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Not From Others | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP, Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Extreme Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 348 Summary: She may not have been able to join Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Ginny refuses to go down without a fight. As war approaches, Ginny returns to Hogwarts to resurrect Dumbledore's Army and face the darkest year the wizarding world has ever seen. DH from Ginny's POV. Canon. Hitcount: Story Total: 108208; Chapter Total: 3580 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Post-party analysis dominated the conversation the entire train journey home the next day. Students flitted from compartment to compartment exchanging information, some of which had grown to be rather elaborate. ‘Hagrid ripped one of their heads off,’ said a second year as he passed their compartment. ‘Just grabbed it and twisted it, clean off! I was right there.’ Ginny thought about following and correcting him, but rather admired his imagination, so simply gave a bemused smile at Neville. ‘I wonder where Hagrid is, though,’ said Hannah Abbott. ‘Did he have plans? He must have known he’d be arrested.’ ‘Yeah, I think he did,’ said Ginny. ‘He’ll be all right. It’s us we have to worry about now. For all we know, a list of our names has been sent to the Ministry and we’ll be arrested at Kings Cross.’ ‘They can’t arrest all of us,’ yawned Seamus. ‘We’ll all just have detentions when we get back.’ ‘If we all come back,’ said Ginny. ‘My family’s on the edge of going into hiding.’ Neville’s face fell. ‘Not you, too! You have to come back for the summer, Ginny. There’ll be no Gryffindors left!’ ‘Just keep an eye on the coins,’ she said. ‘And promise me you’ll send me a message if Harry, Ron and Hermione turn up?’ ‘I will,’ said Neville glumly. ‘But please come back.’ ‘Course I will, wouldn’t want to miss my traditional welcome back to school torture,’ said Ginny with a wink. ‘Speaking of the coins, has anyone noticed any messages from Dean lately?’ asked Seamus, his forehead creased with worry. ‘I’ve seen nothing since he said the blokes he was with had died.’ ‘I’m sure he’s all right,’ said Hannah. ‘We might have just missed some of his messages, Romilda probably changed it with her usual nonsense.’ ‘It’s been over a week now though,’ said Seamus. ‘And we… He usually sends a message just letting me know he’s OK every few days, really early in the morning so I don’t miss it.’ His voice wobbled slightly, so Lavender gripped his hand tightly. ‘I’ll ask around the Order, see if anyone has heard anything,’ Ginny promised. ‘I’m sure he’s all right, he’s probably just dropped it or something.’ ‘How hard d’you reckon it is to go on the run?’ asked Colin. ‘I’ve got a tent, it’s Muggle, but it’d do, and me and Dennis could go off somewhere and keep the pressure off Demelza’s family-’ ‘Don’t be stupid, Colin, you’ve both still got the trace on you,’ said Ginny. ‘You’d be caught in less than a day.’ ‘Muggles go camping too, you know, not everything needs magic.’ ‘You’re safer at Hogwarts, Colin,’ said Neville firmly. ‘Am I?’ he demanded. ‘What did you say happened to Lisa Turpin in your Muggle Studies class, Neville?’ ‘What happened?’ asked Ginny, alarmed. ‘She tried to get up and walk out,’ said Seamus. ‘Carrow was already in a bad mood because of Hagrid’s party, she really laid into her.’ ‘Is she all right?’ ‘She had to go to the hospital wing,’ said Colin fiercely. ‘Madam Pomfrey had to push her down to Hogsmead in a wheelchair to get the train. I think if it hadn’t been for all the other teachers about, the Carrows would have been punishing people this morning as they left.’ ‘But they didn’t,’ said Neville. ‘The other teachers were and most of the time they can protect us. We just need to keep up what we’re doing. Keep recruiting new D.A members, and distracting Snape and the Carrows so they can’t get any work done. You’ll not be much use to the war effort sitting in a tent in the middle of nowhere, Colin.’ ‘That’s what Harry’s doing, apparently,’ muttered Colin quietly. ‘He’ll come back,’ said Neville. ‘I know he will. It’s a shame we can’t hide somewhere at school.’ The train rattled into London and Ginny, with no small amount of effort, persuaded Crookshanks back into his carrier. ‘You know what?’ she said to him as he hissed and clawed at her face, ‘I’m just going to leave you at home next term. Mum can look after you.’ Neville helped her with her luggage and gave her a strong armed hug as she stepped off the train. ‘Aren’t you coming?’ she asked, as he loitered by the door. ‘Er, yeah, I’m just going to… I just need to say bye to Hannah…’ he looked nervously through the steam to the crowd collected on the platform. ‘Just don’t want Gran seeing…’ he mumbled. Ginny laughed. ‘Got it. Say bye to her for me! See you after the holidays.’ She waved and hugged goodbye to the others, then began snaking her way through the crowded platform, looking for any sign of red hair. As post into Hogwarts had been virtually stopped, she had no idea who was going to be picking her up. ‘All right, Ginny?’ Before she could turn, Fred and George were either side of her, one of them quickly taking Crookshank’s carrier and her trunk. ‘Hey! I can carry that!’ ‘Now’s not the time to argue against my naturally chivalrous nature, little sis,’ said George. ‘We’ve got to dash. Come on.’ ‘Is it just you two?’ ‘Yep,’ said Fred cheerfully. ‘We weren’t joking though, we don’t have much time.’ ‘Where are we-?’ But Fred had linked arms with her and twisted, and soon the suffocating feeling was closing around her, a deafening crack in her ears. She landed, stumbling slightly on her feet and taking deep, gulping breaths. ‘You have to warn me when we’re going to do that,’ she said, but Fred just grinned at her. They were standing on a rather windswept moor, the last beams of daylight shining onto purple heather and dark hillsides. In the distance, a small village sat nestled in a valley. ‘Read this,’ said George, handing her a slip of parchment. ‘Then give it back, because I have to burn it.’ The home of Remus Lupin and safehouse for the Order of the Phoenix is located at Torr Cottage, Scagglethorpe, North Yorkshire. As soon as she read it, she suddenly became aware of a ramshackle little cottage, stone, with a mossy roof and a battered wooden door, just a few metres ahead of her. ‘Why have we come here instead of going home?’ she asked. ‘We thought you’d want to help us out with Potterwatch,’ said Fred, leading her up the slate path. ‘I’m starring this week.’ ‘And it’s Lupin’s birthday, Tonks wanted you here with everyone for dinner,’ added George. He knocked the door. ‘Mum wanted you home straight away, but we told her-’ ‘Who’s there?’ came a voice through the door. ‘Fred and George, and some loser,’ replied George. ‘What did you once tell me would be a benefit of dating Charlie Weasley?’ ‘That he’d never be there, so you wouldn’t to listen to him drone on about dragons.’ The door opened, and a beaming Tonks appeared, heavily pregnant. ‘Hello!’ she cried, pulling Ginny forward into a tight hug. ‘How are you? Thanks for coming, come on, get in out of the cold…’ Still feeling rather overwhelmed and confused, Ginny followed her across the threshold into the tiny cottage, which was packed with Order members. George had left her trunk just outside the door, but let Crookshanks, who was yowling loudly, out of his carrier. ‘All right, Ginny? Fred? George?’ Kingsley acknowledged them with a brief grin as he squeezed past them in the narrow corridor. Mundungus Fletcher leaned inconsiderately in the doorway to the sitting room, stuffing tobacco into his pipe and grunting his greeting at them as they passed. ‘I thought Remus was moving in with you and your mum?’ Ginny asked Tonks. ‘He has, we’re just using this as a safe house and for the broadcasts as we can’t use the Jordan’s house anymore… Make yourself at home!’ Ginny couldn’t see where she was possibly expected to sit — the large and awkward equipment she had seen at Lee’s was now crammed awkwardly into the tiny sitting room, along with various people busying themselves with scripts and microphones. Bill and Fleur were there, along with Andromeda, Lee and his sister, and Sturgis Podmore, who was talking quietly to Lupin. ‘Is everyone here for the broadcast?’ asked Ginny, amazed. ‘Well, it started like that, but a few people have tagged along just to say hello… I’ll let Remus know you’re here,’ said Tonks, but Ginny seized her arm. ‘Listen, Tonks, I’m so sorry about your dad…’ Tonks seemed to freeze, her face suddenly very tense. ‘Let’s not talk about it,’ she said. ‘Thank you for letting us know, Ginny, really.’ She gave a small, sad smile and squeezed Ginny on the shoulder, before turning and walking over to Remus. ‘Well done,’ said George sarcastically. ‘I had to say something!’ hissed Ginny. ‘Just don’t say anything to Andromeda,’ said Fred. ‘That’s a job strictly for Mum.’ Remus approached them, looking much happier than the last time Ginny had seen him. Fred shoved a parcel into his arms, neatly wrapped with a gold ribbon. ‘Happy birthday,’ he said. ‘Mum got you this, she says sorry she couldn’t pop round.’ Remus opened the parcel and pulled out a tiny yellow jumper, with a large red ‘L’ on the front. ‘How sweet,’ he chuckled. ‘She didn’t have to do that.’ ‘Are you kidding?’ said George. ‘She started knitting almost as soon as she found out the pair of you were expecting. She’s got loads more, but I think she’s waiting for the actual birth.’ Remus laughed again. ‘Give her my thanks, it’s wonderful, I’m sure the baby will love it. And Ginny, welcome back from Hogwarts.’ ‘Happy birthday,’ she said, giving him a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. ‘It’s great to see you.’ ‘You too. Sorry to drag you here straight from school, but Dora really wanted to see you, and I thought you might like to help us with our broadcast tonight. We could squeeze you in if you wanted to feature? Get everyone up to speed with the latest Hogwarts news.’ ‘I better not speak on it, I was recognised last time and someone told the Carrows-’ ‘You’re kidding?’ interrupted Fred, paling considerably. ‘Were you all right?’ said Remus, who also looked alarmed. ‘Yeah, sure,’ said Ginny impatiently. ‘But I do have news from Hogwarts. Have you heard about Hagrid?’ Remus looked terrified, glanced over his shoulder to look at Tonks and Andromeda, who were talking animatedly with Sturgis, and leaned closed to Ginny. ‘Please tell me he’s all right… What’s happened?’ ‘Oh he’s fine!’ said Ginny quickly. ‘Absolutely fine! It’s a great story, actually… Snape, the Carrows and some blokes from the Ministry tried to arrest him, but he just took them all out and made a run for it. Kicked one of them right in the air, knocked the rest of them to the ground.’ Fred and George both sighed and Remus’s shoulders sank in relief. ‘Thank Merlin for that, I couldn’t bear the thought of telling Dora… What were they trying to arrest him for?’ ‘Er… He tried to throw a Support Harry Potter party.’ They stared at her. ‘Of course he did,’ said Fred, finally. ‘Of course Hagrid did that.’ ‘I tried to tell him!’ insisted Ginny. ‘It was quite good, actually. I’m sure when we get back we’ll all be in trouble, but it was worth it.’ Remus shook his head, looking very amused. ‘Fred, George, could you both go and tell Lee? I have news to tell Ginny too.’ The twins both nodded and left, Remus looked back over at Tonks and gestured her to come over, a meaningful look on his face. ‘What’s going on?’ asked Ginny, suddenly worried. ‘Is everything all right?’ ‘Course it is,’ said Tonks. ‘Come on, let’s go to the kitchen, it’s nice and quiet in there.’ She followed them through to the kitchen, back past Mundungus who tried to follow them. ‘Remus,’ he croaked. ‘Remus, I really went out me way to get that stuff for the show.’ ‘And we’re very grateful, Dung,’ said Remus pleasantly. ‘Right, yeah, but y’know it wasn’t exactly easy, getting radio equipment in the current climate-’ ‘I’ve no doubt,’ said Remus, beginning to shut the kitchen door. ‘I know I’m still in the dog ‘ouse about last summer, but I really think I deserve some-’ Remus shut the door on him. ‘Sorry about that,’ he said to Ginny. ‘Please, sit.’ The kitchen was very tiny, and rather shabby, but there were friendly signs of warmth dotted around. Potted plants hid cracked tiles, and photos cluttered the little available space. Ginny sat at the rickety table pushed against a wall, and her eye was caught by a photo of Harry, though as she looked closer she could see that it was James. He was laughing, turned mostly away from the camera, but twisting to grin over his shoulder at the girl whose head was resting on his back, her eyes closed and face scrunched up in uncontrollable giggles. Ginny recognised her, was sure she had seen the same girl laughing before in some other photo. ‘Is that Harry’s mum?’ she asked, frowning. She was sure she could remember holding a photo of this laughing girl in her own hands, but Harry had never showed her his photo album. Remus nodded, helping Tonks and her huge bump slowly into her seat. ‘Yes… I was going to give Harry the photo when Hagrid wrote years ago, but we were all so drunk that night it seemed rather inappropriate at the time.’ ‘You could show it to him when he’s back,’ said Ginny. Remus looked at her carefully. ‘Tea?’ he asked her. ‘No, thank you. What’s going on?’ He sat, still looking at her oddly. Tonks pointed her wand at the door and cast a silencing charm. ‘Please answer me honestly, Ginny,’ said Remus. ‘Are you in contact with Harry and the others? You can trust me.’ ‘No, I’m not,’ said Ginny. ‘Why?’ ‘We need to know that they’re safe,’ said Tonks. A feeling of dread hit Ginny like a cold wave. ‘What’s happened? Why wouldn’t they be safe? What’s going on?’ ‘We went to Godric’s Hollow at the end of January,’ said Remus. ‘On their birthdays I usually go and lay some flowers.’ He nodded to the picture of Lily and James. ‘Along with another rather unpleasant discovery I made when I dropped in to see an old friend, there was something else in the graveyard.’ ‘Unpleasant discovery?’ ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Tonks quickly. ‘A body of someone Remus knew, you didn’t know her.’ ‘There were flowers already at the grave,’ said Remus. ‘Dead by the time I got there, but it looked like it was a wreath, so may have been placed there at Christmas. Understandably, I thought it may have been Harry.’ A flutter of hope sang in her chest like a tiny bird, but life with the Carrows had taught her to be cynical. ‘Harry’s never been there,’ she said. ‘I don’t think he’s ever left flowers there. I suppose lots of people do though.’ ‘Not really,’ said Remus. ‘For the first year or two after they died, yes, and occasionally at Halloween. But most of the time, it’s just me. I didn’t think the average witch or wizard would make such a risky display of loyalty, and there aren’t many left alive who were particularly close to the Potters.’ ‘Harry wouldn’t make that risk either,’ said Ginny, though she knew even as she said it that it was a lie. Harry was always prepared to take risks, even foolish ones, for people he loved. Remus sighed. ‘Perhaps. I was just hoping you could confirm it either way, really. There was clear evidence of dark magic in the murder I came across, and I was concerned that Harry was in danger. I’ve been wanting to send a message out on the radio since then, but because of the raids…’ He looked so defeated, and Tonks so sympathetic, that Ginny forced herself to swallow her cynicism, to allow herself to hope. ‘It probably was him,’ she admitted. ‘He was saying at the end of last year that he wanted to go. I’m sure we would have heard if he was in any danger.’ ‘I’m sure what happened to Bathilda was completely unconnected,’ Tonks told Remus, rubbing his hand. ‘It’s like you always say, isn’t it? We’d know if something had happened.’ He nodded, steely determination on his face. ‘He’s fine,’ he said. ‘He’ll be back before long and we can tell him the good news.’ He patted Tonks’ bump gently, and she grinned at him. ‘If Ron managed to get back in touch with him, he’ll know you’re back together,’ said Ginny. Remus blushed. ‘I still haven’t apologised. And we need to let him know he’ll be godfather.’ ‘He will?’ asked Ginny, breaking into a broad grin. ‘Oh, he’ll be so happy!’ The door opened, and Lee’s sister stuck her head in. ‘We need to get going, Remus, it’s nearly eight.’ ‘Coming, Stacey,’ he replied, standing. He looked at Ginny. ‘If you hear from him, from any of them, please tell me. I promise I won’t do anything silly.’ Ginny smiled. ‘I know you won’t.’ She followed them back through to the living room, where those who were speaking on the show had taken seats by the magically suspended microphones, and everyone else had squeezed along the walls to watch. ‘Hey, Ginny,’ whispered Fred as she wriggled her way past Fleur. ‘Have you or Seamus or someone heard from Dean? His mum and sister got in touch with us-’ ‘Going live in three… two…’ Stacey said loudly. The room fell silent, Fred hastily hurrying to his seat as quietly as possible. There was a pause, and then she turned a dial and nodded to Lee. ‘Good evening, and welcome to Potterwatch. We apologise for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house-calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters. Thankfully, we have now found ourselves another secure location, and I’m pleased to tell you that two of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening boys!’ ‘Hi.’ ‘Evening, River,’ said Remus, holding back a grin. Tonks had taken the opportunity to point her wand at the top of the wall facing Remus, where a banner saying HAPPY BIRTHDAYhad materialised. Ginny grinned too; it was wonderful seeing them both so happy. Tonks’ smile faltered though, as Lee announced the death of her father and Dirk Cresswell. Andromeda closed her eyes and held a clenched fist to her mouth, rocking in her chair slightly. ‘…A goblin by the name of Gornuk was also killed. It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been travelling with Tonks, Cresswell and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news.’ Ginny took the moment to shake her head sadly at Fred, whose shoulders sank. She felt guilty for not being more concerned about her ex-boyfriend; she had dismissed Seamus so easily on the train. But it was true that nobody had heard from him, and as terrified as she was for her missing friends and relatives, she couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for his Muggle family, who probably barely understood why he had to leave… ‘Finally, we regret to inform our listeners that the remains of Bathilda Bagshot have been discovered in Godric’s Hollow. The evidence is that she died several months ago. The Order of the Phoenix informs us that her body showed unmistakable signs of injuries inflicted by Dark Magic… Listeners, I’d like to invite you ow to join us in a minute’s silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk and the unnamed, but no less regretted, Muggles murdered by the Death Eaters.’ Silence fell, and Ginny could hardly stand to see the grief on Tonks and Andromeda’s faces. She closed her eyes, and an image of Harry appeared in her mind, standing in front of two gravestones, holding a wreath of flowers. Had he really been there? Knowing that he could be accounted for at a certain place and time was like a friendly little wave; it warmed her, even though she knew that he had likely been grieving. ‘Thank you,’ said Lee. ‘And now we turn to our regular contributor, Royal, for an update on how the new wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world.’ Lee and Kingsley began to talk, but Ginny saw Andromeda quietly slip out of the room, unnoticed by Tonks or anyone else. Ginny followed, and found her leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. ‘Andromeda?’ said Ginny, closing the door quietly behind her. Andromeda looked up, her eyes full of tears. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, just ignore me-’ ‘Don’t be silly,’ said Ginny. ‘Andromeda, I’m so, so sorry about Ted.’ Andromeda gave half a choked sob and suddenly stood up straight, smoothing down her robes. ‘I’m fine. I’m so sorry, Ginny, you shouldn’t have seen me like that.’ Ginny took a risk. ‘For a while, we were in contact with Dean Thomas. He said Ted was really great, taking really good care of him.’ Andromeda’s lip trembled. ‘Of course he was. That’s just like the Ted I know. Kind right down to his soul. He’d do anything for anyone. Bravery didn’t come into it, everything he did just because it was the right thing to do.’ ‘Sounds like he was wonderful,’ said Ginny. She had watched her mother do this hundreds of times. She knew how to listen, to let people take their time and comfort themselves. All you had to do was patiently wait with an understanding ear. ‘He was,’ said Andromeda, and she smiled slightly, though now tears had begun to fall. ‘The most wonderful person I ever met. Now I feel lost. When you love someone that much… It’s like losing a limb, you just don’t know how to ive like you did before. But I still have Dora,’ she said firmly. ‘I never wanted to get mixed up in all this Order business, you know. I am a Slytherin, after all, and the smart thing to do is just to keep your head down and wait it all out. Keep yourself and your family alive by being wholly unremarkable. But Ted said we should help, and Dora wanted to help too. He encouraged her, right from the beginning.’ Ginny nodded gently. She had heard Tonks talk about her father. Long ago, in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, talking about how proud he had been when she told him she’d joined. ‘I warned him. I told him, you’ll get our daughter killed, and I said to him, Ted, you’re a Muggleborn, you’re already a big enough target without getting us all associated with the Order of the Phoenix. But he said that if we could see our daughter live in a happier world it would all be worth it.’ She looked at Ginny fiercely, somehow looking both alike and different from Bellatrix Lestrange at once. ‘If all of this means I get to see my daughter happily married with a beautiful child, it will all be worth it. Even losing Ted… Even that’s worth it for my Dora.’ Ginny smiled sadly. ‘Then that’s what you can focus on. A baby on the way, and Tonks and Remus both looking happier than I’ve ever seen them, despite all this.’ Andromeda smiled. She was still crying, but her smile was genuine and hopeful. ‘They are, aren’t they? It’s how I know we’ll all be all right in the end. I just imagine us all waving a little boy or a little girl off on the Hogwarts Express. All of this will be a distant memory by then. Come on, let’s get back inside.’ She wiped away her tears and placed a motherly arm around Ginny, guiding her back into the living room. When they returned, Remus was talking, warning the listeners against hosting ‘Support Harry Potter’ parties with a wry smile. Tonks looked up, worried, but both Ginny and Andromeda gave her reassuring smiles. Before long, Fred was making his radio debut, an expression of pure exhilaration on his face. ‘As our listeners will know, unless they’ve taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond or somewhere similar, You-Know-Who’s strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic. Mind you, if all the alleged sightings of him are genuine, we must have a good nineteen You-Know-Who’s running around the place.’ He pointed at Kingsley, who nodded and took his cue. ‘Which suits him, of course. The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself.’ ‘Agreed,’ said Fred cheerfully. George stood in front of him, holding a sheet of parchment with words on. Evidently this area of the script was one he had struggled to remember, but he read the words with ease, sounding as natural as normal. ‘So, people, let’s try and calm down a bit. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That’s a Basilisk, listeners.’ Ginny was having to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, her shoulders shaking. It was wonderful to sit here and see the Blitz spirit her friends and family were encouraging; she caught Tonks’ eye, and grinned broadly, feeling increasingly relaxed. ‘One simple test,’ continued Fred. ‘Check whether the thing that’s glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it’s safe to look in the eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that’s still likely to be the last thing you ever do.’ ‘And the rumours that he keeps being sighted abroad?’ prompted Lee. George looked at the parchment, horrified, and shrugged at Fred, who glared and shook his head at Lee, but continued with an air of joviality. ‘Well, who wouldn’t want a nice little holiday after all the hard work he’s been putting in? The point is, people, don’t get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he’s out of the country. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but the fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to, so don’t count on him being a long way away if you’re planning on taking any risks. I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but safety first!’ Ginny’s stomach hurt from trying to hold in her laughter; Fred was looking very pleased with himself, taking silent bows to his audience as Lee bid the listeners goodnight. As soon as Stacey had clicked the dial to go off the air, George rounded on Lee. ‘We weren’t bloody expecting that, you muppet!’ Lee shrugged casually. ‘Sorry, I must have forgotten to make the changes to your script. You handled it well, though, Fred.’ ‘Yes, very good. Hopefully it’s put minds at ease,’ said Remus. ‘Now, dinner anyone?’ It was late by the time Fred and George apparated Ginny back. They had not been able to find Crookshanks, who had fled as soon as he had spotted the carrier being opened, but Tonks promised that they would try and take him back to Andromeda’s and return him to the Burrow at the next opportunity. Despite Ginny’s protests that she had already eaten, Molly fussed and cajoled her into having a ham and cheese toastie, demanding to know what had been going on at school. ‘I’ll tell you tomorrow, Mum,’ yawned Ginny. ‘Can’t I go to bed now?’ ‘I’ve been hearing awful things!’ said Molly. ‘If we need to pull you out of that school and go into hiding, then so be it!’ ‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow,’ groaned Ginny. ‘How were Remus and Tonks, did they like the baby jumper?’ ‘Yes, Merlin, Mum just let me go to bed!’ ‘Well go to bed then, I’m not stopping you!’ said Molly huffily. Ginny rolled her eyes and Fred and George sniggered behind their mother’s back, but eventually Molly permitted her daughter to hug her goodnight and wearily climb the stairs to bed. Arnold, who had spent the entire evening curled up asleep in Ginny’s pocket, seemed to sense he was in the familiar old room, and scurried onto her shoulder. ‘You’ve missed a fun evening,’ she told him sleepily. She scooped him up and placed him on her bed, where he immediately rolled under her pillow. After untidily unpacking her trunk (which here meant dumping her clothes on the floor) and clumsily changing into her pyjamas, still yawning widely, she crawled into bed, her body aching. She had forgotten to draw he curtains, but was glad of it, because she could see the brilliantly starry sky, remembering with warmth how she had stared at a similar sky from her bed in Hogwarts. Like before, she imagined Harry under those stars, and something told her that he was under them too, that somewhere far away he was looking at their beauty. ‘Ginny! GINNY!’ Her eyes snapped open, she hadn’t even realised that she had been asleep, and she sat up groggily. ‘Waz goin’ on? Are we being attacked? Is Harry here?’ Her father had burst into her room, wand drawn, looking panicked. He ran to the bed and shook her, even though she was already awake. ‘Two minutes, Ginny, we need to leave in two minutes! Gather your things and get downstairs.’ ‘What’s going on?’ she demanded again, pulling herself out of bed. ‘We need to leave NOW! I mean it, Ginny, two minutes!’ He raced out of the room again, and Ginny could hear rumbling footsteps and shouting from Fred and George’s room, a commotion downstairs, a recognisable male voice talking rapidly. Her heart now racing and feeling wider awake than she ever had been, she seized armfuls of the clothes on the floor and threw them back into her trunk, shoving an unmatched pair of socks on her feet and pulling a jumper over her pyjamas, before grabbing random items and throwing them in too, barely thinking about what she was doing. She could hear voices shouting her name impatiently, she grabbed her wand and threw it in there too, as she had no pockets, and hurried out the door She had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs before she remembered Arnold, likely still quietly snoring under her pillow. She turned and tried to go back up the stairs, but in her exhaustion had forgotten the lumbersome trunk she was pulling stumbling over it. A hand seized the back of her jumper. ‘Come on, Ginny!’ Bill said desperately, pulling her back down the stairs. ‘We’re waiting for you, we need to go now!’ She barely registered her surprise at his appearance, and tried to scramble back over the trunk. ‘Arnold!’ she shouted. ‘I forgot Arnold!’ ‘They could be here any minute, come on, Ginny!’ His strong arms lifted her, holding her round the waist under one arm as she flailed stupidly, grabbing her trunk with the other ‘Arnold!’ she sobbed. ‘Arnold! Accio Arnold!’ But her wand rolled uselessly around in her trunk, and Bill carried her out of the house. As soon as he had reached the rest of the family, also in their pyjamas and clutching suitcases, he twisted, and they vanished with a crack. |
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