned at her brother, as Harry continued the explanation, “Since I had my license, I could apparate into and out of the trunk, and the twins would never know where I’d gone. It drove them nuts trying to find my hiding place. When the week was over, I teased them that ‘I had been hiding in Ginny’s bedroom and you never knew.’ They still don’t know what I did, so please don’t tell them. I want to keep the abilities of the trunk secret for obvious reasons.”

Both Hermione and Ron nodded their heads. Ron asked, “Are you going to bring it when we start searching for the Horcruxes?”

“That’s the idea.”

Hermione looked puzzled, “How will we be able to carry it around. It’s rather conspicuous.”

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other, and Ginny said, “Let’s step out of the Room, and we’ll show you.”

The four teens quickly vacated the Room and found themselves standing in front of the much used, dark green trunk, which was sitting at the foot of Harry’s bed in the room he shared with Ron in the Grimmauld Place house. Ginny pulled her wand from the back pocket of her jeans, pointed it at the trunk, and in the next second it was sitting in the palm of her hand. It was now about a quarter of the size of a snitch. Ron and Hermione gawked at Ginny, then turned to stare at Harry, waiting for an explanation.

“Do you remember the gift wrapped box I brought in when I arrived at the Burrow?”

“Sure,” Ron answered. “You said it was an early birthday present for Ginny.” He glanced at Hermione, “We thought it was a peace offering after you stupidly broke up with her at the end of term.”

Hermione’s eyes widened as Ginny attached the now miniature object to the bracelet she wore on her right wrist. “Oh! It’s a charm for her bracelet. How ingenious,” Hermione exclaimed. “”So, that’s how you brought it in without anyone noticing it.” Then she started grinning, “But you couldn’t resist flaunting it under everyone’s noses, could you?”

Harry grinned back at her, “Well, mostly for the twins. They couldn’t resist when I told them, ‘I can hide for a week in the house without you finding me.’ That’s why I won’t take their money for winning the bet.”

Ginny smirked, “Gred and Forge were going spare trying to find where Harry was hiding. I’m sure they went through every room in the house at least a dozen times. They looked under beds, in closets, through all the kitchen cabinets, dresser drawers, you name it. I even heard them ask Tonks and Charlie to help. Of course, no one would go near that pile of laundry.”

Ron laughed, “I don’t think they liked the mickey being taken out of them, especially for a whole week. You were pretty brutal with them.” He switched to a falsetto voice, ‘Boys, come and find me.’ Then you’d disappear into the next room, with them sprinting after you.”

Hermione added, “And now we know you were apparating into the trunk and probably laughing at them.”

Harry smiled, “I was. It’s really rare to pull something on the twins, so, yeah, it was fun.”

“What else can the trunk do?” Ron wondered.

“It also has a charm that’s both an imperturbable and a proximity warning. It blocks noises from escaping the trunk, and it lets us monitor who is close to the trunk and to hear what they are saying. Part of the charm also allows me to engage defensive features and a Contego shield if needed. Oh, each new owner of the trunk has one opportunity to customize the big room in the seventh compartment. I made it into a Room of Requirement, so I can change it into anything I want.”

“That’s bloody brilliant, Harry!”

“Language, Ronald,” echoed three times, followed by raucous laughter.

Hermione turned thoughtful, “So, that’s the answer to ‘Where do you do laundry?’ or shower or . . . uh . . . other things.”

Harry smiled at her reddening cheeks, “You’re right, Hermione. I thought it would be better to have the flexibility to change that compartment to whatever we needed at any time, rather than pick just one configuration.”

Hermione’s eyes lit up, “So, it can be virtually anything we need it to be while we’re moving around.”

“Exactly. It should be pretty valuable as we travel, ‘cause we’ll never know everything we’ll need.”

Ron looked at his friend, “Where did you learn all of this information about the trunk, if you found it in the attic?”

Harry smiled, “I went to the Magical Storage Store in Diagon Alley and talked with a Mr. Intromit. He told me it was a very old, top of the line model, called Fate’s Debt. Kind of a funny name, huh? Anyhow, he told me everything the trunk can do and how to set the charms and wards."

Hermione asked, “What about the other six compartments?”

“All of the compartments work off separate locks that only I and approved people can see. That way, it always looks like a regular trunk,” Harry explained. “They’re all protected by the same defensive charms and wards the seventh one has. They can be used any way the owner wants, but I’ve kept the first compartment for regular storage — for things I don’t mind people seeing — like Ginny’s unmentionables.”

Ron laughed, then stopped abruptly when he saw Ginny’s eyes narrowing. She hissed, “Watch your mouth, Potter.” Then, she started smiling and bumped his shoulder with hers.

“Sorry, dear,” Harry answered, then bumped her shoulder. “The second compartment is for clothing, the invisibility cloaks, and other items we don’t want people to see. The third section is for books — I call it Hermione’s Library.”

Hermione smiled and swatted him on the arm, “Prat.”

He smiled back and continued, “The fourth holds equipment, like our brooms, cauldrons, Sneakascope, and the lock pick. All our potions are stored in the sixth compartment, and you already know about the seventh.”

Ron shook his head, “It’s like we’ll have an entire house with us, and here I thought we’d be roughing it in a tent and sleeping bags.”

********************


A couple days later, the four teens were sitting in the drawing room of number 12. Hermione was reading the first novel written by the famous chanteuse, Celestina Warbeck, under the nom de quill cwarbeck and entitled The Right Time. It had already reached #1 on the Wizarding Weekly Top Ten Readers’ List, and Hermione had been laughing continuously while she read the book.

Harry, who was seated on the sofa next to Ginny, whispered something in her ear, then cleared his throat. “I think we should give the trunk one more test, a more public one this time.”

The three friends looked at Harry, as he continued, “I think we should place the trunk in Diagon Alley, specifically at St. Margarets.”

Hermione looked puzzled, “The non-denominational church next to Gringotts?”

“Right. I thought we could set the trunk on a table in front of the church. We’d attach a sign to the front, asking for donations to the War Relief Fund for victims of Voldemort and his followers. During that time, we can live there, get all our supplies, do research, and develop our plans. I reckon a week would be a long enough test. Whaddya think?”

Ron and Ginny glanced at each other, both turning slightly pale. Ginny spoke first, “Um, that means we’ll need to get our parents’ approval to leave, unescorted, unsupervised, for a week, to an undisclosed location, and doing things we also can’t tell them. Do either of you, oh wise ones, have any ideas how we can get our parents, and our mum especially, to agree to such an activity?”

Harry spoke first, “Well, I think you just have to fake a smile when you talk with your mum and go to the mat with her. It’s just a matter of taking control. This is something we have to do.”

All four teens looked at each other, then started laughing uproariously, until their stomachs were sore, and they were slumped over in exhaustion. Finally, Ginny lifted her head off of Harry’s shoulder.

“Does anyone have any realistic suggestions?”

Harry took a deep breath and spoke softly, “I’ll talk with your mum.”

“What will you say?” Ron asked, his face a strange combination of Weasley red and frightened white.

“The truth. I need you guys. Even Dumbledore said it was okay to bring you in. I’ll tell your mum he assigned a project to us that will enable us to vanquish Voldemort, and that I need the three of you to succeed. I’ll also let her know that this is a trial run to get us ready for the task.”

“I think that might work,” Ginny said, “especially if you say it like you just did, calmly and quietly, so you’re not adding any fuel to her rantings.”

Both Ron and Hermione nodded their agreement. Ginny squeezed his hand, and Harry got up to see if he could find Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. Thirty minutes later, though it seemed like hours to the remaining trio, he returned, looking shaken but not stirred.

Ron was bursting at the seams, as if his emotions were barely being held in check by the threads of a hand-me-down robe.

“Well?” he asked.

“She finally gave us her blessing.” Ginny literally leapt into Harry’s arms, while Ron and Hermione hugged each other, then quickly moved over to hug Ginny and Harry.

“Tell us what was said,” Ginny prompted.

Except for a few questions, Harry spoke non-stop for nearly ten minutes, ending with, “She finally understood we need to work together on this project in order for it to succeed.”

“And you didn’t tell her what we have to do?” Hermione asked.

“No. She understands Professor Dumbledore gave this assignment to me and suggested using the three of you.”

“But Harry, he didn’t mention me,” Ginny reminded him.

“That’s only because we weren’t together at that time. I have no doubt he would have included you had I not been so thick. He knows how important you are to me, wherever he is.”

Ginny and Hermione gasped, and Ginny wrapped her arms around his back and laid her head against his chest.

Hermione smiled, then went into her study mode, “We’ll need to plan out everything we want to accomplish. We’ll start with a brainstorming session, identify our goals, then assign responsibilities and timeframes.” When Hermione focused on her three friends, she saw each of them smiling at her. A wide grin split her face, “Okay, let’s just figure out what we need to do. Okay?”

She received unanimous agreement on that approach.

******************* *


After many hugs and assurances, Mrs. Weasley finally let the four teens Floo to the twins’ joke shop. After dusting themselves off, they exited through the front door, nonchalantly waving at the twins, who were busy with customers. Their first stop was St. Margarets or St. M, as it was more commonly known.

The vicar was available, and the quartet explained how they wanted to set up a donation box, just outside the church to help the War Relief Fund and the families that had suffered losses. The vicar enthusiastically approved the request, and the trunk was soon standing outside the church, with a sign attached to the front, seeking donations for the Relief Fund. The trunk was set up so people could put money into it, but would receive a shock — both physically and cosmetically — should they try to remove any of the coins or the box itself. Of course, no one had access to any of the other six compartments, and they weren’t even visible to anyone looking at the trunk.

The trunk was set up next to St. M’s announcement sign, which showed that a guest speaker from New Zealand would be chronicling recent developments in magical search and rescue programs at the next Sunday service. As soon as the faux donation box was set up, the quartet casually walked behind the church, verified they were hidden from prying eyes, and apparated into the trunk, Ginny going side-along with Harry.

The first task was to configure the Room into quarters where the four could live for the week. As with the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, all Harry had to do was wish for the items he wanted and they automatically appeared. Quickly, the Room reassembled itself into two bedrooms and two bathrooms — one set for the girls; the other for the guys — a small kitchen, a study, and a living/dining room, each complete with comfortable furniture.

Feeling full of themselves, the four friends decided to walk up High Street to the Diagon Alley Grocery and Carnivorous Plant Store. Once provisions for the week were purchased, they began to stroll back down the street. Two Hogwarts students, who were in Ginny’s year, caught their attention.

Ron’s eyes bugged out, “I’ve never seen a couple able to walk, when their limbs were that entangled. It’s like they’re one person, but with two heads, four arms, and four legs. Weird!”

Ginny laughed, “They’re never seen apart from each other, so other students in my year call them ‘Melindaleo,’ since the girl’s name is Melinda, and Leo is the guy’s name. Nobody’s figured out how they go to the loo.”

Ron shook his head, “I don’t even want to think about that!”

Once they’d returned to the trunk, the teens had decided they needed to focus on three priorities. For Harry, first and foremost was to teach Ginny how to apparate, even though she was still underage. The quartet wasn’t too worried about Ginny being caught, because Mr. Weasley had shared with them that the Ministry was too swamped to track underage magic, and that even in the best of times, they could only track magic done by a wand in fairly isolated, mostly non-magical locations. Further, no magic could be tracked in the trunk, so that’s where Harry intended to train Ginny. As a safeguard, Harry had turned a necklace of Ginny’s into a Portkey that would return her to the trunk should the need arise. Still, they all thought it was important that Ginny have the ability to move anywhere quickly and without notice. Once the Room was reconfigured, he started the lessons.

In the meantime, Ron and Hermione were focusing on the other two priorities. Hermione, not surprisingly, had volunteered to research possible types and locations of the remaining Horcruxes, while Ron was busy learning basic healing spells. Little did they know that Molly had alerted members of the Order and told them the quartet’s plans, even though she had very few details to share.

In referring to Harry, Molly said, “He may be of age, but he can’t just up and leave whenever he wants. I’m still not sure why I let them go, without asking where they’d be. Harry probably thinks there’s no problem, figuring I’m supposed to lie around and accept anything he wants to do.”

The decision was quickly made to try to find the teens and stop this foolishness. Fred and George debated whether to share the information that they had briefly seen the quartet at their shop the previous day. They finally decided to keep that information to themselves. Harry had embarrassed them, and payback would be a . . . . .

Minerva offered to have the house elves check the Hogwarts castle for anything unusual, that is, for anything outside the usual unusual features and inhabitants. Hagrid would scour the grounds for signs of the quartet. Tonks said she and Kingsley would check at the Ministry, even though the members agreed that would be a cheeky trick, even for Harry, to pull off. Remus and Molly would look through Grimmauld Place, while the twins volunteered to reconnoiter Diagon Alley, since their shop was located there.

“Are you two going out again?” Lee Jordan looked at the twins. “I’m getting tired of covering for you.”

Fred rolled his eyes, “Now, Lee, you know we have to find Harry, our major . . .”

“And only . . .”

“Investor.”

“We’ve got to keep him updated . . .”

“On how the shop is doing.”

Fred and George waved, as they departed the premises. Lee rolled his eyes, irritated that this was the third straight day he had covered for them. And it wasn’t just for a few hours. It was almost the entire day. He began thinking of a prank he could play on the twins in order to get some retribution.

“We’ve covered the entire opposite side of the street,” George said. “Should we start at the Leaky Cauldron and work our way down today?”

“Sounds like a good plan, brother mine. But I’m beginning to get a tad upset with our dear friend, Mr. Potter. I think he would make a perfect test candidate for our new Extendable Ears when we find him.”

“You’re right, my evil twin. And we will find him. But we need to get a better name for these new Ears. How about Donkey Ears, since the powder makes the . . . ah . . . subject’s ears grow rather large?”

“Very good, brother dear, but how about a small tweak?” Fred offered. “I prefer Jackass Ears.”

The twins had been standing in front of St. Margarets, next to the bulletin board and the donation box during this conversation.

Harry and Ginny immediately stopped their apparating lesson when they heard the familiar voices. The Room was equipped with a type of foe mirror that allowed them to see the area surrounding the donation box. They were riveted to the mirror, and Ginny was turning dangerously red.

“And why is that, my dear brother?”

Fred smiled evilly, “Jackasses can’t reproduce. A highly relevant fact now that Harry is dating our Gin-Gin.”

Ginny was ready to step out of the trunk and lambaste her brothers with the strongest bat bogey hex she could cast. “I can’t believe they’d do that. I’m going kill them.”

Harry grabbed her, “I have a better idea,” and he whispered in her ear.

When he’d finished, Ginny smiled at him, “I see I’m having a positive influence on you, Mr. Potter. Tonight?”

Harry smiled back at her, “Tonight, Miss Weasley.”

The twins tossed a couple of Knuts into the donation box and continued their search. Later that night, at the Order’s meeting at Grimmauld Place, the twins reported no luck in their tour of Diagon Alley. Their lack of success was shared by the other members who had been looking for the quartet, though, there had been a series of sightings all over the United Kingdom, from Hogsmeade to London, Surrey to Ottery St. Catchpole. It was as if the teens were everywhere at the same time.

While the Order had no luck finding the quartet, the teens did catch a thief, who had made an extremely ill-considered decision to steal the funds from the donation box. As soon as the would be thief’s hand entered the box and touched a coin in it, he had been petrified, bound in ropes, imprinted with ‘THIEF’ on his forehead (which was Hermione’s contribution), and now sported a bright yellow skin color. A message from the church was automatically sent to the Aurors’ Department, requesting the removal of the sinner. The teens quite enjoyed the thief’s shock and colorful language.

The next morning, the twins walked down the stairs from their flat and entered the back room of their shop. Moments later, Lee Jordan and Hezzie Flooed into the fireplace, which also was located in the back room. George was the first to go into the front area of the store.

“Hey guys, have you lot looked out front? There’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen, waiting for us to open.”

The other three joined George out front, each one looking shocked by the size of the crowd outside. Fred ventured a guess, “Could it be students stocking up before they take the train to Hogwarts?”

“I guess so, but we didn’t have anywhere this number last year. If we’re ready, let’s open. We wouldn’t want to lose any of these panting pranksters, would we?” George rubbed his hand together, thinking of the galleons that would be pouring into their coffers.

Lee and Hezzie went behind the counter to handle the sales at the cash registers, while the twins unlocked the front doors to let the huge crowd in. Within minutes, most of the merchandise on the shelves had been grabbed, and a long queue stretched from the sales counter. Then, all hell broke loose.

The first customer looked at Lee, once the purchases had been rung up, “Where’s my 25% discount? I don’t see it on the bill.”

Lee looked at the man like he’d grown tentacles from his forehead, just as Hezzie’s customer asked the same question.

Both employees gave the same sophisticated response, “Huh?”

“The 25% discount on the banner on the front of your store.” Suddenly, dozens of angry voices thundered through the shop.

“George! Fred!”

The twins raced to the registers, trying to calm their customers. When they were told about the banner outside, they had only one comment.

“POTTER!!!”

And they ran outside to see a beautifully drawn, very large banner, affixed to the front of the store, proudly proclaiming “One Day Sale!!! 25% Off All Merchandise In Stock!!!”

“I’m going to kill him . . .”

“Only if I don’t get him first, my equally frustrated twin.”

George pulled out his wand to unstick the banner, while Fred went back into the store to authorize the extremely painful discounts to everyone who was inside. Moments later, George burst into the shop, flipped the sign to ‘Closed,’ and locked the front doors.

“I can’t unstick the banner. It won’t accept a disillusionment charm. I can’t erase the letters, can’t rip it to shreds, nothing affects that . . . BANNER!!!” George’s voice had increased in volume with each word, until everyone in the store was staring at him.

The four teens had been standing across the street from the twins’ shop the entire time, hidden under invisibility cloaks — Harry had purchased a second one for their search — and laughing hysterically, but quietly, at the twins’ predicament.

Harry whispered, “I think we’ve accomplished what we wanted,” and he vanished the offending banner.

*******************


The rest of the week continued smoothly for the quartet. Ginny completed her apparation training, and the quartet continued to pop up at various places all over the UK, creating a wildfire of conflicting rumors, which, of course, was exactly what they wanted.

Ron had shown a surprising aptitude for learning healing charms, confirming Hermione’s suspicion that his lack of academic success was more a reflection of his attitude, rather than him being gormless. By the end of the week, each of the teens felt confident in Ron’s ability to heal most broken bones, cuts, sprains, and bruises. Anything more serious than that, they decided, would require Madam Pomfrey’s expertise.

Hermione, surprisingly, had come up with the conclusion that several of the Horcruxes were at Hogwarts. Of the seven, two had already been destroyed — the Gaunt ring and Tom Riddle’s diary. They would start the search for Slytherin’s locket with an up close and personal discussion of its whereabouts with Mundungus. In the doubtful possibility he had not filched it, a complete search of Grimmauld Place would be next in line. Hermione also felt two other Horcruxes were obvious. Nagini would be the next to last Horcrux to be eliminated and Voldemort, the final piece. Her research found two artifacts that were most often identified with the two founding witches. That included Ravenclaw’s tiara, which Hermione was sure Harry had seen in the Room of Requirement when he had ‘disposed’ of the HBP’s copy of his potions book. The second was Helga Hufflepuff’s cup. Its location was the hardest to determine, but Hermione had finally concluded that the real reason for the basilisk’s presence in the Chamber of Secrets was to protect the cup. She was certain it would be found in the cave within the carving of Slytherin.

When Hermione had finished announcing the results of her research, the three friends gave her standing ovation. When they calmed down, Ron said, “Let’s grab the invisibility cloak. I want to take you out to celebrate your brilliance — just the two of us.”

Hermione blushed a pretty pink but quickly agreed to Ron’s invitation. Harry and Ginny wholeheartedly supported that decision, since it would leave them alone for quite a while.

As soon as Hermione and Ron left, Ginny turned to Harry, “Any thoughts on what we can do, now that we’re alone, with no one here to supervise us . . .”

“Or yell at us for doing this,” and Harry wrapped his arms around the redheaded sprite and softly kissed her.

“Or this,” as she lightly bit his lower lip.

“They’d really be upset if they saw me do this.” Ginny shivered slightly as his hand moved under her shirt and over the soft skin on her back.

With a moan, Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand and dragged him into her bedroom. Harry quickly cast locking and silencing spells and put the external monitor on full alert. Much later, Ginny was heard to say, rather breathlessly, “Harry, I love your magical trunk.”


Epilogue


Using the magical abilities of Harry’s trunk, the Fabulous Four, as they quickly were named, found and destroyed all of the Horcruxes, with the obvious exception of the unlucky seventh still residing in Voldemort.

In the final confrontation, the quartet faced Tom, while holding hands, smiling sincerely, and singing, “We love you, Tom. Oh yes, we do!” over and over again, until the world’s most evil wizard could no longer endure all the love being showered on him. With a scream that was heard as far away as Brighton, Tom exploded in a rather pathetic puff of dull gray smoke. Hermione vanished his ashes since she still tended to be somewhat OC (obsessive compulsive), but she’s working on it and is making progress. Of course, she doesn’t think she’s making adequate progress, because she’s not keeping up with the four-color schedule of improvement she made for herself . . . but that’s another story.

Of course, our four favorite teens got married — Ron with Harry . . . Wait! This isn’t that type of story, either — and produced many babies. After all, Harry still had his magical trunk!

And they all lived happily ever after.


The End

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