HB Prince: Year of Love by DHobbit
Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated in over 2 years ***
This story starts at the end of Order Of The Phoenix. Although this story starts as the usual Harry/Ginny romance, I believe after several chapters, you will find that Ancient Dark Magic takes on a whole new meaning to our Harry and Ginny. Will Harry discover the key to the Half-Blood Prince?* * * *American Edition *** * * *
Rating: PG
Categories: Post-OotP
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2005.04.29
Updated: 2007.03.18
Index
Chapter 1: Chap 1-Alone
Chapter 2: Chap 2 -The Will
Chapter 3: Chap 3 - The Lesson
Chapter 4: Chap 4 - Help For Harry
Chapter 5: Chap 5 Defense Room
Chapter 6: Chap 6 Muggle London
Chapter 7: Chap 7 Birthdays
Chapter 8: Chap 8 - Prophecy and Sirius
Chapter 9: Chap 9 - End of Summer
Chapter 10: Chap 10 - The Party
Chapter 11: Chap 11 - Questions-Burrow
Chapter 12: Chap 12 - Back To School
Chapter 13: Chap 13- Quidditch & Troubles
Chapter 14: Chap 14 - Hogsmeade
Chapter 15: Chap 15 - Red Heads & Military
Chapter 16: Chap 16 - Award and Reward
Chapter 17: Chap 17 - Tonks' Visit
Chapter 18: Chap 18 - Harvest Ball
Chapter 19: Chap 19 - Mysteries
Chapter 20: Chap 20 - Exhausted
Chapter 21: Chap 21- Re-Organized
Chapter 22: Chap 22 - Christmas Ball
Chapter 23: Chap 23 - Harry Christmas
Chapter 24: Chap 24 - Ginny's Nightmare
Chapter 25: Chap 25 - Everybody's Talking
Chapter 26: Chap 26 - Neville?
Chapter 27: Chap 27 - Who do you admire?
Chapter 28: Chap 28 - Valentines Ball
Chapter 29: Chap 29 - Midnight Meeting
Chapter 30: Chap 30 - Decisions
Chapter 31: Chap 31 - Ginny's Challenge
Chapter 32: Chap 32 - Castle of Love
Chapter 33: Chap 33 - Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 34: Chap 34 - Dead End
Chapter 35: Chap 35 - Two Whole Hours
Chapter 36: Chap 36 - A Sirius Letter
Chapter 37: Chap 37 - End of Term
Chapter 38: Chap 38 - Going Home
Chapter 39: Chap 39 - The Gift
Chapter 40: Chap 40 - Ultimate Insult
Chapter 41: Chap 41 - Dursley's Trouble
Chapter 42: Chap 42 - Arthur's Talk
Chapter 43: Chap 43 - End of a Long Day
Chapter 44: Chap 44 - Morning Insight
Chapter 45: Chap 45 - Plans
Chapter 46: Chap 46 - Meetings With Dumbledore
Chapter 47: Chap 47 - The Look
Chapter 48: Chap 48 - Changes
Chapter 49: Chap 49 - Something Is Going On
Chapter 50: Chap 50 The Wedding
Chapter 51: Chap 51 - Talks
Chapter 52: Chap 52 - The Affliction
Chapter 53: Chap 53 - At The Burrow
Chapter 54: Chap 54- Special Dinner
Chapter 55: Chap 55- Photographic Memory
Chapter 56: Chap 56- Cheating
Chapter 57: Chap 57 - Confessions
Chapter 58: Chap 58 - The Vow
Chapter 59: Chap 59 - The Payoff
Chapter 60: Chap 60 - Justin's Party
Chapter 61: Chap 61 - Pajama Party
Chapter 62: Chap 62 -Neville's Party
Chapter 63: Chap 63 Freaky Storm
Chapter 64: Chap 64 - Molly's Tale
Chapter 1: Chap 1-Alone
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry is alone - - - Help in the night.
Chapter One - Alone
Harry was back at Privet Drive. He dropped his trunk, put
Hedwig’s cage on the desk, then lie down on his bed.
He stayed on his bed… for days. With exception of going to
the loo and feeding Hedwig, that is where he stayed.
After a few days, his Aunt Petunia started shoving meals
through the cat door. Harry ignored the meals. After a few
more days, Aunt Petunia called through the door for Harry to
return the dishes from his meals.
In the middle of the night, when he knew that all the Dursleys
were asleep, he scraped the food into the waste bin, then
crept down to the kitchen and washed the dishes and put
them away. He went back to his bed and stared at the
ceiling.
He didn’t want to bother with writing to the Order or Ron and
Hermione or anyone, but he knew someone would show up
and start trouble with Uncle Vernon, if he didn’t. This was
so bothersome that he spent one night writing notes. He set
them in envelopes with the dates three days apart.
Each note said:
I’m fine.
Harry
He had Hedwig take them off every three days. The letters
that Hedwig brought back were left unopened. Harry just
didn’t want to bother reading them. He wanted to be left
alone.
One day within the third week of his stay, Aunt Petunia called
through the door for Harry. There was no answer. There
was a horrid smell coming from Harry’s room. Aunt
Petunia was home alone, so she decided to enter Harry’s
room and give him a good talking to.
When she opened the door, the smell almost knocked her
out. She saw Harry lying on the bed not moving. Her heart
stood still. She cautiously crept over to look at him. He
looked like he was dead, he was white. She put her hand on
his neck to check for a pulse, she was not sure if there was
one or not. She panicked.
There was ink and parchment on Harry’s desk. She quickly
wrote:
Dear Dumbledore,
Come quick. Harry is ill.
Petunia Dursley
Petunia didn’t know if Harry was alive or not, but she didn’t
want HIM to blame her. She hurriedly tied the note to
Hedwig and sent her out the window.
Petunia looked down on the desk and saw envelopes
addressed to different people that were not sent. She
looked around to see where that smell was coming from, she
found it. The waste bin was full of rotten food, food that she
had sent through the cat door. There were still untouched
dishes on the floor.
“OH MY GOD!” she cried. “He hasn’t eaten in all this time!”
It wasn’t long before Dumbledore knocked at the front door.
She opened it and let him in. “He’s upstairs. He’s very ill,
he won’t wake up,” she told him, as they both climbed the
stairs.
Dumbledore flung the door open. The smell was
overwhelming, he gagged. He rushed over to Harry and
took his pulse. “He’s alive, but barely.” His eyes also
noticed all the envelopes addressed that were not sent.
There were dates on them, every three days in advance. He
glared at Petunia, lifted Harry in his arms and disappeared.
Petunia left the room and closed the door. She did not know
what she was going to tell Vernon when he got home.
* * * *
Dumbledore Apparated to Grimmauld Place with Harry in his
arms. “Remus!” he called out in a thunderous voice.
Remus Lupin came rushing into the Entrance Hall. There
stood Dumbledore holding a pale, unconscious Harry in is
arms. “Floo Molly and ask her to come, hurry! He is ill.”
Lupin rushed into the dank, green kitchen and Flooed Molly.
“Please come quickly. Harry’s ill. I don’t know what is wrong
with him, so bring any potions you can think of for somebody
that’s sick.”
Molly rushed around her cupboards and found this and that.
She tossed some Floo powder in the fireplace and arrived in
the green kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Ginny had heard
Lupin and had beaten her to it. She was already up the
stairs, standing at the entrance of the door to the room that
Ron and Harry had shared last year. Dumbledore was bent
over Harry, who he had lowered onto to bed. A tear was
running down his face. Lupin was asking Dumbledore if
they should take him to St. Mungo’s.
Dumbledore sadly shook his head no. “St. Mungo’s is
infiltrated with spies. We don’t want anyone to know the
condition that Harry is in at the moment. Let me think a bit.
Madam Pomfrey is out of the contact for at least another
week. I have to think of what healer at St. Mungo’s I can
trust. I hope I make the right decision.”
“Remus, could you please go back to Privet drive and bring
all of Harry’s possessions? I can hardly trust myself to be
in the same room with that woman. Say the least you can
to her. Just gather his things and bring them here.”
Dumbledore looked over at Ginny just as Molly Weasley ran
up behind her. “He’s alive, but barely. Do what you can. I
will be back shortly with a healer.” With that, he
Disapparated.
Molly and Ginny examined Harry’s body. He was palest
white with dark purple streaks under his eyes. Molly called
out his name but he didn’t stir. She opened his shirt to
expose the ribs that were close to the skin on his chest.
Ginny held his hand and found that it was very warm. His
forehead was a bit warm too. “Do you think he has fever?”
asked Ginny.
“Yes,” said Molly. “I believe he has a deep fever. Look at
him! This boy has not eaten in weeks! I think he is
dehydrated. Ginny go get us some water. Some cool for a
cup and some warm water to wash him. You had better
bring some soap too, he smells something awful.”
The women began to wash him, gently. He looked so fragile,
they were afraid to break his skin. They gently tried to give
him some water. Most of it came right up, they prayed that
some stayed down.
Molly was crying as she spoke; “Ginny, I would never let
you see him like this, but since you’ve already seen, I have
no choice. He will surely need lots of care. I could use your
help.”
“If I ever see that woman, I think I will kill her,” Molly said
coldly.
Ginny had never heard her mother talk like that about
another human in her life. Of course Mum threatened to kill
Fred and George at least once a week, but NEVER had she
really meant it. This time Ginny was sure that her mother
meant it.
Over an hour later, Dumbledore appeared with a healer
from St. Mungo’s Hospital. Molly and Ginny left the room
while the healer examined Harry. They took this time to
Floo Ron, who was at The Burrow. Molly told him about
Harry and that he and the rest would have to fend for
themselves tonight. Ron wanted to come and see Harry, but
Molly told him he couldn’t today.
“Security is very high do NOT contact anyone outside our
house. Do you understand me?” said Molly. Ron nodded.
A while later, the healer and Dumbledore walked into the
kitchen and sat at the table.
“The boy is near death. He’s severely dehydrated. He has a
fever along with coma. I have given him a few potions. He
will need to take some every four hours and others every
two hours around the clock. They are labeled with
instructions. He also needs to get down as much water as
possible. Start by feeding it to him with a spoon. He will
need nursing around the clock. He needs his back rubbed
with this potion every two hours. A bit of light pounding on
his back lungs will help. His lungs are full of fluid. You
need to check his pulse every half hour. If he improves in
the slightest, he can remain here. But if he gets any worse,
he will have to be taken to St. Mungo’s. There is nothing
more that can be done for him here.”
Dumbledore nodded to the healer. He handed the healer a
lemon drop and the healer disappeared.
“Molly, can you and Ginny take shifts and care for him?”
asked Dumbledore, looking older and sadder than he had
ever looked. “Remus and I will help also.”
“Of course,” replied Molly.
“Mum, you go up with him now. I’ll go back to The Burrow
and tend to Ron and Dad, and then I will take a nap. I’ll be
back after midnight to take over so that you can sleep,” said
Ginny.
“That sounds like a very good idea, Ginny,” said
Dumbledore.
Molly nodded, picked up the potion, and then returned to
Harry.
Dumbledore handed Ginny a rock. He told her that she
could Portkey with this rock back and forth between here
and The Burrow. “Say the word ‘Harry’ to come here.
‘Burrow’ to go home,” he instructed.
Ginny took the rock. “Burrow” she said and landed in The
Burrow kitchen.
Molly, Lupin and Dumbledore sat with Harry until Ginny
arrived at midnight. She had brought some old but clean
pajamas for him. Molly and Dumbledore left the room,
leaving Lupin and Ginny alone with Harry.
Ginny went to the loo and retrieved another cloth and some
warm water. She dipped the cloth in the water and gently
cleaned the inside of Harry’s mouth. With Lupin’s help, after
removing his shirt, she turned Harry over on his stomach.
She rubbed his back with the potion and beat gently on his
lungs. She could see his ribs and spine through is skin.
After they finished his back. They turned him over, Lupin
removed Harry’s pants and rubbed Harry’s legs. Lupin
began bending Harry’s legs and messaging his thighs.
When they were finished, they changed him into some of
Charlie’s old pajamas. Through all of this treatment, there
was no response from Harry.
Ginny took a spoon and fed water to Harry every twenty
minutes. She gave him the potions that the healer
instructed.
In the wee hours, Lupin finally went to bed, leaving Ginny
alone with Harry. She talked to him as she repeated her
tasks. There was no response from him at all.
Early the next morning, Molly returned. “I think his pulse
feels a bit stronger this morning,” she said.
Dumbledore entered a bit later. He felt Harry’s pulse.
“I agree,” he said.
“That’s wonderful,” said Molly. “Ginny you look dead tired,
you go home and sleep now. You can check back later.”
Ginny went back to The Burrow and cooked breakfast for
Ron and her father. They sat around the table feeling
miserable and just starring into space. Before Arthur left for
work, he instructed Ginny to contact him if any they had any
news. “Be careful what you say. If he is better, tell me
that your mother’s face is red. If he gets any worse, tell me
that Ron’s feet are green. I will come immediately,” said
Arthur.
Ginny nodded.
After Arthur left, Ron said that he was going to go see
Harry, but Ginny told him that Molly forbid it. “He’s my best
mate! I want to see him!” he yelled.
Ginny looked sadly at Ron. “Oh Ron, I am so scared. I
believe that Harry is dying.”
“Dying?” asked a horrified Ron.
“Yes, he looks like a skeleton. He is dead white and he’s
skin and bones. Listen Ron; Mum will not let you see
Harry like that. I already asked her. You know how she is,”
said Ginny.
“But you think he’s dying?” said Ron.
“Yes, I do. Dumbledore was crying, that ought to give you
and idea,” said Ginny, emotionally.
“Bloody Hell !” cried Ron. “I gotta see him NOW!”
“No!” shouted Ginny. “Calm down. She won’t let you in to
see him like this. Listen to me, the only reason that I can
see him, is because I saw him before she did. It was too
late to run me off, and now she needs me to help or I
would have been outta there in a second flat! ”
“Listen Ron, later tonight, say about three in the morning, I
will come back here and get you. I’ll sneak you in for a little
while. If anyone should be with him when he is this sick, it’s
you. I am only telling you this, because you will be shocked
when you see him, best prepare yourself,” said Ginny.
Ron’s face turned white, then he nodded.
“Also Ron, don’t tell ANYONE what’s going on. Not even
Hermione.”
“But she has a right to know too!” said Ron.
“I know, and when the time is right, I think Dumbledore will
tell her. We can’t risk someone interrupting an owl or the
Floo network. I know it’s hard, but you have to keep this to
yourself until Dumbledore thinks it’s safe. Ron, he wouldn’t
even take him to St. Mungo’s for fear that the spies there
would kill him.”
“Blimey!” said Ron.
“I’ve got to try to sleep. Meet me tonight at 3:00 in the hall
closet. I will take you to see him for a little while. We
mustn’t get caught or neither of us will get so to see him.”
“Ok, Ginny. Thanks,” said Ron.
“Don’t thank me yet, if there is anyone around at 3:00, I
might not get to come,” she said. With that, she dragged
herself up to her room and flopped down on the bed.
Ginny awoke at 1:00 p.m. She took a quick shower and
she went looking for some of Bill’s or Charlie’s old
pajamas. She found them, then stumbled down to the
kitchen. She made a quick lunch for herself and her mum,
then she Portkeyed back.
Molly was exhausted. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying
and her hands were trembling. Ginny coaxed her down to
the kitchen to eat. “Mum, you must eat, then take a nap. I
will stay with him until about 5:00, then you can stay with
him till midnight or so.”
Ginny could tell that Molly was going to protest, but then
she sighed and nodded.
So, Molly went back to The Burrow, while Ginny tended to
Harry. He hadn’t improved very much. His pulse was the
same as in the morning. Lupin was asleep in a chair by his
side.
Ginny woke Lupin and told him to get some sleep. He
agreed and left the room.
Ginny looked down at Harry’s pitifully white face, trying to
think of what to do for him. She sat him up, then leaned
him forward so that his head was almost touching his knees.
She pulled his pajama top up and applied the potion to his
back. She lightly pounded his back for a while. Then she
pulled his shirt back down and sat him up supported by
pillows.
She fed him water with a spoon. The water was staying
down. She gave him his next dose of potion. Then sat
holding his hand and talking to him. There was no
response. She sat with him, repeating giving him water and
his potions on schedule, until Molly came back around
5:00.
Molly looked a little better. She told Ginny to go to The
Burrow and eat. She had made a nice big stew.
Molly noticed that Harry looked a bit better. He almost had a
bit of color. His pulse was stronger, she could definitely tell
this time.
Ginny returned a bit after midnight to relieve Molly. She
had taken a nice long nap and was a bit more refreshed.
Lupin was still there sitting with Harry. Together they turned
Harry over and repeated the same routine as the night
before. Lupin explained to Ginny about why he was
messaging his legs and bending them. “The muscles in his
legs will become weak if they are not used. This bit of
exercise will help,” he said.
Ginny also rubbed his arms and bent his elbows and hands.
She didn’t think that Harry would like his hands to be weak.
How would he catch the Snitch if they were weak? She
smiled at that thought.
Dumbledore arrived at 1:00 a.m. and examined Harry.
He told them that he thought that Harry was improving a bit.
He sat at the bedside and talked to Harry. Ginny went
down to the kitchen and made tea for Dumbledore, Lupin
and herself, she brought it up on a big tray. They sat
around Harry’s bed drinking their tea for a while. Around
2:00 a.m. Dumbledore left. Ginny was getting a bit nervous
because it didn’t look like Lupin would be leaving, but at 2:30
a.m., he finally went to bed.
Ginny was finally alone with Harry. She watched his face
closely as she talked to him, not even a blink. She sighed.
She became overwhelmed with love and pity for him. She
leaned over and kissed his unmoving lips. The kiss was
really for herself, not him. She sighed. She finally got to
kiss this young man that she loved so much, but he would
never know.
She knew by now, that he would never care about her. She
was not pretty like Cho. Cho was the kind of girl that
attracted Harry. Pretty. She knew that it was over between
Harry and Cho, but he would not look HER way. He would
probably just find another PRETTY girl.
Ginny was not pretty, she wasn’t ugly either. Just plain.
The only thing outstanding or attractive about Ginny was her
hair. Her face was average but she had freckles. She was
short but her figure was not bad. She was becoming quite
busty. Some boys would be attracted to that, but she didn’t
think that Harry would. Cho didn’t have much on top. She
sighed again.
That’s what happens when a plain girl falls for the
exceptional boy. He is just too popular. He has his choice
of the girls, so he is going to go for the pretty ones. He will
never even look at a plain one like her.
Most of the girls that had a crush on him, really didn’t know
him. They are attracted to his fame. Ginny felt sure that
Cho was in this category.
Ginny loved him for his bravery, nobility and his loyalty, his
true essence.
Ginny resigned herself to just be the best friend she could to
him. Maybe one day, she will fall for some other boy and
be happy, but she didn’t think there would ever be anyone
to compare.
It was almost 3:00 a.m. so she whispered “Burrow” and
tiptoed over to the hall closet. Ron was waiting. She put
her arms around Ron and whispered “ Harry.” They arrived
in the kitchen, then they tiptoed up to Harry’s room. Ginny
didn’t want to wake Lupin.
Ron looked down at Harry’s face. Ron turned as white as a
Weasley could turn.
“Talk to him, Ron. Tell him everything that you ever wanted
to tell him ever in your life. I will go down and make us all
some tea.”
She left Ron sitting by Harry’s bed talking to him. She
purposely took a long time making the tea. When she
came back, Ron was just sitting there starring at Harry.
“Have you been talking to him, Ron?” she asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think that he heard a word I said,” said
Ron.
“That’s ok. We don’t know for sure, but Madam Pomfrey
always said the unconscious MAY hear some of it. They
seem to get a comfort from it, so I’ve been talking to him all
the time.” said Ginny.
“That’s easy for you, you talk all the time anyway,” said Ron.
Ginny nodded. Yes, Ron was right, she did talk too much.
Ginny gave Harry another dose of one of his potions. Then
started spooning him a bit of tea. Some went down, most
dribbled back out.
“How can you stand this?“ asked Ron, clearly upset.
“You know why,” said Ginny.
For a long time he looked at his sister. Yes, he knew why
she stayed with Harry. He nodded.
“I guess we better take you back. We don’t want to get
caught,” she said, as she took his arm. They Portkeyed
back to The Burrow. Ginny came straight back to Harry.
Around 4:00 a.m. Ginny went down to the kitchen and found
a butterbeer. She went back up to Harry’s room and sat
next to him and sipped on the cool butterbeer. It warmed
her insides. She put a bit on a spoon and put it to Harry’s
lips. She could see Harry’s tongue move towards the
spoon. She put a bit more on the spoon and put it to his
lips. Sure enough, Harry’s tongue moved towards the
butterbeer again. “Oh I see,” said Ginny. “I can kiss you
with all my heart, and I get no reaction, but give you a taste
of butterbeer and you are all over it!” she teased.
Harry, of course, made no response, but Ginny felt better.
Harry’s tongue had moved, he was alive deep down inside
somewhere.
When Molly arrived the next morning, she examined Harry.
He looked a little better. She sent Ginny back to The
Burrow.
Ron was waiting in the kitchen. “How is he?” he asked,
anxiously.
“Maybe a little better. He’s still not wake,” she said, as she
dumped herself on to a chair.
At one o’clock that afternoon, she returned to relieve Molly
for a couple of hours. He didn’t look any better, but at least
he didn’t look any worse.
When she returned again for the midnight shift, Lupin was
waiting for her. Together they repeated the previous night’s
routine. Lupin was looking worn, but while he messaged
Harry’s legs, he seemed to have an extra strength.
“At least when I’m doing something, I feel there is hope,”
he said.
“I know what you mean. Doing nothing, just watching him,
is heartbreaking,” said Ginny.
During the night, when Ginny pounded on his lungs, Harry
began making gasping sounds and coughed, but didn’t
show any signs of coming out of his coma. In the wee
hours, Dumbledore returned. Ginny told him about what
Harry was doing.
“That is a good sign. He needs to cough to help clear his
lungs. Actually the cough will become much worse before
he gets better,” said Dumbledore, reassuring Ginny.
The next morning when Molly arrived, Harry blinked his
eyes. Ginny and Molly both became excited. “Harry, it’s
me, Molly. Can you hear me?”
Harry nodded. He started to lift himself up, but fell back to
sleep. Molly put her arms around the sleeping Harry and
cried on his chest.
A while later, the healer that was there before, came into the
room with Dumbledore. Molly explained how Harry had
stirred for a bit and had been coughing. The healer
examined Harry again. He told them that he was definitely
better and to keep doing what they were doing.
For the next few days, they continued to tend to him in shifts.
One day when Ginny came back for her afternoon shift,
Harry was awake. Ginny hand fed him some juice from the
stew. Just a little, she was afraid that he would not keep it
down. So after a few spoonfuls. He lie back down and went
back to sleep.
That night, after Ginny had come back for her midnight shift.
She and Lupin did their routine with the back rub and leg
exercises. Lupin went to bed early that night, around 1:30.
So, Ginny sat next to Harry and read him a story. Of course
he slept through it, but it gave Ginny something to do to keep
awake.
Sometime in the night Ginny went down and got another
butterbeer. She was sipping it when she decided to give
Harry another spoonful. If her mum knew what she was
doing, she’d never hear the end of it. When she gave him
the second spoonful. Harry’s tongue found the spoon again
and he opened his eyes. “Ron?” asked Harry.
“No” giggled Ginny. “It’s Ginny. Here let me help you with
your glasses.” She slid his glasses on for him. Harry almost
turned pink.
“Good to have you back,” said Ginny.
“Where’ve I been?” asked Harry.
“Sick, out cold for days. Don’t tell Mum that I gave you
butterbeer,” she said.
“I like butterbeer,” said Harry.
“I KNOW, and if Mum finds out I been feeding it to you, I’m
dead!” she giggled.
Harry smiled. He hadn’t smiled for a very long time. If felt
good.
Ginny told him she would be right back. She Portkeyed
back to The Burrow to see if Ron was awake. He was, so
they Portkeyed back to Harry.
Ron sat and talked quietly for a few minutes before Harry
started nodding out again. So Ginny took Ron back to The
Burrow and returned.
The next morning, Lupin and Arthur took Harry to the
bathroom and together they gave him a bath. They washed
his hair and changed his pajamas. Harry came back to a
freshly changed bed. He was very very weak but
conscious. When Dumbledore arrived he was delighted to
see Harry was well on his way to recovery.
* * * *
Chapter 2: Chap 2 -The Will
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry doesn’t want to hear it.
Chapter Two - The Will
Within the next few days Harry became stronger. On the
third day Harry awoke to two huge green eyes looking over
his blanket. “Dobby?” mummered Harry.
“Yes, Harry Potter it is Dobby at your service” smiled Dobby.
“Get up! You need to come downstairs to the kitchen and
eat! Dobby has made you a fine breakfast!”
Harry smiled and went to the loo. He carefully walked down
the stairs with Dobby at his feet, egging him on. He could
smell breakfast from the entrance hall and it made his
stomach rumble.
He entered the kitchen to see Dumbledore and Lupin sitting
at the table drinking coffee. They both rose when he
entered. Dobby pulled out a chair and lead Harry to sit down.
Dobby then got a bowl of porridge and poured heavy cream
and sugar on it and placed it before Harry.
“Don’t mind us” said Dumbledore. “Eat”.
Harry ate. The food was delicious. He could only eat a small
amount but what he ate was so good!
Lupin looked nervious. “Harry we need to talk about Sirius’
will.”
“No” said Harry. “I don’t want to hear it or know anything
about it!”
“It will only take a few minutes. Harry, it is important. Sirius
had such a great time making it out. He would be hurt if you
didn’t want to see what it was all about.” said Lupin.
“Great time?” questioned Harry. “How could he have a
‘great time’ making out a WILL? !!
“Well, he did. Wouldn’t you agree Albus?”
“Oh yes, he was quite giddy about it actually.” Dumbledore’s
eyes twinkled.
“Well I don’t wanna hear it” said Harry.
“Listen Harry, said Lupin. All members of the Order have to
make out a will when they join. So Sirius made his out. He
definitley didn’t want any of his ‘family’ getting any of the
estate. He had so much fun making it out. I hadn’t seen him
have that much fun, since we were in school! “
“Fun?” asked Harry in a doubtful voice.
“Oh yes. Listen to this and see if you agree.”
Harry looked at him warely. “I promise I will stop if you ask
me to.” he added.
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SIRIUS BLACK
I Sirius Black of sound body and a mind that I should have
lost:
To my cousin Narcissa Black Malfoy. One Knut.
To my cousin Bellatrix Black LaStrange . One Knut.
To my cousin Andromeda Black Tonks, I leave 5,000
Galleons.
To the Black family house elf Kreacher his head on a plaque.
So much for the remaining of the Black family.
Now for my REAL family.
To my second cousin Nymphadora Tonks, I leave 10,000
Galleons.
To my fellow and last remaining Marauder, Remus Lupin
(also known as Moony) I leave the guardianship of my
Godson Harry Potter.
I also leave him 100,000 Galleons. He will recieve 10,000
Galleons per year as payment for running the estate.
Out of the estate, Remus Lupin is to purchase a complete
new wardrobe. From boxers to shoes! No cheap stuff
either! The BEST that money can buy.
(At this, Harry giggled)
Other than what is listed below I leave the rest to my Godson
Harry Potter.
I wish Harry to have the house, provided that he let it be
used by Albus Dumbledore for his little tea parties that he
has now and then. There is a note in my room for Albus.
Harry, the house is a mess. But it can be fixed up. There
are plenty of Galleons to make it into a home that YOU will
enjoy. Make it into something that I would be proud to give
you.
Harry is to buy a complete new wardrobe from boxers to
dress robes. Throw out all those rags the Dursleys have
given to you!
Harry, spend the money. Fix up the house and buy yourself
some fun stuff ! There is plenty. There is a note in my
room for you.
Below all bequeiths are to be taken from the main estate.
To Molly and Arthur Weasley ( the richest man I know) I
leave 20,000 Galleons.
Separately from the estate. Each is to purchase a new
wardrobe. Top to bottom. No cheap or used stuff. Only the
best! I want Molly to have a wardrobe to make Narcissa
drool !
Harry giggled.
To Rubeus Hagrid I leave my old motorcycle. Money from
the estate will be given to restore it to its’ former glory.
Also separately from the estate. A black leather motorcycle
jacket, pants and boots with as many studs and zippers that
will allow. Go Hagrid !
Harry beamed.
To Alistor Moody. There is a box with your name on it in my
room. Take it. Separately from the estate a set of fine dress
robes. Wear them in good health and have some fun!
To Bill Weasley 10,000 Galleons to start him on his life.
To Charlie Weasley 10,000 Galleons and Buckbeak.
To Percy Weasley. IF he appolgises to his family and they
accept. 500 Galleons to start him on his life.
To Fred and George Weasley 10,000 Galleons each. All
schooling costs, new clothes, books and supplies each year
until you finish your education. There is a note in my room
for both you to read.
To Ron Weasley 10,000 Galleons. All Schooling costs, new
clothes, books and supplies each year until you finish your
education. Thank you for being Harry’s best friend. There is
a note in my room for you.
To Ginny Weasley 15,000 Galleons. All Schooling costs,
new clothes, books and supplies each year until you finish
your education. My dear little sunshine, there is a note in my
room for you.
To Hermione Granger 10,000 Galleons. All Schooling costs,
new clothes, books and supplies each year until you finish
your education. There is a note in my room for you.
To each of the students mentioned above. I want you to
pursue your dreams. I want you to have FUN. Laugh as
hard as you can as often as you can. Life should not be
taken so Siriusly. Har Har
Harry had to admit. That had to be the best will ever!
* * * *
Chapter 3: Chap 3 - The Lesson
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry learns a hard lesson.
Chapter Three - The Lesson
A couple of days later, Harry was starting to come back
alive. He was still very weak, but was staying awake for
longer periods. Which also meant that he was thinking
again. Something that he was tired of doing. He had to
protect all those around him. He had a plan...
Ron came in and sat next to the bed. He was still shocked at
what Harry looked like, he was so gaunt. At least with his
eyes open he looked alive. But even Harry's eyes weren't
right, they looked cold and mean.
"Hey mate, are you feeling any better?" asked Ron.
"What do you care? What's it to you? I never asked you to
come. Why don't you leave? I really don't have time for you
right now," sneered Harry.
Ron's jaw dropped. Was he hearing right? "Whaaat?" said
Ron.
"You heard me. Just beat it," Harry said coldly.
Ron's whole body seemed to slump. He couldn’t yell back at
Harry when he was this sick and weak. He stood up and
lowered his head, then walked out of the room without saying
a word.
"HARRY POTTER ! Just what do you think you're doing?"
screamed Ginny. Ginny had been sitting quietly on the other
side of the room and Harry had forgotten that she was there.
So it startled him when he heard her voice screaming at him.
"It's none of YOUR business, Ginny," snarled Harry.
"Don't tell ME that it's none of my business! It IS my
business if you talk to my brother, that I happen to LOVE,
like that!" screeched Ginny.
"It's none of your concern, so butt out," said Harry.
"It IS my concern and I'm NOT butting out. I KNEW this was
coming. I hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but here we
are. You’ve got a plan, you are going to hurt everyone that
loves you one by one. You think that you can protect them,
but it's not gonna work!" yelled Ginny.
"Yeah, well, what do YOU know about it?" asked Harry.
"Since everyone that you care about is either in the Order or
is willing to fight, they are already in danger. You think that
you are the only one who can defeat Tom Riddle, so you
think that it is too dangerous to be around you, so you want
to push everyone away. Well it's too late for that now. So
give it a rest!" yelled Ginny.
"Who says I'm the only one who can defeat Tom Riddle?"
asked Harry.
"Hello? Harry, it don't take a genius to figure that one out.
Why would he try to kill you when you were a baby? Why
has he been trying to kill you ever since he came back? Why
would he be wasting his time on some kid, if you weren't
dangerous to him. Why would there be a prophecy at the
Department of Mysteries with both your names on it, if it
wasn't you?" said Ginny.
"Why didn't you DIE when he tried to kill you as a baby?
Because you have something in you that is dangerous to
him. Wake up Harry!" Ginny added.
"So then you can see that I have to do it alone! I don't need
anyone else around to do it. I don't want anyone else to get
killed because of ME !" yelled Harry.
"Harry! You are just so stupid! Just how far do you think you
would have gotten at the Department of Mysteries if you were
alone? It took all six of us just to stay alive and that was not
enough. It took members of the Order and the Aurors AND
Dumbledore, to finally get things under control or you
wouldn’t have even survived ! “
“Harry, do you think that this war has just began? It’s been
going on for at least ten years before you were born! Do you
really think that you can fight it alone? Do you think that if
you don’t fight it, that it won’t be fought? If you try to fight it
alone, you will fail. If you fail, the rest of us are still going to
keep fighting. With you, we will have a chance, without you,
there will be more deaths. But we will still keep fighting. So
when we do lose lives, it will be your fault! “
“I’ll do what I have to do.” said Harry
“Yeah and now you tried to kill yourself, so where does that
leave the rest of us?” yelled Ginny.
“I didn’t,” said Harry.
“Didn’t what?” said Ginny.
“I didn’t try to kill myself!” he said, in an angry tone.
“Oh no? Then why didn’t you even feed yourself? You were
trying to starve yourself to death! “ yelled Ginny.
“No, I wasn’t. I just didn’t want to bother with it. I just
wanted to be LEFT ALONE!” screamed Harry.
“Yeah, and if you were LEFT ALONE, you would never have
survived!” yelled Ginny.
“Why do you keep talking about the prophecy?” said Harry
through gritted teeth.
“What? I’m not talking about the prophecy, I talking about
you LIVING! Can’t you get that through your head?” said
Ginny.
“There you go again,” said Harry.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I do know that
you are not gonna treat everyone like the way you just
treated Ron! Mum will probably be coming in here next and
I promise you this, you will NOT treat her that way. My mum
loves you with all her heart. She has cried harder about you
than anyone in the world. I WILL NOT let you do that to her.
NEVER ! I will jinx you so bad that there won’t be anything
left for Riddle to kill ! AND THAT IS A PROMISE! “
Ginny stomped out of the room.
Harry's face, for the first time in at least a month, finally had
some color. It had to be bright red, at least it felt like it was
bright red. He was angry.
He lay on his bed, his hands in fists, and thought. Did she
have the right to be angry? Was ANYTHING that she said to
him wrong? NOPE! Everything she said was true. Just
because what she said WAS true, didn't mean that it didn't
hurt to hear the truth.
He didn't like it that she knew what he was thinking. He
didn't like it being pointed out to him that he was wrong.
And who gave HER the right to tell him off?
Just because most of her family were in the Order or were
close friends of his, that meant that all her family were
targets of Riddle. So she DID have a right. Grrrrrrrr
How did she figure out the prophecy? Was it THAT obvious?
Why hadn’t HE figured it out? Well yes, he really did kinda
know all this time. He just didn't want to face it. All the facts
were right there to see. He just didn't want to see it. If he
didn't see it, then he could pretend that he was just a normal
wizard boy that somehow always seemed to get caught up in
some kind of trouble that involved Riddle.
How did SHE figure it out? She was way younger than him.
Was she that smart? Hmm well, she was really only a year
younger. Why did she seem so much younger? Probably
because she was Ron's little sister. She was the baby of the
family, yeah, that made sense.
What about Ron and Hermione? Had they figured it out too?
Did they line up the facts as Ginny had done and seen the
obvious? Or were they denying what was in front of them all
this time too? They probably were. He would know if they
knew.
Ron... poor Ron. Harry would have to try to talk to him again
or at least send him a letter. Yes, he would write a letter to
Ron.
Ginny had opened his eyes about himself. He didn’t like
what he saw. SHE surely did not treat him like a kid... like
he was fragile... like he would break.
She certainly told HIM off royally AND he deserved it.
That's just what he needed. Someone to jinx him into next
week if he tried to pull something stupid. Yes, she would
hold him to her promise. With that, he grinned.
That night, Harry sat down with ink and parchment and
wrote a letter to Ron.
Dear Ron,
I really don’t know where to start. But please read all of
this letter before burning it.
I know I don’t deserve your friendship. You and
Hermione have stood by me in the worst of times. I
have treated you both very wrongly last year and today I
was at my worst.
I don’t have the nerve to ask your forgiveness, that
would be too much to ask from you. I only ask that you
try to understand that I only wanted to protect you. I did
not mean a word of it.
I wanted to push you away from me so that you would
not get hurt. It was my fault that Sirius died and
everybody got hurt at the Department of Mysteries. I
didn’t want anything like that to happen to you again.
Your sister pointed out to me (quite elegantly, I might
add) that it is too late to protect you from this war that is
coming.
So I guess I can say that I hurt you for nothing. I’m so
sorry for being so stupid.
Harry
When Ginny came back for her next shift, he asked her to
give the letter to Ron.
“Ginny, please tell him that he don’t have to forgive me or
anything but to at least read it, all of it. Then he can decide
what he thinks about it,” said Harry.
“You were so right. I really messed up this time,” said Harry
sadly.
Ginny took the letter and left the room. She held her rock
and whispered “Burrow”.
Ginny landed in The Burrow kitchen. No Ron in sight, so she
went upstairs to Ron’s door and knocked.
“Yeah? What do you want?” growled Ron.
“Ron, it’s Ginny. Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” said Ron. He looked awful. Ginny knew that he had
been really hurt, but she made no comment about it.
“I have this letter from Harry,” she said.
“Well you can toss it in the bin cause I don’t want to see it!”
yelled Ron.
“Ron, you are right. Harry had no right to talk to you that
way. He knows it too. He only asked if you would read all of
it. Nothing else,” said Ginny quietly.
“Yeah, well what gives him the right to talk to me like that?
Then he thinks if he writes me a letter that it’s gonna make
everything all peachy. Does he think I’m that thick? “
sneered Ron.
“You’re entirely right Ron,” said Ginny as she handed him the
letter.
Ginny left the room and went down to the kitchen for a snack.
Later, Ron entered the kitchen looking resigned. “Take me
to see Harry.”
Ginny wanted to smile but thought better of it. Ron was in a
delicate mood right now. Just a facial expression could be
enough to change everything. So she kept a neutral
expression.
Ginny walked up the stairs with Ron, then told him she
would go down and get them some drinks.
Ron entered Harry’s room.
Harry looked up with surprise. He waited for whatever Ron
was gonna say.
“So you thought that I could just forgive you for all that you
said. Just like that?” said Ron.
“No,” said Harry.
“Well that was HARD Harry,” said Ron.
“I know. I messed up. I thought I knew what I was doing. I
was stupid,” said Harry.
“Yeah, you were,” said Ron.
“You want to talk about it?” asked Harry.
“What’s to talk about? You are right. You were stupid,” said
Ron.
“Do you still want to... eh... be my friend?” asked Harry, with
his eyes closed.
“I don’t know,” said Ron.
“Well, if you do. You have to stop letting me yell at you. You
have to stop letting me get away with stuff! I am not a little
baby! I took a lot of my frustrations out on you and
Hermione last year, neither of you deserved that,” said
Harry.
“You are not some kind of wimp. You would never have
taken half of the stuff I put out last year from anyone else.
You should not have taken it from me,” Harry added.
“Yeah, but you had a lot on your mind,” said Ron.
“Yeah, well you had stuff on your mind too. So, can you stop
me if I start acting stupid again?” asked Harry with a grin.
“Yeah, that’s easy enough,” said Ron with his own grin.
Ginny waited outside the door with some butterbeers in her
hands. She waited until it was quiet before she knocked on
the door with her foot.
Ron opened the door. “Butterbeer!” he said with a grin.
Ginny handed a bottle to Ron, but put hers and Harry’s on
the table. “You can have butterbeer after your treatment,”
she told Harry. Then she preceded to go through their
normal routine.
When she was finished, she handed Harry his butterbeer
and took one for herself.
“Harry looked over at Ron and said “Wanna play some
wizard chess?”
Chapter 4: Chap 4 - Help For Harry
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry gets help in many areas of his life.
Chapter Four - Help For Harry
For the last couple of days, Harry has been able to make it
down to breakfast, but by the time he made it back up the
stairs, he would have fits of coughing. The healer said that
was to be expected but if it got too severe he would need to
know.
Harry no longer had fever and seemed stronger with each
day. Molly was now only coming in every four hours with
potions. She would bring him his lunch and dinner on a tray.
Ginny came in twice a day for his back rub, one after
breakfast and one in the evening. She and Lupin had his
routine down to a science now. Even though Harry didn’t
care for taking the potions, he was did like the back rubs and
was getting spoiled. The only part he didn’t like, was for
them to see how skinny he was. Even though they were
already used to seeing him, he wasn’t and it was
embarrassing.
One morning, Dumbledore, Lupin and Dobby were waiting
for him in the kitchen. There was bacon, eggs and toast
along with pumpkin juice on the table.
After Harry had eaten, Dumbledore said “Dobby and I have
been talking, Harry. We think that with this big house, that
you and Remus should have a House Elf to help manage the
place.”
“Dobby would like to help Harry Potter,” said Dobby.
“Dobby, would you really like to work for me?” said Harry as
he looked over at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded to Harry.
“Oh yes!” said Dobby. “Dobby has already started working!
Dobby requires the same pay as he does from Hogwarts. Is
that fine with Harry Potter?”
Harry grinned. “Yes Dobby, I would be proud to have you
work for me.” Dobby grabbed Harry’s hands and was
dancing in circles.
“Dobby has been thinking.” Harry was afraid of what that
meant. “Dobby thinks that this house belonged to dark
wizards. Harry Potter needs more than one House Elf to get
this house in order. Harry Potter needs someone who can
manage a proper wizard’s home. Someone who has
experience with the PROPER way to manage a PROPER
wizard’s home.”
“What do you have in mind, Dobby?” asked Harry.
“I know just the one to get everything in PROPER order.
Yes, I know just the one,” said Dobby.
“Not you?” said Harry.
“Yes, Dobby wants to work for Harry Potter, but when Harry
Potter goes back to Hogwarts, Dobby must go back too,”
said Dobby.
“I don’t understand,” said Harry.
“Dobby is in the Order,” said Dumbledore. “Most of his work
for the Order takes place there.”
“But Winky had experience running a PROPER wizard’s
home. She worked for Mr. Crouch, she could make your
house SHINE,” said Dobby brightly.
Harry looked over at Lupin and Dumbledore. Dumbledore
nodded his head. He snapped his fingers and Winky
appeared.
“Winky, Dobby has recommended you for a job,” said
Dumbledore.
“I is not wanting pay. I is in disgrace,” said Winky pitifully.
“Dobby has said that you have experience in managing a
proper wizard home. Is that correct?” said Dumbledore.
“Yes sir! Winky is very good at her work, but I is not taking
pay,” said Winky, with tears in her eyes.
“What if Harry Potter were to bring you into his home, as a
proper House Elf, with no pay? Would you consider this
then? “ said Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye.
Winky turned to Harry. “Would you be enslaving me to your
family, with no pay?“ asked Winky, hopefully.
Harry didn’t know what to say. He hardly wanted to
ENSLAVE anyone, but he also sensed that Winky seemed to
want it so bad.
“Yes, but you will have to promise me that if you ever wanted
to leave, for ANY reason, that you will tell me. You would
also not be able to drink butterbeer any more. I drink
butterbeer and there will be some in the house all the time to
tempt you, but you would have to refrain from indulging. Do
you agree?” said Harry.
“Oh! Harry Potter, that is wonderful! YES! Winky would
LOVE to become Harry Potter’s House Elf !” shouted Winky,
joyfully.
Harry knew that this was the perfect solution to Winky’s
problem. Winky wanted to be enslaved as a proper House
Elf and she would be saved from becoming an alcoholic.
“How do I get both of you to have proper clothing without
‘freeing’ you?” asked Harry.
“Very simple, Harry Potter, you may request that we wear a
uniform,” said Winky.
“Excellent!” cried Harry. “So I request that both of you get
proper uniforms while working here.”
Dumbledore smiled. “I’ll leave you all to it.” Then he
disappeared.
Lupin, Dobby, Winky and Harry walked up the stairs from the
kitchen to the Entrance Hall. Harry noticed that the ratty old
carpet was gone. The wooden floor was shining like new.
“Dobby did you do this to the floor?” asked Harry.
“Yes! Harry Potter, Dobby was cleaning. This house was
owned by dark wizards, Dobby can tell. So Dobby started
cleaning so that Harry Potter would start feeling happy.”
Harry looked up to the upstairs wall and saw that the plaque
with the House Elf heads was missing. “What happened to
the House Elf heads?” asked Harry.
“Dobby buried them in the back yard,” said Dobby.
“Excellent!” said Harry.
“Do either of you know how to get that painting off the wall? It
has some kind of sticking charm on it.” He was pointing to
the huge portrait of Mrs. Black.
“No problem,” said Winky. “It will be gone by the morning.
Do you have a liking for the wallpaper in this room? “
“No!” said Harry and Lupin in unison.
“Winky was thinking to rip it off, changing it to paint. Perhaps
a nice creamy beige color to lighten the room and removing
that snake chandelier. Do you have a fondness for the other
portraits in here too? I think a nice area rug and some better
lighting would be much nicer too. Do you have a special
color you would like for the stairs carpet? How about a nice
emerald green to match your eyes? “ said Winky.
Harry and Lupin just laughed. “Go for it Winky!” Winky
beamed at them. “All will be made proper in here by
tomorrow.”
Harry and Lupin went into the drawing room and sat on the
dusty sofa. They began to discuss some ideas about fixing
up the house. They decided that they would move the
Orders’ meeting room from the kitchen to the dining room so
that if there was a meeting going on, the kitchen could still be
used. Harry decided that he wanted a bathroom installed in
the area below the staircase so that anyone downstairs
wouldn’t have to go all the way upstairs for that function.
Dobby and Winky walked around the first floor while Harry
pointed out things he wanted changed.
Harry decided that the dining room (Order headquarters)
would be a deep golden yellow with rich dark red drapes.
The huge wooden table and chairs would be refinished.
There were a couple of nice sideboards that would work to
hold refreshments for the Order, these would need
refinishing too.
He asked Winky to see if she could find a large area rug for
the dining room that would have those colors. Also to find, if
she could, some paintings, with those colors that had a
phoenix on it. Winky and Dobby were very excited. They
said that it would not take too many days to get that all set
up.
Lupin and Harry were back in the kitchen having lunch,
when Dumbledore again arrived and joined them for tea.
Molly gave Harry a hug and left.
Dumbledore wanted to discuss a plan he had been working
on. “Harry, I want you to study Occlumency, with me as
your teacher.”
Harry breathed a sign of relief. He as afraid that Snape would
have to be involved.
“I think three days a week will be sufficient. I would also like
you to begin a new training routine. You need to build up
your physical strength and also learn some new techniques
in defense,” said Dumbledore. “I would like your approval
on a plan that I have. What do you think about having a
select few to train along with you?” asked Dumbledore.
“Like who?” asked Harry.
“I was thinking about Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione
Granger, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. On some
days Fred or George Weasley could pop in. This training
would start at 10 am till noon. Then from 1:00 until 3:00 each
day, Monday through Friday,” he said.
“Who would be doing the training?” asked Harry.
“Our most beloved werewolf would be teaching on some
days,” he said with a grin. “But also Tonks, Shacklebolt, and
Moody would be trading off days.”
Harry got the biggest grin. “That would be fantastic!”
“All the arrangements have been made. Just waiting for your
approval. Each student has been asked and their parents
have given permission. They will Portkey here each morning
starting in a few days.”
“We will need a room to practice. How about the room
between the dining room and the drawing room? It is empty
and I don’t know what its purpose was in the first place,” said
Harry.
“Ah, I know which room you are speaking of. I think it was
once used as a ballroom. It could work for our purpose,” said
Dumbledore.
“Let’s postpone some of our other rooms, that would give
Dobby and Winky some time to get that room ready.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Lupin.
“Harry, I think now would be a good time to talk about the
prophecy a bit,” said Dumbledore.
Harry stiffened. All of a sudden he became very tired. He
did not want to talk about that now.
Dumbledore pulled out the Daily Prophet and showed it to
Harry. In the headlines was a piece about a night of terror,
where several wizards were killed by Death Eaters. Harry’s
heart sank. “Do you recognize any of the victims names?”
asked Dumbledore.
Harry read the piece. “No.”
Dumbledore opened the paper and turned to another page.
This was an article about a Muggle massacre. There was a
picture of the Dark Mark above a night club. The victim’s
names were listed. “Do you recognized any of these
names?” asked Dumbledore.
“No, sir,” said Harry. He felt depressed.
“Harry, what does this tell you?” asked Dumbledore.
“It means that Riddle has started killing in big numbers
again,” said Harry.
“Does it tell you anything else?” asked Dumbledore.
Harry didn’t want to talk about murdered people, innocent
people, that he didn’t know. He wanted to go back to bed.
“No!” yelled Harry. “I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about
it!” He put his head down on the table.
“Calm yourself,” said Dumbledore. “ I know what you are
feeling. You feel the death of each of these people are your
responsibility.”
“What do YOU know about it? What makes you think that
you KNOW what I am feeling? I don’t want to talk about it. I
am feeling tired now and want to go to my room!“ yelled
Harry.
“Harry, I know EXACTLY what you are feeling right now.
You are not the only person who has had to fulfill a prophecy
and has been responsible for the lives of others,” said
Dumbledore sadly.
“What do you mean? You? Was there a prophecy about
you and Grindelwald?” asked Harry.
“Yes Harry, there usually are prophecies when there is a
Dark Lord present or one coming. Most important events
have a prophecy connected to it. I had my own, but I was
much older and more experienced than you, when it was my
time. It is much harder for you. You are much too young to
be having all this on your shoulders,” said Dumbledore,
sadly.
Harry was shocked to learn this. Of course that all made
sense, but he never thought about it. He didn’t know what to
say.
“Harry, these people that died. Do you see? They are not
people that you know, they are innocent victims. What does
this tell you?” he asked again.
“I don’t know,” said Harry, still wanting to change the subject.
“This means that no one is safe. Not your friends nor
strangers alike. Wizard or Muggle, no one is safe,” he said.
“The prophecy is a burden, a heavy weight. You see now
why I postponed telling you?“
“It is the waiting that is the hardest. I had to wait several
years before I could complete my task,” said Dumbledore.
“Years?”
“Yes,” sighed Dumbledore. “I thought I would go crazy.
Each death weighed on my heart. I thought at times that I
could not bear it. I want you to come to me, when it gets too
heavy for you. I can’t promise anything, but perhaps I can
help you bear the load,” he said.
“Have you figured out that you can not do this alone?” asked
Dumbledore.
“Well, yeah... but the prophecy...“
“Yes, the prophecy,” said Dumbledore. “It says ‘the ONE
with the power’ THAT part has you believing that you must
do this alone, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Harry.
“I don’t believe that it means that completely. I’m sure that
you will have to be the one that completes it, but I also think
that you will need lots of help to get you there,” said
Dumbledore.
“I am telling you this, because I fear that you will be trying to
isolate yourself from your friends. You need to know that you
can not do it alone and your friends can’t do it without you. It
will take all of you together to do it,” said Dumbledore.
“Yes, Ginny already explained all that to me,” said Harry.
“Ginny?” asked Dumbledore. “Little Ginny Weasley?”
“Yes, she already figured it out, without the prophecy. She
already knew that I was the one that had to destroy Riddle.
She also said that I would fail if I tried to do it all by myself,”
said Harry.
“Ah,” said Dumbledore. “I didn’t realize how wise that young
one really is. Bravo Ginny!”
“I think you have some exceptional friends. And yes, you
will need them all to fulfill your destiny. You will need to train
hard, but you also need something else. Something that you
can not train for,” said Dumbledore.
“What is that?” asked Harry.
“Love,” said Dumbledore. “Love and laughter. You need your
friends to build up your love and you need to laugh as hard
and as much as you can. Laughter lightens your heart and
makes it strong. Never forget that.”
Harry nodded, then he rose and left the room.
- - - -
Chapter 5: Chap 5 Defense Room
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry gets defensive. O.W.L.S are flying
Chapter Five - Defense Room
The next morning, Dobby woke him up and pleaded with
Harry to come down to breakfast. The first thing that Harry
noticed was that there was beautiful green carpet on the
landing and stairs. The walls were painted a light warm
cream color. The painting of Mrs. Black was gone! YAY!
In its place was a long gold plated mirror.
Now, the Entrance Hall looked like it was part of a different
house. All the old portraits from the Black family were gone.
There were nice lighting fixtures in their place. The old troll
leg umbrella stand was gone, there was a nice brass one in
its place. There was a beautiful area rug in the center of the
room with a large round table with a gorgeous vase of
flowers sitting on it.
The chandelier was gone, it was replaced with a large
modern hanging light. The light from the windows was
shining down on the floor making the room look bright and
cheerful.
“Winky!” called out Harry.
Winky joined Harry and Dobby in the Entrance Hall. “Winky!
this room is BEAUTIFUL! How did you get the painting
down? Where did you get all these things?”
“House Elves have special magic for some things. Some
other House Elf put a charm on that painting. We knows
about that kind of charm, so we removed it.”
“About the new things. We is be getting them from a book.
We pick what we is wanting, then we orders them. It is
charged to you. We is hoping that you like,” said Winky
hopefully.
“You and Dobby did a wonderful job. THANK YOU!” said
Harry.
Winky and Dobby beamed. “We is pleased that you like it
master,” said Winky.
“Winky, you and Dobby are NOT to call me master! You are
to call me Harry. Harry is my name. You got that?”
“Yes sir, mast... I mean Harry Potter,” said Winky.
“Yes sir, Harry Potter,” said Dobby.
Harry laughed as they headed for the kitchen. Lupin was
already sitting at the table nibbling on some toast.
After breakfast, Lupin and Harry along with Winky and Dobby
went to the “ballroom”. Lupin and Harry explained to Winky
and Dobby just what they wanted for their new Defense
Room. They would move the wall between the drawing room
and this room to make the Defense room a little smaller and
the drawing room a little bigger. The rest of the day, other
than Harry’s nap time, Harry and Lupin discussed more
plans for the house.
That evening Lupin pulled out an official looking envelope
and handed it to Harry. “Dumbledore dropped this off while
you were napping,” said Lupin. Harry opened it. It was his
O.W.L.S results.
Astronomy A Charms O History P
Devination P Herboligy E Potions A
Transfiguration E
Care of Magical Creatures O
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Defense Against the Dark Arts extra credit O
Eight total O.W.L.S ! Harry was VERY pleased. He did a lot
better than he thought he would. Of course, his Potions
grade would not be high enough to become an Auror.
He and Lupin discussed his options. They decided that if
Harry still wanted to become an Auror after he left school,
that he could pay for private lessons in Potions. No more
SNAPE!
Harry was happy to know that he had someone like Lupin to
help him make decisions. Lupin was very understanding and
didn’t try to push Harry into anything. He just explained
things to Harry and let Harry make the decissions. Harry
liked that.
That night, before going to sleep, Harry reflected on all the
changes in his life in the last few days. There were hopes for
tomorrow.
The next morning, Dobby half dragged Harry out of bed.
“Come see!”
Harry dressed as fast as he could with a House Elf pulling on
his arm. It was not easy.
Harry was met by Lupin and Winky at the door that let to the
new Defense Room. Dobby grandly opened to the door to
present it to his new master.
Harry loved it. The walls were a light minty green. At the far
end of the room was a long table made of dark wood.
Tucked under it were several square white boxes on wheels.
On closer look you could see that they were upholstered
seats. They could be pulled out and moved around the room
in any which way. There were white mini blinds on the
windows. And several minty green floor mats like they had
used in the room of requirement. It was cheerful but
practical for their purpose.
Harry couldn’t wait for his friends to arrive so they could get
started. After breakfast, Harry was counting the minutes
before his friends would arrive. At 10:00 sharp they all
Portkeyed in.
Ron and Ginny both had some kind of pastry in their hands
and were laughing as they still wobbled from the Portkey.
Actually they were both holding on to the SAME pastry and
they were not exactly laughing. They were having a tug of
war over the pastry.
“Give it to me, Ginny!”
“You’ve already had yours. This one is mine!”
“But they’re small, I”m still hungry!” yelled Ron.
“They are small. That’s why Mum left out four. Two for you
and two for me,” said Ginny.
“Look, you already had one. You’re gonna get fat if you eat
this one,” argued Ron.
“Fat? In OUR house? Nobody can get fat in a house with
YOU around. Let go, Ron. This is your last warning,”
sneered Ginny as she whipped out her wand.
“Fine! But I’m telling Mum! I was going to offer this one to
Harry. But nooooooo, you are so selfish. You want it all to
yourself,” scoffed Ron.
“Really?” asked Harry. He grabbed the pastry from both of
them. “Thank you very much. Your mum makes the best!”
Then he popped it into his mouth.
“Harry!” yelled both Ron and Ginny.
“What?” asked Harry with a mouth full of pastry and a grin.
“I was gonna OFFER it to you. I’m sure you would already
have had breakfast, so you should have refused it,” said
Ron.
“Yeah! You were gonna offer him MY pastry,” said Ginny.
“Whose ever it was, it was very good,” laughed Harry.
Hermione, Neville and Luna were all laughing at the scene.
Not one of them would have believed that Harry would
actually do such a thing.
Neville seemed to have grown a foot since Harry last seen
him. Neville proudly showed Harry his new wand. He was
very excited about trying it out.
Luna had her usual dreamy look. With her wand in it’s usual
place tucked behind her ear.
Hermoine was her same old self. She ran over and gave him
a bone crashing hug. She stood back and eyed him
carefully. Harry blushed because he knew that he was so
skinny and pale. She must have been warned of his
appearance because she didn’t say anything about it.
“How did you do on your O.W.L.S ?” asked Hermione.
Harry told her about his. “Oh! I’m so proud of you. Ron got
eight also! I got twelve, of course I had taken extra courses.
I’m pleased with my grades. Of course, I would have liked
to have gotten an O in Astromony instead of just an A but
that was the night that Hagrid and Professor McGonagal
were attacked so no one really got to finish,” said Hermione
sighing.
Harry lead them to their new Defense Room. They all
seemed to be pleased with how it turned out.
The first two days were taught by Tonks. She taught first
aide during battle. They all wished they had known of these
spells before they had went to the Department of Mysteries.
They learned how to stop a bloody nose, how to heal light
cuts and how to stop bleeding from large wounds.
Harry probably would have thought this was too trivial to
bother with last year. But since the battle at the Department
of Mysteries, he now knew how important some of these
simple tricks could make a difference between life and death.
The instructions were not hard to learn and were not too
straining for Harry. Although he was much better, he still had
to rest often.
On the third day, Shacklebolt taught them how to tie and bind
Death Eaters after they have been disarmed. If they could
do it quickly they could trap them so that they couldn’t
Disapparate. Letting a Death Eater escape, could mean
them sending more back.
During their lunch breaks, they all had lots of fun. Just
talking and laughing. On the days that Tonks taught, the
girls would go upstairs after they ate. The boys didn’t know
what they were doing but they would come back to class
giggling.
After their class on Friday, Lupin came in and told them that
the next day the men were all going to London. They were
going to go shopping. It was time to spend some Sirius
money!
* * * *
Chapter 6: Chap 6 Muggle London
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry is outrageous - Sirius spending
----------------
Chapter Six - Muggle London
The next day Harry, Lupin, Ron, Neville and Arthur Weasley
took a Portkey to London, then took a taxi to the posh part of
town.
First stop: The eye doctor for Harry. Lupin had called
ahead for an appointment. Harry got his eyes examined and
chose new frames for his glasses. He got the same kind he
always got, adding an extra pair. Even though he had tried
on others, he just looked weird with any other kind. This
was a one hour lens center, so they would come back later to
pick them up.
Next stop: Haircuts. They found a shop that advertised
walk-ins. The receptionist had them sit and handed them
each a book with pictures of different hair styles. He told
them to select a few styles that they liked. Once they had
chosen what styles they liked, the stylist would decide if it
was possible to style their hair similar to the picture.
Arthur was not looking at the book he was handed. He spent
his time looking at all the Muggle inventions in the shop,
eyes dancing. There were electric curling irons and hair
blowers, electric shavers and the barber chairs lifted up and
down and reclined. Harry could hear him uttering
“fascinating, just fascinating.” Harry grinned.
Ron and Neville marveled at the fact that the pictures did not
move. “Look at this one! Can you believe that some
Muggles like to paint their hair? He’s got pink stripes, for
Merlin’s sake,” said Ron, laughing.
Harry had seen Muggles walking the streets with striped hair
and weird styles before. HIS hair was weird enough, he
didn’t need to add to the strangeness. So, he concentrated
on the more traditional styles.
Harry had never been to a stylist before. He watched as
other customers, who had just finished, left the shop. Their
hair looked very nice. He hoped that they could do
something with his hair. Of course, his hair would go back
to its “usual” by morning, but it would be fun to see what they
could do with it.
There were several chairs with customers having their hair
cut. As each customer left, one of their lot were taken for
their turn.
Neville was first and looked as though he were frightened.
His stylist was a young woman with very long brown hair that
was twisted into a long braid. Some of the tresses were
painted in various colors that weaved into the braid for a
dramatic affect. The young woman was talking quite a bit as
she began Neville’s hair. He sat rigid in his chair.
When Arthur was called, he looked quite excited. His stylist
seemed to be quite amused at some of the questions Arthur
was asking.
Ron seemed to be having a good time. Harry couldn’t hear
what was being said, but Ron did a lot of laughing as his hair
was being shampooed.
When it was finally Harry’s turn, he was greeted by another
flamboyant stylist whose hair was very blond and spiked.
Carlo introduced himself, then started running his fingers
through Harry’s hair.
Harry showed him the hair styles from the book that he
thought he might like.
“No no. That is not possible. Your hair will not hold such a
style. Be right back,” said Carlo, then he rushed away. A
couple of minutes later, another stylist named Frederick
joined Carlo in examining Harry’s hair. Frederick looked at
the two styles that Harry had chose.
“Of course not. Oh! He has wonderful follicles. Look at
those whorls, the pattern is amazing,” said Frederick.
“Spiked would be perfect, do you agree?” asked Carlo.
“Oh yes. Oh! and that scar is to die for. We definitely need
to showcase that scar. He could start a new trend. He
could become outrageous! ” added Frederick.
“What are you talking about? Whorls? I don’t want my hair
spiked and I don’t want my scar seen. I think I came to the
wrong place,” said Harry.
“Relax young man. If you don’t want to, then you don’t have
to, but it is such a waste. So many would give anything to
have the foundation that you have. Your hair is thick and
heavy. You have a magnificent whorl pattern and a
lightening bolt scar. All wasted.”
“I have school. They are very strict. Besides, I only wanted
my hair to look ‘normal’. If you can’t do that, then just forget
it,” said Harry. He was thinking about what Professor
McGonagal would say if he showed up with spiked hair.
“No no, we can do wonders with your hair, relax. So you
want it to look normal. Exactly what does that mean?” asked
Frederick.
“You know, not sticking out all over the place. It doesn’t
matter what you do to it anyway. It will back to this in the
morning,” said Harry, starting to rise.
“Sit back and relax, we can do wonders. The styles you
chose, will do exactly what you just said. The next day,
your hair will go back to laying like it is now. I have an idea
that will give you a look that you are wanting, it just won’t be
exactly like the ones in the pictures,” said Carlo.
“Pity,” said Frederick, as he walked back to another
customer.
“I can style your hair to take advantage of your cowlicks,”
said Carlo, as he lowered the chair and started spraying
Harry’s head with water.
“What are cowlicks?” asked Harry. He was not liking the
sound of any of this.
“Cowlicks are the whorl patterns on your scalp. Parts of your
hair grow in a circled pattern,” said Carlo, as he finished
with shampooing.
“I will cut your hair to take advantage of your cowlicks. It will
give extra body to your hair and make it easier for you to
comb it each day,” said Carlo.
Carlo began cutting his hair and chatting the whole time.
Harry was afraid that the distraction of talking was going to
cause Carlo to mess it up badly.
“Your friend, the red head, he has beautiful color. Is it
natural? It must be. That older man must be his father?”
“Yes. Their whole family has red hair,” said Harry.
“Beautiful! There are many that would spend lots of money
to get that shade of red. I hope Star keeps the cuttings. I
want to see if I can match up that shade,” said Carlo.
When Carlo finished, he handed Harry a hand mirror to see
the results. His hair was cut short in the back above the
collar. The sides were cut so that he could comb them back.
The top of his hair was sort of sticking up but part of it
combed down to almost cover his scar. The style looked
really good on him. He looked a lot older.
Carlo showed him how to comb it and sold him some
products that would hold the style. Harry was very pleased
with the results.
Each of the others had their hair styled according to their
face shape.
Ron had his hair cut similar to Harry’s on the sides but his
hair was longer in the back past his collar to the tip of his
shoulders. The top of his hair was combed back but a little to
the side.
Neville’s hair was cut short on the sides and back. In the
front, the middle was combed back while the two sides of the
front winged down on his forehead . It made his face not look
so round. It gave Neville a whole new look.
Arthur had his hair cut the same way it was always cut. He
joked and told them, “There is no messing with perfection.”
He looked good so no one could argue with that.
Remus Lupin’s hair had the biggest change. It was styled to
be combed back. The back was the same length as Harry’s.
The sides were a bit longer so that the gray in his hair,
streaked in just the right places. So even though more gray
actually showed. He looked much younger.
As Harry was walking out the door. Carlo came up to him
and whispered: “When you have finished school, I want you
to come back and try out the other style. You could look
outrageous!”
Harry laughed.
Next stop: A sport shop, where hey all bought new trainers
and sweats. They also bought some sport shorts , T shirts
and bathing suits.
This was all paid for with something called a “credit card”.
Gringotts had set it up for them. Unlimited credit. Yahoo!
Next stop: A fine men’s clothing store. The sales clerks
were very helpful. They found just the right colors and
styles for each man.
They each were fitted for three piece suits, two each. Harry
had his made a size and a half larger than his actual size
because of the weight he had lost and some room to grow.
So even if it was a bit large it would not hang on him. He
choose a black one and dark forest green.
For Ron, a cute sales clerk helped him choose a rusted
brown and a dark green to enhance is hair. Ron was loving
all the attention that she was giving him and was flirting
unashamedly. It took a promise of food to get him away.
Arthur choose black and dark blue that were slimming and
made him appear younger.
Neville choose dark blue and pale blue that were cut to give
him a slimmer look.
Lupin choose a black one and a charcoal gray which
highlighted the silver in his hair.
They had each suit altered with an inside pocket in the jacket
for their wands. They had been carefully keeping their
wands hidden in their clothes but they had to strip down to
their boxers for the fitter.
There was a tense moment when the fitter asked about their
wands, but a nearby sales clerk saved the day by saying:
“Oh, I know what those batons are. You all must be
students at the university, chorus conducting. ”
Harry sighed with relief. “Yes!”
“I remember my cousin took classes for that three years
ago.”
The suits would be ready in two weeks. Lupin made
arrangements to pick them up at that time.
They also choose various dress shirts and ties to
complement their suits. They also choose a several casual
shirts and pants. New dress shoes and some slip on casual
shoes. Boxers and under-shirts galore. Even new pajamas
and slippers. The sales clerks were ecstatic when they left.
Commissions were very large that day.
Outside the store: “That was a close one in there.” said
Arthur. “Isn’t it wonderful how muggles come up with the
most amazing answers for magical objects like our wands?
Simply amazing!”
Next stop: Restaurant. They were all starving. Ron ordered
two steak dinners, no one was surprised by this. He ate
both them and wanted dessert, but Arthur dragged him out
the door.
Next stop: A variety store. Where the men bought toiletries.
Harry choose a very light spice cologne.
Arthur was in his glory. He got to ride on an escalator. His
little eyes were gleaming at all the inventions that the
Muggles had come up with. In better times, Harry wished to
bring Arthur back to the city just so Arthur could spend the
day just checking out all the latest inventions.
While walking down the sidewalk, Arthur mentioned Ginny’s
birthday was in a few days. So they spent some time looking
into the shop windows.
Harry spotted a bracelet in a jewelry shop window that he
thought she would like, so they entered. It was a braided
gold chain, very dainty. Harry figured that it was not so
personal as what a boyfriend would buy, but nice enough to
be special.
He also spotted a necklace for Molly. It had a braided gold
chain and in the middle of the chain were very small letters
made from tiny diamonds. Harry called Lupin over for his
advice. Lupin agreed that it was very classy and that Molly
would love it. So he had the jeweler put one together with
her name. It only took a few minutes to add the letters.
Last stop: Back to the eye doctor. Harry’s new glasses
were ready. No one could tell any difference but Harry could
see better, so he was happy.
As they had been shopping, they had secretly shrunk their
packages so that they could carry it all. So when they arrived
back at Grimmauld Place and unshrank them, there were
great stacks of packages all over the place.
“Have you bought out all the stores? What all this must have
cost!” exclaimed Molly.
“Yes!” said Harry. “And after you women go shopping, there
won’t be another thing left in all of London !” laughed Harry.
“Sirius would be so pleased,” laughed Lupin.
Harry was delighted with all his purchases. He changed into
some shorts and a T-shirt and looked into the mirror. It was
amazing how different he looked. Finally some clothes that
actually FIT. Dudley’s hand me downs were going in the
trash. Of course, Harry had bought clothes that were a bit
bigger than he was now. He figured he should be at least a
size bigger than he was last year. Room to grow, because
right now he was still very skinny. The ones with stretchy
material clung to him, so they looked like they were the right
size. He knew it would not be long before he was back to his
old weight at least. By the looks of his father’s pictures, he
would probably stay on the slim side, but not skinny like he
was now. Molly and Winky had been shoving food in front
of him every chance they got, so it wouldn’t be too long, he
hoped.
Harry had grown a bit. He figured that he would always be a
bit on the shorter side, although not extremely short. At
least he was not shorter than the girls his age.
His hair looked great. He surely hoped that he could keep it
this way. The hair dresser had shown each of them how to
comb and maintain their style. Harry’s hair had always been
a problem, it had a mind of it’s own. Time would only tell if
this would work out.
The next day, after he showered, he applied some light gel to
his hair. He combed and sprayed it with something and it
looked just like when the stylist had fixed it. Harry was
pleased. It was not stiff or sticky. The stylist assured him
that these new products would leave his hair feeling natural.
It was true. He felt like a new man.
* * * *
Chapter 7: Chap 7 Birthdays
Author's Notes: Harry and Ginny have birthdays - - - Harry learns a Weasley secret.
Chapter Seven - Birthdays
On Sunday evening, everyone had gathered in the kitchen.
Lupin, Tonks and the whole Weasley clan excepting Percy,
were there. They all decided to stay for dinner. Harry rushed
upstairs and took a shower and changed.
Harry noticed that Ron and Neville looked older. He was not
sure if it was the haircuts or maybe it was the time since
school ended to now. Neville had grown quite a bit and had
slimmed down. Whereas Ron, had grown and filled out. All
three boys’ faces had a more mature look. They were
turning into men.
Molly and Winky had prepared a feast. All of Harry’s
favorites were there. He didn’t think he had ever eaten so
much. He was very happy to see Bill and Charlie, he hadn’t
seen them in a while. They both told a few exciting stories
and everyone was enjoying themselves. After dinner,
people started slipping out of the kitchen. Harry hardly
noticed until there were only a few left.
He went out into the Entrance Hall and saw Dobby motioning
with his finger towards the Defense Room. Harry opened the
door and the whole room shouted “SURPRISE!”
There was a huge banner hanging from the ceiling saying
“Happy Birthday Harry”. “But it’s not my birthday,” laughed
Harry.
“You were ill during your real birthday, so we put it off until
you were better,” laughed Arthur.
Hermione, Luna and Neville were present, along with
several members of the Order, including Tonks, Mad Eye
Moody, Shacklebolt, Professor McGonagal and
Dumbledore.
There were tiny fireworks shooting around the room and
colorful streamers hanging from the ceiling. A huge tub full
of ice was filled with bottles of butterbeer. It magically refilled
itself when someone took a bottle out. Harry grabbed a
bottle and popped the cork. My, how he loved butterbeer.
Then the music started. Not just music, but music played by
the Weasleys. Fred was playing keyboard and George was
playing drums. Bill played trumpet and Charlie played bass
guitar. Ron was playing lead guitar and Arthur was playing a
saxophone. George was singing the lead while the others
were singing background harmony. They were better than
most professionals that Harry ever heard. They were
fantastic.
The next song was sung by Arthur with the family as
backups. He was singing while dancing with Molly. They
were great dancing partners.
Then the next song was sang by Ron. Harry’s jaw almost
dropped to the floor. Ron had a great voice! Then the
biggest shock was when they played a slow song and Ron
danced with Ginny. Harry didn’t know what kind of dance it
was, but they were dancing around the room and every once
in a while, he would toss Ginny out, she would twirl then fold
back into his arms. This was the guy who didn’t even know
how to dance at the Yule Ball!
They were playing mostly old Muggle rock and roll songs.
Harry recognized some of the tunes from Dudley’s television.
Arthur and Molly even danced a cha cha. Everybody got
rowdy when they danced the TANGO, complete with Arthur
wearing a rose between his teeth as they danced.
The music went on for hours before they took a break. At
this time, they brought out a birthday cake with candles and
presents for Harry. Harry couldn’t believe it. It was his very
first birthday party.
Harry called Winky over to him and whispered into her
bat-like ear. A moment later, she was back with a small
wrapped package. Harry handed the package to Molly.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
“Open it and see,” said Harry, laughing.
Molly opened the package and started to cry. She grabbed
Harry and almost crushed his chest in. Ron had to pull her
off of him. When he could stand properly, he took the
necklace, placed it around Molly’s neck and fastened the
clasp, Molly beamed. Then she grabbed him again and
smothered him in kisses. Harry decided if he ever gave her
another present he would send it with Hedwig, it was a lot
safer.
Then the music began and the dancing started up again.
Sometimes the Weasley members would change
instruments but Ron mostly stayed with the guitar.
Sometimes Ginny would play the keyboard. Arthur would
change from saxophone to trumpet and sometimes drums.
Each of them sang lead at least in a couple songs and each
one had an excellent voice. Different ones would request a
song and then it was played. Harry noticed that Ginny liked
to request songs the most. Ron would usually be the one
singing lead on them.
Harry noticed a pattern in their style. Fred and George
mostly sang comical novelty songs. While Arthur sang the
romantic ballads. Ron sang some ballads but mostly the
faster tunes. Ginny stuck to romance ballads and Molly
could belt out an old torch song like a pro.
Everyone but Harry was dancing on most songs. Even
Dumbledore danced with each of the girls at least twice.
Harry leaned back against the table, drinking butterbeer and
laughing with delight.
Harry loved to watch Molly and Arthur dance together,
specially the slower love songs. They glided around the room
like they were on air. When Arthur would sing he would sing
to Molly like he meant every word. Harry knew that they
loved each other, that went without saying, but when they
danced together, you knew they were still “in love”. It was
beautiful to watch.
“Hermione, did you know that Ron could sing?” asked Harry.
“No! I can’t believe it. He is good, isn’t he?” said Hermoine.
“Yeah! And he can dance. Who’d have known? Ron
Weasley, is an entertainer. Unreal,” said Harry.
“I’ve heard some of these songs before. These are called
oldies. They were old when my mother and father were
growing up. I remember my mother telling me that when
there was one playing on a old movie,” said Hermione.
“I love it,” said Harry.
“They are good, aren’t they? I don’t know the music that
well, I prefer the new stuff, but these are nice.”
“They are brilliant!” said Harry, his eyes shining.
Towards the late evening, Ginny started requesting that Ron
sing “Cara Mia”. He would flush red, then sing something
different. Ginny started pouting. After several requests,
Molly finally shouted to Ron: “Ronald! You sing ‘Cara Mia’
right this minute or you will get no breakfast!” Ron started
singing the song. Now Harry knew why Ginny had been
requesting it. Ron was fantastic! The song really displayed
the quality of his voice, it filled the room. Harry couldn’t
believe that that voice was coming out of his best friend!
They rounded the night off with a very lively tune. The house
was rocking !
Everyone was getting tired so they called it quits for the night.
“This is the BEST birthday party I ever had,” Harry told the
crowd. “Actually it is the ONLY birthday party I ever had, but
there could never be one any better than this one. Thank
you all !”
As they began to clear the room, Harry cornered Ron and
asked “When did you learn to dance?”
“After fourth year,” he said. “I was a disaster at the Yule Ball
and vowed I would never be embarrassed like that again, so
I asked Mum to teach me.”
“I want to learn,” said Harry.
“I’m sure Mum will teach you, but Ginny is the best teacher.
She has more patience and you learn faster from her,” said
Ron.
Molly heard the conversation and added “Yes, Ginny is very
good at teaching dance. Ginny come here.”
Harry was embarrassed. “Ginny, will you teach Harry to
dance?” asked Molly. Ginny turned beet red.
“I will pay you,” said Harry, hopefully. “I really like the way
you all dance. Please?”
“You don’t have to pay me, Harry,” said Ginny.
“Yes I do, it is only right. I’m sure I will be lousy and it will
take up much of your time. Besides, you could have some
extra spending money for Hogsmeade,” laughed Harry.
So, Ginny agreed to give Harry lessons every other day,
after their defense training.
Harry went to bed the happiest he ever been. The music
was still flowing through his head. He was also excited
about learning to dance. He especially wanted to learn the
dance step that Arthur and Ron did on the slower songs.
Harry didn’t know what it was called but Harry had seen
some dancing like it on television, before Dudley would
change the channel. He thought it was called ballroom
dancing.
The next day, Ron came to visit Harry. Harry started
questioning him about the band.
“How long have you been playing music like that?” asked
Harry.
“Gee, I don’t know, ever since I can remember. The family
always played music. I think I started singing with them
when I was about nine or ten,” said Ron.
“Dad lets us do just about any songs that we want, as long
as we sing them with feeling or with the spirit of the song. He
has hundreds of songs that we can choose from, so when
someone picks a song, we all try to fill in the backgrounds
and make it right. He says we have to respect the others in
the band. We can accidentally mess up, but if we start
goofing off, he sends us away,” Ron added.
“Why haven’t I heard you before?” asked Harry.
“Well, we usually don’t play when anyone else is around. It is
for our own entertainment. Something we do in the evenings
when we are bored. We mostly do Muggle music. You know
how Dad is about Muggles. He really likes Muggle music.
It’s kinda embarrassing,” said Ron started to blush.
“Don’t you be embarrassed, Ron. That there is talent! Why
haven’t I ever seen you practice the guitar or anything?”
“Well, it’s magical isn’t it? Don’t need to practice. Well, I
mean, you have to know the song very well and all, but once
you know the song, it’s not too hard,” said Ron.
“You mean the guitar plays by itself? It looked like you were
playing it,” said Harry.
“No it doesn’t play by itself. There would be no reason to
hold it, would there?” answered Ron.
“I don’t understand then.”
“Well, all our instruments are magical, so I don’t know about
Muggle ones. You just have to know the song or I should
say, the part of the song that your instrument is going to
play. Then the magic sort of makes your hands do what
they are supposed to do.”
“Then I could play the guitar?” asked Harry.
“Yes, but it probably wouldn’t sound as good until you have
played for a while. You have to know the parts and how to
phrase them.”
“You could have told me about it,” said Harry. Harry was
feeling a bit left out. He thought he knew them all so well.
“Well, it’s just something we do. It’s not something we would
do with anyone else around,” said Ron.
“Well I think it’s brilliant!” said Harry, his eyes shining. “You
know that you are better than anything I ever heard. Better
than I ever saw on Dudley’s television. I’ve never enjoyed
anything better in my life and that includes the World Cup!”
“Blimey, Harry! I thought you were just being polite,” said
Ron.
“No way. Did you know that you could make tons of money
in the Muggle world, singing?”
“No way,” said Ron.
“Trust me, Ron. You could,” said Harry.
“Wow! So maybe I got something to fall back on if I don’t
become an Auror or a professional Quidditch player,” said
Ron.
“You sure do,” said Harry honestly.
“We’re gonna have Ginny’s’ birthday party next Friday night.
We were talking about having it here. Will that be ok? So
that, you know, we don’t have to worry about ‘security’?”
asked Ron.
“Of course! I would like to go to Ginny’s birthday party,” said
Harry.
“So you wouldn’t mind if we brought the band then?” asked
Ron.
“Are you kidding me?” laughed Harry.
On the next Friday evening, everyone gathered in the
Defense Room for Ginny’s birthday party.
When Ginny walked into the room, Harry yelled “Surprise!”
“Harry, I know about the party. It isn’t a surprise birthday
party,” she laughed.
“Were you surprised when I shouted ‘surprise’?” he asked.
“Yes,” laughed Ginny.
“Well then?” said Harry with a grin.
They all started laughing.
Then the band started to play and everyone danced just like
they did at Harry’s party. Harry enjoyed it just as much. He
leaned against the table in the same spot along with his
butterbeer and was just as delighted.
Half-way through the party, they brought out the cake with
candles and everyone sang “Happy Birthday”. Then brought
in all her presents like they did at Harry’s party.
When Ginny opened her gift from Harry, she said “It’s
beautiful, Harry. I don’t know what to say. It looks very
expensive.”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what it cost. It says 24k
gold, don’t know if that is good or bad,” began Harry. “It may
have been cheap for all I know. I just thought it was pretty
and something I thought you would like. But just in case, be
careful not to lose it cause it may be expensive!” laughed
Harry.
Ginny giggled and assured him that she would take very
good care of it.
The music began again and they sang and danced until
midnight, then Molly shoed them all off to bed.
Molly and Arthur had noticed that Harry seemed to enjoy the
music more than anything else. Harry was on his way to
recovery and the music seemed to make him happy. He was
such a serious boy. I bit of fun would surely liven him up.
Molly and Arthur told Harry that the family would start playing
music on Friday or Saturday nights each week until school
started if he liked. HE LIKED! So they would start this the
very next week.
On Monday morning, they went back to their weekday
routine with their defense lessons. Harry also started his
dance lessons with Ginny. She had him do leg stretches
before they began. She told him he needed to do them or his
legs would get sore. Harry did as he was told but he really
didn’t think that his legs would get sore. It was just dancing
after all.
She started him by having him just walk to the music, to get
the feel of the rhythm. Then after quite a while, she started
showing him how to dance. She would stand beside him and
show him some steps. Before he knew it, the lesson was
over. She had him do stretches again when they were done.
The next day his legs were killing him. It’s a good thing he
did the stretches or he would never had made it out of bed. It
was rough going to defense class that day. Ginny told him
that he should do the leg stretches before defense class too,
because he was using a lot of the same muscles.
He took his dance class in the Defense Room every other
day after defense lessons. He told Ginny that he wanted to
learn to do the dance that her dad did. Ginny laughed “You
have to learn to walk before you can run. The faster dances
are easier to learn.”
It didn’t make sense to Harry, but he soon learned that it was
true. He enjoyed his dance lessons very much.
On Friday night, the Weasley band was back. Harry
delighted in every song they did. He looked forward to each
time they played. He hadn’t realized just how much he
enjoyed music. He had listened to some from TV and heard
wizard stuff but this was something different. It just felt more
“real”. It touched his heart.
* * * *
Chapter 8: Chap 8 - Prophecy and Sirius
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry learns a bit more about the prophecy and Sirius
Chapter Eight - Prophecy and Sirius
Harry was enjoying his dance lessons. Ginny always brought
him an ice cream drink for the break they took midway at
each lesson.
In the following week, during the dance lesson, Harry would
start to look into Ginny's face, then hurriedly look away. It
was bothering him about Ginny and the prophecy, but he
didn't want to remind her of their argument and get her mad
all over again. Plus she probably couldn't tell him who told
her. She probably promised someone that she wouldn’t.
After a bit, Ginny sensed that Harry had something on his
mind, something that involved her. He was being a prat
again and it was getting on her nerves.
Ginny took Harry's hand and lead him over to the table. She
guided him to a seat and said " Harry, there's something on
your mind. Something you want to tell me or ask me. So
let's have it."
Harry thought a moment, then put a Silencing Charm on the
room.
“Ok... Ginny... how did you know about the prophecy? What
it said?” asked Harry.
“I told you, I was there.”
“There?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Don’t you remember I was there at
the Department of Mysteries?”
“I know you were there. You broke your ankle. You could
have been killed. Believe me, I KNOW you were there.
But no, I mean how did you know what it said?”
“I don’t know what it said.”
“Yes you do, or you wouldn’t have been quoting from it.”
“Huh? I haven’t been quoting from it,” said Ginny.
“Yes you have,” said Harry.
“When?” asked Ginny.
“When we were arguing the other day.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Do you KNOW
what the prophecy said?”
“Yes,” said Harry.
“I thought it broke.”
“It did, but that was only a copy. Dumbledore heard the
original. It was told to him about six months before I was
born.”
“Can you tell me? or... well... I’m not trying to pry,” said
Ginny. Her curiosity was getting the best of her.
“Are you sure that someone didn’t tell you?”
“No Harry, no one told me anything. So why do you think
that I know?” asked Ginny.
“Well, it just seems kinda spooky that you know so much. I
haven’t told Ron and Hermione, I haven’t told anyone.”
“Dumbledore told me that the only ones who knew were mine
and Neville’s parents... and then Sirius and now Lupin. I
thought maybe he told the Order and he didn’t want me to
know that they all know,” said Harry. “They’re always hiding
stuff from me.”
“I promise Harry, no one told me anything. Why would
Neville’s parents be told? I’m confused now,” Ginny said
with a frown.
“Ginny, I don't know if I should tell you, it is DANGEROUS
knowing it. I don't think that Riddle knows it yet. He spent a
lot of time last year trying to find out what it said. If he knew
that you knew it, he might try to capture you and force it from
you.”
“Oh... well I would NEVER tell him or anyone,” Ginny was
thinking fast. “Hmmm well, ya know... since you think that I
know something about it. It's like I already know, right? “
Harry thought hard and long. Ginny just sat there, not rushing
him. It really was bugging him. Was it pure coincidence
that she knew key phrases from it? He knew he could trust
her, but the danger. Would anyone know that he told her?
From the enemies point of view, it would be unlikely that he
would have told her. They would be more likely to think that
he told Ron and Hermione, so she would probably be safe
with the knowledge.
“Ginny, if I were to tell you, NO ONE could know that you
know. I mean NO ONE, not even Dumbledore. Do you
think you could keep that to yourself? I mean, your life could
depend on it or anyone you told. That is why I haven't even
told Ron and Hermione.”
“Harry, believe it or not, I am VERY good at keeping
secrets. I know lots of things that others don't know that I
know, but I don't want you to tell me if you don't have
complete trust in me. That would only add to your burden.”
Harry thought some more about it. He decided he would risk
it. Hoping that some day he would not regret his decision.
“Ok. I need some ink and parchment. I think I would
remember the wording better if I wrote it down.”
They looked around the room and found some in a drawer in
the table.
Harry wrote it all out on some parchment.
“I think this is word for word.”
The one with the power to vanquish The Dark Lord
approaches . . .
Born to those who have thrice defied him,
born as the seventh month dies . . .
and the dark Lord will mark him as his equal,
but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ...
and either must die at the hand of the other
for neither can live while the other survives. . . .
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord
will be born as the seventh month dies. . . .
“Hmmmm ok. So you were born at the end of July, Neville
was too. Ok I get that part. Both yours and Neville’s
parents have defied him three times. So it could have been
Neville? Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Mark him as his equal. Your scar?”
“Yes.”
“Why did he mark YOU?”
“He didn't MARK me on purpose. The mark came when he
tried to kill me. He didn't know about that part of the
prophecy. He was only told PART of it, the beginning.
Dumbledore thinks he chose me because we were both half
bloods. That we had something in common or something.
He is not sure.”
“So he only knew that the ONE would be born at the end of
July and that his parents had thrice defied him. That would
be me or Neville. So he choose to kill me first, but it
backfired and it left me marked. Dumbledore doesn’t think
that he knew about the marked part.”
“That is why he was wanting me to get the prophecy from the
Department of Mysteries, so that he could hear the rest of it.”
“Oh... but I didn't know any of this. Why do you think that I
did?” asked Ginny.
“Because when we were arguing you said I was the ONE.
Then, you were talking about me LIVING and SURVIVING.”
“See, this part, about neither can LIVE while the other
SURVIVES.”
“But Harry, I don't even remember the WORDS I was
saying. I mean, yeah, I think I might have used those words,
but I was angry and just saying what I was thinking at the
time,” said Ginny.
“Trust me,” said Harry. “You used those EXACT words.“
“Believe me, the wording was accidental. Harry, I thought
the prophecy would be different. Something like ‘Harry
Potter is the one that will defeat the Dark Lord.’ or ‘Harry
Potter will defeat the Dark Lord by using the “something”
curse.’ You know, something you could understand. But
this... it’s so vague. It could mean all kinds of things.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“This part, ‘but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not’
you think that part already happened? The reason it
backfired?” asked Ginny.
“That’s what Dumbledore thinks,” said Harry.
“So what power did you have?” asked Ginny.
“Dumbledore thinks it was because my mum died to save
me. He thinks it is LOVE.”
“LOVE? Well, hmmmm, maybe, but I’m sure there were
lots of people that he tried to kill that tried to save someone
else that they loved.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but Dumbledore thinks it was
that,” said Harry.
“OR... maybe that part hasn’t happened yet,” said Ginny.
“What do you mean?” asked Harry.
“Well... maybe it is something that you WILL have later. Ok,
we know you had something when you were a baby. Maybe
your mothers’ love did save you, but what if that line is
referring to the next line. About ‘either must die at the hand
of the other ‘. What if ‘the power he knows not’ is
something else? Like something you will learn later or
something you know now... or something?” said Ginny.
“I never thought of it that way. I guess it could. So you see,
‘either must die at the hand of the other’ that means I have
to... to... become a murderer or be murdered.” Harry started
to feel very upset. He was running his fingers through his
hair.
“Harry, killing Tom Riddle will NOT make you a murderer!
He is not HUMAN any more, if he ever was. He is just evil!
An evil THING!“
“Yes he was. We saw him, talked to him when he was
young. He was very human.”
“Yeah, well, he LOOKED like a human and he acted like a
human, but I don’t think he thought or FELT like a human.
Oh he knows how a human should act. I think he was always
PRETENDING, hard to explain,“ said Ginny.
“But...” uttered Harry.
“He’s nothing but a ‘baby killer’ ! And I don’t want him
around to kill my babies,” growled Ginny.
“Babies?” Harry asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Well yeah, I will be having babies, ya know.”
“I guess so, but that’s a long way off,” said Harry.
“Not as long as you think. Actually I could have a baby now.”
Harry turned white.
“No no, ha ha. I mean I’m capable. But anyway,
realistically it could be as soon as four years. Three years
left of school, then if I married... well anyway, I could have a
baby by four years’ time. It’s not that far away,” said Ginny.
Harry looked over at her body. Oh yeah, it was mature
enough to have a baby. OH ! ‘Don’t even go there’ thought
Harry. “Ermm, I thought you would be too young to even
think about babies.”
“I’m only a year younger than you,” said Ginny rolling her
eyes. “All young women think about babies, Harry. I mean
when their bodies are ready. We sorta have to. Some more
than others. Some like the idea, others don’t. I guess since
you weren’t raised around females you wouldn’t know this.”
“You mean even Hermione has thought about babies?” Harry
said, with an astonished look.
“Ha ha ha ha yes, I’m sure she has,” giggled Ginny. “Of
course, she would be putting off having babies for quite a
while, I would think. She is more of the career woman type,
but I’m sure in later years, she will have children.”
“I guess girls think about different stuff than guys do.”
“I don’t know about that so much. Depends on the person.
But I think we often think about the same things, only there
are some things that women think about more than men and
visa versa.”
“So anyway, of course I am young NOW, but time passes
quickly,” said Ginny. “I mean your mum was very young
when she had you.”
“What do you know about my mum?”
“Only what Sirius told me. He didn’t give me exact dates or
anything. Only that James and Lily married not long after
school and that it wasn’t a long time before you came along.
Hmmm I don’t know. It could even had been some years
later. You know when older people talk about time, they
kinda run things together. But he gave me the impression
that it was not too long,“ said Ginny.
“When did you talk to Sirius about that?” asked Harry.
“Last summer and over Christmas vacation.“
“Why would Sirius talk to you?”
“Just what does that mean?“ Ginny said with a raised
eyebrow.
“Eh, er I don’t know. I just never thought about you and
Sirius talking, I guess.”
“Well we did, quite often. He was kinda lonely and
depressed. He liked to talk to me.” Ginny’s’ eyes started to
water.
“What did you talk about, may I ask?”
“You mostly, and your dad. Lots of things, actually.”
“Like what about my dad?”
“Oh lots of things. James and Sirius were kinda like Fred
and George. CRAZY ! Always into some kind of mischief.
He said meeting James was the best thing that ever
happened to him. He felt like James was his brother.
James taught him about what a family is supposed to be. He
moved in with James and your grandparents before he left
school. I guess he moved out on his own after school or
something. Then when James married and started his own
family, Sirius was part of that too. He told me all kinds of
little stories about it.”
“Like what?”
“Hmmm... well he said that when your parents started talking
about having a family that your dad wasn’t too keen on it,
because of the war and stuff. Of course, Lily won out, but
the minute you were born and he looked into your eyes... he
fell in love with you. He started going on to everyone about it
being all HIS idea, that you were the most precious thing he
ever seen.” Ginny smiled. “Sirius thought this was the
funniest thing! But he said that James did have a point. You
were the most precious thing. Sirius fell in love with you too.”
Harry’s’ eyes started to mist up a bit.
“You know, I think the reason that Sirius liked to talk to me is
because I’m so young. He told me he really didn’t have a
growing up period in his life. He said that he was a wild kid,
then there was the war. Then he was sent to Azkaban, so he
spent his young adult life in there. So when he escaped, he
was really still in ‘kid mode’.”
“He told me he wanted for you and him to ‘grow up’ together.
He said that you were too serious and needed him to teach
you how to have fun. And that he was too childish and
needed you to teach him how to be an adult.” A tear dropped
down Ginny’s’ cheek. She quickly wiped it away.
Ginny looked down at her watch. “Oh dear! The time!
Dinner will be soon. I’m supposed to help. Harry, could I
keep that?” pointing to the prophecy.
Harry shook his head no. “I don’t think that is a good idea.
I’m going to burn it. I don’t want anyone to accidentally find
it.”
“Only for tonight. I would like to study it for a bit. I will put it
where NO ONE can accidentally find it.”
Harry handed it to her.
She turned around then adjusted her clothes and the
prophecy was gone. With that, Ginny stood up. “I think you
best take the charm off so that we can join the others.”
Harry released the charm and the opened the door to see
Mrs. Weasley standing there ready to knock.
“I haven’t heard any music in quite a while, what have you
two been up to?” said Mrs. Weasley with a grin.
Harry blushed.
“Oh nothing, Mum,” said Ginny. She whispered to her mum
“We were talking about Sirius.”
Molly nodded then rushed Ginny off to the kitchen. Ginny
knew that Harry heard what she said, and did it so that he
was sure to hear.
Harry went up to his room to think about all what Ginny had
told him.
At the next dance lesson, Ginny handed Harry the prophecy.
“Well, I have studied it”.
“And?” said Harry.
“Who told this prophecy?” asked Ginny.
“Tralawney,” said Harry.
“Tralawney?!?” said Ginny. “Well no wonder! How can you
believe this?”
“Well, two years ago she told another prophecy. I was there.
Her face turned real weird and her voice got deep and
strange. She told about the servant escaping and going
back to the Dark Lord before midnight, then her face and
voice changed back to normal. Well, normal for her anyway.
She didn’t even act like she knew what she had said.
Dumbledore said she acted the same way when she told this
one. Well, the other one came true. I don’t remember the
words exactly but it was worded kind of like this one. It was
not clear exactly what it meant, but then when Wormtail
escaped, I knew it was true. Then after the graveyard it
became perfectly clear what it meant.”
“Anyway, Dumbledore believes it. I think that is why he
hired her to work at Hogwarts. I mean, she’s an awful
teacher. I think he keeps her there to protect her.”
“Yes, that makes sense cause she is an awful teacher. But
anyway, I think it is useless.”
“WHAT?” said Harry, shocked.
“Well, it doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know,”
said Ginny.
“But... of course it told us what we didn’t know. It told that I
was the one that had to destroy Riddle,” sputtered Harry.
“But we already KNEW that,” said Ginny.
“No we didn’t,” said Harry.
“Now Harry, truly, didn’t YOU already know it?” asked Ginny
gently.
“Er...well yeah... but not really for sure. I mean...”
“It means that now that you see it or ‘heard’ it in that way,
that it confirms it. Is that right?” asked Ginny.
“Yeah, I didn’t really want to face it, but with it put like this... I
can’t deny it any more,” Harry said sadly.
“So it doesn’t really change anything, does it?” said Ginny.
“No,” said Harry.
After a moment Ginny said, “Well, I guess there is one
thing... It does give HOPE, doesn’t it?”
“How?” asked Harry.
“It does say that the one with the power”, pointing to Harry,
“Can do it. So it IS possible to destroy him. And with that,
there is hope,” said a smiling Ginny.
Harry thought a moment. “Yeah.”
Ginny walked over and started the music. “Dance time!“
* * * *
Chapter 9: Chap 9 - End of Summer
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Days leading to the end of summer. - - - Harry has a 'normal' nightmare. - - -Neville gets an idea.
Chapter Nine - End Of Summer
All through the month, Winky and Dobby had been
remodeling the house one room at a time.
The Entrance Hall now lead to five rooms, six if you counted
the staircase. The Living Room, Defense Room, Dining
Room (OOTP Headquarters) were on the left as you came
in from the front door. On the right, was the staircase
leading up. Below the staircase near the rear was the new
loo that was directly across from the Dining Room. At the
far back of the hall was a window and to it’s right was the
stairs leading down to the kitchen. The door had been
removed and the stairs widened.
The new Dining Room (OOTP room) was completed. The
room was actually beautiful now. If a stranger were to enter
this room, they would never know that it was used for
anything other than a dining room. The long table was
refinished and now shone. The chairs had all been
upholstered in red velvet to match the new drapes. Winky
had somehow found an area carpet for under the table that
was phenomenal. Red, gold and green were the main
colors. The design was a phoenix and around the border
were scrolled flowers. It was an art piece in itself. She had
also found some oil paintings of phoenix for the walls. The
Order found it was far more convenient than the old kitchen.
The new loo right across the hall that was a huge benefit
also.
The Living Room was once two rooms that now had been
made into one large room. All the old carpets and wallpaper
were removed. The now modern room, was done in beige,
tans and browns. It was painted a light beige with a darker
beige wall to wall carpet. There were two very comfy
over-stuffed chairs against the left wall with a table and lamp
in between. These chairs were often filled by Lupin or Mr.
and Mrs. Weasley.
On the left side of the room, there were a couple of gaming
tables with more of the cube seats on rollers like the ones in
the Defense Room, only these were tan. After eating their
lunch, they usually piled into the Living Room for games or
just talking. They usually sat around the gaming tables at
this time.
There were two large chairs of dark and light brown tweed
facing each other with a sofa facing the large fireplace on
the far wall, forming a “U”. The chairs and sofa held throw
pillows and throws for cuddling on winter nights. Over the
fireplace was a huge painting. Winky had found it in a
catalog. Once Harry saw it, he had to have it. It was a
painting of a large stag standing proudly in a forest.
There were also a couple of other large sofas with lots of
throw pillows. The wall where the door stood had been
completely remodeled. Where there once was a normal
door, the opening had been widened. Now there were
sliding wooden doors that slipped between the wall. Most
often the doors were left open, that gave it a more inviting
atmosphere.
Harry liked to sit at the end of the sofa nearest the door. Just
like in the school Common Room at school, he had his spot.
Often at night he and Lupin would sit and read in there. Both
Harry and Lupin were quite pleased with their new “living
room”.
The Order members were also thankful that Mrs. Black’s
portrait was removed. It really was a pain to have to whisper
in the Entrance Hall, as not to ‘disturb’ the painting.
Harry wasn’t as interested in “The Order” as last year. In
fact, he had no desire to know about anything that they
were doing. He felt that the least he knew, the better. But
he did notice that Hagrid hadn’t shown up all summer. He
didn’t even get a card or anything from him for his birthday.
Hagrid had always remembered his birthday since he was
eleven years old. He asked Lupin about it one night. “He’s
out on assignment.” Lupin told him. “But he’s supposed to be
back before the next term begins.”
Harry was pleased to hear that. He missed Hagrid.
Hogwarts was never the same without Hagrid.
For most of the month, Harry had taken to reading in the
evenings. He was reading books found in the house. Many
of the books were about pure blood family trees and such.
He didn’t read those, but there were many about history and
ancient dark spells. He wasn’t particularly interested in
learning dark spells, but he was interested in what they were
about. He didn’t read those before bedtime. He had enough
trouble with nightmares, so he usually he read books that
Lupin found for him. Useful spells and of course, defensive
spells, before going to bed.
One evening, near the end of the month, he decided that it
was getting close to the time when he would be going back to
school. He wanted to say “goodbye” to Buckbeak before
Charlie took him away.
On the way, Harry gathered up his courage and went to
Sirius’ room. He looked through several drawers before he
found the one that had the letters that Sirius had referred to
in his will. He found the one with his name on it. He knew he
wasn’t strong enough to read it this evening, so he put it in
his pocket. One day he would read it. Today was not that
day.
He then went into Mrs. Black’s bedroom to see Buckbeak.
Buckbeak was curled up upon the bed. Harry bowed to him
and he bowed back. His eyes were so sad looking, they
reminded Harry of Sirius so bad. Harry walked over and sat
on the bed. He put his arms around Buckbeak’s neck. The
next thing he knew, he was crying, crying his heart out.
Crying the tears he hadn’t shed for Sirius... and himself. He
cried himself to sleep curled up against Buckbeak.
A few hours later, he awoke and dragged himself off to bed,
where he slept all night without dreams.
The house was so different that it was hard to believe it was
the same house they stayed in last year. Mostly because of
Winky. Harry came to the conclusion that Sirius was
definitely right, Kreacher did nothing to keep up the house.
Winky knew her stuff. It appears that House Elves could do
a LOT of work. Winky had an eye for what was attractive to
the eye. She also had a talent for making a room look very
classy, yet still comfortable.
Approximately three weeks into August, Winky completed
the kitchen. Apparently she had been wanting to get her
hands on that room from the start. It was painted a warm
creamy yellow. On the far wall the fireplace stood, she had
added a new mantle. There were now two ceramic vases
painted with flowers at each of the mantle. Inside these
vases was where the Floo powder was kept. The bricks had
been cleaned somehow so it all looked new. Above the
mantle was a large painting of some flowers and a bowl of
fruit. The colors in the painting reminded Harry of jewels.
Above the now refinished table was a large, beautiful
hanging light. It was almost as long as the table and almost
as wide. It had fruit design that was made of stained glass.
It had many of the same colors as in the painting.
The old chairs were gone. They had all been replaced with
new ones. The cupboards had all be painted. They now had
new brass knobs. A new sink and new green counters were
put in. The walls between the cupboards and counters were
painted a raspberry color. There was some kind of lighting
under the cupboards that made the room glow at night.
At the end of the room where the door and stairs used to be,
was all changed now. There were windows across that side.
The stairs were now widened so that at least three people
could walk abreast. The stairs were also now a very light
wood color. There was no door now, there was just an open
landing area. So that now, the morning light from the
windows shone upon the stairs and into the room.
It was NOTHING like the old green kitchen that remained a
memory of Grimmauld Place. Harry loved the new kitchen.
It now felt so warm and comfortable, especially when Molly
or Winky were cooking. It felt like “home”.
It was in the kitchen that Harry cornered Hermione one day.
Hermione had been unusually quiet this summer. Unless
they were in Defense Class, then she was her usual self.
She would get this “look” whenever Winky was in the room.
“Hermione, I want to talk to you about Winky. I know your
feelings about House Elf rights, S.P.E.W. You do not
approve of Winky being enslaved to me,” said Harry.
“You’re right! I don’t approve. I can’t BELIEVE that you
ENSLAVED Winky! Harry, what were you thinking?”
“Hermione, Winky is happier than she has ever been. I ask
her all the time if she is happy. She is delighted to work
here. She is part of my family. She ‘does’ for me and Lupin
just as Mrs. Weasley ‘does’ for her family. That is how I see
it and I believe that is how she sees the situation. I would
never ask her to do more than what she wants to do. Winky
loves to fix up the house. She buy things and Dobby helps
her make her visions a reality. She is happy. If I thought that
she was not happy, I would release her. She WANTS to be
enslaved to me. As long as she feels this way, then it will
remain this way.”
“In THIS situation I think that Winky’s feelings are more
important than yours on this subject. Please think about it.
Ask Winky her feelings,” said Harry.
“I already have. She SAYS she is happy, but honestly,
Harry, she CAN’T be,” said Hermione.
“Look, I don’t understand House Elves either, but she IS
happy. If you are going to remain mad at me about this,
you’re gonna be mad a long time, because unless Winky
tells me different. she’s staying,” added Harry.
Hermione frowned for a moment, then shrugged her
shoulders.
Harry’s defense classes were great. He really appreciated
their instructors. These were people that put their lives on
the line every day. Contrary to what Ginny had said, Harry
did not want to die and he didn’t want any of his friends dying
either. The war was in full swing. He knew that sometime
soon he and/or his friends will be caught up in some battle or
another. So he took all the defense lessons very seriously.
So did all the rest of his friends. They all worked hard.
In the first couple of weeks, the classes were mainly based
on instructions and information. As Harry got physically
stronger, the classes became more physical.
Shacklebolt spent many days showing them how to use
common objects as weapons. He showed them how simple
common tricks could help them escape or capture an enemy
such as tying an enemies’ shoelaces together so they could
trip and fall.
Harry was especially interested in the little spells that didn’t
take a lot of power to perform. Such as hexing the enemy’s
shoes to be slippery. It took very little power, but made it
almost impossible for the enemy to walk. Jellylegs could do
the same damage but took more ‘power’ to perform.
Harry thought about how tired they all got when trying to
escape from the Department of Mysteries. These little spells
were easy and would come in handy.
One day during lunch break, Harry asked Luna why she
was taking all these defense classes. He knew why the rest
of them were taking them, but Luna always seemed to be a
mystery to him.
“Well Daddy needs to have someone around who knows how
to protect themselves. He is not the fighting sort. He is the
intellectual type, isn’t he?” Ron and Hermione rolled their
eyes behind Luna’s back. “He sometimes gets threatening
letters because of some of the articles he writes. Telling the
truth can be dangerous,” she said, in her dreamy voice.
Harry wondered if Luna’s father knew the truth from the
fiction.
Luna was a funny little thing. Often times, she was so quiet
that Harry would forget she was even in the room. He liked
her, even though she was sometimes insightful and other
times she was just bizarre. She often made the others
giggle.
It was hard for him to figure her out. He was not sure if she
still had a crush on Ron. She did laugh at his comments
quite often.
Of all the students, Luna was the least talented, but at the
same time, with the D.A. from last year and all this extra
training, she was far more advanced than any other of the
students at Hogwarts.
Neville was constantly improving. His new wand was HIS
wand and it worked so much better for him. He was far more
accurate with this one, but Neville’s improvement was not
really consistent. He seemed to have good days and bad
days, but even with his bad days, he was not a wizard to be
messed with now.
Hermione was still usually the first one to ‘get’ a new spell,
as was usual for her. She understands instructions so
easily with her logical mind. Although, sometimes Ginny
would ‘get’ it first, Hermione did the majority of the time.
Harry had high hopes for Hermione as an instructor for the
D.A. this coming year.
Ron and Harry were about on the same level about learning
a new spell. But Harry always had just a tad more power
behind his spell work.
Ginny had a bit more power than the others also. Unless you
counted Neville’s’ good days.
All in all , they were ALL good students.
When Mad Eye Moody was to be their instructor for the day,
“Constant vigilance” was the rule of the day.
After lunch one day in the second week. They noticed that
one wall had pictures of Death Eaters tacked up on it.
“Some of these you know on sight, others you may not.
Look at their pictures, learn to recognize them. If you come
across ANY of these people, escape as quickly as possible.
Let an Order member know as soon as possible. Course
these are but a few, but ones I happen to have pictures of.
Let me add that all Death Eaters are dangerous,“ said
Moody.
Mad Eye talked to them about words being used as a
weapon. “If you know your enemy, it can help you defeat
them, or at least, save your own life. Beware the word of a
Death Eater. Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LaStrange being
two fine examples. They both use the spoken word as a
weapon. They are experts at finding your slightest weakness
and using it against you. They also will throw your virtues
back in your face to try to make you think that they are your
weaknesses, when in fact, they are your strengths,” said
Moody.
“Bellatrix is insane. There is no doubt about that. Her
specialty is taunting. She loves to make her victims suffer.
She likes to use words to torture her victims and if she has
time, she likes to use spells that cause pain as opposed to a
quick death. That is also one of her weaknesses. In some
cases, talking to her, making her think that she as ‘got to
you’ can give you the advantage of gaining time. But
remember at all times. Getting away from her is the best
option!” said Moody.
“Lucius Malfoy is another for using words as a weapon. He
usually tries using the ‘superior’ approach. If once he thinks
he has found something that you are sensitive about, he will
keep trying to ‘push your buttons’ till you are distracted and
do something foolish. Never let him think that he is getting to
you, no matter how much he is,” said Moody.
“Remember that at your age, pride is something that you are
most sensitive about. Some people never get over this.
Don’t let them get to you. Make their weapon useless!”
yelled Moody.
Mad-Eye explained about how Death Eaters usually attacked
in threes. “If you meet a Death Eater, you better start looking
around for another. And if you find two you better believe
that there is a third hiding, probably behind you.”
“It is best if there are two or more of you to fight back to
back.” He demonstrated how this is done. He matched each
of the students into pairs. He had Ginny and Ron practice
the longest, because Ginny was the shortest and Ron the
tallest, they would make the most uneven sized couple. He
spent a lot of time on this tactic because you had to try to
learn how your partner moves as soon as possible. He also
taught them to fight in threes and fours back to back. Fred
and George happened to catch a couple of these lessons of
fighting back to back.
Kingsley Shacklebolt spent a lot of time teaching them to use
their other hand to cast spells. Just like with writing, you
have your strong and weaker hand. He gave each of them
an extra wand to use, so on some days, they had to only use
the extra wand with their normal wand hand and their normal
wand with their weaker hand.
Accuracy was the problem to overcome with this lesson.
They spent several days working this. He explained, which
they already knew, that there are times during battle when
you could get separated from your wand. Sometimes you
are forced to use someone else’s’. Hogwarts doesn’t teach
you with anything but your own wand. Some experience
using other wands is an advantage.
Tonks took several of her days showing them how to dodge
spells. She also worked them at aiming spells. Tonks would
always make it fun with some amusing targets to hit, like
pictures of Filch and Snape.
Remus Lupin spent his lessons teaching “new” spells to
them. Harry was especially happy on Lupin’s teaching days.
Lupin was a natural born teacher. His lessons were always
pleasant and he explained things so that everything seemed
so easy.
Harry’s Occumancy lessons with Professor Dumbledore
were far more pleasant than with Snape.
Dumbledore actually TAUGHT him how to clear his mind.
He TAUGHT him how to hide thoughts. How to block
intrusion. Blocking his mind was extremely hard. It took a
lot of effort and power to do this. In the first few weeks he
was usually totally exhausted at the end of each lesson, but
by being TAUGHT exactly what to do in the first place,
helped a lot.
It was good to see that he could measure his improvement
as time went by. Towards the end of the month he was
hardly tired at all after a lesson. He also noticed he was not
having nearly as many bad dreams and his scar was not
acting up much.
In the third week of August the full moon was coming. For
four of those days, Lupin disappeared. Tonks, Ginny and
Ron came to stay with Harry. Although he missed Lupin, he
did have a very good time with them for those few days.
They all played Exploding Snap for a few hours. Then Harry
and Ron played wizard chess while the Tonks and Ginny
would go up to the ‘girls’ room to talk or whatever.
One day near the end of August the girls started talking
about their upcoming day trip to Muggle London. They were
all going to get make-overs. While Harry and Ron were
playing a game of chess and Harry was half listening to the
girls talking about what they would like to do in London.
He heard things like they wanted to wax their legs. Harry
had no clue what this was about but he really didn’t think that
shiny legs would be very attractive.
Luna was talking about having her hair stripped, THAT didn’t
sound too pleasant. They talked about getting their hair
highlighted and cut. At least the cut part he understood.
He preferred girls to have long hair for no other reason that
he always thought it was prettier, more feminine. Of course,
they could cut on Hermione’s hair for hours and he doubted
they could put a dent in it.
The worst, was when Hermione mentioned that her mother
and Mrs. Weasley would probably want to get their faces
peeled. Harry hoped that Mrs. Weasley would not go that
route because that sounded really painful. It made Harry
shudder just to think about it.
That night, Harry had a nightmare. One of the few “normal”
nightmares he has ever had. Luna had bald patches where
they had stripped her hair. They were all running away from
some hair stylist who was going to highlight their hair with
green and purple stripes, but the girls couldn’t run very fast
because they had waxed their legs so they were slipping and
falling. The worst part was when Mrs. Weasley came to
wake him up and her face was nothing but red, raw meat
where they had peeled her face off.
He jumped up from his bed breathing hard. He couldn’t go
back to sleep so he sat up in his bed for three hours waiting
for the sun to rise.
On the day that the girls went to London, Harry and Ron
along with members of the Order, went to Diagon Alley.
First they went to get new school robes and then each picked
out two new dress robes. Then they headed over to the
Quidditch store and picked out a couple of new brooms and
uniforms.
The brooms were for Ron and Ginny. Sirius’ will stated that
they both were to have everything NEW. This included
brooms. So Ron chose a broom that was keyed specially for
a keeper. It was called “The Hover” made by Nimbus. It
could fly fast but it’s main strength was it’s power to “hover”
near the goals. Ron was beside himself over the purchase.
The broom they choose for Ginny was a “Lightening Lady”. It
was fast! It was a Chaser broom, geared for speed and
agility. Harry had the shop keeper put it back for her. So
when she came in she could decide if that is what she really
wanted. Ron and Harry had already learned that you don’t
assume anything with Ginny. It may be the best broom for
her, in their opinion, but that didn’t mean that Ginny would
agree.
They spent the rest of the day picking out school supplies like
quills and parchment, all the boring things. Harry was trying
to stretch the day out as long as possible because he hadn’t
been out in daylight in almost two months. But Mad-Eye
keep edging them on from beneath his invisibility cloak.
Another reason that Harry wanted to delay going back, was
because he was secretly frightened of what the girls were
going to do to themselves. Specially Mrs. Weasley. That
face peel sounded awful.
The next day Mrs. Weasley came to tell Harry that the girls
would all be going to Diagon Alley shopping so they would
not be at the defense lesson. Harry was so relieved to see
that Mrs. Weasley looked fine. In fact, she looked fabulous.
She had her hair cut and styled. She had on a very nice
outfit that made her look at least ten years younger. She
looked mighty fine indeed. He didn’t ask about the face peel.
Since her face looked very smooth and healthy, obviously
she hadn’t had that done.
He told her about the broom that they had put aside for
Ginny, so they would make sure to stop by and check it out.
Harry reminded her that Ginny and Hermione needed to buy
new trunks. According to the will EVERYTHING was to be
new.
Mrs. Weasley reminded Harry about the end of summer
party they were going to have tomorrow night. That would be
two days before they left for school. She told him that they
needed at least one day before school to make sure
everything got packed.
When Ron and Neville showed up to take their last defense
lesson, they all decided to cancel the lesson, since the girls
were missing and just hang out for the day. Harry asked
Ron about the girls. “How do they look? Was their
make-over a success?” asked Harry.
Ron shrugged, “They looked the same to me. Well, Luna’s
hair is lighter, more blonde. She looks a lot better actually.
Hermione’s hair is shorter and smoother.”
They hung out in the drawing room, mostly snacking. Neville
came up with an idea about the party. “What if we asked the
girls out on dates to the party?”
Ron and Harry looked at Neville like he had two heads.
“Well?” said Neville. “There is going to be at least two balls
this coming year. It would be good to get in practice about
asking girls out.”
“Two balls? Where’d you hear this?” asked Harry.
“From Gran, don’t know who she talked to, but she said
there were two planned,” said Neville. “Course I had all
those dancing lessons. So I’m ready.”
“It seems that dancing lessons have been popular lately,”
said Harry.
They thought for a while. Ron said that he learned his lesson
and he would ask Hermione early this time. And yes, it
would be nice practice, so he would ask Hermione to the
party.
“Good,” said Neville. “Cause I was going to ask her if you
didn’t.”
“What?” said Harry and Ron together.
“Yes,” said Neville. “I know that you got a thing for
Hermione, Ron, but you don’t seem to ever ask her out. So I
been giving you lots of room, but if you don’t start asking her
out soon, then I will.”
Ron’s jaw dropped in shock.
Harry snickered.
“I will ask Ginny,” said Harry. “I guess it’s time we see if I
wasted money on those dancing lessons.”
“Ok!” said Neville “Luna it is!”
* * * *
Chapter 10: Chap 10 - The Party
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: The end of summer party. Who will take who? Has Fred and George been up to something? ---------------
Chapter Ten - The Party
The plan was that the girls were going to get dressed at
Grimmauld Place. After the party, everyone was going to
spend the night there.
The next day, the boys were up in Harry and Ron’s room.
They heard the girls come up the stairs and enter the “girls
room”. They could hear them from there, laughing and
talking.
They decided that writing a note asking would be the best
way to go about it.
They all sat with their quills posed. They really didn’t know
exactly what to write. Finally Harry wrote his note and wrote
Ginny’s name on the outside.
“What does yours say?” asked Ron.
“Dear Ginny,
Will you attend the party this evening as my date?
Harry”
“That’s brilliant!” said Ron. Neville agreed so they each
wrote the same thing but the names were changed.
“Now, who is going to deliver them?” asked Ron.
The boys all fussed about who was going do this task, when
Harry came up with yet another brilliant idea. “We’ll have
Winky deliver the notes.”
Ron and Neville agreed.
Winky took the notes. The boys put their ears to the slightly
open door of their room to see if they would hear any
reaction. Sure enough, a minute later they heard squeals
coming from the girl’s room. “Why do girls squeal?” asked
Harry.
“Don’t know, mate,” said Ron. “It’s part of what makes them
different from guys, I guess.”
The boys waited, and waited and waited. “What is taking
them so long to reply?” asked Harry. “It’s not like they don’t
want to come with us. I mean, they squealed. Right? I
mean, the squeal was a happy squeal, wasn’t it? They
don’t squeal if they are mad, do they?”
“Maybe they don’t like who asked who,” said Ron seriously.
“You think they squealed before they read who invited who?”
asked Neville.
“Naw, that would be the first thing they would check. I don’t
know much about girls but I’m sure of that. Besides, they
had to know who invited who before they squealed. They
wouldn’t know what they were squealing about until they read
our invitations,” said Harry.
“They are punishing us,” said Ron wisely. “We waited until
the last minute to invite them. So we must pay the price.”
Neville and Harry agreed. They may even refuse just on
principle.
After a hour, Winky finally appeared and handed each boy
their note.
YES ! They all got a yes. The guys did a “high five” and
laughed. They were really happy.
Harry thought a moment and couldn’t understand why it
seemed so important they were accepted. It was not like
they had looked forward to this date for a long time. It was a
last minute thing, but Harry admitted to himself that being
refused would have really hurt bad.
Harry noticed that he was not the only one who was dressing
carefully for the evening. They all wore their new Muggle
suits. Even Ron spent more than his usual two minutes on
his hair. Harry was spending more time with his hair since
he had it styled. At least now when he fixed it, it actually
looked like it was supposed to stick up.
He did look better. His hollow cheeks seemed to have filled
in quite a bit. He didn’t look gaunt anymore, just thin. His
ribs were not so pronounced now. His suit fit him well
enough that it didn’t look “too big”.
The boys drew straws to see who would go pick up the girls
first. Neville won, Ron second, that left Harry for last.
Harry waited patiently for Ron and Hermione to descend the
stairs before he went to the door. Harry tapped lightly, then
the door quietly opened and Ginny appeared. Harry was
dumb struck. Before him was Ginny but not the same Ginny.
This was a much older version. Her face looked different.
Her eyelashes were darker, her lips looked a bit darker too.
It must be makeup but it was subtle. If he didn’t already
know what she usually looked like he would not be able to tell
that she had on makeup.
Her flaming red hair was not changed in color, but it was
styled different. The top was fluffed up a bit and she now
had fringe. Not cut straight across like most girls with fringe,
but it was uneven, shorter in the middle with a bit longer on
each side of her temples. It looked like it grew that way. No
straight edges. The rest of her long hair flowed over her
shoulders and down her back. It curled under at the ends. It
looked so soft and silky. He started to raise his hand towards
her hair. He wanted to touch... but he must not touch. What
would she think if he did that?
Her dress was a filmy chiffon material in a beige color. It was
decorated with small fall colored leaves. The neckline was
rounded off, not cut too low. The sleeves were strange, they
started a bit below her shoulder and draped off. They went to
below the elbow in some parts and a bit above in others.
They were almost like short hanging scarves. The bodice
was form fitting. Harry tried to move his eyes away from
THAT area. There were definitely curves. Somewhere near
the waist/hip area the dress flared out a bit and hung in the
same way as the sleeves with some parts hanging below the
knee and some parts above the knee. So the dress as her
hair had no straight lines. She was wearing brown satin
slippers with slightly raised heels.
He was not sure if it was the dress, the hair or the makeup
that made her appear older. It could have been the
combination. All he knew is that she didn’t look like the girl
he had been dancing with all summer.
All this, he took in within seconds (he hoped) because he
knew that his jaw had gapped open. He swallowed hard. He
was afraid that he would drool all over the floor if he didn’t.
Then he heard her voice. “Hello Harry,” she purred.
Harry wasn’t sure exactly what happened to him. He was
sure that something had happened to him. Sort of like some
magic charm or spell was put on him because he felt very
weak. Whatever it was, it felt good and bad at the same
time.
He uttered the only thing that came to mind. “You look
pretty.” WHY did he say pretty? he wanted to say beautiful
but pretty is the word that came out.
He stammered for a bit and then said, “I didn’t mean that.
Your dress is pretty. YOU are beautiful.” Ginny blushed a
bit and smiled very sweetly.
Her smile melted his heart. He was a goner!
“Shall we?” he said as he offered her his arm. When she
put her arm through his, her merest touch sent a shiver
through him. As they were walking towards the stairs he said
to himself “I will consider this date a success if we get to the
bottom without tripping.” And indeed they did make it
without mishap.
Ginny was quietly talking to him as the made towards the
kitchen. Harry don’t remember what she was saying but he
must have been giving the right responses because she
didn’t seem to look as if he said anything wrong.
When they entered the kitchen, she indicated what seat she
would be sitting in. He lead her to the chair and held it for
her. He would be sitting across from her.
As he was walking around the table to his seat he met up
with Mrs. Weasley. She looked gorgeous and he told her
so. Her make-over was perfect. She blushed and gave him
one of her famous Weasley hugs. Harry wiggled his
eyebrows at Mr. Weasley. He wiggled his back at Harry as
if to say that he liked the “new” Mrs. Weasley too, Harry
grinned.
Harry walked over and sat across from Ginny. Without
looking at her, the first thing he did, was take a large gulp of
water, then he looked at her. He couldn’t help but stare. He
didn’t know how long he was staring but finally George said
“Oy Harry! You’re gonna burn a hole right through Ginny’s
face!”
Harry turned crimson and stared down at his plate. He put a
fork full of food in his mouth, it could have been mashed
potatoes, he was not sure. Then he took another large drink
of water. He decided that he was just gonna have to get a
grip!
He looked over at Luna. Luna looked pretty with her now
blonder hair. Harry just figured out what they must have
been talking about when they said stripping. Because her
hair now was basically dark blonde with streaks of lighter
blonde highlighting around her face. It looked very nice.
“Luna, I really like your new hairstyle,” said Harry.
“Daddy will be pleased. When I told him that we were going
strip it, he thought they were going pull out big chunks of my
hair,” laughed Luna.
Everyone else laughed too. But Harry’s laugh was the kind
of laugh that was covering for his guilt of thinking the same
thing as her dad.
“Hermione, your style is real pretty too,” said Harry honestly.
“In fact I think everyone’s make-over has been a success.”
Harry smiled.
There were little conversations around the table as the meal
went on. Fred and George kept making comments to Harry
about how his face kept going white then red.
“Harry do you have a fever? Harry do you think that Ginny
will have to nurse you tonight?” said Fred or George.
Harry was now afraid to look at Ginny and he surely couldn’t
think of a thing to say to her. He just knew that he would
embarrass himself.
It finally dawned on Harry that the twins were up to
something. He felt strange. That’s it! The twins must have
put some kind of “Love Charm” on him. He hadn’t seen them
until he got to the kitchen, but they could have somehow did
it. With this thought, Harry started to feel a bit more
confident or maybe the charm wore off, because he finally
got the nerve to ask Ginny a question.
“Ginny, did you get a chance to look at the broom that Ron
and I had the shop manager put back for you? We thought
you would like it?” asked Harry.
“Oh yes! I did look at others, but the “Lightening Lady” is
really the best one for a female Chaser. That one was the
exact size for me so we didn’t have to order one. We bought
it,” said Ginny happily. “I can’t WAIT to try it out!”
“My ‘Hover’ is really gonna make my job as Keeper easier,”
said Ron.
“Too bad that Fred and George won’t be back this year. With
them, we would probably have the best Quidditch team
Hogwarts has ever seen,” said Harry wistfully.
“Flattery will not get you out of the teasing we have prepared
for you tonight, my young friend,” said Fred with an evil grin.
“Absolutely correct, my dear brother. Harry has dues to pay,”
said George with an equally evil grin.
Harry got a clue that whatever these “dues” were, they were
not going to be anything that Harry would be happy about.
Ginny smiled mischievously.
Harry ate lightly. It’s not like he could have eaten much
anyway. He knew if he would be dancing tonight that it was
better not to be over-stuffed. The females in this house have
been over-stuffing him all month. Every time he turned
around one of them was handing him a biscuit. If he had
tea, one of them would be adding sugar and cream to it,
same with coffee. If he had hot chocolate someone was
adding whipped cream. Even during his dance lessons,
when they took a break, Ginny would have some kind of ice
cream drink for him. Of course Harry knew that they were all
trying to “fatten him up” and Harry wanted that too, so there
really wasn’t any battle over it.
When dinner was FINALLY over, Harry made a special point
to thank Mrs. Weasley, Winky and Dobby for the wonderful
feast. He had really been trying harder to be more
appreciative to everyone. He was always thankful but in
years past he often forgot to personally thank people. He
promised himself that he would not do that anymore.
He walked over and held Ginny’s chair for her and they went
up to the Defense Room to the party.
Fred and George were already behind their instruments,
grinning. They started out the music with a peppy comedy
tune. Harry grabbed a butterbeer smiling, he leaned against
the table watching. Next Ginny sang a sweet ballad. When
she finished Harry handed her an open butterbeer that she
took gratefully.
Ron belted out a fast rock song, then Harry and Ginny
began to dance. They were doing some pretty advanced
moves. Mr. Weasley sang a slow love song. Harry pulled
Ginny into his chest and they began to slowly dance. He
could smell her hair. He wanted to touch her hair and put his
face into it, but he restrained himself.
Mr. Weasley liven things up with a cha cha. Harry and Ginny
were dancing perfectly together. A few eyebrows were
raising around the room. Mr. Weasley’s next one was a
romantic two-step. Harry and Ginny were gliding around the
room in perfect step. Then Ron sang a Latin, fast tempo’d
song. Harry and Ginny were at their best with Harry’s hand
upon Ginny’s hip and both of them swaying their hips in
tempo. Harry would toss Ginny out and she would twirl back
into his arms. When the song had finished the whole room
were clapping for Harry and Ginny’s dance.
Fred and George gave each other a “high five”, then Ron
and George gave each other a “high five”. “What’s up with
the “high five’s?” asked Harry curiously.
“I won the bet against Fred,” said George.
“I won the bet against Fred,” said Ron.
“I’m afraid to ask,” said Harry. “But exactly what were you
betting on?”
“Fred bet that you and Ginny were using your ‘dance lessons’
as a cover-up for...” ‘wiggles eyebrows’
Harry’s jaw dropped and his face went scarlet, then asked
“But what about Ron?”
Ron bet that you WERE taking dance lessons,” said Fred.
“Then why are you giving George a ‘high five’? You lost both
bets,” asked Harry.
“Yes, but still made a profit with side bets,” said Fred,
smiling.
Mrs. Weasley stepped up, “Shame on you boys, it is NOT
proper to be betting on your sister like that!”
“Ron!” shouted Hermione.
“What?” said Ron. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I bet
AGAINST Fred.”
“You shouldn’t be betting on what your sister will or won’t do
with a boy. It just isn’t right,” said Hermione.
Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was listening intensely to
the conversation. She smiled at him.
Fred was smiling broadly. Harry had to ask “Who were the
‘side bets’ with?”
“Bill and Charlie,” said Fred with an evil grin.
“Serves them right!” said Mrs. Weasley.
“Tonks, Mad-eye Moody, and Lupin,” added Fred.
“What? My own GUARDIAN ?” asked an astonished Harry.
He looked over at Lupin who was seeming to be carefully
picking out a drink from the ice tub.
Everyone was laughing hysterically. Harry looks over at
Ginny in disbelief, she was laughing too. “Doesn’t this bother
you?” he asked.
“It’s Fred and George. What do you expect? They bet on
anything that amuses them. It’s nothing new. Don’t take it
personal,” said Ginny.
Harry’s eyes seemed to have glazed over. “By the way, how
do you know who won the bets?” he asked George.
“Well... you can dance, can’t you? Five song test... You
passed,” said George.
Harry thought, “this has got to be the craziest family in the
world.” He loved them.
For the rest of the evening, Harry danced in turn with
Hermione, Luna, Molly and Ginny. He spent a lot of time
laughing and talking with Ginny.
When he was dancing with Ginny it was like he was
somewhere else. She smelt so clean... like soap. Harry
was about a head taller than her and he could actually see
the top of her head if she stood close enough to him. Her
hair was so shiny, he just wanted to touch it.
He had a very good time. This had to be the best ‘date’
ever.
* * * *
Chapter 11: Chap 11 - Questions-Burrow
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry has lots of questions about Ginny. What's going on at The Burrow? ---------------
Chapter Eleven - Questions After The Party - The Burrow
When the party was over, Harry walked Ginny across the
Entrance Hall to the bottom of the stairs. Most of the night
he only had eyes for Ginny. He couldn’t even say what
Hermione or Luna were wearing. He had danced with both
of them but he didn’t remember.
At that moment, he decided that he was going to kiss Ginny
goodnight at her door.
When they arrived at the door, he looked at her. She looked
so relaxed and happy... so beautiful. Just as he was going to
pull her close for a kiss, she said “I really had fun tonight,
Harry.”
Harry smiled. “Yeah, me too.” Then he walked away, down
the hall to his room.
He walked into his room and saw Ron sitting on his bed
bending forward with his hands running through his red hair.
Harry started to say something to Ron... then he looked at
the door... He forgot! He was going to kiss Ginny, but he
forgot. How could he forget?
He opened the door, he was going to go back and kiss her.
He quickly thought that he would make up something as an
excuse to talk to her, then he would kiss her. But he saw
Neville and Luna talking outside the girl’s door, so he
stepped back into his room. He was trying to think about
how he could have forgotten.
A moment later, Neville came into the room, smiling. “You
and Ron have a good time?”
Harry nodded. He looked at the door, then opened it. Just
as he started to step into the hallway, he heard Tonks and
Lupin talking as they climbed the stairs. He glanced at the
girl’s door, then stepped back. He heard Mr. and Mrs.
Weasley talking downstairs in the Entrance Hall. It was too
late. Even if there weren’t people all over the place, it would
be awkward going to the girl’s door now. He sighed and
went back to this room. He slammed the door. “How could I
forget?” he growled. “This is stupid!”
“What did you forget?” asked Ron.
“I was going to kiss Ginny goodnight, then I just walked
away!” Didn’t remember until I got back in here. I was
gonna go back, but everybody’s out there. It’s too late now!”
growled Harry as he kicked his bed, which hurt his foot.
Ron didn’t look too happy either. “You kiss Hermione?” asked
Harry.
Ron’s face turned red. “Was going to... chickened out at the
last minute.” Ron lowered his head.
They both looked over at Neville... “How about you?” asked
Harry.
“Yes,” said Neville.
“Yes, what?” asked Ron.
“Kissed Luna,” said Neville, as he was undressing for bed.
Ron and Harry looked at each other... then Ron raised his
eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. Harry sighed,
undressed and crawled into bed.
How was it that shy, timid, Neville was the only one to get a
kiss? Actually Neville was not shy and timid around girls. He
had asked both Hermione and Ginny to the Yule Ball in their
4th year. Harry remembered that Neville was Ginny’s date.
He had stepped all over her feet, while trying to dance.
Neville was often seen talking to girls. Girls liked Neville...
well actually, everybody liked Neville, except Snape and
Malfoy and his gang. Neville was very likable.
Ron, who was more loyal and brave than anyone Harry
knew, was probably worse than Harry, when it came to girls.
Harry was glad that Ron finally admits that he fancies
Hermione. Ron took a big step inviting Hermione to the party
tonight. It shouldn’t be too long before they become a
couple. Harry decided that he would give Ron and
Hermione plenty of “together time”. He was determined to
make sure that they were happy.
Then he thoughts drifted to Ginny. How did he really feel
about Ginny? Yesterday he liked her. He thought she was
intelligent, wise, gentle, mischievous, strong, truthful, straight
forward, talented, shy, quiet, a good fighter, sometimes
sarcastic, fun with a quirky sense of humor. Complex.
Tonight, all the above, plus beautiful. Suddenly more
mature? Her dress somehow showed off her legs. They
were covered to just above the knees most of the time. The
way the fabric moved sometimes you seen more or less leg.
He had been looking at her legs all month during dance
lessons. She wore shorts most of the time. How was it that
he didn’t notice how shapely they were until tonight? Was it
just the clothes? Hair? Makeup?
Did Fred and George put a “Love Charm” on him? They
were surely up to something tonight, something that involved
him.
Would he feel the same tomorrow? Exactly how did he feel
now? Happy? Content? No not content, but felt like he
COULD be. He was feeling sensual. He wanted to touch her
hair... hold her... kiss her... deeply kiss her. Was she too
young for that kind of kiss?
No, she was not too young to kiss. In fact, this summer she
seemed to act more mature than he did.
How did she feel about him? She didn’t become flustered or
over-shy like she used to. She seemed to act natural. She’s
long over her crush on him, but could she feel that way
again? Did he want her to? YES !
What would the Weaselys think about it, if they became a
couple? They didn’t seem to mind the date tonight. What if
he kissed her and they knew?
He had told Ron. He had told RON ! It didn’t seem to
bother him at all. Why? Because he failed? Too distracted
over his own failure ? Probably.
When it sinks in, Ron may have a different reaction.
Harry felt like he was now thinking more clearly. This
“noticing Ginny” was too sudden to be natural. Fred and
George must have put some kind of “Love Charm” on him.
But when? He didn’t see them until dinner. AFTER he fell
for Ginny. Maybe it was a “love potion”. They must have
slipped it into his drink earlier in the day. Yeah, maybe that
is what it was.
How could he “forget” to kiss her? He was ready at the
bottom of the staircase. Ready just before she spoke... then
he just walked away! No lapse of memory. He remembers
everything... he just forgot his intention to kiss her. That had
to be a charm... a specific forget charm. His money was on
Fred and George being behind it.
Harry woke up early after a very good nights sleep. He had
just finished dressing and headed down to the kitchen, when
Neville awoke. The kitchen was empty, that was a bit
unusual. He decided to cook breakfast for everyone. He
had just started the coffee when Winky appeared. He told
her he would be making breakfast and for her to take it easy
this morning.
He slapped the bacon on the grill and was dancing a little
two-step as Neville, Luna, and Hermione appeared. Neville
and Luna were going home. They would all meet Platform 9
3/4 tomorrow. They were all chatting as Harry whisked the
eggs and got the toast started.
After a pleasant breakfast, Neville and Luna Portkeyed
home. Hermione went back upstairs to her room to make
sure she had everything packed for school tomorrow.
Harry covered the remaining food for the others, then headed
to the Defense Room. From outside the Defense Room he
heard a tapping sound. It was coming from the window in the
hall. As Harry approached the window, Ginny had just came
down the stairs. Harry looked out the window and saw a
fluffy, black ball fluttering against the glass. He opened the
window and caught the fluffy ball just like a snitch.
He opened his hand towards Ginny. Ginny gasped “It’s
Pigwidgeon!” Pig was obviously exhausted, his feathers
were black with smoke. He smelt like smoke. She examined
Pig. “I think he’s ok, just exhausted and dirty with smoke.
Poor little thing. I wonder what happened? “
“I better wake Ron,” said Harry, as he climbed the stairs.
Ron was already up and dressed when Harry arrived. Harry
told Ron about Pig. They both rushed down to the kitchen
where Ginny had already started cleaning him up. She had
just given him some water.
Ron rushed over to examine Pig. “ Pig’s ok.” he sighed with
relief. “But where in the world has he been? Where’s
Mum?”
“Don’t know,” said Harry. “Haven’t seen her this morning.
Neville and Luna have already Portkeyed home.”
“Who cooked breakfast?” asked Ginny.
“Me,” answered Harry.
Ron placed Pig on the table and started filling his plate.
Ginny grabbed a piece of toast and a strip of bacon. Harry
poured coffee for them both.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Bill suddenly appeared. They all
looked disheveled and smelt of smoke.
“The Burrow has been burned to the ground,” announced
Mr. Weasley.
All three teenagers stared at him as though they didn’t
understand what he said.
“What’s Pig doing on the table?” asked Mrs. Weasley.
“Harry and I found him trying to get in the window a few
minutes ago,” said Ginny.
“Oh, poor little thing, he escaped. Is he all right?” asked
Mrs. Weasley.
“Yes,” said Ginny. “We just finished giving him a through
exam. Other than being exhausted and filthy with smoke,
he’s ok,” said Ginny.
“Dad?” asked Ron. “Did we loose everything?”
“I’m afraid so, Son. Other than Pig, here, anything that was
in or around the house is gone,” said Mr. Weasley.
“Was it an accident?” asked Ginny. The three smoke
drenched adults looked at each other.
“I see,” said Harry. “The Dark Mark was glowing in it’s glory,
was it?” Anger was raising in Harry as he stormed from the
room.
After Harry left the room, Bill explained that , yes the Dark
Mark was hovering over The Burrow. So was a written
message “There’s no place like home, Harry.”
They didn’t want to say anything in front of Harry because it
would only upset him more. “Quite often when the Dark
Mark is lit, there are written messages referring to Harry. We
try to keep this out of the news to the public and also from
Harry.”
“He doesn’t LIKE secrets!” said Ginny.
“Would it do any good to tell him?” asked Mrs. Weasley.
“Unless there is a specific REASON to tell him, we don’t. We
just don’t mention it. If he were to ask, of course, we would
not lie.”
‘Harry will be furious if he finds out,” said Ginny. Ron nodded
in agreement.
“Harry already feels responsible for anything that You Know
Who does. Telling him details will only make it worse,” said
Mr. Weasley.
After a bit. Ron asked “So, what about our school things?”
“If they were in the shed, then they are probably ok,” said Bill.
“Why would we put our school things in the shed?” asked
Ron.
“Then the only things you have are in this house,” answered
Bill.
“Why don’t both of you go check? So we know where we
stand,“ said Mrs. Weasley.
As they passed the door to the Defense Room, they could
hear loud sounds coming from behind the door. Mrs.
Weasley started to open the door when Ginny blocked her.
“Best let him blow off some steam, Mum. He’ll be ok. Just
give him some time,” said Ginny. Mrs. Weasley nodded
then walked upstairs with Ron and Ginny.
Ginny and Molly told Hermione the news. She was horrified.
Ginny took inventory of her possessions. She had two sets
of underwear, a pair of sandals, one pair of brown silk low
heeled shoes, one pair of nylons, one pair of shorts, one
T-shirt, one underslip and one new dress. There were
various toiletries and make-up and her wand.
Ron had better luck, he had two sets of underwear, two
Muggle suits, five dress shirts, five neckties, two dress robes,
two pair of dress shoes, one pair of trainers, two pair of
socks, various toiletries and his wand.
Molly went to the kitchen to Floo Fred and George about
finding books and school robes for Ron and Ginny.
Hermione, Ron and Ginny went to the Living Room.
Hermione was trying her best to comfort Ron and Ginny.
After a bit, Ginny decided that Harry had enough cooling off
time. She hesitantly tried the knob of the Defense Room. It
turned. She opened the door. Harry sat at the far end of the
room at the long table. He was sitting with his forehead
down on the table.
Ginny walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Harry, it will be ok,” said Ginny gently.
“No it won’t!” said Harry. “How can it be ok? The Burrow is
gone!”
“It’s ok, Harry,” said Ginny.
“You don’t understand, I loved The Burrow. I was happiest
there. It was my special home,” said Harry with a tear
running down his cheek.
“I know,” said Ginny “it was my home too.”
“I’m sorry. Of course, it was your home,” said Harry softly.
“You lost all your pretty new things too.”
“Don’t worry about it. Nobody was there. All that is just stuff,”
said Ginny. “Come on,” said Ginny taking his hand. “Let’s go
back to the kitchen. Mum was going to see if she could
replace some of our school things.”
Harry and Ginny entered the kitchen that was a sea of
redheads. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred,
George, and Ron were sitting around the table. Each had a
sober look on their face. On the table were plates of biscuits
and pots of tea and coffee. Hermione was sitting next to
Ron with her hand resting on his arm.
“Weasley’s, we’ve lost the ghoul in the attic and Errol,” said
Mr. Weasley. They all lowered their heads. “As for The
Burrow, it’s gone. We are all safe. Wherever WE are
together is home. There is much worse that could happen.”
“Mr. Weasley, I want you all to stay here with Lupin and me.
It’s not The Burrow, but you are all welcome to live here for
as long as you want,” said Harry. “Please stay. If anyone
could make this place ‘a home’ it’s the Weasleys.”
“Thank you, Harry. Yes, I think we will stay here - at least
for a while,” said Mr. Weasley.
“I’m sure Lupin will be pleased too. Speaking of... where is
Lupin? “ asked Harry.
“He’s on Order duty,” said Bill.
It was just a couple of minutes later when Lupin and Luna
Lovegood appeared in the room. Lupin lead Luna to a chair
at the table. “We have terrible news,” he started, “Luna’s
father has been murdered by Death Eaters. It seems that
Riddle didn’t like some of the things that he was printing in
the Quibbler.”
Everyone in the room looked shocked. “Tonks will be here
soon with Luna’s things,” added Lupin.
“Luna, do you have any family?” asked Molly, gently.
“No, it’s just been me and Daddy since Mummy died,” said
Luna.
“We are so sorry about your dad,” said Hermione.
“Daddy will find Mum and he’ll be happy again,” said Luna.
“But he was MURDERED!” blurted out Harry.
“Daddy will find Mum,” said Luna with her huge eyes
watering.
Harry squeezed Luna’s shoulders. “Luna, you can live with
us. You are family,” said Harry, as he looked into Lupin’s
eyes. Lupin nodded.
‘Yes,” said Lupin “we will take care of you.”
So Luna became Harry’s sister from that moment. Harry
didn’t know it, but his life would forever change from that
moment.
Tonks appeared with Luna’s things. “Luna, I gathered what I
think you need to start school. We’ll check to see if you have
everything you need. I’ll go back to get the rest later.”
The girls went upstairs to check Luna’s things for school.
“What’s going on?” asked Lupin.
“The Burrow was burned to the ground,” said Arthur.
“Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, thankfully we were all here last night,” answered
Arthur.
“Voldemort was busy last night,” said Lupin. Arthur winced.
Harry explained to Lupin that he invited the Weasleys to stay
here.
“Of course! This old place could use some Weasley action,”
said Lupin, beaming.
In a while, Lupin and Harry went to the “girls room” for Luna.
They decided that Ginny would take the “girls room” as her
own and Luna would have her own room, as the new family
member. They took her on a tour of the upper floors for her
to choose a room.
Afterwards, Harry , Luna and Winky made decisions about
the furnishing and decorations for Luna’s new room. Winky
and Dobby would have it all ready for her when she returned
for Christmas break.
* * * *
Chapter 12: Chap 12 - Back To School
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Who will be captain? Where will Luna eat? ---------------
Chapter Twelve - Back To School
Fred and George went to Diagon Alley to get school supplies
for Ron and Ginny. There had been another attack in
Diagon Alley near Madam Malkins’ so they could not get
them any school robes. They returned with school books
and they had ordered their brooms.
Molly went to Hogsmeade and found a used robe for Ron. He
could wear it over one of his muggle suits. It was a few
inches short but it was better than nothing. She couldn’t find
anything for Ginny. The only thing she could find were dress
robes, which wasn’t what Ginny needed now.
The girls decided that Ginny would borrow one of Luna’s
robes to wear over her party dress for the feast. Then they
would see what she could borrow from other girls at school
for a few days until Molly could get her uniforms bought.
The next morning they all Portkeyed to platform 9 3/4 to
catch the Hogwarts Express.
Hermione and Ron went to the prefects meeting while Harry,
Ginny and Luna found a compartment together. Luna sat
between Harry and Ginny. Harry really didn’t know exactly
what to do to comfort Luna but he wanted her to know he
was there for her. He had never been responsible for
anyone but himself in his life, he would make sure that Luna
got everything that she needed.
Luna was a little different than most people, but she surely
had ‘proved herself’ at the end of last year. She was made
of the ‘right stuff’. He could now identify with what Ron felt
about his little sister. Lupin and Luna and Winky were now
his family. He was going do everything he could to make it a
REAL family.
After a while, Harry left to go to the loo. On the way he met
up with Neville. He told him which compartment they were
in. Neville told him that after he went visiting and getting all
the latest news, he would join them.
On the way back from the loo, Harry met Cho. She
thoroughly looked him up and down, making him feel a bit
uncomfortable.
“Are you going to have the D.A. this year?” she asked, with
a sultry grin.
“Yes,” said Harry. “Are you wanting to wanting to continue
this year?”
“Yes,” she said, blinking her eyes.
Ginny squeezed her way down the train corridor towards the
loo. As she passed Cho, they nodded to each other. Harry
quickly compared the two girls. Although Cho would be the
more attractive at first glance, Ginny’s inner ‘spark’ left Cho
actually looking dull.
Ginny went through the loo door when Michael Corner
approached. Harry could tell that Michael didn’t like it that he
and Cho were talking together. Michael put his arm around
Cho’s waist in an effort to show Harry that she was “his girl”.
Instead of rushing off, Harry decided to face him, openly.
“Are you wanting to join the D.A. again this year?” Harry
asked Michael.
“Yes,” said Michael.
“I will try to get a meeting set up as soon as possible. I’m
hoping to have help from last years’ students. We are going
to train more students this year. I’m hoping that both of you
will help me organize and train the newer members,” said
Harry.
Michael looked relieved that Harry was talking about the D.A.
and not flirting with Cho. Behind Michael’s back, Cho was
giving Harry ‘the eye’. Harry ignored it. This is one problem
that Harry was going to avoid at all costs. Even if it meant
telling Cho outright that he was not interested.
Not long after Harry returned, Hermione and Ron found the
compartment and sat across from Harry.
“Has the food cart came by yet?” asked Ron. “I’m starved.”
“One day, at some time, Ron, you will not be starved. On
that day we will all mark it on our calendars to celebrate
yearly this remarkable event,” said Luna.
They all laughed. That was when Ginny returned. Hermione
repeated Luna’s comment to Ginny, who laughed also.
A bit later, the food cart arrived. Harry bought tons of
goodies for all of them. Ron was scarfing down Chocolate
Frogs like there was no tomorrow, while Harry, Ginny and
Hermione munched on pumpkin pasties.
Neville returned a while later and sat on the other side of
Hermione, across from Ginny. Hermione told Neville about
The Burrow. “Blimey!” he said. Then he looked curiously
at Luna.
Harry told Neville about what had happened to Luna’s dad.
“Blimely! I’m so sorry. You let me know if there is anything I
can do for you,” Neville told Luna.
“Lupin and I adopted her,” said Harry as he squeezed Luna’s
shoulder. “I’ve never had a real sister before. Luna’s gonna
make a great sister.” Luna looked up and gave a little smile
to Harry.
A while later, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle slammed the door
open. “What’s this? Do I smell smoke?” Malfoy sneered.
He didn’t have time to add further before he was slammed
against the corridor wall, where he slid down to the floor
unconscious. Neville pointed his wand at Crabb and Goyle.
They left, deserting Malfoy. Neville put his wand back into
his robe pocket.
“Go Neville!” said Harry and Ron together.
A minute later, Seamus Finnagan and Dean Thomas
stopped by. They dragged Malfoy away and dumped him
into another compartment. “Who do we give the honors to
this time?” asked Dean.
“Neville!” answered Ron.
“You’d think that after all these years that Malfoy would get a
clue,” said Seamus. They all laughed.
“Yes,” said Ron. “But I guess it wouldn’t be the same
without our annual train ride greetings from Malfoy.”
* * * *
After they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry walked his new sister,
over to the Ravenclaw table. He noticed that several girls
were looking his way and giggling.
As he sat at Gryffindor table he looked up at the staff table.
There was a new face, a woman, she had gray hair that was
pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck. She was
of medium height and weight. The only thing Harry found
unusual was her eyes, they had a sparkle that let him know
that he was going to like her. He hoped that she would been
a good teacher.
Hagrid walked in and sat at the table. Harry nodded to him
and he nodded back. It was good to be back at Hogwarts.
Seeing Hagrid made him feel ‘at home’. He didn’t realize
how much he missed Hagrid until just now. Hagrid was the
very first wizard he ever met. He introduced Harry to the
wizarding world. So even though Hagrid was larger than
should be allowed, his heart was the bigger than his body.
Professor McGonagal walked through the Great Hall’s
double doors, followed by about thirty tiny eleven year olds.
She sat a dirty black hat upon a stool and started calling out
the first years’ names one by one. The Sorting Hat would
shout out a house name and the new student would go to the
appropriate table.
The first one sorted to Gryffindor was a young boy with
green eyes and blond hair. He walked to the table and stood
across from Harry and actually bowed to him before finding a
seat at the table. The next boy sorted to Gryffindor did the
same. Then a tiny red haired girl was next. She also bowed
to Harry before taking her seat. Each one in turn did the
same. In total there were seven new Gryffindors. There were
also a few from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff that bowed to
Harry also. Harry was shocked that someone would do that,
but he nodded to each one that did.
He looked over to the Slytherin table, Draco was not there.
Probably in the hospital wing from Neville’s curse. At least
Draco wasn’t here to witness the first years bowing to him. Of
course, Harry was sure that Draco would hear about it. So
he knew there would be some comment coming.
Dumbledore rose and gave his usual welcome and
introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher
Madam Elizabeth Crane, who was a retired Auror. Then the
feast began!
Ron ate like he hadn’t eaten in years, as usual. The food
was fantastic (as usual). During the meal, Professor
McGonagal came by and asked Harry to meet her in her
office after the feast.
When the feast ended, Dumbledore rose again and asked
everyone to sing the school song. Something that Harry
didn’t remember them doing in a very long time. Each
person sang the same words but they sang it in whatever
tune they chose. So, of course they all ended at different
times, this Harry found hilarious.
Harry told Ron and Hermione that he would meet them later,
that he had a meeting with Professor McGonagal.
“I bet you been made Quidditch Captain,” smiled Ron.
“Dunno,” said Harry as he rose and headed for Professor
McGonagal’s office.
“Potter, sit!” What about Quidditch this year?”
“I’m assuming that my ban has been lifted?” asked Harry.
“You are correct,” said Professor McGonagal.
“Then I want to play,” said Harry.
“Of course you do,” said Professor McGonagal. “Miss Belle
says she won’t have time to be captain this year. You have
any better options?”
“Are you offering me the Captainship?” he asked.
“Yes, but only if you feel you will have the time,” she said.
“I could probably MAKE the time. As much as I would love
the title, I wouldn’t make the best captain.”
“Why not, Potter?” she asked.
“Because I’m not that great at planning and strategy and
stuff. Being Seeker makes it too difficult to keep my eye on
the game. Watching the players could distract me from
finding the Snitch. Goal Keeper would be in a better position
for Team Captain,” said Harry.
“So, Potter, do you want to change position or are you
recommending Weasley?” asked the professor with a smile.
“Weasley,” said Harry “Ron is very good at strategy, a great
chess player. Plus, Goal Keeper is the best position for
Captain.”
“I agree, but he has only been on the team for one season.”
“True, but he knows Quidditch. As much as I would like to be
captain, I know I’m not the best man for the job, Ron is. If
you want the Cup this year, Ron is your man,” said Harry.
“I hope you’re right, Potter,” she said.
“Is that all?” asked Harry.
“Yes, you are dismissed,” she said.
“One more thing, Professor. You heard about Luna
Lovegood’s’ father?”
“Of course, very sad,” said McGonagal quietly.
“I’d like to know if she can sit at the Gryffindor table and stay
with us to study in our Common Room,” said Harry.
“Why?”
“The Ravenclaws treat her bad. They take her stuff,” said
Harry.
“She should take that up with her head of house,” she
answered.
“She won’t do that. Anyway it would only make matters
worse. That would only give them a reason that they are
looking for, because she doesn’t do anything to them. She’s
just a bit different. She don’t deserve all that.”
“Potter, she’s been sorted into Ravenclaw, so that’s that. But,
she can sit at the Gryffindor table AFTER the meal is
finished. In other words, she may not EAT at the Gryffindor
Table,” she said kindly.
“Ok,” said Harry. “How about studying in our Common
Room?”
“How are you going to explain that, Potter?” she asked.
“Hmmm I will vouch for her. She’s in Ginny’s year. How
about we tell people that she and Ginny are working on a
special project?” giving Professor McGonagal his most
soppy puppy dog eyes.
“Ok, Potter. I will talk to her head of house. IF he agrees we
will give it a try. BUT if any trouble comes of it. The deal’s
off!”
“That’s fair enough,” said Harry.
When Harry entered the Common Room, Hermione and
Ron were sitting in their usual spot near the fire.
“Where’s Ginny?” asked Harry.
“She’s upstairs trying on uniforms,” said Hermione.
“Ok,” said Harry. “We can fill her in in the morning. As long
as Luna doesn’t EAT at our table, she can sit with us a the
Gryffindor Table. She is getting permission to come to our
Common Room after dinner each night to study. We’re
going to say that she and Ginny are working on a special
project.”
“Why?” asked Hermione.
Harry didn’t want to embarrass Luna, so he just said “After
what she’s been through, I just want her around us. We’ll be
more of a comfort to her and make her feel more like she
belongs. I don’t want her to feel lonely.”
Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.
Next morning at breakfast, Professor McGonagal took Ron
aside. He was beaming as he sat back down.
“You’re not going to believe it. I’ve just been named
Quidditch Captain!” said Ron excitedly.
“Great!” said Harry.
Ron’s eyebrows narrowed. “Harry, were you expecting to be
Captain?”
“No. I wouldn’t be good at it. Too hard watching the game
while searching for the Snitch and you are great at strategy.
You will be perfect,” said Harry casually, as he looked over
his class schedule Professor McGonagal had left.
Ginny saw the excited look on Ron’s face and came over to
ask what was going on. Ron told her about being named
Quidditch Captain. Ginny grinned and gave her big brother
a big hug.
Both Ron and Ginny were dressed in regular school robes.
Other than their shoes, no one would know that they barely
had a thing to wear.
“You have all you need for the first couple of days?” Harry
asked Ginny.
“Pretty much. With a little bit of modification, I can get by till
Mum can replace everything. Don’t worry about it, Harry.”
Harry frowned, this was not going as Sirius planned at all.
“If Malfoy or any of his gang say anything rude to you...”
“Malfoy knows better than to mess with me,” Ginny smiled.
“If not, I’ve got another Bat Bogey Hex with his name on it.”
Harry grinned.
Luna walked over and sat beside Ginny.
“Luna, did Flitwick agree to let you work on that project with
Ginny?” asked Harry.
“Yes, I think the first thing we should do is come up with a
title for our project,” she said looking at Ginny.
Ginny looked bewildered. Harry gave a vague explanation.
When they all stood to leave for their classes, Harry offered
to walk Ginny to her class. As they walked, he explained to
Ginny about how mean the Ravenclaws have been to Luna.
He didn’t want Luna to know exactly why he made the
arrangement. He also didn’t want Ginny to feel obligated to
entertain Luna each evening. He explained that he only told
that story to cover up the real reason. He would gladly sit
and study with Luna each night. “I don’t even think it will be
every night. Just when she feels like it,” he told her.
“That’s ok, Harry. We’ll figure it all out,” Ginny smiled. “Ya
know, I think you are going to be a great brother. I wish...”
she let the sentence drop and looked away.
“You wish what?” asked Harry.
“Nothing.”
“You wish what? Come on,” goaded Harry.
“I only wish that Ron cared that much for my feelings,” said
Ginny turning a little red.
“Ron cares very much about you. He’d do anything for you,
Ginny. How could you think that he didn’t?” questioned
Harry.
“Of course he does, Just not at school or when anyone else
is around.”
“Meaning me,” said Harry.
“And Hermione or probably anyone else, but especially you
and Hermione.”
“I’m sorry. I think you are wrong about that.”
“Oh come on, Harry. Whenever I’m around, he tells me to
leave. He doesn’t want me around.”
Harry thought a moment. He did remember Ron telling her
to leave on many occasions, but it seemed that it was when
they needed to talk about important stuff... Dangerous stuff.
“Never mind, Harry. I’m used to it.”
Classes were going to start soon, so Harry told her they
would talk about it later.
“Forget it,” said Ginny.
Harry rushed off to class but he was NOT going to “forget it”,
he would think about it later.
That night, before clearing his mind, he did think about Ron
and Ginny’s relationship. Although he didn’t have any
siblings, unless you counted Dudley, he tried to figure out
how siblings related to each other. The only siblings he knew
were the Weasleys. Thinking about them and their
relationships to each other, he recognized that Ginny was
probably right about Ron. Except at the end of last year
when Ron did seem to let her in more. That may have been
to the fact that Fred and George had left school leaving Ron
the only brother left. Ron probably figured that Fred and
George would handle anything that was bothering Ginny.
Fred and George probably figured Ron would. Which left
Ginny with no one for support, unless she asked for it.
Knowing Ginny, she would not ask unless it was only her
last option.
Harry caught up with her during lunch break next day and
brought up the subject again. She agreed with his
summarization but added “Only time will tell.”
He took a moment or so each day to speak to Ginny. He
was trying to figure out exactly how he felt about her and
why.
* * * *
Chapter 13: Chap 13- Quidditch & Troubles
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Quidditch practice can be fun & exciting if you are playing with the right person. Ron has some troubles. ----------------
Chapter Thirteen - Quidditch Practice and Troubles
As with every year, Harry’s classes were harder and more
homework. One of his “free classes” was used to set up the
D.A. Two of these “free classes” each week were used for
study of Legitamacy with Dumbledore. Legitamacy was tiring
but not as bad as Occulmancy.
On the other three days he was trying to organize time
schedules to get the most instructors to teach new
students. He wanted to train as many sixth and seventh
year students as possible, since they were the ones that
would be leaving school the soonest.
He decided to sort the students by their knowledge of spells
and put them in levels.
His Top Level (Elite) were the six of them that had studied all
summer. Then the students from last year would be called
the Advanced Level. All new students would be the
Beginning Level.
He figured that the Top Level would instruct the Advanced
Level. From the Advanced Level he would choose those
most likely to be good as instructors. These instructors
would help teach the Beginning Level.
He needed to decide exactly what spells to teach them in
each class also. He needed to be involved in each level.
Even if it was for a limited time.
By the end of the week he had a pretty good start on it. He
asked Ron to ask the other Quidditch Captains about their
Quidditch practice times so that he could schedule the D.A
around them.
Then he had Hermione look over his schedule. She offered
advice and made a few minor changes. Hermione was very
good at schedules, so it was about as good as it was gonna
get.
Harry was also taking the time each day to talk to Luna.
Even if it was just to ask how her day was. Luna was such a
strange little thing. Most often, she would make him laugh.
Luna had already came to the Gryffindor Common Room a
few nights this week. She sat with either Harry or Ginny and
did her homework.
Harry wanted to prove to Ginny that Ron really did like her
and cared about her feelings. So he talked Ron into helping
him practice Quidditch with Ginny.
On the first Saturday, Ron and Harry took Ginny to the
Quidditch Pitch to prepare her for her new broom.
Hermione and Luna brought their homework and sat in the
stands to watch.
Ron took a turn on Harry’s Firebolt while Harry explained a
few of the finer points to Ginny.
“With the school brooms, you have to really ‘push’ to get any
speed at all. You also have to really pull hard on the handle
to stop or turn. Your new broom is a professional model. It
will be very fast. I thought if you practiced with my Firebolt it
will be easier for you to get used to the speed of your new
broom.”
“With my Firebolt, you just have to think about going forward
and it will go. Stopping, hovering and turning takes practice
so that you don’t ‘over compensate’, “ He told Ginny as they
watched Ron whizzing past.
Harry and Ginny took off on a couple of school brooms.
They circled the pitch a few times while Ron sped past like
they were standing still. Harry signaled for them all to land.
Ron didn’t want to come down. So Harry pulled out his
wand and pointed it at Ron in a threatening manner. They all
knew he was kidding, but Ron did get the point and landed.
Harry had Ginny straddle the Firebolt, then he got on from
behind. With his body up against Ginny’s backside, he felt it
a bit disturbing. Being this close was not a good idea but it
was too late now. He would have to deal with it. He put his
arms around her waist placing his hands on the broom
handle in front. With a lot of concentration, he could control
the broom.
“There is only one person who can control a broom at one
time, so I will start us out. After we get up, I will give you
control.”
They shot off. Harry noticed that he had to push a little
harder with two of them, but not much. Harry loved the
speed and feeling of wind blowing around his face. It had
been almost a year since he last rode his broom. He should
have taken off alone at first, so he could have let off a bit of
steam. He would after Ginny’s lesson.
He felt Ginny stiffening at first. Her long red hair was in his
face as it was whipping in the wind. She smelt so clean, like
soap.
“Too fast?” asked Harry.
“No, this is great!” said Ginny
After they were at a decent height, Harry explained that it
took a little more effort to turn and stop with two of them on
the broom. They circled the pitch a few times. Then he
stopped and hovered. He put his hands around her waist as
he gave control over to Ginny. She did very well with turns
and stopping. It took a bit more practice before she got it
slowed down enough for a safe landing.
Ron and Ginny rode the school brooms as they practiced
tossing the Quaffle, while Harry speeded off on his Firebolt.
He was free! It felt really good to be speeding along after
spending all summer indoors, he was feeling wonderful just
to be outdoors. After a while, he joined up with Ron and
Ginny in tossing the Quaffle.
They broke off for lunch and all headed for the Great Hall.
Hermione and Luna decided that it was warm enough to try
for a tan. So they quickly went to change into shorts.
When they returned, Ron made a comment on the
improvement in their attire. The girls giggled on the way
back to the pitch.
Ron and Harry decided it was time for Ginny’s solo flight on
the Firebolt. They would stand by on the ready with the
school brooms.
As Harry handed his Firebolt to Ginny, he told her “Take it
real easy until you get the ‘feel of it’.” Ginny took off like a
Roman candle! She was hanging on for dear life. She
finally leveled off and was making huge circles before Harry
and Ron caught up with her on their school brooms. She
was looking a bit pale. Without Harry’s weight, the broom
proved to be much faster. Control at that faster speed was
much harder.
Harry was shouting instructions to her. It was not too long
before she was getting control over the broom. Over an
hour later they all landed safely.
“I think the Firebolt is a bit too much broom for you, Ginny,”
said Harry.
“Once I get used to controlling the speed is should be all
right. I LIKE the speed but I’m not used to controlling the
broom at that speed,” said Ginny.
“Your new broom won’t be quite as powerful and fast as this
one, but it is faster than anything you’ve ever rode,” said
Harry.
“I hope it comes soon. I need to have complete control in
order to do well at try outs,” said Ginny.
Ginny tried again, this time her take off was more controlled
than earlier. She was also handling the broom better, but
Harry and Ron flew their school brooms near “just in case”.
After a couple of hours they quit for the day.
The next day they walked out to the pitch a bit slower, since
they were sore from the day before. Hermione and Luna
went back to the benches to watch again.
This time Harry took off first. He had a lot of built up energy
so he used some of it up with his flight. He sped round and
round the pitch. Then did some neat dips and of course his
Loop De Loops.
Ginny was jumping up and down excitedly as Harry soared.
After he landed he asked her if she wanted to go for a spin.
So she climbed on the back and put her arms around his
waist. “Hold tight. Let me know if it is too fast.”
He shot off with Ginny squealing in his ear. He flew very
high and very fast while Ginny never asked him to slow
down. He circled the pitch several times without complaint.
He loved to hear her laugh into his ear as they flew. It gave
him chill bumps. Her arms around his waist gave him a
warm feeling. He wanted to fly with Ginny forever.
“Loop De Loop!” shouted Ginny.
“No!” said Harry.
“Yes! Loop De Loop! ” shouted Ginny again.
“Fine!” shouted Harry. “Interlock your feet with mine.”
She pulled her legs forward a little so she could lock her
ankles with his. Then he did the Loop De Loop. Ginny
squealed with delight. So Harry did a few more Loop De
Loops. Ginny squealed and laughed the whole time.
“I can’t believe you weren’t scared,” said Harry laughing,
after they landed.
“Why would I be scared? Were you scared?” asked Ginny.
“No,” said Harry.
“Well then,” said Ginny.
“Harry ! What do you think you’re doing? Ginny could have
fell off !” shouted Ron. He looked pale. He had been
wringing his hands and very distressed while Harry and
Ginny were flying fast and the Loop De Loops almost
finished him off.
Harry and Ginny were laughing. “If Ginny would have fell
off, I would have too. She has a very firm grip! “ laughed
Harry. “My chest is probably black and blue!”
Harry flew over to Luna and Hermione and asked them if
they wanted to go for a spin. They both declined.
“There’s no way,” said Hermione. “You fly too fast.”
“I won’t fly fast if you don’t want to,” said Harry.
“No thank you. I only fly to get from point A to point B,” said
Hermione.
“No thank you, Harry,” said Luna. “The sun is in a perfect
place for my tan right now.”
Harry went back to Ron and Ginny shaking his head at
Luna’s remark. He handed Ginny his Firebolt then she took
off. She was flying much better today. But when they
stopped for lunch Ginny said, “I feel I’m doing better but
there is no way I could control the broom and handle the
Quaffle.”
“Don’t worry, the Firebolt is far more powerful than your new
broom. So by the time it arrives, you will have enough
experience that adjusting to yours PLUS handling the
Quaffle with be easy,” said Harry.
“I hope so,” said Ginny uncertainly.
They finished up for the day and practiced a couple more
evenings that week before Ron and Ginny’s brooms arrived.
The following Saturday they all walked out to the pitch, Ron
and Ginny were sporting their new brooms.
Harry tried out Ginny’s new broom first. It was much shorter
and lighter than his Firebolt. Her “Lightening Lady” was truly
a “ladies broom”. It was slim and very fast.
Ron was already up and “hovering” on his new “Hover” when
Ginny took off on her “Lightening Lady”. They spent a good
twenty minutes adjusting.
“You were right, Harry. After flying on the Firebolt this one
seems so light. I think I’m ready to work with the Quaffle, “
said Ginny.
They spent a few hours tossing the Quaffle at each other.
Harry and Ron taking turns guarding the hoops. Then they
all took some spins around the pitch. Ginny had no trouble
keeping up at all.
One of Harry’s questions was answered. He definitely had
a physical attraction to Ginny. Well, he already knew that,
but he wanted to confirm it in his mind. It was confirmed.
Now he wanted to know if he really had an attraction to her
self being. That was harder to determine.
Each day during meals, he began to look at the girls in the
Great Hall. He started at the Slytherin table. Taking each
one and imagining if he could like her. This took several
days. By the time he had finished checking out a couple of
hundred girls, he came to the conclusion that none of them
came anywhere close to comparing to Ginny.
He caught himself staring at her whenever she was in the
same room with him. He could hear her voice above all
others if she were talking or laughing. Not that she was
louder than anyone, quite the contrary, but he was tuned
in to her voice. Sometimes late at night in the Common
Room while she was studying, as he watched her, he
would drift off to sleep with her on his mind.
If only he KNEW for sure that it was not some kind of spell
that Fred and George put on him!
By October his life was falling into a routine. For once,
Harry was keeping up with his homework. No Snape! So
Gryffindor was not losing the usual points all the time. Well,
not as many as when Harry and Neville were in Snape’s
class. Ron and Hermione both told him that they weren’t
having as bad a time with him this year. Ron had told him
after his first class with Snape, that Ron barely made it into
his NEWT class. If Ron screwed up one time, he was out.
Ron said he was his old self, but since Ron was keeping his
nose to the grindstone in his class and Hermione wasn’t
always raising her hand in class, he merely sneered at them
most of the time.
Harry didn’t know exactly how Snape was treating Luna or
Ginny. Usually if Snape’s’ name was mentioned, they would
just roll their eyes.
The D.A. met in a regular class room now. Dumbledore
had the class room equipped exactly like the Room of
Requirement had been equipped. So although it was not a
‘real class’ he classified the classes as a ‘club’.
There were over a hundred students training now. In order
to train this many, he had broken up the Top Level into
pairs. Hermione and Luna, Ron and Neville, Harry and
Ginny taught the Advanced Levels. From the Advanced
Level they choose; Ernie McMillan, Cho Chang, Hannah
Abbot, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Dean
Thomas, Colin and Dennis Creevy to teach Beginners.
Each had a group of about eight students. Harry was
involved with each group. Although Harry didn’t WANT to
admit it, some of the students only joined because they
wanted to be involved with him. So he went from group to
group helping out if needed.
Top Level started their Advanced Levels working on three
things. Patronis’s, back to back fighting and first aide.
Advanced Level were teaching back to back fighting and
stunning spells. Harry planned for first aide and binding
spells to come next for Beginners.
By mid October, Harry was proud that more than half of the
Advanced Level could produce a Patronus.
Later in October, Cho cornered Harry one day after D.A.
Michael Corner was nowhere in sight when Cho walked up to
Harry and was flirting openly.
“Cho, aren’t you still dating Michael?” asked Harry.
“Yes, but that could be easily fixed if you are still interested,”
she said, smiling prettily.
“I don’t understand. He is your boyfriend,” said Harry.
“Yes, but I could drop him for you,” she smiled at him.
“You don’t just drop someone like that. You either like him
in that way or your don’t. Why are you still together if you
don’t care about him?” asked Harry.
“I care about him, just not as much as I care about you,”
said Cho.
Harry was astonished. “That is just wrong!” said Harry.
“You two need to break up and both find someone you really
care about.”
Cho stiffened. “Whether we break up or not is none of your
concern!” she said hotly as she walked away.
Harry just stood there. He didn’t understand. Cho was just
with Michael until someone better came along? Did Michael
know this? How would he feel if he knew? That was so sad.
Harry saw Ginny straightening up some things on a table a
little ways away from where he was standing. Did she
hear? If so, she didn’t show any sign of it. Harry sighed.
Sometimes Harry would do his homework in the D.A. class
room or sometimes in the Common Room. Luna and
Ginny’s O.W.L.’s study was already in full swing. It seemed
they were always either in the library or studying in the
Common Room. Of course Ginny also had Quidditch but
other than that she was studying all the time.
One night while studying his Charms theory homework in the
Common Room Harry summoned a cup of hot chocolate.
He had been reading theory about how to summon. A short
time before that, he had wished he had a cup of hot
chocolate. The hot chocolate just appeared on the coffee
table in front of him. He wasn’t even holding his wand! How
did he do that? He had just FINALLY understood the theory
of the charm. Was that all he needed? He picked up the hot
chocolate and went to the D.A. class room.
He tried summoning other things. It worked. He tried to
transfigure a couple of things. That almost worked. He
summoned his Transfiguration book and studied the theory
to turn a quill into a bird. It worked! After trying several
spells, he figured out if he knew the theory he could do it
without his wand. He kicked himself for not paying attention
all these years to theory.
In the next few days he was began going to the library and
checking out beginning Transformation and Charms theory
books. He took them to the D.A. class room and studied
them. He could do any of them once he understood the
theory. Harry didn’t tell anyone about his new discovery.
For one thing, whenever he did something that was not
common among others his age, Hermione would get all
worried. And of course, it would draw more attention to
himself. He hated that. Another reason is he felt if he kept
this to himself it could come in really handy.
He couldn’t help himself. One day at lunch he soured
Malfoy’s pumpkin juice. It was hilarious! Malfoy spit
pumpkin juice all over Pansy’s face and half the table. Harry
made sure that his hands were out in open sight at the time.
Malfoy did look over his way but noticed nothing.
On another occasion Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were
standing near the bottom of the stairs in the Entrance Hall,
Harry tied Crabbe and Goyles shoelaces together. They
tripped and knocked down Malfoy. Everyone was laughing at
the fallen Slytherins. Harry was standing with Ron and
Hermione a little away from them. Harry adjusted his
glasses and scratched his head so that his hands were in
view.
Harry spent as much time as he could working on his
wandless magic. If no one was in the dorm when Harry
went to bed, he would remove his clothes and put on his
pajamas without his wand. He was finding all kinds of uses
for this new discovery, but always careful that no one
caught him using it.
Quidditch practice was going great. Ron had picked the
best he could from the Gryffindor house. He also picked
alternates to train along with the first string. He didn’t want
to leave the team with only new members after they
graduated next year. So practice was really good. They
almost had a complete other team to practice with. Ron was
almost as bad as Wood had been when it came to practice.
Sometimes the whole team would have to stop in protest or
Ron would keep them out all night.
So life for Harry was about good as it gets until...
Dumbledore made that fateful announcement...
Hogsmeade weekend was coming up in two weeks.
Now, normally Hogsmeade weekend would have been just
great. Harry had been looking forward to it. But this year,
this first weekend was the start of many troubles.
First Harry talked to Luna about going. Luna said she didn’t
want to go this time. Harry was worried about why she didn’t
want to go. She tried to explain that the other
Ravenclaws in her dorm were all going. She wanted to stay
so she could go through her things and just have the day
alone. Harry didn’t think this was ‘healthy’ so he tried to
persuade her to go. She refused but thanked him very
much.
With Luna taken care of, sort of. His thoughts went to
Ginny. He was thinking about asking her for a date to
Hogsmeade. Of course, Harry had so many thoughts
about what Ron would think about this, or any of the other
Weasleys, for that matter. Would dating Ginny be a betrayal
of their trust? Ron had hinted several times that he wanted
Harry to date her, but Harry also knew Ron. And Ron would
probably not like it at the same time. The Weasleys didn’t
object when he asked her to the party. But at that time, the
options were very limited, so they may have made an
exception.
All this suffering was for nothing when Harry found out that
another boy was asking Ginny out. Of course, that caused
a different kind of suffering in him.
About a week before Hogsmeade, Harry found out that
Ginny was NOT going with another boy. She was going with
her dorm mates. She wanted to buy new dress robes and
they were going to make it a girls shopping day. So Harry
did feel better about that. But on this same day, trouble
started.
It was after dinner, when Harry went up to his dorm go get
his homework. There was yelling coming from the sixth
year dorm. Ron and Neville were yelling at each other.
Both of their faces were beet red and they were both MAD.
From what they were saying to each other, Harry
surmised that Neville had asked Hermione to Hogsmeade
and she accepted. Ron felt that Neville betrayed him.
Neville felt that since Ron had been warned before that he
would ask her out, that they were both right.
Their argument was getting hotter by the minute. Then
both of them had their wands out. That was when Harry
stepped in between them. Harry explained that he was not
going to be taking sides. That both of them were wrong and
both of them right.
They both started giving Harry their pleas but Harry stood
firm. He was not going to take sides in this matter.
The fact was, Hermione had accepted Neville’s invitation.
So Ron would have to live with that. But Ron was mad at
Neville and Neville would have to live with that.
After they cooled off a little bit, they all went back to the
Common Room. Neville sat beside Hermione and Ron sat
on her other side. Both giving each other looks that would
kill. Doing homework that night was fruitless, Harry would
look down at his book for a second, then look back at his
friends whose eyes were shooting daggers at each other.
At one point, Harry walked over to the table where Ginny
and Luna were studying and whispered what was going on.
Both of them giggled but kept a weary eye on the situation.
So for the next week, Harry kept himself around Ron as
much as possible to keep him from attacking Neville.
A day or so later, Neville and Hermione walked into the
Great Hall holding hands. Harry thought that Ron would
explode, but by a quick diversion he managed to steer Ron
away from the situation.
At meals Ron made sure to sit as close to Hermione as
possible. This meant that Harry would have to sit as close
as possible to Ron.
Of course, Malfoy got wind of the situation and was starting
to make comments. Ron almost lost it a few times but Harry
would ward him off.
Now as far as Harry knew, Hermione was eating up the
attention that she was getting. Harry was pretty sure that
Hermione knew that Ron was crazy about her. It looked like
she was teaching him a lesson. Harry just hoped that
Neville didn’t get hurt in this triangle.
So Harry decided that he would go to Hogsmeade with
Ron, if only to keep the peace. That is, until the day of
Hogsmeade, when Harry found out that Ron planned to
follow Hermione and Neville all day.
That is when Harry put his foot down. He was NOT going to
follow them around all day. It was their DATE! They were
entitled to their privacy.
Ron did not agree. One thing he DIDN’T want was for them
to have any privacy. Ron pleaded with Harry. “Don’t you
understand? Neville KISSES on dates! “ shouted Ron.
Harry almost choked. Yes, Ron was right. Neville DID kiss
on dates. But he still was not going to follow them around.
Even if he DID kiss on dates, it would be up to Hermione
whether she allowed that or not.
Ron was beside himself.
* * * *
Chapter 14: Chap 14 - Hogsmeade
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: A day at Hogsmeade and the aftermath
Chapter Fourteen - Hogsmeade
After the argument with Ron, Harry went to breakfast where
Hermione and Neville were just finishing up. They were
about to leave for Hogsmeade.
Ron came down and when he saw that Hermione and Neville
were leaving, he grabbed a piece of toast and followed.
Harry ate his breakfast and left a little later. He walked along
the lane into Hogsmeade alone. Up ahead of him a good
ways, was Ginny and her dorm mates. They were chattering
as they walked. He watched wishing that he was beside her
to spending the day alone with her.
He heard part of their conversation as they got closer to the
village. They seemed to be arguing about where to go first.
They ended up turning into Honeydukes.
Harry walked on through the village nearly to the end of the
street. The street was full of students and residents out
enjoying the perfect weather on this October day.
He decided that he wanted to check out Gladrags
Wizardwear. He had heard Ginny mention it to the other
girls, so she probably would be coming to shop there.
Thinking about what he might get his friends and family this
coming Christmas, he looked around for a bit. Spying a
clerk, he asked him to give Ginny a really good discount and
told him he would pay the difference. He knew that Ginny
would not want to spend a lot of money on her dress robes,
as she was raised to be thrifty.
When he walked out of the shop he felt a familiar cold chill
go through him. Then he heard screaming, not in his head
but from all around him. There were dementors...
everywhere!
He pulled out his wand and cast the Patronus Charm. A
couple of dementors were backing off. He looked around
and saw that others were pulling out their wands and doing
the charm too.
There were also Death Eaters. They were shooting spells at
everyone in sight. Harry headed back down the street, then
he spotted Hermione and Neville, then Ron. They were
just outside of The Three Broomsticks. He headed their way.
On the street he saw Cho, she was dead. Right there on the
street, not a mark on her... Dead. He stopped. He knew
he couldn’t do anything for her. There was a spell that just
missed him, so he continued to run over to Hermione, Neville
and Ron. They were fighting back to back. Harry joined
them in their circle and was throwing spells at Death Eaters
along with them.
All along the street, there were people getting wounded or
killed. There was a lot of dust in the air so it was hard to see
everything that was going on. They concentrated on the
Death Eaters within sight. They were Apparating in sets of
three, just like Mad-Eye had told them. Their circle was
working in harmony. They could disarm and bind the Death
Eaters almost as fast as they were Apparating in.
Harry told them about the area he was in at the start of the
attack. Ron left, headed that way. He returned a few
minutes later. “That area looks like it is more or less
secure,” he said.
The dust began to settle and they could see around them
more clearly. Harry could see several students crouched
down with their wands out.
Suddenly, they heard a huge crash. The dust got really thick
then. Harry was trying to see through the dust but was not
having any luck. The sound and dust were very thick from
the north side of the street. Harry asked Ron if he had seen
Ginny around. “No, I haven’t seen her at all today,” he said
starting to look worried.
Harry left them and headed back down the street towards
Honeydukes, that was the last place he had seen Ginny.
There were dead people on the street and Death Eaters
everywhere. Harry had to duck and hide behind objects as
he worked his way towards Honeydukes. There were
buildings burning. He kept his eyes open for Ginny but with
the smoke and dust flying he couldn’t see very far ahead.
Finally he was getting near, when he saw the cause of the
loud crash earlier. Honeydukes had been destroyed. It was
no longer standing. It was a pile of rubble!
There were Death Eaters killing anyone in sight. The Avada
Kedavra Curse was being used almost exclusively. Harry
was stunning, disarming and binding as many of them as he
could as he worked his way closer to Honeydukes.
His eyes searched the street for any sign of Ginny’s red hair.
He was starting to panic. Ginny’s hair would make her an
easy target in this mess.
He finally got close to the ruins of Honeydukes. Death
Eaters were Apparating in threes into the street. Harry was
not the only one fighting them, but he didn’t know who else
was. He was alone on this side of the street.
He called into the rubble of Honeydukes for Ginny. The last
time he remembered seeing her, she was just inside the
door. He was calling but couldn’t hear any answer. It was
almost fruitless with the sounds of the battle in the street, he
could barely hear himself calling.
After a fresh set of Death Eaters Apparated in and were
disarmed, he did hear a moan coming from under the
rubble. Harry got as close to the sound as possible and
called again. He did hear a moan. He started pulling away
the rubble with his bare hands.
He knew it was Ginny under the rubble. He never
remembered hearing her moan before, but he was sure it
was her. He dug until spells were surrounding him again.
Then he stopped and fought Death Eaters until they were
gone. Then started digging again. He used his wand to
levitate the big stuff but it was useless on the dirt and smaller
debris, so he was using his hands. He unearthed Ginny
after what seemed like hours. She was ALIVE !
Of course, she was covered in dirt and debris, but alive.
She was bleeding from a gash on her forehead. He used a
first aide spell to bandage it. More spells were coming in so
he turned to fight again. When that seemed to be under
control, again he faced Ginny. She was trying to stand, but
looked like maybe her back was injured. She finally stood up
all the way, looking dizzy. More spells started again so
Harry was fighting again. Ginny stepped over to him and put
her back to his. Together they both firing spells at Death
Eaters. Once they got that under control, Ginny told him
that there were others under the debris. She told him she
had to get them out.
Harry helped her try to find them. They worked together and
found one of her dorm mates unconscious. They had to
stop to fight again. Then they made a little covered area to
put the girl in. They continued to search for others as they
fought the Death Eaters who were still Apparating in groups
of three.
They were finding others in the rubble. Some with broken
bones, some with deep cuts, some unconscious. They were
dragged over to the little area together. As the battle
continued, Harry felt that the Death Eaters were coming in
faster or he was really getting tired. It was hard to tell how
much time was passing. The battle seemed to rage on
forever.
Ginny began crying about not finding her friend Jessica.
“She’s here somewhere,” she cried. “She was over at the
far end of the shop. I just can’t tell where that is in all this
mess.”
Harry was trying to help her find her friend but right now he
was more concerned with all the Death Eaters. How many
could there be?
He heard Ginny gasp as he was finishing off another Death
Eater. He made it over to her. She was digging in the
rubble. She saw part of some clothing that could have been
what her friend was wearing. More spells were coming in.
They turned back to back and fought off another group.
Then back to digging, then more fighting. This went on for
what seemed like ages. Finally they cleared enough rubble
away to see that Jessica was trapped under a huge beam,
probably from the ceiling.
They worked in rhythm between Apparating Death Eaters
and the pause between battle. They had just enough time to
magically lift the beam and to pull her out. Then more Death
Eaters appeared, so the battle continued.
During a pause in battle, Ginny, down on her knees lifted
Jessica up. Jessica was covered in blood, she was dead.
Ginny held her head to her chest and cried. She was rocking
Jessica’s body and crying with all her heart, while Harry was
fighting off Death Eaters. During another pause, he knelt
down to Ginny and was holding her as Ginny held Jessica.
Harry seeing Ginny in so much pain, felt his heart would
break.
More Death Eaters Apparated in. He stood and started
fighting again. Harry was in the heat of battle, spells were
flying in all directions. As he was ducking and dodging
spells, he was just about to toss off a stunning spell, when
out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Snape Apparating
right behind him.
Snape put his arms around Harry's waist. Harry felt a tug
behind his naval and knew at once that he was being
Portkeyed out of the battle zone.
The next thing Harry knew, he was standing inside the
Gryffindor Common Room. He turned on Snape with anger.
"What the hell are you doing? There are still several
WOUNDED people trapped in there! Why didn't you rescue
THEM instead of me? I can still fight!"
"I am following ORDERS Potter. I was ordered to bring YOU
here. You will not be able to leave here until further notice.
The tower is charmed shut. Students may only ENTER. You
can’t get out, so don't waste your time trying,” sneered
Snape.
Snape turned and briskly strode out of the portrait door.
Harry was furious! He stomped his feet and kicked one of the
sofas. Harry's anger had set off his accidental magic. Glass
in the room started shattering.
A young boy, first or second year, was yelling out Harry's
name. It took a while before Harry noticed his name being
called.
"What?" snapped Harry.
"Damn Snape!" said the angry boy. "I don't blame you for
being mad. Why Snape would pull YOU out of battle, I don't
know. McGonagal said that Hogsmeade was being
attacked, is that true?"
"Yeah," said Harry, as he looked around the room to see all
the first and second years with their eyes opened wide with
fear. There were a few of the upper classmates also, but
mostly first and second years, who were not old enough to go
to Hogsmeade.
"Was Voldemort there?" asked the boy.
Harry looked at the boy with astonishment. He had said his
name. "No, I don't think so... but there were plenty of Death
Eaters and dementors."
The other students looked terrified. They were mostly
standing in groups, staring at Harry. Harry lowered his voice
and told the boy that there were many wounded and perhaps
some deaths. He was preparing him for the worst.
"I don't know what's going on right now. But will assume that
the other students will be appearing shortly."
Harry sat down in his usual area in front of the fireplace.
This area was known as “Potter's Corner” to everyone but
Harry and his friends. Ever since Harry started school, he
and his friends had always sat in this area. Neither Harry or
any of his immediate friends never said anything about it, but
it had just somehow became a tradition.
The boy and a little red haired girl were pointing their wands
at the broken glass and saying "Repairo". Each glass object
was repairing itself. Very quickly, there was no longer any
more broken glass.
Harry was running his hand through his dusty hair, clearly
frustrated. He calmed down a little, at least enough that he
was no longer breaking glass. He was watching the young
boy and admiring how brave this little fellow was.
As time passed, Harry was getting more and more agitated.
At last the portrait hole opened and students started arriving.
Finally Ron, Hermione and Neville entered. They walked
straight over to Harry.
Harry looked up "Where's Ginny? Have you seen Ginny?"
Looking troubled, Ron shook his head.
Harry told Ron about Snape pulling him away, leaving an
anguished Ginny holding her dead friend. He told Ron about
the other fifth year girls that were seriously wounded in the
wreckage of Honeydukes.
"Was Ginny ok?" asked an ashen faced Ron.
"I don't know exactly. She had a very bad gash on her
forehead and was scratched up pretty bad. I don't think she
was seriously injured, but I don't know for sure. I'm really
worried about her. There were several Death Eaters RIGHT
THERE! That damn Snape pulled me away, so I just don't
KNOW anything! They’ve got the tower charmed so once
you come in, you can't get back out of here. So we are
stuck until 'someone' releases us."
Ron's face looked even more ashen, if that was possible.
They sat there for what seemed like hours, before
McGonagal stepped through the hole. She called the
prefects over to her and told them to have everyone go to
their dorms and take a roll of each dorm to find out exactly
who was missing. She told them that in the hospital wing
area, students were being listed, so that everyone should be
accounted for very soon.
Ron and Hermione quickly went off to their tasks. Harry just
sat there running his fingers through his hair and staring at
the portrait hole.
It didn't seem like it was very long before the students started
converging back into the Common Room. They had been
told that soon as their dorm was counted then they could
leave them.
The prefects took their lists over to the portrait hole where
McGonagal was standing. Hermione asked her about
Ginny and some of the others. McGonagal told her that she
didn't know yet, but as soon as some of the students were
released from the hospital wing that they would be arriving
back to the Common Room.
"Seamus and Dean are missing from our dorm," said Ron.
About that time Dean Thomas limped in. He said he was ok.
"Just a twisted ankle, nothing to worry about." Ron asked
him about Seamus. "Sorry, no I haven't seen him."
Ron knocked at the portrait hole and gave McGonagal an
update on his roster.
They waited for hours. McGonagal finally re-appeared and
told them that they would all be eating dinner in about an
hour or so. Behind her came a pale Seamus Finnagan.
Harry followed him up to their dorm. Seamus told Harry that
he was not on the street at Hogsmeade when the battle
began. The person he was with, probably some lady friend,
had made him stay inside until things settled down. When he
finally came to the street, he saw all the destruction and
emergency crews were lining up the bodies. He lowered his
head and told Harry that Cho was among them. Harry
nodded his head. "Yeah, I saw her. She was one of the first
to be killed."
Harry went back down to the Common Room and watched
the portrait hole.
FINALLY Ginny walked through. Her robes were caked in
blood and dirt. Her face was very pale, so pale that her
freckles looked like dark brown ink spots. Her eyes looked
like they were outlined with red liner and her lips were white.
He saw the bandage where he had hurriedly patched the
wound on her forehead. Her scratched arms were smeared
with blood and dirt. Her fingernails were shredded. She
looked exactly like a person who had just came from a battle
zone.
Harry started to rise but his knees started trembling so bad
that he just sat back down. He had just realized that he had
been scared, more scared that ever in his life, and that was
saying a lot after all the terrifying things that has ever
happened to him. So he just sat there with his head bowed
for a while, trying to compose himself.
Ron had rushed over to Ginny and hugged her. He gently
lead her over to the sofa next to Harry. Ginny was crying and
Ron was trying to get her to stop. “I didn’t want to go. I
wanted to go shopping first. I didn’t want to stop in there,”
cried Ginny.
“Shhhhhhhh now, Ginny.” Ron said soothingly, as he
squeezed her shoulder.
Ginny was trying to stop talking and crying but she couldn’t.
Ron kept shushing her, holding her as though this was not
something new to him. But Ginny was only getting worse.
He looked helplessly at Harry, still trying to quiet her.
Fighting her emotions as much as possible, Ginny burst into
anguish sobbing.
By this time, Harry could see that Ron was getting nowhere
with her. Although he was really trying, this was not the way
to help her this time. Harry knew that Ginny had to let out
her feelings or it was going to get worse. Harry also knew
what it was like to bottle up strong emotion. Ginny NEEDED
to let some of it out.
Harry could see the look of panic in Ginny’s eyes as she tried
to suppress her emotion. Ginny turned to Harry and
grabbed his shoulders. “I tried to talk her into stopping there
on the way back, but she wouldn’t. She wanted to go there
first.”
“I know,” said Harry softly.
Ginny looked into his eyes and said “How do you know?”
“I was there, behind you. I heard your conversation. You
were arguing about it, but she and the other girls went into
Honeydukes and you followed.”
Ginny was crying harder and telling what had happened.
“Everyone was just taking their time. Jessie wanted some
lemon creams... those are her favorites... lemon creams are
at the back of the store!”
Harry put his arms around Ginny and was rubbing her back.
“I know,” he said, trying to comfort her.
He recognized that Ginny was feeling guilty. She needed to
tell someone that it was not her fault. So with his eyes and
manner, he was encouraging Ginny to tell what had
happened.
Ron was looking helpless and upset. He wanted to comfort
Ginny but didn’t really know what to do. The only thing that
Harry could think of was to send Ron out of the room for a
few minutes. “Ron, would you go get some soap and some
warm water... a cloth and towels?”
Ron felt relieved as he rushed up to the boys dorm to find
what Harry asked for. At least he was doing something.
After he returned, he set the bowl of warm water on the side
table. Turning to look at them, Ron saw that Ginny was
sobbing on Harry’s shoulder. Ron handed a soft cloth to
Harry.
Harry reached over and wetted the cloth and rubbed a bit of
soap on it. He gently wiped Ginny’s face with the cloth as
she continued crying and telling him what happened. “I
stayed near the door. I wanted to leave before I was tempted
to buy some sweets. I didn’t know how much money I was
going to spend on robes and stuff, so I wanted to stop on the
way back if I had any money left. I was near the door. I
didn’t go all the way back into to store like the others,”
sobbed Ginny.
“I know.” Harry kept saying, as he was wiping her tears
away.
Ginny finally stopped talking for a bit. She was sobbing in
Harry’s arms. After she quieted a bit, Harry asked her,
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Hospital wing. Snape came... he grabbed me and took me
by Portkey,” growled Ginny.
Harry knew Madam Pomfrey and knew she would never let
Ginny leave the hospital wing looking like she did. “You were
there all this time? Ginny I don’t think Madam Pomfrey
would let you leave like this.”
“I never saw Madam Pomfrey. They had us all in a waiting
room. Only the worse cases were sent into the hospital. Oh
Harry, there were so many people hurt! I couldn’t leave
because they had some kind of charm on the room. So we
all just sat there waiting. After I don’t know how long,
someone told those of us remaining, that we weren’t hurt
enough to be treated, so we should go back to our Common
Rooms.”
“I was so tired and upset that I got myself lost. Nearly
Headless Nick found me. He guided me back here. I am so
ashamed. How could I have gotten lost? Oh Harry, I feel so
stupid.”
He gently took her hands and put them in the bowl of water
to wash off the blood and dirt. He grabbed one of the towels
that Ron had brought and carefully dried her hands.
Harry looked over Ginny’s body. She was so dirty and
bloody it was hard to tell if she had more injuries than the
obvious gash on her forehead and the scratches on her arms
and hands. “Ginny are you hurt anywhere?”
“I don’t know... my knees... they hurt.” Harry pulled up her
skirt a bit and looked at her knees. They were skinned with
chunks of dirt and blood. He gently wiped away the filth
from her knees with the cloth he had used on her face.
After a bit, Harry pulled back and looked into Ginny’s eyes
until he had her full attention. “Ginny, I want you to go
upstairs and take a shower.” Looking over at Hermione, he
said “ I want you to check over your whole body for injuries.
Will you do that?”
She sighed and nodded. Hermione walked over and took her
hand. They headed over to the girls dorm.
“Bloody hell! Harry, GINNY was in Honeydukes? We saw
it... it was flattened! ” said Ron who was running his hand
through his hair.
“Well, it was not completely flattened, but nearly,” said
Harry.
The other students were silent. They were straining their
ears to hear everything that was being said.
“She fought so hard. Fending off the Death Eaters, while
digging in the rubble to get to her friends that were buried.
She tried to make them comfortable while keeping their
heads down because more and more Death Eaters were
Apparating in. There were spells flying all around. She
must have wiped out about a dozen of them. All the while
helping to uncover the others that were buried. She was so
strong and brave,“ said Harry.
“Ron, it was not the battle that has her so upset. She fought
with no problem. You just don’t know... it was the carnage...
her friends with broken bones and open wounds... blood all
over... her friend Jessie was dead. Ginny was holding her
and I didn’t know what to do. She was holding her... crying
... crying like... well... “ rising, Harry started for the door “I
got to go.”
With that, Harry went out the portrait hole. He looked in all
directions trying to decide where he wanted to go, before
heading to the dungeons. He found Snape’s office and
boldly flung the door open. “Why did you grab Ginny like
that? WHY?” shouted Harry.
“That is no concern of yours, Mr. Potter,” sneered Snape.
Harry was beside himself. He looked into Snape’s eyes and
said ”Legilimens”. He looked into Snape’s mind and saw his
memory of Ginny. Ginny was covered in blood, sobbing,
holding her friend’s head in her arms. The back of the girls
head was split open. There was obvious brain tissue and
blood coming out of the split. Harry could see that Snape
would not know how bad Ginny was hurt, since there was
blood all over her. Since the other girl was obviously dead,
he Portkeyed Ginny to the hospital wing.
“What did she see? Did she see THAT?” cried Harry.
“I don’t know,” said Snape.
“I need to KNOW. I got to KNOW what I’m dealing with!”
shouted Harry.
“I don’t know,” Snape whispered.
Harry rushed out the door slamming it. He headed back to
the Common Room.
Back at the Common Room, he flopped down on the sofa.
He bent forward with his elbows on his thighs and his fingers
running through his hair. Had she seen the back of Jessica’s
head? If she did, would she say? How was she supposed to
get over something like THAT?
Then he started thinking about the way Ginny felt. He
knew... just KNEW, that she was feeling guilt. Guilt for
what? Surviving? Yes... and mad at Jessie for dying.
Jessie didn’t wait to be saved. She died before we could get
to her. So Ginny was mad at her AND she is feeling guilt for
being mad at Jessie... yes, that’s what it was.
Harry knew this because... because he felt that way about
Sirius. Even though it was his fault that Sirius was there at
the Department of Mysteries, he was still mad at Sirius.
Sirius didn’t want to die just like Jessie didn’t want to die, but
they did. “We feel, that because we couldn’t save them, we
are guilty.“
But what if Ginny had won the argument? Would they have
been still on the street when the attack started? What if the
Death Eaters killed them as they were walking. Ginny’s red
hair would have made her an easy target. She could have
been killed like Cho... like Cho... Harry didn’t want to think of
that right now.
Since he knew or thought he knew, a lot about what Ginny
was feeling. He thought that he should try to help her. He
didn’t want her to feel like he did about Sirius. Feelings all
bottled up... eating away at her heart...
Hermione came into the room and walked over to Harry and
said. “Ginny will be down in a few minutes. She is putting on
some clean clothes. She has so many cuts and bruises, but
I don’t think there are any injuries that are serious. I patched
her up as well as I could. Her robes were full of filth and
blood.”
“Burn them,” Harry said quietly. “Bring them down and burn
them in the fireplace. Don’t let her see.”
Hermione rushed back up to the girls dorm and came back
with a black bundle. She tossed it into the fireplace and
waved her wand. The bundle burned.
Harry rushed up to his dormitory and took a quick shower.
He had blood all over him. He didn’t know if it was Ginny’s’
or Jessies’ or any one of the others from the battle. He
quickly changed his clothes and started to the door, when he
thought of something. He opened Seamus’s trunk and dug
around till he found what he was looking for... fire whiskey.
He grabbed it and hurried back down.
On the sofa was a throw pillow that had blood all over it. The
sofa was also stained with blood from Ginny’s clothes. He
waved his wand and the blood disappeared. He had just
finished, when Ginny came back down.
She was still pale but looked much better. She was wearing
some silky looking pajamas and some slippers. Her hair was
still wet from the shower. She had a haunted look on her
face as she quietly walked over to the sofa and sat down.
Harry waved his wand and a pot of tea and a couple of cups
appeared. He handed a cup to Ginny. She held it in her
hands while staring at the fire. She took a sip and sputtered.
“Fire whiskey?” she asked.
Harry nodded.
There was a knock at the portrait door. One of the other
students came over to Harry and told him that someone
wanted to see him.
Harry went over to the door and outside it stood Snape. “I
looked into the Pensieve. I still don’t know for sure. IF she
saw anything... it was from the corner of her eye and for only
a fraction of a second... if that. Sorry but that is all I can tell
you.”
Harry looked at Snape then uttered “thanks”.
Harry went back to the sofa. Ron was sitting next to his
sister, holding her hand. He wasn’t saying anything. Just
sitting there trying to comfort Ginny in any way that he could.
Harry asked Ron to send a note to his parents letting them
know that they were all right.
Ron then asked Ginny “Do you want me to send for Mum?”
Ginny’s eyes got real big. “No! I don’t think I could take
Mum right now.”
“Ok, Gin. I’ll just let her know that we are ok,” said Ron
gently.
Professor McGonagal entered the common room. She told
the students that dinner would be held in the Great Hall in
thirty minutes, then left.
Ginny was just sitting there, holding her cup of tea. staring at
the fire. Then all of a sudden her shoulders began to shake.
She was crying again. “Jessies’ gone! DEAD! Oh Harry,
she only wanted some lemon creams! We were too late.
The lemon creams are in the BACK of the store. You know
they are way in the back! The beam was too heavy. We
were too late! All that blood! She’s gone!”
Ginny put the cup down and turned to Harry. She wrapped
her arms around him and began sobbing again. “That damn
Snape! He pulled me away! He just LEFT HER THERE!
Oh Harry, she’s alone. He just left her there! She is so
alone!”
“She’s not alone, Ginny,” Harry whispered.
Ginny sobbed into his chest. She sobbed until she was
exhausted. Harry held her in his arms. He rubbed her back
and kissed the top of her head. She no longer smelled of
blood, sweat and dirt. She now smelled very clean, like
shampoo or soap. She sat with her head bent laying on his
chest for quite a few minutes.
Harry pulled back and looked into Ginny’s eyes “Are you
hungry? They are serving food soon.”
Ginny shook her head no. Then put her head back on his
chest, exhausted.
Ron, Hermione and Neville stood up and said they were
going down to eat. Harry asked them to bring back some
food. He would stay with Ginny.
While they were gone, the little first year girl with the red hair
walked up to Harry. “Can I sit with you? I’m scared. I
promise I will be very quiet if you let me sit with you.”
Harry nodded. The little girl put a pillow on Harry’s lap and
laid her head down on it. She was asleep in minutes. A
few minutes later, a little boy came over to Harry. “Mind if I
sit here on the floor? I can not let my sister sleep with you
without me keeping an eye on you,” he said.
Harry grinned at the boy “I don’t mind at all.”
Harry looked down at the little girl. She was curled up facing
inward to the sofa. From his view, she looked just like Ginny
did her first year. Harry’s finger was curling around a strand
of her hair as she slept. The boy was sitting on the floor at
her feet, staring at his little sister. It reminded him of Ron. He
could not help but grin.
* * * *
Chapter 15: Chap 15 - Red Heads & Military
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: What happened in Hogsmeade
Chapter Fifteen - Red Heads and Military Experience
About a hour later, Ron, Hermione and Neville returned from
dinner. Ron put a plate of sandwiches on the table for Harry.
Ginny had fallen asleep in Harry’s arms.
Harry nodded to Ron showing him the little red head sleeping
with her head on his lap. Ron understood right away that
Harry also thought that the little girl looked like Ginny did at
that age.
Ron, trying to lighten the mood said “Potter, I leave you for
an hour and come back to find you with your arms full of red
heads.”
Harry just grinned.
When Ginny woke up, she turned red with embarrassment
for sleeping on Harry’s chest. She sat up leaning forward
and stared at the fireplace again.
Harry was hungry. He could smell the sandwiches, but he
had his arms full. One on the little girls head, playing with
her hair and the other behind Ginny stroking her back. He
could see that he would not be able to reach the sandwiches
without disturbing one or both of them.
He asked Ginny to hand him a sandwich. She picked one up
and just held it for a moment. Then she took a bite of it, then
she took another. Harry smiled as she took yet another bite
of it. He indicated that his hands were full and would she
hold the sandwich so he could take a bite. She did. Then
she took another bite of the sandwich.
Harry grinned at her and asked for another bite but Ginny
had finished it off. “Could you give me another sandwich? I
seem to have already finished the first one?” Harry teased.
Ginny got another sandwich and gave him a bite. Then she
took another bite. As they had the first, she shared the
sandwich with Harry. It seemed to Harry that she got the
most of that sandwich too. He then asked her for a sip of
tea. Ginny held the cup for him so that he could drink.
They all sat there for a long time. Harry was starting to get
uncomfortable. He needed to use the loo. So he carefully
adjusted the pillow and slipped out from under the little girl.
He stood and tiptoed around the other students lying on the
floor that seemed to have multiplied as the night went on.
He rushed up to his dorm to the loo. When he came out
Hermione and Ron were standing in the middle of the room
waiting for him.
Hermione, looking worried. “I’ve never seen Ginny like this.
I don’t understand. She’s usually so strong.”
“You’re right,” said Harry. “You don’t understand. You don’t
KNOW what Ginny’s been through. Just as we don’t know
what you’ve been through. We were in the battle together
most of the time, we’ve seen a lot of the same.”
“Ginny is not upset about the battle itself. She was strong
and brave and fought off at least a dozen Death Eaters. It is
the aftermath, the blood and death and helplessness that is
bothering her. She will be ok. She just needs some time to
adjust to her feelings. She IS strong,” growled Harry.
Hermione looked a bit taken aback. But then she thought
about it for a second and nodded. “Yes, I believe you are
right, sorry Harry,” she said.
Harry started scurrying around the room gathering pillows
and blankets.
Ron asked him “What’s that for?”
“For us,” said Harry. “I’m not gonna let Ginny sleep in that
empty dorm tonight. She’s not gonna sleep in there until her
mates are back from the hospital wing!”
Ron agreed and took an arm load himself.
Ginny and Neville were sitting on the sofa sitting side by side.
Harry started arranging the pillows and blankets on the “L”
where the two sofas met. He gently lifted and adjusted the
little red head and put her head back on the pillow in his lap
and covered her with a blanket. He put a pillow against his
chest and gently pulled Ginny back to rest on the pillow. He
then covered her with a blanket and wrapped his arms
around her. Ron adjusted himself next to Ginny. Hermione
next to Ron and Neville, next to Hermione, was half on the
arm rest at the end.
They were all quiet as the fire started to die down. Before
long, they were all asleep.
Harry awoke in the early morning. He looked around. This
was a sight to behold. Ron was half on the floor with his
head on Hermione’s lap. Hermione was leaned over against
Ginny and Neville was kind of leaning on Hermione with one
leg on the floor and other hanging over the arm rest.
On the floor there were numerous bodies. Mostly first and
second years, curled up with pillows and blankets. They
were basically surrounding the sofas. This half of the
common room was body to body.
Harry never knew that they were there because he was “the
boy who lived” and felt comfort from being close to him.
Harry stirred, then eased himself up. The little red head
tugged on his sleeve. “Thank you,” she said, and then ran
over to the girls dorm.
After adjusting Ginny with the pillow, he tiptoed between the
bodies and headed for his dorm. Looking around the room,
he saw that Seamus and Dean were out cold in their beds.
There were THREE beds before him, EMPTY.
Harry’s neck and back were very sore. He was sure that
most of all the students downstairs were going to be sore too.
And here were three empty beds. This was insane.
Harry decided that tonight, Ginny would sleep in his bed
next to Ron’s. He would sleep down on the sofa. It only
made sense. Why he didn’t think of that last night? Oh well,
tonight they would all sleep better and maybe one of Ginny’s
dorm mates would be back out of hospital soon.
After showering and changing, Harry headed back down to
the Common Room. While he was gone, most of the
students had awoken and went off to their dorms, including
Hermione and Ginny.
Ron and Neville were sitting on the sofa with their hands on
their heads, trying to wake up.
Harry explained to Ron about tonight’s sleeping
arrangements. “Good, ‘cause I am sore all over! Why didn’t
you think of that LAST NIGHT? " scolded Ron.
It took Hermione and Ron quite a bit of time to convince
Ginny to come to breakfast. It really was Harry who finally
talked her into it. He insisted that she go eat because he
was not gonna share any more sandwiches with her. He
actually got her to smile about that one.
When they arrived in the Great Hall, Harry rushed over to
Luna at the Ravenclaw table. She jumped up and pulled
him into a great big hug. “Oh Harry, I’ve been so worried.
No one could get OUT of our Common Room. So I didn’t get
any word about how you were. I was sure you were in the
middle of it all.”
“I’m sorry you were so worried, but we were locked up in our
Common Room too. All our group is ok. Ginny lost her
dorm mate, Jessica and all her other dorm mates are still in
hospital.”
“Jessica? Oh I am so sorry. Are you sure?” asked Luna.
“Yes we are sure. We found her body. Ginny is very upset
about it,” said Harry. “After you eat, you wanna come over
to our table? I’m sure that Ginny would want you near her,”
added Harry.
“I’ll come, Harry, but Tonks is the one that Ginny would
probably want to see right now,” she said.
“Tonks?”
“Yes, Ginny is very close to Tonks. She would be the one
who would give her most comfort. I think,” said Luna.
It was a very sad day at Hogwarts. All the students were
very quiet. They were not their usual rowdy selves at
breakfast. There were several empty places at the tables.
After eating, Luna came over and sat next to Ginny, who was
sitting next to Harry at the Gryffindor table.
Ginny looked terrible and she knew it. Her eyes were puffy
from crying and most of her scratches were swollen and red.
Although she had slept well, she was still drained. She
didn’t say anything about all the pain she had in her back.
Hermione talked her into going to the hospital wing after
breakfast to see if Madam Pomfrey could spare a moment to
patch up some of the worst of her scrapes. There was a
huge bruise on her lower back near her kidneys that
Hermione concerned about.
Harry looked over to the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy.
Malfoy was not wearing his usual sneer. He didn’t look right
somehow. If Harry didn’t know better he would have sworn
that Malfoy actually looked sad.
Professor McGonagal came over to the table as they were
finished eating. She told Harry that Professor Dumbledore
wanted to see him after breakfast.
As they were heading out of the Great Hall, the young boy
that Harry had talked to yesterday came up to him. “Harry, I
want you to know that I did not appreciate you sleeping with
my girlfriend last night. She is far too young for you. Get
yourself your OWN girlfriend !”
Harry grinned to himself, then nodded and headed toward
the headmasters’ chambers.
“Sit down, Harry. I’ve brought you here for two reasons.
First, I know you are upset about me taking you out of the
battle yesterday.”
Harry started to say something - Dumbledore raised his had
for him to stop. “Harry, I know you haven’t had any military
experience. No student in this school has or should ever
NEED to.”
“I’ve had plenty,” said Harry.
“No, Harry, you’ve had battle experience, not military
experience. There is a difference.”
Harry looked at him steely eyed. Harry was angry.
“Let me explain. Do you want to put your memory into the
Pensieve to see the battle more clearly?”
“No! Going through it ONCE was enough!”
“Very well, then I will show you on paper.” Dumbledore took
out an old parchment and quickly drew on it. Then he
showed it to Harry. It was a rough sketch of the village of
Hogsmeade. Pointing to the area of Honeydukes. “This is
where you were for most of the battle. Am I correct?”
Harry nodded.
“Harry, I want you to show me just how much of the street
you could see from where you were from inside of
Honeydukes.”
“There WAS no inside of Honeydukes!”
“From where you were in the Honeydukes AREA, Harry.”
Harry sighed. He didn’t know where this was going , but he
was losing patience.
“Calm yourself, Harry. Now look at the drawing. Think. Try
to show me as exactly as you can.”
Harry closed his eyes to remember. “Across the street I could
see three shops. A little past on either side of the two ends.
Pointing to the drawing. Like a ‘V’ .”
“So you could see a more wider area across the street but
less to the sides nearest you?”
“Yes, there were buildings on each side nearest me.”
“So from where you stood, you could see a very limited view
of the entire street that runs through the village.”
“Yes, but I had been much further up the street when it
started.” Harry pointed to the drawing.
“That is not important right now. I am only speaking of the
area you were in when you were removed from battle.”
“Right THERE then.” Pointing to Honeydukes. He was trying
to check his temper but was not doing a very good job.
“As the battle proceeded, did you notice anything unusual?”
“I don’t know what is unusual, but the Death Eaters seemed
to be Apparating in faster and faster. But I’m not sure. Time
seemed to be distorted.”
“EXACTLY! Now from MY point of view, I could see the
entire street,” stated Dumbledore, pointing along the drawing.
“How could you see all that?”
“We won’t go into that right now. My point is... that I had a
much better view of the entire battle. Ronald Weasley,
Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were about
here.” again pointing to the drawing. “From where they
stood, they could see all around them in each direction. But
even their view was limited. They were much further up the
street, they could not see where you were. From MY view, I
could see most of what was transpiring.”
He looked at Harry carefully to see if he was getting his point.
No, Harry was still not there yet.
“From MY view, I could see that you were in a more
populated area. There were many younger children near the
candy shop. It just so happened that the shops nearest you
were being highly visited a the time of the attack.”
“How did you know where I was? Could you see me?”
“No I could not see you. But I knew EXACTLY where you
were.”
“How?”
“Because, Harry, that’s where the battle was raging the
most. I don’t know how many people were in the rubble, but
Death Eaters were dropping faster near there.”
“It was only me and Ginny fighting.”
“Really? Anyway, what I noticed was that the Death Eaters
started Apparating in faster and faster. They started
concentrating in that area. That told me that is where YOU
were. You were cornered.”
“So you are saying that this whole massacre was my fault
They were just out to get me.”
“NO! From what I can tell, their objective was to cause as
much panic and destruction and to kill as many people as
possible. YOU were a bonus. Of course, there was every
possibility that you could be there, but you were not the main
objective.”
“How do you know?”
Dumbledore sighed. “Because, Harry, this is what he has
always done. He wants to cause FEAR. FEAR is a very
strong weapon. It leads to CONTROL. He wants
Hogsmeade under his CONTROL.”
“Oh.”
“But to capture YOU... ahhhhh... well, I’m sure there would
have been great rewards to any who captured you.”
“Back to my main point. The other thing that I noticed was
that the Death Eaters were not throwing killing curses in that
area any more. Plenty of people were being injured, but they
were concentrating in your area. That was also a clue that it
was you there. I’m sure that Riddle asked for you to be
taken alive.”
“I’m not special, there were plenty of others that should have
been taken out. I could still fight!. The injured should have
been removed first. Not me!”
“That was EXACTLY why I asked you here today. To
explain, Harry, you were NOT taken out of battle for that
reason. You were taken out because you were drawing in
too many Death Eaters. That area was highly populated at
the start. There were too many lives at risk. “
“Oh I see, I was causing more harm than good.”
“Yes! Harry, stop blaming yourself for everything. You
fought brilliantly. My whole point is to explain that ANY
fighter is limited to what they can see or the information they
have at the time. I had a lot more information. I made my
decision from that. So I sent in Professor Snape, at great
personal risk, to remove you from the scene.”
“Why did you send in Snape?”
“I sent in PROFESSOR Snape because he was available at
the time. Time was of the essence. It was not personal,
Harry. It was a military decision.”
“Professor Snape returned to rescue Miss Weasley on his
own. That was a personal decision.”
“Once you were removed, the situation soon came under
control. Of course, the Aurors and Order members had
started arriving at that time also. The Death Eaters stopped
Apparating in, they knew it was over.”
“Back to my point... There are two types of soldiers - ones
who GIVE orders and those that TAKE orders. I was in the
position to GIVE orders. You were in the position to TAKE
orders. In the military there are Generals, Captains and
soldiers etc. Harry you were not trained in this.”
“You are not here because you did anything WRONG. I only
brought you here to explain my actions. I know you are
upset about being taken out of battle.”
“Harry, when a soldier is fighting, his adrenaline is raging.
To be taken out in the middle of battle when your mind and
body are raging can be very disturbing. But in this case it
was necessary. There was no TIME to do any explaining.
As you already know, every second can mean a life in battle.”
Harry nodded.
“In the future, if a situation should arise again, you will
understand.”
Harry nodded. But he was still thinking about it all being his
fault.
“Harry, I can not stress it enough that you have to stop
blaming yourself. You did nothing wrong.”
“Sorry, Professor, I guess it was just the way I was raised.”
Dumbledore knew exactly what Harry was referring to but
decided to ignore the comment.
“In fact, Harry, because of YOU, many loves were saved.”
“How?”
“Because of your efforts in training your fellow students in the
D.A. the plan for Hogsmeade has failed. He sent in the
dementors to soften up the citizens. They should have
curled up in terror or in some cases had their souls sucked
out. BUT you and many D.A. members cast the Patronus
Charm, which drove away the dementors.”
“The Death Eaters were attacking “armed” citizens. Ones
who fought back. This was not part of the plan. He had to
keep sending in more Death Eaters to get control. He failed.
Hogsmeade was a failure. He lost close to two hundred
Death Eaters in this battle. That put a huge dent in his
forces.”
“Be proud, Harry. I was never so proud of our students as I
was in this battle. Yes, we lost many lives, those are easy
to regret. BUT, Harry, look a the countless lives that were
saved!”
“How many did we lose?”
“Thirty-five students perished. Most of those in the first
minutes of the attack. Approximately two hundred injuries,
seventy-five serious. As far as the townspeople, I don’t
have any information as of yet.”
“Harry, I watched one of our students organizing and giving
out orders that had his part of the street in control very
quickly. Countless citizens were saved by those actions.”
“Who?”
Well, even with all the dust in that area, it was not hard to
spot that flaming red hair shining in the sunlight.”
Dumbledore smiled.
“Ron?”
“Yes! I don’t know what he was saying but from the actions
and reactions of those around him, I could see that he was
giving out the orders. He will, of course, be given a Special
Award from the school. Also I will personally be letting the
citizens of Hogsmeade know of his efforts.”
“So it comes to the second reason I brought you here today.
Not to criticize you, but to PRAISE you for your actions. I
will be personally praising the D.A. to the school in a few
days time. I would also like you to give them praise in your
meetings.”
“I had already planned that.”
“Good!” said the headmaster.
* * *
When Harry arrived back at the Common Room, he was
greeted by Luna with a huge hug. He didn’t tell her that her
hugs really hurt his bruised body. “Oh Harry! They just told
me what you did in the battle. Let me look at you. Oh Harry,
your hands are hurt. You have to be more careful now. You
have a family.”
Harry was holding her tight, giving her hugs too. Harry, who
hadn’t had much physical contact in his lifetime, got a great
comfort from Luna’s hugs.
“My hands are fine. They’ll heal up in a couple of days.
Luna, you are just gonna have to get used to it. Don’t you
know what kind of family you’re a part of now? Your
guardian is a werewolf and your brother is wanted by a
homicidal manic.”
Luna didn’t say anything for a moment then smiled up at
Harry. “I guess I’m just lucky.”
Harry began to laugh. He was laughing so hard that his eyes
began to tear. Hermione and Neville laughed too.
The laughing made Harry feel good. He hadn’t laughed this
hard in he didn’t know when. “Oh Luna!” he said, then
started laughing again.
They settled themselves onto the sofas at Potter’s Corner.
“Where’s Ron?” asked Harry. He had just noticed he wasn’t
in the room.
“McGonagal came for him. Said he was wanted in
Dumbledore’s office,” said Hermione. “He looked scared.
You think he’s in trouble for something?”
Harry smiled. “No. I don’t think he is in any trouble.” Harry
was tempted to tell them what Dumbledore had said, but he
decided that Ron should be the one to tell them.
“Where’s Ginny? Is she taking a nap?” he asked.
Hermione looked nervous. “Eh, Harry. Now don’t get
upset. She’s fine.”
“What?”
“Well, ya see, we went up to the hospital wing and eh...
Madam Pomfrey said that Ginny’s back needed treatment.
She had to stay.”
Harry stood up and was heading for the door. Hermione
stopped him. “Harry, she will be all right! She will be
released in time for dinner. Madam Pomfrey told me. She’s
ok. She told me that Ron could come and get her in time for
dinner tonight. Calm down.”
“What’s wrong with her back?” said Harry.
“It is just bruised very badly and needs adjustment. She
needs to take potions so that there won’t be any permanent
damage to her internal organs,” said Hermione.
“Internal organs?” asked Harry.
“Yes. Well, she was buried under all that heavy rubble.”
“But she was walking and everything,” said Harry looking
troubled.
“Yes, but she had injuries. Don’t worry Harry. Madam
Pomfrey said she could fix her right up.”
Harry was pacing and wringing is hands. “Sit down, Harry.
She will be fine,” said Hermione.
Later when Ron came back, Hermione asked him what
Dumbledore wanted. Ron turned red. “He was just asking
me about the battle and stuff. I guess he is gathering
information from different people about what happened and
all.”
Harry wondered why Ron didn’t tell about his award. But he
decided not to say anything until he talked to Ron alone.
Maybe Dumbledore was keeping the award for a surprise
later.
* * * *
Chapter 16: Chap 16 - Award and Reward
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry strips - Ron’s reward - drooling Harry ----------------
Chapter Sixteen - Award and Reward
It was a cold day. The wind started blowing hard against the
windows. Harry felt lazy in front of the fire and decided to go
up and take a nap in his warm bed.
He awoke a couple of hours later. He looked over to see
Ron laying awake in his bed. “What time is it?” asked Harry.
“Almost time to go get Ginny,” answered Ron.
“You think she really is ok?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. Madam Pomfrey said she was ok. You know how
she is. She’s probably just keeping her there as an extra
precaution.”
Harry was not sure about this but decided not to say any
more about it. “I want to go with you when you fetch her,”
said Harry.
“Sure, no problem,” said Ron, grinning.
“Ron, what did Dumbledore really want?”
“Well, he DID ask about the battle and I gave him
information.”
“AND?”
“Well, I guess he told you about giving me an award.”
“Yes.”
“Well that’s about it,” said Ron.
“So, why didn’t you tell everybody about your award?” asked
Harry.
“Well, I didn’t know how to tell it. I mean, Blimey, Harry.
How do you say that? ‘By the way, I will be getting a special
award for my bravery and quick thinking.’ I mean, that’s
embarrassing to tell.”
“I see what you mean.” He grinned.
When Ron and Harry arrived at the hospital wing, Madam
Pomfrey bustled up to Harry. “Get behind the curtain and
strip, Potter,” she said briskly.
“But I’m fine,” protested Harry.
“Get behind the curtain and strip or I will do it for you out here
in the open,” she said.
“But... ”
“Strip Potter! Now!”
Harry went behind the curtain and took off all but his
underwear. Madam Pomfrey examined him closely. “Well,
you have several bruises and cuts but you seem to be fine.”
“That’s what I tried to tell you. We’re here to fetch Ginny.”
“Well, you can’t be too careful,” she said as she waved her
wand over his back then his hands. The cuts and gashes
were healed.
“Is Ginny ok?” he asked.
“She should have been treated yesterday. She will be fine as
long as she takes her potions. I want to see her again at the
end of the week,” she said.
Harry quickly dressed. Ron and Ginny were already waiting.
“Ginny, are you ok?” he asked.
“Yes, Harry I’m just fine,” said Ginny.
“That’s what you said yesterday,” said Harry seriously.
“I didn’t feel very much pain yesterday. It was worse today
but I’m fine now.”
“She said it was your back. Do you think you can walk all the
way down to dinner?” asked Harry. “I’ll carry you if you
need.”
“No, Harry,” Ginny giggled. “Really I am just fine. As long
as I don’t jump around and stuff, it will be ok.”
“You ARE gonna be able to play in the GAME this weekend
aren’t you?” asked Ron.
“I sure hope so,” said Ginny.
“Well you better be! After all the time we spent giving you
extra practice and all,” said Ron.
Harry rolled his eyes. “Don’t you worry about it. If you’re not
well, we have plenty of backups,” he whispered to Ginny.
After dinner they all went back to the Common Room. Harry
brought down his book bag and started going over some of
his private studies. People were all in little groups talking
quietly. After Ginny had come back in wearing her pajamas,
Harry took her up to the boys sixth year dorm.
“I think the bed is clean. I took a nap this afternoon so it may
not be as clean as you are used to,” he told her.
“It will be fine, Harry,” said Ginny.
“If it smells bad or anything, I will go find some clean sheets
for you.”
“It will be fine, Harry,” said Ginny.
Harry went to the loo and changed to his pajamas and
gathered some blankets together. Ginny had gotten into his
bed and was sitting up leaning against his pillow.
“Is it all right?”
“It’s fine, Harry. It smells very good,” she smiled.
“I’ll just sit right here until Ron gets here,” he said as he sat
down on his trunk. “I don’t want to leave you up here alone in
case those animals show up. Can’t trust ‘em.”
“Whose gonna protect me from you?”
“Huh? Oh! Right! Eh... well... I didn’t think... of course.
Well... eh... I guess I will be going. I’ll send Ron up,”
stammered Harry.
Harry ended up sitting on bottom stair to the boys dorm
reading a book, guarding the entrance. Ron had refused to
go to bed early. When Ron FINALLY went up, Harry shoed
the remaining students off his sofa and made up his bed for
the night.
After the room got quiet, he lay there thinking about the last
two days. The battle was becoming a blur in his mind now.
There were scenes that flashed into his memory. The worst
ones. Cho, bodies, blood. He didn’t want to dwell on how
ugly it all was. Being Portkeyed out. The anger and
frustration.
What he wanted to think about was how Ginny reacted and
how he had reacted to her reaction.
When Cho had cried about Cedric it was different. He didn’t
want to comfort her. He just wanted to get as far away from
the subject as he could. Why? He had a crush on Cho. He
wanted to be with her. He wanted her as a girlfriend.
Someone to have fun with and forget about his troubles. But
Cho kept bringing up Cedric. Although he liked Cedric, he
didn’t want to think about him. He was feeling guilty about
his death. Harry was never sure if she wanted to be with
him because he was Harry or because she associated Harry
with Cedric. It would never work out. Cedric would always
come between them. He always felt that she was using him
to get information about Cedric.
But right now he didn’t want to think about Cho or Cedric. He
wanted to think about Ginny. Why did he take it upon himself
to comfort Ginny? This was definitely not how he would
normally react. His first reaction would be to flee. Let Ron
handle it. After all, Ron was her brother. He should be the
one to handle it. But Harry took over. That was not
something normal for him to do. So then WHY?
He thought about the situation for a bit. They had both just
shared most of the same experiences. Although Harry
barely knew Jessica or any of the other girls that Ginny
shared a dorm with, he did however, understand that Ginny
had spent five years living with those girls.
Jessica’s death was an ugly one. Ginny had seen her all
bloody and dirty. That was hard.
He could put the blame on Ron. That Ron couldn’t handle it.
But in reality Ron could probably handle it just fine if Harry
wasn’t around.
So then, WHY did he take over? Was the ‘love charm’
effecting him? No, he didn’t think that had anything to do
with it. He thought some more... Because he liked
comforting Ginny? What kind of sick person was he? He
LIKED it? No, but for some reason it felt RIGHT.
WHY? Was it because when he was comforting Ginny he
was also comforting himself? Was SHE comforting him? He
had just been through a very disturbing trauma too. HE
needed comforting. HE felt comfort too. Maybe...
Harry was not sure how he felt about these thoughts.
But she did felt natural in his arms. It felt RIGHT.
He thought about Ginny up in his bed now. The way she
looked sitting up leaning against his pillow. Now THAT was
a vision of which fantasies are made of...
* * *
The next morning at breakfast, Dumbledore announced that
there would be only afternoon classes for the rest of the
week. There would be a tribute to the “fallen in battle” after
dinner tonight.
After they had all eaten dinner, Dumbledore rose and spoke
to the school about the deaths of the students in
Hogsmeade. He told that yet another student had died
through the night so there was a total of thirty-six. He then
named each one and told which house they belonged to. All
four houses had losses.
They all rose and drank in honor of the fallen.
Harry looked over to Malfoy. Malfoy was very somber as he
toasted the fallen. Harry wondered what Malfoy was thinking
with a total of six Slytherins that had died in Hogsmeade.
On Tuesday, Ginny told them that the girls from her dorm
would probably be back by Thursday, Friday at the latest.
That seemed to lighten her spirits.
On Wednesday the somber, heavy feeling that had been
hovering over the school seemed a bit lighter. But not for
Harry. He missed seeing Ginny at breakfast. By noon he
still hadn’t seen her. He wanted to ask around but he felt self
conscience about it. So he didn’t.
It was almost dinner time when he got VERY concerned. He
was on his way to the hospital wing to check if she was there
when he saw Professor McGonagal. “Dinner time is very
soon. Don’t you think you should be heading the other
direction?” she asked.
“I was just going to check the hospital wing. I haven’t seen
Ginny all day,” said Harry.
“Are you speaking of Ginny Weasley?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then turn around, Potter. She is fine. She will be in the
Great Hall for dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! Go Potter!”
When Harry arrived at the great Hall it was nearly full. His
eyes scanned the Gryffindor table looking for Ginny. He
didn’t see her. He didn’t see Ron either. He started to get
scared. Then his eye caught a glance of red hair. He looked
up towards the staff table and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
Ron and Ginny.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the table. Ron and
Ginny were standing behind them talking to them. Harry
rushed over. “Is anything wrong?” he asked.
“Everything is fine, Harry dear. The Headmaster has invited
us to dinner tonight,” said Mrs. Weasley.
Harry let out a sigh. That’s when he noticed how beautiful
she looked tonight. She was wearing a beautiful turquoise,
brocade gown. Her hair and makeup were flawless. She
was wearing the diamond necklace that he had bought her.
Mr. Weasley was wearing very classy brown robes.
Mrs. Weasley took Harry’s hands. Harry bent forward and
kissed each of her hands. Then he wiggled his eyebrows at
Mr. Weasley, who wiggled his back.
There were several more people sitting at the staff table
tonight. Dumbledore made sounds that meant for them to go
sit down.
As he walked back to the Gryffindor table, Harry was
grinning. Thinking that Mrs. Weasley definitely was dressed
good enough to make Narcissa Malfoy drool.
Dumbledore rose. “After you finish eating, please remain
seated. There will be some announcements.”
At the staff table, Harry noticed that there were two men he
didn’t know and a woman he recognized as Madam
Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks. Dumbledore
seemed in a good mod. He was talking and smiling
throughout the meal.
After dinner, Dumbledore clapped his hands and the dinner
dishes disappeared leaving only the water goblets.
Dumbledore rose. “Before we start I would like to introduce
three citizens representing Hogsmeade, Mr. Bumpus Allory,
Mr. Ronald Ness and Madam Rosmerta.” The crowd all
clapped loudly.
Mr. Allory spoke first. He talked long enough for Harry’s
eyes to begin to glaze over. His main point was to thank the
students who fought in the Hogsmeade battle.
The next speaker was Madam Rosmerta. As she rose to
speak there was much clapping and many “cat calls”. When
the crowd settled, she began to speak.
“As a citizen of Hogsmeade, I am here to thank all of you
that participated in the battle. I am told there are too many to
mention by name. But one person stands out for me. This
person evaluated the situation and coordinated a defense
that saved many lives and property, including the Three
Broomsticks.”
“I am here to honor Mr. Ronald Weasley. Ron please come
up front.”
Ron’s face went from white to scarlet. Ron looked at Harry,
who motioned with his hands for Ron to stand. When Ron
stood, all the students started applauding. Madam
Rosmerta motioned for him to join her up front.
Collin Creevy stood up with his camera, taking pictures.
Ron walked over and stood beside Madam Rosmerta.
“Ronald with our most grateful appreciation, I award you this
plaque.” She raised the plaque for everyone to see, then
handed it to Ron. At that time she put her hands on each of
his shoulders and pulled him down and forward to give him a
big juicy kiss. (Collin got a picture of that) Ron’s face went
scarlet with pleasure. The students were all clapping and
doing ‘cat calls’ even more. Ron just stood there with a big
dopey grin.
“Also from this day forward, you will never have to purchase
another drink at the Three Broomsticks, for LIFE!”
Ron beamed. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were clapping
enthusiastically. As Ron walked back to the Gryffindor table,
they all stood and applauded him until Dumbledore raised his
hands for silence.
It now became clear why Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were here
tonight AND why Ginny was missing today.
The last speaker was Mr. Ness, who also thanked the
students. He announced that many of the shops from
Hogsmeade would be taking mail orders from the students,
since all Hogsmeade trips were closed until further notice.
There were already several catalogs in each of the school
house Common Rooms. There will be more coming from
different shops as they were made available.
The Weasleys, Harry and Luna went into the little room off
the Great Hall to say their good-byes.
“So now I know where you’ve been all day. I was getting
worried,” said Harry to Ginny as they walked over to the little
table to sit.
“Why were you worried?” asked Mrs. Weasley, who had
heard the conversation.
Ginny gave Harry a LOOK as to say, “Don’t say”. Harry got
the message, but was not sure exactly what she was hiding.
Her injuries or her distress.
“I thought maybe she got detention or something,” said
Harry.
“Why would Ginny get detention?” asked Mr. Weasley.
“Snape!” said Ginny, Harry, Luna and Ron together. Then
laughed.
They visited for a little while, then said their good-byes.
Harry noticed that Hermione didn’t come back with them, but
didn’t make a comment.
He stepped close to Ginny as they walked back to the
Common Room. “What was that all about? I wasn’t sure
what you didn’t want me to say,” he whispered.
“You did just fine,” she smiled.
“So you had a nice long visit with your Mum?”
“Well, no, just an hour. I spent most of the day with Tonks.”
she smiled.
“Tonks? Tonks was here today?”
“Yeah. She’s my best friend.”
“I thought Hermione was your best friend.”
“Of course Hermione is one of my close friends, but Tonks is
my BEST friend.”
“Really? She is so much older than you.”
“Yes, but we have a lot in common.”
“Oh! That’s nice. Tonks is cool.” Harry was wondering what
they had in common.
Ginny smiled.
They arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room as Ron
stepped into the room, everyone shouted “SURPRISE !”
Several people surrounded Ron, patting him on the back.
Harry was really proud of Ron. He had grown up quite a bit.
He didn’t elaborate telling his story or anything. He just
listened and thanked the students that were congratulating
him.
Hermione was nowhere in sight. Harry wondered what that
was all about.
After an hour or so, Ginny started to wilt. Harry asked Luna
if she would come up with him to sit with Ginny until Ron
came up.
As Harry, Ginny and Luna were headed up to the boy’s dorm,
Hermione and Neville entered the Common Room.
Ginny changed into her new bright pink, silky pajamas
tonight. Harry and Luna watched Ginny crawl into Harry’s
bed. Harry looked down at Ginny. She looked so beautiful
lying in his bed.
Harry walked over to his trunk and pulled out his picture
album that Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year.
Harry and Luna sat on Ron’s bed with the album between
them resting on their laps. “I thought I would show you some
of your family,” he told Luna.
Harry opened the album and showed her a picture of his
parents. “These would be your step parents. That is my
father James and my mother Lily.”
“Your father looks like you, only his face is distorted. It is not
quite right,” said Luna.
“Let me see!” said Ginny as she pulled back the curtains
from Harry’s bed.
“You are supposed to be sleeping,” scolded Harry.
“I can’t sleep when you two are looking at pictures and I can’t
see too. Bring it over to my bed, so I can see,” said Ginny.
“Your bed?” asked Harry, grinning.
“Well, for tonight anyway,” said Ginny with a grin.
What Harry wanted to answer to that!
Ginny curled herself up near the headboard. Harry and Luna
stood at the end of Harry’s bed. They both fell forward on
their stomachs so that they were a little over half way on to
the bed. They rested on their elbows and bent their legs up.
Ginny was amazed to see them do that. It was like they were
raised together and had done this for years.
“Anyway, this is your step parents,” pointing to the book.
Then he turned it half way around for Ginny to see.
Ginny studied the picture for a moment. “I agree. He does
look distorted. His eyes are wrong.”
“Well, of course they’re wrong. I have my mother’s eyes. It
would be pretty weird if my dad had my mother’s eyes,” he
smirked.
The girls giggled. Harry was turning pages slowly until he
found the one with Sirius at the wedding. Ginny was looking
at the book upside down from her angle. “Is that Sirius?” she
said as she turned the book to the side.
“Yeah,” he answered to Ginny’s question. He turned to Luna
“He was my Godfather.”
“Is he the one who died at the Department of Mysteries last
year?” asked Luna.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
“If he was your Godfather, what would he be to me?” asked
Luna.
“Since James and Sirius were like brothers, then I would
think he would be more like your uncle,” said Ginny.
“Yeah,” said Harry with a smile.
“He was HANDSOME,” said Luna.
“Yes,” said Ginny. I didn’t know he was THAT handsome
when he was young,” she added.
“Wow!” said Luna. “If he were alive it would have been hard
not to fall for my own uncle,” she giggled.
Ginny wiggled her eyebrows at Luna. Luna returned the
gesture.
“You two are sick!” said Harry. “Lupin did say that Sirius
was popular with the ladies.”
“Now we know why,” giggled Ginny.
Harry didn’t think he liked the idea that Ginny could fall for a
guy like Sirius. Then he pushed that thought aside. He
turned the page.
There was a picture of Harry as a baby. His big green eyes
were shining and there was a drop of drool dripping off his
chin.
“Awwwwwww look at Harry. Isn’t he adorable?” said Ginny.
“Yeah. He is sooo cute! Look at that drool,” said Luna. “I
wonder what he was thinking.”
“I know that look! I would say by the shine in his eyes and
the drool, that the person taking the picture was holding up a
bottle of butterbeer,” giggled Ginny.
“Well, I DO like my butterbeer,” said Harry grinning.
He turned the page and there were more pictures of him. “I
was a cute little feller, wasn’t I ?” he laughed.
The girls rolled their eyes.
They looked at a few more pictures, when Harry noticed that
Ginny was starting to wilt again.
“Ok young lady, that’s enough for tonight.” He and Luna got
up off the bed and he pulled the covers back. Ginny got in
and Harry pulled the covers back up to her chest. She lifted
her hair off her neck and laid her head down which made her
hair fan across his pillow. Harry nearly gasped.
He pulled the curtain closed with one more look that he
would keep in memory for tonight’s fantasy.
* * * *
Chapter 17: Chap 17 - Tonks' Visit
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ginny’s confused. Ginny figures out Harry.
Chapter Seventeen - Tonks’ visit
EARLIER THAT DAY:
As Ginny was leaving the Gryffindor tower for breakfast,
Professor McGonagal stopped her.
“Miss Weasley, please come along with me.”
Ginny followed her to her office. Standing next to the desk
was Tonks. “There is toast, bacon and tea there on the
desk. Feel free,” she said then left the room.
Tonks put a Silencing Charm on the room. “Ginny! Glad to
see ya. I got some time off, Minerva let me use her office,
so that we could have a visit. Brought you a little something.”
“A gift? OOOOOOOO let me see!” Ginny opened the gift
box and found a bright pink pair of silky pajamas.
“OOOOOOOO these are pretty, but I’m sure they will clash
with my hair,” she said laughing. “I guess it doesn’t matter.
Like anyone would see me in them.”
“Nope! I changed my complexion and hair to test them.”
Tonks changed and put the pajama top up to her face.
“See?”
Ginny giggled. “Yeah, it does look good. Must be that
particular shade of pink. Thank you so much!”
“So what made you think about bringing me a gift?” asked
Ginny.
“I saw ‘em and got me a pair, thought about you. These are
just like your other pajamas but a different color. So I picked
‘em up”
Ginny beamed, as she poured the tea.
“You look good. Minerva told me that you got hurt in
Hogsmeade and that you have been right upset about your
dorm mates.”
“What does Mum know?” asked Ginny.
“Hmmmm... ‘bout that much. She doesn’t know how BAD
you were injured or how upset ya been, but then, neither do
I.”
“I’m ok,” said Ginny.
“Were you REALLY in Honeydukes?” asked Tonks.
“Blimey! I saw it, that place was flattened!”
“Yes. Does Mum know I was in there?” asked Ginny in a
panic.
“Not that I know of. I got my info from Minerva. ‘Course if
she hasn’t seen Honeydukes she wouldn’t know how bad it
could have been. How’d you manage to survive?”
“Harry, of course.”
“It always seems to come back to Harry,” said Tonks
thoughtfully.
“Harry dug me out,” Ginny sighed.
“Well? Tell me. And don’t ask me ‘what’ either.”
“Harry? He’s driving me crazy. So what else is new?”
Ginny made them both a bacon sandwich.
“Still ignoring you? Don’t sound like it, if he dug you out,”
added Tonks.
“No, this is worse. He is NOT ignoring me, but he seems to
be running hot and cold. Well not really hot and cold. More
like warm and not so warm. I don’t know. He’s changed.”
“How?”
“Remember the party? He actually asked me on a ‘date’ for
the party. He TREATED me like I was his date. He did
everything that a boy SHOULD do on a date. He looked at
me like, well, like he was interested in me. Very interested.”
“You know I try real hard not to see what isn’t there, but that’s
what it felt like,” Ginny sighed.
“Saw him that night and yes he looked like he was stuck on
you. Couldn’t take his eyes off ya, he couldn’t. You weren’t
imagining it, Gin.”
“Really? So you think so too? You know when you want
something, you can make yourself believe what you want.
You know we BOTH are trying not to do that,” said Ginny
sighing.
“Anyway, all night I felt like he was falling for me. Then
when we said goodnight, I thought he was going to kiss me.
He sort of bent a little and moved close like he was going to,
then he just walked off. There I stood, like an idiot. At least I
didn’t have my eyes closed and my lips puckered,” said
Ginny, dispirited.
“Couldn’t of been that bad,” said Tonks.
“Oh yes it could. That is exactly what happened. On the way
to Hogwarts he didn’t say much to me, but then on the first
day of classes, first thing after breakfast he walks me to my
first class. He was being so nice, so thoughtful,” she sighed.
“It felt like he was staring at me all the time. Like he had a
crush or something. He was taking the time to talk to me
every day.”
“Then one day he stopped staring at me. He started staring
at all the other girls. I mean it was like he was checking out
every single girl in the school, even the Slytherins. And I do
mean he was checking them out. YOU know the look a guy
gives a girl when she’s not looking but he thinks she’s hot.
That’s how he was looking at all of them.”
“Plus! This year the girls are crazy about him. Worse than
ever. Even Ron and Neville are getting looks. It’s like they
are the hottest guys at the school now. The girls are batting
their eyes and acting so stupid.”
“Then, he decides to give me private Quidditch lessons.”
“What? Harry did? You and him alone at the Quidditch
pitch?” asked Tonks. “At night? I had a guy give me private
lessons once. Found out he didn’t know anything about
Quidditch, thought a Quaffle was something you ate for
breakfast. He ended up lying in the pitch ‘stunned’. He got
detention too. He didn’t wake up till after curfew,” she
laughed.
Ginny giggled.
“No, I mean Ron, Hermione and Luna were there. But he
was taking all this time being patient and showing me how to
ride his Firebolt. We did this for a couple of weeks, while we
were waiting for my new broom. It was supposed to be RON
and him getting me ready for my new broom. But Harry was
doing all the instructions. Ron was just there.”
“He took me for a ride on his Firebolt and we had a great
time,” she sighed. “He had that LOOK again. We had so
much fun together.”
“Then he was back to checking out the other girls again,” she
sighed. “He did that for a few days. Then he stopped
looking at the other girls and started looking at me that way
again. Almost every day he was taking time to talk to me in
private. I just don’t know. I’m really confused.”
“Then the day of Hogsmeade I ruined it all,” Ginny started to
cry.
“What did you do?” asked Tonks.
“The worst! I cried all over him. Harry HATES girls to cry
around him. Hermione told me that was what Cho was doing
all the time around Harry and that’s why he stopped liking
her. Actually, I heard him say something about it myself last
year,” sobbed Ginny.
“Couldn’t have been that bad,” said Tonks soothingly.
“You have no idea. I’m not talking about crying like I am
now,” she said as she wiped her tears. “I’m talking about
being hysterical and crying all over him. I pulled him to me
and cried all over his chest,” she sobbed.
“What did he do? Run off?” asked Tonks.
“No. He was so sweet. He held me in his arms. He petted
me. He washed my face and wiped the tears away. He
washed my hands and cleaned my scraped knees. He
listened to me raving. He was wonderful,” she sighed.
“You’re right. That don’t sound like Harry. I mean he doesn’t
seem to like to be around emotions too much. Where was
Ron?” she asked.
“Right there. Ron started to comfort me. I mean I was a
total wreck. Then Harry sort of just took over,” said Ginny.
“Ginny, you must remember that it WAS understandable.
Maybe you didn’t do too much damage. After you settled
down and all. How did he react to you later? Or did you see
him later? Has he avoided you?” asked Tonks gently.
“No and that’s just IT. I didn’t settle down. I mean, I did for a
while. I went up to shower, but when I came back down, I
sat there trying to compose myself and ended up crying all
over him again. I really did try to control myself, but it was
horrible at Hogsmeade. Jessica. I won’t let myself get
stirred up again!“ Ginny breathed in deeply.
“Anyway, he took care of me all night. Poor hysterical
Ginny. Weeping all over Harry. I will tell you how bad it was.
I cried so hard and long that I exhausted myself and fell
asleep on this chest!” Ginny started to cry again.
“You mean that you left the room, and he was still there after
you took a shower?” asked Tonks.
“Yes!” said Ginny.
“Wow!” said Tonks. “ I would never have thought that Harry
would have stayed. He’s the type that would flee at the first
chance.”
“Not only THAT, we slept on the sofa that night. Harry held
me all night.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” asked Tonks smirking.
“Well, no, not for me. I loved waking up in his arms. But now
that it’s over, he will hate me. I just know it.”
“So you and Harry spent the night on the sofa. Well, that’s
something,” said Tonks.
“Well, no. We were not alone. Ron, Hermione and Neville
and a lot of kids all slept down there that night,” added Ginny.
“Oh! Well, that puts another favor in the ice cream,”
snickered Tonks. “Why did Hermione and Neville stay? I
could see why Ron did.”
“Because Hermione wanted to stay and Ron was going to
stay. So then, Neville was not going to leave Hermione down
there with Ron.”
“Why would Neville care?” asked Tonks.
“Because Neville and Hermione are dating,” said Ginny.
“What? I don’t believe it! I thought Neville was dating Luna.
What’s going on this year?”
“Neville asked Luna to the party, but since we’ve been back
at school, he’s been hanging around Hermione. Then he
asked Hermione to Hogsmeade. THAT started a row
between Ron and Neville.”
“Oy!”
“Yes, it got ugly. Harry told me that Ron pulled his wand on
Neville. Harry got between them. So the whole week before
Hogsmeade, Harry has been staying close to Ron to keep
him off of Neville.”
“Hermione likes Neville? I would never have thought!” said
Tonks.
“I guess. I haven’t talked to Hermione about it. Been
studying for O.W.L.S.”
“What about Luna?” asked Tonks.
“What about Luna?” asked Ginny.
“Who does she like? I thought she liked Neville OR didn’t
you say she used to fancy Ron?”
“It’s really hard to tell with Luna. She USED to fancy Ron.
Maybe she still does, but she’s not saying,” said Ginny
thoughtfully.
“And what about you? You’ve seen that fellow you was going
with last year?” asked Tonks.
“I’ve seen him. We’ve nodded to one another but he is with
Cho, that’s Harry’s ex-girlfriend.”
“So she’s out of the picture with a new boyfriend?” asked
Tonks.
“She wanted Harry back but he turned her down,” said
Ginny.
“How’d you find that out?” asked Tonks.
“ ’Cause I heard most of the conversation. I happened to be
in the room when they ‘discussed it’,” said Ginny.
“Then that one’s out of the picture,” said Tonks.
“You don’t know how FAR out she is. She was killed in
Hogsmeade,” said Ginny.
“Blimey! How’d Harry take that?”
“I don’t really know. We haven’t talked about it. I was too
busy having hysterics,” said Ginny sarcastically.
“So how has he been acting since?”
“Just as sweet and understanding. I been sleeping in his bed
every night since. He sleeps on the Common Room sofa.”
“Why?” asked Tonks.
“Because he don’t want me to sleep in my empty dorm room.
They are either dead or in the hospital wing. So, I’m
sleeping in HIS bed until maybe tomorrow or the next day.
Until my dorm mates get out of hospital.”
“That is very thoughtful of him. There’s not many blokes that
would think about that,” said Tonks.
“Harry has always been pretty thoughtful about people’s
feelings. Except last year. Last year he was a prat most of
the time. But this year he is more thoughtful than ever.
Specially with me... and Luna.”
“He is very concerned about Luna’s feelings. He even made
arrangements for Luna to be able to come to our Common
Room to study each night AND she can sit at the Gryffindor
table as long as she doesn’t eat there,” added Ginny.
“He makes sure that he talks to her every day. So she
knows he’s there for her. That she has a big brother.
He... ”
“He what?” asked Tonks.
“I just thought of something. Harry don’t have feelings for
me, he’s trying to replace Ron. Why didn’t I see that
before?” said Ginny.
“Ok, Gin, you have to explain THAT cause I’m not getting
it.”
“Of course, it’s so simple... Ok... at the beginning of school,
Harry made arrangements for Luna. He wanted her to feel
like she really had a big brother... family... I made a remark
about how I wished that Ron cared that much about MY
feelings. That’s it, of course!” said Ginny, slapping herself
in the head.
“Gin, Ron cares about you. He loves you. You know that.”
“Yes, Ron loves me. That’s what I told Harry, but Ron don’t
like me to be around, not when any of his friends are around.
That’s just the way Ron is. I’m used to it,” said Ginny.
“Harry disagreed with me, but I think after giving it much
thought, he realized that what I said was true.”
“That’s why he was giving me Quidditch lessons. He wanted
to show Ron that we have something in common, that I was
not so bad to hang around with. But it didn’t work, Harry did
all the helping. Ron was more interested in riding Harry’s
Firebolt and doing his own thing,” said Ginny thoughtfully.
“That’s what he’s doing. He’s been talking to me almost
every day. Just like he does with Luna,” she added.
“So what about the party? That was before all this
happened,” said Tonks.
“Hmmmm... the party... of course! We don’t really know how
the ‘date’ thing came up, but I’m sure it wasn’t Ron’s idea.
Don’t think it was Harry’s either, my money is on it being
Neville’s idea. Now how they decided about who took who
is anyone’s guess. Drew straws or something. Course if
Ron picked mine, then they would have to start over. I don’t
know, but anyway, Harry got me.”
“I know Harry very well, and since the Yule Ball was such a
fiasco, I mean, Ron and Harry spent most of it off in a
corner talking. They both had dates, for Merlin’s sake!
Anyway, Harry would want to make it a ‘real’ date.
Remember he did EVERYTHING a guy SHOULD do on a
real date.”
“How about the way he was looking at you? Explain that.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he thought that is the way he should be
looking at me. Then, of course, Fred and George were
giving him a hard time.”
“And the kiss that didn’t happen?” asked Tonks.
“That would be the easiest to explain. He probably thought
that he SHOULD kiss me goodnight because it was a real
date. But... He couldn’t do it, because then I would think that
he liked me that way, that I would be hurt if he really didn’t.
So he thought better of it and walked away.”
“I see. So what about him staring at you since you been
back to school?” Tonks grinned.
“Well, maybe since he always sits in the same place at the
table and I usually sit in the same seat, maybe he feels
comfortable in that position while he is thinking. That would
explain why it looks like he is looking at me,” said Ginny
thoughtfully.
“OY! You just talked yourself out of a boyfriend. Congrats
Gin!”
“I want to know why you seem to be happier now that you
think he doesn’t have a crush on you,” said Tonks frustrated.
“Tonks, Harry has been driving me nuts with his actions. I
know Harry better than anyone. I’ve been STUDYING him
for YEARS, for Merlin’s sake! He hasn’t been acting his
normal self. This explains it.”
“So it’s not possible that he has a crush on you? What ya
think, you not good enough for him?” asked Tonks.
“Of course I’m good enough for him. I’m BETTER than good
enough for him, but that don’t mean that HE thinks so.”
“Tonks, he COULD have a crush on me, but IF he did, then
WHY don’t he tell me? Like I’d turn him down? No, he’s
trying to make up for Ron, that’s more like him.”
“So! Have you been keeping the ‘pact’?” Tonks asked with
a grin.
“Yes I have. May I ask the same of you?”
“Hmmmm... we’ll talk about that later.”
“I think we will talk about it NOW,” said Ginny. “Come on,
confess.”
“I’ve been GOOD,” said Tonks as she rolled her eyes. “But I
been just as frustrated as you.”
“No headway then?” asked Ginny.
“Well, can’t say THAT exactly. He’s interested. THAT I
know for sure.”
“OOOOOOOO, tell me!” said Ginny, excited.
“It’s not THAT much to tell. Only that I caught him looking at
my bum when he thought I wasn’t looking,” she giggled.
“TWICE!” she added.
“So he IS interested. At least he liked your bum. What bum
were you using at the time?” asked Ginny with a giggle.
“Actually it was MY bum,” she laughed.
“I’m as frustrated as you are,” Tonks sighed. “I just want to
know if it’s my age or if it’s the werewolf thing OR is it both?
If I knew THAT much at least I would know what I could do.”
“I wonder, do you think that maybe he talked to Harry about
it? They did have a lot of nights in that empty house. Maybe
they discussed women,” said Ginny.
“And your point?” asked Tonks.
“My POINT is maybe I could somehow get Harry on the
subject of Lupin and MAYBE I could get a clue. What’d you
think?” asked Ginny.
“First, how would you get on to THAT subject? Secondly, if
you talked to Harry about THAT, he is going to want to know
WHY you’re asking. I don’t want Harry to know how I feel
about Remus,” said Tonks.
“Why? Harry likes you. I think he would love it that you and
Remus were together. You two are perfect for each other,”
said Ginny.
“Cause YOU are the only one who knows and I want to keep
it that way. If Remus got wind of my feelings, he would avoid
me. I don’t want him to do that,” said Tonks sadly.
“Why? Cause you’re not good enough for him?” smirked
Ginny.
“Ok, I get your point. But it is different with Remus and I and
you and Harry,” said Tonks.
“We have discussed this before, there isn’t any difference!
We are both in love with men who, for some reason or
another, don’t give us the time of day,” said Ginny.
“As long as we keep our ‘pact’, then whatever the outcome,
we have done our duty,” said Ginny.
“I have kept the ‘pact’, but I’m getting weak,” said Tonks.
“You’ve GOT to be kidding! Tonks! You can change your
body to anything you want. You just can’t be changing your
personality, not in THIS matter. We HAVE to be ourselves or
we are cheating ourselves!” said Ginny.
“I know, you’re right. Besides, how would I act if I knew it
made any difference. Probably would make it worse.”
“Yes, that is why we are committed to be ourselves around
any male. If they don’t like who we really are, then what’s
the point? RIGHT?” asked Ginny.
“RIGHT!” said Tonks.
* * * *
Chapter 18: Chap 18 - Harvest Ball
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry’s not in the mood. ---------------
Chapter Eighteen - Harvest Ball
On Friday night, after dinner, Dumbledore announced there
would be a Harvest Ball in two weeks’ time. Only students
fourth year and up were allowed unless they were invited
from an older student.
On Saturday morning, the Quidditch team set out to the
pitch. Ron was a nervous wreck, it being his first game as
team captain. But not long into the game he found that the
Hufflepuff team was not up to standards. He took a “time
out” after forty-five minutes of play and had his “second
string” come in and play for a half and hour. He told Harry
not to catch the Snitch unless he really had to. Just keep the
other Seeker busy, then took another “time out” and brought
his first string back in.
This turned out to be one of the longest Quidditch games that
Harry had ever played. They were winning by so many
points that they didn’t need Harry’s hundred and fifty points
to win the game, but of course, Harry did catch the Snitch to
end the game.
“Gin, you did great! You made at least half the goals. That
new broom really made a difference,” said Ron, as they
were walking back up to the castle. “But remember,
Ravenclaw will not be so easy. I heard they’ve got a pretty
good team this year. I put in the second string in this game
just to give them some game experience. They weren’t too
bad.”
Ginny was beaming for a moment. Then it dawned on her
that Ron was giving the credit to her new broom and not
really her skills. She sighed.
Harry saw the look on her face and walked up close to her.
“You were brilliant. Even on an old broom, you would have
scored well. I think you are a much better Chaser than a
Seeker and you were really good as a Seeker,” he said.
Ginny knew that Harry caught the comment about it being the
new broom. She smiled at him and pretended that he made
her feel better. But in truth, she knew that he was being “big
brother” to her again.
The next week was a whirlwind for Harry. Students were
coming up to him asking to joining his “club”. After just a few
days he saw that there were going to be too many students
for him to personally advise.
On Tuesday, when he went to his lesson with Dumbledore,
Dumbledore asked him about it.
“Yes, there are too many. I don’t know where to place them
and it’s becoming too much,” admitted Harry.
“Perhaps you should also limit the new students to sixth and
seventh years only. That should keep the numbers down
some.”
“I thought of that,” said Harry. “But I really don’t want to turn
down anyone who wants to learn.”
“Here’s an idea about what you do, make out a
questionnaire for them to fill out. List the spells that you
have already covered. Ask them if they are ‘competent’ in
each spell. From that, you should be able to place them. If
they are not up to your standards, you will know soon
enough,” said Dumbledore.
“That’s a good idea, I’ll try that,” said Harry.
“Now for your lesson. Harry, I want to start training you in
Apparation. You will be learning that this year, but I want to
start you a little early.”
“Great!”
“We will begin today.”
Dumbledore Portkeyed Harry out of the school grounds and
down the road a ways, since they could not Apparate within
the school grounds.
After the lesson, Harry reflected. He had did it on his first
try. It was not hard for him at all. He wondered if that was
another skill that Riddle had accidentally given him as a
baby, but he did not mention that to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore asked Harry if he knew of any place other than
Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place or the Dursleys, that he thought
would be a safe place. Since Harry hadn’t been to too very
many places in his lifetime, he had a hard time trying to think
of one, but at last he remembered the cave that they had
meet Sirius in his fourth year.
Dumbledore explained that in his next lesson they would go
there. Harry would study that cave so that he would know
exactly where it was. This cave would be his “safe place”.
In the future, if ever he was cornered, he would Apparate to
the cave for safety.
For the rest of the week, Harry was so busy that he hardly
had any time to speak to Luna or Ginny. He was getting a
little behind on his regular studies so had to spend several
hours each night trying to keep them up.
By the next Saturday he was exhausted. He had Hermione
help him set up new schedules for him. They also selected a
few more students they felt would be good enough to help
with the teaching. If he didn’t add any more to his load he
would be able to keep up. But that meant no time for
“goofing off”.
He would spend at least an hour in the Common Room with
his studies. Then he would go to his D.A. Classroom or the
library to finish for the night. He loved to study with his
friends but he was always getting distracted. He didn’t have
the time this year, if he wanted to continue with Quidditch.
He loved playing Quidditch. Quidditch was one of his
favorite things in the world, it made him feel good. It gave
him a free feeling that he couldn’t get in any other way. The
D.A. was far too important to give up, so Quidditch would be
the one that had to go, if he had to give up anything.
That night he had just came back to his dorm from studying,
when he came upon Ron and Neville arguing.
He just got the tail end of it, but it didn’t take him long to
figure out that Neville had asked Hermione to the ball and
she had accepted. Ron was beside himself with fury.
“I TOLD you I was going to ask her!” yelled Ron.
“I gave you ALL week to ask. Hermione can’t just wait
around for YOU to ask her out. She deserves enough
respect to ask her within a reasonable time before the ball. I
asked her, she accepted. That should be good enough for
you!” shouted Neville.
It looked like Ron was going to hit Neville. Harry stepped
forward, then Ron left the room. Harry followed him down
to the Common Room. He was going to try to calm him
down but Ron stormed out the portrait hole. Harry almost
followed but decided that Ron needed some time alone to
think.
Hermione was sitting in “Potter’s Corner” doing her
homework. Harry sat down beside her.
“Do you know how upset Ron is?” he asked.
“Why would Ron be upset?” asked Hermione.
“Are you going to try to deny that you don’t know?” asked
Harry.
“If you mean about me going with Neville to the ball, then no,
but he has no right to be upset. If he was going to ask me,
he should have already asked,” said Hermione.
“So you admit that you KNEW he wanted to ask you!” said
Harry.
“I THOUGHT he might. Harry, he hasn’t said anything to me
about going out since the party. What am I supposed to do?”
asked Hermione.
“So you are going to go with Neville. What about Neville?
Do you CARE that he has to be feeling like he is second
best? That you are only going with him because Ron didn’t
ask you?”
“I am not sorry about going with Neville. I happen to LIKE
Neville. Neville is not ‘second best’,” said Hermione.
“So you don’t LIKE Ron?”
“I didn’t say that, and I don’t think any of this is YOUR
business,” added Hermione hotly.
“Fine!” said Harry.
He went back up to his dorm to find Neville getting ready for
bed.
“Are you ok?” asked Harry.
“Yes, I’m fine. Look, Harry, I really like Hermione. I know
that Ron likes her too. I have given him plenty of room, but
he has to learn to respect Hermione. He expects her to sit
around and guess what he wants. I want to go with her and
she wants to go with me. So that’s the way it is. Ron will
either get used to it or he is going to be miserable,” said
Neville.
“He’ll probably be miserable,” said Harry as he walked out of
the room and back down to the Common Room.
Hermione was just gathering up her ton of books, getting
ready to go up to her dorm.
“I’m sorry, Hermione. I know none of this is my business. I
just hate to see you all miserable,” said Harry.
“I’m not miserable. I’m going to live my life to be as happy as
I can. If that means that Ron won’t be a part of it, then so be
it,” said Hermione.
A few hours later, Harry was lying in bed thinking about
Ginny, when Ron came in to bed.
“Hey there, Harry,” said Ron. He was no longer looking
mad. In fact he looked almost cheerful.
“Hey there, Ron.”
“Guess I’ll head to bed. Getting pretty tired,” said Ron.
“Night Ron.”
“Night Harry.”
The next morning, Harry didn’t know what to think. Neville
and Ron were talking at breakfast. Neither looked angry. It
was weird.
When Luna was finished eating, she came over to the
Gryffendor table and sat across from Harry.
“Hey there, Harry. You look tired,” she said.
“I AM tired. You look good,” said Harry.
“I AM good,” said Luna.
Harry grinned. “Are you going to the ball?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Who you going with? Do you need new dress robes? I’m
so sorry, I been so busy I forgot to ask. I’m sure we can get
you something. We’ll get a rush order if you need anything.”
“I don’t need anything, Harry. Daddy bought me new robes
this summer,” said Luna.
“Are you going to the ball with someone?” asked Harry.
“No. I’m going to keep my options open.”
“I’ll take you,” said Harry.
“Harry, thank you, but no. I want to be free to do what I
want and check out the scene,” said Luna.
“I meant, I could just escort you. I wouldn’t think of intruding
on your options,” said Harry grinning.
“Thanks Harry. Don’t worry about me all the time. I have
something in mind for the ball. Harry, does that mean that
you don’t have a date?” asked Luna.
“I don’t have a date. I’ve been so busy, I forgot all about it
until last night. So unless you want me to take you, I’m not
going,” said Harry.
“Harry, you been working yourself too much. You should
take some time to relax and enjoy yourself.”
“You’re right. I think I will work extra hard to get my studies
done, so that I can just relax that night,” said Harry.
Harry did work extra hard that week and got his studies
caught up. The week just flew by.
On the day of the ball, Harry had holed up in the D.A.
Classroom studying. He had all his school work done
yesterday. Today he was working on his personal project
that he had started last summer. He was studying spells. He
had been very interested in the amount of energy certain
spells took. It was very helpful for his D.A. Classes. He
researched spells seeing which ones took the least amount
of magic energy to perform.
He used the spells that took the least energy on the
Beginners classes, spells that could be used against Death
Eaters but were easy.
Although Harry was not the studiest type, he did enjoy
finding new easy spells for beginners. He had books piled all
over the table. He had been writing notes for future classes
and forgot all about the time.
When he arrived at his dorm, Ron and Neville were just
finishing up dressing for the ball.
“Don’t you two look good tonight? I forgot tonight was the
ball,” he said.
“We got to look ‘hot’ for our dates,” said Ron smiling.
“I got to go,” said Neville. “See ya.”
“Later, Neville,” said Harry.
“You got a date?” he asked Ron.
“Course I do. Don’t you?” asked Ron.
“No.”
“Why not?” It’s gonna be fun.”
“I’ve been too busy to think about the ball. I forgot all about
it. I’m not in the mood anyway. So tell me about your date.
When did this all happen?” asked Harry.
“Last week. I meet her one night and we got to talking and
we’re going to the ball.”
“Who is she?” asked Harry.
“Sylvia Larson from Ravenclaw.”
“I don’t know if I know her,” said Harry.
“She’s about your height. Blonde hair. Body that won’t quit,”
grinned Ron.
“She usually sits at the Ravenclaw table closest to the front.
Faces our direction,” added Ron.
“Oh! Yeah, I think I know which one she is. Yeah, she be a
looker,” said Harry.
“I got to go. Got to go all the way over to Ravenclaw to pick
her up.” Ron smiled as he left the room.
Seamus and Dean had already left so the room was empty.
Harry decided to take a long shower and relax. After his
shower, Harry cleaned out his book bag and sorted his
books. He had a good size stack that he could finally take
back to the library. He loaded his book bag again. It was
much lighter now. He was going back to the D.A. Classroom
to do a little more spell research. He didn’t want to study in
the Common Room tonight. It was a Saturday night so it
would probably be too noisy. The younger students would
probably be playing games and being rowdy while the ball
was going on.
As he crossed the room on his way out, his eye caught sight
of red hair. He paused and turned. There at “Potters
Corner” sat Ginny. She was sitting with her feet propped up
on the table with her arms crossed against her chest. She
was staring at the fire.
Harry walked over to her. “Ginny, why aren’t you at the ball?”
“I wasn’t in the mood,” she said, not looking up.
Harry sat down beside her. “Are you all right? Are you ill?”
“I’m just fine!” Ginny pouted.
“You don’t look fine. Did someone upset you?” he said.
“I’m fine, just cranky. Why aren’t YOU at the ball? she
asked.
“Wasn’t in the mood,” said Harry seriously.
Ginny was still staring at the fire with her arms crossed.
“I’m sorry, Ginny. Didn’t anyone ask you to the ball? I’ve
been so busy that I haven’t even got to talk to you much for a
while.”
“Of course I was asked to the ball. I’m not that unpopular, ya
know,” she scoffed. “With all that happened, I just wasn’t in
the mood.”
“Oh” was all that Harry could say.
They both sat on the sofa looking at the fire.
Ginny looked so unhappy. He hated to see her this way.
Neither said anything for a while. Then...
“Ginny, I know you were not in the mood before. But now
that the ball is here, you are miserable because now you
want to go and it’s too late. Right?”
Ginny just stared at the fire.
“Right !” he said. “Come on,” he said as he took her hand.
“You’re coming with me. You got ten minutes to get ready.”
“I can’t get ready in ten minutes,” said Ginny.
“Ok, fifteen, but that’s it. Meet you here in fifteen minutes.
No excuses. Hurry!”
They both ran to their dorms and got dressed. Harry was
ready in less than five minutes. So he took some time
messing with his hair. It still looked good when he took a few
minutes with it.
He was waiting in the Common Room for Ginny only five
minutes when she appeared. She looked stunning, in only
fifteen minutes!
Her hair was fluffed up on the top with the sides brushed
behind her ears but lay forward upon her breasts. The back
flowed down her back. She was wearing a brown gown that
looked great with her hair.
The gown was cut low in the front. Just enough to see a little
bit of cleavage. The sleeves clung to her arms to just below
her elbows. The material was made of something that
clinged, it form-fitted to her body to around the hip area, then
flowed down to the top of her shoes.
Harry stood gapping for a moment. He thought he had never
seen anything as beautiful in his life.
He knew that the “Love Charm” was working again. It was
tough, but he fought it off. He offered his arm to Ginny
“Shall we?”
As they walked down the marble staircase to the Entrance
Hall, Harry told Ginny how beautiful she looked tonight. She
blushed. He kept taking big breaths to try to control his
emotions.
When they arrived at the base of the staircase, they heard
the music coming from the Great Hall. They both looked at
each other and ran to the doorway. All the way across the
room where the staff table stood, stood Fred, George, Bill
and Ron. Actually Fred or George was sitting behind their
drum kit. They were playing music for the ball. Ron was
belting out a fast rock and roll tune while playing his guitar.
The room was ROCKING ! The dance floor was full. Harry
and Ginny weaved their way through the crowd over to the
table where Hermione, Neville, Sylvia and Luna were sitting.
It was to the right of where the Weasleys had set up the
band.
The room was decorated with Hagrid’s famous giant
pumpkins. Some were stacked along the edges while others
were floating. There were a vast amount of wheat stacks
between. The regular dining tables were removed. In their
place were several round tables. Each had a orange
tablecloth with a vase full of green ferns in the center so that
the tables looked like huge pumpkins
Luna was wearing moon shaped earrings that dangled to her
shoulders and lilac robes. Her hair was pulled back on the
sides and hung down her back. She looked lovely. No wand
behind her ear tonight. Harry leaned down and squeezed her
shoulders.
“Sit down. I saved you seats,” said Luna.
“How’d you know we were coming?” asked Harry. “We didn’t
know until fifteen minutes ago!”
“Of course you were coming,” said Luna dreamily.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other, then grinned.
Ron finished his song, then sat at the table.
Bill walked over, took Ginny by the arm and walked her over
to the piano. “Ginny it’s your turn. Sing us a song,” said Bill.
He didn’t give her any time to protest. The music started and
Ginny had no choice but to sing.
While Ginny was singing, Harry went over to the drinks table
and got them four drinks. He was thirsty from rushing and
figured she would be too. So they would have one to drink
down fast and another to sip on later.
Hermione had her hair in a twist, so it looked very smooth
and pretty. She was wearing dark blue robes and Neville
was wearing his light blue suit. He had his hand closed over
her hand.
Sylvia was wearing yellow robes that highlighted her blue
eyes. She seemed to be a very quiet person. Ron was
talking quietly to her with his arm around her shoulder.
Harry leaned back in his seat and enjoyed listening to Ginny
sing her song. When she finished, Harry had her drink all
ready for her. He was right, she was thirsty. She drank it
down quickly.
Harry whispered to Ron to sing a slow ballad that he really
liked. When Ron began to sing, Harry took Ginny in his
arms and danced with her. Ginny smelt so good, so clean. It
had Harry feeling “charmed’ again. He felt like he was in a
dream. He hated to stop when the song was over.
Ron quickly explained to Harry and Ginny that they would
have to help sing backgrounds to some of the songs, since
the whole band was not here. The boys would change
instruments according to the song they were playing. So that
the main instruments were covered for a particular song.
Harry, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Luna would sing backups if
they knew the song. They could sing backups as they
danced. So they could still get to dance even if they were
singing. It seemed to be working out just fine.
As the night went on, Harry danced with several girls but
would usually dance with Ginny between each one.
Ginny was also dancing with other boys between singing a
few songs and dancing with Harry.
Once, Michael Corner walked over to their table and asked
Ginny to dance, she accepted. It happened to be a very slow
tune so they were dancing very close. Harry was not happy
about this dance at all. He could see them talking quietly as
they danced. He wanted to pull them apart, but he
composed himself and waited it out.
When Ginny sat back down, she didn’t show any particular
emotion. Harry couldn’t “read” her. But when the next song
started, he made sure that HE was the one dancing with her.
He held her just a little bit tighter during that dance.
Colin had his camera and was taking pictures all through the
ball. He took pictures of everyone at Harry’s table, plus a
few group shots. Harry told him that he would buy them
later. He also asked him about making a least a dozen
copies of the pictures he took at the award ceremony.
The students were enjoying the band. Between each song
they clapped and whistled. Even Neville got up and sang a
rousing song. He sounded pretty good.
Ron was getting a lot of attention from the girls when he
sang. Some started squealing when he began a song.
When the band took their break, Harry cornered George.
“Ok, George, just exactly when is that spell going to wear
off?”
“What spell is that, my young Harry?”
“You know EXACTLY what spell, dear George,” said Harry.
“From the party. You’re not going to TRY to deny it, are
you?”
“Oh THAT spell,” grinned George. “It only works once. One
time only. So if you wanted to... er... do that again, you
could.”
“Not THAT spell,” said Harry. “The OTHER spell.”
“What other spell? We only did the one,” said George.
Harry looked at him quizzically.
“Honest, Harry. There was only the one.”
“Then Fred must have did the other one,” said Harry.
“No,” said George. “We decided together. It was only just
one. Now tell me, young Harry, exactly what IS this other
spell you are talking about?” asked George, mischievously.
Harry walked over to Fred, who had been talking with the
others at the table, and basically had the same conversation.
For the rest of the evening he danced with a few other girls
including, Sylvia Larson, Susan Bones, Lavender Brown,
Professor McGonagal and Madam Pomfrey, but the majority
of dances were with Ginny.
Right before the last song, Dumbledore announced that
when the ball was over, everyone had one half hour to be
INSIDE their Common Rooms. If they were not, they would
turn into a pumpkin.
When the Ball ended, Harry talked a bit with Bill, Fred and
George. He was going to walk Luna back to her Common
Room but Fred and George offered. They wanted to take a
look at the swamp that was left from last year. Professor
Flitwick had left a small portion under a window in their
honor.
Harry walked Ginny back to the Common Room. As soon as
they walked through the portrait hole, several girls
surrounded Ginny congratulating her on her singing talent.
They were full of questions about the Weasley Band. Next
thing Harry knew, he was across the room from Ginny with
masses of students between them.
He knew that he was never going to get over to her and tell
her goodnight alone. He finally caught her eye, they both
smiled and waved goodnight.
Even though he was stopped, yet again, from giving Ginny a
proper goodnight, it was one of the best nights of his life. He
had really enjoyed the evening.
Harry lay in bed thinking. He was pretty sure now that Fred
and George had NOT put a “Love Charm” on him. They did
however, put that “Forgetting Charm” on him. THAT he was
sure of.
He was going to find out WHO put that “Love Charm” on him!
How was he supposed to live normally with that charm
interfering with his thoughts all the time? He got an idea...
* * * *
Chapter 19: Chap 19 - Mysteries
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry learns about love - - A mystery solved but two more come the surface. ---------------
Chapter Nineteen - Mysteries
Harry slept late the following morning. He had such a great
time at the ball and he slept really well. No nightmares... until
he saw Ron’s face. Ron had woke up and was sitting on the
edge of his bed.
“Ron? Did you know you have orange and green stripes on
your face?” asked Harry.
“What?” said Ron, suddenly awake. He ran to the boys
bathroom. “BLIMEY !”
Harry began to laugh. “Ron! What time did you get in last
night?”
Ron blushed. “It was VERY late. I met up with a couple of
girls on the way back and... well.”
“I bet that was what Dumbledore was talking about when he
said you would turn into a pumpkin if you were later than a
half hour getting back!” laughed Harry.
“Shut up, Harry!” scowled Ron.
Harry couldn’t help but laugh even more. Seamus Finnagin
walked over to see what the laughing was about and HE also
had orange and green stripes on his face. Harry laughed
even harder.
“Blimey! Harry, how long you think this is gonna last?” asked
Ron. “I swear that man is MENTAL !”
Harry just laughed all the harder.
Harry went down to breakfast without Ron or Seamus. They
thought they would “wait it out” before being seen in public.
Harry noticed that there were several students with the same
stripes. Harry chortled to himself.
After breakfast, Harry saw Professor Flitwick near the library.
Harry drew him aside. “May I ask you a few confidential
questions?”
“Of course, Harry,” answered Professor Flitwick.
They stepped into an empty classroom. Harry turned red.
“Is there a way to tell if someone has been charmed with a
‘Love Charm’?” he asked.
“Oh yes. Some wizards have the knowledge to test this,” he
answered.
“Could YOU test someone? I know someone who needs to
be tested,” asked Harry.
Professor Flitwick studied Harry for a moment. “If you are
talking about yourself, there is no ‘Love Charm’ upon you.”
“Really?” How can you tell?” asked Harry.
“Firstly, the subject of a ‘Love Charm’ would never suspect
that they were charmed. That is an interrogated part of the
charm. There are no ‘Love Charms’ that I am aware of that
would allow the subject to suspect he or she were charmed,”
he said.
“Oh,” said Harry “That’s interesting.”
“Now of course, there are always ‘Love Potions’. But I think
that is also unlikely in your case,” he added.
“Why is that?” asked Harry.
“For one thing, you are here. If you were under the influence
of a ‘Love Potion’, you would be following some young lady
around right now. Secondly, when a person is under the
influence of a ‘Love Potion’, they don’t question it. In other
words, even if they KNOW they’ve taken it, they don’t care.”
“They don’t care?” asked Harry.
“You see, the person feels so good that they just don’t care
what caused it.”
“Do they feel good all the time?” asked Harry.
“Yes, I think so. Since it only lasts for a short time, I think
that would be hard to judge.”
“When you say a short time, exactly what does that mean?”
asked Harry.
“ ‘Love Charms’ wear off after a few hours, never more than
one day. Similar to the “Cheering Charm” but more complex,
of course.”
“ ‘Love Potions’, no more than twenty-four hours. Usually
when the subject wakes up the next day it is over.”
“So if the charm or potion wears off that quickly, why
bother?”
“Sometimes a person is so desperate, they are willing to try
anything. They are hoping the subject will notice them. It
sometimes works, but rarely does the relationship last.
When it comes to love, both parties have to feel the same or
it just won’t work out.”
“So if it’s not a charm or a potion, what could it be? It is
some kind of strong magic.”
“Of course! Love is the strongest magic there is!”
“Huh?”
“Love is so powerful that even Muggles feel it. Even some
animals, the wolf for example, mates for life. Then, of
course, there are many forms of love. The people around
us, we rarely speak of our love to them, but we love them.
We usually don’t think about it unless there is a crisis, but we
DO love them.”
“Of course, the two strongest forms of love are the love
between a man and woman and the love parents have for
their children.”
“But real love doesn’t hit you suddenly. Like one day you like
them and the next day you love them. I mean suddenly!”
said Harry.
“But of course,” laughed Professor Flitwick. “ It almost
always happens that way. Even with people who have been
seeing each other for a long time. The realization is always
sudden. Usually it has been building up without you realizing
it. Then POW!”
“Other times, it just seems to come out of nowhere. You just
look at them and it bowls you over. Then there is ‘love at first
sight’.“ He smiled.
“Any of these will make you feel like you have just been
‘bewitched’. When love strikes, people refer to it as being
shot by ‘Cupid’s arrow’. Yes, it can feel just like you have
been shot by an arrow, it is that strong. At your age it
happens quite often.”
“Often?” asked Harry.
“Yes, until you find your true love. Haven’t you noticed
teenagers going with someone different after a month or so?
Some have a new sweetheart within a week after breaking
off with their old one. This is all a learning experience.”
“How do you know if it is real love?” asked Harry.
“It’s ALL real love, Harry, but a crush will wear off or fade
the longer you know the other person. As time goes on, you
realize that they are not the one for you. This is all part of
growing up.”
“True love will level off so that you are no longer stammering
most of the time, but it continues to grow and get stronger.
At your age it usually ends up being a crush.”
“Harry, it all feels the same. A crush or true love. Usually by
the time you are an adult you can tell the difference between
love and lust or a crush and true love.”
“Lust?” Harry turned red.
“Ahhhhh lust, yes, well lust is what usually starts the whole
process, but you can feel lust and not be in love. If you can
recognize that the lust exists and look past that, then you will
have a better understanding of love and yourself.”
“You learn to give the relationship time. Time sorts it all out,”
he said smiling.
“Tell your friend to just relax and enjoy the feeling. Tell them
to tell their sweetheart how they feel and see how it goes.”
“I don’t think that will happen, Professor, it’s complicated,”
said Harry.
“All love is complicated. Usually it is a person’s pride that
gets in the way. The fear of not being loved in the same way.
Rejection.”
“I guess that is true, but it is more complicated than that,”
said Harry.
“I see... then there are obstacles... to test the love. If a
couple can’t withstand the obstacles, then it wasn’t meant to
be.”
“So you’re SURE it’s not a charm or potion?” asked Harry.
“If we are talking about YOU, I am sure... If it is one of your
friends, you should be able to figure it out with the
information I have given you,” said Professor Flitwick with a
smile.
“Thank you, Professor,” said Harry.
“Good luck, Harry.”
Harry walked away feeling unsettled. He wanted to be alone
to think, so he headed to the Room of Requirements.
Harry pondered all that Professor Flitwick had told him. So
that meant that he was REALLY in love with Ginny. It was
not a charm or potion. Whether it was a crush or true love,
only time would tell.
He already knew that it wasn’t just lust. He loved her
personality, everything about her.
He didn’t think it was a crush because, when he had a crush
on Cho, and he really did, it did not feel the same way. He
did have butterflies and he stammered in her presence, but
this was much stronger, it was different. Maybe he should
have asked if each time you have a crush it feels stronger or
something.
But he now knew that THAT mystery was solved. No charm.
He was in love. How did he feel about being in love? He
was thinking that he was awfully young to be in love. True
love. If it would have been any other girl, he might just “go
with it” to see how it turns out. But this was Ginny, there
was no room for mistakes.
Obstacles: Ginny, Ron, The Weasleys, Tom Riddle. This
could effect many people or cause great dangers.
Ginny: Does she feel the same way? She DID have a crush
on him when she was younger, but Hermione said that she
was over him. She didn’t blush or become clumsy around
him any more. She also could talk without stammering. He
remembered that she usually would have to leave the room
when he was around. Could she feel that way again?
Being Ron’s best friend and in love with his sister could be
very “touchy”. Ron was a complex person with his emotions.
He showed anger, but when it came to affections, he liked
to cover that up with jokes or an act of indifference.
Ron hinted that he would like Harry and Ginny to be a
couple, but if it happened, he may not really feel the same.
So Ron is an unknown factor, even to himself.
As far as the Weasleys go, he knew that they had great
affection for him. Some perhaps even loved him, BUT we
are talking about their only daughter/sister, the precious baby
of the family. Would they feel that he was BETRAYING their
trust?
Then of course there is Tom Riddle, master villain of the
world. Would it be even more dangerous for Ginny if Riddle
knew of his love for her?
He didn’t think about that when he had a crush on Cho. But
because of Ginny’s past with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of
Secrets, would that add an EXTRA danger because it is her?
All the Weasleys were already in grave danger because of
him and their determination to fight the Dark Lord. That
would be three things against Ginny in Riddle’s eyes.
Harry was beginning to feel anxiety rising. He was tired of
trying to live his life with Tom Riddle always influencing what
he could or could not do. Making him a prisoner. He was
always under someone’s control. He had no freedom. The
only time he had any freedom at all was in his third year
when he got to spend a couple of weeks in Diagon Alley. Of
course, he was being watched even then, but he FELT like
he had some freedom.
Since then, the Dursleys, The Burrow, Grimmauld Place
and Hogwarts. Those were his limits. Now he didn’t even
have The Burrow. Last summer he had hardly seen
daylight, all because Tom Riddle wanted him dead.
Harry was feeling very frustrated with his life. What he
NEEDED was the way to defeat Tom Riddle. How to do it!
To Harry’s amazement a book appeared on the table before
him! THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE.
“WOAH !” croaked Harry. Could this be the answer? Was
all he needed to do, was to ask the Room of Requirement for
the answer?
He hurriedly opened the book. It was a very old thick book.
Maybe even from Medieval times. It had some illustrations
and some pages had scroll work along the edges.
Harry was very excited about reading the book, but
remembered that it was almost noon. He didn’t want to start
reading, only to have to stop in a few minutes. He would go
to lunch, then start reading. So he packed the book carefully
in his book bag and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.
When he arrived, Neville and Hermione were already seated
at the table. He had decided along the way, that he would
not tell them about the book yet. First he wanted to read it
himself. If it looked like the answers were there, THEN he
would tell them about it.
“Ron still feeling a little green around the gills?” chuckled
Harry.
“Yep!” said Neville. “Don’t think we will be seeing much of
him around here today.”
Hermione scowled.
Harry looked around the hall. There were still a few students
with stripes. A few of THEM were acting like it was some
kind of honor or something to “show their stripes”. Harry
wondered if Ron knew this if he would be more apt to have
been “seen”.
Harry was gulping down his food. He wanted to hurry so he
could get back and start reading his book. He was delayed,
however. First by Luna.
“You had a very good time at the ball last night, didn’t you?”
she stated.
“Yes I did. How about you?” he asked.
“Things are going in the right direction,” said Luna
cryptically.
Then, Ginny walked up and sat across from Harry. His heart
jumped. “What are you up to today, Harry?” she asked.
Was that some kind of invitation? Harry wanted to think a bit
more before deciding what he was going to do about Ginny.
“I have a lot of studying to do today. I have a very thick book
that may have a lot of information that I’m looking for,” he
said truthfully.
“Oh. Where’s Ron?” she asked.
“Ron had just a little bit too much fun last night. He...” started
Harry.
“Don’t tell me that he has stripes,” said Ginny.
“Ok, I won’t,” laughed Harry.
Ginny giggled. “Oh! I have to find Colin!” She got up and
rushed from the room.
Harry shook his head. With his stomach full, he went back
to the Room of Requirement. The room had turned itself into
a “reading room”. There was a large recliner chair, with a
floor lamp above it. Perfect for lying back and reading a
good book. Harry settled into the chair and began to read.
Harry sighed. This was not going to be as easy as he
thought. The book was written in English, BUT it seemed to
be OLD ENGLISH. Harry didn’t know Old English. He
found words that he knew but others he didn’t. He got off the
chair and packed up his things.
Off to the Library. He had to find a book to translate Old
English into modern English. He spent several minutes
trying to find the book he was looking for, before he asked
Madam Pince for help.
He got the book and went to a secluded corner. He got out
his parchment and began to write down the words he didn’t
know. Then he tried looking them up. He found that several
of the words were not in the Old English book either.
Actually Old English didn’t even look like English at all!
He was afraid to show the book to Madam Pince to see if she
knew anything about the language. He was afraid that
maybe she would take it away from him for some reason. He
didn’t know WHERE it came from. What if it came from the
Restricted Section of THIS library? He had to leave the Old
English book behind because it was a “reference book”.
When replacing the book back on the shelf he found a book
about Middle English. He glanced through a few pages and
saw that this was more like the text than the Old English.
He sat down and read from the Middle English book. He
knew it would take a lot of study to learn. But what he did
learn, was that it was close to English but with the words
spelt “wrong” and the sentence structure was strange.
He then went to the D.A. Classroom. He found a large piece
of parchment and carefully folded it to make a book cover.
He didn’t want it to get ruined and he also didn’t want the title
seen by anyone. Just in case it was from the Restricted
Section of the Library.
He attempted to read it again. He thought maybe there may
be enough words that he knew, that he could get the jest of
what it was about. It was tedious work. The words he
recognized seem to be put in a sentence in the wrong order.
He had to concentrate very hard to make any sense of it. It
was a very thick book. He figured at this rate it would take
him a year to read it. But he kept at it until it was almost
dinner time.
Ron was sitting at the table along with Seamus, Dean,
Neville and Hermione. Ron and Seamus had a look of pride
in the matter of their “stripes”. Harry looked over to the
Ravenclaw table at Sylvia. She seemed to be a bit put out.
Harry half listened to what everyone was talking about. He
ate his dinner silently.
Luna came over after eating. “Harry, you look terrible.
What’s wrong with your eyes?” she asked.
“Huh? I don’t know. What’s wrong with my eyes?” he asked.
“They are all red. Have you been crying?” she asked softly.
“No, I been reading. I guess I was reading too long,” he
answered.
He thought he had been alone long enough that day, so
when they returned to the Common Room, he stayed. He
asked Ron if he wanted to play some Wizard Chess but Ron
told him that he had a “date” and left.
He took out his book and propped himself up in “Potter’s
Corner”. He was tired, his eyes were burning a little and he
had a slight headache. He sat with the book in his lap but he
was looking across the room at Ginny and Luna. They were
sitting together studying. He was watching Ginny’s every
movement. Next thing he knew, his book had fell to the floor
and woke him up. The girls were still studying. He grunted
and half waved to them as he went up to his dorm.
Soon as Harry’s head hit the pillow, he was awake! Nothing
to do but think about Ginny.
After all the thinking he had been doing about Ginny, it was
time to decide what he was going to do. He had to be VERY
careful.
The best solution would was to wait. Wait until he finished
THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Once he fought Riddle, he
could freely tell her of his love. Hopefully she didn’t fall in
love with someone else in the meantime. Although Ginny
had a crush on him as a child, she may now have other
ideas. After all the years of his not acknowledging her crush,
she may have set her heart against him. Not as a friend but
as a possible love interest.
If that was the case, he could have put her in danger for no
reason. The main thing was to keep her safe. Even if it
meant losing her.
Once he had made his decision, it didn’t take him long to fall
asleep again.
The following Monday was a day that Ron wouldn’t forget for
a long while. At lunch, Ron came stomping to the table and
started grabbing food in a huffy way.
“What’s wrong?” asked Harry.
“Dumbledore, that’s what’s wrong!” growled Ron.
“What did Dumbledore do?” asked Harry.
“Do you see these stripes? All the teachers are taking away
five points from our houses every time someone comes to
class with stripes on their faces!” growled Ron.
Harry burst out laughing. “Sorry, Ron. But I can’t help it.
You were beginning to be a little too PROUD of those stripes.
I’m sure that Dumbledore didn’t want you to be REWARDED
for being late that night.”
“Yeah, well I almost got kicked out of Snape’s class because
of them,” he said.
“Why? What happened?” asked Harry.
“He made his usual snide remarks. Then he asked me
‘When do you suppose you will start coming to my class
without those disgusting stripes on your face?’ And I told him
‘As soon as Dumbledore sees fit to remove them. Why don’t
you ask him?’ Then he proceeded to tell me that I should
keep my remarks to myself or I would no longer be welcome
in his class, as if ! “
“Then he took another five points and threatened to give me
detention if I said another word,” he added.
That evening at dinner, Ron told them that he got deducted
five points for each class because of the stripes.
“All the teachers are in on it,” he said.
“Next time you will listen to Dumbledore,” said Hermione.
“I might be mad right now, but I can tell you. I had enough
FUN to make those stripes worth it,” said Ron, grinning.
The next day the stripes were gone.
Time was against Harry. He had too many things to do and
just not enough time. He had already figured that he didn’t
have enough time to add anything else to his list before he
found the book. But now that he had THE HALF-BLOOD
PRINCE, he HAD to try to read it AND understand it. That
would mean that he had to drop something else that he was
doing. He just didn’t have the TIME.
He had been writing to Lupin every week. They had a little
code so that if anyone found their letters then they wouldn’t
know exactly what they were talking about.
Since they both were trying to keep their letters “safe” it
always took Harry a long time to compose one. He asked
Dumbledore to pass a message to Lupin that his letters
would be much shorter and less of them. They would talk
during the break about it.
He would have to drop his personal studies on the beginners
spells. He had enough to last until Christmas break. He
might have enough time during the break to work on it.
He also had a meeting with the new Defense Against the
Dark Arts teacher, Madam Elizabeth Crane. Madam Crane
laid out the spells that she would be teaching for the next
couple of months in each grade. So he could drop them from
his schedule. He would explain in the D.A. meetings that
these spells would not be covered. They should learn them
from their DADA class.
On the spells he thought most important he would review
them with the D.A. after the break.
It was very difficult for Madam Crane because of the prior
teachers. Lupin was the only one who taught them anything
and he wasn’t even there the whole school year.
Harry considered the Defense Against the Dark Arts class
the most important of all the classes. He was determined
that the students learn to protect themselves.
He had two D.A. meetings every day, now that he had about
two hundred students. That took three hours, sometimes
close to four hours each day. He had to make cut backs
where ever he could.
He had a long talk with Ron about Quidditch practice. He
explained the situation about his time limits. He had to cut
his practice to no more than one hour, forty-five minutes if
possible. Since he didn’t have to know the plays, he really
just needed the flying workout.
His “free class” was used for reading THE HALF-BLOOD
PRINCE on the days that he didn’t have private instruction
from Dumbledore. As time went on, he found that reading
was better during his “free class” because it was so tedious.
If he tried reading when he was really tired, he ended up just
wasting the time.
Dumbledore made an announcement that there would be two
winter balls this year, since there were still no Hogsmeade
weekends. One on the night before Christmas break and the
other on Valentines Day.
The following Sunday, Harry called Ginny and Luna back
after a D.A. meeting. He had a couple of catalogs from
shops that sold dress robes.
“I want you girls to look through these books and find you
some new robes for the ball. We need to get them ordered
as soon as we can, before the rush,” said Harry.
“Harry, I already have robes. I can wear the ones that
Daddy bought,” said Luna.
“Yes, Harry, I have mine too. We can do a little altering and
make them look different,” said Ginny.
“I’m sure you can,” said Harry. “But Sirius wanted you to
have NEW clothes and by Merlin, you are gonna have new
clothes!”
“He didn’t say anything about me,” said Luna.
“Of course he didn’t. He didn’t know about you, you silly.
But you are MY SISTER now. I am SURE that Sirius wants
YOU to have new clothes too,” said Harry.
“Am I right?“ he asked Ginny.
“Well, if you put it THAT way. Yes, I’m sure that Sirius
would want Luna to have new clothes too,” Ginny smiled.
They all sat at the table looking through the books. He told
them to pick something for the Christmas Ball. Father
Christmas would probably be giving them robes for the
Valentines Ball so they needed to pick out a couple more so
that he would have choices for each of them.
He told them not to look at prices. Just select the ones that
they liked. But Harry knew that Ginny was watching the
prices. He could tell what she liked by watching her eyes as
she was looking.
Harry was having a great time watching the girls shop. Luna
choose a peach colored set for Christmas and a lime colored
one for Valentines. Harry tried to get her to choose another
one in addition but she couldn’t find anything else she
wanted.
Ginny was having a hard time choosing too. She complained
that her hair color always made it hard to shop.
Harry watched her closely. She really liked a red velvet one.
She liked the style, but she feared it would clash with her
hair. So she choose a deep blue one for Christmas.
Ginny ended up choosing a soft yellow set and a mint green
for Valentines. He knew they were not her first choices and
that she as trying to keep the cost down.
Near the back of one book was a beautiful gown of white. It
was brocade with tiny pearls woven in. The robe that came
with it was lined with brushed white silk. The price on that
one would choke a hippogriff. They all laughed because, of
course, the pearls were not real but the price seemed to say
different.
Harry asked them about their shoes. At the very back of the
books there was a whole selection of shoes. Most of them
were white except for some brown ones and black ones.
Ginny explained that they would usually choose a white pair
and they would be tinted to match the robes. So they both
choose two styles that they liked.
Harry turned red when he asked them if they needed
anything to wear under the robes. If so to order those too.
The girls giggled as they selected various personal items.
He took their orders but didn’t send them off. He had to
make some arrangements first, but didn’t tell the girls.
He wrote to the catalog service about the red dress. He
wanted to know if he could get a sample of the material. He
wanted to see if that shade of red would look ok with Ginny’s
hair. It was a very deep ruby red in the picture. The robe
was the same shade of red with black brocade trim. It had a
black brocade lining so there would be no problem with her
hair.
A few days later, Harry got a swatch of the dress material.
He very slyly got his answer by gathering some of his
smaller clothing items and bunching them up in a bundle. He
placed the swatch on top. Then he went to the table where
Ginny and Luna were sitting in the Common Room that
evening. He pretended to trip and for the clothing to land on
the girls. With his “wandless magic” he caused the red
swatch to land on Ginny’s head, hanging across her face.
He looked at the color next to Ginny’s hair and face. Then
he apologized many times over for his clumsiness and
bundled the clothes back up. He ordered her the red dress
robe set, that she liked most.
Harry decided to do some homework in the Common Room
most nights so he could visit with Ron a bit more. Ron had
learned to do his homework a bit faster than he used to. He
was going on ‘dates’ quite often.
Hermione was mostly in charge when it came to homework.
She still would help Harry or Ron with a particular hard spot.
Harry was keeping up with his homework, but barely. He
was tired all the time. He felt stretched. On numberous
occasions one of his friends would mention it. He would
shrug it off and keep going. One thing he did do was make
sure he ate all his meals. He finally put on enough weight
that he looked healthy. Although still slim, he was not too
skinny.
Hermione and Neville were considered a “couple” now. They
were almost always seen together. They walked down the
halls holding hands. Neville had started kissing Hermione
goodnight each night, unless Ron was in the room.
One evening at the dinner table, they were all talking about
something trivial. Someone asked Neville a question and he
sat there for quite a long time before answering.
“This must be one of Neville’s ‘hard days’,” said Luna.
“What you mean about ‘hard days’? asked Harry.
“You know, Neville has ‘good days’ and ‘hard days’. Usually
at the beginning of the week he has ‘hard days’ but by the
end of the week he has ‘good days’,” said Luna.
Hermione looked startled. “Yes! You’re right. He does have
‘hard days’ and ‘good days’. I never thought too much about
it before.”
“Neville has always had a hard time with his memory,” Ron
scoffed.
“Yes, but not all the time. Just sometimes,” said Hermione.
“This summer he always was slower on the first days of the
week. By Friday he usually was pretty sharp,” added Harry.
“Neville, do you mind if we ask some of your teachers about
your grades?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t mind. But why?” he asked.
“Maybe Luna has something here,” said Hermione. “Neville,
can you tell when you are going to have a ‘hard day’? I
mean, to you FEEL different on those days.”
“I don’t know,” he answered.
“I’m going to make a journal. That way we can see if there is
a pattern or something that is different on your good or bad
days.”
“Ok,” said Neville.
* * * *
Chapter 20: Chap 20 - Exhausted
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry’s exhausted. What is Ginny doing in Harry’s bed? ---------------
Chapter Twenty - Exhausted Harry
Harry drudged along with all his responsibilities. He was
anxious about getting through until the Christmas break. At
that time, he wanted to get Lupin’s advice about how to be
more efficient with his time. More than a few times, fell
asleep doing homework in the Common Room.
Hermione had started her journal on Neville’s good and hard
days. She said it would take a few weeks before they would
be able to find a “pattern” if there was one.
At lunch, nearing the middle of November, Ginny rushed up
to Harry.
“Thank you, Harry. The robes are beautiful! I can’t wait till
after my last class so I can try them on. I hope it’s going to
go well with my hair,” she said excitedly.
“They’re going to be just fine with your hair and complexion.
If you don’t agree, we can send them back and get you
another color,” said Harry.
“What’s all this?” asked Ron.
“Harry bought Luna and I new dress robes for the Christmas
Ball. Mine arrived this morning. They’re the most beautiful
robes I’ve ever seen!”
“Oh! Thank you, Harry.”
Harry had to restrain himself from puffing up with pride. He
had made Ginny so happy by just buying her something that
she would have chosen herself, if there were no prices in the
book.
Luna came over after eating. Ginny had sat down and had
been describing her new robes to Hermione. She was now
telling Luna about it.
“I thought you were getting blue?” said Luna looking
confused.
“I selected the dark blue, but Harry got me the red ones
instead. He thinks it will be ok with my hair,” said Ginny.
“Harry, what color did you get for me?” asked Luna.
“You are getting the peach ones,” said Harry. “They should
be arriving soon, since Ginny got hers this morning.”
“Oh! That will be just peachy,” said Luna.
Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny giggled.
That evening, Ginny told Harry that the color was going to
work with her hair and fit perfectly. She was very excited
about wearing it. What she didn’t tell Harry was that the
undergarments she had ordered would not work with this
dress. She would have to order them on her own. He would
never know the difference.
A few days later, Luna’s robes arrived. There wasn’t any
problems. She was very happy with hers.
Later in the week, a Friday, Harry fell asleep in Hagrid’s
class, Care of Magical Creatures. Ron poked Harry in the
ribs and woke him, but not before Hagrid had seen. Hagrid’s
feelings were hurt. Harry could see it in his eyes.
After class Harry went up to Hagrid to explain. “I’m so sorry
Professor Hagrid. It’s not like your class isn’t interesting,
I’ve just been staying up too many hours.”
“Yeah, well... “ said Hagrid.
“I promise to TRY to get more sleep before your next class.
You KNOW that you ARE my favorite teacher, right?” asked
Harry.
Hagrid grinned. “I s’ppose I’m at least a step up from ol’
Snape.”
Harry grinned.
That evening, after the last D.A. Meeting. Harry sat at the
table exhausted. There had to be a better way. He was so
tired that he just couldn’t think. He enjoyed the D.A. He
liked teaching the students and he knew that they enjoyed it
too. Many of them wanted to have one or two MORE
meetings a week. There was just NO WAY.
Hermione, Ginny and Luna had stayed to straighten up after
the meeting. They were huddled in the corner of the room
talking about how tired Harry was. They could see that he
was not going to be able to keep up his schedule for much
longer.
They walked over to where he was sitting. Hermione
attempted to explain to Harry that something had to be done
about his schedule. “Harry, you are over-working yourself.
You are going to have to give some of this up,” she said.
“Hermione, give it a rest! I already have enough to worry
about. I don’t need YOU to add to the pressure!” yelled
Harry.
“THAT IS ENOUGH!” yelled Ginny. She pulled her wand out
and pointed at him threateningly. “I told you before, that I was
not going to let you get away with treating your friends this
way. You apologize to Hermione. NOW!” she added.
Harry stormed out of the room. He had had enough. He was
too tired to argue. He wanted to be left alone. He hurried up
to his dorm and flopped down on this bed. Couldn’t they see
that he didn’t need all that? He was doing the best that he
could.
Ron came in. The girls had sent him up to calm Harry down.
“Harry, don’t pay any attention to the girls. They don’t
understand. Don’t know why they think that they need to get
into your business. Interfering females!”
Harry sighed.
Ginny and Luna came into the room.
“Leave Harry alone! Give him a break!” growled Ron.
Ginny pulled out her wand and aimed it in Ron’s face. “Ron,
if you say another word, you will regret it.”
Ron just stood there.
“Ron, I think you should leave. We want to talk to Harry,”
said Ginny.
“This happens to be MY room. You leave,” said Ron.
“Don’t make me have to USE this.” said Ginny, threatenly.
“Will you ALL just leave me alone?” said Harry. “I don’t want
you fighting among yourselves. I told you I’ve had enough
and don’t want to talk about it.”
“Harry, you are going to listen to us. We are your friends.
Do you remember I made a promise that I was not going to
let you get away with stuff? Well, I’m keeping my promise.
You are acting like a prat again! I’m here to stop you.”
Harry just glared at her.
“You need to listen. You are going to make yourself SICK.
You remember the last time you were sick?” said Ginny.
“I’ve been eating!” said Harry.
“I know you have. I’ve been watching, but there is more to
your health than just eating. You have to get some proper
REST too,” said Ginny gently.
“I don’t have time to REST. I could be resting right now, but
you are disturbing me,” he said almost below his breath. He
got up and walked out of the room. They just didn’t “get it”.
He didn’t know where to go to get away, so he went back to
the D.A. classroom.
So Harry sat. Angry - angry at Hermione, Ginny, Luna and
Ron. He stewed on his anger for a while but his exhaustion
was stronger and he fell asleep.
Ginny had let Harry sulk for a while. It had become a pattern
whenever he was upset at Grimmauld Place. After being left
alone for a hour or more, he usually calmed down. He just
needed to cool off, then she would be able to talk to him
again.
It had been closer to two hours when Ginny found him in the
D.A. classroom. He was asleep with his head resting on his
folded arms upon the table.
Ginny gently woke him. “Ah Gin, I was sleeping. It will take
me forever to get to sleep now,” he protested.
“No it won’t. I promise,” she said as she gently guided him
out the door and off to the Common Room.
“Go on up and prepare for bed. I will be up in just a few
minutes,” she told him.
After Harry left the room, Ginny asked Neville if he would go
up with her to his dorm while she talked to Harry. He agreed.
Harry was stumbling around changing his clothes in the cold
room. He felt cranky. She should have just let him sleep.
He already knew that as soon as he got in bed, he would be
wide awake. He was in no mood to be brooding tonight.
Ginny walked in, as he crawled into bed.
“I hope you’re happy,” said Harry sarcastically.
“I am and you will be too,” she said. “Move over.”
Harry was surprised by this, but he moved over on the bed.
“Turn over on your stomach,” said Ginny, as she sat on the
edge of the bed. Ginny reached over and removed his
glasses.
Neville sat silently on his bed and watched.
Harry turned over. Harry was liking this little scene. He
didn’t know what was going to happen but so far it was good.
Then she did something that magic just can’t compare with.
“Ahhhhhhhh,” he moaned. “Ooooooooooo don’t stop,” he
moaned.
Ginny was massaging his back, like she had done last
summer. She felt his muscles through his night shirt. He
was still thin but no longer skinny. She could feel the knots in
his neck and shoulders. She rubbed her thumbs in circles at
the base of his neck.
“Oh Ginny... mmmmmmmmm,” he sighed.
“Harry, I want you to do something for me,” whispered
Ginny.
“Noooooooooooo,” he groaned.
She rubbed her thumbs in big circles on his shoulder blades.
“Harry, I just want to talk to you.”
“Not now... ahhhhhhhhh... right there.”
“Please... tomorrow morning after breakfast, just you and
me, alone,” she whispered.
“All right, anything you want. Just don’t stop,” he groaned.
Ginny smiled. “No problem, Harry,” she purred.
She slowly massaged with her thumbs all the way down to
his waist, then worked her way back up to the top of his
head. Somewhere in the middle he fell asleep. She
continued to rub his back a few more minutes for good
measure. He deserved this little pleasure.
The next morning, Harry felt better than he had in a very long
time, his neck felt great. He didn’t even know that it had
been hurting, but this morning it felt all loose and easy to
turn. He whistled a little tune as he leaped down the stairs
and off to the Great Hall.
Hermione, Neville and Ron were already there eating. Harry
was filling his plate, when Neville got up and sat on the other
side of Harry.
“Do you remember last night?” asked Neville.
“Which part?” asked Harry.
“Ginny.”
“Which part?” asked Harry.
“The back rub,” whispered Neville.
“Oh yeah,” said Harry grinning.
“That must have been the most erotic sounding back rub in
the world,” said Neville.
“Shhhhhh,” whispered Harry, blushing. He didn’t want Ron to
hear.
Ginny came up to the table and made herself a bacon and
egg sandwich. She decided to sit down and eat it along with
a glass of pumpkin juice.
“Ginny, I was wondering... could I get one of those...” started
Neville.
Ginny gave him a look that would have stunned a basilick.
Neville turned red, then moved back to his seat beside
Hermione.
Harry grinned.
After they finished eating, Harry casually walked towards the
doors to leave the room, but Ginny caught up with him.
“So you thought that you were going to escape me this
morning? You didn’t seem to mind my company last night,”
Ginny teased.
Harry blushed, then decided that he would not win an
argument with Ginny this morning so he held out his elbow
for her to take. They decided they would go outside for their
private talk. Once outside, the wind was blowing so hard
and icy that they had no choice but to enter the castle again.
They decided that the Room of Requirement would be the
most private. It became a small room with a table and two
wooden chairs. They sat across from each other. Neither
saying anything for a few minutes.
Finally Ginny took Harry’s hand and spoke. “Harry, I’m not
here to yell or lecture you. I only want to help you,” she said
gently.
“Ginny, you CAN’T help me any more than you already
have. You have OWLS and Quidditch this year. You’re
probably already behind in your studies because of me. I
can’t ask any more from you or Luna. Ron has Prefect
duties AND the Captain of the Quidditch team. Hermione has
Prefect duties and Neville has taken on a couple of extra
meetings that makes his obligations equal to everybody
else.”
Harry looked down at his watch.
“Harry, you have put too much pressure on yourself. Stop
looking at your watch. Please.”
“I have a meeting in forty-five minutes,” said Harry.
“Don’t worry about that meeting. It’s covered.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly that. Hermione is covering the meeting for you.”
“But I have to be there,” said Harry.
“No. She will explain to class that you are not available
today.”
“But... ”
“Do you think that Hermione will let them get away without a
proper lesson?” Ginny grinned.
“Well, no. But I just can’t miss a meeting for nothing. I need
to go. So you better start talking fast. Because I’m going to
the meeting.”
“You’re not missing the meeting for nothing, Harry. You’re
missing it so that you can talk to me,” said Ginny.
“As much as I love to talk to you, I can talk to you later. After
the second meeting or something,” said Harry.
“No, Harry. You said you would talk to me this morning. I
am holding you to that.”
“I’m talking to you now. So what is it that you want to say?”
Ginny sighed. “Harry, that meeting is not for forty-five
minutes and you are already anxious. Relax.”
“Ok. I’m relaxed. Go ahead,” said Harry impatiently.
“We want you to talk to Dumbledore,” said Ginny nervously.
“What? Why do you want me to talk to him?” asked Harry.
“Because, we can’t think of any way to get everyone trained
without exhausting you. We need help,” said Ginny.
“I already talked to him about this,” said Harry.
“What did he say?” asked Ginny, surprised.
“He wanted me to cut back to only sixth and seventh year
students. I told him I was not going to turn anyone down,”
said Harry.
Ginny bit her lip. She hadn’t expected this.
“I’m sure that Hermione didn’t take that into consideration
when she talked you into this, did she?” smirked Harry.
“Actually Hermione didn’t talk me into this. I talked HER out
of talking to you,” said Ginny.
“Why?”
“Doesn’t matter... ” Ginny wanted to think a moment so she
didn’t add any more.
“You see? I don’t think there is any better way than the way
I’m doing it now,” said Harry sadly.
“Please go talk to him, maybe he has come up with a better
idea since then,” asked Ginny.
“It won’t do any good. Why don’t you go talk to him if you
really think it would do any good?” ask Harry.
“I already did,” said Ginny with a tear rolling down her cheek.
Harry’s heart was touched by her tear. He hated to see
Ginny cry. “You did?” he asked gently.
“Yes.” She turned her head and wiped the tear away.
“When?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me that he would not interfere with your project. It
would be up to you to come to him.”
“But I already talked to him about it,” said Harry.
“When?”
“Right after Hogsmeade. When everyone started asking.”
“Maybe he has better idea now. Look, it wouldn’t hurt
anything just to talk to him.”
“What if he decided that I can’t handle it and he closes down
the D.A. ? What then?” asked Harry anxiously.
“We’ll do what we did the last time. Sneak it!”
“Last time we had about thirty students. This time we got two
hundred. How you think we could hide two hundred
students?” asked Harry.
“We would manage. We always do.”
“You are starting to sound like Luna,” said Harry.
“Luna can be quite enlightening sometimes,” said Ginny.
“Ok I’ll tell you what, I will go to Professor McGonagal and
see when Dumbledore is available. No promises, mind you.”
“Eh Harry...”
“What?”
“Well, I already went to Professor McGonagal and she... she
gave me the password to use for today,” said Ginny meekly.
“You what? In other words, you made an appointment for me
to see him?” asked Harry, outraged.
“Not exactly, now don’t get mad. Calm down. You see, I
made an appointment for a student to see him. Didn’t say
exactly which student. “
“Ginny that is devious, that is,” said Harry.
“Well, I have lived around Fred and George all my life. What
do you expect?” Ginny grinned.
“That is not Fred and George’s style. That is Ginny
Weasley’s style.”
“Ok I admit it. Now will you go?” asked Ginny with the
sweetest smile she could muster.
“Ok, what time? And what’s the password?”
“In about twenty minutes, “Pumpkin Pasties,” said Ginny.
“Twenty minutes. I see. Made sure I’d miss that meeting.
All right, but I think I deserve another back rub for that,” he
looked at her sheepishly.
“I only gave you that back rub because I had disturbed your
sleep last night.”
“I’m sure I won’t sleep well tonight either.”
“I see you LIKE back rubs.”
“Yes I do. It was almost perfect.”
“Almost?” said Ginny, cocking her eyebrow.
“If I would have had a butterbeer AND a back rub. Now that
would have been perfect,” said Harry.
At that moment a mug of warm butterbeer appeared on the
table.
“Ha! There it is! Now if only I knew someone who would
give me a back rub. THAT would be perfect!” laughed
Harry.
“Ok, I will massage your neck. But only for a couple of
minutes. You also have to share that butterbeer or the deal’s
off,” added Ginny.
“You drive a hard bargain.”
Ginny took a large drink out of the mug and stood behind
Harry. She began to rub her thumbs on each side of his
neck. Harry moaned. She continued to slowly move her
thumbs up to about midway on his head.
Harry was in heaven. He reached over and took a drink of
the butterbeer and totally relaxed as Ginny massaged his
shoulders. Harry closed his eyes and smiled, completely
contented.
Ginny took another sip, then massaged his shoulders for
only a couple more minutes. Then stopped.
“Don’t stop, Ginny.”
“I have to. You will fall asleep and miss your appointment.”
“You could send Hermione to explain why I missed the
meeting,” Harry said sheepishly.
“Oh Harry! Ok. I deserved that.”
* * * *
Dumbledore’s Office:
“Good morning, Harry.”
“Headmaster.”
Behind Dumbledore, Fawkes sat upon his perch. Fawkes
sang a few notes to welcome Harry.
“Hello Fawkes,” said Harry. Fawkes nodded to Harry.
Harry had a strong affection for Fawkes and always seem to
feel better whenever Fawkes sang to him.
“What can I do for you today, Harry?” asked Dumbledore.
“I was sent here to talk to you about the D.A..”
“I see.”
Harry felt uncomfortable. He didn’t want to ask him again
about help. Now that he was here, he had no choice.
“I would like to know if you have any advice about how to
schedule my time,” said Harry.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come for help for a very long
time,” said Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye.
“You have?” asked Harry, astonished.
“Of course, no one would be able to handle your schedule for
long. Sooner or later you would have to ask for advice. I
was hoping sooner.”
“Why didn’t you ask me before?” asked Harry.
“Because, Harry, I have promised myself not to interfere with
you and the D.A. You seem to feel that I interfere with your
life too much as it is. Since you have taken it upon yourself
to ASK, I will surely help you as much as I can.”
“I believe if you only ask yourself the correct questions, you
will be able to improve your situation immensely.”
“What questions would those be?” asked Harry.
“What is your goal for the D.A.?”
“Goal?”
“What do you wish to accomplish?” asked Dumbledore.
“For the students to be trained to protect themselves from
Death Eaters,” said Harry.
“I see. How will you know if a student is trained?” asked the
professor. “In other words, when is his or her training
complete?”
Harry thought a moment.
“Another question... If Hogsmeade or the castle were under
attack right now, other than your top students, which
students would you feel comfortable about sending in to
fight? What would be the minimum spells they should
know?”
“Patronus Charm - Shield charm - Disarming charm - stuns -
first aide - back to back fighting - blocking - tie and binding -
Summoning Charm .“
“How many students can do all these spells?
approximately.”
“Between thirty and fifty, I believe,” answered Harry.
“Now, how many students can do all these spells except the
Patronus Charm? Meaning, they know the charm but can’t
perform it?” asked the Headmaster.
“My guess is a little over one hundred,” answered Harry.
“That many? I am very impressed, Harry.”
“Now, about the ‘Patronus Charm’ in particular, you do
realize that the students that CAN perform the charm, may or
may not be able to perform it in battle?”
“Yes.”
“You also know that ones that know the charm but haven’t
been able to complete it MAY be able to use it if it came
down to it?” asked Dumbledore.
“Yes, it is possible,” said Harry.
“Harry, one of the hardest thing for a new teacher to learn is
when to ‘let go’. Every teacher in this school wants every
student to learn EVERYTHING in their class,” said
Dumbledore. “Can you imagine knowing EVERYTHING that
is taught in all your classes?”
“I guess not,” said Harry, thinking about Devination and
History of Magic.
“You also know that when students leave THIS school, that
they are not finished with their education. Many will go on to
higher learning for specific training. Auror Training comes to
mind,” added Dumbledore.
Harry nodded.
“In order to teach your students effectively, you MUST have
a preset goal in mind. It seems that more than half your
students have already reached your goal,” said Dumbledore,
as he waited for that to sink in.
“But they don’t want to stop at that level. They want to learn
more than that. There is a WAR going on. They need to
learn as much as possible,” said Harry.
“Of course they do, AND I’m sure that many WILL learn more
defense spells,” said Dumbledore.
“Are you trying to tell me that I should drop more than half my
students?” asked Harry outraged.
“Yes, Harry I am.”
“No! They don’t want to quit. They want to learn as much as
they can.”
“I’m not saying that they should quit,” said Dumbledore with
a twinkle in his eye.
“Then what ARE you saying?” asked Harry.
“I’m saying that YOU should stop teaching them when they
arrive at a certain level. They can continue to learn as much
as their time allows.”
“How?” asked Harry.
“By continuing to have D.A. meetings. Only YOU will not be
teaching those classes. Harry, you have taken on more
than any other teacher in this school. PLUS - you are also a
STUDENT in this school. No one can keep up that pace.”
“As a TEACHER, you need to learn when it is time to let
your students ‘move on’ at their own pace,” he said.
“You mean that there can be D.A. meetings without me as
instructor?” asked Harry.
“Yes. The D.A. is considered a ‘club’. There can be other
instructors in the club meetings. I would suggest that you
choose a few more students that you think are capable of
controlling and instructing classes to teach the higher levels.
I take it that you have plans already in place for these higher
levels of education?”
“Yes. I have quite a few new spells I was planning to
introduce,” said Harry.
“You could teach them to your chosen instructors and have
THEM teach them,” said Dumbledore, smiling.
Harry still looked disappointed.
“Harry, I can say without a doubt that you are one of the best
teachers this school has ever seen. Not only have you
taught your students very well, but every student you have,
wants to learn and continue to learn. How jealous the other
teachers must be !”
“Learn to ‘let go’, Harry. Your students will still continue to
learn, but you will accomplish a lot more by restricting your
time. You also have been neglecting one of the most
important lessons I have tried to teach you,” said
Dumbledore.
“I have? I’ve tried so HARD to keep up with everything.”
“I know you have. But one of the most important things I
have tried to teach you, you don’t think of as important. And
that is to learn to enjoy life. You need to laugh, Harry. It is
important! I see that you can expertly ‘cut a rug’, but I can
only have so many balls each year. Three or four is about
tops. You have to have fun more often than that.”
“Why do you think that is so important?” asked Harry.
“Because if you don’t learn the pleasures that life has, life
isn’t worth living. There are people who become sour, dried
up. They don’t seem to have any pleasure in their lives. I’m
sure you have met a few of them in your short lifetime. You
don’t want to become like them,” said Dumbledore seriously.
“Ok.” said Harry. “I think I understand.”
“So how do I go about ‘letting go’?” Harry sighed.
“I think that for the rest of today and tomorrow that you go
over your plans again. Perhaps Miss Granger will volunteer
to help you with the details. I should think if it is done
correctly that you would have three D.A. classes per week.
Of course, you will still need your student teachers to help
with instruction. But I think it could be cut down to as few as
three per week.”
“They should be cut that much?”
“Yes, I think so. You will be surprised how many students
you will still be able to teach in that much time. Don’t forget
that the other D.A. classes will continue. I would think that
from time to time you would be ‘popping in’ for class
inspections. To see that things are going according to plan.”
“Your students will still be learning, but YOU will have
some time to ‘live’,” said Dumbledore with a huge smile.
Harry started to rise. His feelings were mixed.
“Harry, you are NOT a failure, if that is what you are
thinking, far from it.”
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 21: Chap 21- Re-Organized
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Does Neville have a clue? - Ginny’s date - - Harry’s encounter ---------------
Chapter Twenty-one - Re-organized
That weekend was spent re-organizing Harry’s schedule with
the D.A. The group had made suggestions as to whom
among the students could manage a meeting. In the end
they were satisfied with their choices.
The D.A. would continue to have fourteen meetings each
week. Two each day of the week, but Harry would only be
teaching in three of them. Harry pondered afterwards that
Dumbledore had figured that exactly right, three.
Harry did, however, have one more meeting each week.
That was a meeting of the staff members. To keep up on
who was teaching what in each class.
Harry had apologized to Hermione several times over for
snapping at her. Hermione was gracious in her acceptance.
They were sitting around the table in the D.A. Classroom late
that night after they had gotten the schedules in order.
“Still no word about WHO will become the new Minister of
Magic. Sure wish they would pick someone. It just seems
weird not having one,” said Ron.
“What?” asked Harry.
“The new Minister of Magic, still waiting,” answered Ron.
“What happened to Fudge?” asked Harry.
“Harry! Where have you been?” asked Hermione.
“Huh?” muttered Harry.
“Merlin’s beard! Harry are you saying that you don’t
remember Fudge getting run out of the Ministry?” asked
Ron.
“Harry? What’s wrong? You’re frightening me,” said
Hermione.
“I don’t know. When did this all happen?” asked Harry.
“Right after Hogsmeade, Harry,” answered Ginny. “We
were all in the Common Room talking about it. You don’t
remember? It seems you made a comment at the time.”
“What did I say?” asked Harry, feeling confused.
“Hmmmm, I don’t remember exactly but you were there when
we were talking about it,” said Ginny.
“He said ‘the git’,” said Luna.
“I always say that.” Harry nervously laughed. “So who’s in
charge at the Ministry?”
“Madam Bones. She is temporarily holding the office. The
Ministry is in such a turmoil that no one can agree on
anything. Of course, Voldemort has kept them so busy with
all the violence that they really haven’t had much time to
discuss the matter, according to the Daily Prophet,” said
Hermione.
Harry was feeling very disturbed that he didn’t remember the
conversation. He felt that something as important as this, he
would have remembered.
“Harry, that happened around the time that you were getting
all the newest students. You were concentrating on how to
place them. You were in the middle of adding more classes.
I think that when we were discussing it, you just weren’t
paying attention,” said Ginny gently.
“After you added all the new classes, you were so busy with
teaching and trying to keep up with your school work that you
were too tired to pay attention to anything other than that.”
“We were worried. You had taken on too much for any one
person to handle. That’s why we tried to make you see
reason. I’m sorry, Harry. We should have stepped in a
sooner,” said Ginny.
Harry turned beet red. He was ashamed. He had only
wanted to protect as many as he could. He didn’t have the
common sense to see that one person couldn’t do it all.
Was he arrogant enough to think that he was the only person
who could manage it?
“Harry, you did not fail. You just care so much. You knew
something needed to be done. You were trying to help
people but didn’t want to intrude upon others, so you put it all
upon yourself. You always seemed to worry about our time
limits but forgot to set limits for yourself,” added Ginny.
“Everyone will get trained. All the classes are going to
continue. Everything will work out in the end,” said Luna.
Harry smiled. Luna always seemed to put everything in
perspective.
“What about Umbridge and Percy?” asked Harry.
“Last we heard Umbridge was still in St. Mungo’s. I haven’t
heard anything about Percy. Mum and Dad would not be
writing to us about that. Maybe during break we’ll find out,”
said Ron.
“Anything else of major importance that I missed out on?”
asked Harry.
“Don’t know. Since we thought you knew about the Ministry,
who knows?” said Ron, laughing.
“What about Neville’s ‘good days’ and ‘hard days’? You
figure anything out yet?” asked Harry.
“Only that Neville seems to have his ‘hard days’ nearest the
beginning of the week,” said Hermione. “There is definitely
a pattern, usually on Monday or Tuesday. We just haven’t
figured out what he does differently over the weekend.”
“He does his mail on Sunday and sometimes he gets mail on
Monday,” said Harry.
“Mail?” asked Hermione.
“Yes, he ALWAYS reads his mail on Sunday,” said Harry.
“Yes I do. On Mondays I sometimes get mail from Uncle
Algie. Sometimes he sends mail on Sunday or Monday,”
said Neville.
“Today you are having one of your ‘good days’. Have you
read your mail today?” asked Ginny.
“No, we’ve been working on the D.A. all day so I didn’t do
my mail yet. I will probably read it tonight,” said Neville.
“Who do you get mail from?” asked Hermione.
“Gran mostly and Uncle Algie, they usually write to me after
they have visited Mum and Dad,” said Neville turning a little
pink.
“Why are you embarrassed, Neville?” asked Ginny. “You
have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I know, but Gran... well she... don’t like it if I keep the little
gifts my Mum gives me. She says I’m too old to be keeping
them. They are only trash, but I like to keep them. I feel that
she is in there somewhere, that she remembers me. Uncle
Archie sometimes sends them to me. Gran don’t know about
those,” said Neville.
“What does she give you?” asked Luna.
Hermione explained to Luna about Neville’s parents and
about the gum wrappers that Mrs. Longbottom would give to
Neville when he visits.
“Maybe they’re a clue,” said Luna.
“A clue to what?” asked Ron.
“I don’t know,” said Luna.
“Maybe just a clue to let him know that she is aware,” said
Hermione.
“You think they are encoded or something?” asked Ron.
“That would be very unlikely,” said Hermione. Mrs. and Mr.
Longbottom probably would not have enough... concentration
to send encoded messages.”
“Do you have any of those here at school?” asked Harry.
“Yeah, Uncle Algie sends them sometimes. I also have
brought a few. I usually bring some at the beginning of
school,” said Neville, ashamed.
“Neville, why are you embarrassed? Those are something
from your MUM,” said Harry.
“I know, but Gran says I’m too old to be holding on to them,
that it’s childish,” said Neville.
“I don’t think it is childish at all,” said Harry.
“Maybe we should look at them,” suggested Harry.
“Ok,” said Neville.
The all left the D.A. Classroom and went to “Potter’s Corner”
in the Common Room. Neville went to the his room and
came back with a handful of them.
Harry examined them carefully. They were all the same,
Drubbles gum wrappers.
Hermione went to her dorm and came back with a
magnifying glass and her revealer.
Harry looked at each gum wrapper under the magnifying
glass. They all looked the same. Then he rubbed each one
with the revealer, front and back.
“No luck,” said Harry. “Nothing.”
“Are you going to be seeing your parents over the Christmas
break?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. We usually go see them at least twice. On
Christmas and usually the day before I come back to school,”
said Neville.
“If she gives you any more, could you bring them to school
when we get back?” asked Harry.
“Sure, but I don’t think it will do any good,” said Neville.
“That’s ok. I just want to look at the latest ones so see if
there is any difference. Probably won’t be, but just to see,”
said Harry.
“Ok,” said Neville.
They made plans for the Christmas break. Hermione and
Neville would be joining them at Grimmauld Place the day
after Boxing Day if they were allowed.
It didn’t take Harry long to get used to the new schedule. He
did have to fight off the feeling that he should be at all the
meetings. Hermione had advised him to wait at least a
week before “popping in” on any classes. He needed to
wean himself off.
Although he did have more time now, he was still using up
most of it reading THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. It was
getting easier for him to read now. He was getting used to
the misspellings and sentence structure. He did have to
concentrate, but it was going along a little faster now.
So far, the story was about a wizard family that owned a lot
of land. The man in the story was a very kind land owner.
Even though he was kind, he was rapidly increasing his
profits and acquiring very large portions of land. He was
now very rich and powerful. He had a very large family,
eight children. His oldest son was named George. He
raised him to be kind to the people who worked the lands.
He was taught to give extra money to them when the profits
were high. And on Christmas each family was given a hog,
six chickens and extra money. The father and son were
both loved dearly by their peers and the people who worked
the lands.
Harry didn’t know where this was going, but he felt that the
author was stressing the idea that this family was very kind,
yet powerful.
It was getting colder each day. Quidditch practice was
becoming a chore in this cold. Saturday was the next game
against Ravenclaw. Ron was starting to become obsessed
again. Harry figured that it was natural for the Quidditch
Captain to do this, since so far every team captain he knew
did it. Harry smiled. It was good for Ron to have a passion
for something ... other than girls.
It seemed that Ron had become quite the “ladies man” since
the last ball. He quite often had dates with two girls at once.
He had already said that he would be taking two girls to the
Christmas Ball. Harry was slightly amused by this, but also
confused at the same time.
Ron, Dean and Seamus would start bragging about their
conquests. Harry and Neville usually ended up leaving the
room when they started giving details. They would just laugh
at them for being “squeamish”.
Harry felt he was a normal guy, but he felt it was wrong for
the boys to talk about things that were private. Talking about
girls who must have deep feelings for them. He felt that it
just wasn’t right and he did not want to encourage them by
listening to their wild tales.
He certainly knew why Neville wasn’t talking. Even though
Ron had been “seeing” other girls, neither of them knew
what Ron was really feeling about Hermione. Harry didn’t
think that Neville would talk about private moments with
Hermione anyway.
Neville and Hermione were getting along all right as far as
Harry could tell. They didn’t seem to have a great “passion”
for each other. They seemed to act perfectly natural around
each other. Other than holding hands and a good night kiss,
that was all the affection they seemed to show.
Luna was, well for a lack of a better word, weird. She told
Harry that she was going to the ball with the same one she
went with last time. Since she went alone, he didn’t really
know what she meant. Of course, it could have been one of
her “off the wall” jokes.
The ground was frozen on Saturday morning of the
Ravenclaw/Gryffindor Quidditch game. Ron couldn’t eat
breakfast. Luna told them that she would write that down on
her calendar. Ginny and Harry both ate a light breakfast.
Ron continued to carry on about Ravenclaw having a really
good team this year. Harry felt that since they had a new
Seeker this year and a few other new players, that they
wouldn’t be that strong a team.
Once the game began, Harry saw that they were a fine team
but nothing extraordinary. The sun was shining but it was icy
cold. Ginny’s face was red from the cold, but she was flying
spectacularly. She scored several goals in the first few
minutes. Then the Ravenclaw team started focusing on her.
Ron took her out for a while but there was no improvement in
the scores so he brought her back in. Shortly after, Harry
caught the Snitch. The other Seeker didn’t even see it, so it
was an easy catch.
They now had a very good chance at the cup. Ron was
already starting to panic about the game against Slytherin,
even before they got back to the Common Room for the
celebration from this game.
Lee Gordon had smuggled in some butterbeer so Harry was
very content sitting before the fire listening to Ron’s
commentary of the game. This was about as good as it gets
for Harry.
Harry continued to catch up on must needed rest. His school
work was completely caught up and his reading was coming
along nicely.
The first week of December proved to be one of the coldest
winters for as long as Harry could remember. There was
now snow on the ground. Harry worried about Hedwig
freezing in the owlery, but when he took her a large piece of
bacon early one morning, she appeared to be just fine.
Ginny had gotten a date for the ball. Harry’s heart turned a
flip when he heard it from Luna. He would have to “grin and
bear it”. Since he hadn’t ask her, he had no right to say
anything about it. She deserved to have a date and have
fun.
Ginny had been asked to the ball by three boys. She was
trying to hold out in case Harry would ask her. He had had a
few weeks to get used to his new schedule and he still
hadn’t asked her. He still took time to speak to her and still
seemed to be staring at her sometimes. She came to the
conclusion that if he hadn’t asked by now, he never would.
Justin had asked her, but she knew she would never be
interested in him. There wasn’t anything wrong with him.
She just wasn’t interested.
Michael Corner had asked also. There was too much history
behind their relationship and the least thing that Michael
needed right now was a date with another girl that would
rather be with Harry Potter.
What she didn’t know (nor did Harry), was that most of the
boys considered her Harry’s girl and most dared not
approach her.
Two weeks to go and still he didn’t ask, so when Gary West
asked her a second time, she accepted. He was from
Hufflepuff, seventh year. At least a foot taller than Harry.
Blonde with blue eyes, very straight teeth, broad shoulders,
as handsome as they come. She didn’t really know him at
all. Only that he was handsome and he had asked her out.
She had decided that she would not wear “Harry’s dress” to
the ball. When she thought of the red dress, her thoughts
always called it “Harry’s dress”. Although Harry probably
wouldn’t know any different, she felt that wearing his dress
on a date with someone else would not feel right. So she
had not ordered the strapless that had to be worn with it.
She was going to wear the brown one she had worn to the
Harvest Ball. She had some pretty green lace and some red
beads that she was going to add to the brown dress. When
she finished, it would look like a completely different dress.
A couple of days after Ginny had accepted his invitation, she
noticed that Gary was a little more “forward” than she
expected. He started catching up with her and walking her to
class. He was nice enough, but she was getting wary. He
kept trying to get her to “go out” with him. Which didn’t take
her long to figure out, meant going to a broom closet. She
let him know that that was “not gonna happen”.
By the end of the week, he was getting more aggressive.
He was trying to kiss her at the Gryffindor door. She let him
once, that was a big mistake. He thought that was an
invitation to some heavy snogging. He was looking at her
like she was not wearing anything. Of course lots of boys did
that, but he looked like he KNEW exactly what she looked
like without clothes.
On Monday evening, she couldn’t take it any more. She told
him that she was sorry but she had changed her mind about
going with him to the ball. He got a little angry but in the end
he accepted it graciously.
She felt better now that the date was canceled. She didn’t
like the idea that he wanted to kiss her without even knowing
her. She decided she would rather not go at all than to go
with this “stranger”.
Harry had had his own encounter during this time. Ron
decided that since Harry and Ginny had broken up, that
Harry needed a date. Harry tried to explain that he and
Ginny had NOT broken up. They never were dating. But
that seemed to go over Ron’s head.
“Harry, Ginny is going to the ball with someone else, that
should give you a CLUE that you have broken up!” said Ron.
“It’s time for you to start dating. I know a few girls that will
show you a good time,” said Ron with a grin.
Harry didn’t want any part of this. But one evening after D.A.
he was talking to a lovely girl from Hufflepuff. She had long
brown hair and big blue eyes. She was definitely pretty.
Everyone had left the class and they were alone in the D.A.
Classroom.
They had been talking about defense spells and lessons at
first, then she got quiet. He really didn’t have anything more
to say to her. He didn’t KNOW her. He tried to think of
something to say, but nothing was coming to mind. She
was standing very close to him and it seemed that she was
getting closer with every second. Then she put her arms
around his neck and pulled him against her and kissed him.
Her kiss was deep and long. He liked this... at first. Each
kiss seemed to get more passionate. For a while, he was
going along with it, but his mind was racing. He didn’t even
know her name. He was kissing her and didn’t know her
name!
He was enjoying it but couldn’t justify his passion so he
started to pretend that she was Ginny. That worked for a
moment, but then... she didn’t smell right. She probably
didn’t taste right either. It was not Ginny. How could he dare
kiss this girl and pretend she was Ginny.
He was starting to feel sick to his stomach. This girl was
giving him affection that he craved so much. He was taking
advantage of her. Even though SHE was the one who was
kissing him, he needed to stop it. She was, apparently, one
of the girls who was in love with “The Boy Who Lived”.
Did she think that he “liked” her? He didn’t even know her
name, for Merlin’s sake!
Harry panicked inside. He didn’t know exactly how to get out
of this situation. So he did something he thought he would
never do, he pretended that his scar was hurting.
“Ouch! Oh! My scar is hurting really bad. I need to go see
Professor Dumbledore! Do you think you could get back to
your Common Room ok ?”
“Oh Harry. I’m so sorry. No, you go see the Professor. I
will be just fine. Hurry!”
Harry left the room and rushed over to the entrance of
Professor Dumbledore’s office. He waited around for a little
while, to make sure she was not in sight, then he went to the
Room of Requirement to think.
He was disgusted with himself. How could he do that?
He beat himself up mentally for a while. Then he came to
the conclusion that he was not completely at fault in this
situation. The girl was partly at fault too.
His fault was in his being a “celebrity”, as Snape had put it.
What the girl had fallen to, was “hero worship”. It was up to
him to keep a watch on his emotions around these girls.
He felt that he learned a valuable lesson tonight. He also
decided that he had over-reacted. It was only a few kisses.
Nothing more. He didn’t touch her inappropriately or
anything. It was just that HE felt that kisses meant more than
that. They should be shared with someone you really cared
about.
If a girl approached him aggressively again, he would know
to flee before things got out of hand, or just not get put in a
position that he was alone with one. He sighed.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 22: Chap 22 - Christmas Ball
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ginny has a howling time - - Will the dress go to the ball? - - How man people does it take to make a date at Hogwarts this year? ---------------
Chapter Twenty-two - Christmas Ball
Wednesday, at dinner, it began to snow. The nights sky in
the ceiling looked beautiful through all the hundreds of
floating candles. Harry was lazily enjoying his dinner. For
some reason the snow gently falling upon the ceiling,
seemed to soothe him. After his D.A. meeting he went to the
Room of Requirement. From there he wandlessly
summoned his HALF-BLOOD PRINCE book.
He had made it a habit to summon his books this way, if no
one else was around. It was good practice and it made it so
nice not to have to carry his school books around.
He read for less than an hour, when he became sleepy. He
knew better than to read too long. It only wasted his time
when he couldn’t concentrate.
So Harry was back in the Common Room earlier than usual.
Luna was just leaving when he arrived. Hermione, Ron and
Neville were nowhere in sight when he flopped down in his
usual corner.
Ginny came over to say “hello”.
“I guess everyone went to bed early,” said Harry, yawning.
“No, I think they are all ‘out’,” said Ginny, as she sat down
beside him.
“Why don’t you sit down and tell me what you been up to
lately?” said Harry grinning.
Ginny smiled. “Not too much. O.W.L.s of course. I’m so
glad that the Christmas break is coming soon. I need to let
my brain clear out for a while.”
“Me too. Of course, I have lots of things planned this year.
So I will be using my brain quite a bit before Christmas, but
after Christmas I plan to let it vegetate,” he said.
“What you got planned for Christmas?” she asked, smiling.
“Never you mind, young lady. Father Christmas has told me
some secrets and they are not to be shared with the likes of
you.”
Ginny pretended to pout.
“You all ready for the ball, then? Got everything together?”
he asked.
Ginny blushed. She didn’t really know how to tell him. She
hadn’t planned on telling him.
“erm”
“What exactly does that mean?” asked Harry.
“Well... I’m not going,” said Ginny softly.
“What? Of course you are. You have a date and
everything.”
“Not exactly.”
“What happened? Did that guy hurt you? What did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything, Harry. I just changed my mind.”
“Of course, he did something. You wouldn’t just... just
change your mind. Something happened,” said Harry,
starting to get angry.
“It just didn’t work out. Don’t get yourself all worked up. It
was nothing.”
“I don’t believe you. You were looking forward to going.
Come on now, spill it.”
Ginny sighed. She was not going to tell him EXACTLY what
happened. He would just start playing “big brother” again.
There was no point in it.
“I just made the wrong choice is all. He didn’t do anything. I
shouldn’t have told him I would go with him. I didn’t even
know him. I should have went with one of the others that
asked, the ones I knew,” she sighed.
“It was kind of weird. I just thought that... well... he was a
stranger. Maybe if I knew him longer or something, I don’t
know. But I got myself in a situation that I was not
comfortable in, so I asked him to... well, I told him that I was
sorry but didn’t want to go with him. There! now I told you.”
“But what about your new dress robes? I was looking
forward to seeing them on you,” said Harry.
“I guess you are just going to have to wait for another time.”
“But that dress needs to go to the ball. It can’t just hang in
your wardrobe, while there’s music playing down there,” said
Harry, teasingly. “That dress was made to dance at a ball. I
was looking forward to it.”
“Then you’re going? Who’s the lucky girl?” asked Ginny.
“No one. I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t thought about
going to the ball,” said Harry truthfully.
“What do you mean? You just said you were looking forward
to dancing with my dress. So you must be going,” said
Ginny.
“I don’t know. I guess I just thought that the dress would be
there.”
“Don’t know how you planned to dance with the dress if
you’re not there.”
“I guess I would have to be there in order to dance with the
dress, huh?” he said, grinning.
“Yeah. The dress was not going to go looking for you all over
the castle. You would have had to have been at the ball.”
“I guess I’m going. So how do I get the dress to go too? You
got any ideas?” asked Harry, grinning.
“No. I can’t think of anything. Have you asked the dress to
go with you? Maybe you would have a more likely chance to
dance with it, if you did,” teased Ginny.
“You think you could ask the dress for me? Also the robe,
because the robe highlights the dress. Don’t you think?”
teased Harry.
“Hmmmm, I don’t know. I don’t think the dress totally trusts
you. You could decide to dance with Madam Pomfrey or
something and set it aside and forget about it,” teased Ginny.
“I WOULD NOT ! I am quite fond of the dress. I would never
set it aside!” Harry teased.
“I guess I could ask. I can’t promise or anything.” Ginny faked
a worried look.
“Maybe the dress would come with me, if you came along.”
“Perhaps... I’ll go ask. Be right back,” Ginny smiled.
Ginny ran up to her dorm. She grabbed a piece of
parchment and scribbled a note. Then she ran back down to
the Common Room.
“The dress will come if I come with it,” said Ginny.
“Great! It WILL be ok with you, right? I mean, you do want
to go? With me?” asked Harry seriously.
“Yes, Harry,” said Ginny, very sweetly.
She ran out the of portrait door and off to the owlery. She
found Hedwig. “Hedwig, would you do me a huge favor?
Would you take this note to Mum? It needs to get there very
fast and you would need to wait for an answer,” Hedwig
stuck out her leg. “Thank you Hedwig. It is important. It
should make Harry happy,” Hedwig hooted and flew off.
When Ginny returned to the Common Room, Hermione and
Neville were sitting with Harry.
“You look all flushed, Ginny,” said Hermione.
“I’m fine. I just had to do something before it was too late,”
she said, out of breath.
“What?” asked Hermione.
“I’ll tell you about it, later,” answered Ginny. She looked
over to Harry and Neville. “Girl stuff.”
They both nodded, not having a clue.
“I was just about to tell them about us chaperoning your
dress robes to the ball,” said Harry with a big grin.
“Oh! That’s wonderful. You dance together very well,” said
Hermione, smiling.
“That’s a strange way of putting it,” said Neville.
“I don’t think it’s strange at all. Now my dress robes going
alone, THAT would be strange,” said Ginny with a straight
face.
“I think you have been hanging around Luna just a little too
much lately,” said Hermione, grinning.
“I agree,” added Neville.
Harry and Ginny laughed.
Later that night, Ron came up to the dorm for bed. “I just
seen Neville, he told me that you and Ginny have made up
and are going to the ball.”
“Ron, we didn’t make up. We didn’t argue in the first place.
I keep telling you that,” said Harry.
“Harry, you had to make up or Ginny wouldn’t go with you.
You don’t know Ginny like I do. If she’s mad, she can be
VERY stubborn.”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“It’s a good thing too. That guy Gary, is a git. Glad she
dropped him for you. You’re a better match,” added Ron.
“Huh?” asked Harry.
“That guy that Ginny was going to go with. Too handsome,
real sure of himself. He’s a git,” Ron told Harry.
“You know him?” asked Harry.
“No, but I got my ways of finding out stuff. Trust me, he’s a
git.”
Harry was thinking about Ron right before he fell asleep.
Ron was keeping a better eye out on Ginny that either of
them knew. Harry smiled.
The next day after breakfast, Luna came over to the
Gryffindor table. Harry told Luna that he was taking Ginny to
the ball.
Luna looked at Harry strangely. “Of course you are,
everybody knows that.”
Harry shook his head. He was not sure which one was
worse, Ron or Luna.
Sometime later, Neville and Harry were talking about
Malfory. It seemed that Malfoy was very upset about those
Slytherins dying in Hogsmeade. Neville had heard from a
friend of a friend that Malfoy was very quiet for several days
after.
“As long as I don’t have to put up with him, that’s ok with
me,” said Harry.
On Friday morning at breakfast, Harry spotted Hedwig flying
into the Great Hall. She was circling around. Harry expected
her to land in front of him, but she flew over to where Ginny
sat with her dorm mates and dropped a small package.
Then, she circled the room again and dropped a red note in
Ginny’s lap and flew away. Not waiting for a treat.
Ginny knew what it was, but had no choice but to open it. It
was a Howler.
GINNY WEASLEY!
WHAT KIND OF CAD ASKS A GIRL TO THE BALL, JUST
THREE DAYS BEFORE?
I SHOULD THINK YOU WOULD HAVE REFUSED!
SENDING ME OUT SHOPPING AT THE LAST MINUTE
LIKE THIS.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A TALK WHEN YOU GET
HOME! DON’T THINK WE WON’T.
MUM
P.S. YOUR FATHER SENDS HIS LOVE
Ron busted up laughing. Ginny was so embarrassed. Ron’s
laughter didn’t help either.
Ron was laughing so hard. “What did Mum call you, Harry?”
Harry’s face turned as red as Ginny’s. “Shut up, Ron.
Ginny’s already embarrassed enough.”
“Ha Ha Ha! It’s good to see someone else get a Howler for a
change.”
“Shut it, Ron. You deserved your Howler. Ginny didn’t.”
“I’m beginning to think that Mum was right about you,”
laughed Ron.
Harry saw Malfoy headed this way. He knew he was going
to have to restrain himself.
“What’s this?” asked Malfoy, reaching toward the small
package. “Your ball gown? Is that the best your parents can
afford?” Turning towards Harry. “Is the Weaselette the best
YOU could do? Held out as long as you could, huh Potter?”
Harry stood. He had his fists clenched. He thought about
what Mad-Eye had said about tongues being weapons. It
took all the effort he could, not to say anything. He just
GLARED at Malfoy.
The room became very quiet. Everyone was waiting for
Harry to do or say something. Then suddenly there was a
ZIP. Then Malfoy’s trousers were around his ankles.
Malfoy must have felt a draft because he looked down. His
face went scarlet. Then he looked at Harry, pulling out is
wand. “YOU DID THIS!” he shouted.
Harry held his empty hands for all to see.
Malfoy bent over and pulled up his trousers with as much
dignity as he could. The WHOLE school was laughing as he
left the Great Hall. Even Ginny was laughing.
Colin Creevy happened to have his camera at the ready. He
would make a small fortune from the copies he sold of those
pictures that day. Harry being his largest customer.
Harry had talked to Colin a few days before. Colin had
shown him the pictures he had taken at the Harvest Ball and
from Ron’s award. Harry had bought several from the award
night, a dozen of Madam Rosmerta kissing Ron. He was
planning on buying frames and giving them out as Christmas
gifts.
He was disturbed about some of himself at the Harvest Ball.
They were very revealing about his feelings for Ginny. Harry
bought all of them, he didn’t want anyone else to see them.
He wasn’t sure if others would be able to tell his feelings from
the pictures. But because he knew what he was feeling at
the time, maybe they only revealed his true feelings to
himself. But whatever the case, he didn’t want them to be
floating around.
He also had Colin make several copies of some of the group
shots, to give as gifts. All in all, Colin would be having a
very Merry Christmas thanks to Harry.
* * * *
The day of the ball arrived. Ginny and Luna were up in
Hermione’s dorm chatting.
“I was scared to death that Malfoy was going to grab the
package. He would have gotten a ‘Bat Bogey Hex’ if he did.”
“Why? What was in the package?” asked Hermione.
“My strapless for the ball,” said Ginny, blushing.
“Why did you wait so long before ordering the strapless?”
asked Hermione.
“Because I decided not to wear the red robes until Christmas.
It has to have a strapless, there’s no other way. So I didn’t
have Mum send it. But after Harry asked me, I HAD to wear
the red robes. It’s a long story, but it was sort of the whole
point of us going together. So I had to send an owl to Mum.
I didn’t have time to explain,” said Ginny.
“One good thing came of it. I will LOVE to see the
expression on Mum’s face when she finds out that she called
HARRY a CAD!” laughed Ginny.
The girls spent the whole day chatting and fixing their hair
and fingernails.
The boys spent most of the day outside having a snowball
fight. It was icy cold which made the snow very hard. The
only reason that Ginny didn’t go down and join them was
because the snow was frozen so hard that if she got hit by
one, she was afraid she would get a black eye.
By the early afternoon they called it quits.
Harry decided to wear his dark green robes. They would
look well beside Ginny’s red robes.
Ron left to go pick up his “dates”, while Harry and Neville
waited patiently for their dates. Hermione arrived first. She
looked very pretty tonight. She was wearing bright pink
robes that made her cheeks look rosy. Her hair was half up
and half down, it was very becoming. Harry thought it was
the nicest hair-do she had worn to date. Neville beamed
when he saw her.
Neville and Hermione decided that they would wait for Ginny
and Harry, and all go down together.
When Ginny appeared, Harry was struck dumb, but his brain
was taking it all in. The sides of her hair were pulled up to
the back into cascading curls. She wore just enough
make-up to enhance her natural beauty.
The outer robe was form fitting, the collar stood up around
the neck and met down in a “V” . You would never know
there was a dress beneath except when she stepped. Then
you saw a flash of deep red velvet against black. The only
way that Harry could describe how she looked was to think of
a princess from a story book.
Neville elbowed him to bring him to his senses. Harry could
not speak so he just offered his arm to her.
Ginny didn’t know what to think about Harry. He looked
gorgeous in the dark green robes. They made his eyes look
greener. She just wanted to eat his face.
He was acting “weird” again, just like he did at the party. She
wasn’t sure what that meant. The other day she had heard
another girl in the loo, telling someone that when Harry
Potter looked at her, she felt like he was madly in love with
her. So maybe his gorgeous eyes made everyone feel like
that. Or... maybe he got hit real hard in the head with a
snowball today.
If he cared about her as a girlfriend, maybe she would find
out tonight. She didn’t want to get her hopes up yet again.
Her heart had been broken by him so many times she could
hardly stand it. She was going to “be herself” and have a
good time. It was time to stop thinking about will he or won’t
he. As far as she knew, he only asked her out tonight,
because being her friend, he didn’t want her to miss the ball.
She had to remain focused.
The Great Hall was decorated with all the usual beauty of
past years. You could see the snow falling above in the
ceiling through the many floating candles. The food tables
had been replaced by the large round tables again but this
time they had green tablecloths with a bouquet of poinsettias
in the center.
The room was filling up quickly. Harry noticed several girls,
who he believed had a crush on him, with dates. He
wondered how Ginny felt about him now. She didn’t act all
weird towards him like they did. At least now she knew him
as a person. She seemed to like him, at least most of the
time. He thought about the few times that she had told him
off this year. He started to laugh to himself.
“What’s so funny?” asked Ginny.
“You,” said Harry.
“What?” she asked.
“I was just thinking about you wanting to hex me.”
“Why would I want to hex you?” she said, puzzled.
“You’ve seemed to come up with a few excuses this year,”
he said, grinning.
“Well, only when you’ve deserved it,” she said, grinning.
He was looking over towards the doors at that moment and
caught a glimpse of red hair. He thought it might be Ron,
but found out shortly that he was wrong. It was Fred or
George followed by Luna with Fred or George.
They worked their way over to the table and sat down with
Luna between them. Harry rose as Luna sat down.
Ron and his two dates arrived at this time. Ron introduced
his dates to the table as Carol and Sharon They were very
pretty girls, but they carried themselves and acted sensually
towards all the males at the table. Harry didn’t like their
actions but kept it to himself.
“I see that you are behind the times, Harry. The latest
fashion is to appear with TWO dates,” said George,
grinning.
“I can see that,” said Harry. “I guess I’m just too ‘old
fashioned’ for this crowd.” He grinned.
“So! Are you playing in the band tonight or dating my sister?”
asked Harry.
Luna blushed.
“Both!” said Fred and George together, laughing.
“At least we know the music will be good. I’m in the mood for
dancing,” said Ginny.
“You know,” Harry whispered to Ginny, “ we are not so far
behind the times. Your dress does have TWO chaperons
tonight.”
Ginny giggled.
Dumbledore stood and announced that the feast had begun.
Harry and Ginny both ordered pork chop dinners. They ate
lightly from their plates as not to over fill themselves for
dancing later.
Harry tried to ignore Ron’s “dates”. The one sitting closest
to him, on his right, had been rubbing her foot against his leg,
while he ate. He couldn’t remember which name went with
each girl. The one rubbing his leg had made a couple of
really sexual remarks. Harry was upset that Ron would invite
these “girls” to the ball and have them sit at the same table
as his own sister. It seemed insulting to Hermione, Nancy
and Luna too. Although these “girls” were students at this
school, they didn’t seem like they were the kind of girls to
attend Hogwarts. Like they weren’t up to Hogwarts’
standards of behavior.
After dinner, Ginny and Ron went over to where the band
had set up and joined Fred, George, Bill and Charlie for a few
Christmas songs. Harry was happy to see Charlie had come
along this time. They did some awesome harmonizing on
some old Christmas favorites.
During this time, the girl sitting closest to Harry, leaned in
real close and asked him what he was doing after the ball. It
felt like an invitation. Harry told her he was going home.
She then asked him where he lived. He murmured
something about up north and left it at that. He was wary of
her questions. He was going to ask her name, but felt that it
would only encourage her for more conversation.
Then Ginny sang a solo on a modern Christmas tune. While
she was singing, Harry had gotten their drinks, as before.
He took as long as possible, just so that he didn’t have to
deal with the roaming foot.
When Ginny returned to the table, Harry rose. It was time
for Ginny to remove the outer robe to reveal “the dress”. It
was quite warm in the room and she would be too hot
dancing, wearing the robe. Ginny’s face turned a warm pink.
“Harry, I’m uncomfortable about removing the robe in front
of everyone,” she whispered.
He looked around. Their table, as at the last ball, seemed to
be a focal point. Lots of the students seemed to keep their
eye on their table.
“I got an idea,” he whispered back.
He took her hand and they weaved their way towards the
Great Hall’s doors. As they passed by Malfoy’s table, Harry
nodded. Malfoy saw what Ginny was wearing and was
surprised at the quality of her robes. He sneered at Harry.
They walked a short distance outside the doors, away from
the eye of so many people. He understood that it could feel
like she was undressing in public. He stood behind her as he
helped her remove it.
When she turned, he held his breath. The gown was
perfect. SHE looked perfect. The neckline was the same
dark red velvet gathered to form a large circle that roped
completely around her. It passed over her shoulders so that it
capped her arms to form a very short sleeve. So her neck
and shoulders were bare. The bodice fitted to the waist,
where it flared slightly down to the tips of her shoes.
He restrained himself from pulling her into his arms at that
moment. They both stood gazing into each others’ eyes. But
the moment was interrupted by a couple of students walking
past.
Harry folded the robe over his arm, then offered his other
arm to Ginny. They walked back into the Great Hall to the
table. Harry carefully folded her robe and lay it gently upon
the chair that he had been sitting in earlier. He took her
hand and led her to the dance floor and began to dance to
the last of the song that had started while they were gone.
When the song ended, they returned to the table. Harry led
Ginny to her seat and very discretely sat on the other side of
her, in the seat where Fred or George had sat earlier.
Actually it was George’s seat. Fred had sat on the other side
of Luna during dinner.
Harry was proud of his maneuver to put distance between
himself and Ron’s date without calling attention to it. He
caught Bill’s eye. Bill nodded as though to tell him that he
had seen what happened and approved of Harry’s discretion.
Next to Ron’s other date, sat Lee Gordon, then his date
Nancy. Then Neville, Hermione, one of the twins empty
seats, then Luna. Thinking ahead, Harry decided that he
would try to arrange it so that the girls would not be left at the
table with only Ron’s dates at any one time.
Ron would only be at the table between songs that he played
his guitar. The problem was that he played it during most
songs.
Things started to work out well though, when after a few
dances, other boys began asking Ron’s dates to dance. That
left Harry to dance with Luna a couple of times. Then dance
with Ginny knowing that Luna would not be sitting with
whichever of Ron’s dates.
Harry didn’t know what Ron was thinking when he invited
both of these girls to the ball, knowing that they would be
sitting at the same table with decent girls. He didn’t like to
judge people harshly but these two were very crude.
Colin came around with his camera and took shots of the
“couples” sitting at his table. He also had Harry and Ginny
go over to one of the many Christmas trees that decorated
the room to take a more formal picture. Before long, there
were several couples lining up for their pictures to be taken
also. Colin was going to have plenty of Galleons after the
beginning of the new year.
While Harry was dancing with Hermione and Neville was
dancing with Susan Bones, a tall blonde boy came over to
the table and asked Ginny to dance. Harry was watching
intensely. He saw Ginny shake her head no. He started to
relax but then she must have changed her mind, because
she went out on the dance floor with him. It was a slow
dance and they were dancing very close. She was smiling at
first, but then she began to frown. Harry caught Bill’s eye,
who was singing at the time. Bill cut the song very short, to
Harry’s surprise.
When Harry and Hermione arrived at the table, Ginny was
“thanking” the boy for the dance. It was the kind of “thank
you” that meant don’t ask again, without really saying it.
Harry walked up to him and asked his name. He just stared
at Harry and walked away.
“What was THAT all about?” Harry whispered to Ginny.
“Nothing at all,” Ginny whispered back, smiling.
Ron came back over to the table. “That’s the GIT,” he said.
If the boy heard as he walked away, he didn’t show it.
The “other” date of Ron’s spoke up. “What is your problem,
Ron? He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t like him and I don’t want him around Ginny,” said
Ron.
“She’s a big girl, she can take care of herself. It wouldn’t
hurt for her to get a little ‘experience’ with other boys.”
“My sister is too young for him. Come on, let’s take a walk,”
said Ron. He then got a big grin on his face and walked out
of the Great Hall with her, leaving the other “date” at the
table.
The band took this time to take a break. Fred and George
filled a couple of the empty seats. Charlie came up behind
Harry and asked him to help bring back some drinks. So
Harry and Charlie walked over to the drink table, leaving Bill
to sit next to Ginny.
Harry and Charlie quickly filled the glasses but stood over to
the side of the drink table.
“What’s going on?” asked Harry.
“I guess you couldn’t see from your angle. That guy’s hands
went a little too low down Ginny’s back,” said Charlie
seriously.
Harry was standing so that he could watch Ginny and Bill
talking softly. “What? No, I didn’t see her back while she
danced. She was facing my direction. I did see her frown,
then Bill ended the song shortly after that.” Harry’s face went
rigid, he started to walk away from Charlie with the intention
of finding “the git”, but Charlie held his arm.
“Bill is talking with Ginny right now. Let’s wait to see what he
thinks,” said Charlie quietly.
“I don’t need to see what Bill thinks. I’m gonna put that guy
in his place,” Harry said angrily.
“Wait, Harry. Let’s just see. Ginny would be very
embarrassed if there was a scene over it. We don’t want to
ruin her night,” said Charlie, wisely. “But if he comes back
he will have a lot of Weasley on his back.”
“You will only be getting the ‘left overs’,” said Harry, gritting
his teeth.
“I’m surprised that Ron didn’t grab him,” said Harry as he
watched Ginny’s face.
“He didn’t see or he would have, I’m sure. His temper is
faster than his brain sometimes. Bill and I were standing at
a different angle. Let’s give Bill a couple more minutes with
Ginny before we go back,” he added.
“So what are you doing with Ginny? I thought she was out
with some cad. Is that guy the cad?” asked Charlie.
“No, I’M the cad. I’m replacing HIM. Ron called him “the git”
so HE has to be the one that Ginny was GOING to go with.
She told me that he didn’t hurt her or anything. She told me
she just changed her mind about going with him. She was
lying. He DID do something. I don’t know what, but he did
SOMETHING,” Harry’s temper was rising again.
He was watching Ginny’s face as he spoke. He couldn’t hear
what was being said, but he thought he could tell what they
were talking about. The expression on her face had
changed many times in these few minutes. It went from
surprise - to embarrassment - to anger - to determination.
She was now talking gently to Bill with her hand resting on
his arm.
Charlie decided that they have given Bill enough time, so
they took the drinks to the table. They could only hold three
drinks each, so they passed around the drinks to the girls
first. Bill rose from Harry’s seat and was replaced by
Charlie.
“It took you long enough getting the drinks and I still don’t
have one. I’m parched!” said Fred.
“Harry and I will bring you one in a minute,” said Bill.
So Harry walked back to the drink table with Bill this time.
They did some counting and figured how many drinks were
still needed. They quickly filled the glasses. Then they stood
in the same place that Harry and Charlie stood just a couple
of minutes ago.
“I gather you know what’s going on,” said Bill.
“Right! Charlie told me. Charlie seems to think that YOU are
the one to decide what we are to do about it,” said Harry
angrily.
“No, Ginny is the one to decide what we are to do about it.
That includes YOU,” said Bill seriously.
“And?” asked Harry.
“Nothing. Ginny is very embarrassed by what Charlie and I
saw. She doesn’t want us interfering. I have to respect her
feelings and so do YOU,” said Bill looking directly into
Harry’s eyes.
“Of course I respect her feelings, but we can’t let him get
away with it,” growled Harry.
“Yes we can, and we will... for now. Unless he comes back
over and tries anything. Then all bets are off. We smash
him,” said Bill.
Harry and Bill took the drinks to the table and passed them
around. Bill gently lifted Ginny’s robe and sat next to Ron’s
date, holding the robe in his lap. Charlie got up from Harry’s
seat and sat in the seat next to George.
Fred was telling Luna a story about some of the pranks that
he and George had pulled while at school. Luna seemed to
be enjoying the story, she was laughing.
Harry looked over to Hermione who told him with her facial
expression not to say anything to Ginny. It appeared that
Hermione had guessed what was going on.
Harry looked at Ginny, who smiled softly at him. That smile
always melted his heart. For once, Harry held his temper
and didn’t say anything.
Later Ron returned with his “date”. Her hair was a little
messy but she was smiling like the “cat who just ate the
canary”. Ron kissed the “other date” on the cheek and gave
her a look that promised that on his next break, it would be
her turn. She smiled up at him, contented.
Harry wanted to throw up.
All Weasley males, except Fred, left the table and went back
to start the next song.
Neville went back to asked Susan Bones to dance again,
since the last song was cut short. Fred danced with Luna. It
was a fast song and Harry wasn’t in the mood to dance. So
he and Ginny sat that one out.
Then Fred went back to the band. They started one of
Harry’s favorite slow songs, so Harry asked Ginny to dance.
He held her gently. He could feel that her body was tense.
He gently guided her over to the far end of the room.
Harry and Ginny were dancing slowly with their foreheads
touching. They were looking into each other’s eyes. Anyone
in the room would have thought that they were having a very
romantic moment. But in truth they were having a silent
battle. Neither said one word, but their eyes they had a full
conversation.
Ginny’s eyes was pleading with him to not say anything. To
let the matter drop.
Harry’s was saying that he wanted to talk about it.
Ginny’s was saying that she didn’t want to talk about it.
Harry’s told her that he only wanted what was best for her.
Ginny’s told him that it was best for them to forget about the
whole thing. They pleaded to PLEASE forget it.
Harry’s told her he would let it drop but would not forget.
Ginny’s told him she could handle it and take care of herself.
Harry’s told her that he was there for her.
Ginny’s told him she understood. So let’s have some fun
tonight.
Harry’s told her that they would do that, but only because she
insisted.
Ginny’s thanked him.
The tension left both of their bodies when the song ended.
When the next song started, a fast one, they danced their
way back near the table and enjoyed the rest of the dance.
Harry didn’t like the position where he sat at the table. He
would have rather sat on the other side of Ginny. From
where he sat, his back was to the dance floor. He would
have to turn his chair to watch the dancers. When he faced
Ginny he was also facing Ron’s dates. With his back to
Luna, so he shifted in his chair often.
Harry and Ginny mostly sat out during the faster songs. That
was when they could talk a little. During the slower songs,
Harry was in another world dancing with Ginny. If left to him,
the band would only play slow songs. He hated to leave
Ginny’s arms when the songs were over.
During the next band break, which would have been about
half way through the ball, the Weasleys all gathered around
the table. Ron escorted BOTH his dates out of the room,
with a huge grin.
“So Harry, you’re the cad that Mum was upset about?”
asked Fred.
“Yes,” said Harry.
“I can’t wait to see Mum’s face when we tell her WHO the
cad is,” said George with a mischievous grin.
“You will NOT tell Mum,” said Ginny. “I get the honors of
doing that. I’m the one that got the howler, after all.”
“But we will see her before you,” protested Fred.
“YOU can wait ONE day,” said Ginny.
“Can we be there when you tell her?” asked George.
“I guess. IF you are around when the moment is right,” said
Ginny.
Harry was amused by their banter. But he wondered if HE
wanted to be around when Mrs. Weasley was informed of
who the cad was.
The atmosphere around the table was so much lighter now
that Ron’s dates had left. Harry felt that everyone was
having a good time now.
Lee and George were talking about Lee working at their shop
over the Christmas break to pull in a few extra Galleons.
Fred was telling Luna another amusing story. Hermione and
Neville were listening to the different conversations and
laughing.
Harry got up to get him and Ginny another drink, when Bill
and Charlie decided to follow him.
Harry didn’t know that they were a little shocked that Ginny
was growing up. The dress left no doubt that she was
maturing into a woman. They could see that Harry was in
love with Ginny, but were not sure if they approved.
“So, Harry...” said Charlie.
“Yeah?” said Harry.
“Ginny is growing up,” said Bill.
“Yeah?” said Harry, warily.
“Don’t think we aren’t watching your every move,” said
Charlie.
“I see,” said Harry. “And you think she should be around
someone like “the git”?”
Bill and Charlie gave each other a “look”.
“Ok,” said Charlie.
“All right,” said Bill. “We get your meaning.”
They gathered their drinks and headed back to the table.
Harry knew that they were warning him not to try anything
with their little sister.
Every time that Harry was distracted from looking at Ginny,
when he looked at her again, it was like for the first time.
He had to get a grip on himself. It took all the will power he
had, not to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He would
have to think about what he was going to do about the
situation, later.
For the rest of the evening, Harry didn’t notice that other
boys were not asking Ginny to dance. He would have if one
had asked, but the night was going well so he didn’t give it a
thought.
He was enjoying all the time they spent together. Talking
quietly at the table or dancing out on the floor. He was
having a wonderful time.
Dumbledore announced that the next song would be ending
the ball. Any students that were not in their Common Rooms
within a half an hour after the ball, would be turned into a
candy cane and would remain so until the second day after
the break. Ron left the band, gathered his “dates” and left
the room. Ginny giggled.
The last song was a waltz. Harry sang the lead on this one,
as he danced with Ginny. Someone, probably Fred and
George, turned the lights low. Fairy lights swirled around the
room giving it the effect that the room was slowly spinning. It
was a beautiful way to end the ball.
Luna was being escorted back to her Common Room by
Fred or George or both. Harry gave them a look that they
understood. So he didn’t worry about her as he left with
Ginny for their Common Room.
Harry and Ginny “thanked” each other for their date. Then
Harry walked up to his dorm. As soon as he arrived at his
dorm... he knew... Fred and George did it to him again!
He started to get angry but thought better of it. It was
probably for the best. He had been tempting himself all night
long. He was going to have to stop seeing her. It was pure
torture being so close to her.
Starting tomorrow he was going to keep his distance. It was
the only way.
He had to protect her from Tom Riddle. That was the most
important thing in the world.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 23: Chap 23 - Harry Christmas
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Can Harry avoid Ginny? - - -What did Father Christmas Bring? - - - Harry Christmas ---------------
Chapter Twenty-three - Harry Christmas
The next morning, Harry was rushing to make sure he had
everything packed for the trip home. He had all the pictures
he had bought from Colin, and Ginny and Luna’s new robes
that all had to fit into his trunk. He couldn’t wait to get started
on Christmas.
Harry, Luna, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Ron were all
standing outside of the school waiting for the carriages to
take them to the train.
It was bitterly cold that morning. Their feet crunched as they
stepped upon the icy, snow packed ground. When the
carriages arrived, everyone around was rushing to get inside
the carriages. As Harry and Neville were loading up the
trunks and cages into the back, Hermione, Ron and Ginny
stood transfixed.
Harry knew at once what was wrong. They could see the
thestrials. He quickly walked over to Ginny and put his arm
around her shoulders.
“Ginny, it’s ok. They won’t harm you. They have always
been there. You just couldn’t see them before,” he said
gently to her.
Ginny shook her head. “I know.”
“It’s a bit of a shock to see them for the first time, isn’t it?”
said Harry gently.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s just that Jessica... “
Harry quickly opened the carriage door and guided Ginny in
and sat down beside her. Ginny put her head on his
shoulder, but didn’t say a word. He put his arm around her
and squeezed her shoulder to give her comfort. When it
came to Jessica, he felt that he was the only one to comfort
Ginny. At least that was the excuse he later used to justify
his actions.
Hermione’s knees had been shaking and she couldn’t move.
Neville had to guide her into the carriage, where she sat, still
shaking.
Ron had a glazed look in his eyes. He just sat looking at his
shoes.
Luna sat quietly beside Harry.
No one said a word until they reached the train station. Harry
took Ginny’s hand and walked her over to the thestrials that
had pulled their carriage.
“See? They are not evil. It is WE who have the problem.
We couldn’t see them before, so when we see them, it is a
bit of a shock,” Harry said, as he petted the one nearest
them.
Ron had walked up behind them. “Bloody hell ! We actually
RODE those creatures!”
“Yes we did and they got us safely to where we wanted to
go,” said Harry as he continued to pet the thestrial.
Ginny stepped forward and started to pet it also. She
seemed to relax then looked up at Harry and smiled. She
understood.
“I’m not touching that thing,” said Ron as he walked away.
Hermione was still shaking all over, as Neville guided her on
to the train. They found a compartment and sat quietly for
several minutes.
Even Neville and Luna didn’t quite understand the shock that
Ron, Ginny and Hermione were feeling. Neville and Luna
had seen death of love ones, but one was an accident and
the other was illness. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were
seeing thestrials, for the first time, after the acts of murder. It
was much more of a shock. Of course Luna’s father was
murdered but she had already been able to see thestials
after her mother’s death. So the association was not so
devastating.
They sat in silence for so long that Harry had to think of
something for them to do. So he used his wand to draw a
Hangman’s Noose game in the air. He asked Luna to play
with him. Then each in turn, played the game with him. The
tension began to lift with each one. Then he pulled out a
deck of cards and started a game of Exploding Snap. That
seemed to loosen everyone up and before long, everyone
was enjoying the game.
Sometimes just a little distraction is all that is needed to get
out of a trying time. If only for a little while.
When they arrived at King’s Cross Station, all seemed to be
forgotten. Mrs. Weasley and Remus Lupin were standing
on the platform waiting. Mrs. Weasley was wearing a new
Muggle wool cloak that was very becoming. Lupin looked
very handsome, wearing his gray business suit, covered by a
gray wool cloak.
Mrs. Weasley pulled Ron and Ginny into big hugs and
started chatting. She gave Neville and Hermione hugs
before they left with their families.
“Harry, dear, don’t you look well. You have gained a few
pounds, I see. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt for you to gain a
few more,” she said as she squeezed the breath out of him.
Harry beamed. He loved it when she greeted him with hugs.
Of course he would never admit that to anyone.
Luna had been hugging Lupin, so when Harry was done
getting the life squeezed out of him, Lupin stepped forward
and gave Harry’s shoulder a squeeze and shook his hand.
Harry was very happy to see his new guardian.
They took a taxi to another street where they found another
and changed over to that one. They actually changed cars a
couple more times before they took the underground. Then
they took a city bus that dropped them off a couple of blocks
from Grimmauld Place. From there they walked the rest of
the way.
“Mad-Eye chose the route home,” said Lupin.
Harry rolled his eyes.
When they walked into the house, Harry sat down his trunk
and Hedwig’s cage. The first thing he noticed was the
aroma of spices in the air. Winky appeared and was going
to take Harry’s trunk, but he stopped her.
“Winky! I’ve missed you terribly. You look wonderful!” said
Harry as he picked her up and twirled her around.
“Winky missed you too, Harry Potter!” said Winky,
blushing.
“I’ll take up my own trunk. Did you get to finish some of the
projects you were going to do?” he asked.
“Oh yes, Harry Potter. Winky has been working hard for
Harry Potter,” she said quickly.
“I hope you haven’t been working too hard,” he said, smiling.
Winky blushed again.
Harry and Ron went up to their room. Winky had been
decorating. She had painted the room a creamy light beige.
It was no longer dingy and dark, but bright and cheerful.
On Ron’s side of the room, there were framed posters of his
favorite Quidditch team waving madly above the bed. The
bed had an orange bedspread with the Chudley Cannons’
logo on it. There was a chest of drawers and a side table for
Ron and a stand to hold Pig’s cage.
On Harry’s side of the room, Winky had hung a painting of a
stag. His bedspread was green. There was a stand for
Hedwig’s cage and a chest of drawers and side table for him
also.
Over the fireplace, she had hung a beautiful painting of a
phoenix. The room was unrecognizable from last summer.
Harry hung Hedwig’s cage on the stand and put his trunk at
the end of this bed to be unpacked later.
“Winky! Thank you for the room. It is perfect,” said Ron.
“I agree,” said Harry.
Winky beamed.
The boys walked over to the girls’ room. They could hear
Luna and Ginny squealing about something.
What was now Ginny’s room, had been newly re-decorated
also. The walls were a creamy pale mint green with a daisy
wallpaper border all around the ceiling. The twin beds had
daisy printed bedspreads to match. There were white throw
rugs beside each bed. The furniture in the room was
painted an off-white.
“I thought that Luna was getting her own room,” said Harry.
“I am,” said Luna. “But I am going to stay with Ginny until
Hermione arrives.”
“My other room is upstairs. I’ll check it out in a little while.
Don’t you love THIS room?” asked Luna.
“It’s brilliant!” said Harry, smiling.
Mrs. Weasley came to the door. “It’s time to eat. I know you
are all starving.”
Ron was the first one down the stairs. The rest of them
rolled their eyes, as they followed.
The kitchen smelt wonderful. It was icy outside, but the
kitchen was all warm and cozy. The table was set with
mounds of food piled on platters. Mr. Weasley had just
arrived. Harry walked over and shook his hand after Ginny
had squeezed her father breathless.
“It’s so good to see all of you. The house has been very
quiet without you,” he said.
The house was no longer quiet. Everyone was talking at
once around the table as they filled their plates. Harry finally
felt “at home”.
Later, Harry and Luna went to look at HER new room. It
was bizarre, perhaps mystical would better describe it. It
was painted in pastels. The ceiling was light blue and each
wall was a different color, peach, lime, lilac, and yellow. Her
double brass bed was covered by a bedspread with a blue
background with the moon, sun and stars swirling. There
were several shelves along one wall, with a chest of drawers
and a dressing table. All her things from her other house
were placed on the shelves. Everything was spotlessly clean
and shining.
“I love it, Harry. Don’t you think it’s ME?” she said.
Harry laughed. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “It is
definitely YOU.”
The next few days were very busy days for everyone. Lupin
had arranged for them to go shopping in London again. So
with a heavy guard, they all split up for Christmas shopping.
They had three days of shopping. In London, then Diagon
Alley where Tonks joined Ginny and Luna for the day, then
London again. Harry did some Sirius spending.
Hagrid showed up with an huge Christmas tree. Winky had
him set it up in the Entrance Hall. Lupin brought down
several boxes of new decorations he had bought for the tree.
The day before Christmas Eve, Winky decorated several
rooms of the house for Christmas. There was a huge
garland, with big red bows every few feet, trailing down the
banister in the Entrance Hall which gave the whole house an
inviting holiday look. There were bouquets of Christmas
flowers in several vases and candy dishes throughout the
house.
Mr. Weasley had set up a music system that played
Christmas music in the Living Room and Entrance Hall.
On Christmas Eve morning, the teenagers all decorated the
tree that Hagrid had brought. With the sparkling lights and all
the pretty bulbs, Harry had never seen a more beautiful tree.
The rest of the day they spent making sure that all their gifts
were properly wrapped and labeled. They were dropping off
packages under the tree all day. Harry had a few packages
that would not fit under the tree that he had hid in another
room upstairs.
That night, everyone dressed in their finest clothing. Ginny
wore the red dress and Luna wore her peach dress. Tonks
showed up wearing a beautiful blue evening gown that
almost made Harry’s eyes pop out.
The whole Weasley family was there, except Percy. They all
stood around the Christmas tree and sang Christmas carols.
The Weasleys out-did themselves singing harmony. They all
held huge mugs filled with warm butterbeer or eggnog.
Dobby and Winky made sure that everyone’s mugs were
filled at all times and brought around plates of fruit cake and
other goodies.
Harry didn’t think there could ever be a more perfect
Christmas Eve. His eyes were shining as he watched
everyone in the room. These were the people he loved.
At midnight, Mr. Weasley rushed them off to bed. “Father
Christmas will be here shortly. No dawdling,” he said.
Christmas morning everyone woke up early. Instead of the
presents being put at the end of their beds, they were all still
under the Christmas tree. There were so many gifts, that
there was barely any walking room.
Harry had went a little wild this year with the gifts. Everyone
got a unique photo album and each got a huge box of mixed
Muggle candy.
For Mrs. Weasley he bought a pair of diamond earrings to
match her necklace.
For Mr. Weasley he had found a few Muggle children’s
books about how things worked and a beautiful carved
walking stick that concealed a wand.
Bill and Charlie both got suede leather jackets.
Fred and George got a computer and several cases of
T-shirts with their logo on them.
For Lupin he bought a tooled leather trunk with several
compartments, similar to the one that Mad-Eye owned.
Ron got a twelve string acoustic guitar. Harry had seen him
admiring one in another shop. So later, Harry found this one
in a very expensive music shop. He also bought him a
beautiful new Wizard Chess set.
For Tonks he bought a “Lighting Lady” broom similar to
Ginny’s.
Luna had received several pairs of earrings. He had them
found at a novelty shop. There were big ones with crazy
things hanging off them, including one pair with dangling
tomatoes, and large jewelry box to hold them. He had also
bought her Valentine’s ball robes. Harry didn’t get her the
ones she had chosen. Instead, he bought her another set
that was the same lime green, but was made of the finest
brocade silk. Luna was moved, her eyes shined with
emotion.
For Ginny he bought a delicate necklace. It had a fine chain
with a single tear drop pearl. He also gave her her
Valentine’s ball robes. It was the white brocade with the
inlaid pearls from the catalog.
Her jaw dropped. “Harry! You have got to be crazy. This is
too much,” she said.
“No Ginny. It was like it was made just for you. No fear
about it going with your hair AND the outer robe could be
worn with almost any other gown. So you see? It was a
bargain,” he said, teasing.
Her eyes sparkled as she ran her hand over the brocade.
“I wonder who will be taking Ginny to the next ball?” asked
Fred.
“Some CAD I’m sure,” said George.
Ginny blushed. She usually didn’t let Fred and George “get
to her” but they caught her off guard.
“He always waits till the last minute and gets Mum all upset,”
said Ron, teasing.
Harry, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley turned scarlet.
“Why don’t I just ask you go to the ball with me now? You
can change your mind later, but you will have a date no
matter,” whispered Harry to Ginny.
Ginny spoke loud enough for anyone to hear. “Yes, Harry, I’ll
go to the ball with you. I don’t think I will be changing my
mind,” she said, blushing.
What did he just do? He couldn’t believe he asked her to the
ball. Hadn’t he learned ANYTHING from the last ball?
Harry recovered the awkward moment by passing out the
framed pictures of Madam Rosmerta kissing Ron. Fred said
that they were going to put their picture up behind the cash
register at their joke shop.
He also gave out framed pictures of him and Ginny and Ron
and Sylvia at the Harvest Ball to Lupin, Mr. and Mrs.
Weasley, Luna, Ginny and Ron.
Harry had bought several Muggle games for everyone to
enjoy. There was Twister (he figured Fred and George
would like that game) , Scrabble (Hermione and Luna), and
Aggravation (for just about anyone).
Then Harry brought out the biggest gift of all. A whole new
set of magical band instruments. Drums, keyboards, horns,
guitars, everything they had before, only more. Sometimes
one of them had complained that the instruments were worn.
So Harry got the best that money could buy.
Harry had received several gifts also, but his favorite was
the one that Ginny had gotten him. It was a watch with the
cycles of the moon on it.
When everyone had finished opening their gifts, Harry rose
and lifted his cup. “Thank you Sirius for the beautiful
Christmas,” he said.
Everyone else rose and lifted their cup. “To Sirius!”
* * * *
After the feast that Molly and Winky had prepared, they all
put their gifts away and settled in the new Living Room.
Fred and George loved the new Twister game and had
everyone falling and laughing in the process. Of course,
they had already started thinking of ways to make the game
magical.
Ginny and Tonks disappeared for a couple of hours. Then
returned and joined in another game of Twister. The rest of
the evening, everyone mostly lazed around.
As Harry laid in bed that night, he thought about this being
the best Christmas he had ever had. He was looking
forward to tomorrow because the Weasleys were going to
play music with their new instruments.
So far, he had failed avoiding Ginny. First the thestrials,
then he had to go and ask her to the ball. Whatever
possessed him? Starting tomorrow, no more Ginny!
Ron had taken his new guitar to bed with him. So Harry fell
asleep listening to a very pretty Christmas song.
* * * *
The next morning Harry staggered into the kitchen very early,
his mind still fuzzy from sleep. Mr. Weasley, Bill and Charlie
were sitting at the table. Harry was thinking about helping
Winky make a huge bacon and egg breakfast as he poured
himself a cup of coffee, then sat down next to Charlie.
Charlie had been reading the Daily Prophet. As Harry sat
down, Charlie carefully slid the paper under his seat. Harry
caught this movement. Something wasn’t right and he was
wide awake now.
“What’s going on?” asked Harry.
“Nothing much. We were planning on getting our new
instruments all put together and jamming today,” said Bill.
Mr. Weasley looked a little uncomfortable. Charlie was
staring at his cup of tea.
“May I see your newspaper?” Harry asked Charlie.
“What? Er... naw... there’s nothing new in there today but
some recipes for egg nog and stuff,” said Charlie.
“Really? I would like to see it anyway. Maybe I can find
some new and exciting holiday drink,” said Harry, his
suspicions growing.
“Harry, those new books you gave me are wonderful. I’ve
learned so much about Muggle inventions. Amazing!” said
Arthur.
Fully alert now, Harry could see that all three men were a bit
pale. Something happened. Something bad. Harry stood up
and got behind Charlie. He pushed Charlie’s head forward
just enough to unsettle him. Then he reached down and
pulled the newspaper out from under him.
He rushed out of the kitchen, up the stairs and entered the
Defense Room. He sat at the table and started reading. It
only took a second to find out that Riddle had be very busy
during the night.
HARRY CHRISTMAS!
That was the headline. His eyes were scanning the front
page as fast as he could. It appears that the Dark Mark,
along with the words HARRY CHRISTMAS, was seen in
several communities last night. Several churches all over
Great Britain, Germany and France were destroyed. All of
them full of people.
Several large concerts were attacked also, including one in
Italy. The Death Eaters had blocked the doors and caught
the buildings on fire. Hundreds feared dead. No details as
of yet.
The Daily Prophet assumed the Harry in the message is
none other than Harry Potter.
Harry began to tremble. The two windows in the room
shattered. Sparks were zigzagging across the room.
Outside the Defense Room, Arthur, Bill and Charlie had just
walked up to the door where they heard zapping sounds
from within, when Molly, Tonks and Lupin walked in to the
Entrance Hall. They were confused about what was
happening. Ginny was at the top of the stairs and saw them
all standing there and could hear sounds coming from behind
the door. It took her only a second to analyze the situation.
Harry was behind that door and he was upset. Molly was
about to open the door when Ginny called down to her.
“Don’t Mum. Whatever it is. Leave him be.”
Molly stopped. She looked at Arthur, questioning him with
her eyes.
Arthur Weasley asked them all to go to the kitchen and he
would explain. They all gathered around the table and he
told them what was in the paper and how Harry had taken it
from Charlie.
“I think we should contact Dumbledore,” said Molly.
“Yes, I agree,” said Remus.
Ginny left the kitchen and went to the Defense Room door.
She sat down with her back against it, her head bent to her
knees, crying for all the innocent people and for Harry. She
knew that he was suffering more than anyone could know.
She could hear sounds from behind the door. She did not
attempt to open it. She knew that Harry had to let his
emotions out before anyone was to try to enter that room.
When Luna, Ron, Fred and George awoke and came down
the stairs, Ginny sent them on to the kitchen.
Molly came back to talk to Ginny. “Ginny, dear. I’m so sorry.
I didn’t want you know about such things,” said Molly as she
wiped away Ginny’s tears with a tissue.
“You can’t hide things like this from us, Mum. It’s all around
us. We are going to hear about it, no matter what,” said
Ginny, through her tears.
“You are all still babies. I can’t bear to have you go through
any of this.”
“We are not babies any more. You can’t protect us from
everything,” said Ginny.
“Do you think we should go in and talk to Harry now?” Molly
asked.
“No, Mum. Let him be. He will probably get worse if anyone
disturbs him right now. Give him some time to settle his
emotions.”
“I believe you are right,” said Dumbledore. He had just
appeared beside Molly, who jumped when she heard his
voice.
Molly went to the kitchen and started slinging things around
to keep busy. She began to make a huge breakfast. Winky
stood near the fireplace, out of the way and didn’t say
anything. She knew that Mrs. Weezy was upset and needed
to be doing something.
Nobody wanted to eat, so Molly sent Luna and Ron to the
Living Room. Fred and George had to leave for work so
they just grabbed some toast and left.
Dumbledore had conjured a chair and sat outside the door.
Ginny hadn’t moved from her spot. Ron tried to get Ginny to
come to the Living Room, but she refused.
Winky brought a tray of tea for Ginny and Dumbledore.
Ginny held the cup in her hand but didn’t drink. They sat
there for over an hour not speaking. Ginny didn’t hear any
sounds from behind the door for at least a half an hour
before she told Dumbledore that she was going to go in.
Ginny gently opened the door. Harry was sitting at the far
side of the room with his head on the table. The windows
were shattered and icy cold air was coming into the room.
She pulled out her wand and said “Repairo”. The windows
became whole again.
She walked over to Harry but didn’t say anything. She
started rubbing his back and shoulders.
“A massage will not fix anything, Ginny,” said Harry.
“I know,” she said, but continued to massage his back.
“I don’t want to talk,” said Harry.
“I know,” said Ginny, still rubbing his back.
They didn’t say a word. She rubbed his neck and shoulders
until she got tired, then sat down beside him and put her
head on the table next to his. They remained there for close
to an hour.
“Are you getting hungry?” asked Ginny.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go see what we can scrape up,” said Ginny.
Harry made them a couple of bacon and egg sandwiches
while Ginny poured some pumpkin juice. They sat and ate
their food silently, then Harry told her that he was going to
take a nap. She said that she was too.
Ginny went to her room and thought about all her dad had
told them about what Tom Riddle had done that night. She
also thought about Harry. She cried herself to sleep.
Harry got out his book and read himself to sleep.
While they slept, there was a major Order meeting in the
Dining Room.
Harry awoke just in time for dinner. Ginny had awoke before
him and was in the kitchen helping to set the table. They
had left-overs, which was a feast in anybody’s mind. Winky
brought out the desserts that she and Mrs. Weasley had
been cooking for the last week.
After dinner they all retired to the Living Room. Harry was
more quiet than usual but didn’t show any other sign of what
happened that morning. Luna and Ginny started a game of
Scrabble. Harry showed Ron how to play Aggravation.
Harry had went to the loo and was going back to the Living
Room when Hedwig appeared. She dropped three packages
in front of him and a note was tied to her leg. Harry untied
the note and read it. He took the packages and note to the
kitchen and threw them in the trash. Then returned to the
Living Room as though nothing had happened.
What he didn’t know, was that Fred and George were at the
top of the stairs and saw Hedwig bring the packages. They
saw his shoulders slump, then watched him go to the
kitchen, then back to the Living Room.
After Harry had went back to the Living Room, they
Apparated to the kitchen. They found the packages and the
note in the trash. In the packages was a ladies diamond
watch, a half dozen silk ties and several computer games.
The note read:
I don’t know what you are up to, boy. Don’t send THINGS to
our house. We’re sure that they’re cursed or something.
Don’t think we are fools!
Vernon Dursley
Fred and George took the items to their room. They started
thinking up a plan.
That night as he lie in bed, Harry thought about today being
one of his worst days. He thought about Ginny again.
Another day where he couldn’t avoid her. He may just go
crazy before the holidays were over.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 24: Chap 24 - Ginny's Nightmare
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: What is Ginny’s secret? - - Molly has a talk with Harry ---------------
Chapter Twenty-four Ginny’s Nightmare
The next day, Neville sent an owl saying that he would meet
them at school. He couldn’t come to house. His Gran was
upset about all the killings and wanted him home with her.
Hermione did arrive, however, and brought presents for
everyone. They all exchanged gifts around the tree. Harry
gave her a ten volume deluxe set of books: WAYS OF THE
WIZARDING WORLD. Her eyes were shining. He could
see that she couldn’t wait to get started on them.
Ginny and Luna took her upstairs to show her their new
rooms and get her settled.
That night they all settled into the Living Room except Lupin
and Tonks. Harry assumed they were out on “Order”
business.
Arthur and Molly Weasley were relaxing. Arthur was reading
his new book that Harry had given him. Molly was peacefully
knitting, watching her family.
Ron, Hermione, Luna, Fred, George and Harry were all
playing Aggravation at the game table. Harry had just lost
his last marble. That made all four of his marbles back at the
start, so he was basically going to have to start over. Ron
was laughing and teasing him about it.
Then there was a piercing scream.
“HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY !”
Harry turned. Ginny was on up on her knees, facing to the
side, on the sofa behind him, screaming.
The room stood still. Harry was several feet from the sofa
but he seemed to just slide himself over to the sofa, sitting
sideways facing Ginny.
“HAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY !”
“HARRY!”
“HARRY!”
Harry looked over at Ron, Fred and George. They seemed
frozen in place. Hermione and Luna looked confused. He
turned and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Molly, with a
look of terror in her eyes, started to rise out of her seat in
slow motion. Arthur held out his arm to block her. Then she
slowly sat back down.
Harry looked back at Ginny’s face. Her eyes were wide open
but he knew she couldn’t see him. She was having a
nightmare. There were tears streaming from her eyes.
“HARRY! HARRY?”
“Ginny? Ginny?”
Harry put his hands on her face, trying to get her to look into
his eyes... to focus. The tears were still streaming down her
face.
“Ginny? Ginny!” he said, louder
“HAAAAAAAARRY!”
He looked again at the Weasleys. They all seemed to be
frozen in time, but there was some knowledge on their faces.
They knew what was happening to Ginny. Harry didn’t know
how he knew, but he did.
His heart was pounding against his chest.
“HAAAAAARRRRY! Where are you? HARRY, where are
you?”
“I’m right here, Ginny.” He was trying to get her to look him
in the eye, but her eyes were fixed. He started kissing her
face gently. Her forehead... her eyes... her cheeks... her
mouth.
“I’m right here, Ginny,” he said tenderly.
“Harry?”
“I’m right here, Ginny.”
“Oh Harry,” she sighed. Then she wrapped her arms around
him and began to sob. Harry held her with his arms across
her back. He was petting her and kissing her head. He
rubbed her back as she sobbed for several minutes. Then
her sobs began to taper off, then finally stop. She was
asleep. He held her like this for several more minutes, then
he reached for a throw pillow and placed it on his lap and
guided Ginny’s head down to the pillow. She stretched her
legs out to a comfortable position. She was completely
asleep.
He sat with his hand resting on her shoulder, curling a piece
of her hair around his finger as he watched her sleep. He
was moved, yet confused about what had just happened. All
he knew is that he wanted to just hold her and keep her safe
from the nightmare she had just had.
It must have been over a half an hour later that George
walked over to Harry and whispered for him to get up.
George slid into the spot where Harry was sitting, with
Ginny’s pillow now upon his lap.
Arthur caught Harry’s eye and they left the room. They went
to the kitchen, followed by Molly, Ron and Fred.
“What just happened there?” asked Harry.
“You were brilliant!” said Ron, grinning.
“No one’s ever stopped her that fast before,” said Fred,
smiling.
“Fast? What’s going on?” asked Harry.
Molly Weasley was sitting at the table crying. Ron and Fred
were smiling. Arthur Weasley looked concerned.
“You were kissing her all over her face. That’s what did it!”
said Ron, grinning.
“Kissing?” asked Harry.
“Ronald! That’s enough,” said Arthur, sternly.
“Harry, tell me what just happened,” said Arthur Weasley.
“You were there, weren’t you?” asked Harry.
“Yes, but I want you to tell me exactly what happened from
your point of view,” said Arthur, gently.
“What about Ginny?” asked Harry, getting agitated.
“Tell me what happened, then I will explain,” said Mr.
Weasley.
Harry began to tell them, exactly as he could, what he
remembered. “It was very strange. Time seemed to be
messed up. Frozen and speeded up. I think,” said Harry.
“That is how it seemed to me also, but different. I think,”
said Arthur. “Your movements were strange,” he added.
“I’ll say!” said Ron.
“Not another WORD, Ronald,” said Arthur.
Ron sank back into himself.
“It’s called ‘Time Fluxing’, “ said Remus Lupin, who had just
arrived at the table.
“It happens to people, usually in battle or times of great
stress. The person sees people as though they were frozen
in time. Things move quickly and slow down unevenly, while
they are facing whatever crisis that is happening. It is like
your brain is taking pictures of your surroundings as you go
along. ”
“Yeah,” said Harry. “Like that.”
He paused... “But what is going on with Ginny? She’s did
this before, I can tell. You all know something.”
“Fred, go replace George. I’ll take something to the girls.
Wait for me,” said Molly to Arthur.
Molly Apparated with a tray of food and drinks for Hermione
and Luna. In the meantime, Tonks had shown up and joined
Hermione and Luna in a game of Scrabble.
“She’s just had a bit of a nightmare. Everything’s fine,” said
Molly, with a smile, as she offered them food and drink. She
was standing in a way that covered their view of Ginny. Fred
Apparated in front of the sofa. He took George’s place and
George Apparated to the kitchen, followed by Molly.
“She’s resting. Still asleep,” said Molly.
“Wow!” said Ron. He shut up when his dad gave him yet
another look.
“She hasn’t stirred one bit,” said George. “Slept the whole
time.”
“Are you going to tell me now?” asked Harry.
“Harry, Ginny had a nightmare,” said Arthur.
“Of course she had a nightmare! THAT much is obvious,”
said Harry getting aggravated.
“Harry, it was a ‘Chamber’ nightmare,” said Arthur.
“You mean from when she was captured by Tom Riddle in
the Chamber of Secrets?” asked Harry.
“Yes.”
“But that was YEARS ago. She still has them? How do you
know?” asked Harry. “I thought she was fine! Why didn’t
you tell me?”
“She’s had them ever since the incident. She used to have
them several times a month. Then they tapered off and as
time went by, has less of them,” said Arthur.
“That bad or are they getting worse?” asked Harry.
“Actually, Harry, this is the shortest and mildest one she’s
ever had.”
“How do you know what she is dreaming about? I mean, it
could have been about... I don’t know... Maybe she was
dreaming that I was lost down a deep hole or something.
She couldn’t see me and was calling,” said Harry.
“No, Harry. It is always the same. Except tonight. Tonight
she stopped screaming,” said Arthur.
“Stopped screaming? She was screaming forever!” said
Harry.
Arthur sighed. “I know you don’t understand. You’ve never
seen... Harry, she normally screams for hours.”
“HOURS?” Nobody can scream like THAT for hours!”
“She screams like that until her voice breaks. Then they are
broken or silent screams,” added George, solemnly.
“HOURS? Why don’t you wake her up? I don’t understand,”
said Harry.
“We can’t wake her up!” said Ron. “That’s why it was so
amazing that YOU did it.”
“Harry, it takes a long time to get her attention enough to
wake her. After she wakes up, she usually stays awake until
the following night, but she is exhausted,” said Arthur,
sadly.
“Hours? Do you realize when you are dreaming, that time is
much slower? Do you know that when you are only
dreaming for a short time, that a dream feels like many
hours? I ought to know... I’ve had enough of them,” said
Harry.
“I know,” said Ron. “Between you and Ginny, I could be
considered an expert,” said Ron, sarcastically.
“She could loose her mind! Nobody should have to be stuck
in a nightmare that long! That can’t be right,” said Harry.
“We know, but she comes out of it fine, after she has
rested,” said Mrs. Weasley. “We all take turns holding her.”
“How come I never knew about this? I could have helped,”
asked Harry.
“Because Ginny is very embarrassed about them. She
asked us never to tell you or Hermione,” said Molly. “But
tonight we have no choice. She had one while you were in
the room.”
“How does she... I mean, she has school. She never has
them at school?”
“Yes, she has them at school. Professor McGonagal has a
charm on her bed, if she starts screaming your name, it
wakes her and she Floo’s me. I come and take her home,”
said Molly.
“My name... does she always call my name?” asked Harry,
horrified.
“Yes, Harry, it is always the same. We’ve only caught her a
few times before she’s gotten fully into the nightmare,” said
Arthur.
“So that’s what happened tonight? I caught her before she
was... was deep into the nightmare?”
“No, Harry, she was up on her knees. Once she is up on
her knees, it takes forever to wake her up,” said Ron.
“Other than her screaming your name, when she gets on her
knees we know for sure that it is a ‘Chamber’ nightmare,”
said George.
“I can’t believe this. How come she don’t want me and
Hermione to know?”
“Because she’s afraid that you will think that she is weak, that
she isn’t brave,” said Mrs. Weasley.
“Of course she’s brave! She’s the bravest girl I ever met!”
said Harry.
“Well, she thinks that you and Hermione would think less of
her,” said Mrs. Weasley.
“That’s ridiculous! A person can’t help what they dream. I
should know. If she thinks that having nightmares is a
weakness, then she must think that I’m the weakest person
in the world!” said Harry.
“She only thinks it is a weakness in HER. It’s because she is
a girl and the baby of the family. She always tries to fight
that... that status, I think that is the word. Anyway, she is
afraid that if you thought she was a baby, that you would
worry about her having nightmares and not let her hang out
with you guys,” said George.
“I thought she knew me better than that,” said Harry sadly.
“She knows you well enough to know that you would try to
protect her,” said Lupin.
“Of course, I would try to protect her. But... but...”
“See?” said Mr. Weasley.
“Well, she’s so little. It’s easy to want to protect her,” said
Harry.
“That’s another reason she doesn’t want you and Hermione
to know. She is short. She took after the Prewett side. She
is probably as tall as she will ever get. It makes her appear
younger. She hates being thought of as a baby,” said Molly.
“She’s perfect, she don’t need to be any taller,” said Harry.
“That’s why she’s so tough. She learned how to take care of
herself a long time ago. She could whip most of us if she
really tried. Bat-Bogey Hex. She’s an expert,” said George.
“Yeah, you should have seen Malfoy after she got done with
him,” said Ron.
“What are we going to do, Arthur?” asked Molly.
“I don’t know. She may not know that she had a nightmare
tonight. She’s going to be very upset when she finds out that
Harry and Hermione were in the room when she had one,”
answered Arthur. “We should wait and see if she
remembers.”
“Then we should ask everyone not to tell her?” asked Molly.
“She won’t like THAT, if she ever finds out,” said Ron.
“She’s as bad as Harry about secrets being kept from her.”
“You don’t think she will remember THAT?” asked Harry.
“Does she usually remember?”
“We don’t know exactly how much of the dream itself she
remembers. Since she wakes up and doesn’t go back to
sleep, she always knows shes’ had one,” said Arthur.
“So you think that she will sleep the rest of the night?” asked
Harry.
“I have no idea. She’s never went back to sleep before. She
usually stays up until the following night,” said Arthur.
“I think that someone should tell her she had one tonight. If I
know Hermione, she will be asking questions,” said Harry.
“She is going to want to know why we all left the room too.”
“I suggest that Harry replace Fred for a couple of hours
tonight. If she doesn’t show any signs of having another one,
I’ll take her up to bed,” said Arthur.
So Harry replaced Fred on the sofa. Ron pushed the table
closer so that Harry could continue to finish his game. Ron
slaughtered him. No one tried to keep the room quiet.
Everyone was making the usual racket they normally would
while playing games. Ginny slept through all of it.
When everyone went to bed, Harry just sat and watched
Ginny breathing. She was sleeping peaceful. She looked so
sweet.
He continued to sit with her until 2:00 a.m. Arthur then
carried her up to bed.
* * * *
Harry went to the kitchen for a snack before going to bed.
Molly Weasley was sitting at the table. She had been crying
again.
Harry made them both huge turkey sandwiches and poured
them both a large cold glass of milk.
“I’m sorry. I’m such a big cry baby,” said Molly.
“That’s ok, Mrs. Weasley, ” said Harry, gently. “I guess it’s
hard for you to see Ginny like that. I felt like crying myself.”
“Call me Molly, dear.” said Mrs. Weasley.
“Ok, Molly Dear.” said Harry. From that time forward he
always called her Molly Dear.
She smiled at him. “You’re a good boy, Harry.”
Harry smiled back.
“You know, ALL my children are good, Harry.”
“Yes, I know,” said Harry.
“Including Percy. I know he’s made some wrong choices, but
he is not evil, Harry.”
“I know that, Molly Dear,” said Harry. “We know Percy.
Doing evil would be against the rules, that is one thing that
Percy never does, is break rules.”
“I just miss him and worry about him so much. With this war,
he needs to be with his family,” said Molly.
Harry nodded.
“Harry... about what happened on Christmas... it’s going to
get worse. You need to know that. Be prepared.”
“How do you know?” asked Harry.
“Because that is exactly what he did the last time. He attacks
here and abroad, usually small villages. Then he forces the
foreigners to muscle small villages here. Then he uses
those he brings in from here to muscle small villages
abroad.”
“Why does he do that?” asked Harry.
“Because people are usually more intimidated by foreigners.
It seems to work for him,” said Molly.
“Harry, I know that whatever he does upsets you and using
your name in his attacks has to be hard. But, Harry, I
believe he uses your name to make people hate you,” she
said.
Harry didn’t say anything.
“But I believe that it is having the opposite affect. I believe
people are rallying around you even more,” she said.
“Why should they care one way or the other?” asked Harry.
“Because you give people ‘hope’, Harry.”
“I’m not special. I’m just me.”
“Harry, you gave us fourteen YEARS of peace. There were
countless lives saved because of you. He would have killed
so many in that time span.” She smiled. “He is afraid of you
for some reason, just as he is afraid of Albus. He wants to
ruin your name. But I know that for some people, it is having
the opposite effect.”
“But I didn’t DO anything. I was a baby.”
“It is not entirely what you did or didn’t do. There is hope
because you were able to STOP him, if only for a time.
Before, everyone thought that he was too powerful and that
NO ONE could stop him. Now people know that he can be
stopped. That gives people hope,” she said, smiling.
“I know you don’t understand, because you were only a baby
at the time, but the war had been on going for many years
before your birth. Arthur and I were not actively involved at
that time. We had all the children to tend to. But we both
lost many family members to the war.” Tears started forming
in her eyes again.
“Our memories are the only thing we have to keep us going
after we lose someone. It is the little milestones along the
way that become most important. Sometimes we don’t know
how important these little things are until it is too late,” she
said.
“Women hold on to the little things harder than men do, I
think. We use our sweetest memories to give us the strength
to bear through all the bad times. We seem to be more
sentimental. I think we NEED to be, because we most often
have to give comfort to our men and children.” she smiled
again.
“Listen to me carrying on. I’m sorry Harry. I didn’t mean to
go on like that,” said Molly, as she stood up. She stepped
behind him and gave him a hug.
“That’s fine, Molly Dear. It’s nice to talk sometimes,” said
Harry.
Arthur came in at that time. “Been looking for you Molly.
What’s this? Harry, you seem to be in the arms of all my
womenfolk tonight,” he teased.
Harry blushed.
“Arthur, I’ve got an idea!” said Molly.
“Molly, it’s the middle of the night. Let’s go to bed,” said
Arthur.
“Don’t I always get my BEST ideas in the middle of the
night?” she said with a mischievous look.
“That you do! Good night Harry.”
Molly had given Harry more to think about before he fell
asleep that night. He didn’t really understand what the war
was like before. She gave him a little insight to how people
felt during the last one.
As always, his thoughts went back to Ginny. It was always
Ginny. This time it was a secret that she had been keeping
from him all these years. Ron was in on it too. Actually the
whole Weasley family. He felt hurt that Ginny especially
wanted to keep him and Hermione from knowing.
She must be embarrassed about her calling out his name.
He wondered why she did. What was the dream all about?
He didn’t understand about her hiding it from Hermione.
He decided that he would talk to Ginny in the morning. It was
best to get this nightmare problem out of the way. He didn’t
want any part of hiding his knowledge of it.
He had to figure out a way to avoid seeing her after that. He
had been kissing her face tonight. He was holding her and
petting her. Everyone would know how he felt if he didn’t put
a stop it. Even Ron had made a comment about him kissing
her.
He had to finish reading THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE before
he could do anything else concerning Ginny. He sighed.
The next morning he hung around his door reading, waiting
for Ginny to get up. When she was on her way down the
stairs he caught up with her.
“Ginny can I talk to you for a few minutes, alone in the
Defense Room?” he asked.
“Sure.”
The walked over to the table and sat. Harry wondered if he
would be able to word things so that she wouldn’t be too
upset.
“Ginny, you sort of had a nightmare last night. Do you
remember having one?” he asked.
“No. I did?” she answered. She blushed and was starting
to panic inside.
“I’m only telling you about it because your family seems to
think that you didn’t want me to know. I don’t want you to
think that any of us are hiding anything from you.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” said Ginny.
“Well, your dad called it a ‘Chamber’ nightmare. Do you
know what I am talking about now?” he asked.
Ginny’s face went white.
“Ginny, please don’t be embarrassed about it in front of me.
If anyone would understand, it is me,” he added.
“I ALWAYS remember having a nightmare. I don’t remember
having a nightmare last night. There must be some kind of
mistake.”
“No, Ginny. You had a nightmare. Believe me that couldn’t
have been anything else. You were sleeping on the sofa in
the Living Room when it started,” he said.
“What did I do?” asked Ginny. Panic was definitely setting in
now.
“You called my name. You were screaming. I calmed you
down and then you went back to sleep,” said Harry gently.
“You calmed me down?” She was trying to understand. She
ALWAYS woke up when she had one of “those” nightmares.
It must not have been a “Chamber” nightmare.
“I know what you are thinking, that it wasn’t one of ‘those’
nightmares. But your family assured me that it was.”
“I have an idea that I haven’t talked to your family about, but
I wanted to ask you about it first.”
“I think the reason that you came out of the dream easier last
night was because... well, you were screaming my name...
you asked where I was. I answered you. Once you knew
that I was there, you stopped, then you went back to sleep.
So, maybe if you ever had another one, you know, if you
called my name... Well, if someone came to get me... that
well, maybe I could wake you up faster than someone else. I
know when I’m having a nightmare, I want to be woke up as
soon as possible,” said Harry.
Ginny didn’t know what to think. She didn’t want HIM
knowing she had those dreams. But he DID know now. He
KNEW she was calling HIS name! Does he know that she
ALWAYS called HIS name? She didn’t say anything.
He waited...
“Do you want to think about it for a while? I don’t even know
if it would work. I just thought that maybe... I mean... well
maybe you won’t have another one. I was only thinking if you
did.” Harry was beginning to ramble, so he shut up.
“That’s ok, Harry. Thank you for helping me last night. I
don’t remember anything about it, but I know you are not just
making this up. If I have another one... I guess we could try
it. But that would probably mean waking YOU up.”
“Don’t worry about it. PLEASE. I don’t mind at all.
REALLY,” said Harry.
“Ok,” said Ginny.
“Eh... Harry, you said I was in the Living Room when it
happened. Who was there? Was it very late last night?”
“Everybody, except Tonks and Lupin. Lupin heard the
conversation in the kitchen,” said Harry.
“Conversation?”
“Yes. Your mum and dad, Fred and George, Ron and me,
then Lupin came in.”
Hermione and Luna were in the room when you had it. I
don’t think anyone has talked to them about it yet. Tonks
was in the Living Room with them when I came back from
the kitchen. I don’t know if she knows. I’m sure Hermione
was asking questions ‘cause we had all went to the kitchen.
Ginny had put her head down. “Oh Harry, what did I do?
Was I acting... crazy?” asked Ginny almost in a whisper.
“You didn’t really DO anything. You were up on your knees,
screaming. No, you weren’t acting crazy. You were...
were... more like you were worried or in a panic,” he said
gently.
“Don’t worry about it. Everybody has nightmares,” said Harry
taking her hand. “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast.”
By the time they got to the kitchen, Arthur had left for work.
Molly, Fred, George, Luna, Hermione and Ron were sitting at
the table talking and eating. Molly rose, but Harry caught her
and told her to sit down and enjoy her breakfast. Harry and
Ginny sat down and started filling their plates.
“That was quite a nightmare you had last night.” Hermione
said to Ginny.
“I don’t remember having one,” said Ginny, uncomfortably.
“Do you usually have such bad ones?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t USUALLY have nightmares, but I guess all
nightmares are bad,” said Ginny.
“It was extremely bad, I think,” said Hermione.
“Nah, it wasn’t that bad. I mean, I’ve had some that made
me throw up... right, Ron?” said Harry.
“Harry! Not at the table! We’re EATING,” said Mrs.
Weasley.
“Oh! Right! Yeah... sorry.”
“But he’s right,” said Ron. “He’s had some REALLY bad
ones.”
“I had a really bad one once. Dreamt that I looked just like
George. Ewwwwwwww it was horrible! “ said Fred.
“I had one worse than that. I dreamt that I looked just like
Ron! “ said George. “Remember that, Mum? It took Mum a
long time to get me calmed down after that one.”
Everyone laughed except Ron, who scowled.
By then, everyone had loosened up and started sharing little
stories about nightmares they had had in the past.
After breakfast everyone split up to do their own thing.
Hermione caught Harry in the hallway. “Why did everyone
go off last night?” she asked.
“Oh THAT. Well, ya see... Mrs. Weasley was upset about
having to tell everyone about the attacks on Christmas. I
think she thought that maybe that’s why Ginny had a
nightmare,” said Harry, trying to justify his wording.
“She didn’t seem upset when she brought us drinks,” said
Hermione.
“Yeah, well, I think that she was trying to cover up then.
She was also upset about Percy last night,” said Harry,
truthfully.
“Oh yes, I guess it is very hard for her. Missing Percy at
Christmas and all.”
“Yes, she doesn’t usually like to speak about Percy. It gets
her really upset,” said Harry.
Hermione seemed satisfied with that and went up to Ginny’s
room to get one of her books.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 25: Chap 25 - Everybody's Talking
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ron’s education - - - Molly’s idea - - Can Harry keep his secret about loving Ginny - - Everybody’s Talking
Chapter Twenty-five Everybody’s Talking
Harry went up to the fourth floor to his temporary library.
Winky and Lupin had been bringing books to this room from
around the house, as they were found. Next summer, Harry
and Lupin were going to decide exactly which room they
would use for the Library and put it all in order.
Harry wandlessly summoned his HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
book and was going to start reading it, but first he looked
around trying to find a special book. Once he located it, he
placed it so that it would catch someone’s eye if they entered
the room. If it was the wrong person he could easily cover it
up.
Harry began reading and was coming along very nicely with
the story now. Harry had had Winky bring him lunch so he
could eat while reading. He was finally beginning to make
progress.
Around 3:00 Ron found him in the Library.
“I been wondering if you were going to come down and join
us. I’m bored,” said Ron.
“I’ve been studying,” said Harry.
“You know, you are getting worse than Hermione lately,
always got your face stuck in a book,” said Ron, as he
looked around. He spotted the book that Harry had placed
within sight. He picked it up. It was a hand tooled, black
leather book entitled:
THE DARK ARTS BOOK OF WITCHES WILES
“What’s this?” he opened the book and started thumbing
through it. “BLOODY HELL! Harry, have you read this
one? WOW!”
“Yes I’ve glanced through it,” Harry said, smiling.
“Can I take it to read? WOW !” said Ron.
“I don’t think you want your Mum to catch you with that one,”
said Harry.
“Yeah, you’re right,” said Ron, disappointed.
“Tell you what,” said Harry. “I’ll go read in our room and you
could stay in here and read for a bit if you want. No one
would think to look for you in here.”
“Yeah!” said Ron, excitedly.
“Oh yes, by the way, if you find something ‘interesting’, you
should always look it up in the back of the book. It is
cross-referenced,” said Harry.
“There aren’t any illustrations in the back,” said Ron
disappointedly, as he thumbed through the back pages.
“But you get far more information from there,” said Harry with
a sly smile. “Choose a chapter from the front, then look it up
in the back.”
Ron found a chapter that looked “interesting”. He then
turned to the back of the book and found the reference to it.
Harry watched his face as he read.
“BLOODY HELL!” yelled Ron. “Harry! This stuff is EVIL!”
“Of course it is, it’s from the Dark Arts. These are methods
used along with spells or bewitchments that are practiced to
control men,” said Harry.
Ron thumbed through several pages. He found something.
Then quickly turned to the back of the book and was reading.
His face turned white.
“I’ll leave you to your studies,” said Harry.
“WAIT!” said Ron. “Is there... a way to... er... a... I mean...
What if someone were to have...?”
“I don’t know. I only looked up a few and decided that I got
the idea and didn’t want to know any more about it. Lupin
showed me the book. He thought I should at least have an
idea about what was out there,” said Harry.
“Everything you need to know should be either in the chapter
or the cross-reference in the back. If you have any
questions, you should ask Lupin. He may know more about
the subject,” said Harry as he left the room.
Ron sat down and started from the first chapter. He
continued until Harry came back to fetch him for dinner.
* * * *
At dinner the whole Weasley family, except Percy, were
present along with Harry, Luna, Hermione, Lupin and Tonks.
Everyone was talking and laughing, although Ron was a bit
quieter than usual.
“After dinner, I want everyone to meet in the Living Room.
No exceptions,” announced Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley was clapping her hands, as she stood in the
middle of the room. “ATTENTION !”
“Last night, I recalled a memory from when I was a girl. My
grandmother Prewett had told me about this ancient magic.
It is so common, that I forgot all about what she had told me.
I’ve talked to Remus today, with his knowledge and a bit
more research we think that it could be very useful in our
fight in this war,” she said.
She had everyone’s attention now. “Remus, maybe it would
be better for you to explain.”
Remus stood. “When a child is hurt, the first thing a mother
does is to see what’s wrong, then she tries to fix that. Next
she comforts her child. She does this by holding and
hugging the child. Usually very soon after, the child is
comforted and is on it’s way,” said the ex-professor.
“What Molly was told by her grandmother was that there is
‘magic’ in the hugs. Magic that flows from one person to
another. This magic offers comfort to both involved in the
hug.” There were snickers within the room. “The comfort, is
the removal of fear. It gives a person strength to put aside
the fear and continue on,” said Lupin. He waited for that to
sink in.
“We all know about it. It is something that is within our
conscience that we don’t put a label on. It is just there. I did
a bit of research today and found that Molly and I were
correct. This ‘magic’ does exist.”
“I will try to keep my explanation short... In ancient times,
warriors from many cultures used this ‘magic’ in battle. Not
just wizards but Muggles too. It is a hug. Just a simple hug.
It was the custom of many warriors to hug each other, just
before entering battle. As time went on, throughout the
centuries, it was reduced a clamping of arms, then to a
handshake. Then the handshake was reduced to became a
form of greeting. The hug has gotten lost along the way.”
“In these modern times, in our society, men frown upon
hugging another man. Male pride reflects that getting
comfort from another man, other than in extreme cases, is a
sign of weakness. Only women and children should be
hugged.”
“Since females are more apt to show their emotions and
don’t have a fear of showing weakness, they are more apt to
give hugs.”
“In polite society, a male and a female may hug. Mothers
and fathers give hugs to their children freely. Females can
hug other females, but it is frowned upon if males hug other
males. This has to do with sexual issues in modern society,”
said Lupin.
“Are you saying that you think that we should go around
hugging each other?” asked Charlie.
“Yes, I am,” said Lupin.
“What?” exclaimed George. “No way!”
“Listen to what Remus has to say,” said Arthur sternly.
“The power behind the hug is subtle, but it is there,”
continued Lupin. “Have you ever noticed that when someone
you care about is having a bad time, your first instinct is to
hug them?”
“So you are thinking that in times of war, that a hug would
give us a bit more of an advantage? As opposed to Death
Eaters, that if they did hug, it probably wouldn’t help
anyway because there is no love behind them?” asked
Harry.
“CORRECT!” said Lupin.
The room was silent.
“Fred! Go give your brother Bill, a hug,” said Molly.
“Aw Mum!” said Fred.
“NOW!” said Molly.
Fred walked over to Bill and gave him a hug, then quickly
pulled back blushing.
“That’s a start, but of course that hug is not going to do
anything. There was no feeling behind it at all,” said Molly.
“I think that Harry is the key,” said Lupin. “Harry, what we
are proposing, is that you introduce the practice of hugging
to your D.A. members. That D.A. members greet each other
with a hug at each meeting, before you start the class. The
hug is one of brotherly love, for the common cause against
evil.”
“Make it become a habit, a common practice. I believe that
it will give you all a bond... a feeling of unification. I believe if
YOU introduced it, that they would accept it,” added Lupin.
“I’ll think about it,” said Harry.
“Are you MENTAL? asked Ron. “What do you think the kids
at school are gonna think?”
“If it works, I don’t care,” said Harry. “We need everything
and anything it takes, to win this war. If a hug gives us a bit
more strength or power, then I’m all for it.”
“Why don’t you all practice it these last few days before you
go back to school? See if you think it has any merit,”
suggested Arthur.
“Ok, it couldn’t hurt anything just to give it a try,” said Harry.
“Just look what it did for Ginny last night,” said Hermione.
“Harry’s hugs brought her out of it.”
“Brought Ginny out of what? Harry was hugging Ginny last
night?” asked Bill. He was looking intensely at Harry.
“Never mind about that now. I’ll explain later,” said Molly
quickly.
“We can all practice by hugging each other when we enter a
room. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll be used to it
and it won’t be so awkward. If I catch any of you NOT
greeting each other with a hug, you’ll have ME to contend
with!” said Molly.
Their informal meeting broke up. Ron went back to the
“library” to “study”. Harry went to his room to continue
reading his book.
Ginny and Tonks went up Tonks’ room for a chat.
* * * *
“What happened last night?” asked Tonks.
“I don’t know exactly. I had one of my ‘Chamber’ nightmares
in the Living Room. Apparently Harry got to me first and
woke me. Well, he didn’t really wake me cause I don’t
remember anything. But he told me this morning that I had
had one. It seems that I can’t hide any of my weaknesses
from him!” said Ginny.
“All I know is that when I went to the Living Room last night,
Hermione and Luna were sitting at the game table and Fred
or George was sitting on the sofa with you sleeping.”
“Hermione said you had had a nightmare, then everyone left
the room except her and Luna and you two on the sofa. She
wanted to know if I knew what was going on. I faked it.
Everyone came back, then Harry exchanged places with
whichever one it was on the sofa,” said Tonks.
“Harry sat with me on the sofa?” asked Ginny.
“Yeah. Harry walked over to the sofa. Fred or George got
up and Harry slipped under the pillow your head was lying
on. He sat with one arm around you, holding and petting
you. Ron pushed the game table over so that Harry could
play a game, while you were sleeping. Everyone continued
laughing and talking as usual. You slept through it all. After a
couple of games, everyone went to bed leaving Harry alone
holding you on the sofa,” said Tonks.
“They left me alone with Harry on the sofa?” asked Ginny.
“Where was Mum and Dad?”
“Your parents were there. They left when everyone else did. I
was one of the last ones to leave the room. You were alone
with Harry. Hermione was very suspicious,” said Tonks.
“I would be too,” said Ginny. “I woke up in my bed, so I
don’t know what happened. I barely got to talk to Mum about
it today, only know that I did have one. She was off with
Lupin most of the day, I guess. Then, of course, I didn’t dare
ask about it with Hermione around.”
“Was Bill and Charlie here last night?” asked Ginny.
“No,” answered Tonks.
“Bill or Dad are usually the ones who wake me from those
nightmares. What am I going to do? The two people I didn’t
want to know about my nightmares, know,” said Ginny.
“Well, there’s nothing can be done about it now. You had
one with them in the room. What did Harry say?” asked
Tonks.
“Oh, he was sweet and understanding. Told me not to be
ashamed and stuff. He wants my parents to come get him if
I have another one. He offered to try to wake me.”
“What did you say?” asked Tonks, shocked.
“I didn’t know what to say. I was panicking. I think I told him
we could try it.”
“I think I’d die if he saw me like that again. I’m sure he thinks
I’m a big baby. Why does he always have to see me at my
worst?” said Ginny, sadly.
“I think Hermione is going to be questioning you,” said Tonks.
“Wha’cha you gonna tell her?”
“She already started this morning, but Harry started in telling
about how bad his nightmares are. Then Fred and George
started telling some of their nightmares and that sort of
distracted her from asking more questions,” said Ginny.
“Maybe that will be the end of it,” said Tonks.
“We’ll see,” said Ginny.
“So! Anything new with the werewolf?” asked Ginny with a
grin.
“I’m breaking him down,” said Tonks with a grin.
“OOOOOOO ‘fess up!”
“Not too much ta tell yet, but I’ve gott’n his attention. I’ve
been taking advantage of every moment ta be alone with
him. I think that somethin’ will happen between us soon. I
just hope it’s what I want,” sighed Tonks. “There really
hasn’t been any ‘romantic’ settings to help it along.”
“I’ve had plenty with Harry. It’s like it’s going to happen, then
nothing. I guess he don’t have any more ‘romantic’ feelings
for me than he has for Luna,” sighed Ginny.
“Maybe he’s holding out ‘til the Valentine’s Ball. That’d be
romantic if he asked you to be his girlfriend on Valentines
day. He did ask you to the ball, don’t forget,” said Tonks.
“Yeah, and did you see the look on his face after he asked
me? It looked like he already regretted it,” said Ginny.
“I don’t know if I can stand this anymore. He breaks my
heart... Every day... It’s much worse now... Now that he
knows I’m alive... I make too much out of... of little things he
says or does.”
“I’m not givin’ up. I’m not gonna let any opportunity pass
with Remus. ANY opening and I’m going for it!” said Tonks.
* * * *
Bill, Charlie, Fred and George were in the Defense Room
putting the new band instruments together.
“What do you think about Harry and Ginny?” asked Charlie to
anyone in the room.
“I think Harry is in love with Ginny,” said Bill.
“Yeah,” said George.
“Yeah.” said Fred.
“Do you think he’s told her?” asked Charlie.
“No” said Fred and George together. “At least he hadn’t after
the Christmas Ball. We took care of that.”
“What did you two do?” asked Charlie.
“Just another ‘Forget Charm’ same as after the party,” said
George.
“I think you should leave those two alone. It won’t ever get
sorted out with you two meddling,” said Charlie.
“No,” said Bill, thoughtfully. “I don’t think he has told her,
she’s still miserable. He’s worried about something.
Probably Voldemort. I think he won’t say anything, at least
for a while.”
“Yeah, with HIM around it’s pretty dangerous for Ginny if they
started going together,” said Charlie. “If it wasn’t for HIM, I
think Harry would be fine for Ginny. He really seems to care
a lot about her. I know he would give his life for her.”
“I agree,” said Bill. “I don’t know if I like the idea of them
together... not with Voldemort after Harry. But...”
“You don’t know the half of it,” said Fred. “You should have
seen him with her last night.”
“Yeah, he was very tender with her,” said George.
“What happened last night?” asked Charlie.
“Ginny had a ‘Chamber’ nightmare,” said Fred.
“She did? Poor little thing. She didn’t look like she had one
today. You sure she had one?” said Bill.
“Yeah, we’re sure. She was up on her knees screaming for
Harry. What else would you call it?” said George.
“I guess there’s no mistaking that,” said Bill. “She just
doesn’t look like she usually does after she’s had one.”
“Well, that’s ‘cause Harry brought her out of it,” said
George, grinning. “I mean, she came out of the nightmare
and went back to sleep.”
“Yeah, she was sleeping on the sofa when she had it. Harry
got to her first. He was holding her and kissing her, then she
cried herself to sleep. Didn’t wake up till this morning,” said
Fred.
“KISSING HER ?” said Charlie and Bill together.
“Yep! Right in front of all of us, including Mum and Dad,”
said George, pointedly.
“I don’t believe you! He wouldn’t do that in front of anyone,
definitely not in front of Mum and Dad,” said Charlie.
“What kind of kissing?” asked Bill.
“You know, lips puckered,” said Fred.
“Flesh to flesh, your usual,” said George, grinning.
“What did Ginny do?” asked Bill.
“Well, she sort of woke up a bit. Then she cried herself to
sleep. You know, just like the girls do when I kiss them,”
said George.
“Harry kissed Ginny in a room with everyone around. I can’t
believe that,” said Charlie.
“I don’t think he realized that he was kissing her,” said Fred,
thoughtfully. “From what he said in the kitchen. He looked
confused when Ron mentioned it.”
“Or guilty?” asked Bill.
“No. I think he didn’t realize what he was doing at the time.
He wasn’t kissing her like THAT. He was kissing her face
gently. Like you would kiss a child,” said Fred.
“I think you’re right, Bro. Now that you mention it. It was like
that,” said George. “He forgot he kissed her? “
“I don’t know exactly. Ron was going on about it and he just
looked confused,” said Fred. “Dad told Ron to shut it, then
Mum had us trade places so I don’t know any more.”
“Well, there wasn’t any kissing mentioned when I got there,
but he was confused about what was going on with Ginny,”
said George.
“What did Mum and Dad do when he kissed her?” asked Bill.
“Nothing. Didn’t say a word,” said Fred.
“Are you sure they saw him kiss her?” asked Charlie.
“Yep, it would be hard to miss. Everyone was looking that
way. Ginny was screaming, ya know,” said George.
“Ron mentioned it in the kitchen too. It was like Dad ignored
it,” said Fred. “I think he was more concerned with Ginny at
the time.”
“Don’t think Ginny knows either, when she woke up, she
didn’t even KNOW she had a nightmare. Harry told her this
morning. He didn’t want her to find out from anyone else that
he knew,” said Fred.
“She didn’t know? That’s a first,” said Charlie.
“Yep. She went right back to sleep. Dad carried her up to
her room some time during the night,” said George.
“What’s Ron think about all this?” asked Bill.
“Who knows?” said Fred.
“Yeah,” said George. “We did our share with him already
about those girls. Can’t believe he took those girls to the
ball.”
“Yeah, well I won’t be taking them to any more balls,” said
Ron, who had just walked in.
“I should nope not,” said Bill.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize that they were that bad,” said Ron.
“I’m surprised you’d go anywhere with Slytherin girls, let
alone, a school ball,” said Charlie.
They are not from Slytherin, they’re from Hufflepuff,” said
Ron.
“I don’t remember them from last year,” said Fred.
“Me either,” said George.
“Well, they were there. They’re cousins. Don’t know their
last names, though,” said Ron.
“I’m not surprised,” said Bill, rolling his eyes.
“We were talking about Harry and Ginny. What do you
think?” asked Charlie.
“What about them?” asked Ron.
“Do you think they told each other that they like each other?”
asked Bill.
“Of course they have. They been ‘going together’ all year,”
said Ron. “He’s taken her to all the balls. He dances with
her almost every dance. What else do you think?”
“Do they act like a ‘couple’ at school? You know, do they
hold hands around school and kiss good night, stuff like
that?” asked Charlie.
“Well... I’ve never seen them at it. But come on, they’re
together all the time. He rode back to the train with his arm
around her and her head on his shoulder... He was kissing
her last night, in front of EVERYONE. What else do you
want?” said Ron.
“Fred seems to think that Harry didn’t realize that he was
kissing Ginny last night,” said Charlie. “He seems to think
that it wasn’t THAT kind of kiss.”
“KISSES not one. I suppose they weren’t THOSE kind of
kisses last night. He was kissing her all over her face,
though,” said Ron.
“Has he said anything to you about her?” asked Bill.
“Not much. He’s kind of weird when it comes to Ginny. He
takes over if Ginny has any problem. Thinks he’s the only
one to take care of her. Just like he did last night.”
“He’s been denying that they are going together. He even
denied that they ‘broke up’ a few weeks back. Ginny got a
date with that ‘git’. Harry didn’t seem to ‘get it’ that they
broke up. Then they made up, which he denies, cause he
asked her to the ball and she dropped ‘the git’,” said Ron.
“Like I said, weird.”
“So you think he loves her?” asked Charlie.
“Of course he loves her,” said Ron. “What kind of question
is that?”
* * * *
“What do you think is going on?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t know what you mean?” said Luna.
“You saw Ginny have that nightmare. Right after that,
everyone left the room but us and Ginny and Fred or George.
I think they were all discussing it,” said Hermione.
“It was George,” said Luna.
“It was George, what?” said Hermione.
“It was George on the sofa with Ginny... at first. Then Fred
took over,” said Luna.
“You mean they exchanged places?” said Hermione.
“Yes, when Mrs. Weasley brought us drinks. They
swapped.”
“How do you know?” asked Hermione.
“It was obvious, George was there, then it was Fred.”
“What do you think they’re hiding?” said Hermione.
“Nothing.”
“Harry was kissing Ginny all over her face, with all of us in
the room. Her PARENTS were there. No one said anything
about THAT. They must have discussed that in the other
room,” said Hermione thoughtfully.
“I wouldn’t know. But Harry replaced Fred on the sofa. No
one said anything about that either.”
“I haven’t got that figured out yet,” said Hermione. “And
there was something strange about that nightmare.”
“Of course there was. It was a horrible nightmare. But Harry
calmed her down and made her feel better. She was
sleeping peacefully,” said Luna. “Harry always seems to
make things better.”
Hermione rolled her eyes.
* * * *
“What do you think, Arthur?” asked Molly.
“He is definitely in love with our daughter,” said Arthur.
“They are too young,” said Molly.
“I know, but I don’t think he has told her yet,” said Arthur.
“I don’t think so either,” said Molly. “Do you think I should
ask Ron about them?”
“No. We should have asked Ginny, but after what she’s
been through, I think we should just wait and see,” said
Arthur.
“I agree,” said Molly as she snuggled up to Arthur.
* * * *
“What do you think, Remus? Is Harry in love with Ginny?”
asked Tonks.
“Of course he is.” said Remus Lupin. “Don’t you think it’s
obvious?”
“Ginny doesn’t think so. He’s never told her,” said Tonks.
“Really?” said Remus, surprised.
“Can you think of any reason why?” asked Tonks.
“He has Voldemort after him. I suppose he doesn’t want any
harm to come to Ginny,” he said, sadly.
“You think that if HE knew that Harry loved Ginny that HE
would attack her?” asked Tonks.
“I don’t know, but Harry probably believes that. He’s always
trying to protect those he loves,” said Remus.
“Not unlike his guardian?” asked Tonks.
“Not unlike his guardian,” said Remus.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 26: Chap 26 - Neville?
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry talks with is guardian - - A New Year - - What’s wrong with Hermione? - - Neville? ---------------
Chapter Twenty-six - Neville?
The next couple of days went by quickly. Harry continued
reading his book and was getting close to finishing it.
Ron spent all his time in the “library”. When he came down
for meals, he seemed unusually quiet. Molly took his
temperature, but he was just fine.
The girls spent their time going through their wardrobes and
chatting. Luna and Ginny had gotten quite a few new
clothes for Christmas.
They all worked on hugging each other when entering a
room. It was awkward at first, but they all seemed to get
used to it quickly.
A music party was planned for New Year’s Eve. Harry went
through several of the songs that were in Arthur’s music
library. He chose a couple that he would learn to sing for the
party.
Harry was concerned that Fred, George, Bill and Charlie
would be missing out that night, since they couldn’t bring
dates to the house. They assured him that they would make
it up “somehow” to all the unlucky girls available.
Harry also got to spend a couple of hours talking with Lupin.
They discussed the hugging situation. Harry told him that he
would try it out with the D.A.
Although Lupin was excited about trying out the new theory,
he seemed a bit downhearted.
“You seem a little down, what’s wrong?” asked Harry.
“Nothing much. I don’t know. I get lonely when you leave for
school,” said Lupin. “The house is so full of laughter with
everybody here, then it gets real quiet.”
“What you need is a woman,” said Harry, with a grin.
“You forget that I’m a werewolf. Too dangerous,” said Lupin.
“It’s not like you don’t know when it’s coming. Seems to me,
you could get around that some way. Less than a week out
of the month. That leaves a lot of month left,” said Harry,
wiggling his eyebrows.
“Sounds like you’re setting me up for something,” said Lupin.
“I’m not my dad. I’m sure he would have set you up a long
time ago. No, I just don’t like to see you wasting time,” said
Harry.
“Wasting time? How do you figure?” asked Lupin.
“If you keep thinking the way you been thinking, you’re going
to be too old to enjoy it when you figure out that you could
have been happy all this time,” said Harry with a grin.
“Who do you think is going to want to put their life in danger
every month, just to be with this old man?” said Lupin.
“You’re not old yet, but you’re getting there. No one is going
to be in danger any more than they are now. I think that
excuse is getting worn. You and I both know there is a lovely
woman who... who’s got the ‘hots’ for you,” said Harry with a
big grin.
“Too young,” said Lupin.
“Too young in what way? Actual age or mentally?” asked
Harry.
“Actual age,” said Lupin, sadly.
“You need someone young and full of life. You’ve had a
lonely life. You deserve happiness,” said Harry.
“What about her? Doesn’t she deserve happiness?” asked
Lupin.
“Since she looks at you like you’re a big piece of chocolate,
I’d say that if you gave her some attention, she’d have
happiness,” said Harry, with a big grin. “You’re wasting
time.”
“And what about you?” asked Lupin.
“Too dangerous,” said Harry.
“You’re wasting time,” said Lupin.
“I’ve got plenty of time, if I live,” laughed Harry.
“That’s not funny,” said Lupin.
“Sure it is, lighten up.”
* * * *
Early on New Year’s Eve, Harry and the boys from the band
worked on a few extra songs. The songs that Harry had
chose were love songs. Both were about a man being
lonely. Perhaps it was coincidence or his subconscience
that made him chose those. He thought he chose them
because he liked the melody, but the words described his
loneliness. Harry was lonely. Even though he had plenty of
people around him.
The rest of the day, Harry spent reading in his room. Ron
was using the temporary library.
Before going down to dinner, Harry made up his mind that
he would try to keep contact with Ginny to a minimal.
Ginny was also thinking the same. Stay away from Harry if
possible.
Apparently there would be no “dates” for the evening.
Everyone was going to dress casual. They were just going to
have a musical night.
According to Harry, the first thing that went wrong was what
Ginny was wearing. She had on black knit slacks with a
emerald green knit top. Her outfit showed off her figure to it’s
full advantage. It took all the effort he could muster, to keep
his eyes off her.
The next disaster, was that somehow he ended up dancing
with her several times. He didn’t know how it happened but
she would be in his arms whenever a very romantic song
was being played.
Then there were the faster dances. That should have been
safe enough, but when dancing, one should keep an eye on
their partner’s movements, as they danced. It was difficult
for him to keep from drooling all over himself.
He tried to keep his eyes on Lupin as a diversion. He noticed
he wasn’t the only one watching Lupin. Tonks was watching
his every movement, like a cat watching a mouse. She was
wearing a knit outfit too.
Lupin seemed to be a little nervous this evening. In fact, he
was even more clumsy than Tonks.
Harry had asked Tonks to dance. Tonks accepted, telling
him that she would probably step all over his feet and would
probably fall down. Harry laughed and told her, if she fell he
would merely pick her back up. Which he did, while they
danced to a fast one. She almost ended up in the butterbeer
tub. Later, he only asked her to dance to slow songs, as he
did Luna.
Luna didn’t care to dance very often. With the faster songs
she would get a bit “wild”, for lack of a better word. Harry
liked to dance the slower songs with her.
It was during one of these dances that the “magic” began.
Harry was dancing with Tonks and Luna was dancing with
Lupin. It was a slow romantic ballad that Arthur was singing.
About half-way through the song, Harry glided Tonks close
to Lupin and Luna. In one smooth movement they
exchanged partners. The lights lowered. Instead of the
song ending in it’s usual place, Arthur added another chorus.
Harry gave Arthur “the eye” and they smoothly went into
another song without missing a beat. They did this one more
time, so Lupin and Tonks spent a very long time holding
each other on the dance floor.
A while later, Harry needed to use the loo. He stepped out
into the Entrance Hall. Down at the end, where the steps led
down to the kitchen, there were two figures involved in a
long passionate kiss. Harry Apparated up to the next floor
bathroom, so they never knew he had seen. He really
hoped that Lupin and Tonks would be happy together.
When he returned he noticed that Ginny’s eyes were
sparkling more than usual. He guessed that she had seen
the couple leave the room together.
Everyone seemed to have a great time. Other than Harry’s
suffering over being near Ginny, he had a great time too.
As he lay in bed that night, he reflected on this holiday
break. He had planned to avoid Ginny the whole time, but
ended up being involved with her almost every day.
He was getting closer to finishing the book. As soon as he
finished the book, he should have an idea how to do away
with Tom Riddle. Then he would be free to ask Ginny about
dating. Until that time, he HAD to try avoiding her. It was
too stressful fighting his emotions when he was around her.
Suddenly an unwelcome thought occurred to Harry. After
defeating Riddle, what if Ginny didn’t even like him that way?
Love sucks!
So why was he so happy for Lupin?
* * * *
On the morning of their departure back to school, Harry
caught Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen.
“Molly Dear, could you come get me, if Ginny has another
nightmare? We want to see if maybe I can help end it
sooner,” said Harry. “She said it was all right.”
“Harry, dear, you are such a good boy. Yes, I will contact
Professor McGonagal about it,” said Molly, as she gave him
a big hug. “You be careful, do you hear me? TRY and stay
out of trouble.”
“Yes, Molly Dear, I will be careful. YOU be careful too,” he
said, hugging her extra hard.
* * *
They all got a compartment together on the Hogwarts
Express for the trip back to school. Neville was quite
confused when each of them greeted him with a hug,
including Ron and Harry. He dropped off Trevor and went on
his usual visitations along the train, where he always picked
up on the latest gossip.
Harry and Ron played Wizard Chess with Ron’s new set.
Harry knew that Ron missed his old set, but would never
admit he was sentimental about anything. Ron did,
however, get excited about the new set. The pieces seemed
to be more vicious against their opponents than the old set.
Ron figured that it was because the pieces were younger. In
any case, he beat Harry every game.
When Neville returned back to the compartment, it was easy
to see that he was having one of his “hard days”.
It was freezing cold when they entered the carriages that
took them to the school. By the time they arrived, they felt
like ice cubes. They all hurried to the feast to thaw out.
They were all feeling sleepy by then. They decided that they
would work on Neville’s mystery the following night.
The next evening at Harry’s D.A. class, he greeted each
member at the door with a hug. No one seemed to mind
this. Not from Harry, but when he asked each member to
hug the one next to them, there were a few protests.
“This person may be the one who saves your life, but you
think that they don’t deserve a proper greeting?” said Harry.
They each hugged and no more was said.
At the next meeting that night, Ron joined Harry in visiting
the meeting. It was an advanced class taught by Neville and
Hermione. Ron and Harry greeted both of them with a hug.
He instructed the class to do the same as the earlier meeting
of beginners. Some of them were struck dumb seeing Harry
and Ron hugging Neville. He repeated his words from
earlier. They also hugged the member nearest them.
When the meeting was over, they were joined by Luna and
Ginny in the D.A. classroom.
Neville had brought the gum wrappers in an envelope and
Hermione had brought her revealer and a large magnifying
glass. They were all sitting around the table bending forward
in anticipation. Hermione opened the envelope and let them
drop in front of her. She started arranging them in rows in
front of her.
“What should we use first, the revealer or the magnifying
glass?” asked Ron.
Hermione didn’t say anything. She just stared at the gum
wrappers.
“Hermione?” asked Ron.
Hermione waited several seconds before saying, “Huh?”
“Hermione?” asked Ron, again.
Hermione waited another several seconds before saying,
“What?”
“Something’s wrong with her,” said Harry.
Ron stood up and turned Hermione to look at him. He had
pushed the gum wrappers out of the way. He paused for a
second... then remembered what he was going to say.
“Hermione, what’s wrong?”
“What? eh... I don’t know... huh?” said Hermione, dully.
She looked confused.
“Hermione, what happened?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t know,” said Hermione, slowly. She started to
arrange the gum wrappers again.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other.
“Don’t!” yelled both of them together.
Ron started helping her. Harry grabbed his arm. “Stop!
There’s something wrong with the wrappers!”
Ron dropped them quickly and pushed them away from
Hermione.
“I’m going to get McGonagal !” said Ginny, as she ran out
the door.
They all sat silently until Ginny and the professor returned.
“I think there is a bewitchment or something on these gum
wrappers,” said Harry.
“Where did they come from?” asked McGonagal.
“St. Mungo’s. Neville’s mum gives them to him each time he
visits,” said Harry. “I think we should talk to Dumbledore
about them.”
McGonagal left the room for a moment and returned with the
headmaster.
“What’s all this?” asked Dumbledore.
Harry explained about how Neville had been receiving the
gum wrappers from his mum all these years. They had
suspected that they were some kind of clue.
“After Hermione touched them, she started acting strangely,”
said Ginny. “I’m not sure about Ron either.
“Miss Granger, what do you have to say about this?” asked
the headmaster.
She waited several seconds... “What?”
“Mr. Weasley, are you all right?” he asked.
“Eh... yeah. I think I’m ok. Just feel a bit slow,” said Ron.
“Professor, please bring Professor Flitwick , I believe he is
in his office,” said Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore warned Professor Flitwick about the
gum wrappers before he could touch them. Without
touching them, he studied them for a while, then made an
announcement.
“There is nothing wrong with the gum wrappers. There is a
sugar residue on some of them, however. The sugar
residue has a powerful “Confusion Charm” on it. Actually,
since there is very little residue, the charm would loose most
of its strength , but I imagine that the gum is very powerful.”
“Ahhhh,” said Dumbledore. “We may be very close to
solving a mystery. I will ask all of you not to mention any of
this to anyone. I think you will be hearing good news in a
few days time.”
“What about Hermione?” asked Ron.
“If I am correct, the charm only lasts for a few days, unless
she were to touch them again, I think Miss Granger will be
just fine. I’m sure you will not feel as slow either, Mr.
Weasley,” said Professor Flitwick, smiling.
“So the gum wrappers have been putting a charm on me, all
this time? “ asked Neville.
“Yes, Mr. Longbottom. I think you’re memory is going to be
improving immensely this year,” said Professor Flitwick.
“You are a very powerful wizard, Neville. You have a very
strong mind. To live all these years with your mind fighting
through this charm. I don’t think there are many, who could
come as far as you have with this handicap. I am VERY
impressed,” said Professor Dumbledore.
Neville beamed. He hardly ever got any praise from anyone.
This was, however, the second time that the headmaster
had praised him, personally. He was very proud.
Two weeks passed. Within this time, Neville had taken every
gum wrapper he could find to the headmaster. Hermione and
Ron became “normal” again. All the D.A. classes had been
visited by Harry and instructed on the new D.A. greeting.
On Saturday evening after dinner, the Elite D.A. members
were invited to Professor Dumbledore’s office.
“I have gathered you here to give you wonderful news. The
Longbottoms have been released from St. Mungo’s.”
“Neville, your parents are on their way to being cured,” said
Dumbledore. “You will be going home tomorrow to stay for
the day with your parents. I don’t want you to expect too
much, but they are now beginning to speak. It will take
months, I think, for them to be close to normal. There are
several years that have been lost. We don’t know if they will
ever completely recover, but there is now a chance.”
“I can’t believe it! Tomorrow?” said Neville.
“Yes, tomorrow. Just remember not to expect too much. I
think we will try to arrange for you to see them on the
weekends,” said the headmaster.
“As for why you are all here. I wanted to inform you exactly
what has been going on at St. Mungo’s,” he said.
“There has been an ongoing conspiracy for these many
years. There are shipments of sweets donated to St.
Mungo’s Mental Ward, that were delivered every week. Mrs.
Longbottom favored the gum. Mr. Longbottom favored
toffees. Those were the sweets that had been tampered
with. There was a ‘Confusion Charm’ put on each piece.
This kept them... in their ‘limited’ state all this time. “
“Neville, your mother seemed to fight through the charm, as
you have, just enough to think that there was something
wrong with the gum. She gave you the gum wrappers as
clue, not knowing that the residue would affect you also. And
of course she started giving them to you when you were far
too young to put the clue together even if your memory
wasn’t affected.”
“Since this was brought to my attention, we set up a ‘sting
operation’. We found out how they were tampered with and
who was behind it all,” said Dumbledore.
“Who?” they all asked at once.
“Lucius Malfoy,” said Dumbledore. “He has been donating
to St. Mungo’s for years. Part of the donation was the
sweets that were altered. The Longbottoms had some
information that Voldemort wanted and would not want
anyone else to know. Since they were still alive, Malfoy
came up with this method of keeping them quiet. Whether
this information is still relevant, we don’t know that yet. ”
“Now! The second reason you are all here. You will all be
receiving an award from St. Mungo’s. The administrators at
the hospital have been able to arrest several people who
were part of the conspiracy. They are very thankful for your
uncovering of this conspiracy that may have went on for
many more years. The date of the ceremony will be
announced at a later time.”
“Neville, I wonder if you would do me a favor?” asked
Dumbledore.
“Of course, anything,” said Neville.
“It may not be that easy, and I hope it won’t be for long. I
wish that you would not tell anyone about your improved
memory. I am not asking that you pretend or anything of that
nature. I only ask that you not point it out to anyone.”
“I can do that. I believe that people are used to my memory
coming and going. Maybe it will take a while for them to
notice that it’s back all the time now,” said Neville.
“In the meantime, I think that a house party would not be out
of line for tonight. Of course Miss Lovegood will be allowed
in the Gryffindor Common Room for the occasion,” he said,
with twinkling eyes.
They were all very pleased with themselves and about
Neville’s parents. When they arrived back at Gryffindor
Tower they found that the House Elves had been there.
There were many platters of food and plenty to drink. Ron
pulled out his new guitar and sang. Ginny, Harry and Neville
all belted out a few songs too. They stayed up fairly late
before Neville excused himself. He didn’t want to over-sleep
in the morning.
Late Sunday night, Neville returned from his Gran’s. Harry
had been waiting for him. He was excited about what went
on at Neville’s house.
“Neville, do you feel that you could tell me about your
parents? I mean, if you don’t want to, it’s ok,” asked Harry.
“It’s ok, Harry. I guess I won’t be telling everyone, but I can
tell you. Mum recognizes me, but she’s confused. She don’t
understand how I could be so old, yet she knows she
watched me grow up. Dad don’t remember me growing up,
but he understands about them being charmed all these
years. So he seems to accept my age better than Mum, if
that makes any sense.”
“Gran is beside herself. She keeps crying and telling me
she’s sorry she didn’t recognize my symptoms.”
“I guess it will all work it’s way out. I don’t expect everything
to be perfect. It will all take time. I’m feeling a lot better now.
I can think clearly without straining. That’s what it felt like
before, on some days I had to strain real hard to
concentrate.”
“’Good days’ and ‘hard days’, that’s what Luna called them,”
said Harry.
“Yes, that does best describe them. ‘Hard days’, it was
HARD to think on those days,” said Neville.
“You are amazing, Neville. I hope to one day tell my children
about the boy who did so much while under a ‘Confusion
Charm’ all his life. Of course they won’t believe me. I will
have to take them to visit you and show them the ‘Amazing
Neville’,” said Harry, grinning.
Neville blushed. “Harry, I don’t have ‘hard days’ any more.
You can’t get away with teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing. What? You don’t think I’ll live long enough
to have children?” said Harry, teasing.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 27: Chap 27 - Who do you admire?
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Who do you admire? - - Ron’s dilemma - - Doesn’t anyone USE the bathroom? --------------
Chapter Twenty-seven Who Do You Admire?
The days were moving quickly. It was still freezing cold
every day. So Harry didn’t get outside at all. Hagrid’s
classes were sometimes canceled because of it. Harry had
all his school work up to date. His D.A. classes were coming
along very well. His reading was getting harder to follow. He
was trying not to think about Ginny. That was a failure, but
he was TRYING.
Ron had become quiet lately. He seemed to be doing a lot of
thinking, but Harry had is own troubles... avoiding Ginny.
Luna and Ginny were working hard, studying for their
O.W.L.s. Harry used the Room of Requirement or the D.A.
classroom, so he could avoid studying in the Common
Room so much. He kept away from the Library unless his
school work required it, but sometimes, when he got extra
lonely, he would study in the Common Room.
One evening, when Harry was feeling blue, he joined the
others in the Common Room. Hermione was talking about
what they would be doing after they left school.
“I can’t make up my mind. There are just too many options.
I’m interested in EVERYTHING,” she said.
“Maybe if you decided who you admired the most, you may
be able to decide from that,” said Luna.
“That’s a good idea,” said Neville. “Who do you admire
most and would most like to be like?
“That’s too easy,” said Ron.
“If it is, then who?” asked Hermione.
“Dumbledore, of course,” said Ron.
“Hmmm I think Professor McGonagal would be my choice.
She’s very intelligent, strict but fair, I’d put her up against
any man,” said Hermione.
“Well... of course you being a girl, you would choose
someone like her. But us guys would all go for Dumbledore.
Right?” said Ron.
“Not exactly,” said Neville. “I admire him, of course, but I
think I MOST admire Mad-Eye Moody,” said Neville.
All, but Luna, looked at him in shock. Mad-Eye just didn’t
seem the type that Neville would want to be like, in their
minds.
“I think that is a very good choice,” said Luna.
“So, who would you choose?” asked Ron.
“Harry, of course,” said Luna.
“You can’t choose me. I’m your brother, you need to choose
someone older and wiser or at least an adult,” said Harry.
“That was not the question. He didn’t say it had to be an
adult or they couldn’t be related. Besides, you are almost an
adult, next summer you will be of age. Anyway, he asked
who we MOST admired. I’m telling you my answer,” said
Luna, firmly.
“I guess I know who to talk to when I’m having a bad day,”
said Harry blushing.
“You’d choose Dumbledore, right Harry?” asked Ron.
“Er... well... no... there are many. I wouldn’t want any of you
to think that I don’t admire several people we all know,” said
Harry.
“Oh for goodness sake! Spit it out!” said Hermione growing
impatient.
“My most honest answer would be Arthur Weasley,” said
Harry.
“What?” said Ron. “My dad? Are you mental? He’s not
anyone special or famous or anything.”
“Not special? He’s the most... well no, he’s not famous or
anything. But I admire him most of all men that I know,” said
Harry.
“Why?” asked Ginny.
“Well... he’s just... well... he is intelligent, more than most
give him credit for, he’s wise, he’s fun. He’s happy with his
family... he’s a wonderful father. He works a job so that he
can spend time with his family instead of working to get rich.
He puts his family first. He and your mum sacrifice a lot of
luxuries just to put all of you through school. You never lack
anything that is important, even if you didn’t get the very best
in personal items. You’ve always got your school things and
good food on the table. I just admire him. If I could be like
anybody, it would be him, that’s all,” said Harry.
They all looked at Harry with surprise.
Hermione got a big grin on her face. She thought she would
stir the pot and see what happens. “Ginny who do YOU most
admire?” she asked.
Of course, the first person Ginny had thought of was Harry,
but after hearing what Harry had to say, she changed her
mind. “I agree with Harry. Dad is the person I most admire
too,” said Ginny.
* * * *
Later that night, Harry was lying in bed looking up at the
ceiling. Ron was lying in his bed too. He kept making weird
sounds, like a whistle or a hoot... annoying sounds. Finally
Harry had to say something. “Ron, why are you fidgeting so
much?”
“Hem, I don’t know. I guess I just have a lot of things on my
mind. Can’t seem to be still,” said Ron.
“You want to share some of it, or am I going to have to toss
you down to the Common Room?” asked Harry.
“Well, it’s sort of delicate. I mean, well... I have a problem.”
said Ron quickly.
Harry grinned. “Like I don’t? I’ve shared enough of MY
problems. Sometimes you and Hermione have helped me
solve them. Maybe we can help you.”
“Hermione can’t know anything about THIS problem. Maybe
it isn’t a problem. Maybe I’m just making it a problem. I
don’t know,” said Ron.
“Spill it. I got to get some sleep before the sun comes up. IF
it comes up, been so cold,” said Harry.
“Ok. It’s got to do with those girls. You remember, Carol
and Sharon. Well not just those two, but them for sure,”
said Ron.
“Yeah?” said Harry. He could tell it was going to be a long
night if Ron didn’t spill it out.
“You know that book?”
“The Dark Arts book?” asked Harry, who knew perfectly well
which book.
“Yeah, well, ya see, I think that they read that book and
have been using... well, they got spells or enchantments from
the book or one like it, see?” said Ron.
“Yeah?”
“I remember everything. I think. I mean I haven’t blacked
out or anything, but I think maybe they have been trying to
get information out of me. Maybe about you?” said Ron.
“What did you tell them?” asked Harry, patiently.
“I don’t think I told them anything, yet. I mean, they have
asked me stuff, but I was always vague. At least I think I
was. I mean, well I don’t know. It doesn’t SAY in the book if
the ‘victim’ remembers,” said Ron, embarrassed.
“Yet?” asked Harry.
“Well, ya see... I’ve been thinking. I am REALLY angry,
Harry. I mean REALLY angry. They have been USING me
or at least they are TRYING to use me.”
“I have an idea, but I don’t know if I should try it. It could go
all wrong,” said Ron.
“What’s your idea?” asked Harry.
“I’m not sure exactly. I was thinking that maybe I SHOULD
see them again. I haven’t seen those two, plus a couple of
other girls that I am suspecting since we got back.”
“I was thinking that maybe I should try and turn the tables on
them. See if I could get information out if them. IF they are
using their ‘WILES’ on me. We should know WHO they are
trying to get the information for,” said Ron.
“Ron, we KNOW who they would want to get the information
for,” said Harry.
“Honest, Harry, I don’t think I gave them any information.
I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I remember that
Sharon asked me where you lived, because I mentioned that
I would be spending Christmas with you. I just vaguely
answered ‘up north somewhere’. I was not in the mood to be
talking about YOU at the time. I am pretty sure that I told one
of them that Remus Lupin was your guardian. Other than
that, I don’t think I told them anything else,” said Ron.
“Ron, don’t worry about it. Really,” said Harry. “The one
sitting next to me at the ball asked me where I lived too. I
told her ‘up north’, so our stories match. Why did you lie to
her?” asked Harry.
“I make it a habit not to tell anyone anything about your life,”
said Ron. “Why’d you lie?”
“Because I didn’t like her. She didn’t really have any reason
to ask. I was suspicious,” said Harry, truthfully.
“Blimey, Harry. You know that I wouldn’t ever tell anyone
about you, not willingly,” said Ron.
Thanks, Ron. That means a lot to me,” said Harry.
“So, what’d you think? Should I try to get information from
them or maybe FEED them wrong information? I’d really like
to get back at them,” said Ron.
Harry thought a moment. “No. I don’t think it would do any
good. We know who’s behind it. I don’t think THEY have
any information that would help us.”
“I’m really sorry, Harry. IF I did do anything that would
cause trouble for you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Oh, I see. Like I’ve never caused you to get into any
trouble,” said Harry, grinning.
“I’m really sorry, Harry. I had no idea. I mean, I guess I
should have. I mean, I should have known that none of the
really pretty girls would ever go for me. I’m pathetic.”
“Ron, you are mental? I get around. I’ve heard. There are
plenty of pretty girls that would love to go out with you. Only
you, eh, well you prefer the pretty ones that are... well...
loose,” said Harry.
“Really? You’ve heard? What have you heard?” said Ron,
excitedly.
“Oh brother!”
“Sorry, Harry,” said Ron.
“Good night, Ron,” said Harry.
“What? You’re not going to tell me?” asked Ron.
“No! You will need to find that out for yourself. Night, Ron.”
* * * *
Ginny was in a stall in a downstairs girls bathroom, when the
door burst open.
She could hear footsteps going over towards the mirrors.
“Oh! Harry Potter is out there. I can’t stand it,” said one.
“I thought you LIKED Harry Potter,” said the other.
“I DO, but I don’t want him to see me like this. My hair is a
mess.”
“It looks fine to me,” said the other.
“Well, it’s good enough for anyone else but not for Harry. I
want to look my best. I haven’t got to be alone with him
since before the Christmas Ball.”
Ginny decided she would stay in the stall and listen.
“You were ALONE with Harry Potter? I don’t believe it,” said
the other.
“Well, yes... but I don’t go around talking about it. Harry likes
to keep things to himself. He doesn’t like people to flaunt,”
she said.
“When were you ALONE with him?” asked the other.
“I told you, before the Christmas Ball. Ever since he
dropped all the Advanced classes, I haven’t been able to get
near him. I mean, I don’t want to just walk up to him in the
hallways,” she said.
“Then how are you going to talk to him?” asked the other.
“I don’t know. I’ve been waiting for him to come up to me,”
she said.
“Like THAT’S going to happen,” said the other.
“Well, it’s happened before,” she said.
“Where?” said the other.
“After a D.A. meeting, in the classroom. Since he dropped
those, it has been difficult,” she said. “Are the back of my
robes straight?”
“They look fine. So what did you talk about?” asked the
other.
“We didn’t do very much talking,” she sighed. “Oh, every
time I think of him, I get goose flesh. I want him so bad.”
“You and every other girl,” said the other.
“Not every other girl has been... well... close.”
“Why don’t you just say what you mean?” said the other.
“I mean that we were kissing. You can’t imagine how that
feels. See my arms? Every time I remember that night this
happens,” she said.
“You really kissed him? Wow! What happened? Tell me
EVERYTHING !” said the other.
“Just don’t go telling around. Yes, we were in the D.A.
classroom after everyone left. We were kissing. I mean he
is the best kisser. There could not be anyone who kisses as
good as he does. My heart turns to mush just thinking about
it,” she said.
“How long did you kiss? Was it just for a minute or was it a
long time?” asked the other.
“It was for a very long time. It just kept getting better,” she
sighed. “But we were interrupted and he had to go. I’ll never
forget it,” she said.
“Hmmm, so why hasn’t he asked you out? Why didn’t you go
to the ball with him?” asked the other.
“I told you. I haven’t got to be near him since. Then of
course, he went to the ball with Ron’s little sister,” she said.
“Do you think he goes for her? She’s not very pretty, I mean
nothing like you are. She’s got freckles and she’s way too
young for him, ” said the other.
“Thank you. I don’t think he would go for her. She’s too
young. What is she? Third year?” she said.
“Not really sure. She’s small so maybe she is younger. She
looked pretty good a the ball, though. She may have used
an ‘Enhancement Charm’. With your pretty blue eyes and
long dark hair. I don’t think you have anything to worry
about,” said the other.
“I think the only reason he took her was because her
brother, Ron, asked him to,” she said.
“Ron, now I could go for him. He’s so tall. I need a tall guy,
since I’m so tall and his shoulders are so broad and his arms
are muscular. Oh, he’s so dreamy. I would love for his
arms to be around me,” said the other.
“Maybe when Harry and I start going out, we could double
date or something,” she said.
“Oh yes!” said the other. “Do you think he’s still out there?”
Ginny heard their footsteps as they left. Harry was KISSING
this girl. A pretty girl ! Ginny began crying. She was right,
she was ugly with freckles and too short.
Did Ron ask Harry to take her to the ball? What was that
about the dress then? What if he couldn’t STAND to ask her,
so he asked about the dress instead. So he would ask, but
not have to be asking her, the ugly little freckled girl!
She couldn’t get up. So she just sat there and cried.
Outside in the hallway, Harry had been looking around. He
thought he saw Ginny come this way. Ginny had dropped a
piece of her homework in the Common Room and he wanted
to get it to her before her next class.
The girl with the dark hair and blue eyes walked out of the
girls bathroom towards him. He felt his heart pounding. He
had been avoiding her.
She walked up and smiled at him. “Hello, Harry. I’ve missed
you,” she said, touching his arm.
“Eh, nice to see you. Have you seen Ginny? She walked
this way. I need to find her,” he said.
“Ginny? Who is she? What she look like?” she asked.
“Ginny Weasley. She has long red hair,” said Harry.
“No. I haven’t seen anyone with red hair around here,” she
said.
“Oh. I saw her come this way. She must have entered one
of the rooms. I have to go find her. If you see her, would you
tell her I’m looking for her?” he said as he walked away.
“Yeah, like I’d tell you,” she said under her breath.
* * * *
Back in the bathroom. Ginny was still crying silently. The
door opened and a couple of other girls came in. Ginny held
her breath.
“Oh! Harry Potter was out there talking to some girl. He’s so
dreamy. Those eyes!” she said.
“Yes, he does have the most dreamy eyes,” said another
girl.
“Who’s that girl he was talking to?”
“I think her name is Lisa or Rita. She’s from Hufflepuff,” she
said.
“She’s real pretty,” said the other girl.
“Yeah. I know I don’t have a chance with him, not with girls
like THAT around,” said the girl.
“The Valentines Ball is coming in a couple of weeks. You
think he would ask either of us?” said the other girl.
“Forget it. I’m sure he already has a date,” said the girl.
“Whoever she is. She sure is lucky,” said the other girl.
“She sure is,” said the girl.
There were footsteps as they left the bathroom.
Lucky? Yeah, she was lucky. Did Ron ask Harry to ask her
to the ball? Probably. He looked like he wished he didn’t ask
her at Christmas. What was she going to do?
She came out of the stall and washed her face. It looked all
blotchy and her eyes were red and puffy. She decided to go
back to the stall and wait for the bell to ring. Then she would
go up to her dorm and finish crying.
Doesn’t anyone USE the bathroom?
* * * *
A few days later, Ginny caught Ron alone.
“Ron, how’s it going?” asked Ginny.
“Ok. How’s it going for you?” he asked. Something was up.
“Ok, I guess. You going to the ball?” she asked.
“Yeah. I got a date,” he said.
“Anyone I know?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t know. Her name is Lisa. She’s from Hufflepuff,” said
Ron.
“What’s’ she look like?” asked Ginny.
“Oh, she’s real pretty. Dark brown hair with big blue eyes. I
just met her,” said Ron.
Could it be? she thought.
“Eh, Ron? Did you know that Harry was going to ask me to
the ball?” asked Ginny.
“Which one?” he asked.
“The next one,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah. I figured he would. He asked you to all the other
ones. Why?”
“I don’t know. It was kinda sudden and very early to be
asking,” she said, innocently.
“Well, you know Harry,” said Ron.
Did she KNOW Harry? Could Ron’s date be the same girl
from the bathroom? What would Harry think about Ron
dating the girl he KISSED?
Ginny was going to tell Harry that she was not going to the
ball with him, but if this was the same girl, it would be too
amusing to miss out on this.
She was GOING to the ball with Harry.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 28: Chap 28 - Valentines Ball
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ron has a date - - Ginny has thoughts - - Table of Flames ---------------
Chapter Twenty-eight Valentines Ball
Ginny was hurt and upset about what she had learned about
Harry. She cried herself to sleep almost every night.
Ever since her nightmare, Harry was avoiding her. Who
wants a girl that screams his name insanely, that you can’t
wake up? He could have any girl. He surely didn’t want one
who was crazy. Until the nightmare, he had been so loving
and tender with her. She couldn’t be imagining ALL of it.
But then, he HAD kissed that girl. That was before the
nightmare. BEFORE the Christmas Ball. He took her to the
Christmas Ball, AFTER he kissed that girl. He bought her a
dress for that ball. Not just any dress, it was a special dress.
It was special for her, she thought it was special for him too.
What if Harry wanted to go to the ball with this girl, but Ron
talked him into going with her instead? Was it Harry or Ron
who was being “big brother”? What if every time he looked
at her, he was thinking about this other girl? Maybe that’s
why he had “that look”. HOW DARE HE !
Harry never kissed HER. He had had many opportunities.
He always just walked away after they’ve been out together.
Were his kisses that good? Of course they were!
Was the girl lying? She didn’t sound like she was. Those
other girls said she was out in the hallway talking to him.
Maybe he was seeing her now. Maybe he’s been seeing her
ever since that day. Did he like her? Or did he just like
kissing her? Why didn’t he appear in public with her?
Maybe she was one of those “loose” girls. She thought she
knew who all of them were. Did Harry go for “loose” girls
like Ron? Maybe he’s just more secretive about it. He had
plenty of time. Most nights he didn’t show up in the Common
Room till late.
She had not seen any of the girls in the bathroom that day.
She only heard their voices. Maybe she wasn’t that pretty.
Maybe she was!
But what about Ron? Was Ron taking out the same girl?
How many girls with blue eyes and brown hair named Rita or
Lisa were in Hufflepuff? Would Harry care? Would Ron
care that she had a crush on Harry? Did she still have a
crush on Harry?
Why was she so mad at Harry? Didn’t he have the right to
kiss whomever he wanted? They were not going together.
They went to parties and balls together, but that was all.
They were not a “couple”. She had no right to be angry, but
she was, she was angry and hurt. Even if she didn’t have
any right to be.
* * * *
Harry had his own miseries. Ginny had been acting different
lately. Every time he noticed her looking his way, she would
turn her head. He feared that she was mad at him for some
reason. He didn’t want THAT.
He didn’t want to be near her, because he couldn’t have her,
but he didn’t want her to be mad at him. It was pure agony
thinking about her.
He glanced at the framed pictures of him and Ginny from the
Harvest and Christmas balls on his night table. They looked
so happy, like they were made for each other. He sighed.
He caught up with her one night in the Common Room. She
couldn’t avoid him, since he had moved into a position that
had her close to the wall.
“Ginny, do you have everything you need for the ball?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Ok. I was just checking. Didn’t want you to get another
howler,” he teased.
“No, there won’t be any howlers this time,” she said, coldly.
“Eh... are you upset with me? I mean, you do want to go to
the ball with me, right?” he asked.
“Oh yes. I want to go to the ball with you. I wouldn’t miss it
for the world,” she said.
“Eh... ok then,” said Harry. He walked away confused. She
sounded kinda cold. But she said she wanted to go. Maybe
she was just having a bad day.
* * * *
The day of the Valentines Ball arrived. Ginny hadn’t told
Luna or Hermione about what she learned about Harry
kissing that girl. She had kept that to herself.
She hadn’t even written Tonks about that. She wouldn’t write
anything about Harry in a letter anyway, in case someone
was spying. She was going to have to find a way to talk to
Tonks in person. Tonks always understood her. Tonks
listened. She would let Ginny talk until she figured out for
herself how to solve her problems. Tonks was a good friend.
She spent the whole day in her dorm, checking everything.
She wanted to be dressed perfectly. She may be ugly, but
she was going to make herself look as good as she could.
Without any “Enhancement Charm”!
She started with her nails. She filed and buffed them to
perfection. She spent a couple of hours on her hair. It
looked as good as it was ever going to look. She had pulled
the sides back into a pretty pearl clip and the curls cascaded
over the top of her back hair that was brushed very smooth.
It was the same style she wore at the Christmas ball, but
maybe the curls were lying just a little more tightly. She
applied her makeup, not too much, just enough to improve
her better features.
When she pulled out the gown, she gasped. It was so
beautiful, she forgot each time she saw it, just how beautiful
it was. No one would pay any attention to her freckles once
they saw the gown. She stroked the brocade. It felt so
luxurious. Her satin undergarments felt very smooth against
her skin as she stepped into the gown and did up the back,
then she added the robe and shoes.
There were a few different ways the robe could be worn.
Tonight she would be wearing it sleeveless, with the brocade
side outward. The Great Hall was always warm, so she
didn’t have to worry about getting cold. Harry had no idea
when he selected it, just how versatile it could be.
He also didn’t know that white was not always the best color
for a woman to wear. It could often wash out a woman’s
complexion. Ginny was lucky that that particular tint of white
actually enhanced her complexion, giving it a peachy cream
color. Even though the price was outrageous, it was
designed with many features. It was of the highest quality.
When she finished, she studied herself carefully in the
mirror. She didn’t look ugly. Even her freckles looked good.
Why would that other girl think that freckles were ugly?
Ron’s face was full of freckles, but she didn’t seem to mind
his.
She decided that she was not going to look any better. She
was NOT ugly. With that, she walked down to the Common
Room to meet the man she loved.
Harry was waiting nervously in the Common Room. He
thought he looked about as good as he ever was going to.
He was extra careful with his grooming tonight. Even his
nails were trimmed.
Ron, Neville and Hermione had already left. Neville told
Harry that he would save them seats at the table. Ginny was
taking a long time. Maybe she had had second thoughts
about going with him. But then she appeared in the
doorway.
The archway leading to the girls dorm framed her body giving
the effect she was a portrait come to life. She looked perfect.
There was no other way to describe her. Her shiny, flaming
locks lay against the creamy white brocade robe, not a hair
out of place. Her face had a warm peachy glow.
The brocade gown was of a classic style, with tiny inlaid
pearls. It was sleeveless with a square neckline. The bodice
form fit to the waist where it gently flared out all the way to
her shoes. The sleeveless robe was of the same brocade
without the pearls, it lay over the gown as a layer. The wide
border of brushed silk did not close in the front, but left an
opening where you could see the front of the gown all the
way down. This gave the effect that it was much longer, it
gave Ginny a longer, more streamline look.
Her neck, chest and arms looked like cream against the
brocade. It made him want to touch her skin. He felt that
she was the most beautiful creature he ever saw.
He started to take her arm, when she stopped.
“Oh Harry, I can’t believe I forgot the necklace. I’ll be right
back,” she said.
“No. Wait here.” He pulled out his wand “Accio pearl
necklace”. A couple of seconds later the necklace was in his
hand.
“Turn around,” he said. He unlatched the clasp and stood
behind her, placing the necklace around her neck. His hands
lightly brushing her neck, he lifted her hair as not to mess it.
He carefully fastened it. He turned her around. It was
perfect.
He walked her over to a wall mirror and stood behind her,
showing her how the necklace looked. He placed his hands
on her arms and gave them a gentle caress.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.
She would have melted in his arms right then, if it wasn’t for
a first year boy, who gave a wolf whistle. That broke the
moment.
She smiled at the boy and Harry laughed. “I agree,” said
Harry. He took her arm and they left Gryffindor Tower.
Dumbledore had just announced that the feast had begun,
when they entered the room. They walked over to the same
table they had previously had at the other balls. This time,
the tables were covered with scarlet tablecloths with
bouquets of tiny white flowers in the center. There were
pink and red silk hearts floating near the ceiling. Tiny fairies
were fluttering around the room. The night’s sky was pitch
black with tiny snowflakes falling.
They were the last to arrive at the table. The two empty
seats were where Lee and Nancy had sat the last time.
Beside Ginny, sat Lee and Nancy who were sitting next to
George, then Luna, then Fred. Hermione, then Neville, then
Ron’s date next to Ron back to Harry. The table
arrangement was not even because, yet again Luna had
both Fred and George as dates.
Ron introduced his date as Lisa Mills from Hufflepuff. Harry
and Ginny nodded to her. Lisa slightly blushed. Harry’s
body language told Ginny that she WAS the girl from the
bathroom. So he did know her. Ginny was wearing a
mischievous grin. This could be a very interesting evening.
Lisa was wearing dark blue robes that enhanced her pretty
blue eyes. Ginny studied her closely, she could not deny that
the girl was pretty. Even though there were other girls that
were just as pretty or even prettier.
They ate dinner with light conversation. Harry was keeping
his head averted as not to look at Lisa directly. Even though
Lisa was attentive to Ron, she kept looking over at Harry.
Ron acted like he was proud to have her for his date.
Ginny wondered about her. She had been going on in the
bathroom about Harry, but she was here as Ron’s date.
What did HER friend think about the arrangement? Ginny
didn’t think she would be too happy about it. Did Lisa really
like Ron or was she with him to get close to Harry? What
about Ron? Did he really like her? He had said he only just
met her.
Harry interrupted her thoughts by asking her a few
meaningless questions that she answered politely. He was
looking at her with “that look” again.
“So, Fred, George, what’s the deal tonight? Are you
Luna’s dates or are you the entertainment for the evening?”
asked Harry.
“Both!” said Fred and George.
“Back by popular demand,” said Fred and George.
“As dates or entertainment?” asked Harry.
“Both!” said Fred and George.
Luna was wearing her lime green brocade robes with
dangling green earrings. Upon closer look, the earrings
were designed to look like sliced limes. Luna loved to wear
odd earrings. It was part of her “style”. She looked happy.
She was smiling and enjoying her dinner and dates.
Hermione, wearing pink, was exquisitely dressed and
groomed, as usual. Actually Hermione had grown into quite
a lovely young woman. Harry sensed that she and Neville
would not be going out much longer. They seemed to like
each other but they just didn’t seem to show any real
affection for one another.
Lee and Nancy were a cute couple. Nancy was wearing a fun
robe set. Her outer robe, that was open revealing the gown
beneath, was pink. The gown was white with pink hearts that
perfectly matched the outer robe. They looked happy and
relaxed with each other. Lee had a weird sense of humor,
similar to the twins, so it took a special kind of girl to deal
with it. Harry chuckled to himself when he thought of that.
Harry felt he was controlling his emotions very well. The girl,
whose name he now knew as Lisa, was sitting at their table!
She was RON’S DATE! This was not good.
Ginny was quiet tonight. She seemed to be in a strange
mood. She didn’t seem mad any more, but she had a
certain look that he couldn’t figure out.
There were tensions at the table. Not like the last ball but in
it’s own way, similar. Ron’s date ...
“So does this mean that Ron and Ginny will be ‘working’
again tonight?” asked Harry.
“Yep! They are needed to ‘fill in’ and don’t forget yourself,”
said George.
“Bill and Charlie will be here too,” said Fred.
When the food was finished and all removed, Bill and
Charlie arrived at the table.
“Ginny, you look like an angel,” said Bill, hugging her with a
smile.
“Have you ever seen her look more enchanting?” asked
Harry.
“No. She is lovely,” said Charlie, who also bent to give
Ginny a hug.
“She looks like a bride,” said Luna.
“You, my dear, look like springtime,” said Bill, giving her a
hug. Luna blushed.
Bill and Charlie hugged each one at the table in turn. Lisa
blushed when it was her turn.
Ron introduced her, then excused himself to go up to the
band area along with George.
The band started it out with a rockin’ fast tune. The dance
floor filled up quickly. Harry asked Ginny if she wanted to
dance this one or wait for the next. She said she would like
to wait for the next dance. Everyone else had went out on
the dance floor. Leaving Harry, Ginny and Lisa the only ones
left at the table.
This was not good. Harry was feeling awkward. He wanted
to just enjoy sitting with Ginny, but with Lisa at the table he
felt he shouldn’t ignore her, but he definitely didn’t want to
talk to her either.
Ginny was loving it. Harry was uncomfortable. Good for
him! After all the tears she shed because of this, he
deserved to be uncomfortable.
Lisa was trying to get Harry to look at her by shifting in her
seat and tapping her fingers on the table. She wanted to talk
to him, to get next to him. She wanted to get him alone
again.
Ginny sensed this. She was going to try to keep Harry away
from her as much as possible. Not only for herself but for
Ron. Ginny felt that Ron didn’t have any idea of what was
going on with Harry and Lisa.
Harry knew that something was going on between Lisa and
Ginny. Could Ginny possibly know? She was good at
sensing things. She was very intuitive.
When the next song began, Harry asked Ginny to dance. It
was a slow ballad. He glided her across the room, away
from the table where Lisa sat. They danced looking at each
other’s eyes, then he pulled her in close and held her
lovingly.
When the song ended, he asked her if she would be
removing her robe. She nodded. So they walked out of the
Great Hall away from the doors. He stood behind her and
helped guide the robe off her shoulders. She smelled so
good, like soap. He loved that smell.
There were several people passing by, so what could have
been a “moment” was not going to happen at this time.
He took her robe and carefully folded it over his arm. Then
he took her in his arms and danced her back to the dance
floor. This did not go unnoticed by Draco Malfoy.
Draco was not pleased to see Ginny in such obviously
expensive gowns. He didn’t like it that she was becoming a
beautiful young woman either. He felt that the Weasleys
were becoming a bit too affluent. He liked it when they
appeared poor. At the moment there was nothing to criticize
so he just sneered at both of them.
Both Harry and Ginny saw the sneer. They smiled. It really
was a good feeling to get to him.
When they arrived back at the table, Ginny was called
forward to sing. Harry went to the drink table and brought
back the usual drinks he always got when she sang.
George was not playing at the moment and came up beside
Harry at the drink table.
“I heard that Ginny’s robes cost you a fortune,” said George.
“Erm,” said Harry.
“She looks beautiful in that gown tonight. A vision you’ll
never forget.”
“She does look beautiful tonight and I better not FORGET
anything tonight,” said Harry, pointedly.
George laughed.
Harry returned to the table, sat the drinks down and turned
his chair so that he could watch Ginny sing. He loved to
watch her sing. Her voice was so soothing.
She had a deeper voice than what you would expect from
such a small person. Harry wondered if it was so deep
because of the screaming she did during her nightmares.
Harry didn’t know anything about musical terms so he
wouldn’t know that her voice would be considered an alto.
But she had a voice range that could go much higher when
she wanted.
When Ginny started her next song, out of the corner of his
eye, he noticed that only he and Lisa remained at the table.
He pretended he didn’t notice, as he kept his chair turned.
He was NOT going to dance with Lisa while Ginny was
singing. That just didn’t seem right.
He needed to let Lisa know that he was not interested. So
when Ginny returned to the table, he rose to greet her and
embraced her. After they sat back down, he rested his arm
on the back of Ginny’s chair. Harry then began to wonder if
that was a good idea. People around might start getting the
idea that he was in love with Ginny. He didn’t want that
known.
Poor Harry had no idea that everyone, with perhaps the
exception of Lisa and Ginny, KNEW he was in love with
Ginny.
Colin Creevy arrived with his camera. He took several shots
of the couples around the table. Then he asked Harry and
Ginny to come over to the French doors that led outside. He
took a more formal shot of them standing before the doors.
As before, several other couples formed a line to get their
pictures taken too.
“I think Colin is going to become a rich man before his days
at Hogwarts are done,” said Fred.
Everyone agreed. He was already making a small fortune off
of Harry.
Ron joined the table and got to dance a few dances with Lisa.
Harry was relieved.
Harry and Ginny sat the next song out, while everyone else
was dancing. Ginny was feeling giddy.
“Harry, do you like Lisa? You seem to act a little different
around her.”
Harry’s face turned red.
“Ginny, I like her ok. But... well, I think she used to have a
crush on me. I didn’t know that she knew Ron. It makes me
uncomfortable because Ron would probably be upset about
it.”
“She USED to have a crush on you?” asked Ginny.
“Yes. I hope she doesn’t now. I don’t like this situation at all.
It was bad enough at the last ball with those other girls. Now
this one. I wish we weren’t sitting a the same table, but if we
were to change tables, I think someone’s feelings would be
hurt. What do you think?” asked Harry.
Ginny thought for a moment. Harry was actually telling her
the truth or at least part of it. Should she give him a break or
work on him some more? She DID cry a million tears over
this.
“I think if we changed tables that it would cause questions
that maybe you wouldn’t want to answer. Ron would wonder
what was going on. Do you want to talk to her to see?” she
said.
“No!” Harry lowered his voice. “I don’t even know her. I
mean, I only learned her name tonight.”
“Hmmm I don’t understand. Harry, lots of girls have a crush
on you. Why would this one make you feel uncomfortable?”
she asked.
Harry blushed. How was he going to put this? He wished
Ginny would drop it.
“Er... well this one... eh... she was a little more aggressive
than the others.”
Ginny was loving it. “In what way?” she asked.
“Let’s just say that she... eh... Ginny, I really don’t want to
talk about this,” said Harry.
“Ok, Harry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just curious.”
said Ginny.
“I’m only upset because of Ron. If she is dating him because
of me, it would hurt him. I don’t want Ron hurt,” he said.
Then the music stopped and everyone was returning to the
table. Harry rose and asked Ginny for the next dance.
Which turned out to be another slow song. When he danced
with Ginny, he felt there was no one else in the world.
When they returned, Bill came over and asked Ginny to
dance. Ron got up to sing and everyone got up to dance
leaving Harry and Lisa alone at the table.
“Aren’t you going to ask me to dance?” asked Lisa.
“No, I don’t think so. Ron probably wouldn’t like it,” said
Harry.
“What’s he got to do with it? We aren’t going to do anything
wrong. Are we?” she asked, with a grin.
“No,” said Harry. “Excuse me.”
Harry had spotted Madam Pomfrey and decided to ask her
for a dance.
When he returned, Ginny was giggling.
“Come on, Ginny. Let’s dance,” he said, as they went out
on the floor swinging to a fast one.
Next song, he asked Hermione to dance. It was a slow song,
so they were able to talk.
“Harry, something is going on. Aren’t you going to tell me
about it?” asked Hermione.
“Nope!” said Harry.
“You don’t tell me anything any more,” pouted Hermione.
“You women are driving me crazy. The only one who doesn’t
give me any trouble is Madam Pomfrey. I think I’m going to
start going out with her,” said Harry. Then he began to
laugh.
Hermione was puzzled. “Harry, I think you are going
mental.”
“Hermione, I think you’re right,” said Harry.
Harry sang the lead on the next two songs. He was getting
used to singing in public now. He was still a little
uncomfortable but it was not as bad as sitting with any of
Ron’s dates.
He danced with Luna and Nancy. Then he went over and
found Sylvia Larson, Ron’s date from the Harvest Ball. He
thought she was really nice and a good dancer.
Ron finally came back to the table, he’d been singing quite a
bit. Ron had danced with Lisa then he danced with
Hermione.
Harry and Ginny finally had the table to themselves once
again. They talked quietly during the slow song that was
playing. Harry felt all warm inside being with Ginny, with no
outside influences to disturb them.
Harry and Ginny were watching Ron dance with Hermione.
They both thought that SHE should have been Ron’s date.
They looked so natural together.
Harry found Pavarti and danced with her. When he took her
back to her table, he noticed that everyone at that table
looked happy. There didn’t seem to be any “undercurrent”
like the one at his table.
Lavender was there with Seamus. He asked her to dance
the next one. When he returned, Seamus gave him a little
bit of a bad time over his dance moves, but it was all in good
fun.
Seamus followed Harry back to his table and asked
Hermione to dance, then he asked Ginny for the next one.
Harry also took the time to dance with Professor McGonagal.
Even though she still had a slight limp, it didn’t stop her from
putting out some pretty good moves.
When he returned to the table, he just caught the tail end of
a conversation about kissing. Harry was on alert.
Ginny watched his face closely. Yes, he had kissed Lisa.
She was sure of it now. She just wasn’t sure if Harry was
uncomfortable because he still liked Lisa and she was now
with Ron, or was it what he said, that he didn’t want Ron to
find out that Lisa had a crush on him.
The band went on a break, which meant they all crowded
around the table. Ron didn’t go off with Lisa, but sat there at
the table, with his arm around her shoulder.
Bill and Harry went for drinks.
“What’s going on with Lupin and Tonks?” asked Harry. “Are
they still together? Lupin hasn’t said anything in his letters
to me.”
“They look like they are getting along just fine,” said Bill,
grinning.
“I want him to be happy. I hope they are happy together,”
said Harry.
“I don’t know. He only looks about ten years younger and
dances around the kitchen sometimes. But maybe he’s
doing that because he doesn’t have a house full of teens to
bother with,” said Bill.
Harry grinned.
They dropped off some drinks then Charlie went back with
Harry to get another batch.
“Bill tells me that Tonks and Lupin are still seeing each
other,” said Harry.
“That ol’ werewolf is howling at the moon.” laughed Charlie.
“Never seen him so giddy. He dances around the kitchen
sometimes. I think he’s a lunatic.”
“Ewwwww that was bad,” said Harry.
“Yeah I know. How’s the D.A. going?”
“Not bad. I think everyone is really doing well,” said Harry.
“Lisa was telling me that she is in one of the Advanced
classes. She said that she learned everything from you, that
classes now are dull.” said Charlie.
“I never heard that any D.A. classes were dull,” said Harry.
“Maybe it’s the teacher,” said Charlie.
“Don’t know which class she’s in. I’ll ask around,” said
Harry.
“Why don’t you ask her?” asked Charlie.
“Erm” said Harry, as he walked back to the table.
Ginny was sitting in Bill’s lap laughing. Bill started bouncing
her on his knee. “Bill, be careful. You’re going to spill my
drink on my gown.”
“We ARE wizards, you know. We can clean it right up,” said
Bill.
“Harry, do you think it’s washable?” asked Hermione,
looking worried.
“Well, if it’s not, I’ll just get her another one,” said Harry.
Ginny blushed. “I think I’ll just put the drink down.”
Harry started teasing her, grabbing at the drink, but she got it
safely on the table.
Neville excused himself and left the table. Charlie filled his
chair, leaving Harry standing.
Dean Thomas and his date came up and greeted everyone
with a hug. “You know, everyone is calling this table, “The
Table of Flames”.
“Why?” asked Lisa.
“All the flaming red hair,” said Dean.
“Yeah, you should see the kitchen table, at home. Flames
everywhere!” laughed Ron.
“Speaking of flames and kitchens, Ginny, Tonks said to tell
you it is very HOT in the kitchen,” said Charlie.
“Tell her it’s been mostly cold here,” said Ginny.
“Then I think we ought to warm things up!” said George.
“Break’s over!”
They started a rockin’ song. All the students started
clapping to the rhythm. Ron began to sing and the girls
started squealing. This was one of the most popular songs.
The crowd loved it. Harry grabbed Ginny’s hand pulled her
out to the dance floor. They danced hard to that one and
were ready for drinks when they sat down.
Dean came back to the table and asked Ginny to dance.
Everyone else was dancing leaving Harry alone with Lisa
again.
Harry sat for a moment thinking. He should ask Lisa to
dance. Ron might get suspicious that he had asked all the
other girls at the table but her.
“Do you want to dance?” asked Harry, hoping she would
refuse.
“Yes, I’ve been waiting all night,” she purred.
Harry walked her out to the dance floor, of course it had to be
a slow dance. He placed his hand carefully on her back, the
other in her hand. She pulled him up close to her. He didn’t
like this at all. He gently pulled himself away at a safer
distance.
“You seem nervous,” she said.
“No. Not really. I’m just used to dancing with Ginny,” he
said.
“Ron’s sister?” she asked.
“Yes, of course,” said Harry. What was she playing at?
She’d been sitting across from her all night.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, smiling sweetly.
“I couldn’t keep teaching all those classes. There just wasn’t
enough time.”
“Did you have to give up ALL of them?” she asked, batting
her eyes.
“All the Advanced classes. I only teach Beginners now,”
said Harry.
“I’m not doing so well in the Advance class. I’m thinking that
I should maybe go back to a Beginners class.”
“Dumbledore won’t allow it. He said that once you learn
certain spells that you must move up to Advanced. I don’t
have the time to teach so many classes,” he said, hoping
she would get the hint.
“You’re a MUCH better teacher. I’ve learned A LOT from
you.”
“Who’s your instructor now?” he asked.
“Ron.”
“Ron can teach you anything you want to know,” said Harry,
as the song finished.
Harry didn’t see the smirk Lisa gave Ginny when they
returned to the table. He was happy to dance several more
songs with Ginny. Then one more with Lisa, this time, he
made sure it was a fast song.
Whenever Harry was away from Lisa, he was happy. He
enjoyed his dances with Ginny and the quiet talk they shared
at the table. It was only when he had to look at Lisa that he
felt unsettled.
Near the very end of the ball, Harry was dancing to a slow
song with Luna.
“Harry, would you be upset if I had a boyfriend?” asked
Luna.
“No. As long as he treats you right and you are happy.
That’s all I want,” said Harry.
“Good,” said Luna.
They danced for a little while longer, but Luna didn’t say
anything more.
“Luna, are you going to tell me WHO this boyfriend is?”
asked Harry.
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Luna.
“Eh... no... eh... could it be Fred or George?” asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Luna.
“Which one?” asked Harry.
“Why, the good looking one with the sense of humor, of
course,” said Luna, dreamily.
“Of course,” said Harry. Then he busted up laughing.
“Harry, I’m serious about this. He asked me to be his
girlfriend tonight,” said Luna.
“I’m sorry, Luna. You just always make me laugh. I want you
to be happy.”
“I love you, Harry,” said Luna.
“I love you too,” said Harry.
When they went back to the table, Harry was shaking his
head. She never did tell him which one it was. Neither was
there at the table so there was no way of telling. He looked
over to the band and studied both of the twins. No clue there
either.
Dumbledore announced that the next song would end the
ball. Any who were not in their Common Room within a half
an hour after the last song would wake up as Cupid in the
morning.
Once again, Harry sang the last song of the ball as he
danced with Ginny. It was a waltz and again the fairy lights
swirled around the room to give the effect of the room slowly
spinning.
They all said their good nights and hugged each other before
leaving the Great Hall.
As Harry was walking Ginny back to the Gryffindor Tower,
he felt that this time he was really going to kiss Ginny
goodnight. He was determined that he would not forget.
Just as they reached the Fat Lady, Fred caught up with
them.
“Harry, I need to talk to you in private,” said Fred.
Harry looked at his watch. He had a few minutes.
“Ginny, you go on in. This may take a few minutes. You
don’t want to wake up wearing a diaper,” said Fred.
“Do you think that I want to wake up wearing a diaper?” said
Harry chuckling. “I will take Ginny in. I’ll be right back,” said
Harry.
“I can’t wait,” said Fred.
“Ginny go on in. Harry says ‘good night’,” said Fred, giving
her a hug.
Ginny told Harry good night and went in.
“Fred, if you think you are going to get on my good side now,
forget it,” said Harry. Harry was not happy about this turn of
events.
“Harry, come walk with me for a few minutes,” said Fred,
taking his arm.
“It’s about Luna...” he started.
“Oh ! So you’re the good looking one, with the sense of
humor?” said Harry.
“Right you are!”
“Luna has agreed to be my girl. We’ve been writing to each
other for several months and seeing each other when we
can. I want you to know that I intend to take good care of
her,” said Fred.
“You realize that she is still going through a hard time,” said
Harry.
“Yes. But I seem to distract her from her sorrow,” said Fred.
“And she makes me laugh.”
“She makes me laugh too,” said Harry. “I guess I don’t have
to tell you, that you have to treat her with respect.”
“I promise,” said Fred.
Harry looked at his watch. Ron walked up at that moment.
“We need to get inside. We don’t want to wake up in
diapers,” said Harry.
“Fred, I will hold you to your promise,” said Harry.
“What’s all this about?” asked Ron.
“I’ll tell you inside... night Fred,” said Harry.
“Night Harry. Night Ron,” said Fred.
Harry and Ron entered the Common Room with a minute to
spare. There was no sign of Ginny. Harry sat in his corner.
Ron sat beside him.
“Fred asked Luna to be his girlfriend tonight,” said Harry.
“Wow! I suppose it’s about time,” said Ron, thoughtfully.
“You knew?” said Harry.
“Well... yeah. Sorta,” said Ron. “I mean, he’s been taking
her to all the balls.”
“Both of them have been taking her to the balls,” corrected
Harry.
“No. It’s been Fred. Are you really that thick?” said Ron.
“I guess so,” said Harry, sighing. He was watching the
entrance to the girls dorm. Watching to see if Ginny would
come back. Ron decided to go up to bed. Harry waited
another half an hour before he decided that Ginny was not
coming back. At least this time he didn’t ‘forget’ to kiss Ginny.
Ginny had no idea why she had a sudden urge to take a
shower.
He was disappointed, as he walked up to his dorm.
Why did he get himself all worked up to kiss her? He KNEW
he shouldn’t be kissing her. He needed to keep her SAFE.
The next few weeks were passing with nothing more unusual
happening, other than Harry had finally finished the book.
The problem was, it didn’t tell him anything. It was just a
story. He could find nothing that would relate to Riddle or
himself. Nothing!
He started reading the last four chapters again. Hoping to
find something he missed before. Even though he had read
them before, they were still hard reading. He also wanted to
be extra careful not to have missed some point.
Ginny was unsure about Harry and Lisa. While Harry was
dancing with others, Lisa had made some pointed remarks.
She seemed to be hinting about things. Even when Ron was
sitting next to her. It as like she knew that Ginny knew.
Maybe it was all in Ginny’s mind. She just felt that Lisa was
letting her know that she was going to get Harry one way or
another.
She had watched them dance together. They had been
talking as they danced. It looked very romantic.
She battled these thoughts every night. Since Harry was
back to keeping his distance, he must be seeing Lisa.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 29: Chap 29 - Midnight Meeting
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Warning: ADULT THEME. - - - Adult topic discussed. ------------------
SUMMARY: Warning: ADULT THEME. - - - Adult topic discussed.
------------------
Chapter Twenty-nine Midnight Meeting
The Kitchen:
Albus Dumbledore Apparated to the kitchen of Number 12
Grimmauld Place from an island unknown. Remus Lupin,
Arthur and Molly Weasley had just finished their dinner.
Molly jumped up from the table. “What a surprise! Can I
offer you some dinner? There’s plenty left.”
“Thank you, Molly, no. Would you be kind enough to allow
me? I need to talk to Arthur and Remus in the Defense
Room,” answered Dumbledore.
“Of course! Would you like tea or coffee, something else?”
she asked.
“Yes, Molly, please. A pot of coffee and perhaps a bottle of
Old Ogden’s Fire Whiskey on a tray. I’m afraid that we will
be unavailable for an hour or more.”
Molly raised an eyebrow but made a tray for the men without
comment.
Defense Room:
Three men sat at the table with cups of fire whiskey in front
of them. The old man looked very old and tired. His eyes no
longer had the twinkle that was usually there. One of the
younger men with premature gray hair, looked saddened.
The red haired man looked white from shock.
The two younger men rose and swallowed the last of the fire
whiskey in their cups. “Should I stay while you talk to Molly?”
asked Arthur.
“No Arthur, I think it best that I talk to her alone,” answered
Albus.
The two younger men left the room. A moment later Molly
Weasley entered. “Are the children all right?” she asked
nervously. “Arthur looks terrible. I’m frightened.”
“So far, your children are fine, Molly. But there is some
news of dire importance,” he said as he handed her a cup of
coffee that was more than half fire whiskey.
Dumbledore’s office at Hogwarts:
A few hours later ...
Albus Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk. In front of
him were three people: Remus Lupin and Arthur and Molly
Weasley.
“I believe we are prepared for several scenarios for tonight’s
events. Miss Weasley may become very upset, which is
very understandable, considering what she will learn here
tonight. But my biggest concern is how Harry is going to
react to the news. I think we should all be prepared for any
reaction.”
“Also before we bring them here, does anyone have any
more suggestions as to the solution to our problem?”
Remus started to say something, but changed his mind.
“While we are all gathered, I want you each to say or
suggest anything that is on your mind. Any kind of solution
to this serious matter should be at least discussed. If we find
flaws in a suggestion, we may be able to alter it to make it
work. So feel free. The more options we have, the better off
we will be,” noted Albus.
No one added any more suggestions.
‘It is time. The Gryffindor Tower is now quiet. All students
are sleeping,” said Dumbledore.
Remus Lupin and Molly Weasley left the room.
Harry Potter’s Dorm:
Remus Lupin opened the curtain surrounding Harry’s bed.
Harry was sleeping peacefully. Remus knew that Harry
didn’t often have peaceful sleep. So he felt bad having to
wake him. Having to wake him to give him this most
grievous news. He put a Silencing Charm around Harry’s
bed and then shook his shoulder gently.
“Wake up, Harry. It’s Remus. Quiet now, we don’t want to
wake anyone up.”
“Huh?” murmured Harry.
“Harry you need to wake up and take a shower. I have your
clothes ready. Please hurry.”
“Why do I want to take a shower? I just took one before I
went to bed,” said Harry. He then realized that Lupin was
standing over him, in his school dorm. “What are you doing
here?”
“Then you don’t need to take a shower. But you do need to
get up. Go brush your teeth and fix your hair. Here are your
clothes. All will be explained in the Headmaster’s Office.”
“We’re going to Dumbledore’s Office at this time of night?
What time is it?” asked Harry.
“Just after midnight. Get a move on, Harry. We have people
waiting,” said Lupin.
Harry crawled out of bed and went to the boys bathroom to
get dressed. When he came out fully dressed, he asked
“Why am I wearing my dress clothes to Dumbledore’s
Office?”
Lupin pulled out Harry’s invisibility cloak. They both got
under it and headed to the Headmasters’ Office.
Ginny’s Dorm:
Molly Weasley put a Silencing Charm around Ginny’s bed.
She woke Ginny whispering “Ginny dear, don’t talk. Just
quickly take a shower and put on these clothes I have ready
for you.”
“Why would I want to take a shower? I just took one before I
went to bed,” said a groggy Ginny.
“Well then, no you don’t need to take a shower. But brush
your teeth, put on your makeup and quickly fix your hair.”
“Huh?” said Ginny. “What for?”
“I will explain everything later in Dumbledore’s Office.
Quickly, get ready. I have your clothes all set out for you.”
“We’re going to Dumbledore’s Office at this hour? What time
is it? Why am I going to wear my dress robes?”
“Never mind about that, dear. Quickly get ready,” said
Molly.
After Ginny was dressed, Molly pulled out an invisibility
cloak and they left the Gryffindor Tower.
Headmaster’s Office:
Harry entered the office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his
desk looking solemn. Before him on his desk was a thick
book. Fawkes was resting on his perch behind him. There
was a fire burning in the fireplace.
He noticed that something was different about the room. The
portraits! They were all turned around with the painting
facing inward. The room seemed darker than usual. There
were five cushy chairs facing Dumbledore’s desk. Arthur
Weasley was sitting in one on the far right looking ashen, he
nodded to Harry. There were three empty chairs, one of
which, he would be sitting in and to his left Remus Lupin sat
down.
Harry started to speak, but Dumbledore raised his hand.
“Harry, please sit down, we will wait until all are present
before speaking.” So Harry shut his mouth, sat down and
looked around the room. Waiting for what he assumed were
two people.
After a few minutes, Molly Weasely, followed by Ginny in her
pearl gown, entered the room. Molly smiled at Harry, but
only with her mouth. Her eyes looked strange, almost as
though she were terrified. Harry automatically stood. They
sat in the two empty chairs and looked forward towards Albus
Dumbledore.
Molly lifted a black velvet bag off the chair and put it in her
lap. She put her hand on Arthur’s’ arm as she sat. Then put
her other hand on Ginny’s arm.
Ginny looked beautiful but he could tell that she was as
bewildered as he felt.
“Miss Weasley please come stand beside me for a moment,”
asked Dumbledore.
Ginny rose and walked over to the Headmaster. He must
have put a Silencing Charm around them because Harry
could not hear what was being said. But Ginny’s face turned
very red and she nodded to Dumbledore. He then gestured
for her to sit back down.
“Now that we are all here. I have some grievous news about
Voldemort,” started Dumbledore.
“You mean Tom Riddle!” corrected Harry.
“Yes, Harry. If you prefer, Tom Riddle. Either way we are
speaking of the same person. Now, as I was saying... “
“Tom Riddle has found a new weapon against you, Harry. It
is in the contents of this book.” He gestured to the thick old
book in front of him. “This book contains a very ancient and
powerful dark spell. The spell is so complex that the entire
book is dedicated to this one spell.”
Harry and Ginny marveled at the idea of one spell being that
long.
“I have spent over two weeks studying this spell. It must be
performed exactly for it to work. “
“Harry, I am saddened that I am the one that has to tell you
about it, but I have no choice. Now, before I tell you anything
more, Harry you must understand. None of this is your
fault. Tom Riddle and no one else is to blame. Do you
understand me, Harry?”
Harry looked at him puzzled. “Yes.”
“Harry, this spell can destroy you completely. That is to say,
that if it is completed correctly and completely. It has the
power to destroy you.”
Harry sat there quietly for a few moments. “Ok, I guess I
understand. But why are we all here?”
“That will be explained,” said Dumbledore.
“Is there some kind of counter jinx? Some way to defend
myself?” asked Harry.
“Yes and no. As far as a counter jinx. No. You don’t have to
be anywhere near him for the spell to work. You could be
half way around the world. You may not even know the spell
was completed until it happens. If the spell is completed.
Well...”
“Ok, so I’m a goner. So what else is new?” said Harry
sarcastically. Molly and Ginny gasped. Arthur and Lupin
sat stone faced.
“That is not the worst of it Harry,” added Dumbledore.
“Not the worst of it?” asked Harry.
“You are not the only person in danger, Harry. Come
beside me and look what is written. This last ingredient to
the potion part of the spell.”
Harry walked over to Dumbledore’s’ left side and looked at
the text that he was pointing to in the book. “The word
‘enemy’ is referring to you.”
Harry read the words:
“A sacrifice of the enemy’s virginal true love”
“Sacrifice?” whispered Harry. He immediately looked over
to Ginny. “But I never... I never said ... “ Harry looked wildly
around the room. Looking at each person in turn. “I never
told.”
Harry looked back at the words in the book. Then things in
the room began to vibrate. It was if there was an electrical
charge in the air. Glass started breaking, ceramic vases
were cracking and metal objects were humming.
“I won’t let him have her. Not again!”
He fell to his knees and screamed
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Bent over in his
personal agony, the one word seemed to go on forever. It
was as though he may literally explode.
They watched him helplessly. Then suddenly Fawkes began
to sing to him. After a bit, Harry stopped screaming and
rose. The song had calmed him down a little. Enough that at
least he was standing.
His temper started to rise. “No!” he shouted. “That’s it! He
can’t do that! I won’t LET him do that! I will fight him! NOW!”
“He won’t fight you, Harry,” said Dumbledore calmly.
“Where IS he?”
“Harry...” started Dumbledore.
“Snape will know. Let’s call Professor Snape. I bet he can
lead me straight to him,” said Harry.
“No. He will not fight you,” repeated Professor Dumbledore.
“Oh yes he will ! I’ll call him out! I’ll go to Diagon Alley and
call him out. A challenge! He will have no choice!”
“He won’t fight you, Harry. Not now, that he has this.”
Dumbledore gestured towards the book.
“I want this over and done with! He WILL fight me. I will
goad him into it. His pride won’t allow him to refuse! Him or
me, Done!” yelled Harry.
“HARRY! HE WILL NOT FIGHT YOU !” Dumbledore
roared. The room fell silent.
“He would only laugh at you. With THIS,” pointing to the
book again “the rewards are too great,” he said gently.
“What do you mean? He just wants me dead! What does it
matter to him? If we duel in the street or by this spell. As
long as I’m DEAD!” yelled Harry.
“It matters very much, Harry. With this, he doesn’t have to
face you. You can be miles away. The rewards are just too
great,” added Dumbledore.
Fawkes flew off his perch towards Harry. He pushed with
his body until Harry fell back into the chair. Fawkes landed
on his lap and was nudging Harry’s hand with his head,
prodding Harry to pet his head. Harry complied.
All this time, Ginny had watched Harry in his misery. Harry
had been doing this from time to time whenever Riddle had
done something vile. Harry would go to the Defense Room
and let off steam. Ginny wondered if he had ever been this
bad. Before, Ginny left him for quite a while before she
would enter the Defense Room to find him exhausted. She
would talk quietly with him and he would come out of it.
Tonight was the first time she had ever seen him actually
doing it. It was frightening. Not for herself or anyone else in
the room, but she feared for Harry. Tonight she had feared
that he would die from a heart attack or something. Also the
other times, she knew WHY he was upset. Tonight she
didn’t know. She didn’t know what he had read in the book.
“Professor, may I look?” asked Ginny. Dumbledore
gestured for her to come to his side.
Harry started to say something but Dumbledore cut him off.
“Yes, Miss Weasley. You have every right to read what is
written.”
Ginny stood up and walked the few steps to this desk and
stood where he had gestured. Dumbledore carefully placed
his hands to highlight the words - “A sacrifice of the enemy’s
virginal true love” - Ginny slightly turned in order to see
Harry’s face more directly. “Me?” she whispered.
Harry turned his head as not to look Ginny in the eye.
Dumbledore nodded. Arthur rose and gently guided Ginny
back to her chair. Molly was crying openly now.
Harry started to anger again. “What makes you think it is
Ginny? It could anyone! And WHY would you think that
Riddle knows who this is? ...if this person even exists!”
growled Harry.
“Because, Harry, anyone who has watched you for more
than a few minutes this year KNOWS. Believe me when I
say that you are being watched. You’ve always been
watched by the enemy. He KNOWS,” said Dumbledore.
“He can’t KNOW. I’ve NEVER told that to ANYONE!” yelled
Harry.
“Oh yes you have. You say it every day. You said it tonight,
here in this room... You said it with your eyes, Harry. The
moment you read this text, your eyes went straight to Miss
Weasley. Your eyes don’t lie,” said the Professor.
Harry looked around to everyone but Ginny. Each person
nodded in agreement.
Harry sank, resigned in his chair.
“Professor, you have said the word “rewards” a few times
now. Is there more than one reward, other than Harry’s
death?” asked Ginny.
“Oh my yes. We were a bit distracted. Getting back... This
ancient, dark spell has more than one reward. IF it is
completed correctly. It will not only kill the enemy, but
before it kills the enemy, it transfers all the magic POWER
that the enemy holds and some from the sacrificial victim to
the caster. As you all have seen on more than one occasion,
Harry holds a vast amount of power. Tom Riddle lives for
power. So you see, the temptation of this spell is too much
for him to pass up.”
“That is why Tom will not fight Harry. Why fight him? When
he could destroy him AND receive all his power.”
Harry paled. “The clause,” said Harry. “There has to be at
least one cause in a powerful spell like this one.”
Dumbledore’s eyes shone. “Yes! I see that you have
studied enough Dark Arts spells to know this, Harry. Well
done. Well done indeed.”
“First, the caster must be powerful enough to cast the spell.
Incantations are cast several times during the process of
making the potion. They are complex incantations and it
takes a lot of power to perform them.”
“The enemy must be in love... In love with a virgin.”
“The caster must be evil enough to complete the spell.”
“The whole process takes over a month to complete. Once
the potion is ready, the caster has only a fortnight to add the
sacrifice.”
“To our advantage, he may not use his minions, in this case
his Death Eaters, to capture the victim. He MUST do that
himself. He is BOUND to the spell. The incantations bind
him to it. Once he does that, he has only until the following
sunrise to complete the sacrifice. So he can not capture the
victim and hold her for long lengths of time. He must be
ready at the moment he touches her.”
“What if he doesn’t complete everything on time?” asked
Harry.
“Then the spell doesn’t work and he would probably not be
able to try it again for a very long time. Not until you were to
fall in love with someone else, another virgin,” said
Dumbledore.
“As if,” said Harry sarcastically.
“That can’t be the only clause,” added Harry.
“No, there is a major clause that I will explain now,” said
Dumbledore. “Over the ages, virgins have been sacrificed
in many cultures, by Muggle and wizard kind alike. The
reason being, there is powerful magic within them. We
won’t go into that now. I’m only speaking of this so that you
know that the magic is real. That being virginal is important
to some spells. It being the backbone of THIS spell.”
“If the intended sacrifice were not a virgin, the spell doesn’t
work and of course the victim is lost. If he would sacrifice the
wrong virgin, it would have the same results.”
“The clause in this spell has an additional clause. IF the
intended sacrifice happened to have been ‘deflowered’ by the
ENEMY, the CASTER would be ‘utterly destroyed’, the
moment he touches her. Very similar to what happened to
Quirrel in your first year, Harry.”
“Utterly destroyed?” asked Ginny.
“Yes! that is the quote from the book,” said Dumbledore.
“I like the idea of that,” said Ginny. “It would be ironic. He
would be destroying himself by his own spell.”
“So that we now know the facts, it is time to decide what we
are going to do about it,” said Dumbledore.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 30: Chap 30 - Decisions
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Warning - ADULT THEME -- Adult topic discussed -- What will they decide? --------------
SUMMARY: Warning - ADULT THEME -- Adult topic
discussed
--------------
Chapter Thirty - Decisions
“As far as time, we don’t really know how much time we
have. I only know that he had already started the spell when
I was informed. How far into the spell he was, I do not know.
I have studied it for a little over two weeks. So it is possible
that it is near completion now.”
“If he is thinking at all, I am sure he already has yet another
potion started, so that they over-lap. He will want to be
prepared at all times,” added Dumbledore.
“Before you and Miss Weasley arrived, we had discussed
some options. These are what we have came up with so
far.”
“First - Do Nothing - personally I feel that this is probably the
worst option. Because he has the spell and he won’t be
afraid to use it.”
“Second - Hide Out - Ginny could go into hiding. She
would have to remain in hiding until after Harry defeats Tom.”
“Third - Rape Victim - Remus came up with this idea. Ginny
would pretend that she had been raped by some unknown
person. Tom would then think that she is no longer a virgin
so that would end her danger.”
“Fourth - Boyfriend - Arthur thought that if Ginny were to get
a boyfriend. Then pass the rumor that she thinks she is
pregnant.”
“Fifth - ‘Harry’ - Harry would actually ‘deflower’ Ginny.”
There was silence.
“WHAT? Is THAT the best you could come up with?” asked
Harry, astonished.
“Perhaps you or Miss Weasley can come up with a better
idea.”
“Well... maybe Ginny doesn’t care about me the same way.
Did anyone think about that?”
“It doesn’t matter how Ginny feels about you,” answered
Dumbledore.
“Of course it does!”
“No, Harry. Even if she despised you, it would not matter.
At least as far as the spell goes. It only matters how YOU
feel about her.”
“What if ?” started Ginny. “Nothing,” she sighed.
“Er... Nope! That wouldn’t work. Never mind,” uttered Harry.
“You see? Almost anything we think of, Riddle would be
suspicious,” added Dumbledore.
“Well then, we could have a very big fight. I could say some
stuff, really ugly stuff that is unforgivable. How much I hate
her and stuff. Then date other girls.”
“No Harry, he would know. When you look at her, it can be
seen in your eyes.”
“Well then, I just won’t look at her. I will avoid being around
her!” he said.
“Not looking at her would be saying the same thing. Don’t
you think he would be suspicious? Just after he starts this
spell? He will be paranoid about your relationship. I think
he will not trust anything new that questions her virginity,”
said Dumbledore.
“Well then, that lets out another boyfriend and the rape
theory. I didn’t like those anyway,” said Ginny.
“Yes, I think you are right about that,” said Dumbledore.
“I’m NOT going into hiding,” added Ginny.
“I agree, If we didn’t learn a lesson from Sirius last year, we
didn’t learn anything. A grown man, one who was used to
solitude couldn’t do it. It would surely be too hard on an
active young girl. AND of course, he would know right away
that we know about the spell,” said Dumbledore thoughtfully.
“That only leaves us with two of the original options. Do
nothing or Harry... he... you know,” said Lupin.
“Well, I like the idea that we trap him,” said Ginny.
“So are we agreed that Harry will ‘deflower’ Miss Weasley?”
asked Dumbledore.
“What?... NO!” protested Harry. “No! She is too young!
She’s only fifteen!”
“She is too young to be sacrificed too,” said Dumbledore,
sadly.
“I won’t do it!” said Harry.
“Huh? I thought you cared about me,” said Ginny.
“Of course I do!”
“Well then.”
“That is too important to you. I’m not going to ruin it for you,”
said Harry.
“It’s not that important, Harry. I’ll do it,” said Ginny gently.
“NO! Not unless we were married,” he said.
“Married? You don’t have to go that far, Harry.”
“Oh yes I do! You would regret it. You would hate me!” he
yelled.
“No I won’t. This is important,” she said.
“So are your memories! This is something that will be with
you for the rest of your life. It should be special, something
you can fondly look back on,” he said.
Harry looked over to Molly. “Am I right?” he asked.
“Of course, Harry. But we are talking about life and death,”
said Molly.
Dumbledore looked over to Molly and Arthur, his eyes
twinkling. Molly grinned.
“Professor, if we were to marry, couldn’t we get a divorce or
something afterwards? If we wanted to,” he asked.
“Yes, Harry, that would be possible. If you both agree,” he
answered.
“Well then, let’s do that!” said Harry.
“No Harry, you don’t have to marry me. We will just do it
and get it over with,” said Ginny.
“No!” Harry said loudly.
“I don’t want to get married just for that reason.”
“Well, I’m not doing it unless we are married! yelled Harry.
They both had their arms crossed against their chests,
determined that theirs was the last word. Dumbledore
sighed.
“You are just being stubborn,” said Harry.
“And you’re not?” asked Ginny. “Either way I get screwed.”
“GINNY !” Molly shouted, shocked.
“OOPS! Sorry. I didn’t meant it that way,” said Ginny. Then
she began to giggle.
Harry looked mortified. Lupin began to snicker, then
Dumbledore. Then they all began to laugh. It was a
cleansing to the heart, if just for a moment.
“What if... since it doesn’t matter to you, but it is so important
to Harry... you married. Then when the crisis is over, we
could have the marriage annulled? OR... if you wanted to
continue the marriage, we could have another wedding, a
proper Weasley wedding with all your brothers and friends. I
think it would be the simplest way to solve the problem,“
asked Dumbledore.
Ginny thought a moment, then nodded.
Dumbledore looked at each in turn. Each nodded in
agreement.
“Now for the next decision. Do we want it to be public
knowledge or secret?”
“If it were public, that would be the easiest road to take. The
secret way would be difficult, but we would have a way to
destroy Tom Riddle,” said Dumbledore.
“Difficult in what way?” asked Harry.
“If it were secret, you would not be able to speak of it. To
anyone. That includes to each other... This castle has
ears... Everywhere.”
“The six of us would be the only ones that could know,” he
added.
“I like the idea of ‘utterly destroying’ Riddle,” said Ginny.
“But what about the prophecy?” This doesn’t sound like it
would fit. ‘at the hand of the other’,” asked Harry.
Dumbledore thought for a moment. “It could fit. Yes. If he
completed the spell, a trap would be set... So, if you were to
set YOUR own trap... yes it would fit.”
“And that would be ‘the power he knows not’,“ said Ginny.
Dumbledore’s eyes widened. He was taken aback. Ginny
KNEW the prophecy! He didn’t know that...
“Yes!” he said, recovering. “Now back to the secret. I can’t
stress it enough that not one word could be spoken to
anyone. That includes Ron and Miss Granger or Miss
Lovegood. NO ONE. We are not talking about something as
tame as a school rule. People’s lives are at stake. Is that
perfectly clear?”
They both nodded.
“Although you do not know it now, it will be very difficult to
refrain from... let’s just say, that once you have been
intimate, it is difficult to restrain yourself. You will have to be
very careful with your actions,” he said.
“It may not sound difficult now, because neither of you have
expressed your feelings for one another. But once that is
done, it is hard to go back. Do you understand?”
They nodded again.
“You would not be able to be alone together for more than a
few minutes... No more than ten, I should think. That means
no broom closets, empty classrooms, Astronomy Tower etc.”
“Couldn’t we take walks around the grounds and speak out of
ear range?” asked Harry.
“You COULD take walks around the grounds together, but
you would always have to be within public sight. You still
could not speak of this secret and anything involved around
the secret. Harry, are you forgetting about Rita Skeeter?”
“Huh? OH! yeah, she turned into a bug.”
“Yes! There are other ways to eavesdrop on people in the
magical world. That is why, even when completely alone,
you must not speak of it. You will have no privacy.”
Harry and Ginny looked thoughtfully at each other.
“Oh dear, I just thought of something. Why didn’t I think of it
before? I was thinking that even if you did slip up, it would
still be all right. But with further thought, no. If Tom Riddle
were to find out that you two were married, he would be
furious! More furious than ever before. The loss of not
acquiring Harry’s power would be a major blow. No telling
how violent he would get. His retaliation could be
devastating. It could be the cause of many people losing
their lives. Ginny’s life would surely be in the most danger.
It would have to be secret, married or not. I’m sorry,” said
Dumbledore.
“Before we proceed, has anyone came up with a better
solution?” he asked.
No one said anything.
“Then shall we proceed? Ginny, Harry, please stand here.”
Pointing to the front of his desk. Molly, Arthur, to Ginny’s
side. Remus to Harry’s side,” instructed Dumbledore.
“Now?” asked Harry. “You are going to marry us now?”
“Of course, the decision has been made. No time to lose,”
he said.
“But... “ he looked at Ginny in her white gown, then
Dumbledore. “You knew all along. That is why we are all
dressed up. You KNEW!” said Harry getting louder and
eyeing Dumbledore suspiciously.
“No, I did not know. The decision was just made. You and
Ginny are really the only ones who can make the final
decision,” Dumbledore said in a quiet voice.
“But I have made arrangements. Just in case. You are
dressed because in the event of this decision, we would not
have to waste time. You both need to be back in your dorms
before the other students wake. But you just take your time,
Harry. If you don’t agree, then now is the time to speak up.”
Both Harry and Ginny thought for a moment. Harry took
Ginny’s hand and walked her over to the corner of the room.
He put up a Silencing Charm. Then talked quietly with
Ginny.
Molly nudged Arthur, “Look Arthur, Harry is proposing to
Ginny.”
Indeed he was. Harry took both of Ginny’s hands in his.
“Since you already know, I guess I don’t have to tell you that
I love you.”
“I would like to hear you say it,” said Ginny, shyly.
“I’m in love with you, Ginny.”
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes, Harry. I will,” Ginny said with a shy smile.
Harry then brought both of her hands to his lips and kissed
them. They smiled at each other then walked over in front of
Dumbledore’s desk.
Smiling, Dumbledore turned towards Fawkes. “May I have a
feather? A gold one? “ Fawkes nodded and dropped a gold
feather. Dumbledore took the feather and made two circles
out of it. He then waved his hand over the circles and they
became two rings. He waved his hand again, they turned to
metal. They were now two gold rings etched with a feather
decor. He handed one to Remus and the other to Arthur.
The ceremony was very simple. Arthur gave his daughter to
Harry and Remus gave his ward to Ginny. When Harry put
the ring on Ginny’s finger, it magically became the correct
size. The same thing happened when Ginny put the other
ring on Harry’s hand.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. Harry you may kiss
your bride.”
Fawkes began to sing his phoenix song. Harry found that his
strength was returning. Harry bent slightly and lifted Ginny’s
face to his. It was a short, sweet kiss.
Then Dumbledore brought out a piece of parchment. It was
a marriage certificate. They all signed in the proper place.
Then he opened one of his bottom desk drawers and pulled
out a pair of wool socks that he placed on his desk. He put
the certificate and socks back into the drawer, then locked it.
“I am a very busy man. There are so many students, I have
so much to do. Sometimes I forget to file papers at the
Ministry of Magic. I’m sure that sooner or LATER, I will get
all my filing done,” said Dumbledore with a straight face.
There were a few chuckles.
Harry thanked Fawkes for the beautiful song. Fawkes
nodded.
Dumbledore handed Remus a small box.
“It’s a Portkey,” Remus explained. Remus, Molly, Arthur,
Ginny and Harry all touched the Portkey and were whisked
away.
They re-appeared in an alley. It was daylight! Remus
explained that they were on an island in the Pacific. This
island was recognized by Britain. To make sure that their
marriage was legal anywhere in the world, they would get a
license here and marry again. Dumbledore had checked out
all the legalities. Remus and Arthur had the proper papers
in order.
The court house was just around the corner from the alley, so
they walked. After filling out the papers and getting a form,
they took a taxi. Remus had an address that took them to a
ministers’ house a little ways out of town. There, Harry and
Ginny were married again.
While Arthur and Molly were keeping the minister distracted,
Remus put a spell on the minister’s copies of the marriage
certificates. This would cause the documents to never be
recorded in a computer. The papers would be put in a folder
under the name Lupin and filed with the “L’s” . Remus put
Harry and Ginny’s copy of the certificate inside his coat
pocket.
They then took the same taxi back to town. It was just
getting dark when they arrived at a modern hotel. Remus
went up to the registration desk and got the room key.
“What would have happened if we did not agree to this?”
asked Harry, still suspicious.
“Oh, there would be no problem. Actually, Molly and I were
going to stay here tonight if you decided something else,”
said Arthur.
Arthur had not said much during this whole thing. Harry was
glad that Arthur was finally talking. He led them into the hotel
restaurant and ordered champagne.
Remus led them in a toast to the bride and groom. Both
Harry and Ginny made an ugly face when they tasted the
wine. Remus chuckled, then ordered them another drink.
When it arrived, both Ginny and Harry were happily
surprised. It was a pineapple drink with a little red umbrella
on the top and it tasted good.
Remus explained that they had a hotel room here. In order
for them to be legally married from this country they had to
consummate the marriage on the island.
After the drink, they took the elevator to the second floor.
Ginny and Molly entered the room. The men stood in the
hallway.
Arthur, obviously upset, looked at Harry and said, “Just don’t
you hurt her.”
Harry was taken aback. “Why would I hurt her?”
Arthur turned his head.
Remus took Harry down the hall a ways and did some
“fatherly talking” to Harry. Harry was facing away from Arthur
during his “talk”. Although the “talk” was only a few minutes,
Harry must have turned every color of the rainbow.
Finally Molly stepped out of the room. Harry looked warily at
all of them. Then Remus said “ Not to worry, Harry. I am
taking the Weasleys out for a bite to eat, so we won’t be
standing outside the door. You take your time. Remember
to put on a Locking and Silencing charm on the door... Not to
worry, Harry.”
Harry entered the room. The lights were off and the drapes
were closed. There were candles lit on the wall behind the
bed. Upon the bed was a white sheet. On the night table lie
a black velvet bag. Ginny was sitting in a chair. Her head
was bent down and she was wringing her hands. Harry
knelt in front of her. He looked at her face, there was a tear
rolling down her cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Ginny,” he said, as he gently took her hands
and lifted her to a standing position. “I never planned our
wedding to be like this.”
“You planned our wedding?” she asked, sniffling.
“Well, I didn’t really plan it. I only fantasized about it... A
few times... Ok. I fantasized about it a lot.” He grinned,
sheepishly.
“Tell me,” she said.
Harry was looking into her big brown eyes, as he began to
tell his fantasy.
“Well, it would change. Depending on my mood, but here’s
one.”
“We were in the Common Room late one night. We were the
only ones left. We had been studying together and we were
sitting before the fire. We had just put our books down and I
looked into your eyes and you looked into mine, then we
kissed.”
“We started seeing each other. We would walk around
school holding hands and talking to each other every day.
One day we took a walk down by the lake. We were talking
then I kissed you and asked you to be my girl. You said ‘yes’
then we kissed again.”
There’s a lot of kissing in my fantasies.”
Ginny giggled. Her eyes shining.
“We were dating a lot during the summer. I would take you
places. We would take long walks. We went shopping and I
bought you pretty things.”
“One night we went out to dinner, when we got back to your
house, we were kissing goodnight. I gave you a beautiful
ring, then I asked you to marry me. You said ‘yes’. Then we
told your parents and they were very happy. Your dad patted
me on the back and your mum whisked you off to start
planning the wedding. I didn’t see you for days because she
kept you busy with the plans.”
“One night, while we were kissing, I got a bit out of line. You
slapped my face and stomped away. I sent you a red rose
and a note begging your forgiveness.”
“In another one, we were kissing and you got out of line. I
slapped your face and stomped away. You sent me a red
rose and a note begging me for forgiveness.” Harry laughed.
“More like,” laughed Ginny.
“Then the day arrived. All our friends were gathered out on
the lawn. We stood before an archway of flowers in the
garden, where Dumbledore performed the ceremony. Ron
was best man, Tonks was your maid of honor and Hermione
and Luna were your bride’s maids. We kissed.”
The band played and we danced. Fred and George put on a
fireworks display, then Hagrid brought out my Firebolt. It
had ribbons and cans connected to the end, with a sign
reading “Just Married.” We mounted it and flew off into the
night.”
“Sometimes our honeymoon is on a tropical island.
Sometimes it is in Alaska, because we don’t want to leave
the room and we could stay cuddled up in bed all the time.
Depending on the mood I’m in.”
“Looks like the tropical island won,” said Ginny with a smile.
“Thank you for the beautiful courtship, Harry.”
“Well, it didn’t happen that way,” he said sadly.
“Yes it did,” said Ginny. “Just now. I loved every minute of
it.”
He was still looking into her eyes, then he kissed her gently.
Then again and again and again.
“I love you, Ginny,” he whispered.
“I love you too.” she whispered back.
“You do?”
“I’ve ALWAYS loved you, Harry.”
He kissed her again and again and again and again...
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 31: Chap 31 - Ginny's Challenge
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: ADULT THEME - Adult topic discussed - - - Harry’s reaction -- Ron’s reaction -- Ginny’s challenge ---------------
ADULT THEME - Adult topic discussed
---------------
Chapter Thirty-one Ginny’s Challenge
Harry left the room and entered the hotel hallway. Remus,
Arthur and Molly had just arrived.
Molly entered the hotel room, leaving the men standing in
the hallway. They all stood silently. Harry was most
uncomfortable with Arthur standing near.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened. A glowing Ginny
walked over to Harry and put her arms around him with her
head on his chest. He put his arms around her and rested
his head on her head.
“Remus, you can come in now,” whispered Molly.
Lupin entered the room and closed the door. A second later,
Arthur opened the door. “I must see for myself.”
“Arthur you need not...” said Lupin. That was all that was
heard because the door closed. Another minute passed,
then Lupin returned to the hallway.
The three of them waited a few minutes before the door
opened again. A pale Arthur and Molly Weasley stepped out
into the hallway. Molly was holding the black velvet bag.
Lupin produced the little box. They all touched it and
re-appeared in Professor Dumbledore’s Office.
Once they all steadied themselves, Molly handed the black
velvet bag to the Headmaster.
“So ! It is complete. Thank you, Molly,” said Dumbledore.
He gestured for Harry and Ginny to stand before his desk.
“You MUST not speak of the evening’s events. Not to
anyone. Not to each other. Have I made myself clear?” he
asked.
They both nodded.
“Show me your rings,” he said, gently. They both extended
their left hands. He waved his hand and their rings
disappeared. Ginny gasped. “Never fear, your rings are still
there. I have put an Illusion Charm on them. If you touch
them, you will feel that they are still there. I must ask you
not to be handling them in public. You must not call attention
to them in any way.”
“I am assuming that you will be taking on the role of a dating
couple.”
They both nodded.
“Remember my warnings. You must be EXTREMELY
careful. No more than ten minutes out of public sight. One
or the other must be within sight of others at all times.”
“We don’t know how long this will go on. It is possible that
this could go on for a very long time. We don’t know what is
going on at the other end. We will have to be patient. We
must be prepared for anything.”
“Molly, you may now take Mrs. Potter back to her dorm.”
Harry gently kissed her goodnight.
“Harry I want you to stay for just a few minutes.”
Harry watched his new wife and mother-in-law cover
themselves with an invisibility cloak and disappear.
Arthur and Remus sat in the far left chairs. Dumbledore put
a Silencing Charm around himself and Harry.
“So! The sacrifice is complete,” said Dumbledore patting the
black velvet bag.
“Sacrifice?” asked Harry, astonished.
“Not all sacrifices are evil, Harry,” said Dumbledore with a
smile.
“Harry, this is going to be the most difficult thing you will ever
have to do. You MUST remember that your wife’s life is in
danger. You can only control this by your actions. You must
conduct your life as though Tom Riddle is watching your
every movement. BE CAREFUL ! “
Harry paled.
“I’m sorry, Harry, but I can not stress this enough. It will be
hard... very hard... but I must make you understand exactly
how dangerous this is and for you to understand why it is
worth all the sacrifices that you will be making. “
“I did not tell Molly or Ginny what I am about to tell you. I
think what they have already been told, is more than enough
burden to bear. I have, however, told Arthur and Remus.”
“The ritual that you performed tonight, the sacrifice, would
have been made by Tom Riddle, himself... Her virginity
was the sacrifice, not her life. “
“He is capable of doing that?” asked Harry.
“Apparently he is or he would not bother with the spell,” said
Dumbledore. “I’m sure that she would not have survived the
ritual performed by him.”
Harry stared at him, his face went white. Then he began to
retch... he could not control himself. He vomited all over the
carpet.
“My sentiments exactly,” said Dumbledore.
Remus and Arthur were watching the conversation between
Harry and Dumbledore. When Harry threw up. Remus
asked Arthur. “Any odds on what he just told him?”
“No.”
* * * *
When Harry arrived in his dorm, he barely had the strength to
undress before he flopped down on his bed.
Two hours later, Ron was shaking him, telling him he was
going to be late if he didn’t get up.
Harry washed his face with cold water to help wake himself
up. He brushed his teeth and dressed. He dragged himself
down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Ginny was already sitting with her friends, eating breakfast.
Harry was amazed how beautiful she could look this morning,
after being up all night.
The noisy room was too loud and bright this morning, his
eyes were burning. The smell of the food, however, made
his stomach rumble. He was starving! He piled his plate and
started wolfing down his breakfast.
After refilling his plate for the second time, Hermione
stopped him.
“Harry! Stop! You are going to make yourself sick. What’s
wrong with you? I’ve never seen you eat so fast and so
much !”
“Don’t know. Just hungry this morning,” said Harry.
“I think you should stop. There’s always LUNCH, you know.”
Harry stopped eating and headed off to his first class. He
struggled to keep awake. During his second period in
Professor Flitwick’s class, he fell asleep.
As the lunch bell rang, Professor Snape was walking along
the corridor with Dumbledore, talking.
“I heard that Harry Potter fell asleep in class this morning.
Professor Flitwick just let him sleep. I think he should have
gotten detention. He can’t be getting away with this kind of
thing. It’s a bad example to the others.”
Harry was just passing by them, when Dumbledore said:
“Ah, Harry. I see you up and about. I think, perhaps you
should go see Madam Pomfrey. You still don’t look well.”
“Harry was in my office last night and became ill,” he told
Professor Snape.
“I’m ok, thank you. I think I ate too much breakfast and it
made me groggy. I’ll be ok. I just won’t eat lunch,” said
Harry.
“I think you should go to the hospital wing. You really don’t
look well,” said Dumbledore.
Harry thought a moment. What if Ginny needed to go? It
wouldn’t look good for both of them to be in the hospital wing
from lack of sleep, at the same time. Ginny may need it
more than he did.
“No, that’s ok. I’ll be fine. Thank you, Professor.”
Harry sat at the lunch table watching everyone eat. He
looked down the table at Ginny, she was starting to wilt.
After eating, she came over to where Harry was sitting.
“Ginny, you don’t look so good. Maybe you should go see
Madam Pomfrey,” suggested Harry.
“No, I can’t. I’m ok. I just didn’t sleep well last night. I can’t
miss Snape’s class. He is still angry at me for missing some
homework a few weeks ago. I’m too tired to add a detention
today. I’ll be fine. Going to bed early tonight,” said Ginny,
yawning.
“Did you have a nightmare last night?” asked Hermione,
concerned.
“No, most of my dreams were... sweet. I just... kept waking
up. It must of been a bad case of nerves... with O.W.L.s and
all,” said Ginny.
As they all walked to class, Harry asked Ron if he would
teach his Beginners class tonight. Ron agreed.
After the last class of the day, Harry went straight to his
dorm and slept the entire night.
The next morning at breakfast, Harry ate a light breakfast.
He was looking over at Ginny.
“Ron, I think I’m going to ask Ginny to be my girlfriend
today.” He waited for Ron’s reaction.
“What for? I mean, you’ve been dating her all year. Don’t
she already KNOW she’s your girlfriend?” asked Ron.
“Huh? No. Ron, I’ve taken her to the balls, but we haven’t
been a ‘couple’,“ said Harry.
“I don’t know what else you could call it,” said Ron.
“Whatever,” said Harry, sensing that there would be no
problem with Ron.
Harry walked over behind Ginny.
“Good morning, Ginny,” he whispered in her ear. “Would you
meet me for lunch today?”
Ginny blushed, then smiled. “Sure. Meet you here then.”
Harry smiled, and left the Great Hall.
Ginny and her girlfriends started giggling.
Harry met Ginny at the doors at lunch time. As they walked
over to the table he asked: “After we’ve eaten, would you
take a walk with me?”
“Sure.”
They quickly ate their lunch at the table in Harry’s usual
spot, beside Ron. Ron was talking in his usual manner,
gobbling his food. They walked out of the room with Harry’s
arm on Ginny’s shoulder.
It was still too cold to be walking outside without a heavy
cloak, so they walked along the corridors until they found a
private spot.
“I told Ron that I would be asking you to be my girlfriend
today. He seemed to think that I didn’t need to. He thinks
we were already a couple,” said Harry.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry
about him.”
“Ginny, are you all right? I mean, are you FEELING all
right?”
“I’m fine, Harry,” she smiled sweetly.
“I love you, Ginny,” said Harry as he gently kissed her
forehead.
“I love you, Harry.”
Harry took her hand and walked her to her next class.
After they were finished eating dinner, Luna came over to
talk to Harry.
“Why is Ginny sitting over there? I heard you two were going
together now,” said Luna
“Yes, we are. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before the
word spread. I’m sorry, Luna,” said Harry. “She’s sitting
over there because we don’t have a dinner date tonight.”
“So you have to have a date to eat together?”
“She needs to spend time with her friends,” said Harry.
“You’re weird, Harry.”
* * * *
Later that evening, after D.A. Harry sat with Ron and
Hermione doing homework. When he finished, he caught
Ginny’s eye. They found a private area in the Common
Room to talk quietly for a couple of minutes.
Harry walked her to the entrance of the girls dorm and gave
her a goodnight kiss. It was a very passionate kiss, so
passionate that Ron came off the sofa and grabbed Harry by
the collar.
“Get off her! What do you think you’re doing?” Then he
swung his fist and hit Harry in the face.
Harry went down. He was shocked and bleeding. He
decided to stay down. If he got back up, he knew there
would be an ugly fight. He didn’t want to fight with Ron.
What was wrong with Ron?
“Ron! I was only kissing her,” said Harry as he wiped some
blood off his face.
“That there was not KISSING. That was... that was... You
KNOW what that was! Don’t you EVER do that to Ginny
again!” yelled Ron.
Neville stepped up and led Ron away from Harry.
Ginny ran out the portrait hole and down the corridor. Harry
got up and followed her. When he caught up with her, she
was crying. She was standing against the wall and he stood
in front of her, blocking anyone from seeing her.
‘I’m so sorry, Ginny. I didn’t mean to... a ... you know,” he
stammered. “I just a... “
“You scared Ron, Harry. I know you didn’t mean to, but you
did,” said Ginny.
“I know. I didn’t mean to. I mean, well I just was involved
with the kiss. I never thought. I mean I wasn’t thinking about
anything but you.”
“It was pretty... a... or too... a... it probably looked pretty
passionate. It felt pretty passionate,” said Ginny, then she
started to giggle.
“It’s not funny, Ginny. What are we going to do?” asked
Harry.
“I’ll go talk to him. You need to clean up. Your face is a
mess,” said Ginny.
“Ginny, I’ll try next time not to be so aggressive. I think the
problem is, that we haven’t had enough practice,” said
Harry.
“Yes, I agree. We definitely need to practice more. Just not
when Ron is around,” said Ginny, grinning.
They walked back toward the Gryffindor Tower. At the Fat
Lady’s portrait, they split up. Ginny went inside and Harry
left to find the nearest boy’s bathroom.
Hermione told Ginny that Ron was up in his dorm. Ginny
went up the stairs to the dorm where she spent several
nights a few months ago. Ron was sitting on his bed. His
body language told her that he was still very angry.
“Ron, I came to apologize,” said Ginny.
“You? I wasn’t YOU, it was HIM ! He should apologize to
YOU! “ yelled Ron.
“He already has. Ron, he didn’t mean to... a... kiss me so...
It was a mistake,” said Ginny
“You damn right it was a mistake! I can’t believe it. Harry
should know better than to do that to you. He’s supposed to
keep the other guys away from you. Not attack you! I just
can’t believe it,” roared Ron.
“Ron! He didn’t attack me. He just kissed me a little longer
than he should have. It was not that big a deal,” said Ginny.
“And that’s JUST the reason that I have to look out for you.
You don’t know right from wrong. THAT WAS WRONG,
GINNY! “ shouted Ron.
“Ron! Now you listen to me. You KNOW that I’ve loved
Harry for all these years. TODAY he finally asked me to be
his girlfriend. I can’t let you come between us. Ron, don’t
make me choose,” said Ginny, with tears falling down her
face.
“Choose? Who said anything about making you choose?”
said Ron.
“You’ve been best friends with Harry for all these years. I
don’t want to come between you two. But I also don’t want
YOU to come between Harry and me.”
“Ron, we’ve only been together for ONE DAY. Give us a
chance to... to sort things out,” said Ginny. “I love him.”
“I can’t let him get away with that, Ginny,” said Ron, sadly.
“You didn’t! You punched him out. He went down. If you
waited about a second longer, you wouldn’t have had to hit
him. I would have,” said Ginny.
“You would?” said Ron.
“Of course I would, but I don’t think I would have had to. It
was... well it was over right about the time you pulled him
away. I was GOING to tell him that... well, I was going to tell
him. Never mind what I as going to say. That would be
private,” said Ginny, softly.
“Ron, it wasn’t as wrong as you think. It probably looked
worse. I mean, well... I wouldn’t let him or anyone else take
advantage of me. I CAN take care of myself. But I promise
you, if I felt I couldn’t handle a situation, I would ASK you to
take care of it for me.”
“You would?” asked Ron.
“Yes I would.”
“Ron, I want to let you in on a little secret. A girl needs to
handle men in her OWN way. If she lets a man think that
she can’t take care of herself, he is more likely to take
advantage of her when they are alone. If he knows she can
take care of herself, he is usually more cautious. That’s
why I never liked you or my other brothers defending me. It
makes them think I am weak.”
“I know a lot more about life than you think I do. I know that
you men will push a girl just as far as she will allow. I have
my limits set. If anyone tries to go past those limits, he will
pay. If I have to fight a man off, and I can’t handle it, then
yes, I will call you in.”
“That goes for Harry too. But Ron, I really don’t think that it
will ever come to that. I would not go with Harry if I didn’t
trust him. If he doesn’t respect me, I will drop him so fast he
won’t have time to bounce. That’s a promise! “
“Ok?”
“Ok,” said Ron.
* * * *
Harry had asked Dean, Seamus and Neville to wait before
going up. He hoped that it wouldn’t take too long to calm
Ron down. He waited for Ginny to come back to the
Common Room.
“You ok?” he asked Ginny.
“Yes, I’m fine. Wait a couple more minutes before going up.
Give him a little time to think about what I’ve just said to him,”
said Ginny.
“Good night, Harry. This sure has been an eventful first day
together.”
“Good night, Ginny.” He sighed.
Harry waited for a few minutes then went up.
“Ron?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m really sorry about what happened tonight,” said Harry.
“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me. You should apologize
to Ginny,” said Ron.
“I already did. Look, I think it looked worse that it was. I
mean, well... it did go a little longer than... well, than I
meant it to go. I mean... well, I didn’t know how to react to...
It was our first day together. We haven’t had time to... well...
sort out our emotions. I’ve loved her for a long time and I’ve
been keeping my emotions bottled up. Some of it just sort of
slipped out all at once,” said Harry.
“That’s no excuse, Harry,” said Ron.
“I KNOW it’s no excuse, but that’s what happened. I respect
Ginny more than you will ever know. It won’t happen again,”
said Harry.
“Damn right, it won’t!” said Ron.
“Ron, I don’t know what I can say to make you trust me
again. What if I promised not to do anything to Ginny that
Dumbledore would not allow?”
“Dumbledore? With all the things he lets you get away with?
He’s as mad as a hatter !”
“What about Lupin?”
“Moony? A marauder? Are you kidding?” asked Ron.
“Ginny?” asked Harry.
“I don’t know. That doesn’t set my mind at ease,” said Ron,
thoughtfully.
“What about your parents?” asked Harry. Ron raised an
eyebrow. “Your Dad?” added Harry.
“Dad? Now you’re talking! Do you KNOW how strict my dad
is ? Especially about Ginny?” asked Ron.
“I stand on my word. Shake on it?” asked Harry, extending
his hand.
“You’ve got a deal,” said Ron, shaking Harry’s hand.
“Can you forgive me this once?” asked Harry.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to see you kissing her again. If you
are going to kiss her, do it when I’m not around. I can’t be
responsible for my actions.”
“That’s fair enough.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to react whenever I see Fred kiss
Luna,” said Harry.
“Yeah. Just be ready. It hurts,” said Ron.
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
After letting the other boys know it was all clear, Harry
undressed and crawled into bed. This was going to be a lot
harder than he could ever have imagined. Tomorrow he
would have to start thinking about every single movement
and every single word he said to Ginny. He sighed.
* * * *
After breakfast the next morning, Harry and Ron were
talking as they left the Great Hall. They were walking
towards the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall when they
heard a familiar voice. It was Malfoy. He was standing
about a dozen steps up the staircase. From where he stood
he could look down on everyone below.
“Yeah. It’s all over school. Weasley caught Potter doing it
with his sister last night. Oh! Look, there they are. All
friends again. Potter must have PAID Weasley off. Guess
you know what that makes the Weaselette. Guess we know
how she can afford all those expensive robes,” said Malfoy in
a loud voice.
Ron and Harry froze. Ron was beginning to move as Harry
caught his arm. Before either could take a step, Ginny
appeared, standing on the bottom stair.
“WHAT’S ALL THIS?” came a booming voice from behind. It
was Dumbledore.
“Draco Malfoy has just questioned my virtue,” said Ginny.
“That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Malfoy,” said Dumbledore.
“I think he needs to prove his statement,” said Ginny.
“I don’t need to prove anything. It’s all over school,” said
Malfoy.
“I think you do,” said Ginny. “Since YOU are the one who is
telling it all over the school. I can prove my virtue. Shall I go
see Madam Pomfrey?”
“Ginny!” said Harry. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Miss Weasley,” said
Dumbledore.
“I think it IS,” said Ginny, pointedly. “Suppose we make it
interesting. Suppose I go to Madam Pomfrey and suppose
that Mr. Malfoy is wrong. Would cleaning up the Gryffindor
table after dinner every evening... for a MONTH, be fair?”
“What do I get out of it, if I’m right?” asked Malfoy.
“You get the honor of being right !” said Ginny.
“I do not think that will be necessary, Miss Weasley,” said
Dumbledore.
“I believe it is,” she said, looking into Dumbledore’s eyes.
“Well, Malfoy?” said Ginny, turning, then staring into
Malfoy’s eyes.
“As the Headmaster said, it is not necessary,” said Malfoy.
“Then I think you should apologize,” said Ginny, still staring
at Malfoy without blinking.
“I’m sorry that I was misinformed,” said Malfoy with as much
dignity as he could.
“I think we will be discussing this further... in my office, Mr.
Malfoy,” said Dumbledore.
“Remind me never to play poker with you,” whispered
Dumbledore to Ginny.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 32: Chap 32 - Castle of Love
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Who’s watching? -- Who’s seeing who? Hermione reads a book -- Harry meets up with an old friend. ---------------
Chapter Thirty-two Love Around The Castle
Next “free class” with Dumbledore, he noticed that the
portraits were turned, when he sat down.
“Why do you turn the portraits, Professor?” asked Harry.
“It’s a reminder, Harry. You can’t trust the castle. Not about
what we have been hiding as of late,” he said. “Remember
when you are alone with Ginny there may be a portrait near.
Although they wouldn’t purposely want to do harm. They do
tend to gossip. As far as you and Ginny are concerned,
there is no innocent gossip.”
“Now tell me, what was that all about with Draco Malfoy?”
“I don’t know where he got his information, but it was close...
not THAT close. I was kissing Ginny goodnight in the
Common Room. I kissed her a little too... long. More than
Ron was ready for. He hit me.”
“I see.”
“We made up. Everything was fine between us. Then you
heard what Malfory said.
“Who was there, at the time?” asked Dumbledore.
“I’m not sure. I wasn’t paying attention. But there wasn’t
anyone that wouldn’t normally be there. I probably would
have noticed that. I’ve been wondering though... I wonder if
it was someone who only HEARD what was said. If they
saw... well, there wasn’t anything to see. But Ron’s
wording... yes... it could have been misunderstood.”
“What did he say? Exactly.”
“He said. ‘Get off her.’ ‘that was not just kissing’ something
like that. Definitely ‘Get off her’. ”
“I see,” said Dumbledore.
“Seeing you kissing, must have been hard for young Mr.
Weasley to handle.”
“We talked to him, first Ginny alone, then I talked with him. I
got him settled down. He trusts me now.”
“How did you do that?” asked Dumbledore, curiously.
“I vowed not to try anything with Ginny that Mr. Weasley
would not allow,” said Harry, sheepishly.
“Ha! Harry, that was brilliant!” Dumbledore chuckled.
“Well... I DID have to go through a list of others before I got
to the right person he would trust,” said Harry, sheepishly.
“Who?” asked Dumbledore.
“You and Lupin,” said Harry, grinning.
“Oh!” he said, laughing. “That one’s a treasure. Do you
mind if I share that with Remus and the Weasleys? They
could use a good laugh about now.”
Harry grinned. “Go ahead.”
“I must say, that your young wife never ceases to amaze
me. The way she played that out. She turned a disaster into
a plus. There is now, no doubt of her virginity. Brilliant! Of
course, it could have gone wrong. If Mr. Malfoy would have
called her bluff.”
“I’m sure she would have thought of something,” said Harry.
“Of course, and I was ready to step in, if needed. But she
pulled it off neatly. The more I learn about her, the more
respect I have for her. I was also surprised to learn that she
knew the prophecy,” said Dumbledore.
“We discussed it. She already knew what it was. I mean,
she figured it out. She knew all along that I would have to
fight him. She thinks the prophecy doesn’t tell us anything
NEW, only that there is hope.”
“Brilliant! You have chosen well, Harry.”
* * * *
“What have you learned, Wormtail?”
“Nothing. Nothing of importance, My Lord.”
“I’ll be the judge of what is important.”
“Only that Potter is now seeing the girl openly.”
“Does he ‘LOVE’ her, Wormtail?”
“Oh yes. There is no doubt of that.”
“Are they being watched? At all times?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“And their conversations?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“They must not be alone together for more than a few
minutes. If they are, then there needs to be a diversion. Do
you understand me?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Have you gotten any more information out of her old
‘boyfriend’ ?”
“No, My Lord. The subject has been brought up around him
from many different angles. He says he hasn’t been with
her.”
“Ahhhh... I wonder if he is being noble?”
“No, My Lord. I don’t think so. Not after what I heard
yesterday.”
“What did you hear yesterday, Wormtail ?”
“Malfoy’s son, Draco, accused the girl of being with Potter.
She confronted him. Offered to go to Madam Pomfrey to be
examined,” said Wormtail.
“WHAT? Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I thought there was no need, My Lord.”
“No need? Why do you think I have been having her
watched? You are an idiot.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“I REPEAT. DO NOT LET POTTER BE ALONE WITH HER
FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES! Of course, we will
not have a problem with Potter. He is too noble... too saintly.
BUT I DON’T TRUST HER! KEEP AN EYE ON HER AT
ALL TIMES!”
“Yes, My Lord.”
* * * *
After the first two days of disaster, Harry became very
conscious of how he and Ginny presented themselves to
others. Harry and Ginny were an item. They knew that they
were being watched. Not by just the enemy, but by mostly
everyone. They were popular. Since there wasn’t very much
to distract students, they focused on romances that were
blooming around the castle, that included Harry and Ginny.
Since there was nowhere to take a girl on a date, Harry
made up his own dates. Each morning, Ginny would be
sitting with her friends, he would walk up behind her and
whisper his “good morning”, then he would invite her for
either lunch or dinner. He did not meet her for both in one
day. He felt if they stretched out their “dates”, they would
feel more like dates.
Their date consisted of eating whatever meal. Then,
because of the weather, they usually walked along the many
corridors within the castle. They sometimes would find a
private spot to talk, and sometimes steal a kiss.
He had learned his lesson about kissing. He was very
careful to kiss her with love, but held back on the passion.
No easy task. He had to keep himself under control at all
times.
If they had a dinner date, they limited their time together to
an hour. Harry taught his Beginners classes. Ginny taught
her Advanced classes, then homework. O.W.L.s were fastly
approaching, so she had loads of homework.
Harry was very careful about the words he spoke. This was
not natural for him. He had to work very hard to think about
what he was going to say before he said it. Whether it was a
private talk with Ginny or speaking of her to someone else.
He did make sure to tell her that he loved her everyday. That
was important to him and Ginny.
Ginny had to think about her words too. She was normally a
quiet person, but if she got upset, words would fly. She
knew she had to be extra careful too.
Ginny understood, but in bed at night she would think about
how frustrating it was not to act more “natural” with Harry,
but having Harry made it all worth it.
Although there were many worries in Harry’s life, he was
happy now, happier than he ever had been. After all the
suffering he did this year, at least he knew he had Ginny
now. Ginny was his world.
* * * *
The weather was finally starting to ease. The snow began to
get sloshy and the icicles were dripping. Quidditch had been
put off, due to the freezing weather. It was so cold that if the
brooms touched the ground, they stuck to it. It wouldn’t be
long before Quidditch practice would start again.
In the meantime, Ron had the team working out in the Room
of Requirements. They had several Quaffles that they
tossed to each other. They also used a few small balls that
they magically bounced around the room for Harry to catch
as a Snitch. He usually kept them at it till everyone was
wringing wet with sweat.
Ron hadn’t been ‘dating’ much since Christmas break. Harry
worried that he might have ruined Ron for life, but then he
started to occasionally go out. One day, Harry asked him
about Lisa.
“Naw. She’s not very affectionate. I like girls to be
affectionate. No, they don’t have to be THAT affectionate.
But you know, at least make you feel like you been with a
girl,” said Ron.
“I’m sorry, Ron,” said Harry.
“Don’t be. There are plenty more out there,” said Ron,
grinning.
“What about Sylvia?” asked Harry. “She was real nice.”
“Yeah. Well, she won’t talk to me. You wouldn’t BELIEVE
what she called me. I didn’t know males could be one.
Anyway, I’ve been seeing a couple of girls. They’re ok,” said
Ron.
Harry felt better, knowing that his book didn’t completely ruin
Ron’s life.
Harry caught Neville alone one Sunday evening in their
dorm. He asked Neville about how his parents were doing.
“They’re ok. They are becoming more alert each time I see
them, but they are not completely well. Gran thinks that
‘they will never be the same’, but I can see the progress.”
“That’s great, Neville,” said Harry.
‘Harry, I still don’t know how to thank you for saving my
parents. They may ‘never be the same’, but at least they are
sane and we are getting to know each other. Something that
would not be possible without you,” said Neville.
“It was all of us that did it. We all shared ideas that solved
it,” said Harry, patting Neville on the shoulder.
“I don’t see you with Hermione very much lately.”
“We broke up, I guess. Actually we haven’t been really
going together since before Christmas. We sort of drifted
apart,” said Neville.
“I’m sorry it’s not working out,” said Harry.
“Don’t be sorry, Harry. I think Hermione liked me better
when I had ‘hard days’. Maybe I was more likable on those
days,” said Neville.
Hermione didn’t go out much, if at all. She did her Prefect
rounds, taught a few nights of Advanced D.A. and of course
did her homework.
One night, Harry and Hermione were doing homework. Ron
was off somewhere. Neville was over talking to Seamus and
Dean.
Hermione sighed and closed her books. “I’m so bored.
What are you doing tonight?” she asked.
“I’m finished with homework. I might get to take a walk with
Ginny if she gets hers done soon enough,” said Harry. “If
not, I have a couple of books to read.”
“You’ve been reading a lot this year. There’s that one book
that you read a lot. It must be interesting,” said Hermione.
He was still reading his book. He had finished the last four
chapters for the third time and still didn’t have a clue.
Maybe...
“Hermione, have you ever read a book that was written in
Middle English? I think it is Middle English.”
“I’ve picked up a few,” said Hermione. She was getting that
look she gets when there is a particularly interesting book
she’s dying to read. Harry put up a Silencing Charm.
“Hermione, would you be willing to try to read this book? It’s
kinda important, only I seem to be missing something. There
is some kinda point I’m missing,” he whispered.
“Why’d you put up a Silencing Charm?” asked Hermione,
suspiciously.
“I don’t want anyone to know about the book. I keep a cover
on it so no one sees the title,” said Harry.
“Where did you get it?” asked Hermione.
“That’s a story for another day. Do you want to try to read it?
It is very tedious. It’s taken me months to finish it. Since
then, I’ve been re-reading.”
“I don’t want ANYONE to know I’m reading it. It is a secret.
Not even Dumbledore or Lupin know about it,” added Harry.
Hermione’s eyes lit up. “Of course, Harry. If it means THAT
much to you,” she said.
Harry was not fooled by her innocent act for one minute. It
was a challenge. HER kind of challenge.
“Ok, I’ll get it for you. Promise you won’t let anyone know?
Not even Ron?” he asked.
That was the final straw. She was hooked. He knew she
would complete it no matter how tedious it was. A secret
from Ron. Just the ticket.
He removed the Silencing Charm and conjured the book. He
left her sitting in total happiness. A new SECRET book.
He checked on Ginny and Luna. Luna was getting up. A
good sign.
“How’s my two most precious ladies tonight?” asked Harry.
“Done!” said Ginny.
“Would you like to take a walk? We could walk Luna back to
Ravenclaw,” asked Harry.
“Sure!” said Ginny.
“That would be nice,” said Luna.
After dropping Luna off near the Ravenclaw entrance. They
strolled around aimlessly. Just talking and enjoying each
other’s company.
They found a little alcove that they slipped into. Harry was
feeling very romantic tonight. Ginny’s eyes were sparkling.
He dove in for a kiss and was welcomed most graciously. He
hadn’t kissed her that passionately since the night that Ron
punched him. He wanted it to go on and on. He wanted to
stay in that world that Ginny’s kisses took him, but he heard
footsteps in the corridor.
“Ginny, is your ankle all right, now?” said Harry.
“It’s much better now, thank you,” said Ginny, knowing that
Harry was using an excuse for them being off of the corridor.
Harry put his arm around her and walked her out. Ginny
pretended to limp slightly for a few minutes. The boy who
was passing, barely acknowledged their presence.
Both Harry and Ginny sighed.
* * * *
A couple of weeks later, Harry ran into Lisa in the main
corridor outside the Great Hall.
“Hello, Harry,” purred Lisa. “I knew you would think of a way
to meet up with me.”
“Hello, Lisa,” said Harry. “I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry.”
“I have Ginny waiting for me. We have a date tonight,” said
Harry, thinking fast.
“I think we should talk,” said Lisa.
“Ok, but we need to hurry. Ginny’s waiting,” said Harry.
“Ginny who?” asked Lisa, batting her eyes.
“You know perfectly well, Ginny Weasley,” said Harry,
getting irritated.
“Do I know her?” asked Lisa.
“You sat with us all night at our table at the Valentines Ball,”
said Harry, completely irritated now
“Ron’s baby sister?” asked Lisa.
“Yes!” said Harry.
“Oh, well she can wait. I wanted to talk about US,” said Lisa.
“Us?” asked Harry.
“You know, you and I. It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah?”
“So I was wondering when we were going to get together
again. I was hoping tonight. You REALLY don’t have to
leave so soon, do you?”
“Yes, I do. I already told you, I have a DATE tonight with
Ginny,” said Harry.
“She doesn’t really count though, does she? I mean she’s
just Ron’s baby sister. Not like it’s a REAL date, with a
woman. Ron told me all about it,” said Lisa, as she rubbed
her body up to his.
“Told you about what? I don’t know what you’re talking
about,” said Harry, trying to step back. There were other
students walking past along the corridor. He didn’t want
them to see what was going on.
“About you dating his baby sister. That you are only there to
keep the other boys away. As if they’d even bother.” She
was easing her body back up against him as she spoke.
“She’s just a child. I can show you what it’s like to be with a
real woman. You NEED a real woman.”
“You need to get a grip! I don’t know what you’re playing at,
but there is nothing between us. We don’t exist. There is no
US. I’ve got to go,” said Harry, as he gently , yet firmly,
pushed her back away from his body and started walking
away.
“Harry, you are making things difficult. What will I tell Ron?”
said Lisa.
“What do you mean by that?” said Harry, as he turned back
in her direction.
“I mean, I could tell Ron all kinds of things about us,” said
Lisa, snuggling back up to him and caressing his chin.
“You and Ron aren’t even seeing each other,” said Harry.
“Are you kidding? I could have Ron with just a gesture of my
little finger... What? Did he tell you that he wasn’t
interested?” she laughed.
“Think about it,” she said, as she kissed him.
Harry pulled away quickly.
“Oh, and Harry, did you ever wonder WHY Ron wants to
keep his baby sister away from other boys? Think about
THAT too,” she said, as she walked away.
Harry rushed back to his dorm. This was not good.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 33: Chap 33 - Chamber of Secrets
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: What does Hagrid have to show? --Why is Ginny angry with Harry? -- Where is Harry sleeping? ---------------
Chapter Thirty-three Chamber of Secrets
Harry didn’t understand Lisa at all. Did she expect him to like
her after THAT conversation? It didn’t make any sense.
He would like to talk to Ginny about it. She’d probably know
exactly what to do. Problem was, how to tell Ginny about it
without being overheard. If they went to the Room of
Requirements, it would take longer than ten minutes to
explain it all.
He needed to talk to Ron. But he needed to talk to Ginny
before he talked to Ron. No telling how Ron would take this.
Should he go to Dumbledore about it? It was probably too
trivial to bother him about.
He decided to wait it out. Maybe Lisa would think about what
she had said and decide that she blew it.
In the meantime, he would figure some way to talk to Ginny
about it. At least she knew some of it. First chance he
thought it was safe, he would tell her the rest of the story.
On the first Saturday after the snow melted, Ron had the
team out practicing Quidditch at sunrise. They had a brisk
workout. It was still freezing cold, but just being outside in
the fresh air livened their spirits. It had been several months
since they’d been outside. As they were leaving the pitch,
Harry noticed Hagrid’s hut.
“Ginny, you want to go visit Hagrid?”
“Sure!”
They flew their brooms right up to the door and knocked.
Fang started barking and the door flew open.
“Just look at the two of ya. Made me heart skip when I saw
ya standin’ there. Reminds me of... well never mind that.
“Well now, come in, come in. Good to see ya.”
“Hello Hagrid,” said Harry. “I’ve missed you. How’s your
little brother?”
“Want a cuppa?” asked Hagrid. They nodded. “He’s do’in
just fine. T’was a hard winter, but he came out of it just
fine.”
Fang rushed over to Harry and licked his face, then over to
Ginny where he nudged her hand so she would pet his head.
Ginny not only stroked his head but massaged his back.
Fang was in heaven.
“Don’t get used to that. That’s my girl and those are my
massages you’re getting,” Harry told Fang.
Ginny and Harry warmed their hands on the huge mugs of
tea.
“I got some’em ta show yeh,” said Hagrid. He opened a
drawer and pulled out something black.
“I got this from Remus. Says it’s from Sirius,” said Hagrid.
It was a black leather jacket. He put it up against his chest
for Harry to see.
“You have got to put it on,” said Ginny.
“Well, now, I don’t think I should be changing my clothes
with a lady present,” said Hagrid.
Harry whispered in Ginny’s ear. She said she would be right
back. She went out the door, mounted her broom and flew
up to the castle door.
“I’ll close my eyes,” said Harry. “Please put it all on.”
Harry went outside, took his time, then brought in a bucket of
water. By the time he got back, Hagrid had changed into the
leather pants, boots and jacket.
The leather outfit was a sight. There were silver zippers on
every pocket. It had at least a dozen pockets! There were
studs and silver buckles on his boots too.
“Hagrid, you look fantastic!” said Harry, laughing.
Fang barked then there was a knock at the door. Hagrid
opened it to find Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Colin Creevey
standing there.
Colin pulled out his camera and took Hagrid’s picture.
“Thanks, Colin,” said Harry.
“You two set me up,” said Hagrid.
“We sure did,” said Harry, grinning.
“I guess I should show you the rest. Come on outside,” said
Hagrid.
The six of them went outside and around to the back. Hagrid
lifted a canvas tarp to reveal a huge black motorcycle with
silver chrome. It was beautiful, like brand new.
“Hagrid! That is brilliant! Was that Sirius’ old motorcycle?”
asked Harry.
“Yep. It be the original. T’was the one that I borrowed that
night. Been restoring it all winter,” said Hagrid.
“Get on it ! I want a picture of you dressed up and sitting on
it !” laughed Harry.
Harry was beside himself with laughter. Ginny tried to cover
her laugh by biting her fist but failed and ended up laughing
out loud along with Harry.
“So I look ridicules,” said Hagrid, disappointedly.
“No way! You look brilliant! We’re laughing because it is so
perfect for you. Sirius must have pictured it all in his mind
and decided that’s exactly what you needed,” said Harry.
“Oh Hagrid! We are laughing because we are so happy to
see you all dressed up. It is perfect. It is just perfect!” said
Ginny.
“Bloody hell, Hagrid ! You look awesome!” said Ron.
“Yes, Hagrid the whole look is YOU,” said Hermoine.
Hagrid grinned, then sat on the motorcycle and posed for
Colin.
“Has Lupin seen you in it yet?” asked Harry.
“Nah, you all be the first,” said Hagrid.
“Hadrid, you GOT to show him. He is going to be so happy.
You need to take the motorcycle too. He needs to see the
whole package!” said Harry.
“I’d love to be there when Tonks sees you. She is gonna
love it. Hagrid you look so cool !” said Ginny.
“Colin, please take a few more pictures with all of us beside
Hagrid on the motorcycle,” begged Ginny.
Colin didn’t need to be asked twice. He took several
pictures. Hagrid was blushing but laughing along with them.
“Damn! We have to go to D.A. meeting in a few minutes.
Wish we could stay longer,” said Harry. “Fred and George
would sure like to see this too.”
“Well, they can see the pictures and I’m sure that Hagrid will
wear it again for them. Right?” Ginny asked Hagrid.
“Yeh, guess I could,” said Hagrid.
Ginny gave Hagrid a big hug. “I’ve been missing you. Now
that the weather is better, I BETTER be seeing more of you,”
scolded Ginny.
“Awwwww don’t be mushin’ up on me,” said Hagrid,
grinning.
* * * *
After D.A. classes, Hermione approached Harry and told him
she had finished THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Harry
decided it was time to tell his Top Level D.A. members about
the book. He had them all meet in the Room of
Requirements.
Neville, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry all sat
around a round table. Harry put up a Silencing Charm, then
explained to them about how he had gotten the book. Even
Ginny hadn’t known about it. He never had a chance to tell
her, since he feared their conversations were being
monitored.
“So now that everyone knows about the book, it is time to
see what Hermione has discovered,” said Harry.
“Harry, you needn’t have called us all together. I don’t think
that I have anything to tell,” said Hermione.
“You didn’t find out anything either?” asked Harry,
disappointedly.
“No. It is simply a story book, a novel. Although during the
time this was written, they usually didn’t publish mere story
books. Books were a rarity. Most people couldn’t read. So
the books written, were reference books. Books of great
importance. THIS book doesn’t fall into that category. That
is the only thing that I could find that would make it unusual,”
said Hermione.
“I don’t understand,” said Harry, chestfallen.
“May I see?” asked Ginny.
Hermione handed her the book.
Ginny removed the book cover and studied the cover and
binding. Then she thumbed through the book, looking for
illustrations. There were only scroll work illustrations on the
chapter title pages. She frowned, then passed it to Neville.
Each in turned looked through it.
“Nothing! After all these months! I can’t believe it!” growled
Harry. “I don’t understand WHY the room gave it to me, if it
doesn’t tell me anything!” he said, as he tossed the book
back on the table.
“The Chamber of Secrets,” said Ginny, in almost a whisper.
“What?” asked Harry.
“The Chamber of Secrets,” said Ginny, picking the book
back up.
“Look,” said Ginny. “The inside cover. The scroll work. It
looks like ‘The Chamber of Secrets.’
Harry picked up the book and looked at the inside cover.
“Kinda,” said Harry.
“You see?” she asked.
“Well... yeah... but it could be any room,” said Harry.
“The scroll work on the chapter pages is what made me think
of the Chamber. See the little serpents?” Ginny pointed.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
Everyone in turn, looked at the inside cover. Then Ginny
opened the book to the back inside cover and placed it back
on the table. It was different from the front. This one looked
like a Deco wallpaper print.
“It’s a maze,” said Luna.
“What’s a maze?” asked Harry.
“Look from here,” said Luna.
Harry walked behind her. He did see. The little lines were
like “L”s and “U”s. If you followed with your finger, you could
trace a pathway.
Harry conjured some very thin parchment and ink and quill.
Harry asked Hermione to trace the page, since he knew she
was the most finicky, so the most likely to get it right.
Hermione traced the maze onto the parchment.
“Do you think it is connected to the Chamber?” asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Ginny. “When she’s finished, look at the front.
The top edge of the Chamber. That was where Slytherin’s
statue was. There is some scroll work there that could be
the statue. Behind that wall there was a passage, where the
basilisk came from. On the maze page, there is that same
little scroll work. I bet that the maze starts from there.”
They all waited until Hermione finished tracing.
“Done,” said Hermione, at last. She turned back to the front.
Yes, there was a little scroll drawing there. It matched the
back, only the one on the maze page was much smaller.
“Harry, could you make copies of the parchment?” asked
Luna.
Harry magically made six copies and handed one to each.
Luna started tracing with her finger right away.
“Harry it IS a maze. I can get from one end of it to the other,”
said Luna.
Harry conjured some red ink and handed it to Luna. She
marked the pathway with the red ink.
After several minutes, she was finished. Everyone looked at
her work and concluded that it certainly looked like a maze.
Harry, again made six copies of her completed maze.
They all sat, thinking. No one wanted to be the one who said
it. They waited.
“Well, are we going or not?” asked Ginny, clearly frustrated.
“I want to go,” said Neville.
“Eh... I don’t think... “ said Harry.
“Ginny’s not going!” said Ron.
“That’s exactly WHY I tried to wait for anyone else to say it,”
said Ginny.
“Well, you’re not,” said Ron.
“I am,” said Ginny. “You can’t stop me.”
“Ginny, I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Hermione.
“Good idea, for who?” said Ginny. “You know, you’re all
dying to go check it out. I’m going too.”
“Ginny... ” started Harry.
Ginny looked at him with her chin lifted. It was a look of
determination.
“Can we speak in private?” asked Harry.
“Sure!” said Ginny.
They walked over to a corner and discussed the matter. It
was not a pretty sight. Harry was waving his arms and
pointing his finger at her, while Ginny, with lifted chin, kept
her arms crossed over her chest. This went on for several
minutes before Harry bent over in pain. BAT BOGEY HEX !
“GINNY ! “ yelled Ron. “Why’d you go and do THAT for?”
“Because he wouldn’t LISTEN to reason,” said Ginny. “If
anyone ELSE tries to keep me from going. They will get the
same.”
“Take it off him!” yelled Ron.
“Ok, I think he learned his lesson,” said Ginny, waving her
wand.
Harry was in pain. He had red blotches where the bats had
been. After a few minutes, the pain eased up enough for
him to stand straight and walk back to the table.
“I TOLD you she was good at those,” said Ron, grinning.
Harry scowled at him. “It’s not funny. That is painful!”
“Ginny... you know if you go down, that you are going to get
a... a... nightmare,” said Hermione.
“I don’t know any such thing. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.
There isn’t anything that triggers the nightmare. I could have
a wonderful day and still get one. It’s worth the risk. It’s
ONLY a nightmare, after all. I’ve had lots of them. No big
deal,” said Ginny.
“In fact, I’ve been meaning to talk to Harry about taking me
down before school is out this year. I think if I faced the
Chamber, that maybe I wouldn’t get the nightmares any
more,” said Ginny.
“Ginny... ” started Harry.
“Forget it, Harry. I’m going,” said Ginny, as she eyed Ron.
“What am I going to tell Mum and Dad?” said Ron.
“You were out-voted,” said Ginny. “Besides, we don’t know
that we even need to tell them anything.”
“What’s going on? About the nightmares, I mean?” asked
Neville.
“Later, Neville. Just know that Ginny has reasons that she
SHOULDN’T go back,” said Hermione.
“I have just as many reasons that I SHOULD GO,” said
Ginny, determined.
“Ok, Ginny’s going. Does everyone want to go? No one
needs to go but me,” said Harry.
They all looked at each other. Neville and Luna were
puzzled. Harry gave them a very shortened version of what
happened there five years ago.
“You mean, Lord Voldemort was actually using it, and held
you there, and tried to kill you? Whoa!” said Neville. “I’m so
sorry, Ginny.”
“His NAME is Tom Riddle. He is not some kind of Lord. He
was just an evil kid who played around with his name to
change it to Lord Voldemort. He made up that name. His
name is Tom Riddle,” said Harry, impatiently.
“It’s a long way down, to get to the Chamber. I think we
should take brooms. That would speed up the journey,” said
Harry.
They all nodded.
“Luna, you don’t need to go,” said Harry.
“Since I discovered the maze. I have a right to go,” said
Luna.
“I know. I’m only saying that you don’t NEED to go. It is very
dirty and creepy,” said Harry.
“And you’re not?” asked Luna.
Harry rolled his eyes. “Ok. I give up. We’re all going.”
“Accio brooms”
On the way to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom they decided to
get some food, so they made a slight detour. The House
Elves were very happy to see them all and made them
several sandwiches, packed up some fruit and drink to go
along.
Harry looked at his watch. “We should have enough time to
at least see if we’re on to something, before dinner.”
He looked over to Ginny. He didn’t want to put her through
this. No matter what she said. It was going to be very hard
for her.
When they entered the deserted girls bathroom, the girls
went in first, the boys slipped in one by one. Moaning Myrtle
came out of her stall to greet them. Neville put a Locking
Charm on the door.
“Hello Harry,” purred Myrtle. “I’ve missed you.”
“Hello Myrtle,” said Harry. “Sorry I haven’t been to see you in
a while. Been so busy.”
“Everyone is ALWAYS too busy to visit MYRTLE. Myrtle is
not important enough to take a few minutes of your day to
say ‘hello’.”
“What are all those red blotches on your face?” asked Myrtle.
“I had an accident. I’m fine now,” said Harry.
“Too bad. If you ever have a fatal accident, remember you
are always welcome here,” said Myrtle.
While Harry was humoring Moaning Myrtle, Ginny opened
the Chamber entrance.
“You remembered how to open it?” asked Harry, amazed.
He never thought about Ginny being a parselmouth. SHE
could open the Chamber!
“Yeah. Don’t know how, but I can,” said Ginny.
Harry didn’t have time to think about this now. He was
thinking about what would be the easiest way to get down
without anyone getting hurt. He tried by standing his broom
in a upward position then standing on the hilt and
descending. That worked so he showed everyone else.
Once down, they rode their brooms in the normal fashion.
They rode slowly so that they didn’t hit any walls or the
ceiling.
They arrived at the caved in area where Ron and Lockhart
were stopped the last time. They all stopped and ate their
lunch there. It was bitterly cold so they stayed huddled.
“That Bloody Lockhart, I can’t believe he wanted to obliviate
our minds, just so he could sell a few books. If my wand
wasn’t broken, we’d be in St. Mungo’s signing autographs
right now!” said Ron.
Harry grunted in agreement.
“I thought he was a bit of a dandy, but didn’t think he was
evil,” said Neville.
“Self preservation, more like. He was trying to run off when
we caught up with him. Didn’t care that Ginny was captured.
Once all the teachers called his bluff, he had no choice but to
run,” said Harry.
“What were we, twelve? A couple of kids. He was trying to
do that to a couple of kids. He deserves what he got,” said
Ron.
“Don’t think about it, Ron.” said Ginny.
“Let’s move on. I get madder the more I think about it,” said
Ron.
Harry climbed up the rubble of the cave into the opening to
check out the clearance. He moved a few more chunks to
make the opening wider.
“I don’t think I better try to move any more. It may all come
down. There’s enough room to get through if we climb it,
instead of trying to fly through,” said Harry.
So the group climbed the rubble, then mounted their brooms
on the other side. It didn’t take them long to get to the door
to the Chamber. Harry spoke to it and the serpent moved
and unlocked the door. He gathered their broomsticks and
wedged them to keep the door open.
“Ginny, you don’t have to do this. There is no need,” said
Harry.
“I HAVE to do this, Harry,” said Ginny.
“You all stay here. I think that Ginny and I should go in first.
Give us a little time. I’ll let you know,” said Harry.
Ginny and Harry stepped through the opening into the
Chamber of Secrets. It was dark. Harry remembered the
torches on the side walls. With his left hand, he waved his
wand and lit a torch on his left. Ginny did the same on the
right. He took her hand and they walked slowly forward,
lighting torches as they walked.
Ginny’s knees were shaking. Neither spoke until they
reached the area before the statue. Harry lit the torches
upon the wall there. Ginny looked around the room,
remembering.
“I thought it would look smaller. I thought when you re-visited
a place from your childhood, it appears smaller, but it
doesn’t. It looks the same,” said Ginny.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
“Are you all right?” asked Harry, softly.
Ginny looked around again. “Yeah, with YOU here, I’m ok,”
said Ginny.
Harry put his arms around her and held her, resting his head
upon her head.
“I remember calling out for you. Waiting for you,” said
Ginny, almost in a whisper.
“Ginny, I was just a kid. Why would you even think about
me coming? You should have thought about Dumbledore or
your dad being the one to rescue you. An adult, not some
kid,” said Harry, as he lifted her chin, looking into her eyes.
“I guess, because I never thought of you as a kid. You’ve
always been a man to me,” said Ginny.
Harry tenderly kissed her mouth, then he poured all the love
within him into another kiss.
Ron was watching from the entrance. He couldn’t hear what
they were saying, but he saw the look of love in Harry’s face
as he kissed Ginny. “Blimey!” thought Ron “Harry loves
her. He really loves her.”
Harry gave Ginny another hug, then signaled for the others
to come in.
They each stepped into the Chamber with apprehension.
The serpent pillars had a ghostly shimmer from the torches,
giving them the illusion that they were moving.
Ron and Neville walked over to the carcass of the basilisk.
Its shell still remained. Even though the flesh had decayed
away, years ago, it was still enormous.
“Bloody hell, Harry!” said Ron.
“You were twelve when you fought that thing?” asked Neville,
awed.
“No kid fought that,” said Luna.
Hermione didn’t say anything. She stood trembling before it.
“I didn’t fight it alone. Fawkes helped me. He blinded it,”
said Harry.
Ron took Hermione’s hand and led her away from the
basilisk’s remains. He looked down on the dusty floor and
saw the blood stains from Harry and the basilisk. There was
also a large ink stained blotch in the floor. He pointed out
the trail and pieced together all that happened there five
years previously.
Harry didn’t let go of Ginny’s hand as he walked around
looking at everything. Then they stood before the statue of
Slytherin, where Ginny had lain at it’s feet so many years
ago. Harry’s heart skipped a beat. His beloved Ginny had
lain at this statue’s feet, pale white, almost dead. If it wasn’t
for Fawkes...
Ginny tugged on Harry’s hand, pulling him over to the side.
She pointed to the wall behind the statue. She let go of his
hand and was feeling around on the wall.
“There’s a catch around here somewhere. He opened this
wall before. There...” She touched something and a portion
of the wall opened, making a loud scraping sound.
Ginny reached for Harry again. Harry pulled her in for a
deep hug. He had refrained from giving her very much
physical affection around the others, but made exception
this time. The others took it as a cue for a battle hug. So
they each in turn, hugged each other.
Harry lit his wand and walked forward, still holding Ginny’s
hand. Before them was a wide passage. On the floor were
small, broken skeletons of rodents. Along the sides and
before them were several stone archways. There were
torches on the walls between the archways. Harry lit them.
It was the maze.
Hermione and Luna stepped forward with their wands lit.
They were studying the maze map. This wide passage was
not shown on the map, so they were confused.
“We need to look at the book. There is something missing,”
said Hermione.
“Yeah. It is not lining up the same as the map. I don’t have a
clue to which archway to start at,” said Luna.
Neville asked Harry for the book. He studied both the front
and back inside covers.
“There’s the little markings that represent the statue. It is
smaller on the back one. Is it to scale? or are we wrong
about it being a map starting from here?” he mused.
After a few moments he came to a conclusion.
“I think that these side passages are not on the map. That
the map starts on the far wall, the center archway. If we
started from there, it wouldn’t take us long to figure out if this
map will help us. At least for this section,” said Neville.
No one else had a better idea, so they took Neville’s
suggestion. The stone pathways were wide enough for
three abreast. Luna walked beside Harry’s left with her
wand out and reading the map. The pathways were not as
even in length as perceived on the map. After a few false
starts they decided that they were on the right track.
Hermione was apprehensive. She decided that they should
mark their trail, so she conjured a piece of chalk. She had
them all wait until her and Ron went back to the beginning
and marked their trail.
It only took them a few minutes and they were back with the
group.
“I feel better now,” said Hermione.
“Thanks, that was a good idea,” said Harry.
They had walked for a long while, when Harry checked his
watch.
“We have walked for an hour and a half. If we turn back
now, we could get back in time for dinner. We don’t want to
be found missing,” said Harry.
Hermione and Luna checked their progress. They were less
than a fifth of the way into the maze. They were, however,
on track along with the map.
They decided to head back and try again the next day. It
took them less time to return to the Chamber and back up to
the castle.
They all went quickly up to their dorms to shower and
change. They all reached the Great Hall in plenty of time for
dinner. After dinner they sat in “Potter’s Corner” and
reflected on the day. Ron and Harry played a couple of
games of Wizard’s Chess.
They were all dead tired. Harry asked Ron if he would play
his guitar tonight. Ron agreed. Harry went up to the dorm
with him with the excuse that he had a song he wanted Ron
to learn in his trunk. Neville went up too.
Harry looked in his trunk and found a piece of music that he
handed to Ron. He then gathered up his blankets and
pillows.
“You going to sleep in the Common Room tonight?” asked
Ron.
“Yes, I’m not letting Ginny sleep alone tonight. No matter
what she thinks. She could most likely have a nightmare
tonight,” said Harry.
Ron gathered his blankets and pillows too and piled them in
Neville’s arms.
“You’re not sleeping down there with Ginny without me,” said
Ron.
Neville was folding his blankets to add to Ron’s pile.
“You don’t trust me? After my vow to you?” asked Harry.
“Yes, I trust you, but I don’t trust Ginny,” said Ron.
“Fine. Whatever. Just don’t blame ME in the morning when
your neck is sore,” said Harry.
“We are all going to have sore necks in the morning,” said
Neville.
So they all carried their blankets and pillows and Ron’s guitar
down to the Common Room. When the girls saw the
blankets and pillows they quickly got the idea of what was
planned for the night. Luna asked Ron to walk her back to
Ravenclaw to get her things.
When she came back out, Luna explained to Ron that she
told her Head of House that she was staying with Ginny
tonight. She used the excuse that Ginny was having a bad
day and needed comfort. Although unusual, Professor
Flitwick was used to Luna spending her time at the Gryffindor
Tower. He gave her permission to spend the night.
Ron found Professor McGonagal and told her that for some
reason, Ginny had been talking about the Chamber a lot
today. He told her that they were going to sleep in the
Common Room to help prevent her from having a nightmare.
McGonagal told him it was all right.
“All’s set,” said Ron.
They waited until mostly all the other students left before
starting to get set up for the night. Hermione helped Luna
get her blankets situated.
Harry had prepared the sofa for Ginny. He sat and placed a
pillow up to his chest and had Ginny lay up against it, then
wrapped his arms around her.
Luna put her pillow in Harry’s lap and claimed her spot. She
would be sleeping along the shorter end of the “L” of the
sofas, where the little red-haired girl had slept before.
Ron got out his guitar and sang a few songs before the fire.
He choose very soft sweet melodies. They were all asleep
before long.
Ginny awoke once in the night. She felt Harry’s arms around
her and went peacefully back to sleep.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 34: Chap 34 - Dead End
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Hermione is inspired. - - Harry takes a stand. - - Ron is enlightened?
Chapter Thirty-four Dead End
The next morning, Ginny awoke first. She lifted Harry’s hand
and kissed it, then she slid out from under is arms and
turned. Harry was sleeping peacefully. He looked so
beautiful that Ginny couldn’t help but softly kiss his face. She
kissed him several times, before his eyes opened. He
grinned at her. Ginny put her finger to her lips to signal not to
speak.
He reached for her and pulled her in for a very long, warm
kiss. Someone stirred so he let go, both of them frowning.
Then they both smiled. Ginny tiptoed around behind Harry
and started massaging his neck. Harry started groaning with
pleasure.
“Shhhhhhh, you’ll wake everyone up,” whispered Ginny.
“Too late,” said Neville. “I’d know that groan anywhere and
what caused it.”
Harry blushed. Ginny went up to her dorm. Harry gently
eased out from under Luna’s head and went up to his dorm.
As he changed his clothes, he thought: “That’s the way I
want to wake up every day, with Ginny kissing my face. Go
to sleep kissing and waking up kissing... Alaska! Yes! We
are going to honeymoon in Alaska. We are going to stay in
bed all day and night. Have food and drinks sent in. Kiss all
day and night,” he sighed.
As Ginny changed her clothes, she thought: “I want to wake
up in Harry’s arms every morning. I want to kiss him awake
every day. One day when this is over and we can live like
we’re married, that’s what I’m going to do, kiss him awake
every morning,” she sighed.
* * * *
Hermione awoke when she felt Ron stir. She gathered her
pillow and blankets and went up to her dorm.
She was trying to decide what to wear today. It was very
cold down in the Chamber. Her fleece outfit would be best
suited to the purpose, but she looked frumpy in it. Her jeans
would be more durable climbing rocks, but her jumper was a
little too light for the cold. If she wore a blouse under, she
was back to frumpy again. She sighed.
She finally decided on her jeans with the light blue fleece top.
She carefully made pig-tails, coiling them around her finger
to make long curls and applied her makeup. That was the
best she would be able to look, considering what they would
be doing for the day.
Yesterday had been a real eye-opener for Hermione. She
had also seen the way that Harry looked at Ginny just before
he kissed her in the Chamber. It seems that it turned out,
that Harry was quite the lover. Something she had never
given thought to before.
Hermione realized that love was missing in her life. She was
seventeen, an adult, and never experienced love.
The problem was, that Hermione was ready for romance. It
took her breath away seeing the way that Harry treated
Ginny.
Ginny had been getting a lot of attention this year. First there
was the Hogsmeade battle. Everyone slept in the Common
Room with her because she had such a horrible experience.
Then she had that nightmare. Everyone was very concerned
about her then. Harry had to stay on the sofa with her, just
in case she woke up again. Now the Chamber, they all slept
in the Common Room again. Just because Ginny MAY have
a nightmare.
Hermione sometimes had nightmares. Not a big deal, but
no one stayed up with HER or slept out in the Common
Room to prevent her from having one.
Harry had bought Ginny all those expensive robes. Probably
because Ginny had always been poor. His acts of kindness
were taken by Ginny as acts of love. Ginny had confided in
her about having a crush on Harry before. This year she
didn’t say very much about it, but Hermione knew she still
did.
Although, in the past, she had secretly had a hard crush on
Ron, she also figured that Ron had once had a crush on her,
but she knew that RON would never ever give her the
affection that Harry was showing Ginny.
Neville had been a nice boyfriend, but he lacked that spark
she needed. Although Ron was a great friend, none better,
he was not affectionate. She NEEDED affection. She
needed to be loved.
Although she really LIKED Ginny, she was still a little girl,
only fifteen. It seemed she always had to be protected.
Even Ron, who was normally thoughtless about people’s
emotions, was there to protect his little sister.
She also noticed that since they began “going together”, that
Harry didn’t seem to act “natural” with Ginny. He rarely
kissed her with any more passion that you would give a child.
He also seemed to be very cautious about where he placed
his hands on her. He always placed a pillow between them
when they sat on the sofa together. Almost as though he
wanted to make sure that he didn’t touch her inappropriately.
Since Ginny was too young for him, he must feel that he has
to use extra caution. He treated her more like a big brother
than a lover.
Hermione thought of Ginny as being "weak". Harry didn’t
need a “weak” girlfriend. Harry lead a dangerous life. He
needed a woman, a strong woman. A woman who was
intelligent, one who could help Harry, not one who would be
a burden to him.
SHE would be better suited to Harry. Once Harry realized
that Ginny was too young and not strong enough for him, he
would be looking elsewhere. She planned to be there when
that happened. He did, after all, trust only HER to read the
book. He didn’t even tell Ginny about that. Yes, there was
definitely a chance.
Since Harry had no clue about her feelings, she figured that
once she let him KNOW that she was open to him, that he
would drop Ginny and run straight to her arms. Well that
was the plan anyway.
* * * *
That morning, at breakfast, Ginny joined them at the table.
She was wearing black slacks with a tan, heavy sweater and
a black jacket. Her hair was carefully French braided down
the back, with the top fluffed. She looked more like she
would be going shopping or to a lunch, than to an
underground adventure, but she was wearing hardy shoes.
Harry thought she looked beautiful and wished he could be
taking her out somewhere nice instead of where they were
going.
After they finished eating, Luna joined them. She was
wearing a red fleece outfit with her tomato earrings. She had
her hair all pulled up into a pony tail at the top of her head.
She looked bizarre, yet cute.
They split up into two groups. The girls in one group, the
boys in another. The girls were to meet them in Moaning
Myrtle’s bathroom in twenty minutes. Harry, Neville and Ron
went down to the kitchens and got a packed lunch. The boys
slipped into the bathroom, one by one. No one seemed to
notice.
Once they were all inside the bathroom, the door was locked.
Harry conjured their brooms and they were off.
They made much faster progress today. It took just over an
hour to get to the point they ended the day before. Hermione
brought extra chalk and clearly marked their trail as they
proceeded. The stone walls and floor were easy to navigate,
so it took just a little over two hours to get to a dead end.
Actually the dead end was not entirely a dead end. The wall
had runes carved upon it. By all they could figure, this was
the exit to the maze. There was clearly an outline of a door
there. The runes were carved outside of the outline. There
was no knob or keyhole, just an outline. The boys each, in
turn, tried to push on the door. But it would not open.
Ginny carefully ran her hand all over the wall, looking for a
catch. No luck.
They sat on the dusty floor thinking, then decided that now
would be a good time to eat their lunch. The House Elves
had outdid themselves. The huge turkey sandwiches were
loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and peppers.
There were crisps to go with the sandwiches, and apples and
pears for dessert.
Harry and Ginny shared their sandwiches. Harry would take
a bite then Ginny, until they finished the first one. Then they
moved on to the second one. Harry selected an apple and
Ginny a pear. They took turns biting from each other’s fruit.
They both enjoyed eating this way. The others didn’t say
anything about it, but there were a few raised eyebrows.
As they were eating, Luna and Hermione were studying the
runes. When they finished eating, the two of them, after a
few disputes came up with this:
success lies within to he that holds the key
choose wisely to error brings death
“Bloody hell !” exclaimed Ron.
“Why am I not surprised?” asked Harry. “Everything I do
involves death.”
“Everything?” asked Hermione.
“Yes, EVERYTHING,” said Harry sadly.
Ginny averted her eyes.
“Where do you suppose the key is?” asked Neville.
“Don’t know,” said Harry. “Hermione, do you remember
anything in the book about a key?”
“No... in the satchel, there was only the map. It didn’t
mention a key. When he arrived at the entrance, I don’t
remember it mentioning a key either.”
“Are the runes the key?” asked Luna.
“Could be. I suggest that no one touch the runes until we get
it figured out. The ‘error brings death’ part has me worried,”
said Harry.
Hermione and Ginny drew a picture of the wall on two
separate pieces of parchment, so they could be studied later.
They all started back to the Chamber.
Hermione walked beside Harry discussing the book.
“The book doesn’t mention anything about a school. Do you
suppose he got in from a different way?” asked Harry.
“Yes, it seems unlikely that he entered from the school. I’m
sure it would have been mentioned. It said that he spent
several weeks traveling tunnels,” said Hermione.
“There are several passages into the Chamber through the
tunnels or pipe system,” said Ginny. “There is only ONE way
in from the school. Of course, the tunnels or pipe system
could be connected somewhere else along the line.”
That made sense to Harry. If there were more than one
entrance from the school, someone would have discovered
one of them long before. The tunnels/pipe system was an
unknown.
“I kept re-reading the last four chapters thinking that it was
where I would find out where it was all leading. It only
described his travels through the tunnels then into the maze.
I don’t remember him having trouble getting through a door
to the treasure room,” said Harry.
“I think I should re-read the last four or five chapters also.
Maybe we both missed something. Of course, I don’t really
know what YOU got out of the book. Perhaps we should take
some time to discuss exactly what we know. Perhaps we
should meet and discuss it in the Room of Requirements,
alone some time,” said Hermione.
Harry didn’t know why, but he felt this wasn’t a great idea. “I
don’t know, I think we should ALL discuss the book together
in the Room of Requirements. That way, everyone gets a
better idea of what is in the book. Different views of our
discussion may trigger an idea,” said Harry.
“But Harry, you and I are the only ones who have actually
READ the book. It would take a year for everyone to have
read it. It is, like you said, tedious,” said Hermione.
“Of course, it would take forever for everyone to read it.
That is why I think that with both of us discussing it around
the others, they would at least get an idea of what we are
talking about,” said Harry.
“When you say it is tedious, do you mean that it describes
every turn, every choice he made while traveling?” asked
Ginny.
“No, my love. We mean that the wording of the book is
tedious. The sentence structure and spelling are so different
from modern English, that almost each sentence has to be
analyzed before moving on to the next. It took me several
chapters to really get the rhythm of it. I didn’t have to ponder
each word because I had already figured out the spelling
before. But even then, sometimes I did, because the
spelling was not always consistent, neither was the sentence
structure, for that matter... weird.“ said Harry.
“I’d like to try reading it,” said Luna from behind them.
“Yes,” said Harry, thoughtfully. “I have a feeling that you
would not have such a hard time with it.”
Without really saying anything, each one hastened their
pace. By the time they got to the Chamber, everyone was
ready for the loo.
“We need to pee. We’re going to go into that tunnel a ways.
You all stay here,” Ron told the girls.
“We need to go too,” said Ginny. “We’ll take this other
tunnel.”
“Ginny, I don’t want you to go too far in. Why don’t you take
this one? It has a bend fairly close,” said Harry.
“Harry, don’t worry. I’ll be with them. I can take care of the
younger girls,” said Hermione.
Ginny and Luna rolled their eyes.
After Harry quickly went to check it out first, they took the
tunnel that Harry suggested and looked around for a good
spot. Ginny was not in the mood to get dirty, so she
summoned a chamber pot and paper.
“Great idea!” said Luna.
“Thanks,” said Ginny.
Hermione scowled. She should have thought of that first.
She knew she had to be very careful about slyly suggesting
that the other girls were younger and less capable than
herself. She thought she was very subtle in the remark she
just made to Harry. If she was real careful, he wouldn’t
catch on that she was doing it deliberately. He just needed a
few subtle hints where Ginny was lacking. The rest should
just fall into place.
Little did she know, Ginny was just as intelligent and capable
as she was. But Ginny was more of a "common sense"
intelligence whereas Hermione was more of a "book
learned" intelligence. She also didn’t know that Harry was
fully aware of this.
Harry knew the girls could take care of themselves. They
had been trained. They also knew when the danger was
more than they could handle, to call for help. One of the
important lessons from Lupin and Mad-Eye was never over
estimate your own abilities. Call for help. Pride was easy to
let go, when death was at hand.
When he suggested the other tunnel to them, he hoped that
Ginny got his hint that Riddle could be around. He didn’t
know that these tunnels must lead somewhere outside the
castle, maybe miles out. He had always assumed that they
were part of the castle. He also didn’t know how much
Riddle knew about them.
He didn’t want to talk about Riddle here. He would mention
his concern later in the Room of Requirements. As long as
one from each group was aware, that would suffice until they
could talk more freely.
When they arrived in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, they
decided that the girls would go to the library together and
spend a while there. The boys were going to the Common
Room. There was plenty of time before dinner so they could
work it out that the they all didn’t arrive at the Common Room
at the same time. It would appear much better, that they all
hadn’t spent the day together. They would go to the Room of
Requirements for a meeting after dinner.
The boys had changed, showered and were back in the
Common Room before the girls showed up. Ron had
brought down his guitar and was entertaining the other
students in the room. He stopped when they arrived, and
they all greeted each other like they hadn’t seen each other
all day.
In the Common Room, Ginny agreed to be Harry’s dinner
date this evening. Harry was extra attentive to Ginny at
dinner, to give the impression that they had missed each
other all day.
After putting up a Silencing Charm in the Room of
Requirements, Harry explained about how the tunnels
leading out of the Chambers probably did not connect with
the castle. They were way IN from outside the school. They
needed to be extra careful in there in case Riddle knows how
to get in from there.
They were all tired from the last two days, so they discussed
when they could meet to talk about the maze. They decided
that the weekends were the only time they would have
enough time.
Everyone started to get up to leave to finish up the last
minute things they did on a Sunday evening. Harry pulled
Ron aside, then Ginny. They stood over near a corner not
saying anything. Harry felt awkward but came up with a
simple idea.
“Hermione, Neville, would you do me a favor and walk Luna
back to Ravenclaw?” asked Harry.
“They don’t need to bother, I do it all the time,” said Luna.
“I know, just this once. I’d feel better if they did,” said Harry.
“Why?” asked Hermione.
“Look, it’s no big deal. I just would feel better if someone
walked her this time. OK?”
“I’ll do it.” said Neville. “It’s not a big deal. Come on Luna.”
“Of course, I will go along too. I was just asking. It seems a
bit unusual. That’s the only reason,” said Hermione, as she
followed Neville and Luna.
Harry changed his mind. This was too awkward. He best
talk to Ron without Ginny present. He already caused a
tension with Hermione, that he didn’t mean to do.
“Ginny, I think I went about this wrong. Could you go along
with them? I will talk to you about this later. Is that ok?”
asked Harry.
“Of course, Harry. I’ll smooth it over for you. Night, Love,”
said Ginny as she kissed his cheek. She then hurried out the
door to catch up with the others.
Harry opened the door, looked out, then shut it. He charmed
it shut and put up a Silencing Charm.
“I’m getting real good at Silencing Charms. I seem to be
practicing them a lot lately,” said Harry.
Ron sat down at the table, waiting for Harry to get to his
point.
Harry had no idea where to start.
“Ron, a... I need to ask you a question.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you still seeing Lisa?”
“Yeah. We still have D.A. and I see her around sometimes,”
said Ron.
“I mean, do you care about her?” asked Harry.
“Well that depends, don’t it? Why are you so interested in
Lisa all the time?”
Harry could see that this was not going to be easy. He was
tired and shouldn’t have choose tonight to discuss it, but it
was too late now.
“I’m not interested in Lisa,” said Harry.
“Then why are you always asking about her?”
“This is only the second time. I just wanted to know, how
you feel about her. Do you like her?” asked Harry.
“She’s ok, I guess. But Harry, you don’t ask me about
someone unless you have a reason.”
Harry sighed. “All I want is a simple, truthful answer. That’s
all.”
“Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” asked Ron.
“Yes. But just answer my question, first,” said Harry.
“She’s trying to get me to go out with her. I was supposed to
go out with her last night, but we were busy. Why?”
“You haven’t answered my question,” said Harry.
“I haven’t decided yet. I mean... well, it’s complicated. Don’t
know if I should bother, really.”
“So you don’t have any strong feelings for her?”
“Nah, I told you before... ”
“She’s not very affectionate,” finished Harry.
“Well, now lately... She seems to have warmed up a bit.”
Harry sighed. This was going to take all night at this rate.
“Ron, do you KNOW how you feel about her?”
“To be honest, yes. No, I don’t have strong feelings for her.
She’s just a girl I see sometimes. She’s nice enough, I
guess.”
“So she’s not a girl that you would want to call your girlfriend
or anything?” asked Harry.
“No. I don’t think so. Too pushy, I think. She’s real stuck on
herself. Always wants compliments.”
“Ron, she used to have a crush on me,” said Harry,
embarrassed.
“I know that,” said Ron.
“You KNOW that?” asked Harry, surprised.
“Harry, I know all the girls that have a crush on you. That’s
about half the school,” said Ron, grinning.
“Ron, this is NOT amusing. She had a serious crush on me.
At least I think so.”
“Harry, being your best friend, has it’s perks and its
downfalls. I can tell if a girl is trying to use me to get to you.
I’ve become an expert on the matter.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Nope! The one’s that are trying to get to you have a certain
look when your name is mentioned. They also can’t help
themselves from asking about you. They always give
themselves away.”
“And Lisa?” asked Harry.
“I knew right away that she was interested in you. But she
seemed nice enough. I thought she probably wasn’t THAT
stuck on you, since she wanted to go to the ball with me.
After upsetting everyone last time, I thought she would be a
better choice for the ball. She got along well, I think, ‘cept
with Ginny. Ginny don’t like her.”
“Has Ginny said something to you about her?” asked Harry.
“No, but they were at each other all night. Didn’t you
notice?” asked Ron.
“What did she say to Ginny?” asked Harry.
“I don’t know. But they were saying stuff to each other that I
didn’t understand. There was some kind of tension,” said
Ron, thoughtfully.
“She was playing some kind of game with me, that night. I
wasn’t sure if she was still after me, or if she was interested
in you. And I didn’t know how YOU felt about her,” said
Harry.
“So, what’s this all about?” asked Ron.
Harry sighed. “Before Christmas, she cornered me. She
was pretty aggressive. I ended up fleeing the room. I had
been avoiding her, then you took her to the ball. Up until
that time I didn’t even know her name.”
“What do you mean by ‘aggressive’ ?” asked Ron, grinning.
“Ron, don’t make me go into details. Let’s just say that she
was affectionate. Ok?” said Harry.
“Does Ginny know about this?” asked Ron.
“A little,” said Harry. “But Ron, that is not the end of it. She
cornered me not long ago. She seems to think that I don’t
really care about Ginny. She thinks that I’m only going with
Ginny because YOU want me to.”
“She also thinks that YOU are crazy about her and will do
whatever she wants,” said Harry.
“How do you know?”
“Because she TOLD me. I think she’s crazy. She talked
mean about Ginny and thinks she can get to me through you.
I’m not sure if she still wants me or if she is wanting revenge
because I don’t want her. Does that make sense?” asked
Harry.
“Maybe,” said Ron. “What she say about Ginny?”
“Well, not anything really. She made some remark about
Ginny not being attractive or something. Nothing specific but
puts her down. She keeps acting like she doesn’t know who
Ginny is. I’ve had to remind her a couple of times. Then she
says something like. ‘Oh you mean Ron’s baby sister.’ She
did that at the ball and the other day.”
“Anyway the other day she corners me in the Entrance Hall
and was acting dumb about Ginny. Then she told me that
she was going to start going out with you and that she would
be telling you some things. I don’t know if she plans to tell
lies or what. She was pushing herself up close to me. She
even kissed me. Right there in front of everyone. I think
she’s unbalanced.”
“She kissed you?”
“A quick peck on the face. Kinda like it was something she
always does or something.”
“Ginny will kick her ass,” said Ron.
“I don’t want Ginny fighting with her,” said Harry.
“Why not? I think it would be hilarious,” said Ron.
“No it would not. Ginny could take her. No problem. But I
don’t want Ginny to be fighting with anyone about me.”
“You didn’t mind when she called out Malfoy,” said Ron,
grinning.
“That was different. Besides I don’t even know if Lisa would
mind it if Ginny tore her to shreds. It would probably make
her feel important or something. I don’t really think she even
likes me,” said Harry.
“Why I am telling you all this, is because I don’t want her to
hurt you or Ginny,” added Harry.
“She won’t be hurting me. I’ll have to think about this a while
to see what I want to do. But now, Ginny is another story,”
said Ron.
“Exactly. I want to be the one to talk to Ginny about this.
You would only encourage her into a ‘cat fight’. I don’t want
that.”
“Damn, Harry. You’re taking all the fun out of it,” said Ron.
“This is NOT fun, Ron. I’m serious”
“You’re always serious.”
“I HAVE to be. I don’t want her making a mess out of my
relationship with you or Ginny.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. Ginny will understand if
you explain it all to her,” said Ron.
“I hope you’re right. I love Ginny.”
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 35: Chap 35 - Two Whole Hours
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Another night with Ginny - - - Harry and Ginny talk? - - - Hermione thinks - - - Two whole hours! ---------------
Chapter Thirty-five Two Whole Hours
When Ron and Harry arrived back at the Common Room,
Neville, Hermione and Ginny were waiting for them. They all
sat around “Potter’s Corner” chatting. They all were tired.
“Ron and I are going to sleep out here one more night.
Hermione, you and Neville should sleep in your own beds
tonight,” said Harry.
“No, I’ll stay up with the little one too,” said Hermione.
“No, I insist that you go to your own bed tonight. Ron and I
can handle anything that should arise. There is no need for
both of you to sleep out here,” said Harry.
“I don’t think anyone should sleep out here,” said Ginny.
“Just one more night, Love,” said Harry.
“Ron will chaperone, right Ron?”
“Yeah, I got to go out for a little while, but I’ll be back early
enough,” said Ron. “In fact I’m going to leave now.”
“Ok, I’m going to go read my mail. Call me if you need me,”
said Neville.
“I’ll stay until Ron comes back,” said Hermione.
“There’s no need for that. We are just going to read or
something before we go to sleep,” said Harry.
Harry rose and went to his dorm, following Neville.
He gathered his and Ron’s blankets, pillows and his
bookbag.
“Night, Neville. Thanks for everything,” said Harry.
“Night, Harry. Are you SURE you don’t want me to stay with
you tonight?”
“I’m sure. Ginny is getting uncomfortable about everyone
upsetting their regular schedule. We’ll be fine. It won’t hurt
Ron to stay though,” said Harry.
“Harry, what exactly are you afraid of? With Ginny, I mean,”
said Neville.
“Ginny sometimes has nightmares about the Chamber.
Really bad ones. She screams. It takes a long time to wake
her. I seem to be able to get her back to sleep faster than
anyone,” said Harry.
“I can understand that. It must have been horrible for her,
and her being so young at the time,” said Neville. “No one
ever said who it was that was captured in the Chamber of
Secrets that year. I never thought about it being Ginny. I
think she has done remarkably well, considering what she
went through.”
“Yeah, but she is sensitive about having the nightmares.
She don’t really want people knowing about them. Although
we appreciate you helping, I think tonight she would feel
better with just Ron and me.”
“Yeah. I can understand, but you call me if you need me.”
“Will do,” said Harry.
With his arms full of blankets and pillows, Harry went back
to the Common Room. Hermione rushed over and helped
Harry with his load.
Ginny was up in her dorm.
“Harry, I don’t understand why you don’t want me to stay
tonight. I’m sure if Ginny needs anything that I would be
more apt to understand her needs,” said Hermione.
“No, Hermione, not tonight. Ginny is feeling uncomfortable
about everyone upsetting their schedule over this. Trust me,
she would be much happier if everyone slept in their own
beds. I am the one insisting that she sleep down here
tonight,” said Harry.
“I can at least stay until Ron comes back,” said Hermione.
“I don’t think you need to do that either. You look exhausted,
go to bed,” said Harry, patting her on the shoulder.
“I don’t think it would look right with you and Ginny down here
alone,” said Hermione.
“We won’t be alone. Look around, there are plenty of people
in the room. Go to bed,” said Harry, smiling.
Although Hermione didn’t want to leave Harry with Ginny,
she had already pushed Harry as far as she could. If she
insisted any more, they would probably argue. She didn’t
want to argue with Harry. She wouldn’t be able to win him
over by arguing.
Ginny came down in her yellow silky pajamas carrying her
things.
“Goodnight, Ginny. If you need anything, anything at all. I’ll
be right upstairs. “
“Thanks Hermione. No, I will be fine. I don’t understand why
we need to stay down here tonight anyway.”
“Because I said so,” said Harry. He grabbed her bundle and
set it on top of his. He decided not to set the sofas up for
sleep until Ron came.
Hermione watched as Harry sat down, placed a pillow on
his chest and pulled Ginny down resting her back against the
pillow. He carefully put his arms around her.
Dean and Seamus came over for a chat.
“So, why you all been sleeping down here?” asked Seamus.
“Ginny wasn’t feeling well,” said Harry.
“Why don’t she go to the hospital wing?” asked Seamus.
“She’s not that ill, but if she does, then Ron and I will take
her to see Madam Pompfrey,” said Harry.
“She looks fine to me. Mighty fine,” said Dean, grinning. “In
fact, I think maybe I should stay down here with her tonight.”
“Get out of here,” said Harry, grinning.
“Thanks, Dean. I appreciate your concern,” said Ginny,
smiling.
“Ron will be back soon enough. You want to stay down here
with Ron too?” asked Harry.
“You sure can ruin what could have been a heavenly night,”
said Dean.
“Keep it up and you’ll be the one going to see Madam
Pompfrey,” said Harry, grinning.
“Ok, I get the hint. Come on Seamus, at least we have
something to base tonight’s fantasy on,” said Dean.
Seamus and Dean crossed the room to talk to Lee Gordon.
He and Pavarti were laughing about something. They could
hear the names of Fred and George being talked about.
Every so often they would bust up laughing.
“I miss Fred and George,” said Ginny.
“Yeah. They were always good for a laugh or two. They
used to irritate Hermione to no end. Course they been
irritating ME all this year,” said Harry.
“They have? How?” asked Ginny.
“The Party, Harvest Ball, Christmas Ball, Valentines Ball.”
“What?” asked Ginny.
“Did you ever feel like maybe I was going to kiss you?” asked
Harry.
Ginny blushed. “Well... it did feel like it a couple of times,
but I thought it was all in my head.”
“No, and it wasn’t in my head after Fred and George got
through with me. ‘Forget Charm’. Hmmm... actually I don’t
think they used it for Valentines. I waited quite a while for
you down here that night. Thought maybe you would come
back down,” said Harry.
“Those RATS! I never even thought about that. For some
reason that night I wanted to take a shower. I couldn’t stand
it until I did. I should have suspected something!” said
Ginny.
Harry laughed. “Ya know, I think that we are going to have to
think of a payback for those two. Of course, we will never
be able to pay them back completely and of course they will
retaliate. But they need some serious payback.”
“You’re right. I’ll work on something,” said Ginny. “Harry,
you mean that you... a...”
“Yeah,” said Harry, giving her a squeeze.
“They’re dead meat!” said Ginny.
Hermione watched as Harry conjured a couple of quills, ink
and parchment.
“I thought we could play a bit of Hangman. It’s too noisy in
here to sleep yet.”
Harry wrote: I love you
Ginny wrote: I love you too.
Harry wrote: I want to kiss you.
Ginny wrote: Me too
Harry wrote: I want to kiss you passionately.
Ginny wrote: Me too
Harry wrote: I want to get close to you.
Ginny wrote: If you got any closer you would... OH! Ginny
blushed then giggled.
After a moment.
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Lisa
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Trouble
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Cornered me. Sort of threatened me.
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Ron. She said she would tell him things.
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Don’t know. I warned Ron.
Ginny wrote: Does Ron care about her?
Harry wrote: He says no.
Ginny wrote: You?
Harry wrote: No! I told you before. Didn’t know her name
until the ball.
Ginny wrote: Did you kiss her?
Harry wrote: Yes and no. She kissed me. But I let it go on
longer than I should have.
Ginny wrote: ?
Harry wrote: Thought I could forget you. Didn’t happen.
She didn’t taste right. Didn’t smell right either.
Ginny wrote: Bad breath?
Harry wrote: Don’t think so. Just wasn’t you.
Ginny wrote: You answered that one correctly.
Harry wrote: It’s the truth.
Ginny wrote: I have a taste?
Harry wrote: OH YEAH ! =)
Ginny wrote: I love you
Harry wrote: I love you too.
Harry crunched up the parchment and tossed it in the fire.
They sat in silence for quite a while, watching the fire. He
was about to sneak a kiss when Ron showed up.
“Good timing, Ron,” said Harry.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind,” said Harry.
* * * *
Hermione watched a little while. Until they were playing
some game, probably Hangman or Tic Tac Toe.
Harry insisted that Ginny sleep in the Common Room again.
Why? Why was he so protective of Ginny? Ginny doesn’t
really seem to like it when Harry tries to protect her. She put
up quite a fight in the Room of Requirements yesterday. But
she allowed them to sleep in the Common Room last night,
then again tonight. Why?
Even Professor McGonagal allowed it, that seems very
strange.
Harry calls her is girlfriend but he don’t really act like a
boyfriend. Is it because of Ron? He put up that pillow again.
Why does he put a pillow between them? Why is he so
particular about how he places his hands?
They don’t seem to talk very much. Sometimes they talk
about Quidditch, they can get animated when on that subject.
But mostly they only speak a few words to each other. Just
tonight, they spoke a few words, then they started playing
that game.
Something was not right about them. They were almost too
cautious. They didn’t act “natural”.
Harry has been acting strange all year. First he adopts Luna.
He started becoming big brother to Luna, then Ginny. As
though Ron was not enough brother for Ginny.
He insists that Luna, Ginny and Neville be included in
everything. He becomes a model student. Then he takes on
too much for the D.A.
He took over from Ron when Ginny was upset about
Hogsmeade. That was not like Harry at all.
He became far more serious than ever this year. After
Hogsmeade he was swamped with students. He was
working himself to death. Was he overworking to keep his
mind off Cho ? Has he ever addressed Cho’s death?
When Ginny didn’t have a date, he took her to the Harvest
ball. When Ginny choose the wrong date for the Christmas
Ball, he takes her to that one too. Ginny said something
about having to wear that red dress because that was the
point of them going together. Did he buy her that expensive
dress because Ron had expensive clothes and he didn’t
want her to feel left out? Did he take her to the ball just so
she could wear it ?
Then Ginny had that nightmare at Christmas. They all went
into another room to discuss something. The next day, no
one wanted to talk about that nightmare. What were they
hiding? Did the Weasleys ask Harry to protect Ginny? Did
he make them a promise? Is that why he is so protective?
Sometime during that Christmas break, they arranged for
Harry to go to the Valentines Ball with Ginny. Why? Nobody
makes a date that early unless they are dating. So why
make the date so early?
Neither Harry or Ginny acted right at the ball. There was
some kind of “under current”. Ron’s date was acting strange
too. Something strange was going on.
At the last two balls, the Weasley brothers were having
secret talks with Harry too.
Then suddenly, a month later, Harry asks Ginny to be his
girlfriend. She only sits with him during meals by invitation.
They don’t sit in the Common Room together very often. Of
course, there is always that pillow between them. That
doesn’t seem natural.
They take walks together, but don’t talk very much and
rarely kiss. There was that one kiss on their first day
together. After they had that big talk with Ron, they have
rarely been seen kissing, if they do, it is very chaste.
Something is not right about the whole thing. It’s as if their
dating is only for show. They are hiding something and it
looks like the Weasleys are involved.
If only Harry would confide in her. She could help protect
Ginny if she needed it.
Was Harry forgetting about Voldemort? Didn’t he realize that
Ginny will not be any help in that department? She could
possibly make things more dangerous.
Hermione sighed. Somehow she would make Harry realize
that she was probably the only one who could make his life
easier. She was, after all, the smartest witch of her age.
* * * *
The next few days were busy days. It was warming up so
Ron had them out practicing Quidditch every chance. Harry
was loving the freedom of his broom. He wanted to take
Ginny and fly away. He knew he would have to wait, but it
was tempting.
One evening, while Harry was sitting in his D.A. classroom,
studying, Dumbledore appeared. Harry was startled.
“Sorry Harry, I forget how startling that can be. I want you
to read this spell. Memorize it, then perform it,” he said as
he handed Harry a parchment.
Harry read it. He raised his eyebrow at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore gave him a most innocent look.
“I’ve taken the liberty of arranging a surprise for you. Take
this box and put it in your pocket,” said Dumbledore.
Harry put a little red box in his pocket.
“You have exactly two hours. Don’t be late,” said
Dumbledore as he handed him a little green box.
Harry felt the familiar tug behind his navel. He steadied
himself. He was in a dimly lit room. Ginny was standing
before him.
“Harry ! Dumbledore gave me this spell and handed me a
green box and a red box. I didn’t know what to think. I was
scared,” said Ginny.
“We have exactly two hours,” said Harry.
“Two whole hours,” said Ginny, dreamily.
* * * *
Harry arrived back in the D.A. classroom in exactly one hour
and fifty-nine minutes. He gathered his things and left for
the Gryffendor Tower. When he arrived at the Common
Room. There were several students still up doing homework.
“Where have you been?” asked Hermione. “I was getting
worried.”
“Studying,” said Harry.
“Did you finish your Transfiguration homework?” asked
Hermione. “I could help you if you need.”
“Yeah. All done,” said Harry. “Thanks.”
Hermione looked a little disappointed. “Are you all right? You
look tired,” she said.
“I’m am. Think I’ll turn in. Night, Hermione.”
Harry dragged himself up to bed. He was asleep before his
head hit the pillow.
The next morning at breakfast, Harry was starving. He piled
food on his plate and started cramming food in his mouth as
fast as he could.
“Harry! Slow down. You’re going to hurt yourself,” said
Hermione.
“Yeah. Right. Sorry, I lost control. I’m starving this
morning,” he said.
He looked down at his piled plate, then over to Ginny who
was sitting with her dorm mates. Has she ever looked so
beautiful? It then dawned on him why he was so hungry. He
pushed is plate aside and walked up behind Ginny.
“Good morning, Love. Meet me for dinner tonight?” he
whispered in her ear.
Ginny blushed then replied: “Morning, Love. Yes, I would
love to meet you for dinner. Meet me in the Common
Room?”
“Yes!”
* * * *
Ginny was very happy. She had needed that time with Harry.
They needed time to confirm their love for each other.
Dumbledore was right. It was very difficult to restrain herself.
To face this restraint every day was wearing on her.
When it was time to leave, Ginny had taken out the little red
box. It said to sit on the bed. She sat on the bed and held
the box. She appeared in her own dorm bed. That was an
excellent idea. She didn’t have to walk past anyone and she
would be able to tell anyone who asked that she had been up
in her dorm. She hoped that Dumbledore would use it
again. Hopefully in the near future.
Harry was perfect. Right away he said that he didn’t want to
talk about anything but their love for each other. They
probably should have discussed Riddle, Lisa and Hermione.
These were the problems that she seen coming. There were
plenty more problems they could have discussed. But
instead, Harry chose to keep their discussions only to their
love.
Hermione was a problem. She didn’t know if Harry realized
this yet, but it was coming. Ginny recognized the signs.
Hermione Granger was in love with Harry. That topic alone
could probably take several hours to discuss. He probably
would never believe it. It would be a very delicate subject to
bring up with Harry.
They didn’t discuss it, but there would be no annulment or
divorce when this was over. She would hold on to Harry with
her dying breath.
They only talked of their love for one another. It would have
been boring to anyone else, but to them it was the most
important thing in the world. Of course, they didn’t talk a lot,
but they expressed their love to perfection. She sighed.
* * * *
The time he spent with Ginny last night was wonderful. He
knew they should have “talked” about many problems
surrounding them. But he felt that expressing their love was
more important. They had so little time alone together.
Getting away from listening ears, they were free to express
their love. They spoke only words that lovers say in their
most intimate moments. They both needed that. It has been
hard to control himself all this time. He was always tempted.
Last night he had no restraints. It was a freedom that could
not be passed up. Her shy, yet knowing, smile told him all
he needed to know.
Although Dumbledore probably only gave them that time to
talk freely. It was more important to them to express their
love and they did that to perfection.
He needed to talk freely to Ginny. There were things they
needed to say. They would have to figure that out later. So
for now they would have to resort to talking between the
lines. The Hangman game seemed to be a good way to talk
without ears listening. He would be using that tactic in the
near future.
He wondered about Hermione. Was he getting the wrong
vibes from her? She had that “look” that told him that she
was interested. That can’t be right. Was he getting so
arrogant that he was beginning to see love where it didn’t
exist?
His first clue was her referring to Ginny as young, then little.
Almost all the girls that had a crush on him, would make
some remark about Ginny’s age or size if she was
mentioned. That definitely was a warning sign.
He hoped that he was completely wrong about this. Thinking
about Hermione as a girlfriend was just wrong. Kissing her
would be just icky. It would be like kissing Ron. He
shuddered. No! He was getting the wrong signals, that’s
all.
* * * *
Beta by Jenny
Chapter 36: Chap 36 - A Sirius Letter
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry is frustrated -- Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Sirius’ demand. -- How long it takes to remove a NORMAL toilet seat? --------------
Chapter Thirty-six - A Sirius Letter
The next weekend was frustrating for Harry. Ron insisted on
several hours of Quidditch. Neville went home to his
parents and Harry studied his maze problem.
Neville was worried about Harry being upset that he was
going home for the weekend instead of helping with the
maze. Harry told him to go. Harry only wished that he could
see HIS parents. There was no contest about what Neville
should do.
After Quidditch practice, the rest of them met in the Room of
Requirement and talked about the book. Luna told them that
she was almost finished. So far, there was no mention of a
key and she felt that the book was not going to help them get
past the door, but she had a couple more chapters to go.
“How in the world did you read it that fast?” asked Harry,
amazed.
“I don’t know. It didn’t seem that hard for me,” said Luna. “ I
have a way with strange things.”
Ginny bit her lip to keep from laughing. The others just
looked at her in amazement.
Ron, Ginny and Harry were still wearing their Quidditch
clothing and were sweaty. Harry insisted that they all go
back to Gryffindor. He would remain and study.
Once they were gone, he rushed down to the Chamber. He
sat on the stone floor staring at the runes. There was
something missing. He just couldn’t figure it out. He stayed
until it was almost time for dinner.
After dinner he went up to shower, then went to the D.A.
classroom to finish some homework. He didn’t go back to
Gryffindor until almost curfew.
On Sunday he went to Quidditch practice then back to the
Chamber. He again sat on the cold stone floor studying the
runes. He was so frustrated that he wanted to scream. If he
could just get through! He wanted a normal life so bad.
After dinner, he took Ginny for a walk around the castle.
After their walk, Ginny went upstairs and Harry sat with Ron
and Hermione. Ron was mostly talking about Quidditch.
Hermione let him know that she was still studying the
problem with the maze.
The rest of the week was rushed. Quidditch practice filled in
most of the time that he wasn’t in class, teaching D.A. or
homework. Not enough time spent with Ginny or too much
time spent with Ginny, either way was a personal torture.
This coming Saturday was the game against Slytherin, last
game of the season. Ron was beside himself. He was
cranky with Ginny and Harry for no other reason than they
were alive and breathing. Hermione had already learned to
stay clear of him.
Luna had told Harry that Fred was coming to the game, while
George worked at the shop. Fred would have a dear price to
pay to make it up to George, but he told Luna it was worth it.
Harry told Ginny about it, but did not tell Ron. Harry didn’t
think that Ron could take any more pressure.
Hermione forced Ron to eat a piece of toast before the game
that morning. Harry and Ginny ate lightly. Luna showed up
wearing her lion hat and wore red and gold colors. She was
humming WEASLEY IS OUR KING.
While Ron, Ginny and Harry left to dress for the match,
Luna, Neville and Hermione went out to the stands. Fred
was waiting in the Gryffindor section.
Lee Gordon was announcing. This would be his last game
at Hogwarts. He named off all the Slytherin team as they
flew out onto the pitch. When the Gryffindor team made
their way out, the crowd went wild. The crowd had died
down enough to hear only the last name called: “Harry
Potter, Seeker for Gryffindor”. The crowd went wild again.
Lee was in top form, announcing, until he glanced over to
the crowd and announced that a lion was attacking someone.
It turned out that Fred and tried to sneak a kiss from Luna.
With her lion head drooping, it looked like the lion was eating
Fred’s head. The crowd got a big kick out of that and
applauded them. Harry wasn’t sure if he liked that situation
or not, but laughed along with the rest.
This was not a normal game. The Slytherins could not win
the cup. It was not impossible, but they would have to win by
three hundred points AND Gryffindor would have to get
very low score total to make any difference. They were
playing only win THIS game. It was a REVENGE game.
The game was probably the fastest paced game that Harry
ever played. Both teams were making scores. Ron started
to panic, when he had let some goals get through, but finally
calmed himself and stopped several goals before the end of
the game.
The Slytherins were playing about as dirty as they had ever
played. Their team skills were poor but they were very good
at purposely hurting other players, so it was giving them a
slight advantage. They schemed up a plan that was working
quite well for a while. While one Slytherin player was getting
a penalty for something vile, the other players were attacking
the other Gryffindor players.
Madam Hooch caught on after a while, and made everyone
hold in place when a penalty was announced. This was what
they were supposed to do anyway but they were getting
away with moving near the beginning of the game. Once
she seen how bloody the other team was getting, she started
giving out multiple penalties at once.
Malfoy was playing Seeker and was attacking Harry every
chance he got. There were more penalties in this game then
ever in recorded history at Hogwarts.
Madam Hooch threatened to toss Malfoy out after his
twentieth attack on Harry. Malfoy’s goal was to get Harry
injured, so he would be out of the game, but Harry was fast
enough to dodge the attacks.
Ginny had been hit several times during the game, but she
made as many or more goals than any other Chaser. She
had a bloodied nose and multiple bruises.
It was a tight game, but when Malfoy was struck in the head
by a Bludger just as he was about to catch the Snitch, Harry
slipped in and caught it. The game was over and Malfoy was
sent to the hospital wing. GRYFFINDOR WON THE CUP!
Professor McGonagal was wiping tears from her eyes and
the whole crowd was singing WEASLEY IS OUR KING as
they left the field.
Everyone on the Gryffindor team went to the hospital wing for
minor scrapes and bruises, after the game. They all, at one
time or another had had a bloody nose during the game.
They all limped back to Gryffindor for the celebration.
Fred had permission to join the Gryffindor’s party. He had
brought tons of goodies from the shop. So there were
fireworks zooming across the room all evening.
The team all showered and changed before joining the party.
By then, many students heads were disappearing or their
noses turned into elephant trunks. There was an endless
supply of food.
At 7:00, none other than George Weasley, showed up. The
Gryffindor’s were very happy at his arrival. Fred and George
were sorely missed this year. Several of the younger
students looked to them in awe, after have heard so many
stories about them. They were legends! They did not
disappoint them. George brought more samples of the latest
creations from the shop, including their latest noise makers
that sprouted fireworks. Even Harry was happy to see
George, since he had brought several cases of butterbeer.
Harry drank more than his share of that.
Colin had his camera at the ready and took several pictures.
He took several of Harry and Ginny. He was no fool, he
knew he would make a bundle from Harry on those pictures
alone.
Ron brought out his guitar so there was also singing and
dancing. The party went on all night. Just like old times, it
was a party to remember.
* * * *
The next day, everyone dragged themselves out of bed
around noon. Harry had hoarded several bottles of
butterbeer that he put in is trunk for safe keeping. When he
was rumbling around in there, he found his letter from Sirius.
He thought it was about time that he should read it, he had
put it off long enough. He slid it into his pocket and took it
along with him for breakfast/lunch.
Most everyone at the Gryffindor table was limp and blurry
eyed. Harry ate his food, then walked over and whispered
his “I love you” to Ginny, then walked over to Luna and gave
her a hug.
He went to the maze door and sat on the cold floor,
pondering. He sat staring at the runes for almost an hour.
He still had hope that somehow they would tell him how to
open the door. Frustrated, he gave up for the moment and
pulled out his letter from Sirius.
It was not the usual letter size envelope but a larger size.
When he opened it, the first thing he saw was a full size
picture of Snape’s face. The face was turned to the side,
then turned quickly to the full frontal. His eyes were glaring,
then his lips curled into that sneer he was so famous for.
Harry dropped it. “Geesh! That’s ugly!”
Why would Sirius put a picture of Snape within the letter?
That must be a joke... an ugly joke.
Dear Harry,
I guess I’m dead. If I’m not, PUT THIS DOWN ! YOU ARE
NOT TO READ THIS UNTIL I’M DEAD !
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Don’t tell me that Kreacher cut my throat in my sleep or that I
fell down some stairs. I hope that I made a difference before
I left this world. I hope I went out fighting.
I don’t know how you could have ever forgiven me for the
blunder I made trusting Wormtail. Your parents died
because of my mistake. I have paid for some of it in
Azkaban, but not nearly enough.
You came into my life and forgave me. You should have
been bitter and hated me. Instead you embraced me into
your life. I believe you forgave me because you knew that I
had only the best intentions.
I know that James would be very proud of you, for your
nobility and your bravery. How YOU could turn out so well is
beyond me. You must have taken after Lily.
I have not been the best Godfather. I wanted to, but as of
this date I am still a wanted man. So, I can’t do all that I
want to do for you and spend the time that we should,
together.
Harry, you have good people around you. There are three
men that I think you can trust above all others:
Remus Lupin - - Arthur Weasley - - Albus Dumbledore
If ever there is ANYTHING that you need help with, these
men are the ones to go to. They all care about you and will
do the best in their power to help you. I should add Hagrid to
that list. He would do anything for you, but he is not always
wise. Go with your instincts.
As of now, I have appointed Remus Lupin to be your
guardian. He is a wise man, Harry. Trust him. He cares
almost as much about you, as I do. He may beg to differ on
that account. He thinks HE cares more about you than I do,
but there you have it. That should tell you something.
I have appointed Moony to be YOUR guardian but I also did
that so that you could be HIS guardian. Harry, the man
needs some serious fun in his life. A woman would surely
liven him up. I had someone in mind, but you know he is so
stubborn about his “problem”. I know I’m being clumsy here,
but try to read between the lines. Help him see that there is
only one week each month that he has a “problem” the rest
of the month he is free. There are plenty of women that
would love to have a man like him. Keep at him. He needs
love in his life.
About the Weasleys:
Molly and I have crossed words a few times, but she loves
you, more than you know. Trust her.
Of course, I already mentioned Arthur, the richest man I
know. He is rich in love and family, I know of no other man
who is loved more by his wife and children. He is rich
indeed! I don’t know if you know just how wise he is. Don’t
let that Muggle thing fool you. He is brilliant.
All their children are wonderful. They are all in their own way
intelligent and loyal. With the exception of Percy, but he may
still come around. He’s been raised right.
Of course, Ron and Hermione have stuck with you all these
years. Don’t forget to remind them how much you appreciate
their loyalty. They love you and will stick by you.
My favorite is the youngest Weasley. If I were only ten
years younger... ok.. ok... fifteen years younger. She is witty
and wise beyond her years. She’s pretty cute too. We’ve
become very close. She is another that you can trust with
your life. Don’t let her age and size fool you. She’s packed
with power!
* * * *
I’ve given you all my family’s Galleons and the house. I
expect some payback. Yep! That’s right. You’re not getting
all this for nothing. There is always a catch. Here’s yours:
You MUST perform the task below. No excuses!
You are to contact Ginny Weasley. You are to confer about
plans.
Your assignment: steal Snape’s toilet seat then attach the
enclosed picture on the back to create a picture frame.
You may keep it to hang on your wall or give this exclusive
item to a person that you feel would appreciate it most.
I don’t care how you do it, but it must be planned and
executed by you and Ginny Weasley. Don’t look so
shocked. She will be a big asset in the accomplishment of
this assignment. She will be ready and willing. She’s full of
surprises!
Harry, in this life we all pay for our mistakes. You have paid
several life’s debts before you ever made any mistakes. So
you have plenty mistakes coming that are paid in full. Be
kind to yourself.
I’ll be watching from the other side. Hope to meet up with
Prongs so we can watch you together. I’m sure Lily will
keep us in line, or at least try to.
Just know that we love you.
Sirius
* * * *
Tears were falling off Harry’s face but he was laughing too.
Sirius knew more about what was going on then he knew.
Lupin and Tonks. He and Ginny. Sirius also felt the same
way about Arthur Weasley.
He, again, thought about what he could have done to
prevent Sirius’ death. He sighed. There was no changing
anything.
Like Cho, he couldn’t change that either. If he had been with
Cho that day, like she wanted, would she still be alive today?
Would Michael have lived? What would have happened to
Ginny? Would he have noticed where she was? Would he
have gotten there in time?
Ginny lived. He would not exchange Cho’s life for Ginny’s.
Maybe they BOTH would have died. There were too many
variables in Hogsmeade that day. He sighed.
He looked down at the picture of Snape and grinned. Sirius
would get his payment, one way or another.
* * * *
The days were flying by. Harry had decided that he would
put off all his personal spell study until the summer break.
Also Quidditch season was over. That took some of the load
off his mind. Ginny and Luna were swamped again with
O.W.L.s homework.
Each weekend, the Top Level D.A. would meet to discuss
the maze door. Luna had finished the book and was no
where closer to solving the puzzle than before, although
Hermione was quite pleased that SHE hadn’t missed
anything either.
On one warm weekend, Harry took Ginny for a walk out by
the lake. He decided to fulfill one of his fantasies. He
walked her over to a tree, near the edge of the lake and
kissed her, then he asked her to be “his girl”. Ginny
recognized what he was doing, and, of course, accepted.
He rarely kissed her passionately, but this day he made
exception and let her have it. She accepted graciously and
gave back in return. After a bit, they both knew that that was
a mistake. They both caught their breath and sighed.
They sat beneath the tree and Harry pulled out his letter
from Sirius to show her. She looked puzzled at the picture
of Snape, then read the letter. She was crying and laughing
at the same time.
“I TOLD you that Sirius and I were close. I don’t think you
believed me,” said Ginny.
“Yes I did, but I kinda thought that maybe you were crushing
on Sirius. As you can see, he thought very highly of you. I
think HE was crushing on YOU!” said Harry, playfully.
“Harry, now you know that Sirius wasn’t crushing on me.
You can see that he was trying to set us up. He fully
intended for us to be together,” said Ginny, she said with
fake indignity.
“Do you think he was talking about Tonks for Lupin?” she
added.
“Yep!” said Harry.
“So! When do you want to start our assignment?” asked
Harry.
“Hmmm... I guess we could start thinking about it right away.
Where to you think his toilet is?” asked Ginny.
“Not sure. I wonder if there is one in the back room of his
office. Of course, there would be one in his sleeping
quarters. I have no idea where that is,” said Harry.
“If there’s one in his office, then that would be the easiest.
What do you think his quarters are like? All black?” giggled
Ginny.
“Yeah. Black with paintings of bats and vampires,” laughed
Harry.
“Black Widow spiders in each corner,” added Ginny.
“Black snakes in his loo,” added Harry.
“Oh no! We can’t have that. We might have to GO IN
THERE!” said Ginny.
“Yeah. I forgot. Forget the black snakes in the loo. They
are in the wardrobe with his shrouds,” said Harry.
“That’s more like it,” said Ginny, grinning.
“Ok. First thing, we ask around. See if any of our friends
have seen or know of a loo connected to his office. If
nothing comes of that, then maybe you could somehow
check yourself. If I’m seen around there, he’ll know
something is up.
“OR, you could wear your invisibility cloak and check,” said
Ginny.
“Great idea! You are sneaky,” said Harry.
“Sneaky is, as sneaky does,” said Ginny.
“That is BAD Ginny!” said Harry.
“Yeah, I know,” said Ginny, giggling.
* * * *
They had decided not to tell anyone why they were asking
about Snape’s loo. Harry got idea about how to ask the
question from Luna. When he asked her, she said: “Does
Snape actually USE a loo?”
So that is how he approached the subject, with others, as a
joke. He only asked about a half a dozen students. He didn’t
want to raise suspicions.
After a few days, neither of them got any answers. It was
time for phase two. Harry check, wearing his cloak.
This was not as simple as it sounds. Snape had to be
distracted enough not to “feel” Harry in the room. It would be
better for Snape to actually leave the room when Harry
checked.
They both decided that Luna would be best for the job.
Snape hated Hermione almost as much as Ron, so she was
out. Ron was definitely out. Ron’s staying in his class was
still hanging by a thread.
Harry caught up with Luna and asked her to make a
diversion outside of Snape’s office. Luna agreed.
“Don’t you want to know why?” asked Harry.
“Harry, if you want it done, you have a reason. I’m sure you
will tell me when the time is right,” said Luna.
“Luna, did I ever tell you that you are the BEST SISTER?”
asked Harry, as he gave her a big hug.
“No, but I assumed that I was,” said Luna, hugging Harry.
On the day in question. Harry followed Luna to outside
Snape’s office, wearing his cloak. He had used one of Fred
and George’s inventions, Silent Slippers, so he could walk
silently.
Luna started screaming at the top of her lungs. Snape
rushed out of his office, as Harry slipped in. The door was
ajar so Harry could hear most of what was being said.
“What is all this?” asked Snape, sneering.
“There was a boy running naked just now,” screamed Luna.
“Where?”
“Right here! He just ran past.”
“I don’t see anyone.”
“Well of course not, he was running. He went that way.” said
Luna, pointing.
Snape walked down the corridor to the next junction. He
looked around puzzled, then returned to Luna.
“He’s gone now. Do you know who it was?” asked Snape.
“No,” said Luna.
“What did he look like?”
“He looked naked,” said Luna.
“What did his FACE look like?” asked Snape, frustrated.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t looking at his face,” said Luna.
“What WERE you looking at?” asked Snape.
“His body, of course,” said Luna.
“Would you recognize him, if you saw him again?” asked
Snape.
“Only if he was naked,” said Luna, with a straight face.
Snape rolled his eyes. “If you see him again, report it as
soon as possible,” said Snape.
“That’s what I just did,” said Luna.
“Well, DO IT AGAIN. IF you see him again,” said Snape, as
he turned back into his office.
While this was going on, Harry had enough time to look in
the back of Snape’s office for a loo. He found one. He didn’t
have time for anything else but he did get the information that
he needed.
Later that evening, Harry congratulated Luna on her quick
thinking.
“Oh it wasn’t that hard,” said Luna. “I just thought about
something I would like to see, and it came to me.”
“Luna, I don’t think I want to know about your fantasies,” said
Harry.
“Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies,” said Luna, in a
sing song voice.
Harry walked away shaking his head.
That evening, as they took their walk, Harry told Ginny that
they were ready for phase three.
“Have you came up with any ideas?” asked Harry.
“Yes and no,” said Ginny. “First we have to figure out how
much time you will need.”
“About a couple of minutes should do it,” said Harry.
“A couple of minutes to get into the room without him sensing
you? Cross the room and enter the office? Undo the seat?
Adjust the seat under your cloak or something? Then leave
the room without him sensing you are there?” asked Ginny.
“Hmmm maybe it will take longer,” said Harry, thoughtfully.
“First you need to figure out how long it would take to remove
the seat. Was there anything unusual about it?” asked
Ginny.
“I don’t know. Looked like a normal toilet seat to me.”
“Good. There are several varieties, ya know,” said Ginny.
“Ok. But this one is normal,” said Harry.
“Whatever THAT means,” said Ginny. “Ok. So, how long
does it take to remove a NORMAL toilet seat?”
“Now, HOW should I know? You think I go around removing
toilet seats all the time?” asked Harry.
“Fred and George know,” said Ginny.
“Of course they do! But they’re not here to ask. You know,
you have a very strange family,” said Harry.
“I would not be talking about family, if I were you,” said
Ginny.
“Why?”
“Because YOUR family is weird enough. My family has
practically adopted you, so MY family is YOUR family. So if
you are looking for normality, you’re not going to find it,” said
Ginny.
“You know, Luna is looking more sane, every day,” said
Harry.
Ginny giggled.
“So back to our problem. Did Fred or George ever tell you
how long it takes to remove a NORMAL toilet seat?” asked
Harry, grinning.
“No, but if they did, I wouldn’t know if they were talking
about a NORMAL toilet seat or an abnormal toilet seat,” said
Ginny, mischievously.
“Ginny, you are bad,” said Harry.
“Bad is, as bad does,” said Ginny, in a dreamy voice.
“Ginny! Knock it off. I’m going to have to insist that you stay
away from Luna,” laughed Harry.
“What’s Luna got to do with it?” asked Ginny, grinning.
“Never you mind,” said Harry, exasperated.
“If you give me a kiss, I’ll tell you how to do it,” said Ginny.
“Do what?” asked Harry, grinning.
“How to find out how long it takes to remove a NORMAL
toilet seat,” said Ginny.
Harry kissed her sweetly.
“Not good enough,” said Ginny.
“Don’t you start in with me, young lady,” said Harry. But he
kissed her a little warmer this time.
“Ok. That will have to do, for now,” said Ginny, smiling.
“You will have to practice,” said Ginny.
“Practice?” asked Harry. “You know I would love to practice
all night long, but we can’t.”
“Not practice kissing, you Bozo,” said Ginny. “Removing
NORMAL toilet seats.”
“Oh!” laughed Harry.
“Yeah. I guess I could do that. There are plenty of NORMAL
toilet seats available,” he said.
“You WILL have to do it so that no one sees you doing it,”
said Ginny.
“Yeah. I guess that will make it a bit more challenging,” he
said.
“Is it YOU or ME who are acting weird tonight?” asked Ginny.
“Give me a kiss and I’ll tell you.”
“Thought you’d never ask,” said Ginny.
* * * *
A few days later, they continued their conversation.
“Ok, Love. I have it all worked out. I can remove a NORMAL
toilet seat in less than a minute. The trick is to place it under
my arm, under the cloak, without it bulging the cloak AND
holding it just right, so I can walk freely.”
“Great! I wondered if I was going to have to ask you to
practice that part too,” said Ginny.
“I can see you have no confidence in me.”
“I have PLENTY of confidence in you, Love,” said Ginny. “So
now, we just have to figure how long it will take for you to get
in and out without detection.”
“I practiced that too. I say it would take no more than five
minutes. That is allowing for a problem with the NORMAL
toilet seat. Just in case it is not quite as NORMAL as I think
it is,” said Harry.
“Hmmmm that deserves a kiss,” said Ginny.
“Yes it does. In fact, I decided that it deserves three kisses,”
said Harry.
Ginny awarded Harry his kisses.
“Now, while you have been practicing, I have come up with
a plan,” said Ginny.
“Great!” said Harry. “How many kisses is it worth?”
“About six, but I will take three now and three when it is
completed,” said Ginny, sweetly.
“Done!” said Harry.
They decided that the last Friday afternoon class would be
best. Snape would be at his worst, but more likely to be
tired. So, in fact less alert.
Ginny had looked ahead to see what potion they would be
working on that day. It was a Gravitation Potion. She did
some research and found if you added an earwig just when
the potion turned bright pink, it would cause it to pop out
blobs of goo erratically within a six foot radius. She didn’t tell
Harry that if you were hit by a blob that it would make you
unconscious.
She told him to wait twenty minutes after class started.
When he heard a disturbance, he should enter.
That Friday at exactly twenty minutes into the class, Harry
was waiting outside the door to Professor Snape’s
classroom. He heard some gasping and squealing. He
counted to five, then opened the door quietly. He sneaked
over to the door to Snape’s office, then entered the loo. He
removed the NORMAL toilet seat, placed it under his arm,
adjusted his cloak, then slid back out into the classroom.
There were students backed up against Snape’s desk.
Ginny’s cauldron was spewing pink blobs of goo and three
students were lying on the floor, one being Ginny. Harry
was going to abort the mission and rush over to Ginny, but
decided that she was probably faking it.
He rushed out into the corridor and up the stairs. He
removed the cloak and wrapped it around the NORMAL toilet
seat. He had forgotten to plan exactly what to do with the
NORMAL toilet seat after he got to safety. The best idea he
could come up with was to run to the Gryffindor Tower and
stash it under the sofa cushion. Then he rushed back to his
original class with Professor Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick hadn’t noticed or pretended that he hadn’t
noticed that Harry was missing for at least fifteen minutes.
Harry’s face was flushed. Hermione asked him about it. He
told her that he had toilet problems. Hermione blushed and
didn’t ask any more questions.
After class, Harry went to the Common Room and waited for
Ginny. She didn’t show up until it was time for dinner.
“Where have you been?” asked Harry.
“I had to stay after class and clean up,” said Ginny. “Snape
wanted to know WHY I added an earwig to my potion. I had
to explain that I didn’t ADD it. It must have ADDED itself. I
don’t think he believed me. I cleaned up as fast as I could.
He didn’t care that I was knocked out for several minutes.
He told me that I deserved it,” added Ginny.
“What? You were knocked out?” asked Harry. “I thought you
were faking.”
“Shhhhh... No, I was really knocked out, but it was only
temporary. There were three of us that were unconscious for
a few minutes. That was how I knew you would have enough
time. Snape was busy checking us all out. By the time he
had finished checking out the third one, I was already
awake. It only lasted about ten minutes total. Of course. I
didn’t feel real good for a few minutes, but it was worth it.
Where is it?” whispered Ginny.
“Tell you later. Go wash up and have dinner with me. We will
be late if you don’t hurry,” said Harry.
He waited for her. It took her five minutes to wash up and
come down. They shared a nice dinner then rushed back to
the Common Room. Harry asked Luna, Ron and Hermione
to come up to his dorm.
The five of them stood around Harry’s bed, as he revealed
the prize.
“What is that? I mean, I know what it is, but why is it on your
bed?” asked Ron.
“That, my friend, is a masterpiece,” said Harry, gesturing
with his hands.
“Almost a masterpiece,” said Ginny. “Harry, you still need to
add the final touch.”
Harry opened his trunk and removed the picture from Sirius’
letter. Ginny had turned the NORMAL toilet seat over on the
bed. Harry placed the picture face down on the NORMAL
toilet seat. Ginny pulled out some Spell O Tape and taped
the picture down. Harry turned it over to reveal their
masterpiece.
“Bloody hell !” exclaimed Ron.
“Harry, that is brilliant!” said Hermione.
“Harry, does this have anything to do with a naked boy?”
asked Luna.
“It sure does. Thank you, Luna,” said Harry.
Ron started to say something but Harry cut him off.
They all stood around Harry’s bed admiring the masterpiece.
“That is the best Snape has ever looked,” said Ginny,
proudly.
“We need to get Colin,” said Harry.
Hermione volunteered to find him. It didn’t take her long to
find him and bring him in.
Colin took several pictures of the masterpiece. Each in turn,
posed with it. They did one final picture of Harry, Luna and
Ginny holding the masterpiece.
Dean, Seamus and Neville came in just as Colin took the last
picture.
“What’s all this?” asked Neville.
“Our masterpiece,” said Harry.
Neville stepped up and looked closely.
“That IS a masterpiece. WOW!” said Neville, awed.
Harry caught Ginny’s eye. She nodded.
“Neville, we’ve decided that you, of all people, would
appreciate this masterpiece the most. We want to present it
to you,” said Harry.
“Really? It’s beautiful!” said Neville.
Ginny helped Neville hang the masterpiece over his bed.
They adjusted it so that it could be open or closed. Neville
stood back admiring it.
“I think that is the most wonderful present I’ve ever received,”
said Neville.
* * * *
Later that night, Hermione, Ron and Harry were sitting in
“Potter’s Corner”.
“Fred and George would have been proud of that little antic,”
said Ron. “What made you think of doing it? Was it just an
open opportunity?”
“No it was carefully planned,” said Harry.
“You carefully planned it?” asked Hermione with a hurt look.
She had been acting a little reserved since after bringing
Colin in for pictures.
“Yeah. It took several days of planning and secret
run-throughs. It was no simple task,” said Harry, grinning.
“We could have helped, you know,” said Ron.
“I thought of including both of you, but we decided that
Snape would suspect either of you. He is always looking for
something to pin on any one of us. Ron’s holding on by a
thread in his class already. So we though that Luna would be
best for the diversion, which she carried out perfectly,” said
Harry.
“We?” asked Hermione.
“Ginny and me,” said Harry.
“Why’d you do it?” asked Ron.
“This wasn’t my idea. It was Sirius’ idea. He demanded that
I do this assignment with Ginny,” said Harry.
“Sirius?” asked Hermione.
“Yes, I had no choice in the matter,” laughed Harry.
“He left me a letter, as he did both of you. In the letter he
requested or demanded, more like, that Ginny and I do this
together,” said Harry.
“You and Ginny?” asked Hermione. “He named HER?”
“Yes. He specifically requested that it should be planned and
executed with Ginny,” said Harry.
“That’s weird,” said Ron. “Don’t understand why he named
Ginny.”
“Sirius liked Ginny. They were very good friends,” said
Harry.
“Wouldn’t we have been a better choice? I mean, we would
probably been able to come up with a better plan,” said
Hermione.
“The plan was perfect. As you see, all went well. We
accomplished our assignment perfectly,” said Harry, calmly,
but he was getting agitated. Why didn’t Hermione give
Ginny the credit she deserved?
“Obviously Sirius had a very high opinion of Ginny,” said
Harry.
“He also had a very high opinion about both of you,” added
Harry.
“I do want to thank both of you for always sticking by me.
Really, there isn’t any way to thank you, to compare with
everything you’ve ever done. But I think it is good to say it
every once in a while.” said Harry.
“We haven’t been together as much this year,” said
Hermione.
“I know, and that is my fault. I’ve really got into the D.A. and
stuff this year. You both know that was a big task. Both of
you, along with Neville, Luna and Ginny, have made it
possible to train two hundred students this year. You don’t
know what that means to me.” said Harry.
“Of course we wanted to help!” said Hermione.
“Yeah,” said Ron.
“Well, it’s not easy to have such great friends, just to put
them in mortal danger every year. At least THIS year, I
didn’t almost get you killed,” said Harry. “Of course there
was Hogsmeade.”
“You didn’t have anything to do with Hogsmeade,” said Ron.
“I mean, not any more than anyone else that was there.”
“The battle would have been over a lot sooner if I wasn’t
there. Even Dumbledore admits that,” said Harry.
“Dumbledore TOLD you that?” asked Hermione.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
“Harry, it isn’t true. It was not your fault what happened in
Hogsmeade,” said Hermione.
“It was not my fault about the attack, but it would have been
over sooner if I wasn’t there. I made it worse,” said Harry,
sadly.
“You didn’t make it worse! You saved Ginny and everything!
What about the kids that were in Honeydukes that you pulled
out? What about THAT?” said Ron.
“Yeah, well, we saved a few, but I brought more danger to
the whole area. Let’s not talk about that now,” said Harry.
“I just wanted to thank both of you for standing by me all
these years,” said Harry.
“No thanks are needed,” said Hermione.
“Yeah,” said Ron.
* * * *
Chapter 37: Chap 37 - End of Term
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Praise for the deserved. - - I smell a rat! ---------------
Chapter Thirty-seven End of Term
The following Monday at dinner, Dumbledore made an
announcement.
“Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of a toilet
seat, is to contact Professor Snape in his office.”
Lee Jordan raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Jordan?”
“This toilet seat, could it be just any toilet seat or is there
something unusual about it?”
“I would think that we are talking about a normal toilet seat
that is not attached to anything. Am I correct, Professor
Snape?”
Snape sneered, then nodded.
The room filled with whispers and giggles.
* * * *
Ginny and Luna were now up to their necks in homework.
There were only a few days left before their O.W.L.s. They
were both complaining about having so much homework but
were still expected to review each subject.
On the last Saturday before their tests, they both bowed out
of the maze meeting. They did, however, teach their regular
D.A. classes. That morning Harry insisted that Ginny take a
walk with him. First they went out to the Quidditch pitch and
rode their brooms. They flew around the pitch, side by side,
then did a few tricks. Ginny had learned to Loop De Loop,
so they practiced doing them in unison.
When they tired of that, they took a walk down by the lake.
They were going to be separated for a while during summer
break. Dumbledore had told him that he would be staying
with the Dursleys for at least a couple of weeks. Harry
wanted to spend every minute they could spare, together.
As always, they could not talk about their lives or anything
real intimate, but the could talk a little bit about their love for
each other. When they were passing between trees or other
large foliage, they did indulge in a few passionate kisses,
but kept that to a minimum. They had to keep themselves
within sight of anyone watching them. Neither Harry or
Ginny would normally want to be seen kissing. That was
something they both felt was private.
After lunch, Ginny went back to her studying and Harry went
back to the maze. He took the book with him. He examined
the binding over and over. He looked at each chapter page
again and again. He could find nothing else to give him a
clue. He was running out of time!
After a couple of hours, he gave up and went back to the
Common Room to do a bit of studying for the tests coming
that week.
When they went down to dinner that night, they were all in
for a big surprise. There were a couple of extra tables
across the front of the room near Dumbledore’s table. At
these tables were people that Harry knew and others he did
not.
The Weasleys, Lupin and Fred and George were seated at
one table along with another man and woman that Harry
didn’t know. At the other table were a few others. The only
ones he recognized at that table was Madam Bones from the
Ministry of Magic and Rita Skeeter.
Dumbledore rose after the room had filled.
“There will be some announcements after dinner. Please
remain seated. For those of you studying for final exams,
this will not take too long. Tuck in!”
While they ate, Harry watched the Weasley’s and Lupin.
They were all dressed in finery. Another triumph for Mrs.
Weasley, she looked gorgeous.
After dinner, Dumbledore rose again.
“I want to present Mr. Lane, chief administrator of St.
Mungo’s.”
Everyone politely applauded, as he took center stage.
“Earlier this year, six students from Hogwarts uncovered a
vicious plot at our hospital. There were several patients that
have benefited from this discovery.”
“I am here to recognize these students. Harry Potter, Neville
Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Ronald
Weasley and Ginevra Weasley. Would you rise and come
forward?”
They all turned pink but did as requested and went forward.
Mr. Lane shook each student’s hand in turn, then he
awarded a plaque to each one. Colin had his camera ready
and took pictures of each of them as they accepted their
award.
“These students have shown courage and intelligence
beyond measure. They each will also receive FREE medical
care at St. Mungo’s for life. We at St. Mungo’s will never be
able to thank them enough.”
Everyone applauded them (except Malfoy and his cronies).
They each had turned red, but pleased. They were about to
go back to their seats when they were interrupted.
“Before you sit down, since you are all here before us, I
think now is a good time to acknowledge your efforts this
year,” said Dumbledore.
“There are approximately two hundred students here at
Hogwarts that have had extra training against the evil forces
that now threaten our world.”
“These same six students have sacrificed many many hours
of their time to teach their fellow students. Each of them will
be receiving another award from Hogwarts for ‘Special
Services to the School’. He then handed each of them
another plaque with their name engraved on it.
“Harry, I think it would be proper for you to speak for the
group,” said Dumbledore.
Harry was unprepared and embarrassed, he blushed.
Dumbledore firmly placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder and
gently pushed him forward.
“Er... thank you, Professor,” started Harry. “I guess I just
want to say that, all the students that took extra classes of
defense, did so voluntarily. They all worked hard and I am
proud of each of them.”
“I will add that without the efforts of Ginny and Ron Weasley,
Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom,
this task would not have been possible. Each of them
deserve our praise.”
The crowd applauded them.
There were several others that helped teach,” Harry named
off all the Advanced students that had taught this year. He
had each one stand. “They all deserve your applause.”
Again crowd applauded them.
Dumbledore let the applause go on for several minutes
before raising his hands.
“Those of you who are willing to risk a slightly lower grade on
their exams, may remain here in the Great Hall for a
celebration tonight. There will be goodies and drinks for all.”
The crowd jumped up and applauded. The tables were now
garnished with all the goodies that the House Elves were
famous for. It seems that there were few, if any, who left to
go study.
They all went over to the Weasley table to visit. Arthur rose
and hugged his son and daughter. He then pulled Harry in
for a big hug. Harry didn’t know exactly how Arthur was
going to accept him, but was relieved at his greeting. He
returned the hug and patted him on the back.
For Harry, Molly was no problem. He bowed before her and
kissed her hand. “I’m so happy to see you, Molly Dear,” said
Harry.
“Bend down and give me a hug, Harry, dear,” said Molly.
Harry bent down and gave her a big hug and kissed her
cheek. Molly beamed.
Lupin just finished hugging Luna, when Harry approached
him. They gave each other a big hug and shook hands.
“I’ll have pictures to show you when I get home. Colin took
several,” said Harry. Lupin grinned.
Harry shook hands with Fred and George and whispered a
question to them.
“How long does it take for you to remove a NORMAL toilet
seat?” whispered Harry.
“A couple of minutes,” said Fred.
“Less if we are in good form,” added George. “The trick, is
to be able to walk away with it, after it is removed.”
“Why?” they both asked in unison.
“We have something to show you when school ends,” said
Harry, grinning.
“Who’s we?” asked Fred.
“You’ll see,” said Harry, grinning.
Neville pulled Harry aside and brought him over to the two
people that Harry didn’t know.
“Mum, Dad, this is Harry,” said Neville.
“I am honored to meet you,” said Harry, bowing.
Harry shook their hands. He hadn’t recognized them from
the people he had seen at St. Mungo’s last year. They both
looked completely transformed.
“WE are honored to meet YOU,” said Mr. Longbottom. “My,
you look so much like your father.”
“But he has his mother’s eyes,” said Mrs. Longbottom.
“So, you KNEW my parents?” asked Harry.
“Oh yes! Lily and I were both expecting at the same time. I
knew her very well.”
“Will you tell me about her some time?” asked Harry.
“Yes, sometime when we meet more privately,” said Mrs.
Longbottom.
Neville introduced the others to his parents. They each were
praised for their help in solving the mystery.
Madam Bones walked over and shook their hands also.
“We are all so proud of you,” she said.
Harry blushed.
Rita Skeeter walked up with her Quick Quotes Quill.
“Anything you would like our readers to know?” asked Rita.
“Nothing printable,” said Harry.
Harry caught Neville’s eye. He motioned with his hand, a
zipper across this lips. He caught on and didn’t talk to Rita.
He didn’t have to tell Ron, Hermione, Luna and Ginny about
the dangers of talking to Rita.
Harry watched as Ginny talked to Lupin. He bet that she was
grilling him about Tonks. She was smiling and giggled at
some of his remarks.
He watched as she talked with her father. Arthur squeezed
her shoulder several times during their conversation. She
always had a soft look on her face when she talked with her
father. He sometimes got that same look from her. It always
melted his heart. Whatever they were talking about, Harry
knew that Arthur was putty in her hands.
He loved watching her. When she talked with Fred and
George, they turned red. She could match their wit and
sometimes beat them at their own game. He knew she just
got to them about something. He grinned.
When she talked with Molly, they were whispering very
seriously for several minutes. He knew they were up to
something too, because when she walked away she had a
satisfied grin on her face.
He got close to her and asked about it.
“There are SOME things that a girl shares with her mother
that are not shared with anyone else,” said Ginny.
“Oh! Sorry. I wasn’t raised around girls, so I didn’t know,”
said Harry, blushing.
“Don’t worry, Love. You’ll learn,” said Ginny.
At one point in the evening, Harry heard a conversation
between Fred and George and Ron.
“You know, that you now have all the free drinks you want at
The Three Broomsticks... “
“AND free medical at St. Mungo’s... “
“You are set for life!” said Fred and George in unison.
“Yep! and I plan to use both services in order. Get plastered
at The Three Broomsticks and revived at St. Mungo’s,” said
Ron.
“No you won’t!” said Molly, who had heard the conversation.
“Curses!” said Ron.
“I’ll CURSE YOU if you keep an attitude like that, Ronald
Weasley! ” said Molly.
“Mum, you’re supposed to be here to support me, not
punishing me. I haven’t even done anything yet,” said Ron.
“Yet! You’ll see yet!” said Molly.
“Molly, give him a break. He hasn’t done anything,” said
Arthur.
“I’m just giving him fair warning,” said Molly.
Ron rolled his eyes. Why was there always something to
ruin his great moments?
“Ron’s just letting off a little steam,” said Harry. “He hasn’t
been in any trouble. Of course, he hasn’t had enough time to
get into any trouble. He has worked very hard this year,
more than anyone would expect of him or anyone else. I’m
personally very proud of him.”
“I agree,” said Ginny. “Between being a Prefect, Quidditch
Captain, keeping up his studies AND teaching D.A. this year,
even I’m impressed.”
“Well, then ok. I guess you’re right. Ron I am very proud of
you too,” said Molly, smiling.
“You OWE me,” whispered Ginny to Ron. He rolled his eyes.
Hermione had been talking with several of the guests but she
had a sad look in her eyes.
After a couple of hours of visiting with the guests, they went
back to their table and visited with the other students. There
were plenty of pats on the back and hugs. Of course, by
then they were hungry again. So they all were munching on
the goodies.
Harry quietly took Hermione aside.
“Hermione, didn’t your parents get invited tonight?” asked
Harry.
“Dumbledore told me that they couldn’t come tonight,” said
Hermione.
“I’m sorry. I know they would have been very proud of you,
tonight. They ARE proud of you. I just know it,” said Harry,
as he patted her shoulder.
“Thanks, Harry. Yes I’m sure they are. I just miss them,
especially tonight,” she said.
“Don’t be sad, ok?”
“Ok,” said Hermione, smiling. Since Harry had taken the
time to try to cheer her up, she felt a lot better. He did care
about her.
All the students took advantage of the celebration and were
up until the wee hours.
In the early hours of morning, before anyone had went to
sleep, Harry took Ginny for a walk. They walked all over
the castle, just enjoying each other’s company. They knew
there were only a few days left before summer break.
Dumbledore had told him that he would be going back to the
Dursley’s, if only for a little while. It could be a few weeks, an
eternity for him and Ginny. He needed to spend as much
time with her as he could.
They were gone for a couple of hours, but the whole time
they made sure that they were within the public eye.
Colin Creevey decided to take some more party pictures.
That’s when Hermione realized that Harry and Ginny had
been gone for a very long time. She used the pictures as an
excuse to go looking for them.
Since she had no idea where they went, she spent a good
hour searching. She had made it down to the dungeon area.
She wandered in farther than she ever had before. She was
about to turn back when she spotted a rat. There was
something shining on it’s paw. She wanted to make sure it
wasn’t just a trick of light, so decided to investigate. She
followed it for a few minutes. She suspected that it might be
Wormtail. She knew she should have went for help, but she
wanted to make sure first. It was early morning but the
corridors were dimly lit, it felt like night. She had just decided
that it was too dangerous and was turning back when a cold
metal hand grabbed her throat.
In the meantime, Harry and Ginny arrived back at the
Common Room. Ron was sprawled out asleep on the sofa,
before the fire. Harry threw a blanket on him and left him
there. Harry kissed Ginny goodnight and they both went up
to their dorms.
Ron tried to turn over and woke up. Crookshanks was sitting
up on his chest. Ron was too tired to bother with him and
pushed him off. Crookshanks was scratching his leg. Ron
started to kick him, but stopped himself.
Crookshanks walked towards the portrait door, bushing his
tail, then back to Ron. In Ron’s grogginess, it took a while
before Ron decided that Crookshanks was trying to tell him
something.
“Is something wrong?” asked Ron.
Crookshanks purred and rubbed his leg, then walked towards
the portrait door again. Fully awake now, Ron decided to
follow him. Crookshanks made it very clear that he wanted
to be followed.
* * * *
Wormtail was standing behind her with his silver hand upon
her throat. He had pressed just hard enough to cause a
small cut that was bleeding. He was whispering in her ear.
His spit had splattered against her ear and neck as he spoke.
“So! Little Hermione Granger, all grown up. Still putting your
nose where it doesn’t belong. You should know better by
now,” he hissed in her ear.
“Too bad you wasted all your time with Longbottom. Even I
could see that relationship was doomed. You would have
been better off with Ron. Yes, I know all about your little
love lives.”
“Ron has grown up too. He spent a lot of time with some real
women. No time for a serious little bookworm like you, too
bad.”
“Ahhhh, but you’ve got your eyes set on the Potter boy now,
don’t you? He’s grown up too, but he’s in love with another
girl. Yes, little Ginny Weasley. I wouldn’t worry about that,
their days are numbered,” said Wormtail.
“You’ve always been a little too smart for your own good. I
would like to take the time to venture where Ron never
ventured, but alas time is running out,” he said, as he
stroked the front of her with his other hand. Hermione
shuddered.
“I’m not alone,” Hermione said, trembling. She saw
Crookshanks from the corner of her eye. “Help is coming.”
“You are lying. It is only you and I... Maybe I will take the
time to... venture.” He stopped. He felt something poke him
in his back.
“Get off her! Now!” said Ron, with his wand pressed
against Wormtail’s back.
Wormtail let go of Hermione and slowly backed away.
Hermione collapsed to the floor, trembling, although still fully
conscious. She pulled out her wand and aimed it at
Wormtail, but it was shaking so bad that any spell she tried
would have probably missed.
“Now Ron, you wouldn’t want to start trouble. It’s your old
friend, Scabbers. Didn’t I comfort you when you were
frightened? Wasn’t I faithful to you?” whined Wormtail.
“Faithful? You don’t know the meaning of the word,” said
Ron.
Wormtail’s eyes were searching the corridor for some way of
escape. Ron cast a disarming charm, stepped forward and
took Wormtail’s wand. As he was about to cast a Tie and
Binding spell, Ron’s foot connected with Hermione’s and he
stumbled just enough to give Wormtail enough time to
transform back into a rat.
Ron and Hermione both had their wands directed upon him.
He didn’t dare move. They all stayed in place for a few
moments. It had taken Ron every bit of will to control himself
after he saw Scabbers touching Hermione. He needed to get
her out of here. Ron decided he would send Hermione for
help. With his wand still aimed, he reached down to give
Hermione a lift up.
At that moment, Scabbers moved. Crookshanks saw the
movement and pounced on Scabbers. Within a second,
Crookshanks had Scabbers’ upper body in his mouth. He
crunched down. Blood squirted in all directions. Scabbers
other half fell to the floor.
“Ewwwww!” said Ron, as Crookshanks began to chew, then
swallowed.
Hermione turned white, then vomited. The other half of
Scabbers was still twitching and became covered in the
vomit. This made her retch all the more.
Ron gave her a moment to compose herself, then he pulled
her close and held her. She was still white and trembling.
He wiped her tears, then helped her walk down to the first
crossing corridor out of sight of the mess. He pulled her
close and held her.
“You’ll be ok. You just need to give yourself time to calm
down,” he said as he rubbed her back.
Ron’s emotions were raging. After the encounter with
Wormtail and now being so close to Hermione. He could feel
her heart beating against his chest. Hermione’s arms felt so
good around him. Her total dependence on him at the
moment, brought back many of the feelings he had always
had for her. He would have kissed her, but he remembered
that she just threw up. It was not good timing. He held her
tight until her legs stopped trembling.
He walked along with her with his arm around her shoulder
until they got to Gryffindor Tower.
“Are you ok now?” asked Ron, gently.
“Yes. I think so,” said Hermione.
“Ok. You go to Professor McGonagal to get Dumbledore
and I’ll go get Harry,” said Ron.
Ron rushed up to his dorm and woke Harry.
“You’re not going to believe it! Wormtail’s dead!
Crookshanks ATE him,” said Ron.
“Ewwwwww!” said Harry.
“I got to go explain all this to Dumbledore. You coming?”
asked Ron.
“Yep. Let me find my slippers,” said Harry.
Professor McGonagal, dressed in housecoat and slippers,
was waiting for them when they arrived in the Common
Room. She took them to the entrance to the Headmaster’s
office. They waited outside until she arrived back.
Professor Dumbledore was fully dressed in one of his
beautiful robes, entirely awake. They all sat before him in
cushy chairs.
Hermione began telling what had happened until Ron had
arrived. Then Ron explained about Crookshanks waking
him, then finished the whole story.
“Would you let Lupin know as soon as possible? I think he
deserves to know right away,” said Harry.
“Of course,” said Dumbledore.
“I think that we should keep Peter’s death a secret for now. I
will inform Remus, but to the public, I think it should be kept
secret until I can sort this all out,” he added.
“Miss Granger, I want you to go to the hospital wing. No
excuses. I think you have had enough to be going on with,
for one night,” said Dumbledore.
* * * *
Chapter 38: Chap 38 - Going Home
Author's Notes: Due to the coming out of the Half-Blood Prince, there was a long delay in this last chapter to my story. This being Harry's sixth year. I decided to continue his next year within this story, instead of starting a new one. Since we all know that things have changed in the real story, I will condense my story down and just add several chapters to this one, to come to a conclusion to this story. Thanks to all that have reviewed and were more than kind. DHobbit *************** SUMMARY: Hermione’s affair
Chapter Thirty-eight Going Home
Harry and Dumbledore followed Ron down to the dungeons
so he could show them what remained of Peter Pettigrew.
Dumbledore conjured a box, then magically put the bottom
half of Scabbers in the box. He waved his wand, the vomit
and blood disappeared.
Harry was unsure about his feelings about Peter’s death. It
didn’t make him feel any better. He should have felt some
sense of justice or satisfaction. Instead, it just made him feel
resigned.
Professor McGonagal walked Hermione to the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey had Hermione take a shower and put on a
hospital gown. She healed her cut on her neck. It was more
of a pinch that split the skin, than a cut, in any case, the
skin had been broken. She then administered a dreamless
sleep draught. Hermione tried to refuse it, but Madam
Pomfrey can be very resourceful when in need.
So, Hermione was out cold when they boys arrived to check
on her. Madam Pomfrey told them that she would be out
until sometime after lunch.
Ron and Harry sat in “Potter’s Corner” and ended up falling
asleep. They were not out long, before several of the
younger students, who had went to bed at a decent hour,
kicked them out. Ron’s snoring was more than they could
take. One little girl told Harry that he should get a special
award for sleeping next to Ron all these years.
Harry set is alarm for 11:30, that would give them three
hours sleep. Hopefully Hermione would be ready to leave
the hospital wing right after lunch.
When he went back down to the Common Room, Ginny was
waiting. She told Harry with her eyes that she knew
something was wrong. Harry brought out ink, quill and
parchment. He quickly wrote out a short version of what
happened in the early morning. After she read it, he tossed it
into the fire. Then he asked her out to lunch. Ron came
down and they all left for lunch together.
After they ate, Neville and Luna joined them when they went
to the hospital wing. Hermione was still sleeping. Madam
Pomfrey told them it would be a couple of hours before she
woke. So they all went to the Room of Requirements.
Harry locked the door and put up a Silencing Charm. Ron
explained to all of them what happened that morning. Ron
had only heard part of the conversation that Wormtail had
with Hermione. He had only heard the part that he wanted to
“venture”. He decided not to tell that part. He would leave
that up to Hermione if she wanted to divulge that part.
He also told them about Dumbledore not wanting Wormtail’s
death to become public, for now.
In the meantime, Hermione had woken up to an empty
hospital room. When she arrived at the Common Room,
she expected everyone to be waiting for her. Instead she
found “Potter’s Corner” empty. She was shocked and hurt.
She ran up to her dorm and lay across her bed weeping.
After they all arrived at the Common Room, Ginny and Luna
went up to Hermione’s dorm.
“Ron told us what happened. Are you feeling up to coming
down with us?” asked Ginny, as she sat on the bed next to
her. Luna was right behind her.
Hermione wanted to be reasonable but her heart was still
hurt. They were always there for GINNY when she was in
trouble, but the first time Hermione has a horrible
experience, they desert her.
They SHOULD have been gathered around her bed in the
hospital wing. They SHOULD have been holding her hand
and kissing her forehead and petting her. But they had left
her to come back to an empty Common Room.
“No. I want to be alone,” lied Hermione.
Ginny started to pet her shoulder, but Hermione flinched.
“We’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to come down,” said
Ginny, gently.
“I don’t think she really wants to be alone. I think she’s mad
at us,” said Luna, as they walked down the stairs to the
Common Room.
“Maybe or she just needs time to be alone, like she says,”
said Ginny.
“I think she’s mad,” said Luna, stopping on the stair.
“Yes, I know. I had hoped... well... she is jealous. Jealous
of me and Harry. Jealous of you and Harry and even Neville.
Jealous of anyone who is close to Ron and Harry.”
“She has always been the center of their little trio. This year
Harry has included us and Neville, so now the trio is six not
three,” said Ginny. “AND, she used to be the only girl. Now
there are three girls. She is not getting the attention from
Ron and Harry that she used to get,” said Ginny.
“Hermione doesn’t seem the jealous type,” said Luna.
“Luna, EVERYONE is the jealous type. I mean, we all get
jealous at one time or another. You’re right, some people
are more apt to be jealous than others, but it is in all of us. I
think she’s been fighting it, but she’s losing the battle,” sighed
Ginny.
“What are you going to do?” asked Luna.
“Me? Why me? I can’t DO anything. I just seem to make
her worse,” said Ginny.
“Harry?” asked Luna.
“I think Ron would be the one to turn her around,” said Ginny.
“Come on, the boys will start to get worried.”
They went back to the Common Room and told them that
Hermione wasn’t coming down.
In the meantime, while Neville had went to the loo, Ron had
told Harry about what Wormtail had tried to do to Hermione.
“She shouldn’t be up there alone,” said Harry.
“Ginny, go get her,” said Ron.
“I tried. I think I only made her worse,” said Ginny.
“You go tell her that if she don’t come down, that I’m going to
fly my broomstick to her window and break it down,” said
Ron.
Ginny flew up the stairs to Hermione’s dorm.
“Hermione, you need to come down to the Common Room
now,” said Ginny.
“I don’t feel like it,” said Hermione.
“Ron says, that if you don’t come down, he’s coming up on
his broomstick and break your window to get in,” said Ginny.
“Really?” said Hermione.
“Yes. I’m not to come down until you are with me,” said
Ginny.
When they got back down, Ginny squeezed herself in next to
Harry. She leaned in with her back against his chest. She
adjusted his arms so that they were wrapped around her.
She was not trying to gloat, she just wanted to make it
perfectly clear that Harry was hers. Besides, she loved it
when he held her like this.
Ron had risen when Hermione stepped up to the sofa. After
she sat, he sat down close beside her and put his arm
around her shoulder.
“Hermione, are you all right now?” asked Ron.
“Yes, of course I am,” said Hermione.
“We just didn’t want you to be alone for a while. Sorry we
missed you. Madam Pomfrey told us you wouldn’t be awake
for a least a couple of hours. When we went back, you had
already left,” said Ron. “So, why didn’t you want to come
down?”
“I think I just need a little time,” said Hermione.
Crookshanks jumped up on Hermione’s lap. Hermione
shivered and tossed him off.
“Get him away! I can’t stand it!” shouted Hermione.
Ginny walked over, picked up Crookshanks and began to pet
him. She brought him back to the sofa with Harry. She was
messaging his back as he purred.
“Ginny, I really don’t want to see Crookshanks at this
moment,” said Hermione, still shivering.
“I’m sorry. He doesn’t understand why you are upset,” she
said, as she carried him over to the portrait hole.
“Go take a walk, Crookshanks. Hermione doesn’t
understand,” Ginny whispered to Crookshanks.
“See? I knew you weren’t ready to be alone,” said Ron,
squeezing her shoulder.
“I’m fine! It’s just that... “
“I’m sure, once Crookshanks as digested Scabbers, she will
be just fine,” said Ginny.
“Ewwwwww!” said Ron and Harry in unison.
“Ok, change of subject!” said Harry.
Ginny returned to her former position, pushing her back
against his chest for extra comfort.
“Are you going to get to come this summer?” asked Ron. He
couldn’t say where, but they all knew.
“I suppose, after our cruise,” said Hermione.
“You’re going on a cruise?” asked Luna.
“Yes, we are going to cruise the Mediterranean for two
weeks.”
“That sounds nice. What do you DO on a cruise?” asked
Luna.
“Oh, there are lots of things to do on the ship. Swimming
and laying around at the pool. There are sports that can be
played on the ship during the day. At night there are movies,
dances and strolls along the deck,” said Hermione.
“I hope they have a library, or you will be bored out of your
mind,” said Ron, teasing.
“Actually, THIS year I don’t plan to spend any time in the
library. I was thinking more about having a romance,” said
Hermione.
“What?” said Ron.
“You know, meeting a man and... well...” she said.
“That doesn’t sound like it would make for a lasting
relationship,” said Luna.
“I’m of age now. I’m not looking for a lasting relationship. It’s
time for me to go out and well... seek some romantic
experience,” said Hermione, seriously.
Ron’s jaw dropped. He looked like he just swallowed a bug.
“I’m a woman now. I only have one year of school left
before I decide what I want to do in life. I need to start living,”
said Hermione. “I’m too old for mere school girl romances.
It’s time, I think,” she added.
There it was. Ginny knew it was something like that. She
was letting Ron and Harry know that she was free, available
and ready for love.
“Do you have someone in mind for your... romance?” asked
Ron.
“Of course not. I won’t meet him until we are out to sea,” said
Hermione, wistfully.
Neville hadn’t said a word through this whole conversation,
but he couldn’t help himself. “That’s sad,” he said.
“Sad?” questioned Hermione.
“Yes, sad,” said Harry. “I thought that YOU, of all people,
would be holding out for your TRUE love.”
“I’m not talking about LOVE. I’m talking about experience.
Harry, you’ve been raised Muggle. Haven’t you noticed that
in the wizarding world, there is nearly no mention of sex? I
mean, I’ve never heard any adult mention it. It’s like the
stone age. There are whispers in the bathrooms by students,
but so far, it’s all been childish snickers,” said Hermione.
“I was raised by the Dursleys,” said Harry.
Harry, Ron and Neville all looked at Ginny.
“What?” she asked, not knowing what they were getting at.
“Hermione was raised Muggle. Luna lost her mother very
young,” said Harry.
“Your point?” asked Ginny.
“Eh... maybe you should have a talk with them,” said Ron.
“Oh no you don’t! That is something for Mum to tell,” said
Ginny.
“There won’t be time before she goes on the cruise,” said
Ron.
“I not sure what you’re getting at, but if it’s what I THINK
you’re getting at, I don’t need any instructions from a CHILD.
I was raised Muggle. Muggles are more open about things
than Wizards. I know all about life and things,” said
Hermione. “My parents are dentists, you know.”
Ginny turned beet red and started to get up, but Harry
wrapped his arms tighter around her. “Shhhhhh don’t say a
word,” warned Harry in a whisper to her ear.
Ginny was squirming in her seat. Harry rubbed her arms
trying to soothe her. “Shhhhh, Love,” said Harry, again, in
her ear.
“Ginny! PLEASE!” pleaded Ron.
Ginny was holding her temper about as much as humanly
possible. She turned her face to Harry’s. Without saying a
word, she pleaded with him to help her out of the situation.
Harry stood up and took Ginny’s hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Aren’t you going to TELL her?” asked Ron.
“No, I’m sure one of the first or second years can tell her
about it. I’m far too childish!” said Ginny in a temper.
“You coming?” she asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Harry. He didn’t want to run out, but thought it
was the safest thing to do.
Harry quickly led her out of the castle to a reasonably private
spot. “Are you calmed down now?” he asked her.
“Not really. I’d like to Bat Bogey Hex her!”
“You don’t really mean that.”
“Oh yes I do! If you hadn’t held my arms, she’d be sporting
Bat Bogeys right now!”
Harry wrapped his arms around her. “I know, Love, I know.
You did really good, considering your Weasley temper,” he
cooed.
“Like YOU don’t have a temper,” teased Ginny.
“Me? I’m in command at all times. You never see me letting
my emotions get out of control,” teased Harry.
“Yeah, Mr. Cool.”
“That’s right.” he grinned.
“What are we going to do about her jealousy? A lot of this is
Ron’s fault!” said Ginny.
“Ron’s? Well... I mean, yeah, but he couldn’t help it. It’s
not easy trying to change from friends to... well you know.”
“I’m not talking about THAT. I’m talking about the way she
treats me,” said Ginny.
“Huh?” said Harry, clearly confused.
“ ‘Go away Ginny!’ ‘You’re too young, Ginny.’ ‘Beat it,
Ginny. etc . . .’ “ He’s always treated me like that”.
“He loves you, Gin.”
“I know, but when anyone’s around, he treats me like crap.
He doesn’t respect me, so she doesn’t respect me. She
treats me like he does, just with ‘kinder’ words, but
meaning the same thing,” complained Ginny.
“Well, I have to admit that THIS year he’s been better.
Specially since we’ve been ‘dating’. But that’s because YOU
are the one who let me in, Luna and Neville too. YOU
included us, so it’s all right. If left to Hermione or Ron, it
would still be the three of you,” added Ginny.
“So you don’t really like Hermione?” asked Harry.
“On the WHOLE I actually do. I mean, well, a little
Hermione goes a long way,” said Ginny, thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” said Harry. “But you know
that I do love her. She’s like family to me.”
“Yes, I know. She’s like family to me too. The OLDER
‘know-it-all’ sister,” said Ginny, grinning.
“It’s only since... we had that AMAZING time, that she started
getting really catty with me,” said Ginny, thoughtfully.
“Yeah, that’s when I noticed it too,” said Harry, thoughtfully.
“It was probably when you and Ron decided that I would
have a nightmare and you all stayed up with me. Babying
me,” said Ginny.
“Yeah, well... I love to BABY you,” whispered Harry.
“Actually I love when you BABY me. Well, sometimes, at
least that kind of babying.”
Harry started kissing her, as he spoke. “So, KISS, what do,
KISS, you think, KISS, we should, KISS, do?”
“It’s, KISS, working.” kissed Ginny.
“What?” kissed Harry.
“Who, KISS, cares?” kissed Ginny. They both started
grinning, which messed up their kissing. So they began to
laugh and Harry hugged her tightly.
When they got back to the Common Room, Hermione and
Ron were still sitting in “Potter’s Corner”, starring into the
unlit fire. Neville and Luna were talking quietly to each other.
Ginny went up to her dormitory leaving Harry to, in her
words, “handle it”.
Harry sat down, hoping that MAYBE the situation had already
taken care if itself.
“Well?” asked Ron.
“Well, what?” asked Harry, who knew that nothing had
changed since he and Ginny and left the room. He looked at
Hermione, who was scowling now.
“I think... well... that maybe... you and I should have a private
talk,” said Harry to Ron.
“I think that if you are going to be discussing ME, that you
should speak in front of me,” said Hermione.
Harry’s semi-plan seemed to float out the window. He
sighed.
“Hermione, would you take a walk with me?” asked Harry.
He didn’t know what he was going to say to Hermione but he
knew that he couldn’t talk freely with Ron, Luna and Neville
right there in the room, listening to every word.
Hermione stood up quickly and took Harry’s arm. He guided
her out of the Common Room and out to the grounds outside
the castle.
Harry didn’t have a clue about what he was going to say to
her. He wondered as they walked, what was the most
important thing that they should talk about. Her terrifying
experience with Wormtail? Her treatment of Ginny? Her
upcoming cruise?
They walked for over fifteen minutes and still she didn’t say
anything. He hoped that if she started talking that he would
start his conversation from whatever she introduced. She
seemed to be content just to walk with him. He felt that if
she didn’t say something soon that he was going to scream,
but he waited.
“Hermione, are you all right?” he finally said.
“Of course, I’m all right,” said Hermione.
This was getting them nowhere. He just didn’t know exactly
what to say. He MAY be able to comfort her about the
Wormtail thing, but the other two subjects were going to be
“sticky”.
“Er... so! Eh... well! ... Eh... so when were you going to go
on your cruise?” stumbled Harry.
“As soon as I get home. It’s all planned out. I’m very excited
about it,” said Hermione.
“As soon as you get home? That soon? I mean, a few days
after or right away?” asked Harry.
Hermione looked at him thoughtfully. “I believe my mother
said it was going to be a day or two. She didn’t give me the
EXACT date. Why?”
“Er... because... well... Ok... look, you need to talk to Mrs.
Weasley before you got on your cruise,” said Harry turning
crimson.
“Really! Why do you say that?” asked Hermione.
“Because... I think it is IMPORTANT. I mean, IF you are
going to spend your life in the Wizarding Community. There
are THINGS that... well... you need to learn from a witch
before you... a... well, anyway. You should talk to an adult
before you make certain decisions.”
“Oh Harry, you are so old fashioned. These are modern
times. Why don’t you just tell me?”
“Because... er... I don’t really know all the facts here. I
mean... don’t make this so hard, Hermione.”
“If you think it is THAT important, I COULD contact my
parents to see if I will have time to make arrangements to
talk to Mrs. Weasley. She may not be available, you know.”
Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for being so thoughtful, Harry. I mean, well, it
means a lot to me that you care,” said Hermione, coyly.
“Of course, I care,” said Harry.
Hermione’s face lit up. She was gently caressing Harry’s
arm.
Harry was starting to panic inside. She had gotten the wrong
idea.
“Eh... I need to get back to the castle. I REALLY need to talk
to Ron. He is VERY upset about what happened this
morning,” said Harry, rushing her along.
“He’s fine, Harry. I mean, he was very thoughtful this
morning.”
“See what I mean? That’s not normal,” said Harry, teasing.
“Oh, Harry,” giggled Hermione.
Harry moved her along very quickly, back to the castle.
As soon as they arrived in the Common Room, Harry
grabbed Ron’s arm and ushered him up to their dorm.
“That took you long enough,” said Ron.
“Too long,” said Harry.
“Sooooooo, what happened and why so long?” asked Ron.
“Well, for one thing, she wouldn’t talk.”
“Hermione? That’s got to be a first.”
“Yeah. We must have walked for fifteen or twenty minutes
without her saying a single word.”
“Blimey!” said Ron. “Did you tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“Well... you know,” said Ron.
“I didn’t TELL her anything. I just suggested that she talk to
your mum.”
“And?”
“She doesn’t have the exact date of the cruise. So we are
not sure if there is time for them to meet before then.”
“Oh,” said Ron. “What else were you talking about?”
“That’s it,” said Harry.
“You took all that time, and that’s all you talked about,” said
Ron, looking suspicious.
“I told you. She didn’t say a word for a very long time. I had
to bring up the subject of the cruise AND the talk with your
mum,” said Harry impatiently.
“Hmmmm... I have an idea. I’m going to ask Ginny to owl
your mum and ask her to contact Mrs. Granger. You know,
let THEM set up the time. I also think it’s a good idea to
include Luna and Ginny in this talk. You know, make it out
that this talk was coming anyway. OH! I know, she can tell
all of them that since Ginny and I AND Luna and Fred are
dating, that she thought it best that she had a ‘little’ talk with
them before we all are living under the same roof this
summer. What ya think?” said Harry.
“Hermione will see through that. You already asked her to
talk to Mum,” said Ron.
“Yeah. Oh! I know. Yes, we wanted Hermione to have a
talk with her, but your Mum was planning on it anyway. She
could tell Mrs. Granger that she wanted to talk to all the girls
at once so they wouldn’t be embarrassed AND she wanted
do it as soon as possible,” added Harry.
“Yeah, that might just work,” said Ron.
“Ok, I’ll have Ginny send an owl,” said Harry. “I sure hope
she will.”
“And why wouldn’t she?” asked Ron.
“You haven’t noticed that they are not... well... as friendly
lately?” asked Harry. He wanted to get Ron’s point of view
on the situation.
“Yeah, actually I did notice. What’s up with Ginny? She’s
been kinda rude to Hermione lately,” said Ron, thoughtfully.
Harry couldn’t believe it. Ginny was completely right. Ron
doesn’t see it. He only sees the part where Ginny lashes
back not the snide remarks that Hermione makes.
“Hermione has been making little snide remarks. Ginny is
getting tired of it. Lately she’s been lashing back,” said
Harry.
“She has? I guess when we aren’t around. I wonder what
Ginny’s done. I think I’ll have a talk with her about it,” said
Ron.
“Eh... Ron... I don’t think that would be a good idea right
now. Eh... I think Hermione is having a hard time right
now.”
“Of course she is, with Wormtail and all. Ginny should be
more thoughtful to Hermione’s feelings,” said Ron.
“Ron, Hermione needs more attention. We should all pay
more attention to her. Let her know that we care about her.
I was hoping that YOU would help in that department,” said
Harry, tactfully.
“Of course, I will,” said Ron.
“Good! Look, Ron, Ginny and I don’t have very much time
before end of term. I don’t know how long I’m going to have
to stay at the Dursley’s this year. So Ginny and I want to
spend as much time together as we can. If you were to eh...
you know... spend some time with Hermione... you know... so
she don’t feel left out. I’d really appreciate it,” said Harry.
“No problem,” said Ron.
“Thanks!” said Harry, as he left the room and went looking
for Ginny.
Harry and Ginny went for another walk and talked about the
letter that Ginny would write to Mrs. Weasley. They also
talked about the plan for the rest of the term. They both had
tests coming up. Ginny starts her O.W.L.s next day and
Harry starts his end of term exams.
They decided they have done all the studying they were
going to do. Before each test, they would scan their notes
and the pray that was good enough. They both had studied
very hard this year. They decided that all the last minute
studying that everyone was doing was not going to help
them, they either knew it or they didn’t.
They were going to spend their last few days at Hogwarts
together, as much as possible. And that’s exactly what they
did.
Hermione chewed out Harry for keeping Ginny from studying
but Harry just let it roll off his back.
Each day, after their tests and dinner, they took their
brooms out to the Quidditch pitch and flew together. They
would fly until they were tired, then take a walk down by the
lake and watch the giant squib. After dark, they went up to
the Common Room and did a little studying. Mostly making
out a outline of the next days subject with quick notes.
A couple of days later, Ginny got an owl from her mum telling
her that all the arrangements were made for their “talk”.
They were going to Hermione’s house, the next day after
they got home. Mrs. Granger thought it was a wonderful
idea, since Hermione would probably be spending a lot of
time with the Weasley’s this summer. With a house full of
young males and females, it couldn’t hurt to lay down some
rules.
Harry was relieved. Now he could spend his time with Ginny
and not worry about Hermione’s problem.
Ron kept his word and spent almost all his time with
Hermione. Of course, this was not really unusual because
every end of term they spent their time studying. Only THIS
year, Harry spent very little time with the last minute
studying. Luna and Neville joined in on the studying, so
Harry wasn’t missed too much.
Both Harry and Ginny felt that they were not doing bad on
their exams. Perhaps they would not get 100% but they both
felt they were doing fine.
The days went by quickly. The day of their departure for
home was upon them. So with trunks packed, they left for
the station.
The train ride back to King’s Cross was spent eating goodies
from the food cart and playing Exploding Snap and Wizard
Chess. About a half an hour before they were to arrive,
Ginny started fidgeting. Harry had put his arm around her
shoulder and was squeezing her close. He whispered sweet
things in her ear. They both were dreading their separation.
When the train stopped, Luna, Neville, Ron and Hermione
stood up and started gathering their things. As they left the
compartment, Harry told them he would be with them
shortly. He closed the door and pulled the shade. He held
Ginny and kissed her with all his heart. Her eyes brimmed
with tears that he kissed away. They only had a couple of
minutes left. He held her tight and kissed her again. It was
time to leave. He pulled her along and off the train.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there to take her in their arms.
Fred and Tonks were there also. Fred greeted Luna with a
big hug.
Tonks told Harry that Lupin couldn’t make it. He understood
and told her to tell him that they would meet soon as it was
possible to get out of the Dursley’s.
Arthur greeted Harry with a big hug and promised he would
do the best he could to get Harry out as soon as possible.
Harry was pleased that it was becoming comfortable to be
around Mr. Weasley again.
“Molly Dear!” exclaimed Harry. He took her in his arms and
kissed her cheek. He gave her an extra hug before letting
go.
Hermione’s parents were waiting there. He crossed over and
shook hands with them.
All their trunks and cages were set out and put on carts.
Harry gave Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna a hug. Then
he took Ginny in his arms again. He held her for a couple of
minutes. He didn’t want to let go, but he did.
He watched as the Weasley’s walked away. Arthur was
holding Ginny around her shoulder and squeezing her arm as
they walked away.
Harry stood there on the platform watching.
* * * *
Chapter 39: Chap 39 - The Gift
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Mrs. Weasely’s Talk ---------------
Chapter Thirty-nine - The Gift
Ginny, Luna and Mrs. Weasley took a Portkey to the
Granger’s home. Molly had had a long talk with Mrs.
Granger prior to today. Everything was planned out,
including their arrival by Portkey at the back door.
Mrs. Granger ushered them into her spotless ultra modern
kitchen. Molly watched wordlessly as Mrs. Granger made
tea and biscuits for all of them. With all the modern
conveniences, she did it almost as fast as if she would have
used magic. They decided that the dining room would be a
better place for their talk. Mrs. Granger was to join in the
discussion. She had previously talked to Molly about it and
was curious about the magical part of the discussion.
After sipping tea and a few bites of her almond biscuit, Molly
explained to the girls all about their anatomy and the various
functions. She explained that she knew that they probably
already knew all of this. But just in case someone had a
question, she could straighten them out on it. She secretly
wondered exactly what Luna knew about all this. Luna’s
father had been a bit eccentric, to say the least. She had no
idea how and what Luna knew. That part of the discussion
went quite smoothly.
She warmed her tea and had another biscuit before tackling
the male anatomy and all it’s functions. There were only a
few giggles, so all and all that part went quite smoothly too.
“Since we are mammals, it is in our makings that we
reproduce. That’s why we have hormones. Hormones often
control our emotions. Our hormones are often very stupid.
It is up to our brain and heart to keep our hormones in check.
Thankfully the female’s control is stronger than the male’s.
We have to be the strong ones,” said Molly.
“Oh, Mrs. Weasley! Men and women are equal. This is a
new age and the times have changed,” said Hermione.
“No, the sexes are NOT equal. We are equals in some
ways, a balance if you choose to call it. The male body is
stronger. It always was and always will be. Men were
designed to do the heavy physical work. Women were
designed to be the care givers. We bear the young and take
care of them and our men.”
“Women are stronger when it comes to control of our
desires. Women have more control than men do. Women’s
desires are slower to rise than men’s. I’m not saying in every
instance, but on the whole. So it is up to the female to keep
the situation in check,” said Molly.
“We don’t need to keep ourselves ‘in check’ any more, these
are modern times,” said Hermione.
“It’s always modern times, when you live in them. Things
have not changed that much since we became civilized. In
our culture, we have certain duties that we have to attend
to. We must educate ourselves and then find employment to
make a living.”
“Our bodies mature before our minds are fully educated.
That is a flaw in our society that we have to live with. I think it
is time to talk about the differences between Muggle and
Wizard kind.”
“Firstly, love and lust are the strongest magic in the world.
They are so strong that even Muggles possess them.”
“Oh really! Love isn’t magic. It is part of all of us,” said
Hermione.
“Awwwww until you really have been ‘in love’, you would
think that is so, but it is truly magic... magic in its rawest
form. It is hard to describe love. We all feel it for people
around us, our family and friends. We love. But to be ‘in
love’. In love (in our case) with a man, it is different.”
“Love is so complicated that I don’t think anyone has ever
really been able to describe it. It is the same, yet different in
each of us. We don’t really know WHY we fall in love with
someone. We just know that we do.”
“Anyway, in the Wizarding world, there is yet another layer
to love. It is our magic. In the Wizarding world, we have
another tool to help us find the one for us. Our magic,” said
Molly as she poured her another cup of tea.
“What does our magic have to do with love?” asked
Hermione.
“Our magic must also be compatible with our man’s magic.
At Hogwarts it is a bit harder to see how it works. There is so
much magic concentrated there that it clouds things. Only
the strongest love sorts itself out there.”
“Usually you only can sort out who is not compatible. I’m
talking about man and woman kind of love. Not friendship
love.”
“You may have noticed that there are certain Wizards and
Witches that attract love to them. Their magic is compatible
with many people. No explaining, it’s just there.”
“My children all have it. They ALL have strong magic. So it
is difficult to tell in our home too,” said Molly.
“Mrs. Weasley, of course you would think that,” said
Hermione, teasing.
“No, Hermione. They DO. ALL of them,” said Molly,
laughing.
“I’m not bragging. I am stating fact,” said Molly, seriously.
“Not Percy,” said Ginny.
“Yes, even Percy. He didn’t get eleven O.W.L.s for nothing!
He’s got it. How he chooses to use it... let’s not talk about
Percy right now,” said Molly.
“Sorry,” said Ginny.
Molly took another sip of tea and smiled at Ginny to show
that she forgave her.
“There are ways of sensing the amount of magic a person
has. In Hogwarts, there is too much magic to feel it in one
person, but outside of Hogwarts you can judge it for yourself.
When you are in the presence of someone with strong
magic, you can feel it.”
“When we have all the boys and Ginny sitting at the dinner
table, the magic is so strong that you can’t distinguish it.
How do you think that I can tell Fred and George apart? It’s
their magic,” said Molly, smiling.
“I can tell them apart.” said Luna. “They feel different and of
course, Fred is far more handsome.”
“It’s their magic,” said Molly. “Each person’s magic is
different. Have you ever noticed that you know which one
you are talking to when they are separate? It’s when they
are together that it is more difficult.”
“You’re right!” said Hermione. “If they are not together, and I
talk to one of them, I know who it is.”
“Yes! Their magic is compatible with each other, so it kind
of blends together when they are standing close to each
other. Of course, if they are too far away you can’t
distinguish it every well either. But when one walks up to
you, you know which one it is, after you’ve known them a
bit.”
“Muggle twins are the opposite. Usually if they are side by
side you can tell them apart. It’s when they are separate that
you have trouble telling which one they are,” said Molly.
“Oh! This is so interesting!” said Hermione.
Molly smiled.
“Ok! So my point. Some magic attracts other magic. I’m not
saying that Wizards or Witches can not love a Muggle. I’m
not talking about ALL cases, but in MOST cases, your
magic can help you. Help you choose or at least eliminate
those that would not be compatible with you.”
“I mentioned MY children because they all have strong
magic. Harry is another one with strong magic. They all
have more people attracted to them than normal Wizards.
But just because the magic is strong, does not mean that it is
compatible,” said Molly.
“I agree.” said Luna. “I can tell that George and I are not
compatible. I LIKE him but he feels different. It’s almost like
a smell, but not exactly. Fred changes after shave all the
time. George sometimes wears the same one, but it’s
different. I wondered what that meant.”
“Yes, it is like a smell,” said Molly.
“OH!” said Ginny.
“What?” asked Molly.
“Nothing,” said Ginny.
“Ginny, what?” asked Molly.
“Well, Harry mentioned that... I have a smell... a taste,” said
Ginny, blushing.
“Yes. It is like that. A smell, a taste , it’s another similar
sense that we have. I wish I could explain it better. It is the
magic. I knew right away that Arthur was meant for me.”
“Harry, Ron and Neville are the most popular boys in school.
If that is true, why Neville?” asked Hermione.
“Neville has strong magic. I thought that I was wrong about
him. I couldn’t figure it out. I could feel his strong magic, but
he wasn’t performing like someone with strong magic. But of
course, you all figured it out and I was right,” said Molly,
satisfied.
“Neville is also very likable. He is very thoughtful and nice.
Everybody loves Neville,” said Ginny.
“You?” asked Hermione.
“Yes! I love Neville. Always have. The one who chooses
Neville will be a very lucky lady,” said Ginny.
“So why haven’t YOU dated him?” asked Hermione.
“I did,” said Ginny.
“When?” asked Hermione.
“Third year,” said Ginny.
“Oh THAT. That was only a date to the Yule Ball,” said
Hermione.
“You don’t know everything,” said Ginny, with a tone of
finality.
“So that means that all of us have dated Neville. I didn’t
realize how popular he really is,” said Luna.
“And WE aren’t the only ones,” said Ginny.
They all laughed.
“When Ginny said the lady who chooses Neville will be lucky,
that is not completely correct,” said Molly.
“I think that Neville will be doing the choosing,” she added.
“Is anyone hungry?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“Yes!” they all said.
“Hold on for a few minutes and I will make sandwiches,” said
Mrs. Granger.
“I’ll do it,” said Hermione. I’m of age now, so I can use
magic.”
Hermione went to the kitchen and was back in a couple of
minutes with a full tray of sandwiches, crisps and drinks.
They all dug in.
“As I was saying, Neville will probably be doing the
choosing, as all my boys will,” said Molly, thoughtfully.
Luna and Hermione looked at her quizzically.
“Normally it’s the women who do the choosing. Most times
men don’t have a clue. It is up to US to show them who they
really want,” said Molly. Mrs. Granger nodded in agreement.
“But WE have to wait around for them to ask us,” said
Hermione.
“Yes, but they don’t know who to ask unless we teach them.
I’m sorry to say that the younger males are often pretty thick,”
said Molly. “Anyway, it sounds like Neville will definitely be
doing the choosing,” she added.
“Why?” asked Hermione.
“Because he has been dating quite a bit. Even at a young
age AND he has been dating quality girls, not trash. Yes!
He is learning exactly what kind of woman he will marry,”
said Molly.
“You think that Neville is shopping for a wife?” asked
Hermione, incredulously.
“No, of course not, he is looking for a girlfriend right now.
But he is learning what kind of girl he needs. When he finds
one that fits all his needs, but only if she is exactly what he
needs, he will choose her,” she added.
“Since you seem to have a longer life span, wouldn’t you
marry later in life?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“Usually, yes. But in times of war, we don’t always wait as
long. Once we become engaged and are SURE of our
partner, we sometimes marry earlier. Arthur and I did, but
we KNEW we were made for each other. There was no
doubt,” said Molly.
“Young men your age are too young to marry, but it’s not too
soon to start looking. Of course, when they start dating,
they don’t really KNOW that they are looking for a wife. They
only know that they are attracted to females. By dating
different ones, they learn the type of woman that they will
one day want to marry. Then they will choose.”
“Like Harry,” said Luna.
“What do you mean, like Harry?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“Harry has chosen,” said Luna.
“You don’t know that,” said Hermione.
“Nobody knows my brother like I do. He has chosen,” said
Luna.
“What makes you think that?” asked Molly.
“I just know,” said Luna, dreamily.
Hermione rolled her eyes. This time Luna caught her.
“I’ve watched Harry all year. He has been more miserable
than in his whole life. He tried so hard not to fall in love, but
he failed,” said Luna.
“Harry was miserable because he over-worked himself,”
said Hermione.
“No, actually, being over-worked helped him with his
problem. When he worked himself to exhaustion, he didn’t
think about Ginny as much,” said Luna.
“I watched him fight it for most of the year. I watched him
look at all the other girls, trying to see if there was one that
would distract him from Ginny. I watched him TRY very hard
to keep away from her. But things kept happening that
forced him to spend time with her. He was fighting a losing
battle,” said Luna.
Ginny sat amazed, with an open mouth.
“So he spent most of the year doing homework alone.
Studying. He worked on his lessons for D.A. alone. He
worked until he was exhausted before he came back to the
Common Room each night. That is partly my fault. I was
studying with Ginny. We did most of our studying in the
Common Room. So to avoid seeing Ginny, he studied
alone. But he would get lonely, so sometimes he would
study in the Common Room. But he couldn’t study because
he spent most of his mind on trying not to look at Ginny,”
said Luna.
Tears were welling up in Ginny’s eyes.
“He didn’t want to fall in love with Ginny,” said Luna.
“Why?” asked Hermione.
“Because of Ronald and Voldemort... and the rest of the
Weasley’s,” added Luna.
“If that’s true, what about Lisa? There was something going
on with Harry and Lisa,” said Hermione, feeling a bit more
confident.
“Yes, something happened between Harry and Lisa. I think
she cornered him once. Maybe he thought that he could
forget about Ginny or something, but it didn’t work. At the
ball he felt guilty about her. I think he had kissed her and
regretted it. She was hinting that something happened
between them, but I could be wrong. Anyway, she wasn’t
who he wanted,” said Luna.
“So if Harry was being noble again, why is he dating Ginny
now?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t know. I think maybe Ronald must have said
something that made him think it was ok to date Ginny. It
was very sudden,” said Luna, thoughtfully. “But he’s never
been happier. He loves Ginny. He will never love anyone
like he loves her. He has chosen her,” she added.
Molly and Ginny made eye contact. They both knew that
Luna was too close to the mark.
There was a silent pause before Molly continued.
“You are at the age that you will be looking at young men, it’s
human nature. You should date as many young men as you
can, to find the perfect man for you. You should take your
time and be very very careful about your choices. In the
Wizarding world you court very a very long time. At least a
year and most times two,” said Molly.
“Why?” asked Mrs. Granger. “I mean, that is a very long
time.”
“Because of ‘the gift’,” said Molly, smiling.
“The gift?” asked Hermione.
“All Witches are born with ‘the gift’. When we marry we give
this gift to our husbands. It is a bit of power.”
“Power?” asked Luna.
“Yes, it is held within our body. When we consummate our
marriage, it is released from our body and accepted into our
husbands body.”
“How much power? You mean we would have less power
once we marry?” asked Hermione.
“It depends on the Witch. We never know exactly how much.
It is only a bit, but enough to make a difference to our
husbands. And no, we don’t have less power afterwards.
It’s like a bit of power that is held in a pocket. Power we
never use or ever will,” said Molly.
“What kind of power? What does it do?”
“It is raw power. I guess you could say that it enhances the
power the Wizard already has.”
“That’s hard to believe,” said Hermione.
“I know. It sounds impossible, but it is true. And our
Wizards appreciate our ‘gift’. So much, that most Wizards
will not marry a Witch that is not pure. They value it so
much that if any Wizard who is violates a Witch, without her
permission, receives a life sentence in Azkaban. In some
cases of severe violence, the “kiss” is performed. Well,
now that the dementors have left Azkaban I suppose it would
only be a life sentence,” said Molly, thoughtfully.
“Oh!” said Hermione. She put her hand to her mouth in
shock.
“Now you see why we are so careful about who we marry.
We only want to give “the gift” to the man we marry. We can
only give it once,” said Molly.
Hermione and Luna sat there in shock.
“Why didn’t you tell me before? I can’t believe I didn’t know
this,” said Hermione.
“To be honest, I didn’t think about it. Mothers tell their girls
around the time they learn the facts of life,” said Molly.
“Why haven’t I learned this at Hogwarts? There are many
Witches that are Muggle born there. How are they going to
know?” asked Hermione, outraged.
“I really don’t know. I think it may be like religion. Hogwarts
is not allowed to teach religion. That is up to your parents,”
said Molly.
“Hermione, you’ve spent most of your time with boys. So
that I’m sure THAT subject never came up,” said Mrs.
Granger.
“Harry and Ron probably don’t even know about ‘the gift’,
said Molly. “Arthur plans to talk to the boys as soon as Harry
gets back.”
“Why?” asked Luna.
“Because we have young ladies living together with young
men under the same roof. Arthur feels that there needs to be
some rules laid out. He feels responsible for both of you
when you are living under his roof. In this case, he is the
father of the young men. They need to know what is
acceptable and what is not,” said Molly.
“What you girls do or how you conduct your lives elsewhere
is up to you. But he will not allow his sons to compromise
you. They need to know the facts,” added Molly.
“I think they know,” said Ginny.
“Really? I don’t think that Arthur has talked to them about
that. Of course, I could be wrong.”
“They know,” said Ginny.
“Ron?” asked Molly.
“Definitely. That’s why I asked you to have this talk before
Hermione arrives at the house, instead of waiting,” said
Ginny.
“Harry wanted me to know, but was too embarrassed to tell
me,” said Hermione.
“It was Ron who insisted that you be told, not Harry. Of
course he agreed, but it was Ron who insisted,” said Ginny.
“ ’Course Ron didn’t have the nerve to tell you, himself.
Notice HE didn’t do the telling. He wanted me tell you.
Course you didn’t want ME to tell you. Then, he thought
Harry should tell you, but Harry felt it wasn’t his place. So
that left it up to Mum,” said Ginny.
“Ron?” asked Hermione.
“Yes,” said Ginny.
“I’m sorry, Ginny,” said Hermione. “I had no idea. What
about you, Luna?” asked Hermione.
“I didn’t know about ‘the gift’, but I knew that we should
remain caste before marriage. Daddy told me that,” said
Luna.
* * * *
Chapter 40: Chap 40 - Ultimate Insult
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry is insulted. -- Harry’s hit in the chest by flames. ---------------
Chapter Forty Ultimate Insult
Harry stood watching most of the people he loves walking
away loaded with trunks and cages.
He now had to face his annual torture with the Dursleys.
Uncle Vernon was nowhere in sight, neither were Aunt
Petunia or Dudley. They must be late. Harry found a bench
and sat waiting for at least five minutes. Then he decided
that they were probably in the car park waiting. Thinking that
they now have decided that he was not worth walking all the
way into the station for, he rushed out to find them. He knew
that they would not have much patience and there would be
hell to pay if he kept them waiting long.
No Dursleys. He stood around for a while before deciding to
sit on his trunk to wait. Perhaps they had a flat tire on the
way or something. After forty-five minutes he went back into
the station to make sure he hadn’t crossed paths and missed
them. No Dursleys. He went back to the car park and waited
some more.
It was dark, but not cold. He checked with the station
information to see if there was a message for him. No.
After two hours of waiting he decided to telephone them.
Their telephone was out of service.
“Fine!” he growled.
He checked his money he didn’t have enough Muggle money
for a bus or taxi. The Knight Bus! Yes! He had enough
Wizard money for that. So he went back to the car park and
raised his wand, hoping they would get his signal. Sure
enough a big purple bus appeared.
Stan Shunpike opened the door to greet him. He looked the
same with his acne filled face. “Neville! I mean ‘arry! It’s
good to see you again,” said Stan. “Look Ern, look who’s
here. It’s ‘arry Potter!”
Stan helped Harry load his trunk and Hedwig’s cage. Hedwig
was not happy and squawked angrily.
“Where to?” asked Stan.
“Little Whinging,” said Harry. He decided to have them drop
him off at the park a few blocks from the Dursley’s.
Stan sat down beside Harry and whispered. “Ya know, ‘arry,
I read all ‘bout what happened last year in the Daily Prophet.
I just want choo ta know that me and Ern, here, will do
anything to help ya out defeatin’ You-Know-Who. All ya gotta
do is say the word.”
“Don’t believe everything you read in the Daily Prophet, Stan.
But yes, if I need help, I’ll let you know,” said Harry.
Harry didn’t think Stan would be anyone he could trust
keeping a secret, but it was good to know that IF he needed
help and if it wasn’t too dangerous, that Stan could be called
upon.
Just as Harry’s stomach was about to heave from the jostling
about, they were there. Stan helped Harry unload his trunk
and cage. “Thanks Stan,” said Harry.
“Don’t forget, call on me and Ern any time, ‘arry,” said Stan.
“Right! Thanks Stan,” said Harry.
As Harry walked along the dark streets back to number four,
Privet Drive, he thought about Stan and Ern. Ern never
spoke much, but Stan, always the talker, really surprised
Harry. For Stan to offer to help was a very brave thing for
him to do. It was nice to know there really were people out
there who would risk themselves to help.
Riddle was still building his army and killing without remorse.
He had to be stopped.
When Harry arrived at Privet Drive, his stomach was
rumbling. He hoped that Aunt Petunia would let him eat. He
sighed.
Number four was dark. There were no lights shining from
ANY window. They usually left the kitchen light on when they
left the house empty at night. He knocked on the front door,
but got no answer. Uncle Vernon’s car was not parked in
the driveway. He pulled his trunk and Hedwig’s cage to the
back door and knocked. No answer.
He tried looking through the windows, but all was dark. The
door was locked. It was getting late and it was spooky in the
back yard. Harry decided to Apparate to his room. It was
dark in his room but there was enough light from outside
street lamps to see that the room was empty.
COMPLETELY EMPTY. No little desk against the window,
with a lamp. No bed. Not even Dudley’s broken stuff.
Harry risked a Lamos spell with his wand. EMPTY. Using
his wand for light, he went downstairs. The house was
empty. No furniture, no pictures on the walls. NOTHING.
He went into the kitchen to find it empty too, except a piece
of paper on the counter.
BOY -
After all the funny business you’ve pulled since New Year’s,
did you really think we would be here? We gave you
everything and this is how you repay us.
We’ve moved. Don’t bother looking for us. You are not
welcome. You’ve never been welcome. See how you like it
on your own.
You’ve never been anything but a thorn in our side.
Vernon Dursley
He re-read the note several times. What was he talking
about “all the funny business you’ve pulled” ? He’d been at
school. What did Uncle Vernon think he did? Whatever it
was could be nothing compared to what he would like to
have done.
Harry went back upstairs to collect his trunk and Hedwig.
He’d had enough! So Uncle Vernon finally gave him the
ultimate insult. He moved away without telling him where
they went. “FINE!” he said out loud. He didn’t want to be
HERE anyway! “FINE!” He was going “home”.
He didn’t know exactly how it would work with Apparating to
number twelve, Grimmauld Place, he wasn’t of age yet, so
he didn’t know if he was the legal owner of the place yet. If
he could find it and if he could get in. He decided to
Apparate to outside number eleven then walk over to
number twelve. He could see it, so he knocked.
Winky opened the door. “Harry Potter, sir! Winky didn’t
expect you. Come in. Come in,” said Winky.
“Hello Winky! said Harry, as he sat down his trunk and
Hedwig’s cage in the Entrance Hall. It was very quiet and the
lights were low.
“Come give me a hug,” said Harry, grabbing her up. Winky
was beaming.
“It seems very quiet. Where is everybody?”
“I is not knowing, Harry Potter.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t the Weasleys all get here a few
hours ago?”
“No, Harry Potter. I is the only one here. Are you hungry,
Harry Potter?”
“Starving. Is there food?”
“There is plenty. I will go make food for Harry Potter.”
Harry opened Hedwig’s cage and let her out to hunt before
he made his way to the kitchen. Winky was preparing him a
huge sub sandwich. Harry found a butterbeer in the cooler
and sat at the table. What a night! No Dursleys and now no
Weasleys. His stomach lurched, he already missed Ginny.
Harry wolfed down his sandwich. He didn’t realize just how
hungry he was. The butterbeer hit the spot too.
“Winky, sit down and tell me about the Weasleys,” said
Harry. He was starting to fade. It had been a long day.
“I is not knowing, Harry Potter.”
“They must have told you something when they left,” said
Harry.
“No, sir, Harry Potter,” said Winky.
“When was the last time you saw them?” asked Harry.
“A few days, I think,” said Winky.
“DAYS?” asked Harry, raising his voice in astonishment.
“I is sorry, Harry Potter,” said Winky, starting to get upset.
“I’m sorry, Winky. Don’t worry about it. They must have
made plans that I don’t know about. They’ll probably show
up tomorrow.”
Harry went up to his room that he shared with Ron and
crashed on the bed.
The next morning as Harry was dressing, he opened the
wardrobe where he had stuck Phineas Nigellus’ portrait.
“Potter, what are you doing here? Does Dumbledore know
where you are?”
“No. Could you please go to his office and tell him where I
am?” asked Harry.
“What do you think I am, a messenger boy?”
“No sir. I thought you would want to do a favor for
Dumbledore. If you don’t want to, that will be fine,” said
Harry.
“All right. All right. Since you said please, at least you’re
showing some respect, but I don’t think he is in his office.”
“Then please leave a message with the other portraits for
when he gets back,” said Harry, with patience.
“Oh! All right!”
Winky was waiting for him in the kitchen. Breakfast was
ready except for the eggs and toast, which she started as
soon as he walked in.
After Harry had stuffed himself to satisfaction, Winky asked
him: “Harry Potter, you are coming of age in July?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Winky thinks that Harry Potter should sleep in the master
bedroom. All proper masters of the house sleep in the
master bedroom.”
Harry grinned. “So, you think that that is important?”
“Yes, Harry Potter. I’s been making plans for your master
bedroom, but I has been waiting for Harry Potter to come
home to approve plans,” said Winky, with a twinkle in her
eye.
Harry followed Winky upstairs to the end of the hall to the
master bedroom.
“I has taken everything out. This is the proper bedroom for
Harry Potter.”
Harry looked at the empty room. It very large for a bedroom.
There was gray worn wallpaper on the walls and outlines on
the wooden floor where throw rugs and rested for probably
decades.
There were three windows, two of them were in the far right
back corner and another window on the right wall.
“What furniture is you be wanting? There is all kinds of
bedroom furniture in this house. It needs cleaning and
shined for Harry Potter.”
Winky took him upstairs to look in the several bedrooms that
had furniture in them. He choose a cherry wood bedroom
suite for his new bedroom. Winky assured him that she
would restore it to almost new.
She showed him several swatches for curtains and bedding.
He picked out what he liked and left it for Winky to put it all
together. Winky was in heaven.
Harry unpacked his trunk and took all his books on Charms
and Transfiguration down to the Living Room. He planned to
go through every spell in his books, starting from his first
year up to the present. Not all spells could be cast without a
wand, but he was determined to learn to do it with as many
as possible. He was going to teach Ginny this summer too.
So he spent the next few days going over the spells and
making them work wandless. Some evenings he spent time
going over songs that Mr. Weasley had left in the Defense
Room. The days were passing with no sign of anyone from
the Order. He was tempted to send Hedwig to find the
Weasleys, but he kept thinking they would show up at any
time now.
The days turned to weeks. Then one day, as he sat on the
sofa of the Living Room, studying, he heard someone in the
Entrance Hall. It was Snape.
“Potter, what are you doing here?”
“I LIVE here.”
“You’re not supposed to be HERE. Does Dumbledore know
you are here?”
“I sent word. Where IS everybody?”
Snape briskly turned and left.
“Nice to see you too,” said Harry, sarcastically. Then went
back to his books.
A while later he heard familiar voices coming from the
Entrance Hall. It was Arthur and Molly Weasley.
“Hi ! Where you all been?” asked Harry, smiling broadly.
Then a streak of flames hit him in the chest. It was Ginny.
She wrapped her arms around his chest. She held on with
determination, as though she would never let go. Harry
wrapped his arms around her.
“Hello, Love,” said Harry.
“Harry,” she sighed.
About that time Ron, Luna and Snape appeared in the Hall.
“Hi, Ron, Luna,” said Harry over the top of Ginny’s head
that came just below his chin.
“Where’s Lupin?” asked Harry to the room.
“He’s on assignment, you stupid boy,” said Snape.
Harry glared at him. There was tension in the room.
“I haven’t been called ‘stupid boy’ in months now,” said
Harry, tensely.
Ignoring Snape, Harry asked: “Where’s everybody been?
Why haven’t there been any Order meetings?”
“How long have you been here? Does Dumbledore know
where you are?” asked Arthur.
“Thank you for contacting the Weasleys. We were just about
to have lunch. Would you care to join us?” Harry asked
Snape with a mock inviting voice.
Snape briskly turned and headed for the door. Arthur
followed and thanked him for contacting them. He also
re-invited him to lunch. Snape made some sort of snort and
left.
The tension left the room immediately.
“Harry, how long have you been here?” asked Arthur.
“A couple of weeks. Since we got back from the train. The
Dursleys moved,” said Harry, still holding Ginny.
“WHAT?” said Molly. “The Dursleys moved?”
“Yep! There wasn’t a thing in the house. It was dark and
empty. They left a note telling me they moved and not to
come looking for them. So I came here. I thought everyone
would be here, but only Winky was here. She didn’t know
where everyone was. I reckoned there would be an Order
meeting any time, so I waited it out.”
“They moved? Just like that? Why didn’t Mrs. Figg inform
us?” asked Arthur.
“Mrs. Figg! I forgot about her! I could have went to her
house. She probably knew where everyone was. Where
WERE you?” asked Harry.
“The Burrow,” said Ginny.
“The Burrow? But it burnt down,” said Harry, confused. He
was still standing in the center of the hall with his arms
around Ginny.
“We re-built. We were going to surprise you,” said Arthur.
“I’m surprised,” said Harry. “Is everyone going to stay for
lunch?”
“Yes!” they said.
All but Harry and Ginny headed for the kitchen.
“I’ll bring your lunch to the Living Room. You and Ginny may
have a few quiet moments together,” said Molly, giving Ron
a stern look.
Ron slowly followed Molly to the end of the hallway. He
paused at the top of the stairs leading down to the kitchen.
He looked over to watch Harry and Ginny. He watched as
Harry caressed Ginny’s cheek, then gently kissed her.
They walked hand in hand into the Living Room before Ron
headed down to the kitchen. He was confused about his
feelings. It felt weird seeing his best friend kiss his sister.
But it also didn’t quite seem “right” for some reason. There
was something strange about their relationship. He shook
his head and continued down the stairs. The smell of food
quickly took his mind off Harry and Ginny.
Harry waved his hand and all the books that were scattered
around the sofa neatly shuffled themselves into a pile.
Standing before the sofa, he pulled her close for a big hug.
Their eyes were shining with excitement at seeing each
other, then Harry gave Ginny another kiss. This one was a
much deeper and longer kiss. They sat down on the sofa.
Harry put a pillow up to his chest and pulled Ginny back
against it. He then wrapped his arms around her.
Ginny asked him about the books and his wandless magic.
He quickly told her about what he was doing. Then
they sat in silence just enjoying each other’s presence.
He could smell Ginny’s hair, it seemed to overpower him. He
moved her hair to the side and kissed her neck below her
ear. He slowly kissed her neck all the way to the end of her
shoulder. When he reached her shoulder, Ginny turned to
face him.
They looked into each other’s eyes and kissed. It was a long
slow kiss that lasted forever... until they heard a sound. They
separated, smiling.
Molly was in the Entrance Hall, making more noise that was
necessary to bring their lunch. Harry knew that she did this
so that they would have warning of her arrival.
Harry rose and gave Molly a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you
a proper greeting, Molly Dear,” said Harry.
Winky popped in with a couple of bottles of butterbeer. Harry
opened them and handed one to Ginny.
“I‘ve really missed you, but at least I had my butterbeer to
help me through the rough times,” said Harry.
“With butterbeer in the house, I’m surprised you missed me
at all,” said Ginny, teasing.
“Well... I DO love my butterbeer,” said Harry, grinning.
Ron and Luna entered the room. Both holding their
sandwiches and a glasses of pumpkin juice. Harry rose and
gave both of them a hug.
“How’s Fred? Did you get to see him since school let out?”
he asked Luna.
“Fred is perfect,” said Luna, smiling.
Harry smiled and sat down beside Ginny. He picked up a
sandwich, then held it for Ginny to take a bite.
“I can’t believe that the Dursleys moved without us knowing.
Arthur went to Mrs. Figg’s house to see what he could find
out,” said Molly.
“The house is empty. I think it would have been hard for
them to move without anyone noticing. Maybe they moved
the day before. I don’t know. The note wasn’t dated,” said
Harry, then taking a bite from their sandwich, then holding it
for Ginny to take another bite.
“I can’t believe that we didn’t notice that the Dursleys were
not at the station. I’m so sorry, Harry. This is the first time
they didn’t show up, and we didn’t even NOTICE! There is
no excuse,” said Molly, sadly.
“Don’t worry about it, Molly Dear. No harm done. I’m
perfectly fine,” said Harry.
“That is beside the point. You should never have been left at
that station without an escort. We just got caught up with
getting everyone home to The Burrow for the surprise. What
will Dumbledore think of us? This is terrible!” said Molly.
“Calm down, Molly Dear. No harm done,” repeated Harry.
“So where is everybody? Why weren’t there any Order
meetings?” asked Harry.
“Everyone is out on assignment, everyone but us. With this
lot all coming home, we were assigned just to take care of
them until Dumbledore thought it was safe for you to join us.
Oh dear, I need to find out what is going on with Mrs. Figg.
Maybe something happened to her. Excuse me, while I go
check,” said Molly. She got up and rushed out of the room.
“So, what’s The Burrow like?” asked Harry to anyone in the
room, taking another bite of their sandwich.
“It’s ok,” said Ron. “Everything is new.”
“Mum is pretending that she loves it,” said Ginny, taking the
last bite of the sandwich.
“Pretending?” asked Harry.
Ginny washed down her sandwich with a sip of butterbeer.
“Dad is very proud of the house. He has been trying to make
it better than before, but it just isn’t the same. It’s too new.
It doesn’t feel like home.”
“I like it,” said Luna.
“It’s ok. It’s nice to have new things for a change,” said Ron.
“But it doesn’t have any personality. I can’t believe I miss the
ghoul in the attic,” added Ron, shaking his head.
Since he and Ginny didn’t want any more food, he adjusted
the pillow, then Ginny lay herself against it. Harry wrapped
his arms around her.
“So! What did the note say?” asked Ron. Harry reached
into his pocket and pulled out the note. Actually it was up in
his room, he had wandlessly summoned it.
“Blimey! That’s cold. What does ‘all the funny business
you’ve pulled since New Year’s’ mean?”
“I have no idea,” said Harry.
Ron handed the note to Luna who read it, paled and passed
it to Ginny. Ginny’s eyes welled with tears.
“Don’t let it bother you, Love. I’m used to it,” said Harry,
when he noticed how upset Ginny was.
“Nobody gets ‘used’ to being treated like this,” she said.
“I’m not bothered. I was glad they weren’t there. I hate
staying with them. Don’t be upset, Ginny.”
“Why would they hurt you like that?” Ginny sniffled.
“They didn’t hurt me. I learned a long time ago not to be hurt
by them. I do get angry sometimes, like I do with Snape,
but I just don’t care,” he said. But it really did hurt
sometimes. He just didn’t want to admit it, not even to
himself.
“As to why, I think Aunt Petunia was jealous of my Mum.
Anyway, they didn’t get along. Aunt Petunia is paranoid
about magic. She married a man who has the same feelings
about it. They have a ‘thing’ about things being ‘normal’. So
when my parents were murdered, they felt that they
deserved it. Then I was dropped on their door step. They
didn’t want me, so they feel justified in blaming me for
anything that goes wrong. They blame me because they
feel that they were forced to raise me.”
“Like me,” said Luna.
“You weren’t dropped on any door step,” said Harry.
“No, I was dropped in your kitchen,” said Luna, thoughtfully.
“That is entirely different. You were invited. I wanted you for
my sister. It felt right, for some reason,” said Harry.
“You chose me to be your sister, like you chose Ron and
Hermione to be your best friends and Ginny to be your
woman,” said Luna.
“Exactly!” said Harry. “Well I’m not sure about choosing
Ginny. I think she chose me,” added Harry.
“No. YOU chose me. Don’t you remember?” said Ginny.
Harry thought for a moment. “You chose me first, then I
chose you. Actually I think we chose each other,” said
Harry, smiling.
“Are you SURE you didn’t do anything since the first of the
year?” asked Ron, who wanted to get off the subject of who
chose who.
“I haven’t done a thing. I been at school. How was I
supposed to do anything from there? Anyway, they always
blame me for stuff. If anything is not going their way, I
always get the blame. It’s no big deal,” said Harry.
“So what you lot been doing at The Burrow?” asked Harry.
“Not much. I been riding my new broom and playing my
guitar.” said Ron.
“I been spending my time thinking about Fred,” said Luna.
“But now that you’re back, maybe we can stay here and I
can go through some old issues of the Quibbler.”
“And you? What you been doing, other than crying your eyes
out because you missed me? “ Harry asked Ginny.
“Not much, other than helping Mum, that doesn’t leave me
much time to do anything else,” said Ginny, grinning.
“I’ve been studying and helping Winky with some more
re-decorating. Winky insisted that I have my own room, the
master bedroom. She thinks it is only proper,” said Harry.
“ ’Course, in between I’ve been crying my eyes out, missing
you,” added Harry, knowing Ginny wanted to hear this.
“You better have. I will be checking your pillow for tear
stains,“ said Ginny.
They sat around chatting for at least an hour before Molly
returned.
“Harry, Arthur is back and wants to talk to you in the kitchen,
privately,” said Molly.
Harry rose to follow her. He paused at the door, looking at
Ginny. “Coming?” he asked, holding his hand out.
She rose and took his hand, walking out the doorway,
leaving Ron and Luna sitting with odd looks on their faces.
* * * *
Chapter 41: Chap 41 - Dursley's Trouble
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: What’s up with all that “funny business”? -- Harry’s disappointed, yet again. Ron’s suspicious ---------------
Chapter Forty-one - Dursley’s Trouble
Luna watched as Ginny left the room hand in hand with
Harry. She felt it was unusual that Ginny would be included
in a private talk along with Harry with the Weasleys. But she
was sure if Harry insisted, Ginny would be included. Harry
and Ginny’s relationship was a bit odd. Something was a bit
off about them, yet at the same time, it was so right.
Luna had always lived her life at school on the outside.
Others, especially Ravenclaws, treated her as an outcast.
She had always tried to not let it bother her, she accepted it.
With Harry and his friends she was accepted, although they
sometimes laughed at the wrong times, they treated her
well. Ginny was always defending her from anyone who
made rude remarks. Usually it was just calling her “Loony”.
Harry had adopted her as his sister and he was serious
about it. Actually Harry was the most serious person she
ever met. He teased a little and joked with her, but he mostly
took things seriously. He gave her more attention and love
than anyone other than her Daddy. She trusted and admired
him more than anyone.
She also felt that Harry had chosen the perfect woman as his
mate. Luna admired Ginny and knew she was perfect for
him. There were many girls that wanted Harry but only
Ginny was the right one. He would not look further and one
day he would marry her. At the same time, they just didn’t
act natural. Something was “off” in their relationship. She
didn’t worry about it because when the time was right, Harry
would tell her. One thing that she had, was patience.
Ron, however, did not have patience. He also felt there
was something “odd” about Harry and Ginny’s relationship.
Harry never was one to talk about girls, not like the other
blokes. Usually if they started talking about girls, Harry left
the room. Of course, since Harry was going with his sister,
if he DID talk about Ginny, he would have to hit him.
Hermione is the one who could get to the bottom of it, but
SHE has been acting weird this year too. His heart skipped a
beat when he thought about Hermione. Maybe when she
showed up, they could discuss it. She was always good at
getting stuff out of Harry or maybe she already knew what
was going on.
Ron reflected on how Ginny spent the last couple of weeks
crying or at least he thought she was crying. Her eyes were
swollen most days and she looked sad. He had even tried to
get her to come out and practice Quidditch with him. She
refused, that was not like her. She was really down. He
was sure it was because she missed Harry, but she never
acted that way before. She always seemed to be happier
when he was around, but never depressed when he wasn’t.
She was acting different this year.
As they walked to the kitchen, Ginny couldn’t help but feel
elated. She was walking next to Harry hand in hand. She
wanted to be wrapped in his arms again, not to be disturbed
by anyone. She wanted him all to herself, but she knew that
wasn’t gonna happen. For now, being beside him will have
to do. He looked into her eyes as they walked. His smile
made her want to melt, but her dad was waiting in the
kitchen. She sighed.
Arthur was sitting at the table. He had set a butterbeer out
for each of them.
Harry was ready for one of them to send Ginny away, even
though they knew that Ginny had every right to know what
was going on. He didn’t have to worry, the Weasleys didn’t
say anything about Ginny being there.
Arthur explained that he went to Mrs. Figg’s and found
Mundungus Fletcher asleep on the sofa. It took a long time
to get the whole story out of him, but with much persuasion,
patience and a few threats, he did it.
About a week before Harry was to arrive, Mundungus began
his assignment. It seems that a few days after he started,
Mrs. Figg caught Mundungus stealing something of hers.
She was so angry with him, that she refused to talk to him
any more. When he came to relieve her, she would leave
without a word. It got to the point that she would leave a few
minutes before he was supposed to arrive so that she didn’t
have to talk to him. Then she started to arrive later hoping
that he had already left. So for the last few days before
Harry was to arrive, they hadn’t seen each other at all.
He was supposed to arrive at nine a.m. and leave at six p.m.
but he started arriving closer to ten a.m. and leaving a little
after five p.m. He SAID that he was just giving Mrs. Figg
plenty of space so that they wouldn’t meet up. Mrs. Figg
said that she was visiting her sister during the time that
Mundungus was on duty.
When asked about the Dursleys, Mundungus told Arthur
that all was very quiet at number four. He told Arthur about
a story that Mrs. Figg had told him, before they had their
“little disagreement”. She had told him about Vernon’s car
having trouble. That was sometime after Christmas, maybe
in January. His tires were always going flat. He had been
late for work many days. Even after buying a couple sets of
new tires, he was having the same problem several days
each week. He took his car in to have the axles and wheels
checked, but nothing could be found wrong with the car.
Some time late in February, he bought a new car. It also
had the same problem. He was furious and finally he took
the car back. He bought another car, but it had the same
problem. He told the others in the neighborhood that that car
model was faulty, so he bought yet another car of a different
brand and model. IT also had problems with the wheels and
tires. He sent it back and finally started using the bus
system to get to work.
Petunia started taking taxis to do her shopping. She seemed
more jumpy and nervous. She was also having troubles.
One problem was with her garden. The Dursleys always
prided themselves with their plush, yet neat garden.
Sometime in March, the lawn and shrubs started dying.
There seemed to be holes appearing in the lawn that she
couldn’t explain.
Mrs. Figg noticed that the Dursleys started going to bed very
early. The house would be dark at night. She thought that
they didn’t turn the lights on once the sun set.
Mundungus said that he didn’t notice anything going on at the
Dursleys. He said that since they didn’t have a car anymore,
it was hard to tell when they were home. He hadn’t seen any
of them. He reckoned that Harry was being punished for
something because he hadn’t seen Harry either.
Mrs. Figg was missing. She’d been missing, from all he
could tell, a little over a couple of weeks. A few days before
Harry was to return, up to and including today.
“So how’d you reckon that Mrs. Figg is missing?” asked
Harry.
“Because her cats were starving. They were surrounding
me, brushing themselves up against my legs. They all were
very thin. I opened a can of cat food and they almost
attacked me. I asked Mundungus about them and he told
me that he didn’t like cats so avoided them,” said Arthur.
“I feed all of them,” said Arthur, when he seen the look on
Ginny’s face. She showed relief at the sound of those
words.
“I’ve contacted Tonks. She will start the search for Mrs.
Figg,” added Arthur. “Don’t worry, she’ll take care of it.”
“I’ve told Mundungus to stay at the house and NOT leave for
any reason. Tonks is also working on getting an Order
meeting set up,” said Arthur, wearily.
No one said anything for a few minutes. They all sipped their
butterbeer in thought.
“Well! At least we know why we didn’t know about Harry
being here,” said Molly.
They all looked at Harry, waiting for some kind of reaction.
Finally he spoke.
“I’d have loved to see Uncle Vernon dealing with the car,”
said Harry. “From afar,” he added, grinning.
“May I see the note?” asked Arthur. Harry handed him the
note. He read it and passed it to Molly.
“How can they be so cruel?” asked Molly.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Harry.
“Harry, did you have anything to do with Mr. Dursley’s car?”
asked Arthur.
“No.”
“What’s this ‘funny business’?” asked Molly.
“That’s what the Durlsey’s say when they are talking about
magic. Obviously they think I had something to do with their
problems,” said Harry.
“Harry, do you think the note is genuine?” asked Arthur.
“Genuine?” asked Harry, confused.
“I mean, is the handwriting genuine? Is it written the way he
would normally write?” asked Arthur.
“Yeah, that’s him all right,” said Harry. Then Harry caught
on. “You think that they’ve been abducted or something?”
“Perhaps,” said Arthur.
Harry thought for a few minutes. “No, I don’t think so. I
mean, if someone else asked him to write a note, he would
have wrote it more kindly. And anyway, what would be the
point?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that the Dursleys and Mrs. Figg
disappearing around the same time, is too much of a
coincidence,” said Arthur.
“There definitely had been some mischief going on. I went
over to the house to see if I could find a clue. Their yard is a
mess. It’s been invaded by gnomes. I was able to Apparate
into the house. I should not have been able to do that with all
the wards that are supposed to be there,” said Arthur.
“Also, I found some suspicious things in the house, Pixie
AND Doxy droppings. In one of the bedrooms I found a
boggart in the closet,” said Arthur.
“Pixies and Doxys AND gnomes at number four? A boggart?
I don’t believe it,” said Harry. Arthur, Molly and Ginny
secretly gave each other a look that Harry didn’t notice.
“It’s perfectly true. Well at least I am sure of the gnomes and
the boggart. I am only guessing about the Pixie and Doxy
droppings,” said Arthur.
“Tonks is going to send some experts over to take a look,
secretly, of course,” he added.
“Molly has invited Fred and George to dinner here tonight.
Tonks is going to try to contact Lupin, so he may be joining
us tonight too,” said Arthur.
“I suppose we may be staying here, at least for a couple of
days. We’ll see what Remus has to say on the subject,”
added Arthur.
“I don’t understand why you left. You said that wherever you
were together was home, that we were a family,” said Harry.
He was hurt that the Weasleys had elected to live elsewhere.
“Harry, we ARE family, but that doesn’t mean that we
shouldn’t live in our own homes.” Arthur studied Harry
carefully.
“Harry, I’m sorry you misunderstood. I told you right at the
first, that we would stay for a while. We always planned to
go back home. Molly and I have always had our own place.
We raised our children in our home. This is not our home.
The Burrow is our home. This is YOUR home.”
“So I didn’t make you feel like it was home to you,” said
Harry, sadly.
“Of course you did. We feel very welcome here, but it was
always a temporary solution. The point is, that we do have
a home and that is where we want to live.”
“When our children grow up, they will leave our home and
make their own home, as Molly and I did. It’s not a good
idea for couples to live with their in-laws. Of course, there
are situations when family pulls together and exceptions are
made. Usually it is only temporary,” said Arthur.
“Harry, we did feel welcome. It may be harder for you than
most to understand , because of the way you were raised by
those awful people,” said Molly. She realized that she may
have said too much.
“I guess I am just surprised. That’s all,” said Harry.
“I will be talking more about this later tonight. For now,
please believe us when we say that you ARE our family. We
did not leave because of anything that had to do with you
personally OR Lupin for that matter. We just wanted to go
home. Actually we thought you would be happy for us,” said
Arthur.
“I am happy for you, if that’s what you want. I guess I am
just being selfish,” said Harry.
“Thank you, Harry. One day YOU will be deciding where
you want to live. You may stay here or perhaps you will get
another place. When you do, it will be your decision. Then
your home will be just that, your home.”
“There’s another reason that we moved back to The Burrow.
Like you, our family is also being watched, specially Ginny. I
think you know why.”
Harry nodded.
“We have made sure that Ginny has been seen from the
outside every day. We want ‘others’ to see where she is,”
added Arthur.
“Does that mean that she can’t stay here with me?” asked
Harry.
The Weasleys nodded.
“Can I go stay at The Burrow then?” asked Harry, in a
panic.
“The wards at the Burrow have not been set up. Dumbledore
was going to work on that when he returns. I think the plan
was for you to stay at the Dursleys then return HERE. I
don’t think he wanted your whereabouts known, although he
didn’t say specifically. We will have to wait until he returns to
find out,” said Arthur.
Harry didn’t say anything for a while. He was upset. He
wanted to be with Ginny. He wanted to have a honeymoon, it
looked like that was not going to happen. He would have to
talk to Dumbledore and get it all straightened out. He didn’t
want to upset Ginny any more, so he changed the subject.
“Well, I guess that your room can be changed. Perhaps you
may want to take it with you,” said Harry, finally.
“Huh?” they all said at once.
“Eh... well... you should not Apparate to your usual room up
on the third floor,” said Harry, grinning.
“Why?” asked Molly.
“Winky and I have been busy. You don’t think I spent ALL
my time just studying, do you?” said Harry.
“What you been up to?” asked Ginny.
“Come see,” said Harry.
They all rose and followed Harry up to the third floor. The
first thing they noticed was that the whole floor had been
re-arranged. The stairway leading up to it came up to
another landing. The doors to the rooms there were not in
the same places. Harry and Winky had moved walls and
created different rooms there. The landing and hallway
walls were all freshly painted.
Harry opened a door on his right to show a beautiful
bedroom. It was decorated as an old time country bedroom.
The bed itself, was huge with a wooden bedframe. It had a
bed cover that looked like a country quilt of many squares
made of blue and white velvet. The walls were painted a
light blue with white lace curtains. The furniture was painted
white. There were baskets of flowers and beautiful porcelain
lamps. Off to the left was a door that Harry opened to show
a beautiful private bathroom.
“Harry, it’s beautiful!” exclaimed Molly.
“Harry, this is too much,” said Arthur, as he examined all
the expensive furnishings.
“No it’s not. We hoped that you would like it. It just seemed
to be the kind of room that fits your personality,” said Harry.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind sleeping here tonight,” said Arthur,
smiling.
“Of course,” said Harry. “Since you have moved, we’ll think
of something. For now, it is YOUR bedroom. Of course, if
there is anything that you would like to change about it, feel
free.”
Molly grabbed Harry and gave him a huge hug. “You are
such a good son.”
Arthur had walked into the bathroom and was exclaiming
about the plush towels and his and hers bathrobes.
“I’ll talk to Winky about what kind of feast she can whip up on
short notice,” said Harry. He took Ginny’s hand and left
Arthur and Molly to find the few little extras he had put in their
drawers.
Once they were outside the room, summoned Winky, who
popped up immediately. “Winky, the Weaselys will be
staying for dinner tonight. Do we have enough to feed
everyone? We will need food for at least ten, probably
twelve,” asked Harry.
“Of course, Harry Potter. Winky loves to cook for Weezys,”
she said. The popped away again.
“Harry, that was so sweet of you to make Mum and Dad
such a beautiful bedroom,” said Ginny.
“I thought you all were going to be living here. I’m so stupid.
I should have known better,” said Harry, disappointedly.
“It will all work out,” said Ginny. She moved in close and
caressed his chin. “You are so thoughtful. Thank you, my
darling.”
Harry didn’t hesitate, he leaned down to kiss her softly.
They knew they only had a few seconds before someone
would interrupt them, so they parted and started down the
stairs.
Harry took her to his new master bedroom to show her what
Winky had done. The room had been transformed. The
walls were now stripped of all wallpaper and were painted a
neutral light tan. There was now a forest green plush carpet
where there once were stained wooden planks.
The bed was huge, like Mr. and Mrs. Wealsey’s. It had a
velvet paisley bedspread with dark green being the
background color along with gray, black and golden yellow.
There were several velvet throw pillows positioned on the
bed.
Above the bed, the beautiful painting of a phoenix from his
other room, that was shared with Ron, was positioned in the
center. On each side of the bed was a night stand with a
lamp. To the right of the bed in the corner, between the two
windows was a large beautiful round table made of cherry
wood. Upon the table was a three foot vase, filled with
flowers. Upon the table rested three gold frames with a
pictures of Harry and Ginny. There were two cherry wood
chairs with dark green velvet seats positioned near the table.
Behind the table the windows were dressed with mini blinds
with gold swaged curtains.
Closer to the front of the room was a golden yellow velvet
chair in front of the right wall window. There was a little
table with a lamp for reading next to the chair.
Winky had refinished the cherry wood furniture so that it
shone like new. There were three huge dressers, one with
a ornate mirror above it. The other two dressers had pictures
of his friends in gold frames sitting neatly.
“Oh!” exclaimed Ginny. “It’s beautiful!”
Harry had put a Silencing charm up, in case Ron or Luna
happened to come up and hear them.
“I hope you like it. It is ‘our’ room. Well... whenever we are
allowed to use it,” said Harry, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Right now, a broom closet would be good enough for me,”
said Ginny, huskily.
“Hmmmm,” said Harry. He kissed her boldly, knowing they
may have only a moment before they could be interrupted
again.
They grudgingly left the room and went down to the Living
Room where Ron and Luna were waiting.
“Took you long enough! What’s going on?” asked Ron.
“Mrs. Figg is missing. Tonks is investigating. Fred and
George are coming for dinner, maybe Lupin too,” said
Harry.
“Oh!” said Luna. “I need to go back to The Burrow and get
dressed for Fred.”
“It took you that long for them to just tell you THAT? They
could have told that right here!” said Ron, testily.
“Well, that is the shortened version,” said Harry.
“Oh, yeah. I guess,” said Ron.
Harry and Ginny took Ron and Luna up to the master
bedroom to show them what Winky had done.
“Blimey! Harry. This is so cool ! Winky really knows her
stuff, doesn’t she?” said Ron.
“Yeah, she has a flare. I didn’t think I would want my own
room, but after she got done with it, I had to move in,” said
Harry.
“The pictures of Ginny makes it homey,” said Luna.
Harry grinned.
A while later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came down and took
Ginny, Luna and Ron back to The Burrow. While they were
gone, Harry showered and changed his clothes.
Back at The Burrow, Ron had showered and changed also.
He came down to the kitchen where his mother was
straightening up.
“Mum, I don't get it. How come you didn't jump all over
Harry and Ginny. Harry was hanging all over her or maybe it
was Ginny doing the hanging... anyway, they just stood there
holding on to each other right in front of you and Dad, talking
like it was ‘normal’.”
“Well, Ginny really MISSED Harry. She was just got a little
over excited,” said Molly, wearily.
“So it’s all right with you and Dad about Harry and Ginny?”
asked Ron.
“Of course. Why do you ask?” asked Molly.
“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Don’t you approve of them?” asked Molly.
“Yeah, of course, I mean, Ginny’s always been crazy about
Harry. I don’t know anyone else that is good enough for her.
So, I guess it’s all right with me,” said Ron, but he felt
uncomfortable.
“I suppose that it is hard on you, being best friends with
Harry and all. I guess it makes it awkward at times,” said
Molly with an understanding tone.
“Actually it’s not. I mean, they don’t show a lot of affection
in front of me. Mum, something is not right about Harry and
Ginny.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well... something is just not RIGHT. I mean... Harry treats
Ginny kinda strange. I mean he don't kiss her exactly right...
I've only seen them kiss right... twice... once when they first
got together and... eh well... recently. All the other times...
well, he kisses her like she is a baby or something. I mean,
he kisses her on the lips but it is... well... almost reverent. I
don't really know how to explain it.”
“AND... the way he moves his hands when he’s near her. I
mean, it’s like he is deliberately making sure that he doesn't
touch her inappropriately. Also, when they sit on a sofa...
he always puts a pillow between them. I mean... it’s not
NATURAL,” said Ron.
“I’m sure that Harry is being cautious because he doesn’t
want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t think so, not entirely. I’ve seen them together when
they didn’t think I was around. Not intentionally, mind you,
but I’ve come across them when they were out on their
‘walks’ together,” said Ron.
“Do you think that he doesn't love her?” asked Molly.
“No... he LOVES her... there is NO DOUBT in my mind about
that. Sometimes the way he looks at her... I don't know...
they just act WEIRD.”
“Well... hmmmm... ya know... everything Harry says or
does is monitored carefully. I think that since he is older
now, he is more aware of that. And since he has a
relationship now, he doesn't want any unwelcomed
criticisms, especially regarding Ginny. I'm sure he wants to
protect her reputation. You KNOW how he is about
protecting those he loves.”
“Yeah, I guess. Hmmmm... well then, WHY does he treat
her that way now that we’re home? You'll see.”
“He probably acts the same at home to keep himself in the
habit. You know he is always under a lot of pressure. It’s
very difficult to live your life naturally, when your every
movement is watched,” said Molly.
Ron nodded, but wasn’t completely reassured.
* * * *
Chapter 42: Chap 42 - Arthur's Talk
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: The Weasleys are boiling. ---------------
Chapter Forty-two - Arthur’s Talk
After showering and dressing, Ginny sat before the mirror in
her room. Earlier, she had looked awful. She had been
wearing Ron’s old ratty T-shirt and one of her new pairs of
slacks, the combination was horrible. No makeup and her
hair was not fixed or anything. But Harry acted like she was
gorgeous. How could he love her after seeing her look like
that?
The last few weeks had been terrible. After the first three
days, it became intolerable. Each day she waited for Hedwig
to bring a letter from Harry and each day there was nothing.
She missed him so bad that she was totally despondent.
Seeing him today was a dream come true, but it was going to
be disappointing when he found out that they would not be
able to see as much of each other as he thought.
There were a few things that she knew that Harry didn’t.
Maybe he did know, but didn’t speak of it. If he thought
about it very much, he probably would become depressed or
angry. She would just have to pretend that everything was
fine.
After showering and dressing, Harry looked in the mirror.
How could Ginny love him? He was selfish and stupid. Of
course the Weasleys would want to go back to their own
home. The world didn’t revolve around Harry’s wishes.
He had been planning or maybe just thinking about having a
honeymoon with Ginny this summer. It wasn’t fair. They
needed to spend private time together. It didn’t even look
like they would have even a limited time alone together. He
would have to talk to Dumbledore about this. He supposed
that he couldn’t tell Ron and Luna about his marriage even
now. So that meant having to be careful with every word,
even here. It was all a mess, nothing was going right.
He was happy about not having to stay with the Dursleys this
summer but he was worried about Mrs. Figg.
Ginny was so beautiful. Even if they couldn’t be alone
tonight, he would TRY to make the evening a pleasant as
possible. One day at a time, that was how he had to live his
life. Being angry would not make the night any better.
Perhaps if he kicked something. No, he’d only hurt his foot.
He sighed. He best make the best of it.
Harry was helping Winky in the kitchen, when Lupin Flooed
in. Lupin grabbed Harry and they embraced each other.
“Where’ve you been?” asked Harry.
“Underground. Working with other werewolves. Never mind
that, Tonks told me you been HERE since school let out.
Why weren’t you at the Dursleys?” asked Lupin.
Harry showed the note to Lupin and explained about Mrs.
Figg.
“A message has been sent to Dumbledore. I guess we will
be having an Order meeting very soon,” sighed Lupin.
The Weasleys Portkeyed in. Luna ran over and grabbed
Lupin, giving him a big hug. Lupin returned the hug and was
asking her about school.
Not long after, Fred and George showed up. They all
exchanged hugs, then sat down for Winky’s feast.
After dinner, the girls helped Winky clear the table. Arthur
talked in the corner with Lupin for a few minutes, then he
told the boys to meet him in the Defense Room.
Once there, he pulled out a bottle of Old Ogden’s Fire
Whiskey and poured them all a glass. It was time for “the
talk”.
Fred and George protested, saying that they had already had
“the talk” and shouldn’t have to sit through it again. Arthur
very firmly told them to sit down and shut their mouths.
As in Molly’s “talk”, Arthur explained the functions of the
male anatomy, then moved on the female anatomy. There
he came across a few smirks that he quickly put to a stop.
“Since you are all ‘of age’, excepting Harry, who will be
soon, there are things that you need to consider about
females. They are to be treated with respect. You are not to
compromise them in any way,” started Arthur.
“Since I will be having Hermione and Luna under my roof, I
say ‘my roof’ figuratively, since THIS is not my house. They
are my responsibility. Lupin is, of course, Luna’s guardian,
but in his absence, I take responsibility for her. AND since
the males that will be around these girls are my sons, I feel
that some rules need to be laid out,” said Arthur, taking a
sip of fire whiskey.
Lupin nodded in agreement.
“Since in our culture, females are to remain chaste until they
are married, I think you know where I am going with this.
Hands off!”
“You will not touch any female within the areas that would
normally be covered by a Muggle bikini. No exceptions,” he
said sternly.
“I am serious about this, boys. So much, that I decided that I
need to add an extra precaution. If you try to go past my
zone of safety, you will be cursed with boils. Boils, boys,
big, bloody, festering boils. Oh! Did I mention where these
boils would appear? In your privates, sons,” said Arthur,
with a sense of humorous satisfaction.
“WHAT?” said George. “That’s not fair. I’m not going with
any of them. Fred is the one... and Harry. Not me!”
“I don’t know WHO any of you boys may decide to fancy in
the coming months. To be on the safe side, I am including
all of you,” answered Arthur.
“That’s not fair!” said George, growing more angry.
“Why is that? Were you PLANNING something?” asked
Arthur.
“Well... no... but I’m ‘OF AGE’,” said George.
“All the more to be careful. Did you know that if a man
violates a young witch, that he could go to Azkaban for life?
This is SERIOUS business! Knowing you and Fred as I do, I
would not put it past you to try to find a way around my rule.
If only because there is a rule. I can’t take that risk. You will
be cursed... AND ... if you think you can get around it some
way, you will find that the boils will only get worse. The
attempt alone, will activate the curse. This is a curse that
has been handed down for centuries, don’t think that it
hasn’t be tested before. I didn’t think it would be necessary
with Bill and Charlie but you lot are another story,” said
Arthur.
“I’m not as bad as those two,” said Ron.
“I’ve heard enough about YOU this year, Ronald,” said
Arthur.
“But, well... those girls don’t count,” said Ron, blushing.
“Maybe... but running around with trash, will only bring you
trash.” said Arthur.
“I wouldn’t call them trash. They just aren’t ‘old fashioned’,”
said Ron.
“Any witch that has been told about ‘the gift’, who doesn’t
save themselves for their husbands, is trash in my book,”
said Arthur. “Actually, I’ll take that back. There are times
when exceptions are made. I will add that it will be up to
YOU to decide whether she is trash or not. Sorry, I got
carried away. As a father I only want the best for my sons.”
“What is ‘the gift’?” asked Fred. “You never mentioned that
before.”
“All witches are told about ‘the gift’ when they learn the facts
of life. ‘The gift’ is a bit of power that is transferred to a
male when the witch gives herself to a male. This ‘gift’ is
precious. It can only be given once, there is no choice in the
matter, it is a physical phenomenon.”
“Any witch that gives up ‘the gift’, to anyone other than her
husband, does not have self worth and very little common
sense. If you think about it, a witch would only want her
HUSBAND to have the extra power awarded to him. This
extra power, could, especially now, in times of war, mean
the difference between life and death for the family.”
“How much power is in ‘the gift’?” asked George, interested
now.
“I don’t know, it differs. In some cases, with a powerful witch,
it could be quite a bit. In most cases it is not a huge amount,
but it does exist. As far as I know, even if it is not a huge
amount, it is felt and worth any sacrifice of waiting for,”
answered Arthur.
“That is why there is a life sentence in Azkaban for violating a
caste witch,” added Arthur.
“Do Muggle females have ‘the gift’?” asked George.
“I don’t know. Do you?” answered Arthur, turning to Lupin.
“I don’t know either. I think not. I think it is only carried by
witches, but I can’t be sure,” said Lupin.
“Now sons, I am not saying that I don’t want you to marry a
Muggle. That choice will be up to you. I am also not saying
that you MUST marry a caste witch. I just want you to know
that it exists and what the rewards can bring.”
“I also want you all to know why it is important to a witch to
save herself for her husband. In the Muggle world, in SOME
cultures it is not important to them. But in OUR world, it can
be important. A witch, who knows, will be very insistent on
staying caste. You should not try to talk her into making a
life long decision at a young age. There is more than one
way to show each other that you truly love each other. Using
sex as a test of love is unacceptable.”
“Don’t think that because it is ‘modern times’ that that is any
excuse. It’s always ‘modern times’ when you live in them.
‘Modern times’ has been going on for centuries.”
“Young men and women fall in and out of love very quickly.
It is after you’ve been around many young women, that you
can figure out want is a physical attraction and what is a true
love. Time is the best answer. It can happen when you are
young, but that is an exception to the rule. That is why I am
advising you to date many young ladies. Choosing a wife is
very serious business,” said Arthur.
“But we’re not old enough to get married. Why are you
talking about marriage now?” asked Ron.
“You are at the age that girls become attractive to you. At
your age, it is not easy to know the difference between love
and lust. You need to date as many girls as possible.
Because eventually, you will marry. You need to know why
witches want to remain caste and you need to know that
rushing them is cruel. Women are not playthings. They
have tender hearts. If you lead them to think that you love
them, when you only want to play, you are not worthy of
being my son. So get used to the idea,” said Arthur.
“Take your time about committing yourself to one girl. You
really need to be very picky about the woman you choose to
be your wife. We rarely divorce in our culture. It is usually
ugly and heartbreaking for all concerned.”
“There are many things in life that we can not choose. Life
doesn’t often give us the opportunities we want. We don’t
always get the job we want or we may not live where we
want to... BUT we DO get to choose our wives. Be careful
about that choice. If you accept less than you really want,
then you will get less than you really want. It is the one time
in your life that YOU are in control about your choice. Use it
wisely.”
“I’m not talking about you marrying now. I am only telling you
what to expect before you DO marry. Once you KNOW the
difference and have chosen, there is also the requirement of
your obligations. As Weasleys, before you may marry, you
must have a home and hold a job. A job that pays enough to
support a family of three.”
“You need to love the woman you choose and take the time
to prepare a home for her. If you take the time to meet these
requirements, then you will know that you are truly serious
about her.”
“Some women decide to have a career. They make their
own money and may have their own home. That is fine, but
the requirements still hold.”
“For now, I am suggesting that you date many girls, so you
will know exactly the kind of girl that you need. Marriage is a
partnership. You not only have to love her, you have to live
with her. It is not easy, even if you DO love her. You both
will have to compromise at times. Your love will have to be
strong enough to withstand the sacrifices that you both will
have to endure.”
“A smile from the woman you love can make you happier
than you ever thought imaginable. But they are delicate
creatures, sometimes the most innocent remark can set them
off. It’s best to just apologize no matter what you think. It
saves time. I’ve apologized many many times for things I
don’t know that I did wrong, even to this day,” said Arthur,
with a smile.
“If you tell your mother I said that, I WILL start you off with
a case of the boils!” he added.
They all laughed.
“I’d like to say a few words,” said Lupin.
“You lot are very desirable at this time. There will be plenty
of females just waiting to capture you,” started Lupin.
“Why?” asked Fred and George, together.
“Because, you are wealthy, handsome, charming and
available.”
“We aren’t THAT wealthy,” said George.
“You own your own business. You dress well. You appear
wealthy,” said Lupin.
“I don’t own my own business,” said Ron.
“No, but you dress well enough to appear wealthy, you’re a
Prefect and Quidditch Captain AND a confirmed hero at
Hogwarts... in Hogsmeade too. Very desirable in the eyes of
a young lady,” said Lupin.
“To be honest, I have been popular with the ladies this year,”
said Ron.
“And you’ll probably be even MORE popular this coming
year.”
“Right now, we are in the beginning of war. You will have to
be extra careful about women at this time,” started Lupin.
“Arthur has mentioned a few times that women are delicate.
They are delicate with their hearts. They can possess and
share more love than you can imagine. They can also be
ruthless and vicious, specially when it comes to love.”
“They sometimes feel that once they have chosen a male
that they will do anything to get them. Remember, if you
want to be truly happy, YOU do the choosing. Don’t dismiss
the notion that a ‘love potion’ is not fair in the quest for love.
Some will try ANY means to get what they want. Luckily,
‘love potions’ have a limited time limit, BUT a lot can
happen in the short time period when they are in effect.”
“Your only defense against a ‘love potion’ is realizing that
you have suddenly fell for someone. Suddenly... very
suddenly, with very STRONG feelings you didn’t have
before. Uncontrollable feelings. If you suddenly feel that
way. Beware! Knowing that you are under the spell
sometimes helps. It is very hard to fight the feeling, but if you
can get yourself to someone who knows you, they will be
able to see that you are not yourself and get you some help.”
“I’m bringing this up now, because we are at war. One of
the tools that Riddle will use is women. Beware of females
that offer themselves to you. This is uncommon in our
culture, so they’re probably up to no good,” said Lupin,
seriously.
“But we don’t know anything,” said Fred.
“You know far more than you think you know. The
whereabouts of Ginny, for instance could help them,” said
Lupin.
Harry started. “Why did you mention Ginny?” asked Harry.
“I was only using her for an example. A casual mention that
Ginny went to Diagon Alley with Harry yesterday. Tells the
enemy that Harry visits with Ginny and they sometimes go off
together, maybe he is staying with the Weasleys.”
“Perhaps that was a bad example. Let’s suppose in a casual
conversation you mention Tonks. Tonks is a Auror. It is not
known that Tonks is often at The Burrow and that she
sometimes stays for dinner. The Weasleys are definitely
suspected of being in the Order. By Tonks visiting the
Weasleys on Tuesday night, perhaps there was a meeting
that night. INFORMATION that seems innocent can be
deadly in war. As our dear friend Mad-Eye always says,
‘constant vigilance!’ “
“Yeah.” said Ron. “I remember this last year a couple of
girls were trying to find out where Harry lived. I shined them
on, but I could easily have told them, not thinking.”
“Witches wiles can be a young man’s downfall. It takes a lot
of will power not to fall into a trap. There’s been many a
wizard that fell under the Imperius Curse by a pair of big
blue eyes,” said Lupin.
“Are you serious?” asked George.
“Never been more serious,” answered Lupin. “We are at
war! The enemy will use any means to get information.
With threats to a family, a female will spy for him to keep her
family safe. Riddle does not care if she gives up her ‘gift’ if
he gets what he wants. You all need to be aware of this.
It’s scary.”
“Make ya not want to date,” said George.
“I don’t want to scare you off women. As your father said,
you should date many girls. I caution you to have her talk
about HER family and friends. You already KNOW about
your life. Keep your conversations away from your personal
life and concentrate on HER.”
“Finding your true love is the most wonderful time of your life.
She will make you feel better about yourself and the world
around you than you can ever believe. But there is no rush,
it could take years. You may have many heartbreaks along
the way, but you will also have lots of fun too. Just
remember that there is no time limit,” said Arthur.
“You surely don’t have to think of each girl as a potential wife.
I’m just suggesting that by dating many females, you will find
the type of girl that you like. When the time comes that you
do fall in love, you will have enough experience to know that
it is right.”
“Do you think you understand?” asked Arthur. They all
nodded.
Then Arthur pulled out his wand and tapped each of the boys
with his wand, except Harry.
“The curse is removed when I see fit. You will thank me
then,” said Arthur.
“Why didn’t you put the curse on Harry?” asked George.
“He is not my son. That will be up to Lupin to decide,” said
Arthur.
Lupin rose and tapped Harry on the head with his wand.
Harry felt a little dizzy. Lupin gave Harry a look to let him
know that whatever he did was not the Boils Curse.
“All rise,” said Arthur. They all rose. “A toast to the woman
that we choose.”
“To the woman we choose,” they all said in unison.
* * * *
Chapter 43: Chap 43 - End of a Long Day
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Lupin is undecided. - -What’s up with Arthur? What happened at the Dursleys? --Weasley twins are boiling. ---------------
Chapter Forty-three - End of a Long Day
Arthur and Lupin finished their drink and left the room. The
boys all sat for several minutes sipping their whiskey, without
speaking. Each reflecting on what their father told them this
evening.
Fred and George, although each had their own separate
thoughts, mostly thought about the boils situation. Fred was
wondering if there was a way to get around the curse.
George was wondering if it would be worth testing.
Ron reflected on a few key points his father brought up. One
being that it would be HIS choice as to who he would marry.
He hardly ever had real choices in his life. He did not want
to accept less. He lived with less all his life, he wanted
more. More being the best, the best woman. The best
woman was Hermione, anyone else would be settling for
less. He was determined he would not do that, he had a
choice this time. Although he was unsure about Hermione’s
feelings, he would do his best to bring her around to noticing
that HE was the best for her too.
Harry reflected upon the dangers that women could create
with the Weasley boys.
Ron already went through the test of being used by women
spies. He thinks he passed that test. After reading that
book, Ron came to the correct conclusion on his own.
He hoped that Fred was serious about Luna because Luna
was surely serious about Fred. Boils could be a good thing.
Luna should be reasonably safe now. He grinned.
George? George was defiant with just about anything.
Telling George no, was like personally telling him to do it.
George will probably end up with several cases of boils
before the month was out. Hopefully, he will take the
warning about talking about personal things to heart.
Arthur wasn’t himself. Harry had never seen him like this.
Molly was usually the one who was strict, while Arthur let her
take care of the scolding. But now he seemed stern and very
serious, he showed signs of stress. His hair now had flecks
of gray and there seemed to be more lines on his face. His
expression lacked the humor and warmness he always felt in
his presence.
It was probably the worry over Ginny. He probably hated
Harry because of it, although he wasn’t showing any
particular coolness towards him.
This Boil Curse was just a bit over-the-top. Harry was
surprised that Fred and George didn’t protest as much as he
would have expected. Even Ron seemed to accept their fate
without protest.
“Dad is losing it,” said Fred.
“Definitely,” said George.
“What I want to know, is what’s got into him? He is starting
to make Mum seem as sweet as bunny rabbit,” said Ron.
“So, it’s not just me, he has changed,” said Harry.
“Yeah, he’s been like this for a few months now. No sense of
humor,” said Fred.
“At first, we thought that it was just us getting on his nerves,
but we’ve seen him when he was alone. He often sits and
stares. Something is really worrying him,” said George.
“It’s Ginny,” said Ron.
“Ginny? What do you mean?” asked Harry.
“Don’t know, but since we got back from school, he’s had a
few private talks with her. When he don’t think anyone is
looking, he stares at Ginny. His face gets all weird looking,”
said Ron.
“Like what?” asked Harry.
“Don’t know, worried and scared maybe. Yeah, like he’s
scared,” said Ron.
“You said that he’s been like this for a few months?” he
asked Harry.
“Yeah, since this spring. He’s looking old too,” said Fred.
“You think it’s because Ginny is dating me?” asked Harry,
not wanting to hear the answer.
“Well... it did start right around the time that you started going
with Ginny, but I don’t think it’s YOU that’s doing it. He likes
you,” said Fred.
“Yeah, doesn’t act funny if your name is mentioned or
anything like that, but something happened to him around
that time,” said George.
“You should have warned me,” said Ron. “I came home to
some stranger who looks like my father. You don’t think he’s
under the Imperius Curse do you?” sounding panicky.
“No, we checked him out. He’s not under the Imperius
Curse,” said George.
“Then it’s probably me. He don’t approve of me and Ginny,”
said Harry, sadly.
“No. I asked Mum about it. She says they approve. It’s
something else. It’s almost like he’s scared or something,”
said Ron.
“What’s up with this ‘Boils Curse’?” asked Ron. “How come
you two didn’t fight him more about that? He don’t trust any
of us.”
“Since he’s been acting this way, we found that it’s not worth
it. Even Mum can’t reason with him,” said George.
“Are you SURE he’s not under the Imperius Curse?” asked
Ron, concerned.
“Yeah. We had Mad-Eye and Tonks check him out, without
his knowledge, mind you,” said Fred.
“They said he checks out,” said George.
“What I don’t understand is that if he is so worried about
Ginny, why didn’t he insist that Harry get the curse?” said
Fred.
“I got the curse,” said Harry.
“Yeah, but Dad didn’t insist that YOU get it. It was almost
like it was an afterthought,” said George.
“Did you ever think that maybe I’m really the one he wanted
to have the curse and that you lot are the afterthought?”
asked Harry.
“Thanks, Harry,” they said in unison.
“No problem,” said Harry.
Harry knew it was the worry of Riddle’s spell that changed
Arthur. There was nothing that he could do about that. He
would just have to be extra thoughtful around Arthur. He
sighed.
Harry rose and left the room. He wanted to be close to Ginny
again. Not seeing her for all this time made his stomach and
chest ache.
She was in the Living Room talking with Tonks and Luna.
When she noticed him walk into the room, her eyes shone
with excitement. She remained seated, waiting for him to
approach.
“Hello Tonks,” said Harry, taking her hand. She rose and
accepted Harry’s hug.
“Wotcher, Harry!” she said, grinning. “So ya came around
and decided that Ginny was a pretty good idea, did ya?”
“Ginny is the perfect idea. Speaking of perfect ideas, I
heard a little rumor about you the other day,” said Harry,
grinning broadly.
“What little rumor did you hear?” asked Tonks, with an
innocent look on her face.
“That you seem to have a thing for canines.”
“Ha! Ya got that right! Always had a weakness for ‘em,”
laughed Tonks.
Harry smiled at Ginny and was thinking about how he was
going to somehow maneuver his way to sit next to her, when
Lupin arrived.
“Harry, may I have a word?”
“Sure,” said Harry.
“This way,” said Lupin.
Harry followed Lupin up the stairs. Harry opened the door to
the master bedroom. They entered and closed the door.
Lupin put up a “Silencing Charm”. Harry led him over to the
two chairs next to the round table in the corner.
“Harry, I didn’t put the ‘Boils Curse’ on you. I don’t even
know it. It seems to be a curse that was handed down in the
Weasley’s family. Did the boys say anything about you and
the curse?” asked Lupin.
“Yeah. They wondered why he acted like my receiving the
curse was an afterthought. I told them that I think he wanted
the curse put on ME and that THEY were the afterthought,”
said Harry.
“What did they say?” asked Lupin.
“Not much, but I think they agree with that idea. They are
concerned with the change in their father. Ron thinks he’s
been put under the Imperius Curse, but the twins insist he’s
been checked out. Ron also suspects that has something to
do with Ginny,” said Harry.
“Yeah. Arthur can’t help himself. He has changed since that
night,” said Lupin.
“I know what you’re thinking. Harry, he doesn’t blame you.
He’s frightened. It’s Ginny that he is so worried about. The
worry has taken it’s toll on him,” said Lupin.
“If it wasn’t for me, Ginny wouldn’t BE in any danger,” said
Harry.
“No. If it wasn’t for Riddle, Ginny wouldn’t be in any danger.
And... Arthur is fully aware of it. Harry, Arthur is very fond of
you. He thinks of you as a son. Believe me, he is not
blaming you,” said Lupin.
“So what’s up with the Boils Curse?” asked Harry.
“Arthur is just over-reacting. He’s afraid that some female
will get information out of the boys, about Ginny.”
“So can I tell Ron, Hermione and Luna about my marriage?”
asked Harry.
“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen Dumbledore in quite a while.
We’ll have to talk to him about it, but I doubt it. My thought’s
that if they knew, they would change towards Ginny. It could
be noticed by others. It’s already enough with the change in
Arthur,” said Lupin.
“Mrs. Weasley seems to be ok. Has she changed too?”
asked Harry.
“Actually Molly had taken this far better than I would have
thought. I’m not saying that it hasn’t bothered her, but she
seems to have taken it better. At least better than Arthur.”
“Do you think we could at least find away to spend some...
alone time?” asked Harry.
“I don’t know about that either. Perhaps Dumbledore will
think of a way, if only for a couple of hours,” said Lupin.
“I sure hope so. I can’t hardly stand it. I don’t expect you to
understand... We’ve only had a few hours alone in all these
months. We can’t even talk,” said Harry, emotionally.
“I think I do understand. At least some. That was the other
reason I wanted to talk privately with you.”
“Harry, I’ve been thinking. Arthur’s talk has stirred up some
thoughts I’ve been fighting lately,” started Lupin.
“Tonks?” said Harry.
“Yes,” said Lupin, shaking his head solemnly.
“You love her, don’t you?” asked Harry.
“Yes... I do. There are serious problems that makes it
impossible for us,” he said, sadly.
“What problems?” asked Harry.
“You know the problems. Me being a werewolf, my age, her
working for the Ministry just to name a few,” said Lupin.
“If your being a werewolf or being too old were an issue, she
wouldn’t have even bothered with you in the first place. So
quit wasting time,” said Harry.
“What about being an Auror? If we were to... she would lose
her job. You KNOW how they feel about werewolves at the
Ministry,” said Lupin.
“She could quit. You both deserve a life together,” said
Harry.
“She can’t quit. I don’t think you understand. She loves her
job. She had to work so hard to become an Auror. You
know how clumsy she is. She had to work EXTRA hard to
compensate for that. It was a matter of pride and
determination that kept her motivated. When she became an
Auror, it was one of the proudest moments in her life. She’s
good at her job and she’s needed. Plus, the Order needs
her within Ministry as a contact. Her job is important,” said
Lupin.
Harry watched his guardian carefully. He looked so
defeated.
“I decided to talk to you about this because you are probably
the only one I know who can understand my feelings right
now. I’m going to break up with Tonks. She... well... she
has tempted me past my endurance. I just can’t take it any
more. I can’t offer her marriage. I can’t offer her anything.”
“You can’t break up with Tonks. You love her,” said Harry.
“I don’t see any other way. I’m miserable. She will be too if
she isn’t already,” said Lupin.
“She loves you, Lupin.”
“I know she does. That’s the problem.”
Harry thought for a moment. “You’ll just have to marry her.”
“I already told you. We can’t.”
“Yes you can. You can marry her secretly, like me,” said
Harry.
“I can’t ask her to do that. She deserves a proper marriage
to someone who doesn’t have all these problems. I want her
to be happy.”
“Look, she deserves to have her love fulfilled. You think
she’s gonna be happy if you broke up with her? You will
break her heart,” said Harry.
“I know it will break her heart, but she’ll get over it in time.
Then she will have a chance with someone else who isn’t a
broken-down werewolf.”
“She WANTS a broken-down werewolf, can’t imagine why,”
Harry teased.
“It’s not gonna work, Harry. Forget it,” said Lupin. “You
have a secret marriage, and look at you. You are not
happy.”
“Of course it could work. My situation is different. The
hardest part of our situation is that NO ONE can know. We
can’t even talk to each other about anything. YOU could.
“Look, the only ones that need to know, are the Weasley’s,
Luna and Hermione. It’s not unusual for Tonks to be here.
She often stays the night. She’s in and out of here all the
time. So, she wouldn’t be doing anything unusual that would
be noticed. She could go to work as usual, do her Order
assignments etc. But when she’s done, she would come
here. If anyone from the Order, who was connected with the
Ministry, saw her here, it would not be suspicious. It would
be easy, piece of cake,” said Harry.
“You sure came up with that plan quickly,” said Lupin.
“Because that was the plan I was hoping for Ginny and me.
If Ron, Hermione and Luna knew, guess I would have to
include Fred and George, anyway, if THEY knew, we could
have a practically normal marriage, HERE. I’m tempted to
tell them anyway...” Lupins eyes widened. “BUT I will wait
for Dumbledore’s word. It’s too important to let my feelings
take over and screw this up,” said Harry. “Anyway, YOU
could do it.”
“I don’t know. Women want their marriage to be public. It’s
shows the world that they are loved. You know, that kind of
thing. It’s not like your marriage, I mean yours is...”
“Not real? Do you think that MY marriage is not real? Don’t
you think that Ginny and I love each other? Do you think that
when this is all over that we will just... go our separate ways?
Is all this just some kind of temporary solution ?” asked
Harry, seriously.
Lupin stammered, trying to get some words out when Harry
continued.
“We are not playing some game. We are serious about each
other. We WILL NOT separate when this is over. We are
married for LIFE. If you think different, then you are
mistaken. That goes for Dumbledore and the Weasley’s
too,” said Harry.
“It was stipulated when we discussed this, that you MAY
separate when it’s over,” said Lupin.
“Well, that was THEN. I didn’t know for sure about the way
Ginny felt about me. But Ginny LOVES me. She loves me
as I love her. Our marriage is REAL,” said Harry.
“I didn’t mean to imply. Be that as it may, you have plenty of
time to make that decision,” said Lupin.
“The decision is made. Now... what about Tonks?”
“Harry, I didn’t say that your marriage wasn’t real. You both
are still in school. No one expects Ginny to be married at her
age. With Tonks it’s different. She’s older, she’s expected
to marry anytime soon. I’m sure her family expects it.”
“Now she’s too old. Lupin make up your mind,” teased Harry.
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe you don’t love her as much as you think,” said Harry.
“Of course I do,” said Lupin.
“Then give her the chance to decide. If she says no, you
won’t be any more miserable than you would if you broke it
off. At least you have a chance. Don’t waste valuable time.
Every moment with Ginny is precious. I wasted loads of
time. You could be happy.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Lupin.
“I think you have thought about it too long already. Let Tonks
do the thinking this time,” said Harry.
“Perhaps you’re right,” said Lupin.
“I KNOW I’m am,” said Harry.
When they entered the Living Room, the twins, Ron, Luna,
Ginny and Tonks were sitting around talking and laughing.
Molly and Arthur were nowhere to be seen.
Lupin turned toward Tonks. “May I have a word?” he asked.
“You can have a whole book full,” answered Tonks, as she
rose, smiling and joined him to leave the room.
“Ron was telling us about the Dursley’s running out on you,”
said George.
“Yeah?” asked Harry, as he sat down next to Ginny. He
placed a pillow between them, then wrapped his arms around
her.
“AND, I think I know WHO was at the bottom of it,” said
Ginny.
Fred made himself busy kissing Luna.
“Fred, come up for air. I’m talking to you!” said Ginny. Fred
blushed while Luna beamed.
“Harry, you should see the new Burrow. It’s coming right
along,” said George.
“George! Are you going to admit to what you did and why or
am I going to tell what I suspect?”
“Now Ginny,” started George.
“Don’t ‘now Ginny’ me!” said Ginny.
“It’s all a misunderstanding,” said Fred.
“What part don’t I understand? Has Dad said anything to you
yet?” asked Ginny.
“What are you talking about?” asked Ron.
Ginny looked at George, then Fred. “Well?”
“Ok. I admit we gave them a bit of a bad time, but not
enough to get Harry kicked out,” said Fred.
“Yeah, we just showed them a little lesson, nothing they
didn’t deserve.”
“But Harry had to pay,” said Ginny.
“We didn’t know they’d blame Harry,” said Fred.
“Yeah, we didn’t know,” said George.
“Who else were they supposed to blame?” asked Ginny.
Fred and George looked at each other, then shrugged their
shoulders.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?” asked
Ron.
“Mr. Dursley had several flat tires... for months! He ended up
buying a three or four new cars because of it. They also had
Pixies and Doxys in their house. Gnomes in their garden. A
Boggart in their closet. Who does that sound like?” said
Ginny.
“What’d you do that for?” he asked the twins.
“Why does everyone always think that it’s us? asked Fred.
“Anybody could have done it,” said George.
“Any witch or wizard could of done it. But nobody else would
have done it. It’s got your names written all over it,” said
Ginny.
Harry didn’t say a word. He just sat back and listened in
amusement.
“Well?” said Ginny.
The twins both slightly blushed.
“Why?” asked Ron.
“Because they deserved it,” said George.
“Look, they didn’t get hurt or anything,” said Fred.
“Yeah, they were just aggravated,” said George.
“How’d you get into the house. I thought there were ‘wards’
up?” asked Harry.
“We only got into the house once, to put the Boggart in,” said
George.
“We used an Invisibility Cloak that we borrowed, don’t ask,”
said Fred.
“Whose closet did you put it in?” asked Harry.
“Dudley’s!” they said in unison.
“So, what happened?” asked Harry.
“It was hilarious!” said Fred.
“He started screaming for his Mummy. Then she went in
and started screaming. The old man thundered up the stairs
yelling, then he started screaming and they all thundered
down the stairs,” said George.
Harry was laughing. He could picture it all in his mind.
“The Pixies and Doxys we just sent through the door and
window. It took some maneuvering, mind you, but we got it
done,” said George.
“We watched the old lady fussing with the garden from time
to time, trying to figure out what was wrong. One day a
Gnome bit her finger. She and a Gnome were having a tug
of war over some flower. We don’t know if she could see it,
but she knew something was there. She wasn’t going to give
up her flower to whatever it was,” said Fred, grinning.
Harry was rolling around laughing.
“I liked the Pixies best,” said George.
“Yeah, that was pretty cool. Dudley started crying for his
Mum. Then we heard the old lady telling him ‘Let go of me. I
can’t reach the broom with you holding on. Go upstairs.
Mummy will take care if it, Dutters,” said Fred, mimicking
Aunt Petunia.
“Then the window flew open and Pixies came flying out. She
was swinging her broom and bouncing them out the window.
We could heard Dudley yelling ‘Get them Mum.’ A big old
boy like that scared of Pixies and letting his Mum defend him.
It was pathetic,” said George.
Tears were flowing from Harry’s eyes. He could hardly
control his laughter, when they heard a voice. They all
turned.
“Fred! George! Come to the Kitchen. NOW!” said Arthur in
a thunderous voice.
They meekly left the room.
“They are in trouble now. Mum and Dad knew it was them
when they heard what was going on at the Dursleys,” said
Ginny.
“I better go and try to help them out,” said Harry.
“You just stay right here. If Mum and Dad see that you are
upset, it’ll only make it worse. Let them have the dignity of
being punished privately,” said Ginny, wisely.
“But...” said Harry.
“They did the deed. Dumbledore is going to be livid when he
finds out that the Dursleys moved AND you were on your
own all this time,” said Ron.
A few minutes later, Molly and Arthur were standing in the
doorway. Fred and George were standing behind them.
“Bed time! It’s been a LONG day,” said Arthur.
Everyone rose and headed up the stairs. Fred and George
were walking very slowly.
The twins and Ron entered Ron’s room. Harry followed.
“So, what happened?” asked Ron.
“Boils!” said Fred.
Harry took that as his cue to leave the room. He went to his
bedroom, closed the door and leaned against it. It HAD
been a very long day.
* * * *
Chapter 44: Chap 44 - Morning Insight
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Lupin alone --- Harry’s regret -- Ginny’s secret ---------------
Chapter Forty-four - Morning Insight
When Harry awoke his clock showed that it was almost 10
a.m. He stumbled his way to the bathroom. He didn’t mean
to sleep so late but he was exhausted from the day before.
When he returned to his bedroom he noticed a piece of
parchment on the floor. It was a hastily written note from
Ginny.
Harry,
I have to go back to The Burrow this morning. I’m sorry I
couldn’t wait for you. I hope to see you later today or at least
by tonight.
Your Love,
Ginny
“Damn!” cursed Harry. He was going to talk to SOMEONE
about this!
He hurriedly put his clothes on and started down the hallway
to go down to breakfast. But as he passed Ginny’s door, he
paused, then turned back and entered her room. He got a
slight whiff of her scent. He closed the door and walked
over near her newly made bed. Her scent was stronger here.
His eye caught the hair brush that lying on the dressing table.
Ginny had used this to brush her flaming hair this morning, a
few strands remained in the bristles. He picked it up and
smelled the brush. Yes, he could smell that clean smell of
her hair. He removed the few strands from the brush and put
them in his pocket.
He sat on the bed. He pulled her pillow out from under the
bedspread and held the pillow to his face drinking in the faint
smell. It made him feel warm inside. If only...
Then he remembered Lupin. He felt his face flush red.
Harry thought that he probably went too far with Lupin last
night. He knew he shouldn’t have talked to Lupin like that. It
really wasn’t his place, but he couldn’t help himself.
Lupin was one of the most kindest and intelligent people he
knew. He’d had a very hard life. As far as Harry could tell,
Lupin was most happy during his school days at Hogwarts.
He was one fourth of the Marauders. James and Sirius were
the mischievous ones, Remus the most serious and Peter
admired the others. From what Harry could gather, James
and Sirius, with their crazy antics kept Lupin laughing and
happy. Once they left school, things went very wrong for the
foursome. Lupin ended up being alone.
He lived his adult life in poverty because of the prejudice of
the Wizarding world, promoted mostly by the Ministry of
Magic. He had gotten the DADA job at Hogwarts that lasted
almost a year. Harry reckoned that at that time he had some
happiness. Lupin had been very good at his job. He was the
best teacher that Harry had ever known. But that ended all
too soon.
Lupin went back to poverty but made himself useful within
the Order. He had barely got his best friend back when
Sirius was murdered.
Harry, and now Luna, were his only family. But Harry and
Luna were nearly grown. Lupin needed more in his life. It
was not fair for such a wonderful man to be alone. Tonks
was the type of person that was so good for Lupin. She, like
the Marauders, was full of life. Lupin is the kind of person
that likes to be around spirited people, even though he is
mostly a quiet person, himself.
Although Harry hadn’t been around Lupin and Tonks together
very much. He had been around enough to know that they
were good for each other. Lupin was happy with her and
more than that, he admitted that he loved her.
Lupin deserved to have love in his life. He’d been lonely for
too many years. When Lupin told him that he was going to
break up with Tonks, it was more than Harry could stand.
Lupin would sacrifice his only chance at happiness because
of the Ministry.
Lupin was in love and so was Tonks. Why should they give
up their love? Why should Lupin be sad and lonely? Harry
couldn’t stand the idea that Lupin would never find
happiness. So he spoke up, put himself forward into
something that really wasn’t his business. Harry had felt a
panic inside when Lupin said he was going to break up with
Tonks, just because of her job.
The Ministry had always caused sorrow for Lupin, even
though this time it was through Tonks. But it all boiled down
to the same thing, Lupin would be sad and lonely because of
the Ministry.
Harry felt all hot with embarrassment again. He would have
to apologize to Lupin today. He sighed.
He kissed the pillow and put it back, being careful to tuck it in
as he found it. He went back to his bedroom and placed
Ginny’s strands of hair under the plastic inside one of his
photo albums. He was afraid that Winky would throw them
away as trash.
Luna was the only one in the kitchen when Harry made it
down. Harry began making him a plate of left-leftovers from
the night before.
“Morning, Luna. Are you the only one around this morning?”
asked Harry.
“Yeah. The Weasleys didn’t have a good morning. Fred
and George were in pain. Fred mentioned something about
boils, but I didn’t see any. Mr. Weasley told him that he was
lucky it was only boils and he could have woke up in
Azkaban. They all left for work with only a piece of toast for
breakfast. Then Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had a row. She
said something about Ginny being ‘seen’, don’t know what
that was all about. But it looked like Ginny and Ron wanted
to stay here. Ron muttered something about being ‘of age’
and Mrs. Weasley threatened to put her wand up his... well
anyway, they all left out of here in a bad mood,” said Luna.
“But I think Lupin is around somewhere,” added Luna.
“Good! I need to talk to him. What’s your plan for today?”
asked Harry. He didn’t like the sound of this morning’s
conflicts.
“Nothing much. I’m going to read some old issues from The
Quibbler today,” said Luna.
“I’d have thought you had them all memorized by now.”
“Just the newer ones. The older ones I’ve read but I might
have forgotten things, it’s been a while.”
“Oh, then that should be enjoyable,” said Harry.
“I’m planning on opening The Quibbler again after I finish
school,” said Luna.
“Really? Won’t that be dangerous?” asked Harry.
“I don’t know why it should. But it doesn’t matter if it is, I’m
going to do it anyway. Daddy spent his life researching the
interesting facts that other publications ignored. I think it is a
noble cause. It was something that Daddy and I shared the
same interest in,” said Luna.
“That sounds good,” said Harry. It was a little unsettling but
hopefully by the time she was ready to begin, Riddle would
be defeated.
“I’m thinking of calling it ‘The Quibbler Deux’. That’s French
for two,” said Luna.
“Catchy,” said Harry.
Lupin entered the kitchen as Harry had finished his
breakfast.
“Oh good, I wanted to talk to you this morning,” said Harry,
flushing.
“I wanted to talk to both of you before I step out for a couple
of hours,” said Lupin.
“I think maybe you and I should talk privately before you say
anything,” said Harry.
“No need, Harry. Luna, Harry, I’m engaged. Well, sort
of... it looks like it,” said Lupin, grinning.
“Yes!” shouted Harry. He rose up and punched the air with
is fist and started doing a triumphant dance.
“That’s wonderful. I was ready for a new mother,” said
Luna.
“Mother?” said Harry, clearly shocked at the notion.
“Yeah. Since Lupin is our adopted father, that would make
Tonks our adopted mother,” said Luna.
“I never thought of Tonks as a mother,” said Harry.
“Don’t you think she would make a good mother?” asked
Lupin, amused.
“No. I mean, I guess,” said Harry. He couldn’t picture
anyone less motherly than Tonks at the moment.
“Don’t worry about it, Harry. I understand. You are nearly
‘of age’, a little late for a new mother. But you may, if you
wish, Luna, consider her a mother if you want. I’ll leave that
up to you,” said Lupin.
“I’ll have to think about it,” said Luna.
“No need. Things will sort themselves out,” said Lupin,
smiling at Luna.
“Anyway, you both are not to say a word about it. I’m acting
a little premature. It will all depend on Dumbledore and
Tonks, of course. You see, Tonks hasn’t given me her
answer yet,” said Lupin.
“What? But you said!” said Harry, astonished.
“I asked her. She told me she would ‘consider my proposal’.
Which means that she will take her sweet time in accepting,
but she will accept,” said Lupin.
“Oh no!” said Harry.
“Harry, women don’t usually accept the first proposal. They
don’t want to appear too eager. We have to show that we
are worthy of them. It is proper for her to be hesitant and
keep me hanging for at least one day. Maybe two or three.
Knowing her, it will probably only be one day,” said Lupin.
“I don’t understand. You are telling us BEFORE she
accepts?” said Harry.
“Well, I know I really shouldn’t... but I couldn’t hold it in any
longer. After she accepts, we will talk to Dumbledore about
it. He may decide to do it immediately. I wanted you to be
prepared if we suddenly have a wedding. Besides, she will
accept,” said Lupin.
“How do you know?” asked Harry.
“Trust me, her eyes told me more than words could ever
say.” He grinned sheepishly.
“Now listen carefully. Neither of you are to say a word to
anyone, that includes Fred, Luna. The whole marriage is to
be a secret. I will inform the Weasleys at the proper time.
The Weasleys, Hermione and of course, Dumbledore, will
be the only ones who will know. We’re not even going to
include the others from the Order. The less people who
know, the better. It MUST be a complete secret,” added
Lupin.
“OOOOO a secret marriage, how romantic,” said Luna,
dreamily.
“If Dumbledore will marry us, that is. I think he will,” said
Lupin.
“I think he will too,” said Harry, grinning.
“So! Luna, after the wedding, there can be no mention of
our marriage. You will talk normally about us, but not speak
of us as a couple. Tonks will go about her usual business,
but when the day is through, she will stay in this house for
the night. Do you think you can abide by this?” asked Lupin.
“Yes, I promise. I guess I won’t refer to her as ‘Mum’,” said
Luna.
“Yes, I think that would give it away. It should not be any
burden on either of you. Even though we would be married,
I think you both should just carry on as we have been. There
should be no changes in anything we have been normally
doing. The only difference will be that she will be sleeping in
my room.”
Luna rose, kissed Lupin on the cheek. “I’m so happy for
you,” she said, then left the kitchen.
Harry put up a “Silencing Charm”.
“I want to apologize for last night. I think I overstepped,”
said Harry, turning red.
“No need, Harry. I understand. You did speak of things that
are very private, but I know you did it out of love. That’s
what family does when they are concerned, they mess in
each other’s affairs. That’s why there is so much conflict in
families. It only shows that we are real family,” said Lupin,
smiling.
“Yes, I guess that’s true... Lupin, last night you said that you
thought I was unhappy. I wanted to tell you that I am not
unhappy. I think I am happier now than I’ve ever been.
Being with Ginny is the best thing that’s ever happened to
me. She makes me happy. Of course we are not
completely happy. We have no privacy. We can’t live like a
married couple is supposed to. But I wouldn’t give up what
little we have, for anything. In other words, I would do it all
over again even if I knew what it would be like. I want YOU
to be happy. I know that Tonks will make you happy. You
and Tonks CAN have an almost normal marriage. It’s worth
anything that you have to do to make it work,” said Harry,
seriously.
“I think you are right. After talking with you, I decided that if
you were so insistent upon me marrying, that you couldn’t be
THAT miserable. That it was worth it to you,” said Lupin.
“It IS worth it,” said Harry, smiling.
“Well... I’m off! I have a few things to attend to and have to
buy a ring. It can’t look like a wedding ring but I want it to be
a special kind of ring. That could take some time to sort out,”
said Lupin.
* * * *
Ginny and her mum had a rocky morning. Molly insisted that
they leave early for The Burrow. Ginny wanted to wait until
Harry woke up before they left. Ginny asked if she could go
wake Harry and that set Molly off. Ginny did take the time to
write Harry a note before they left.
Ron watched his mother and sister in disbelief. He didn’t
understand what was the big deal. He didn’t think there was
any rush to leave. He didn’t even think there was any reason
for him to leave, but his mother insisted that he do so.
Molly was at a loss. She was trying to think of a reason for
her children to return to The Burrow. Arthur told her to get
them home as soon as possible, but neglected to give her a
cover story. So she was “winging it”. All she knew was that
Ginny must be “seen” around The Burrow as much as
possible. Ron didn’t know anything about this. Ginny knew,
but was having a weak moment that Molly had to deal with.
The argument with Ginny was not a good idea. Something
could slip in front of Ron.
Ginny, although she knew she needed to go home, wanted
a little time with Harry. She wasn’t asking for much, in her
opinion, but her mother was not giving her any slack.
After they arrived at The Burrow, Molly was inspired. She
set Ron to the task of constructing a chicken coop. She
reckoned he wouldn’t have a clue as to where to start with it,
so that would give her some time to think things through.
Ron was disgruntled. He didn’t have a clue as to where to
build the chicken house, let alone HOW to construct one.
So he sat on the newly constructed deck pondering where
one should go. All that he knew, was that wherever he put
it, it would be wrong.
His father had told him, at the beginning of summer, that he
needed to do everything that his mother told him to do. His
father was not kidding around. He explained that Molly had
some kind of “female troubles” that caused her great
anxiety. So no matter what was asked, Ron was to do it.
Even if she told him to jump out the window. Ask no
questions, just do it! The new “Arthur” was not to be
reckoned with. He was much sterner and meant exactly
what he said.
Ron DID ask if Molly was ill. Arthur assured him that she
was not seriously ill in any way, BUT he should act as if
anything she told him to do was life or death. Ron had
decided that it was just easier to go along than to argue the
point.
Ginny, however, did seem to argue back sometimes. She
was not having a good go of it. She seemed to be having
“private talks” with either Mum or Dad quite often. She
never seemed to come out of them very happy. Ron
assumed that most, if not all, of these “private talks”, were
punishment for sass.
Ron decided that if he HAD to work on the chicken coop that
he would try to at least make an effort. At least until his dad
returned, so he could ask advice about it. He decided that
he would study the landscape to figure out where would be
the best place to put it. That would take him a while. In the
meantime, maybe his mother would change her mind or
something.
Molly took Ginny up to her room and put up a Silencing
Charm.
“Ginny, you KNOW you need to be ‘seen’ around here. We
don’t want anyone wondering where you are. They are
going to think you are with Harry somewhere. Why are you
giving me such a hard time?” asked Molly.
“I’ve been SEEN every day. If I decided to stay inside the
house all day. It shouldn’t be unusual. I want to be with
Harry!” said Ginny.
“Your father asked me to bring you home as early as
possible. I didn’t argue with him. He is very upset about
what the twins did to the Dursleys. They could have been
arrested and sent to Azkaban! Muggle baiting is against the
law!” shouted Molly.
“But Mum, they weren’t Muggle baiting. They didn’t do that
stuff because they were Muggles, they did it because of how
badly they treated Harry,” said Ginny.
“I know they did. But it doesn’t matter WHY. The point is
that they are Muggles. No matter what they did, we can’t be
using magic to frighten them. That is the law.”
“Look, we missed noticing the Dursleys were not there to
pick up Harry. THEN we find out that the Dursleys are
missing AND the reason. Our own family scared them off.
What do you think Dumbledore is going to think about all
this? Your father is so humiliated. He doesn’t want to face
Dumbledore and tell him about failing to do his wishes. I
think it is important that Harry stay with the Dursleys. I don’t
know why, but every year I beg Dumbledore to let him stay
with us. Every year he makes him go back. He usually stays
for about two months. There is some reason for this, but
Dumbledore never told me why. Do you know?” asked Molly.
“No. Maybe Harry knows. But we NEVER get to have time
to talk to each other about things,” said Ginny.
Molly softened. “I know. When Dumbledore comes, we will
sit down and have a talk with him. We’ll wait to see what he
has to say. There are things he knows that none of us
knows. That is why we should do what he asks. Failing to
follow his orders could be fatal to someone. That is why your
father is so upset,” said Molly.
She paused. “Ginny, I know this is hard on you. I’m sure
that Dumbledore will arrange for some private time for you
and Harry. But until we get to talk to him about it. We will
just have to continue on,” added Molly.
“We are going back tonight, aren’t we?” asked Ginny.
“I think so. Dumbledore should be contacting us soon. I’m
sure we will have an Order meeting very soon. While we are
in the meeting, you will have a little time with Harry,” said
Molly, smiling.
“Yeah? And what are we going to do with Ron and Luna?
So much for having time with Harry,” she pouted.
“And hopefully after the meeting, we may get to have a talk
with Dumbledore about your problem. Ok?” said Molly.
“Yeah. I guess,” said Ginny.
Molly hugged Ginny then left the room. Ginny was so mad
that she punched her teddy bear. Then she threw it across
the room and stomped her foot. She wanted to tear
something up. Anything. Denying her time with Harry was
so cruel. If she wanted to kick and scream, she had the right.
She deserved to do whatever she wanted. She was the
sacrifice!
When she was in Harry’s arms, she didn’t care about the
rest of the world, she could hide her fear from him and
everyone else, their love was all that mattered. When she
was with him she felt stronger. He gave her to will to be
strong. she felt more secure.
She was so frustrated that she finally fell across her bed and
sobbed. After the sobbing passed, she sat up on her bed
holding her pillow to her chest, thinking.
No one really understood what she was going through,
except maybe Dumbledore, even he couldn’t know exactly
how she felt. Nobody knew that a few days after her secret
wedding, she had went to Dumbledore’s office and had a
long talk with him, at her request. She told him she wanted
to know exactly what would happen when Tom Riddle
completed the spell.
Dumbledore explained that once Riddle was ready, he would
come for her. He HAD to do that himself.
He had explained what Riddle now looked like. He drew a
rough drawing and detailed a description about how he now
looked. When Ginny had been captured by his “memory”,
Tom was a handsome young man. Experimentation with
immortality had grossly disfigured him. Dumbledore wanted
to help her be ready for the shock of seeing him as he now
was.
They also discussed how it could happen. He explained that
it could happen at any time. She would have to be ready.
They decided that when he did show up, that she would
need to quickly maneuver herself to get as close to him as
possible, without appearing to do so purposely. She should
appear frightened so that it did not appear to be a trap, she
thought that appearing frightened would be very easy to do.
It was best that she got close to him so that he would quickly
seize her. Dumbledore was not sure if Ginny could grab him
first, so they decided that she would just have to get close
enough for HIM to do the grabbing.
They were afraid that anyone close would try to defend Ginny
and get in the way. So, by her getting close quickly, she
could help keep anyone near, safe. Dumbledore told her
that it was very possible that someone could be harmed at
this time. She could only do what she could. It would
depend on the circumstances at the moment.
Once he seized her, Dumbledore didn’t know exactly how
long it would take for the spell to take affect. It may be as
long as a few minutes. He thought it MAY work like the spell
that had destroyed Quirrel before, which worked instantly,
but it could take a few minutes. Riddle could possibly
Apparate them away before the clause took affect, so he
made a couple of Portkeys for Ginny to keep on her at all
times. They were two little pieces of bandage gauze, about
the size of a postage stamp. One was palest pink, that
would take her to Grimmauld Place. The other was palest
blue, that would take her to Dumbledore’s office. She would
choose, depending on whichever place she felt was the
safest place at the time. She did not have to use her wand to
evoke the spell. She only had to touch it and say “Evoke!”
and it would whisk her away. She kept them inside her bra.
They both hoped that Harry would not be there when it
happened. They both feared that Harry would forget himself
and try to defend her.
At this time, they came up with the plan for Ginny to be seen
outside her home during the summer. Although Dumbledore
didn’t tell her exactly where they were going to be staying.
He just said that she would have to be “seen” mostly every
day. This would accomplish two goals. One, Riddle would
know where to find her and two, that she was not sneaking
off to be alone with Harry.
Harry didn’t know about the talk with Dumbledore OR the
plan. She didn’t know if Harry had thought about that part of
what was to come. She hoped not, because it would eat at
him. If they got time alone, she hoped the subject wouldn’t
come up. She didn’t want to waste any time alone talking
about that subject. Anything said could not change it.
She didn’t know if her parents or Lupin had thought about
that part of it either. She suspected that her dad did, he
looked so old and worried.
Sometimes a wave of fear would rush through her. She
didn’t want to think about Riddle touching her. She knew she
would have to face it one day. She wouldn’t back down, not
now. Not even if she had a choice in the matter. Harry’s life
depended on her. It was not only Harry’s life, it was
everyone else’s life too.
She sometimes got scared, but the thought of “utterly
destroying” him was satisfying. She just wanted it to be
over. Over, so that she and Harry could begin their life
together.
* * * *
Chapter 45: Chap 45 - Plans
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ron’s plan - Secrets - - Coming to a boil ---------------
Chapter Forty-five - Plans
Ginny sat on her bed, working herself up into a state of fear
again. She had to get out and do something. If she sat
here any longer, she would go crazy. She’d been here
before, it didn’t do any good. Self pity was a waste of time.
What she needed was Harry. He always made her feel
secure. It should have had the opposite effect because of
the circumstances, but it didn’t. She didn’t get the waves of
fear when she was with him.
She had a humorous thought. She wondered how many of
those girls that had a crush on him would still be crushing, if
they knew the price they would have to pay to be loved by
Harry. She giggled. She wouldn’t let it out that it was
worth any price to be loved by Harry. Any price.
She decided to go out and be “seen” with Ron. Ron would
at least distract her.
“Thought I’d come out and see how you’re doing,” said
Ginny.
“I think I know where to put it. It depends on what it’s going
to look like. I don’t want to put it just anywhere. The house
looks pretty good, if we PLAN where stuff goes, hopefully it
won’t look trashy. If we line up the tool shed and Dad’s
workshop along here... then the garden shed... THEN
the chicken coop with it’s yard, as the last building, it
should be ok. Actually I was thinking we could make it all
one long building with walls separating each of them and a
door to each section. Maybe made of brick with a tile roof.
What ya think?” said Ron.
Ginny studied the landscape picturing his idea. “Yeah. I think
that would look good. You’re pretty good at this,” said
Ginny.
“You think so?” asked Ron, surprised.
“Sure! We could temporarily move the old sheds to the
back of the yard on the other side of the hedge, until you
get the new buildings built. Then we can knock down the
old ones when you’re done,” said Ginny.
“We?”
“Sure! I’ll help you,” said Ginny.
“So, why did Mum set me to build the chicken coop? She
knows I don’t have a clue. She’s been cranky this morning.
Sometimes I think she just isn’t thinking. Funny thing
though, at times she goes out of her way to be thoughtful. I
think she’s gone mental. And Dad... I just don’t
understand,” said Ron.
“It’s the war, Ron. Nerves are on edge.”
“Dad’s right upset about you. Why?”
Ginny thought for a moment. This could be really tricky.
“Ron, answer me this as truthfully as you can. Have you
ever thought that Harry was too dangerous to be your
friend? That you are in MORE danger because you are his
friend?”
“No... I mean... not like that. Of course, we’ve been in
some tight spots, but it’s not Harry’s fault that
You-Know-Who is after him, is it?”
“But you haven’t wondered that maybe you shouldn’t be his
friend because of it?” asked Ginny.
“No way! We’re mates. What kind of question is that?”
said Ron.
“Well... you split up in your fourth year.” said Ginny,
suggestively.
“Yeah... well that was because I was mad at him. That’s
different,” said Ron, blushing.
“You are a good friend, Ron. Harry is really lucky to have a
best friend like you.”
“What’s that got to do with Dad?”
“I’m not sure. I think the war is getting to him. It all seems
to center on Harry, so we are all in the thick of things.
Maybe he’s just worried that we are too close to the worst of
it,” said Ginny.
“I’m not dumping Harry because it could be dangerous and I
don’t think that Dad would ask me to,” said Ron.
“No, he wouldn’t do that, but that doesn’t stop him from
worrying.”
“I think there is more to it than just that. He’s been like this
since this spring, least that is what the twins said,” said
Ron.
“Since I started going with Harry?” suggested Ginny.
“Not exactly. No, it’s only been since this spring.”
“That was when I started going with Harry,” said Ginny.
“I asked Mum about it. He approves of you and Harry. So
that’s not it. Besides, he knew about you and Harry since
Christmas,” said Ron.
“No way! We didn’t start going out since spring,” said
Ginny.
“Oh yeah? So he was kissing you and telling everybody you
were perfect and you were not going out? Yeah, right.
You’re as bad as Harry,” said Ron.
“Huh? What’d you mean kissing? When?”
“Christmas. Remember? That was after he already took
you to TWO balls. Come on, Gin. I don’t know why both of
you are denying it. It’s not as if it was a secret or anything,”
said Ron.
“Secret? No Ron we haven’t started going together till this
spring. What’s this about kissing at Christmas?”
“The night you had your nightmare. Harry was kissing you,”
said Ron.
“I don’t remember any kissing or anything. Believe me, I
would have remembered that. Tell me everything that
happened, Ron. Please?” asked Ginny.
“You were sleeping on the sofa. You got up on your knees
and started screaming for Harry. You know, your usual.
Harry took over. You know, like he did after Hogsmeade.”
“Like what?” asked Ginny.
“He went straight to you before anyone else had a chance.
Don’t know if he knew you were dreaming. You were
screaming and stuff. You asked where he was, like you
always do, he told you he was right there. I think, you
were making too much noise to know exactly what he said.
But he was holding your face, trying to get you to pay
attention, then he started kissing you all over your face.
Your eyes, and forehead... your lips. Right in front of all of
us. Mum and Dad were right there.”
“Anyway after that, you stopped screaming and started
crying. He was holding you and petting you, until you fell
asleep. He held you for quite a while to make sure you were
sleeping. Then one of the twins took over and we all went to
the kitchen to talk about what happened. I told them it was
the kissing that did it. After he started kissing you, you
stopped screaming,” said Ron.
“I don’t remember anything about it. It’s hard to believe that
Harry was kissing me, back then,” said Ginny.
“Yeah, well... after he told Mum that you were perfect, that
didn’t leave any room for doubt,” said Ron, grinning.
“He said that? Why would he say that? Who was there?”
asked Ginny.
“All of us were there, well not all of us. Lupin, Mum and
Dad, me and one of the twins. Can’t remember which,
they traded off,” said Ron, thinking hard.
“Traded off?”
“One sat on the sofa with you, then Mum had them trade
off. I don’t remember which was first. Don’t really matter.
Anyway, Harry was confused. He didn’t understand why
you didn’t want him and Hermione to know about your
nightmares. So Mum explained about you’re being short.
That’s when he said you didn’t need to be any taller, that
you were perfect. He said it in front of all of us. We all knew
then, for sure that is,” said Ron.
“Harry said I was perfect?” said Ginny, her heart leaping.
“Yeah. So anyway they knew you were going together since
then. They didn’t start acting weird till later this spring.”
“But we weren’t Ron. We didn’t start going together till this
spring.”
“Well they thought it was since Christmas so that’s when it
counts,” said Ron.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just YOU thinking that?” asked Ginny.
Ron rolled his eyes. “I talked to Bill and Charlie AND the
twins about it at Christmas. They all thought the same
thing.”
“Yeah, I guess if you put it that way,” said Ginny. “So, do
you really think I’m short?”
“A regular Munchkin.” said Ron.
Ginny play punched him.
“So Gin, why do you and Harry say that you started going
together this spring? You went to all the balls together,
played Quidditch together and were together all the time,”
asked Ron.
“Ron, we went to the balls together at the last minute. We
told you. I didn’t want to go to the first ball, but when the
ball started, I regretted not going. Harry saw that I was
unhappy and so he took me. The second ball... well...
remember I was going with Gary but a few days before the
ball, I decided against it. When Harry found out that I
wasn’t going, after he had bought my dress robes, he
thought I should wear them. Then the last ball, well, he
only asked me so that if I got another date and something
went wrong, he wouldn’t have to ask me again. Like some
kind of backup. Harry is an expert at asking me to balls as a
friend,” said Ginny.
“Yeah? and what about all the Quidditch practice and stuff?”
“Ron, we ARE on the same Quidditch team. DUH!”
“Harry had a thing for you all year. What took him so long to
ask ya?”
“Well, he didn’t want to ‘fall for me’, as he put it. Mostly
because of you.”
“Me?” asked Ron.
“Because you are best mates, you dodo. He reckoned I
was off limits. Then, it must of been something you said or
whatever, because then he asked me.”
They both stood in silence for a few minutes when Ron
spotted three owls headed their way. They hovered over
them as they each took a letter. The remaining owl
remained hovering until Ginny removed that letter too. It
was Luna’s O.W.L.s results. Ginny petted and thanked the
owls. She reassured the extra owl that she would not open
the letter, but would deliver it to Luna as soon as possible.
Ginny opened her results, smiled and was going to put it
into her pocket when Ron stopped her.
“Ok let’s see. They can’t be that bad,” said Ron. Ginny
handed him her results.
“Blimey! Wow! You got two outstandings and the rest are
exceeds expectations. How’d you do that, with all the stuff
you were doing this year?” asked Ron, astonished.
“I studied with Luna all year. She’s pretty smart,” said
Ginny.
“She is?” asked Ron.
“Ron, she’s in Ravenclaw.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, she’s so weird I didn’t think...
well... you know,” said Ron.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “So, is that a letter from Hermione?
Aren’t you going to read it? When is she coming?” asked
Ginny.
Ron blushed. “Yes, it’s from Hermione.”
“And? Are you going to read it or not?” said Ginny,
impatiently.
“She planned on coming sometime in August,” said Ron,
noncommittally.
“Oh for heaven’s sake! Go sit down and read it! I’ll go get
us some drinks and tell Mum about my results,” said Ginny.
She went into the kitchen and handed the O.W.L.s results to
her mother.
“Oh Ginny! Eleven O.W.L.s! and two of them are
outstanding! Your father is going to be so proud. I’ll add a
little extra to dinner tonight to celebrate!”
Ginny fixed them drinks and returned outside. Ron hastily
pocketed the letter from Hermione.
“So? What’s she got to say?” asked Ginny.
Ron blushed again. “Not much. She sent it from the ship.
She’s probably home by now.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” said Ginny, watching Ron carefully.
“Ron? Are you still interested in Hermione?” asked Ginny,
causally.
“What you talking about?” asked Ron, blushing.
“Oh come off it, Ron,” said Ginny.
“Obviously, she’s not interested in me,” said Ron, looking
away.
“Hmmmm,” said Ginny.
“Well, I mean, she started dating Neville and all. She knew
that I was interested, but went out with him anyway.”
“She refused you?” asked Ginny, knowing perfectly well that
he hadn’t asked Hermione out.
“No... she just started going out with Neville. So that says
it all,” said Ron.
“So, you just let it go. After they broke up this winter. You
still didn’t ask her out? How do you know that she wouldn’t
go with you? She seemed pretty keen on you before school
started,” said Ginny.
“What you mean? Keen on me?” said Ron.
“I mean, when we got our invitations to the end of summer
party, she was ecstatic about you asking her to the party. I
never seen her so excited,” said Ginny.
“Really?” asked Ron, astonished.
“Yes, she was squealing and laughing, jumping up and
down and rushing around trying to figure out what to wear.
She was all giggly and excited, most un-Hermione-like,”
said Ginny, grinning.
“She was? You’re not joking with me, are you?”
“No, I’m not joking.”
“You DID intend to ask her, didn’t you? To the party, I
mean.”
“No, I mean it was all Neville’s idea, about asking you girls.
Then, I said I was going to ask Hermione, then Harry said
he’d ask you and Neville took Luna. We didn’t PLAN it. But
once we talked about it. Well... anyways, after we talked
about it, yes,” said Ron.
“Sooooo, what happened?” Ginny knew perfectly well but
she wanted Ron’s point of view.
“Nothing. She started going out with Neville,” said Ron.
“So, when we started school, Hermione became distant
then started going out with Neville?” asked Ginny.
“No, not really. I mean everything was fine until Hogsmeade
weekend, then she went with Neville. I don’t know why.”
“Maybe cause he ASKED her?” asked Ginny.
“Hermione knew that we always go to Hogsmeade together.
We been going to Hogsmeade for years, and Neville knew it
too!” said Ron.
“A girl likes to be asked, Ron,” said Ginny, softly.
“Well, she should’ve known.”
“Maybe she did, but that’s the way girls are. They like to be
asked, then they know where they stand,” said Ginny.
“We’ve been friends long enough for her to know.”
“She’s a girl, Ron.”
“What’s that got to do with it?”
“She’s a girl!” Ginny got in his face and started poking his
chest. “Girls want to be ASKED.” POKE “Girls want to be
petted” POKE “and treated special.” POKE “We want to be
kissed” POKE “and hugged” POKE “and caressed” POKE“
and told how much we are loved!” POKE.
“Ouch! Ginny! Stop it!”
“Sorry, I got carried away.”
“She really was excited about going out with me?” asked
Ron a moment later, as he rubbed the sore spot on his
chest.
“Yes, she was,” said Ginny.
“You think she’s still... interested?” asked Ron.
“I don’t know,” said Ginny, frowning. “Since you were going
out with all those other girls... maybe... I’m not sure. I
don’t understand why you could ask those other girls out but
not ask Hermione. It doesn’t make sense. She probably
wondered the same thing. Probably thinks you lost interest.”
“I didn’t,” said Ron, blushing.
“Didn’t what?”
“Nothing. Er... you think I should wait for Dad to show
him the plans. I’m going to need stuff to build with.”
“Ronald Weasley! You never asked those girls out, did you?
They somehow ended up asking you, didn’t they?” said
Ginny.
“Ginny, drop it,” said Ron.
“No I won’t. Honestly Ron!”
“Don’t you dare tell ANYONE!”
“I won’t. If you tell me WHY. Are you afraid of asking girls
out?”
Ron turned the deepest red he had ever blushed. “It was
Fluer. Remember when she turned me down? Every time I
think about asking... well... I’m pathetic.”
“Oh Ron, I’m sorry,” said Ginny, patting his shoulder. “But
wait! You asked Hermione to the party.”
“Yeah, well that was in a note. The guys got me all pumped
up and we didn’t have to face you girls. So it was easy.”
“Maybe if I ... “ began Ron.
At that moment, Arthur Weasley appeared beside them. “I
came home for lunch. What are you two up to?” he asked.
“Ron’s designing the chicken coop. Mum set him to it,”
said Ginny.
“Really? Oh! Anyway, let’s go see if your mum has lunch
ready,” said Arthur.
Molly indeed had lunch ready. She had over-did it. There
was tons of food cooked. They settled for chicken noodle
soup and fresh baked bread.
“Oh Arthur, I’m so glad you came home for lunch. Did
Ginny tell you the news?” asked Molly.
“About Ron’s working on the chicken coop?” asked Arthur.
“No. Ginny’s O.W.L.s arrived. Arthur I’m so proud,” she
handed Ginny’s results to Arthur.
“Oh my! Ginny, you did very well. I’m proud,” said Arthur.
Ron and Arthur discussed the design of the outbuildings.
Arthur was impressed with Ron’s ideas. They took a walk in
the yard, sharing ideas, before Arthur went back to work.
* * * *
Right before Lupin left, Harry received a surprise. Dobby
arrived. “Hello, Harry Potter, sir,” said Dobby.
“Dobby! It’s so good to see you. What’ve you been doing?”
asked Harry.
“Dobby has been doing ‘Order’ business, Harry Potter,”
said Dobby.
“Fair enough, I won’t ask for details,” said Harry, smiling.
“Dobby is to stay with you while Remus Lupin leaves for a
while. Dobby and Winky will protect Harry Potter and Missy
Loony,” said Dobby.
“Missy Loony?” asked Harry. He was unsure if Luna would
approve of the name.
“Yes, Harry Potter. Your adopted sister, Missy Loony,”
said Dobby.
He hoped Luna would not be offended by the name. At
noon, Luna joined Harry for lunch. He asked her what she
thought about Dobby’s name for her.
“I don’t mind. It’s kind of cute, isn’t it?” said Luna.
“I think it is cute too. Do you mind if I call you that too?”
asked Harry, grinning.
“I don’t mind if you call me that here, but I don’t think you
should at school. Others will drop the Missy and it would
become Loony again,” said Luna, seriously.
“Ok, Sissy Missy Loony,” said Harry.
Luna beamed. “I like that name even better.”
After lunch, Luna when up to her room. Harry was planning
on studying, but couldn’t concentrate, so he went to the
Defense Room and worked on a couple of songs he had
written while alone the past couple of weeks. He was sitting
at the piano when Ron and Ginny arrived, a few hours later.
“What you got here?” asked Ron, as he picked up the
parchment with Harry’s music written on it.
“Nothing really. Just some stuff I been playing around with,”
said Harry, absently. He wasn’t really paying Ron any
attention. He sat staring at Ginny with his eyes shining, as
she approached. Neither spoke for a few minutes.
Molly entered and announced that dinner would be ready in
a few minutes. “Did you show Harry your O.W.L.s?” asked
Molly.
“No. I forgot. Oh! I left Luna’s at The Burrow! I’ll go get it.
Be right back,” said Ginny.
“Stop! No, I’ll go with you,” said Molly.
“I want to go too,” said Harry.
Ginny pulled out her rock that she had used before. Harry
and Molly held on to her arm above the elbow and whisked
away. They arrived in the new kitchen of The Burrow.
“Oh! It sure looks different. I see what you mean,” said
Harry to Ginny.
“It’s very clean and new,” said Molly.
“Mum hates it,” said Ginny.
“I don’t hate it... exactly. It’s just...” said Molly.
“... too new and too clean,” finished Harry, teasing.
“Exactly!” said Molly.
“Show me the rest of the place,” said Harry.
Ginny and Molly took Harry on the grand tour and then they
returned to the kitchen. “I’ve got an idea. What if we let
Winky loose in here?” asked Harry.
“Oh, Harry, that would be far too expensive. I mean, well
we are on a budget. Building from scratch is very
expensive,” Molly said, blushing.
“Molly Dear, don’t you worry about it. Winky is very good at
stretching a Galleon. As Winky reminds me, ‘one color of
paint costs the same as another, it’s the correct colors that
make all the difference.’ I’ll talk to her about her spending
time here with you. Dobby’s back so it shouldn’t be a
problem,” said Harry.
“Look at the time! Ginny hurry and get Luna’s test results,”
said Molly.
Ginny started up the stairs and looked back at Harry. Molly
nodded to Harry.
“Only a couple of minutes. Hurry up with you two,” said
Molly.
Harry ran up the stairs to catch up with Ginny. She took
him to her bedroom. The room was pink with a white
bedspread and a cheap new dresser and dressing table.
“I hate pink for my bedroom but Dad thought that because
I’m a girl, that I would like it. It was a surprise,” said Ginny,
sourly.
“Don’t worry, Love, Winky will help you fix it up,” said Harry,
as he got closer to her.
Ginny grabbed him and kissed him hungrily. Harry complied,
then slowed her down and kissed her slow and passionately.
“You two hurry up, we’ll be late for dinner!” yelled Molly.
Harry grinned. “Don’t forget Luna’s O.W.L.s or we will
BOTH be in trouble,” said Harry.
Ginny grinned and quickly grabbed the test results. Then
they walked calmly down the stairs to the kitchen where
Molly was waiting impatiently.
Luna had read her test results and seemed to be satisfied.
The others were talking about O.W.L.s’ results, when Lupin
arrived for dinner. As he sat at the table, he asked to see
her results. She handed them to him, blushing.
“Luna! This is amazing! I’ve never seen better results in all
my days. Look everyone! Luna got Outstanding in EVERY
O.W.L. !” said Lupin, proudly.
“I told you she was smart,” Ginny told Ron, who’s jaws had
dropped.
“Blimey! She did better than Hermione. Wow!” said Ron.
“I think we better not mention that part to Hermione. She’ll
just get all upset about missing out on that O in Astronomy,”
said Harry, teasing.
“What did you get, Love?” asked Harry.
“Not bad,” said Ginny, grinning.
“She got E’s in everything but DADA and Charms, but she
got O’s in those two!” said Ron.
Harry squeezed Ginny’s arm and grinned at his two best
girls. “Brilliant!” said Harry.
Dinner was perfect in Harry’s eyes. It was loud and rowdy,
just the way he liked it. The twins had shown up and
although they moved gingerly, they had started teasing
Luna and Ginny and had everybody laughing.
When dinner was finished. Lupin asked all the teenagers to
go to the Defense Room to visit while they had an Order
meeting. He thought it was best that not everyone from the
Order knew they were all there tonight. He promised Harry
that he would try to keep Dumbledore over after the meeting
for them to speak privately.
“Not yet, Harry. I’ll let you know,” whispered Lupin. They
both knew he was referring to Tonk’s answer.
Ron showed Harry’s music to the twins, who immediately
played around with the melodies of his songs at the piano.
“Not bad,” said George.
“Kinda sad though,” said Fred.
“Well, I was feeling kinda sad at the time,” said Harry,
looking over at Ginny.
“Can you play it?” asked George.
“Yeah. If I know it well, I can. Don’t laugh,” said Harry. He
played two of his songs on the piano for them. George
offered some advice in a few spots. Harry approved of the
improvements and enjoyed the help.
After a while, George got up from the shared piano bench
and made his way over to the cushioned seats. He sat
leaning on his elbow. He didn’t look well. After a few
minutes, Harry followed.
“Are you ok?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. It’s just these boils. They’re killing me,” said
George.
“Why’d you do it?” asked Harry.
George shrugged his shoulders. “You’re not mad, are you?”
asked George.
“Nah... I just don’t understand why you did it. I mean,
well, it’s not like you were around them all the time. Or that
they were close at hand. You had to go out of your way. I’m
really sorry this happened to you, the boils and all. It’s all
my fault,” said Harry.
“You didn’t have anything to do with it. For once, you’re
innocent,” said George.
“For once? Look who’s talking,” said Harry, grinning.
“Anyway, they had to do something to make you think about
doing it,” said Harry.
“I don’t understand it. Look at him,” said George.
“Who?” said Harry.
“Fred. Look at him. He’s sitting over there talking to Luna
and he’s no worse for the wear,” said George.
“What are you talking about?” asked Harry.
“Fred. He must really care a lot about Luna to be
withstanding the pain,” said George.
“What’s Luna got to do with it?” asked Harry.
“Well, the curse. The boils. They get worse if there are
pretty girls around. I been testing it out. When I look at a
pretty girl, they start to heat up a little. If I talk to a pretty
girl, well, they start to pulsate. If the girl flirts, they start
burning and swelling,” said George.
“I think that is more than I want to know,” said Harry.
“Harry, some advice. Don’t be tempted. I know she’s my
sister, and I wouldn’t want you getting carried away anyway.
But trust me, whatever, it’s not worth it. These boils are
murder. Nothing seems to ease the pain. We tried
everything. Last night, I thought taking a bath would help,
but I got the water, too warm, OOOOO the pain. Cool water
did help. Not cold, mind you, but cool.”
Harry looked back at Fred. He was talking quietly with Luna.
He was starting to turn slight shade of green. Luna started
stroking his arm as she spoke. Fred’s face was beginning to
turn red along with the green.
“He’s gonna blow!” said George, as he rose and headed
over to Fred.
At that moment, the door opened and Lupin and Tonks
walked in. They looked a little shocked, as George pulled
Fred away from Luna and was gently guiding him to the
cushioned seats.
“Is everything all right?” asked Lupin.
Harry mouthed the word “boils”.
Tonks looked confused. Lupin motioned in a way to let her
know, he’d tell her later.
Lupin paused. “I have an announcement to make. I need
for each of you to promise that you will not tell anyone what I
am about to tell you.”
Each person in the room nodded, in turn.
“Tonks and are to be secretly married this coming Friday.”
said Lupin, beaming.
Harry leaped in the air and shouted “YES!”
Luna walked over to the couple and kissed Lupin on the
cheek and hugged Tonks. “My my, our family is growing,”
said Luna.
“Why are you getting married secretly?” asked Ron.
“Because Tonks works at the Ministry. They don’t approve
of werewolves. She would lose her job. She is dearly
needed there, so this is the only way,” said Lupin.
“None of you have to worry about changes or anything. I
won’t be changing my name. So there shouldn’t be any
worries about slipping up in that department. The only
difference that you will notice is that I will be coming here
each day after work and leaving the next morning from
here,” said Tonks.
“The only ones that will know, are the Weasleys and
Dumbledore. He’s the one performing the ceremony. We
are not even going to be telling the other Order members.
We believe that the less people that know, the less chance
there is for us to be found out,” said Lupin.
“Can’t we tell Hermione?” asked Ron.
“Yes, of course. She’d probably figure it out anyway,” said
Lupin, smiling.
Ginny made her way over to Lupin and gave him a big hug
and kiss. She squeezed Tonks, with her eyes shiny with
tears. “I’m so happy for both of you. You did it!” laughed
Ginny.
Tonks beamed. “Yep! It wasn’t easy, I wanna tell ya.”
“We have a few things that need to be taken care of, then
we are going to spend a little time together, tonight. Tonks
has to be at work in the morning. So that only leaves us
tomorrow evening to plan the wedding. It will be a simple
ceremony. You’re all invited,” said Lupin.
“Don’t worry about a thing. Mum, Luna and I will arrange the
wedding. Right, Luna?” said Ginny.
“Oh yes, and Winky would probably help too,” said Luna.
“Yeah! I think she will be a great help. She knows all about
what is proper. She’s a pro,” said Harry.
“Oh! Thank you Ginny, Luna. Are you sure?” asked
Tonks, looking at Luna, then Ginny.
“Of course! Try and stop us! Oh! we only have a day and a
half to get everything ready. This is WEDNESDAY!” said
Ginny.
“Now Ginny, don’t get carried away. It’s going to be a
SIMPLE wedding. No need to be fussing,” said Lupin.
“Don’t get in the way of women when they are planning a
wedding. Just do what you are told. It could be dangerous,”
said Harry. Lupin laughed.
“I’m so happy for both of you. Tonks, you are one smart
woman. This ol’ werewolf needs a lot of love, I hope you are
up to the task,” said Harry, grinning.
“I’ve got more than enough love to make him happy,” said
Tonks.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” said Lupin, looking worried.
They all laughed at him.
“Will Hermione be able to come?” asked Ron.
“I’m sure your mum will contact her tomorrow. Don’t worry,”
said Lupin.
Arthur stuck his head through the door. “Fred, George,
come with me.” Fred and George gingerly walked out.
“What’s that all about?” asked Ron.
“I think they are going to a meeting with Dumbledore,” said
Lupin.
“Oh dear,” said Luna.
“Don’t worry too much. Arthur doled out the worst of it, I
think,” said Lupin.
“I think they’ve been punished enough,” whispered Harry to
Lupin.
“I agree,” said Lupin.
Tonks, Ginny and Luna were talking excitedly.
“Come, young lady, we have things to do,” said Lupin,
taking Tonks’ arm and guiding her through the door. Ginny
and Luna continued chatting about the upcoming wedding.
“Blimey! A secret wedding. Dumbledore’s going to perform
the wedding? Can he do that?” asked Ron.
“Yes he can,” said Harry.
“How’d you know?” said Ron.
“He’s head of the Wizarding Judgemugnut or whatever it’s
called. He has the authority,” said Harry.
“How do you know?” asked Ron.
“I heard tell of it when I was at the Ministry court,” lied
Harry.
“Oh. That’s cool. I’m really happy for Lupin. He deserves
to have a happy life,” said Ron.
Harry smiled. He looked over at Ginny, who was happily
talking to Luna. She looked happy. It was good for Ginny to
get involved with the wedding, since she didn’t have much
of one herself. Then he corrected himself. Of course, she
had two, but neither were the kind of wedding she would
have liked. She would want to have her whole family
involved. That is what would make her happy, he thought.
It was not long before Fred and George reappeared. They
both looked a lot better, but subdued.
“We’re cured,” whispered George to Harry.
“Really? That’s great,” said Harry.
“Yeah, Dumbledore took pity on us. He said as long as we
got the point, that we needn’t continue with the boils. I think
he just wanted us healed up for the wedding,” said George.
Harry looked over and watched as Fred embraced Luna. It
looked like he was going to kiss her, so Harry turned his
head. His eyes searched the room for Ginny but she was
not in the room.
* * * *
Chapter 46: Chap 46 - Meetings With Dumbledore
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Thoughts on the Dursleys - - Complaints ---------------
Chapter Forty-six - Meetings With Dumbledore
“Good evening, Mrs. Potter,” said Dumbledore, bowing
gracefully.
“Good evening,” said Ginny, as she sat in the chair that
Dumbledore gestured to.
“How are you dealing with the waves of fear that have been
haunting you lately?” asked Dumbledore.
“How did you know?” asked Ginny.
“It is perfectly natural. Anyone under tremendous stress,
knowing that something fearful is coming, would have them,”
said Dumbledore.
“Oh,” said Ginny.
“You didn’t answer my question. How are you dealing with
them?”
“Oh! Yes. Well, I’m dealing with them. I don’t get them
when I am with Harry. I need to be with Harry,” answered
Ginny.
“Interesting. Even though Harry is the cause of the fear,
you feel comfort with him close?” asked Dumbledore.
“Harry is not the cause. You should know this more than
anyone. Tom Riddle is the cause of it all,” said Ginny,
defiantly.
“Of course. I meant Harry’s love for you has made you a
target. Not that he has any blame in the situation,” said
Dumbledore.
“Harry’s love is worth any difficulties that should arrive,” said
Ginny.
Dumbledore’s eyebrow rose. “I see. Does Harry realize that
you are getting them?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t get them when I’m with him. He
hasn’t asked and I haven’t said. Of course, we rarely get
more than a couple of minutes to talk about such things. We
need time together, if only to talk,” said Ginny.
“Do you think it is wise to tell Harry of your fears?”
“No. I will not tell him. Even if he were to ask, I would
probably lie about it. He has enough worries on his mind.
Telling him that, would only cause him more worry,” said
Ginny.
“I see. So when you were talking about having time to talk
with Harry, it was not to tell him about your fears, but other
things.”
“We don’t have ANY time to talk freely about anything that
may be important to us. We communicate very well without
words, but sometimes, well, we just need to talk,” said
Ginny.
“I see. I will be calling you back a little later tonight,” said
Dumbledore, dismissing her.
Ginny left and returned to the Defense Room.
Harry spotted her and rushed over to her side, as Arthur
poked his head in the door. “I need a word, Harry.”
Harry sighed and followed Arthur out into the Entrance Hall.
“Dumbledore is in the Dining Room. He would like to speak
with you.”
“Thanks, I want to speak to him too,” said Harry. He was
feeling grumpy. He had a lot of complaining to do to
Dumbledore before the evening was over.
When he entered the room, Dumbledore rose. The first
thing that Harry noticed, was that Dumbledore’s face was
careworn. There were many more lines on his face than he
remembered. It was only a couple of weeks since he had
last seen him. But Dumbledore’s face looked years older.
“Sit down, Harry. I have lots to tell you,” said Dumbledore.
“Firstly, I think you will be glad to hear that I have found the
Dursleys. I spoke with them and they are just fine,” said
Dumbledore.
Harry didn’t know what to say. So he just nodded.
“Mr. Dursley was most unreasonable. They won’t let you
back.”
“Yeah, I already knew that. They said in their note,” said
Harry.
“May I see the note?”
Harry summoned the note and handed it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked mildly surprised but didn’t say anything.
After reading the note, he sighed and handed it back.
“I explained to him about your not having anything to do with
the pranks this winter. He insisted that no matter what I said,
that you were involved. After repeatedly explaining that the
twins did it on their own. He turned a deaf ear to it.”
“Don’t worry about it. I always get the blame. I’m used to it,”
said Harry.
“I had to get very firm with him. I also, again, explained
about your staying with them protected you and them.
Without the wards on the house, you all were in danger. He
told me that if those pranksters could get in, then so could
the so called bogeyman. I explained that the twins were
geniuses AND that they didn’t or couldn’t do anything at was
truly dangerous. They merely set them up with school boy
tricks. But alas he would not hear of you returning to their
home,” said Dumbledore, sadly.
“I don’t care,” said Harry.
“Yes, you do,” said Dumbledore.
“I don’t,” said Harry, firmly.
“Harry, I know why the twins pranked the Dursleys,” said
Dumbledore.
“They told you? I tried to get them to tell me, but they shrug
their shoulders or change the subject,” said Harry.
“They won’t tell you, ever. I would not waste my time asking,
if I were you,” said Dumbledore.
“Why would they tell you, and not me?” asked Harry.
“They did not tell me. Since I am rather adept in
Legilimency, I thought it would be rather useful in this case.
It was for a quite noble reason. Harry, they care very much
about you. They would not tell me why, AND they won’t tell
you, because they do not want to embarrass you.”
“Embarrass me? How could it embarrass me? And since
when, did either of the twins care about embarrassing
anyone? They thrive on it.”
“The Weasley twins have far more noble hearts than they
would wish the world to see, their pride, you see. They are
noted for their ‘devil may care’ attitude. In their minds, if it
got out, people would think they’ve gone soft. We can’t
have THAT could we?” said Dumbledore, smiling.
“Ok. So the twins are secretly noble. So what’s that got to
do with embarrassing me and pranking the Dursleys?”
“I think I should tell you their reason. If only for you to know a
little more about yourself. The twins realized more about
you, than you, yourself, know.”
“Like what?” asked Harry, defensively.
“Like the fact that you care far more for the Dursleys than
you will admit to yourself.”
“I don’t care about the Dursleys.”
“Oh yes you do. The twins accidentally saw you receive an
owl from them at Christmas. They saw you looking deflated
and walk off to the kitchen. Of course, this aroused their
curiosity, so after you left, they went into the kitchen. They
found the gifts that the Dursleys refused in the trash. This
raised an anger in them that could not be sated in their
minds, without some retaliation.”
Harry turned beet red. He was so embarrassed that he could
not speak.
“You see? They would never tell you about what they saw. It
was far too personal. I’ve deliberated the idea, myself, but
came to the conclusion that you need to know what your
feelings are and why. Harry it is not wrong for you to care
about the Dursleys. They’ve been the only family you’ve
known for many years.”
Harry didn’t say anything.
“What you need to know, is that your feelings are mixed.
You know they don’t deserve your affection. You don’t feel
affection for them, and they have none for you. But is not
affection that you desire from the Dursleys. What you want,
is respect as a human being. The Dursleys have never
shown you any respect. They have used you all these years.
You have always carried the blame. The blame for anything
that ever was not right in their lives. It was so easy for them
to blame you, because they had the perfect excuse. You
were put upon them. They were stuck with you. So you
became the object of their discontent and was punished for it
many times over.”
Harry thought about the gifts he had tried to give the
Dursleys. Since he had never really had anything to share
before, he thought that by sharing some of his wealth, that
the Dursleys would... at least think better of him, but of
course that failed. He sighed.
“They have manipulated you for many years, since you were
a toddler. They have placed blame upon you that you did not
understand. So you would try as hard as you could to twist
things around so that somehow it became your fault. So that
the punishment you received had some kind of meaning.
Not every time, but most times. So now it is so easy for you
to accept blame. You put it upon yourself. If you can, you
piece things together in your mind to fit the situation so that it
becomes your fault. It is how you have coped with the
unjustified punishment.”
“So in other words, I’m a basket case,” said Harry, sourly.
“No! You have turned out far better than anyone could
expect, living the way they have treated you. I don’t think
you could have turned out any better if you had been raised
in a perfect environment.”
“I am so sorry for what I put you through, Harry. I had no
idea. My only redemption from all of this, is that you are
alive. My decision to place you with them was based on
keeping you alive. I don’t think there was any other way.”
“Last summer really opened my eyes in terms of the
Dursleys. They almost let you die. I can’t forgive them for
that. I almost didn’t give them warning of what danger they
have put themselves into,” said Dumbledore.
“But they didn’t know. I stayed up in my room. They had no
idea that I was ill,” said Harry.
“Harry, they SHOULD have known. Don’t you understand?
Any reasonable person would have checked to see that you
had at least eaten. They would have treated a cat better,”
said Dumbledore, with his eyes blazing.
“Aunt Petunia doesn’t like cats,” said Harry.
“YET! She would have made sure that the cat ate, if it was
under her care. There is no excuse for their lack of basic
care. And yet, you sit before me defending their actions or
lack of. Why, do you suppose, are you defending them?
Because you care, Harry. No matter how they treated you,
you care. Why? Because they are your family.”
“Harry, it is ok to care about the Dursleys. I don’t want you to
think that it is not. I am telling you all this because, they
have refused protection. The only reason that I wanted you
to go back to the Dursleys this summer was to give them
protection a little longer. I don’t believe that Voldemort will
attack YOU, now that he has this other plan. BUT... he
could attack the Dursleys. IF he were to do that, I do not
want you, under ANY circumstances to put any blame upon
yourself. Do you understand me?” said Dumbledore.
“Why would he want to do that?” asked Harry.
“Why does he do anything? Because he can. Because
perhaps it would hurt you. He certainly doesn’t want you to
be happy in any way. Who knows? Anyway, since Mr.
Dursley refused to let you back, I offered to give them some
protection. He refused and basically tried to throw me out. I
put up a couple wards around the house they were staying in,
but they won’t protect them from anyone who is determined
to get to them.”
“Harry, if the Dursleys are harmed. I want you to promise
me that you will not try to put ANY blame upon yourself.”
Harry didn’t say anything.
“Promise me, Harry. You have enough to be going on with,
you don’t need any more worries and self punishment on top
of it. Your wife doesn’t need this either,” said Dumbledore.
“Ginny? What do you mean?” ask Harry.
“Your wife feels your pain. When you are upset, she is
upset. She loves you, Harry. Blaming yourself for things
that you have no control of, affects you. It will be punishing
her along with yourself. Will you promise me?” asked
Dumbledore.
“Yes, I promise. Are you sure he understood the danger?”
asked Harry.
“I could not have made it any plainer. He is just too
stubborn. AND his wife and son went right along with him.
They wanted no part of my protection. I pointed out that his
son could be in danger and he told me that he could protect
his own son with no help from me. I tried, Harry. It is out of
our hands now.”
Dumbledore paused.
“I am assuming that you will not reveal to the Weasley twins
what I told you.”
“No,” said Harry, quietly.
“They did not think about the consequences of their actions.
They did not consider that what they were doing could land
them in Azkaban or that they could have caused grave
danger to you and the Dursleys. It has also caused Arthur
needless worry and embarrassment. But they did it out of
love.”
Harry nodded. He had no intention of bringing up the subject
to the twins ever again. They had their fun and were
punished for it. Best let it alone now.
Dumbledore paused again.
“On another matter. I have grave news to tell you. Arabella
Figg was been found. She’s dead, Harry,” said
Dumbledore, sadly.
“Dead? Was she murdered?” asked Harry.
“That’s being looked into. I was told it could have been a
heart attack. The facts are being looked into as we speak.
For now, we will assume it was natural causes.”
Harry bowed his head. He, without really knowing it, had
become quite fond of Mrs. Figg. His heart hurt.
“Harry, don’t take this upon yourself,” said Dumbledore.
“No, I’m not. I just realized I was fond of Mrs. Figg,” said
Harry, sadly.
“Yes, she was quite the character. I will surely miss her too,”
said Dumbledore.
“Now, on to better things. You approve of Remus’ and
Nymphadora’s marriage, I assume. Since Remus told me
that you practically insisted that he marry,” said Dumbledore,
with a twinkle in his eye.
“Yes! He deserves to be happy. Tonks makes him happy
and he makes her happy too. I don’t see any reason why
they should deny themselves the happiness they deserve,”
said Harry.
“Quite right. They DO deserve happiness. So I will be
performing the service on Friday night. It’s good to find some
joy in the middle of troubled times. It does make the joy that
much more joyous, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” said Harry, smiling now.
“I think it is now time to have your lovely wife join us. Don’t
you think?” asked Dumbledore.
“Of course, I’m ready to see Ginny at any time,” said Harry.
Dumbledore rose, walked over to the door and stuck his
head out. A moment later, Ginny walked in.
Harry rose and offered her the chair next to him. His eyes
were shining.
“A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Potter,” said
Dumbledore, politely.
“Professor Dumbledore,” said Ginny, nodding.
“I suppose that both of you want to scream and shout at this
tired old man, for the lack of time you’ve been permitted,”
said Dumbledore.
Harry started to tell him “no” because he looked so very tired.
But Ginny beat him to it.
“Yes!” said Ginny.
Harry was surprised at this. Couldn’t she see how tired he
was? He didn’t think tonight would be the best time to
complain, but decided to remain silent for the moment.
“I see,” said Dumbledore.
“We think we should be able to tell the others about our
marriage. Perhaps just Ron and Luna... well... Fred would
need to know... hmmm I guess George would too, because
you really can’t tell Fred anything without George knowing,”
said Ginny.
“I see. Would you not have to include Winky and Dobby?
Then of course, Hermione will be arriving. If Bill or Charlie
were to arrive, they would need to be included. Am I
correct?” asked Dumbledore.
Ginny thought a moment. “Yes, I suppose they would need
to be included. Maybe in a ‘needs to know’ basis.”
“I see. You do realized that with each person that is added
within the secret that the secret is compromised further?”
asked Dumbledore.
Neither Ginny nor Harry said anything.
Dumbledore bent forward with his elbows resting upon the
table, his fingertips touching as in prayer.
“Let me ask you a question, then you decide.”
They nodded. Ginny looked hopeful. Harry felt doubtful, he
felt that Dumbledore had something up his sleeve.
“You both have seen the effect this has had on Arthur. I fear
he hasn’t taken the situation well. Understandable, of
course. It certainly has aged him. Not that he holds it
against you, Harry. It is the whole situation that haunts him.
It is a heavy burden to bear. If anything goes wrong, people
he loves will die. You two being the first on the list.”
“With this in mind, how do you think that any of the others
that you want to include in the secret would react? Ron for
example. Do you think that he would accept this knowledge
without any effect on him? Would he be able to carry on
normally, without showing fear? Would he be able to carry
on without becoming over protective of you, Ginny? Would
he become fearful? Would he feel the stress that both of you
have had to bear?”
“How would Luna or Hermione react? Will they be able to
carry on normally? Will the burden affect their everyday
life?”
“You do understand that the knowledge of this secret is a
heavy burden? You both live with it every day. Would you
want the others to have to live with his burden?” he asked.
Harry said nothing. He left it to Ginny to decide this one.
She was the one with all the smarts. Ginny bowed her head
without saying anything. Harry waited, watching her closely.
After what seemed like hours, she lifted her head. There
was a single tear on her cheek.
“Very well,” said Dumbledore.
“But we HAVE to have some time together. We need a
honeymoon. We need to TALK. We can’t ever seem to be
able to talk to each other without someone nearby. If we put
up a Silencing Charm, people will ask questions. Can’t we
have SOME privacy?” asked Harry, very loudly.
“Yes. We need some private time. It is almost unbearable.
Private talks would help. We have so much to say to each
other,” added Ginny.
“I won’t presume to understand completely, but I get the
idea. Of course you do need some private time together. I
will think on the subject,” said Dumbledore.
“Can’t I just sneak into Harry’s room at night? No one would
ever know,” said Ginny.
“I don’t think so. Firstly, that would mean that Winky and
Dobby would know of it. Secondly, what if you were to be
caught? If ever there is a way to be caught, when it is most
dire that you should not be, you will be. How would you
explain it, to Ron, as an example? Would he give you time
to explain before he blew up and the whole house knew of it?
Would he clam up, but despise you for abusing his trust?
You need to think of the consequences of your actions.”
“But if I left my room after everyone was asleep and returned
before daylight. I don’t see how I could be caught. And I
don’t think if Winky or Dobby knew it would be harmful,” said
Ginny.
“You would be surprised how many times people get up
through the night. I’m not talking about every night, but
perhaps a couple of nights each week. Such as getting a
drink of water, the bathroom, maybe a snack. This house,
at times has several people staying here. It can be more
active at night than you might expect.”
“Another problem is Winky and Dobby. Now both of them
would give their lives for you. I have no doubt. However,
remember Winky’s former master and what happened in that
situation. Winky tried as best she could to protect him, but
circumstances caused the whole scheme to fall apart.
House Elves are not infallible no matter how hard they try. It
is possible that the enemy knows who your House Elves are.
I want to keep the secret from them as long as possible. “
Harry began pacing.
“I’m feeling desperate. I want everyone to go away and
leave us alone. I hate feeling this way. I feel mean. I don’t
want to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley any more. They take
Ginny away from me. I can’t hardly stand it,” said Harry,
loudly.
“How are they explaining both of us being out of the room,
right now? Someone, probably Ron, will wonder what we
are up to. They will ask questions. We can’t let them ask
us, when we don’t have some kind of story to tell them.
They would want to know why we were both seeing you
together. So we can’t tell them that. I just wish they would
all go away and leave us alone! Do you see why I feel
desperate? I don’t want to feel like they are the enemy.”
“Every time we have a minute alone together, we know that
they are going to walk in at any minute. We may have more
time, but we can’t be sure. So we cut our few minutes to
seconds. Often they would not have disturbed us for several
more minutes, but we don’t know that. So we cut it short.
Which wastes our precious time.”
“If I put up a Silencing Charm, they would want to know why.
Every movement or word we say has to be planned so that
we have some story to explain it. Part of the few seconds
we are alone are seconds that we plan a cover story. So that
takes away our precious moments too. It is exhausting!”
Harry was radiating raw magic. His frustration had built up
making the crystal vibrate. Ginny rose and took him by the
arm. This stopped his overflow of thoughts and he looked
down at her. He wrapped his arms around her and rested
his head upon her head, swaying gently.
“For someone who never gets to talk, you are certainly doing
a lot tonight,” said Dumbledore, lightening the tension in the
room that had built up.
“I apologize, sir. I didn’t mean to blow up at you. At least not
tonight. I seem to be making it a habit of blowing up at you. I
don’t mean to. I can see that you are tired. I’m afraid that
I‘m going to screw this all up. I just feel really desperate
inside,” said Harry, still holding Ginny, gently swaying.
“No harm done, Harry. Mrs. Potter seems to have a calming
effect on you. Let us wait until after the wedding. This
weekend, then we will plan something. I have several
matters to attend to until then,” said Dumbledore.
“Molly will open the door in exactly twenty minutes. That will
give you a little time to talk. Mrs. Potter will leave with her at
that time. A few minutes later, you will join the others. You
may let them assume that you have been with me the entire
time,” said Dumbledore, then he disappeared.
Harry and Ginny remained swaying in each others arms for a
minute or so before separating. They faced each other,
studying each other’s face. Neither said anything for another
couple of minutes.
“We’ve been wanting time to talk to each other for so long. I
can’t even think of anything I want to say right now,” said
Ginny.
“My mind is completely blank too,” said Harry.
They continued to look at each other before they both broke
up laughing. Harry pulled her up in his arms again.
“This is ridiculous. I can’t believe it,” said Harry.
“Hmmmm,” said Ginny, content in is arms.
There was nothing for Harry to do but to kiss her. After a bit,
Ginny whispered a question into his ear.
Harry pulled back, looking at her quizzically. “Are you crazy?
Of course not. What gave you that idea?”
“Well, the other girls you’ve liked didn’t have...”
“Don’t you ever compare yourself to any other girl, ever. No
one compares to you. Haven’t I made that perfectly clear?”
said Harry, lovingly.
“Yes. Well, I just wondered if you may be been disappointed
and... well... have just made the best of it.” said Ginny.
“I’ve made the best of it, but in a completely different way.”
“Oh!” Ginny giggled.
Harry then whispered a question to her.
“Perfect,” was all she said.
Harry took advantage and there were many moments of
passionate kissing.
“I thought we were here to talk,” said Ginny.
“You got anything to say?” asked Harry.
“I love you.”
“Love you too. Anything else?” asked Harry.
“Nope.”
* * * *
Chapter 47: Chap 47 - The Look
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Wedding Plans -- Will Hermione get to go? - - - What’s with “the look”? ---------------
Chapter Forty-seven - The Look
On the next morning, Harry woke early. It was going to be a
busy day. Everyone will be bustling about getting things
ready for the wedding.
Last night, Dumbledore spent a long time trying to explain
Harry’s feelings about the Dursleys. He didn’t like that, it
was going too deep for Harry’s liking. But, as always,
Dumbledore was right. If he blamed himself, Ginny would
be punished for it too.
The time spent with Ginny last night was wonderful. Stupid,
but wonderful. He couldn’t believe that all the questions and
things that he wanted to talk to Ginny about, just flew out of
his brain when they FINALLY got a bit of time together. It
must have been because it was just thrown at them at the
last minute with no warning. How could someone think of
things they wanted to say for several months, in just a
seconds notice?
He did love those kisses though. Harry wondered about that
for a moment. Why did he like kissing so much? Was that
normal? He found that he loved being kissed more than just
about anything. He smiled. Best not try to figure it out.
Thinking too much might ruin the whole experience. He
continued to smile as he finished dressing.
In the kitchen, Molly, Ginny, Luna and Winky were in the
midst of an animated conversation. There were pieces of
scribbled notes scattered on the table. He heard the words
“placed” “centered” “bouquet” “flowers” “candles” etc. This
could mean only one thing. They were definitely planning the
wedding. No one noticed him. He meandered around the
kitchen, looking into cupboards and such, trying to find
something for breakfast.
“Good morning.” said Harry. He got no response. He rattled
some pans... nothing.
“Chocolate cake sounds good for breakfast. Yes, and I’ll put
mashed potatoes on it, topped with mustard. Yes, and I’ll
wash it all down with butterbeer. Perfect!” said Harry, loud
enough that it should be heard over the animated
conversation the women were having.
No one paid him any mind. Nettled, he decided he would
put it all together on a plate. After fixing it, he held the plate
and fork, standing above the women, he rattled the fork. He
thought maybe if they seen the concoction, they would pay
attention. Nope! They were dead oblivious to their
surroundings.
Failing, he put the plate on the counter, started the coffee,
then pulled out the bacon and started it in the pan. He then
started a huge pot of porridge. He hummed a little tune as
he worked on breakfast for them all.
Ron walked in looking neatly groomed.
“What’s that?” asked Ron, pointing to the cake mixture.
“My first breakfast. Care to indulge?” said Harry, sipping
on his butterbeer.
“Ewwwwwwwwwww. No thanks. What you cooking?” said
Ron, sniffing the air.
“Porridge, bacon and toast. Coffee is ready.”
“Now that’s more like it,” said Ron. “They been like that all
morning?” pointing to the women.
“Yep! Even my House Elf has deserted me,” said Harry.
Just then, Dobby popped in.
“Harry Potter, sir. Would you like me to make your
breakfast?”
“No. Thank you, I’m almost finished making breakfast.”
Ron began bringing out the bowls, plates, cups and
silverware as Harry started the toast.
“Do you think they’re aware that breakfast is ready?” asked
Ron.
“Who knows. I’m hungry, so we’ll eat without them, if need
be,” said Harry.
Dobby put a pitcher of milk on the table, along with the butter
dish.
“Mum. MUM! Haven’t you gotten Hermione yet? She
should be here for the wedding plans,” said Ron, loudly.
At the words “wedding plans”, Molly came up for air.
“Good morning, Ron.”
“When are you going to go get Hermione?” asked Ron.
“Ronald Weasley! It’s seven o’clock in the morning!
Hermione is probably still in bed. I can’t go waking up the
Grangers at this hour.” said Molly, irritated.
“Breakfast is ready,” said Harry.
“Good morning, Harry dear,” said Molly, smiling for the first
time.
“Can I go with you when you go get Hermione?” asked Ron.
Molly looked him up and down. “I suppose so. You look very
nice this morning.”
“Well, I ... eh ...” said Ron, letting the words fade.
“I think Ronald took a bath this morning,” said Luna.
“It was a shower,” said Ron without thinking.
“Washed your hair too,” said Ginny, giggling.
“Yeah? What of it? It was time,” said Ron, defensively.
Ginny thought it was best not to tease Ron about it any more.
If Ron could get Hermione back on track, all the better.
“You look very handsome,” said Ginny.
Harry wondered why Ginny took pity on Ron this morning. It
was a perfect time to tease him shamelessly. Ginny must
have a reason, so he refrained from teasing too.
As they ate, the women went back to wedding planning.
Lupin joined them for breakfast.
They were discussing Tonks’ wedding gown.
“She won’t be able to buy one. Someone would wonder,”
said Molly.
“She can wear one of her newest robes. It is not a formal
wedding. It doesn’t really matter what she wears,” said
Lupin.
The females at the table glared at him. They didn’t say a
word.
“Don’t interfere. They are not to be reckoned with,” said
Harry.
“It’s HIS wedding too,” said Ron.
“No, it is THEIR wedding.” Pointing to the women. “ Stay out
of it,” said Harry, knowingly.
“I have come to the conclusion that you are right, Harry,”
said Lupin.
Mr. Weasley popped in. “Molly, Tonks is going to try to pop
in for lunch,” Arthur said, grabbing a piece of toast.
“Well, I’m off.”
“Harry, may I have a word?” asked Ginny.
“Sure,” said Harry.
They went up the stairs and entered the Dining Room. Ginny
put up a Silencing Charm.
“You didn’t even notice me this morning. You women sure
get involved when it comes to weddings. Nobody even knew
I existed this morning,” said Harry, pouting.
“I knew, but I was busy. Don’t you think I knew exactly what
you were doing? Every movement you make is important to
me,” said Ginny, sweetly.
“Yeah?” asked Harry, grabbing her around the waist and
pulling her to him.
“Yeah.”
Harry kissed her deeply, taking full advantage of the
moment.
“Harry Potter! I have something important to ask you. Don’t
distract me.”
“Hmmmmm. Forget about it. I like this so much better,”
said Harry, beginning a new kiss.
“Harry,” Ginny gasped. “Stop. Come now. I really have... “
After a few minutes, Harry let go long enough for Ginny to
release herself from his grasp.
“Stay! I have to ask you something. We don’t have THAT
much time. I don’t want Mum to come looking for us.”
“Ok,” said Harry, frowning. “Hurry up, I might have time
for another kiss.”
“It’s about Tonks’ wedding gown. I don’t think she will have
time to try to find one. Mum thinks that the Ministry might get
suspicious if she buys a wedding gown,” said Ginny.
“You think they pay attention to what she buys? She works
there, for Merlin’s sake,” said Harry.
“We don’t know. You know the Ministry is full of spies.
Some for Riddle and some from within, for whatever
reasons.”
Harry nodded.
“Anyway, Tonks needs a wedding gown.”
“You want me to go buy one? Are you crazy? It would be
worse for ME to buy one,” said Harry.
“No, I don’t want you to buy one and neither can any of the
rest of us. Any of us would cause alarm,” said Ginny.
“Do I look like I have one she can borrow?” asked Harry,
sarcastically.
“Yes,” said Ginny.
“What!”
“In a roundabout way. We were wondering... Mum, Luna and
I , that is. If Tonks could borrow my pearl gown,” said
Ginny.
“Oh! Why you asking me? It’s your gown, Love,” said
Harry, getting closer to her again.
“I know... but... you know... it was for us. Special to us, I
mean... well... it is OUR gown. Remember the last time I
wore it?” said Ginny, demurely.
“She won’t get to keep it, will she?” asked Harry.
“No. She would just borrow it for the wedding,” said Ginny.
“Then if you don’t mind, it’s ok with me. Whatever it takes to
make them happy, is ok,” said Harry. He started kissing her
neck.
“Wait a minute. She can’t borrow that gown. It wouldn’t fit. I
mean, she’s way taller than you are and she won’t be able
to... well... fill it out in certain areas, if you get what I mean,”
said Harry, wiggling his eyebrows.
“And HOW would you know THAT?” asked Ginny.
“Eh... well... it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Harry thought he was now
in big trouble. He supposed that he was not supposed to
notice that Tonks was not as endowed as Ginny.
“I suppose, but you best keep your eyes away from other
females,” said Ginny.
“Emmmmm there AREN’T any other females,” said Harry,
kissing her neck again.
“That’s better,” cooed Ginny.
“Anyway, it’s not going to fit,” said Harry, working his way
down her neck.
“She can change her body,” said Ginny, breathless.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Hmmmm I think I will let Lupin consider
it a wedding gift,” said Harry.
“The gown?” asked Ginny, worried.
“No, the size change,” whispered Harry.
Ginny giggled, she allowed him one more kiss before they
went back to the kitchen.
* * * *
While Harry and Ginny were discussing the gown, Ron had
been asking why Harry and Ginny had left the room.
“Ginny is asking Harry if it’s ok to borrow Ginny’s pearl
gown,” said Luna.
“Why should he care? It’s Ginny’s,” said Ron.
“Yes, but Harry BOUGHT Ginny the gown,” said Molly.
“I don’t think you should be making such a fuss,” said Lupin,
reasonably.
“You stay out of this. Tonks needs a gown and Ginny has
one. This is woman’s work,” said Molly.
“Harry’s not gonna care if Tonks borrows Ginny’s gown. He
don’t care bout stuff like that. So why are they off talking
privately about it?” said Ron.
“Ron, that gown is very expensive. Harry went through a lot
of extra effort to get it, choosing it and special ordering it. I
think it means a lot to him,” said Luna.
“You’ll see. He don’t care about stuff like that,” said Ron.
Lupin just realized, that yes, Harry MAY not think it was a
good idea for Tonks to borrow that particular gown. It was
Ginny’s wedding gown. It would be very special to him.
“Maybe it isn’t a good idea for Tonks to borrow the gown,”
said Lupin.
“I told you, you stay out of this. You just say ‘I do’ when the
time comes,” said Molly, teasing.
Harry and Ginny returned to the kitchen. It was obvious to
everyone that they had been doing more than talking about a
gown.
“Ok. We’ll ask Tonks about the gown when she comes for
lunch. If she doesn’t want to borrow it, we’ll have to
somehow make do,” said Ginny.
“When are we going to go get Hermione? The day is almost
gone,” said Ron.
“It’s not even eight o’clock yet,” said Molly, looking at her
watch.
“But they might have to go somewhere. Maybe her parents
have to leave for work. We could miss them, then she
couldn’t come until after they get back,” said Ron,
reasonably.
“All right. We are leaving now. Hopefully it won’t take long.
We have so much to do!” said Molly.
Ron took hold of Molly’s arm as she Apparated them to the
Granger’s back door. Molly knocked at the door as Ron
looked around. Ron hadn’t been there before. The
neighborhood looked similar to the Dursley’s, only the
houses were bigger and so were their gardens.
Mrs. Granger answered the knock.
“What a surprise! Come in. Come in. I’m happy to see you
Molly. Oh Ron, I can’t believe how much taller you are,”
said Mrs. Granger.
“Hello, Mrs. Granger,” said Ron.
“I’ll go get Hermione. Please sit down. It’s not bad news is
it?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“No. Good news, for a change,” said Molly.
Mrs. Granger was gone for a couple of minutes.
“Hermione will be right out.”
Mr. Granger entered the living room to find Molly and Ron.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Everything is fine, but there is news and I think Hermione
will want to know about it,” said Molly, smiling.
“Hello, Mr. Granger,” said Ron.
Ron had been looking at everything in the room. There was
a television in the corner. He knew what it was, because his
father had one that didn’t work in the shed. This one must
not work either because the screen was dark gray. The
living room was like Wizard’s living rooms, yet it felt
different. It was quite modern, similar to Harry’s living room.
It was attractive. Like Hermione, it was clean and functional
with a few frills here and there.
Hermione burst into the room. “What’s happened?”
“Hermione, is that any way to enter a room?” scolded Mrs.
Granger.
“Everything is just fine. Couldn’t be better,” said Molly,
standing. She stepped over and greeted Hermione with a
hug. Ron stood and he waited for his turn, then gave
Hermione a warm hug, smelling her hair. Then they sat
down on the sofa.
“Remus and Tonks are getting married,” said Molly.
“Oh! That’s wonderful! When?”
“Tomorrow night,” said Molly, excitedly. “Of course, it’s a
secret wedding. We don’t have much time to get everything
ready.”
“A secret wedding? Why?” asked Mr. Granger.
“I thought Wizards had long engagements?” said Mrs.
Granger.
“Because of Remus, of course,” said Molly.
Hermione looked a Ron in a panic. He got the message.
“We usually do, but because Remus is a...” started Molly.
“Harry’s guardian, with the war and all, they keep their
whereabouts secret,” interrupted Ron. “Tonks is a Auror...
works for the Ministry... she... a... a... works undercover,”
said Ron, scrambling for words. “... being married could...
a... “
“Compromise her position? “ asked Mr. Granger.
“Yes!” said Ron and Hermione in unison.
“I see,” said Mr. Granger.
“But why are they getting married so suddenly?” asked Mrs.
Granger.
“Because now is a good time for them, everything is falling
into place, all except Hermione being there. We know it is
short notice and all , but they don’t know when another good
opportunity will arise,” said Molly.
“Ginny, Luna and Mum are all in a tizzy,” added Ron.
“I am not,” said Molly, with dignity.
“So, can she go?” asked Ron.
“I know we would be taking her away from you early, but if
she could stay through the weekend...” added Molly.
The Grangers looked at each other, then looked at
Hermione’s eager face. They nodded.
“All right then,” said Ron.
“I’m so excited! What will I wear?” said Hermione.
“I’ll help you get your things,” said Ron as he rose to follow
Hermione to her room.
“Thanks, that was a close one. I never told them about
Lupin.”
“Why?” asked Ron.
“Well, Muggles know about vampires and werewolves. Of
course, they don’t believe in them, but since my parents
know about magic, they will believe, but they’ve seen
movies. You see the problem? How would I explain?
Would you let your daughter go stay in a werewolf’s house?”
“I would if it were Lupin’s, but I see what you mean,” said
Ron.
Ron flopped down on her bed as Hermione scrambled
around getting her things. He looked around her room. It
was very neat, but her shelves were a little bare.
“It’s what I expected,” said Ron.
“What is?” asked Hermione.
“Your room, but I thought you would have dolls and things all
around, placed in alphabetical order by their names or
something.”
Hermione blushed.
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“You did, didn’t you?” asked Ron, grinning
“Erm.”
“HA! I knew it,” said Ron, with satisfaction.
“Ok, yes. I just took them all down. I’m getting too old for
such things,” said Hermione.
“Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“Your Teddy Bear. You couldn’t part with it, could you?”
“Oh, all right,” She reached into her closet and pulled out a
worn, but clean Teddy Bear.
“What’s his name?” asked Ron, grinning.
“If you must know, it’s Sammy.”
“Hello, Sammy,” said Ron.
“Oh Ron!”
Hermione started searching her closet. “What am I going to
wear? What are Ginny and Luna wearing?”
“I don’t know,” said Ron.
“This or this?” asked Hermione, holding up two outfits.
“I’ve no idea,” said Ron.
“Which one do you like?” asked Hermione, insistently.
“The blue one,” said Ron.
Hermione frowned.
“The pink one is nice too,” he said. He glanced over to the
closet and noticed a dress hanging from a hook inside the
door.
“That one is really pretty, wear that one.” said Ron, pointing.
“That one would not be appropriate for a wedding.”
“Take it anyway. You could wear it later. Take a few
dresses then you could decide later,” said Ron.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and started packing. Ron
watched her as she moved around packing. He liked what
he saw.
“I think I have enough packed for just about anything,” said
Hermione, finally.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a long white dress, would
you?” asked Ron.
“No, why?”
“I guess Tonks is going to have to wear Ginny’s pearl gown.”
“Why?”
“Nobody can buy a wedding dress. They’re afraid it will be
noticed,” said Ron.
“Why?”
“Beats me.” said Ron.
Ron carried her bags to the living room. “Aren’t you going to
take Crookshanks?” asked Ron.
“Eh... yeah, I guess,” said Hermione. She called
Crookshanks, who immediately came into the room. Ron
watched Hermione as she bent to pick up the cat. This did
not go unnoticed by Mr. Granger.
“Where will you be sleeping?” asked Mr. Granger.
“Harry’s, probably in Ginny’s room,” said Hermione.
“Ginny has her own room at Harry’s house?” asked Mr.
Granger.
“She did, until we re-built The Burrow. We still call it Ginny’s
room,” said Ron.
“I see,” said Mr. Granger.
“We must be going. There is so much to do. We only have
until tomorrow night to get everything ready,” said Molly,
hurriedly. She recognized the look on Mr. Granger’s face as
a man who didn’t approve of a young male’s look at his
daughter.
“Hurry along now. We will have her back on Sunday,” said
Molly, as she offered the Portkey to Hermione and Ron.
* * * *
“Ronald Weasley! You almost lost Hermione’s visit.”
“What’d I do? I didn’t do anything,” said Ron, innocently.
“Like hell you didn’t,” said Molly.
“Whoa! Mum, what happened?” asked Ginny.
“Never you mind,” said Molly, exasperated.
Hermione was confused.
“I think he was brilliant. Hello, everybody,” said Hermione.
Ginny, Luna and Lupin rose. Each, in turn, gave her a hug.
Harry was leaning against the counter watching with
amusement. He waited.
“Hi, Hermione,” said Harry, waiting.
“Hi, Harry,” said Hermione. Hermione showed no sign of
approaching Harry for their hug. There was a tense moment.
“Are you going to give me a hug, or what?” said Harry.
Hermione blushed, then awkwardly approached Harry.
Harry gave her a warm hug. “We missed you,” he said. The
tension lifted.
“So! Tell me EVERYTHING!” said Hermione.
Another female at the table was more than Remus could
stand. “Could I have a word, Harry?”
“Sure.”
They went into the Defense Room.
“I wanted to ask you if you would be my best man,” said
Lupin.
“Me?”
“Since you almost insisted that we marry, I thought it would
only be right,” said Lupin, grinning.
“I’d be honored. What does a best man do?” asked Harry.
“You hold the ring. When Dumbledore asks for it, you hand
it to me,” said Lupin.
“That’s easy enough. Anything else?”
“Yes, you make sure that I get here on time.”
“Are you going anywhere?” asked Harry.
“No.”
“Then that will be easy enough too. Anything else?” asked
Harry.
“Yes. You have to figure out how to stop those women from
driving me crazy,” said Lupin.
“Now that may not be so easy,” said Harry, laughing.
“I reckon the best thing to do, is to stay out of their way.”
“I think you’re right.”
Just then, Molly and Ron entered the room and closed the
door. Molly looked angry and Ron looked confused.
“I hope you realize that Hermione almost didn’t get to come.
I’m so ashamed.” said Molly, with her hands on her hips.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said Ron.
Meanwhile: Ginny, Hermione and Luna had snuck up the
stairs and were listening outside the door.
“You better learn what I’m talking about!”
“What did he do?” asked Harry.
“He knows,” said Molly.
“I don’t know. I swear,” said Ron.
Molly rolled her eyes. “So you don’t know,” said Molly.
“No. I don’t,” said Ron.
“What were you doing right before we left?” asked Molly.
“Helping Hermione with her things,” said Ron.
“Helping her, huh?” said Molly, tapping her foot.
“Yes. Helping her,” said Ron, defiantly.
“Think!”
“I am thinking!” said Ron.
Harry and Lupin stood back and watched the action.
“Step by step, Ron. What were you doing?”
“I had Hermione’s things. We got the cat and Portkeyed
here.”
“Who got the cat?” asked Molly, patiently.
“Hermione,” said Ron.
“Stop! Stop right there!” said Molly.
“What?” asked Ron.
“How did she get the cat?” asked Molly.
“She called it,” said Ron, more confused that ever.
“And?” asked Molly.
“It came! What? Mum, this is crazy,” said Ron.
“Then what happened?”
“She picked it up,” said Ron.
“And... what were you doing at the time?” asked Molly.
“Standing there holding Hermione’s things,” said Ron.
“Think back,” said Molly.
“I am. I was standing there holding Hermione’s things,” said
Ron.
“You weren’t doing anything else? Just standing there?”
“Of course! What else would I be doing?” asked Ron.
“You weren’t WATCHING Hermione pick up the cat?” asked
Molly in a louder voice.
“Well, yeah,” said Ron, blushing.
“And just HOW were you watching?” asked Molly.
“Huh?” said Ron.
“And just HOW were you watching?” Molly repeated.
Ron shrugged his shoulders.
“You were giving her ‘the look’!” said Molly.
“You were giving Hermione ‘the look’?” asked Harry in a
fake shocked voice.
“Right there in front of her parents! Her father was not
amused,” said Molly.
“What ‘look’?” said Ron.
“You know exactly ‘what look’ Ronald Weasley! Harry, you
know ‘the look’ I’m talking about,” said Molly.
“Yeah, he gets it all the time,” said Harry, grinning.
“I don’t know what your talking about,” said Ron, blushing.
“You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. Your father
gets that same look. Don’t try to act innocent with me, young
man. I KNOW that look. How do you think you came
along? We didn’t find you under a rock, you know,” said
Molly.
Harry busted up laughing. Lupin was grinning.
“Mum, that’s gross!” said Ron, shocked.
“You think so! Wait until I tell your father! I was so
embarrassed! Why do you think Mr. Granger started asking
about where Hermione was sleeping? HE knows that look!
I had no choice but to get us out of there! Imagine!” yelled
Molly.
Harry could not control himself. He bent over laughing, tears
falling from his face.
“Harry! You are not helping matters here,” said Ron,
scowling.
“Sorry... hahahahhahahahhahaha... I can’t...
hahahhahahahhahahhahaha... help... hahhahahahha...
myself... hahhahahahhaha... I can’t breathe...
hahhahahhaha!”
The laugher was contagious. Lupin began to laugh too. He
bent over with tears streaming too.
“I don’t think this is funny at all!” said Molly.
“I don’t either,” said Ron.
“You stay out of this. YOU are the cause of it. I’m surprised
you didn’t get a case of the boils right there on the spot!”
“Hahahahhahahahaha!” laughed Harry.
“Mum! I didn’t TOUCH her!” said Ron.
“Hahahahhahahahaha!” continued Harry.
“You have to learn to control yourself. Specially around a
young girl’s father!” said Molly.
“Hahahahhahahahaha!” continued Harry.
“But Mum, Hermione said that Muggles don’t even care
about such things,” said Ron, defensively.
“That’s all she knows. He’s her FATHER, isn’t he?
FATHERS don’t appreciate young men giving their daughter
‘the look’!” said Molly.
“You don’t think SHE saw, do you?” asked Ron.
“Of course she didn’t see. If you were looking at her face,
we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” shouted Molly.
“HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA ! stop!” laughed Harry.
The girls outside the door were doing everything they could
to control themselves. They decided that the conversation
was just about over, so they quickly scrambled up the stairs
to Ginny’s room.
“Oh! I wish I could have seen Ron’s face!” said Ginny,
laughing hysterically.
“When? At Hermione’s house or in the Defense Room?”
asked Luna, between giggles.
“Both!” said Ginny, rolling on the bed.
“Father DID seem to get a little cold right before we left,”
said Hermione, thoughtfully. Then she began to giggle.
After their laugher had settled down, Hermione asked,
“What was that about boils?”
Ginny and Luna busted up laughing again. After several
attempts at explaining. Ginny finally got the explanation out.
“How’d you find out?” asked Hermione.
“Extendible Ears. You don’t think I would miss out on ‘the
talk’, would you?” said Ginny, grinning.
“Do you think they could get boils from just looking?” said
Hermione.
“No. If they did, Fred would be dead,” said Luna, wiggling
her eyebrows.
* * * *
NOON in the girls room:
“It’s too short. I can sink in my waist and fill in the top but I
can’t quite stretch that far.”
“What if you wore flat shoes?” asked Luna.
“That will help, but I still got a least another half a foot,” said
Tonks.
“Winky knows what to do,” said Winky.
“You do?” said Ginny.
“Winky will get ribbon and pearls to fix robe. Winky knows
where to buy,” said Winky.
“But the gown will still be too short,” said Ginny.
“Winky will fix. It will look proper,” said Winky.
“After seeing this house, I trust your judgment. Besides, I
don’t care what I wear, as long as Remus is standing there
with a wedding ring,” said Tonks.
“I’m getting nervous. You ever try to trap a wolf? It ain’t easy,
I can tell ya,” said Tonks.
“Your wolf is in the trap, stop worrying. We’re not going to let
him get away,” said Hermione.
“Harry will make sure of that,” said Ginny.
“Thank God for Harry. He’s the one who made this all
possible,” said Tonks.
“He did?” said Hermione.
“Yeah. He talked Remus into it, least that’s what Remus
said. Don’t know what he said, but Remus fell for it. I mean,
Remus took his advice,” said Tonks, mischievously.
Ginny grinned.
* * * *
Ron sat scowling on the sofa of the Living Room.
“Don’t be so mad. I couldn’t help myself. I almost wet
myself. It was hilarious!” said Harry.
“It was not! I wouldn’t have laughed at you,” said Ron.
“Of course you would. If it would have been anyone other
than yourself, we would have had to scrape you off the
floor,” said Harry.
“I HATE hormones! Remember when life was good, when
all we had to worry about were trolls and basilicks and
dragons?” said Ron.
“Yeah, the good ol’ days,” said Harry, sarcastically.
“Well, they were. We didn’t have to worry about what bloody
hormones were going to do to us. I swear Harry, I didn’t
even notice that I was giving her ‘the look’. What do I look
like when I give some girl ‘the look’?”
“You have a look that shows exactly what you’re thinking,”
said Harry.
“Bloody hell!”
“Yeah,” said Harry.
“You don’t think that Dad will give me a case of boils, do
you?” asked Ron.
“Nah, he’ll understand. I think. He will probably lecture you
on being careful not to let your thoughts show around
dangerous fathers,” said Harry, grinning.
“Well, the man has a dirty mind and so does Mum. I could
have been thinking about anything,” said Ron, defensively.
“I don’t think so. I’ve seen that look. No father would like it,”
said Harry, wisely.
“Since when, have you been so mature?” asked Ron.
“Me? Yeah right. I’ve just been lucky enough not to been
around one when I’ve had ‘the look’,” said Harry.
“You better not be giving my sister ‘the look’,” said Ron.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” said Harry.
“Guess not. Do you think I’m stupid?” asked Ron.
“You were this morning,” said Harry, beginning to laugh
again.
* * * *
Chapter 48: Chap 48 - Changes
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ron has a long talk with Hermione ---------------
Chapter 49 — Changes
"Mum! Why do I have to go back to The Burrow?"
"Because I want you to start working on that chicken coop.
You need to draw up a plan, so you can make a list of the
materials you’re going to need. Besides, don’t you want to
show Hermione the new Burrow? Maybe she would like to
help you work on the list," said Molly.
Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Molly Flooed back to the Burrow.
"Ginny and I are going to do a bit of shopping. We won’t be
long," said Molly.
Ginny and Molly quickly changed their clothes and Flooed to
Diagon Alley. Mad-Eye Moody was waiting for them, hidden
under an invisibility cloak, and watched them as they made
their purchases.
Ginny was tense the whole time they were shopping. She
expected to see Tom Riddle pop out from behind a shelf or
from around a corner at any time. It took all her strength to
keep up an appearance of normality.
* * * *
Ron took Hermione on the grand tour of the new Burrow.
She seemed to approve.
"Everything is new,” Ron said, a hint of disappointment in his
voice. “I like new stuff, but it needs something. It doesn’t feel
really homey yet."
"It’ll be nice when it’s finished,” Hermione said, looking
around. “Your dad seems to like white."
"Yeah. Well, he just wanted to get it all built. I think we will
be repainting the rooms later. He’s painted Ginny’s room
already, but I’m not sure she likes it."
Hermione didn’t say anything. It was a horrid shade, and she
suspected that Ginny probably would not like it. It reminded
Hermione of some Muggle stomach medicine.
Going back downstairs, Ron showed Hermione out to the
front deck to show her the area that he was working on. He
pointed out the area where his building would be built.
They stepped off the deck and walked over. Ron began
pacing out the width between the house and where the new
building would stand. As he measured, he called the
numbers to Hermione, who wrote them down.
"It’s all going to be one building, with four rooms," he said.
She watched as he began pacing out the different rooms.
He put a big rock in each corner. She wrote down the
measurements.
"I’ve decided that I’m going to put Dad’s workshop at this
end. That way, he could walk out the front door and it would
be the first room, more convenient. I want to add shelves
and cabinets, so he can organize everything."
"Next would be the tool room — I think I’d want to call them
rooms instead of sheds. Anyway, the garden room would be
in the middle. It would be better here, because it would not
be too far from either the front or the back of the house.
Lastly, the chicken coop. I’m thinking of putting two doors on
that one. One from this side, then the other at the end to
lead out to the chicken run. I’m thinking that we would use
the garden wall as part of the fence, so we only have to put
up three sides," Ron said thoughtfully.
"The chickens are making a mess of the garden. Mum is
trying to get the lawn to grow back, but they’re tearing it up. I
guess I should start working on their run first, so we can put
them in there while we get the coop built."
"I don’t understand Mum. She set me this project, but she
knows I don’t have a clue," said Ron.
"I can see why she set you to it. You’re brilliant. You’ve
really thought this all through — it’s going to be wonderful,"
Hermione reassured him. She was honestly impressed with
Ron’s plan.
"Really? You’re not just saying that?" Ron beamed.
"Really. Your mum knew what she was doing."
"She’s been acting weird lately and I should warn you about
Dad. I think you will be shocked when you see him," said
Ron.
"What’s wrong with your dad?" she asked.
"I don’t really know. I mean, look how old he’s looking."
"I noticed," said Hermione.
"When did you see him?
"At the station," she said.
"Oh, right! I forgot about that. Yes, you did see him. His
personality has changed too."
"In what way?"
"Stricter, no sense of humour, stern, sad… I can’t explain.
You’ll see. He can’t hide it, you see it all over his face.
Hopefully, for the sake of the wedding, he’ll cheer up a bit
while you’re here. We’ve been tiptoeing around him a lot
lately."
"Have you talked to him about it?" she asked.
"No. You don’t understand. It’s not something you would talk
to him about. I mean, he’s so… ah… can’t think of the
word," said Ron, sadly.
"Your dad is usually in a good mood," said Hermione.
"Well, he isn’t now. When I first got here, it really threw me.
He’s so firm about everything. You know Dad, he usually
just goes along with anything. I thought maybe he was under
the Imperius Curse. I’m not alone on this, Fred and George
thought he was too. They actually went through the trouble
of having Tonks and Mad-Eye check him out — without his
knowledge, of course. They said he started acting this way
last spring."
"Oh! That’s terrible. So you’re sure?" Hermione asked, her
eyes widening.
"Yeah. I thought it was just me at first, but he’s changed so
much that… well… after talking to Fred and George, I know
it’s not my imagination."
"He talked to me when I first came home, telling me to be
extra sensitive to Mum. He said she was having some kind
of ‘female troubles’, but he said that she was perfectly
healthy. Anyway, Mum’s OK… Well, she’s changed a little
too, but nothing like Dad."
"I didn’t notice any change in your mother," said Hermione.
"The wedding has her all in a tizzy, so she’s acting more like
herself. She’s not too bad. I mean, nothing like Dad, but
there are some changes, more subtle, I guess. Something’s
not right around here, that’s all I can say."
"You don’t know what caused it all? Could it just be the new
house? Rebuilding takes a lot out of a person."
"I don’t think so, no. I really don’t think the house has
anything to do with it, though Mum secretly hates the new
house. It is more than that, something completely different,"
said Ron.
"She hates the new house?"
"Yeah. She’s been pretending that she loves it, for Dad, but
you can tell."
"You don’t have any idea what’s wrong then?" asked
Hermione. "They aren’t getting a divorce, are they?"
"No! No, nothing like that. They still care about each other
and all. No, this is something different. I keep thinking that it
has to do with Ginny and Harry. I just can’t seem to join the
dots," said Ron. "I was hoping that when you got here you
might want to help me figure it out. You know all about
people’s feelings and all. The way your brain works, I know
that you could figure it out, if anyone could."
"Hmmmm. So, what does Harry have to say about all this?"
she asked.
"Harry noticed that Dad has changed too — but then, Harry
has changed too. Ginny, Harry, Mum, Dad… all of them."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Hermione.
"Of course, haven’t you noticed? Is it just me?"
"Honestly, yes, I have noticed that Harry has changed, but
then we all have. We’re growing up, we’re not children any
more."
"Yeah, I guess. It used to be just the three of us, but all that
seemed to change this last year. It just seems like
everyone’s changing except me. No, that’s not right. Fred
and George haven’t changed much; maybe Fred, a little. I
haven’t seen Bill and Charlie since the last ball, but they
seemed OK. I don’t know. Maybe I’m losing my mind."
"You’ve changed too," Hermione said softly.
"Have I? If I have, I don’t think I’ve changed much," said
Ron, honestly.
"No, you haven’t changed a lot, but a bit. You’re really
worried about all this, aren’t you?"
"Yeah."
They set off back towards the front deck.
"You’ve always been so clever. Maybe if you just watch
them a little, you could explain it. I mean, I really value your
opinion. I just know with your brilliant mind, you could figure
it all out," said Ron. He took her arm, assisting her as they
both sat down on the steps.
After this morning, she didn’t know what to think. Ron had
been looking at her bum with lust in his eyes and now he
was so serious and worried; neither were normal for him.
Perhaps he was the one who had done all the changing.
"Of course I’ll help you. I mean, I know everyone involved,
so I should be able to tell," said Hermione, thoughtfully. "All
right, you told me about your dad. What about your mum?
Anything I should know?"
"With Mum it’s not so noticeable. But she gets a look
sometimes, almost like fear. Dad gets that same look. Ginny
thinks it’s the war. Maybe… I just don’t know."
"You talked to Ginny about it?"
"Yeah, a little. She wasn’t much help. Dad sits and stares
sometimes. He gets a weird look on his face. Sometimes he
stares at Ginny. I don’t know."
"Ginny’s been crying the whole time we’ve been home.
She’s been really quiet, and that’s not normal. She mostly
stays up in her room, except every day she goes outside
and walks around in the garden or here on the deck.
Then she goes back to her room. She keeps to herself most
of the time."
"She seemed fine this morning. She was laughing and
joking, nothing unusual," said Hermione.
"Yeah, but she’s better when she’s with Harry, since he
showed up the other day. Did they tell you about Harry?
About the Dursleys?" asked Ron.
"No, all we’ve been talking about is the wedding. What
happened with the Dursleys?"
"I’ll give you the shortened version. Harry might want to tell
you the whole story. Anyway, when we left Harry at the
station, the Dursleys didn’t show up. Then Harry went to the
house and found they had moved. Left him a note… told him
they moved and not to go looking for them. It turns out that
Fred and George were pranking the Dursleys all winter, but
Harry got blamed for it.”
Hermione gasped.
"Yeah, Dad was very firm with them, gave them a case of
the boils. He said they could have ended up in Azkaban for
pranking the Dursleys. Fred and George never told exactly
why they did it, but it had to do with the way the Dursleys
have been treating Harry. Dumbledore had Dad take the
curse off them, said they’ve been punished enough.
Anyway, Harry went to Grimmauld Place. He’s been there
since school finished. He’s been there alone with Winky all
this time; Lupin’s been out on assignment. Snape found
Harry and came and got us. Harry didn’t know we rebuilt The
Burrow, so he didn’t know where to find us."
"Snape?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn’t he send Hedwig to find you?" asked Hermione.
"He said that he thought there would be an Order meeting
any time soon, so he just waited. But they didn’t have any
Order meetings, they were all out on assignment," said Ron.
"Anyway, there’ve been secret meetings going on all over
the place."
"Secret meetings? What does that mean?" asked Hermione.
"Only that in that last few days, everybody’s been having
private meetings. First there was our ‘talk’ with Dad, but I
was included in that one so it doesn’t really count. Then
Lupin and Harry have had a few. Harry and Ginny with Mum
and Dad, Harry and Ginny, Harry and George… I guess that
one doesn’t count, though, ‘cause they didn’t leave the
room, but they were talking privately. Harry and Mum, Mum
and Dad with Fred and George, Fred and George with
Dumbledore, Harry and Dumbledore. Ginny and Mum. Don’t
know if I left anyone out, but all I know is that I’ve been the
only one who hasn’t had a private meeting with anyone.
Well, except maybe Luna, not sure about her. Luna and I
have been in the living room a lot. They all been going in
and out, changing partners or something.
"Then this wedding came up all of a sudden. I know that
Harry’s happy about it; he seems excited about the whole
thing, which is weird. I mean, guys don’t usually get excited
about weddings, but Harry is.”
"Anyway, I’m sure that some of these ‘private talks’ were
about the wedding, but not all of them. There’s been too
many of them, and most of them have been AFTER the
secret wedding was announced."
"Harry didn’t tell you about any of his meetings?" asked
Hermione.
"A couple, but I always get the shortened version. Besides,
he’s been in most of the meetings, so he couldn’t have had
time to tell me, could he?” Ron said. “It seems like I haven’t
had more than a few minutes alone with Harry all along.
Mum sent Ginny and me back here yesterday, and we had
to stay all day. I don’t know why I couldn’t stay with Harry —
it’s boring around here. Anyway, so Mum set me to building
a chicken coop. How lame is that? I think she just did it to
get me out of the way. I just don’t know."
"It certainly sounds like Harry’s involved. How many
meetings did he have?" Hermione asked.
"I’ve lost count. Ginny’s been to several too. They’ve both in
and out of the defense room so many times, I couldn’t tell
you."
"So Harry got kicked out of the Dursleys, Fred and George
pranked them. Dumbledore showed up and had meetings
with Fred and George, and Harry. Lupin and Tonks are
getting married, secretly. Did I miss anything?" asked
Hermione.
"Oh yeah, and Mrs. Figg is missing, forgot about that."
"Mrs. Figg, the Dursley’s neighbor?"
"Yeah. Mum and Dad told Harry about her," Ron explained.
"When Dumbledore showed up, he had several meetings.
There was an Order meeting, and somewhere in there Lupin
and Tonks had their meeting with him. Then Mum and Dad,
I think, Fred and George. Ginny too, I think, but I can’t be
sure. She was gone a couple of times while he was there.
Harry was in with him for ages. It was like musical chairs or
something."
"Are you sure about all this? It sounds like a lot has been
going on," Hermione asked thoughtfully.
"Tell me about it. Anyway, I’m sure something strange is
going on. You should have been there. I tell you, they were
all taking turns talking ‘privately’. I am sick of the phrase
‘may I have a word’. Two or three people leave the room,
then when they come back, another two or three leave. It’s
just weird!"
"Lupin said that to Harry this morning."
"What?"
"’May I have a word.’ No, wait, it was ‘Could I have a word’,
right after I got there."
"Oh yeah, I remember. See? That’s what they’ve been doing
for the last few days! Harry and Ginny did it first thing this
morning. We barely finished breakfast when they went off, to
‘have a word’. Mum and Luna said it was so Ginny could ask
Harry if Tonks could borrow Ginny’s gown, but I don’t get it.
For one thing, it’s Ginny’s gown, not Harry’s, he gave it to
her. Harry doesn’t care about stuff like that, so why did they
go off?" Ron demanded, exasperated.
"Well, it IS a very expensive gown. It cost over a thousand
Galleons. I saw it in the catalogue," Hermione replied.
“A THOUSAND GALLEONS! A THOUSAND?”
"More than a thousand. I don’t remember exactly, but
thereabouts. I wasn’t paying that much attention, it was way
out of my price range."
"Blimey!” Ron collected himself. “OK, so it was expensive,
but she could have asked him about it right there. They
didn’t have to go off to talk about it, it’s not as if it was a
secret. They were all talking about it at the table."
"I think it was more of an excuse for them to spend a few
minutes alone. I think a lot of these private talks are about
the wedding. That would explain several of the private talks,"
said Hermione, reasonably.
"Yeah, OK. That could be some of it, but that doesn’t explain
a lot of the other stuff that’s been going on." Ron said,
clearly vexed. "Remember when the three of us used to
work on a mystery? You know, Harry, you and me?
Whenever you were about to solve some mystery, I loved to
watch you. You used to sit there and get this look on your
face. You used to squint your eyes, then you would rush off
to the library and come back with the solution. Used to drive
me mad," Ron smiled. "Anyway, I don’t know. This time it’s
different, I keep wondering if Harry is part of the secret."
"You think he’s keeping a secret from you?" asked
Hermione.
"I just don’t know. If he is, they’re all in on it. I’m sounding
paranoid, aren’t I?"
"Well, yes. I mean, Harry has always told us everything."
"Yeah, I suppose… but when we found Harry it was weird,
Ginny was practically hanging on to him. He stood there
holding her while talking to Mum and Dad, like it was the
most natural thing in the world. Neither Mum or Dad said
anything… Well, since Dad’s been so strict, you would have
thought… I asked Mum about it, and she just said that Ginny
missed Harry and got carried away. It just seemed weird to
me. They’ve been acting weird all year, anyway, but you
would think that… I don’t know. I guess people aren’t acting
the way I expect them to," said Ron.
"Do you mean Harry and Ginny have been acting weird?"
"Yeah. Haven’t you noticed? They’ve been acting weird all
year. I don’t know, they don’t act normally — at least not what
I think is normal."
"Yes, I was thinking much the same thing. I thought maybe I
was the only one, though." said Hermione.
"No, they are definitely acting weird. I mean, I don’t think
they act like a normal couple. They don’t talk much, they
have to make a ‘date’ just to eat together… they don’t sit
together very often, and when they do, there’s always
that…"
"…pillow!" Hermione finished, chiming in. "Yes, that pillow
thing is odd, isn’t it?"
"Yeah. He even puts it up at home. It’s almost as if their
relationship wasn’t…"
"What?" asked Hermione.
"I don’t know. He told me he loves her, but something isn’t
right."
"Harry TOLD you he loves her?" asked Hermione, surprised.
"Yeah. I don’t think… well, it just doesn’t seem like
something he’d say to me. At school, for instance, those
walks they were always taking, ‘dates’ is what Harry calls
them. They never did much on their ‘dates’ — I came up on
them one night. They’d found a secluded spot, stopped and
said a few words, then he just kissed her forehead and they
walked back to the Common Room. Another time, they were
looking at each other like, you know, like they were excited
to get together. I left the Common Room right after them,
got curious and followed them for a while. They stopped and
he kissed her real… a… a… well, not like I would have
done," Ron faltered.
"How would you have done?" Hermione asked.
"Well, not like that, I mean, he kissed her like she was a
child or something. Not like a boy kisses a girl, you know.”
"Like what?"
Ron peered closely at Hermione. "Well…"
They both looked into each other’s eyes. Then Ron put his
hand on the side of her neck, caressing it. He hesitated,
then pulled her forward and kissed her. She did not object.
Sensing her approval, he deepened the kiss. She returned it
in kind, falling into the passion that seemed to last forever.
A few minutes later they separated, hearts beating fast.
They sat in silence for several minutes, both shocked at
what had just happened.
"We’re back,” Ginny’s voice came from behind them,
making them both startle. “Mum said there’s some fresh
pumpkin juice and some butterbeer if you’re thirsty."
They rose to their feet and went into the house without
speaking. Once inside, Ron popped the corks on two
butterbeers and handed one to Hermione.
"How’s the list coming along?" asked Molly.
"We’ve got the measurements. I’ll have to talk to Dad about
how high he wants the building before we can start planning,
but once we know that we should be able to figure out how
much stuff we’ll need." Ron gestured to the notepad.
"Ron has a wonderful plan,” Hermione chimed in. “It’s going
to look really nice, I think it’ll improve the whole property,"
said Hermione.
"Really?" said Molly, glancing surprisingly at Ron. She just
wanted to keep Ron busy and out of the way; he had already
started getting too suspicious about Ginny and Harry. She
didn’t think he could actually do a good job of it. "Yes, yes
of course."
* * * *
With Ron and Hermione safely back inside the house, Ginny
stepped out from the deck, then walked slowly around the
house twice before going back in. She climbed the stairs to
her bedroom, slipped off her shoes, pulled back the covers
and curled up in her bed in a fetal position.
* * * *
Beta by Torak
Chapter 49: Chap 49 - Something Is Going On
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ginny shivers -- Hermione analyzes --Ron thinks -- Snape? ---------------
Chapter Forty-nine - Something Is Going On
Hermione watched Ginny walk across the front yard from the
kitchen window as she talked with Molly. A few minutes
later she heard Ginny enter the house.
Molly and Hermione talked about the new house and
Hermione’s cruise, while together they cooked chicken stew
and made pudding. Ron drew a sketch of what he wanted
the building to look like, glancing over to Hermione several
times in the process.
A couple of hours later, Molly decided to check on Ginny.
They would be leaving in another hour or so to go back to
Harry’s. She peeked into the room and saw Ginny curled
up in her bed. Her face was white and her eyes were open
starring fixedly at the wall.
“Ginny!”
Ginny stirred.
“Ginny dear, are you all right?” Molly sat on the edge of the
bed, examining Ginny.
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong?” said Molly. “You’re cold as ice.”
“I want Harry,” said Ginny.
“Of course, you do. Why don’t you get up and make
yourself pretty for Harry? It won’t be long and we’ll go
back,” said Molly, worriedly.
“I want Harry now,” said Ginny, dully.
“We’ll go soon. Hurry along now,” said Molly, as she
started to leave the room.
“Don’t go, Mum. Stay while I get ready,” said Ginny.
Ginny slowly stood up and began to brush her hair, her
hands trembling.
“Let me go now. I NEED Harry,” said Ginny, desperately.
“Ok, you go on ahead. We’ll be along in a few minutes,”
said Molly, frowning.
Ginny took out her rock Portkey. “Harry”, she whispered.
* * * *
Molly went down to the kitchen, her face white. “Hurry along
now. We’re leaving. Ron, gather our things.” She rushed
around lighting lamps, then turned on the wireless.
* * * *
Ginny found Harry in the Living Room talking with Lupin.
She started towards him. Harry took one look and had his
arms around her within a second.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” asked Harry.
“Nothing. Just hold me,” said Ginny.
Harry held her, gently swaying, with his head rested upon
her head. She felt cold and she was trembling. He rubbed
her arms.
“Ginny, are you ill? What happened?” asked Harry.
“I’m fine now. Just hold me,” said Ginny. She felt the
warmth of his body easing the chill.
Lupin waited a couple of minutes before speaking. Ginny’s
face was ashen. She looked terrified. “Ginny, did anything
happen?” asked Lupin.
“No. I just need Harry.”
* * * *
They Flooed from The Burrow into Harry’s kitchen. It was
already over-flowing with boxes of things for the wedding.
“Ron, put all these things away. Hermione, you can help
him,” she said, before rushing off.
Molly found Ginny, Harry and Lupin in the Living Room.
Harry was still standing, holding Ginny, gently swaying.
Lupin walked up to her. “Molly, what’s happened?” asked
Lupin.
“I don’t know, but I found her in her bed, in the fetal
position. I thought she was dead. She was cold as ice.
She’s terrified! Look at her!” said Molly.
“Did anything happen? Anything specific?” said Lupin.
“We went to Diagon Alley, then returned home. She went
up to her room. I found her looking like this.”
“Did anything happen there?”
“No. Look at her face. This has got to stop. Remus,
something has to be done!” said Molly, panicking.
“Calm down, Molly. She’s better now,” said Lupin, patting
her arm.
“What’s going on?” asked Ron, as he entered the room,
Hermione right behind him. He saw Molly and Lupin talking
in rushed panic and Harry and Ginny locked in each other’s
arms, swaying.
“Nothing,” they said in unison.
“Something is going on,” said Ron.
“I told you to put all those things away! Why aren’t you
doing it?” said Molly, angrily.
“Mum, all that stuff is for the wedding. I don’t know where
to put it,” said Ron.
“Well, put it aside somewhere. We’ll be having dinner
soon,” said Molly.
“I want to know what’s going on,” said Ron, defiantly.
“Ginny had one of her nightmares, that’s all. Now move
along,” said Molly.
Ron and Hermione went back to the kitchen.
“There! You see? Mum was lying,” said Ron.
“Why do you think your mum was lying?”
“Ginny didn’t have one of her nightmares. That’s not how
she acts when she’s had one, I’ve seen enough of them,
she never acts like that. She would have been screaming
and we would have heard her.”
“Maybe she had a regular nightmare or something,” said
Hermione.
“Then she would have said ‘Ginny had a nightmare’ not
‘Ginny’s had one of her nightmares’. ‘One of her
nightmares’ MEANS a Chamber nightmare, not a regular
nightmare. Did you hear what Mum said to Lupin?
‘Something has to be done!’ Why would she be saying that
to Lupin?” asked Ron.
“Yes. You’re right. Something IS going on,” said Hermione,
narrowing her eyes.
“Lupin is in on it too,” said Ron, firmly.
“I think so too. I just got the last bit of that conversation too,
but it sounded like your mum thought that Lupin was aware
of something and maybe could stop it, or something,” said
Hermione, thoughtfully.
* * * *
“Do you want to sit down now?” asked Harry.
“No. In a minute. Just hold me,” said Ginny. Being in
Harry’s arms, was like coming out of the freezing cold into a
warmed blanket. She felt warm and safe.
Harry continued to hold her, gently swaying, kissing the top
of her head. Ginny’s face was beginning to get some color
back.
“Ginny, are you all right now?” asked Molly.
“I’m fine. I just need Harry. Leave us alone,” said Ginny.
Molly and Lupin left the room, then stepped into the Defense
Room. “What are we going to do? She was starting to get
pale while we were in Diagon Alley. Remus, this is just too
much. I don’t want her to go out in public like that, she’s
terrified and so am I. She won’t be able to take much more
of this,” said Molly.
“I don’t know, Molly. Poor little thing, that had to be
terrifying. We will have talk to Dumbledore,” said Lupin,
holding her to calm her down.
* * * *
Ginny finally let go of Harry. He walked her to the sofa, and
sat down. He pulled out a pillow and put it up against his
chest, then pulled her up against the pillow and wrapped his
arms around her. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Better now?” asked Harry.
“Yes. I’m always better when I’m in your arms,” said Ginny,
warmly.
“You gonna tell me what happened now?”
“Nothing happened, I promise. I missed you. I guess I just
had a panic attack or something. I just needed you,” said
Ginny.
“Ok, Love, but we have to make different arrangements. I
want you near me,” said Harry, as he kissed her head and
rubbed her arms.
* * * *
“Winky, Mum wants us to move all these things for the
wedding, so we can have dinner. Do you know where to put
it all?” asked Ron, as soon as Winky appeared.
“The Order must not see. Defense Room would be best,”
said Winky.
“Dobby!” said Winky.
Pop!
“Winky yelled?” asked Dobby.
“Help us take these boxes to the Defense Room,” said
Winky.
“Dobby will help,” said Dobby.
“Come on, Hermione. Let’s take a couple of boxes too, that
way, Mum won’t get on to us,” said Ron, sourly.
Hermione and Ron both took as many boxes as they could
hold, up to the Defense Room.
After stacking her boxes neatly, Hermione went up to
Ginny’s room to get some ink and parchment, then she sat
down on the bed.
There WAS something going on. Ron was right. Harry,
Ginny, Lupin and Mrs. Weasley were all in on it. There is no
doubt now. Ron didn’t give the impression that Lupin was
part of it when he talked about it earlier, but after today, it
looks like he was too.
Earlier, Ron had been rambling, telling of his suspicions as
he thought of them. He was really worried about his family.
The Weasleys were a very predictable family, she knew
them very well. From what Ron has been saying, they were
not acting like they normally would. Ron was right,
something was going on. She would have to sort out Ron’s
ramblings and set everything into some kind of time frame.
She would have to write it all out, then have Ron try to put it
all in sequence.
They both knew that part of this was about the wedding, so
that would be separate. First, there would have to be a list
of what was unusual, then sort that out.
Wedding
Ginny
Harry
Arthur
Fred & George ?
Mrs. Figg - missing
Dursleys - missing
Ginny/Harry/Molly/Lupin
Then on another page, a list of meetings and the order they
occurred.
Harry - Ginny - Arthur - Lupin - Dumbledore - Fred &
George
Another for Places:
Dursleys Harry’s Burrow School
Another for Dates:
School End of School Burrow
This week: 1st day 2nd day 3rd day
She wrote out what had just happened:
Ginny had a Chamber nightmare - false.
Ginny usually screamed. She would have been screaming
from her bed and they would have heard her.
IF it was a regular nightmare, why was she pale earlier?
She had watched Ginny walk outside the house, then go up
to her room. She was pale then. Ginny was pale BEFORE
the nightmare. This morning she looked normal. She was
even unusually happy.
Ginny was not pale before they went to Diagon Alley, but
was after she returned.
Hermione hadn’t been invited to go shopping with them.
Was that intended? Molly seems so distracted, it is hard to
tell.
Harry was holding Ginny to comfort her, that was obvious.
When Ron asked what was going on, they ALL said
“nothing”. Which meant that they all knew. Was this part of
a bigger mystery or was it a new one?
Why didn’t Harry tell them what was going on?
Harry... During her cruise, she had sorted out her feelings
about Harry and why she had them. As Ron, she was still
unsure about Harry’s relationship with Ginny. Their
relationship was so strange, she decided to wait a while
before deciding what to do about Harry. She had an idea
about the relationship, but was not going to share it until
she got further evidence.
Ginny was weak, too weak for Harry. Harry needed
someone who was strong. Someone to help him, not hinder
him. Today was another perfect example. Ginny was
frightened or something and Harry had to comfort her.
Harry’s dangerous lifestyle required him to be surrounded by
strong people. Ginny was a good fighter, but mentally she
couldn’t stand up to the pressure.
Some of the ways Harry treated Ginny, is what Hermione
was looking for. He was very romantic. He made their
walks and dinners into dates. Was this just for show?
She only saw it once, but it was enough to make a big
impression; the way he looked at Ginny down in the
Chamber. His facial expression and his whole body stance
was romantic and sensual beyond words. This is what she
wanted, attention and romance. Harry was capable of both.
Neville... he was attentive. He was also thoughtful, but he
was not romantic. His kisses were nice, but they weren’t
more than that.
It was Ron who she had loved for years, but Ron was not
romantic. In fact, Ron was the least attentive or romantic of
the three. Until... actually, after the trouble with Peter
Pettigrew. Ron had been attentive, not romantic but
attentive.
Until today... today, finding out that Ron had actually looked
at her from behind and was giving her “the look”. All the
years that she crushed on him, now he decides to notice
her? Ron actually gave her ‘the look’? It was hard to
imagine.
Ron... he kissed her... that had to be sorted out too. They
were alone today. He had told her of his concerns, but
mixed in with that, he had given her a feeling of... of
something... like romance. She thought hard, but couldn’t
put her finger on it. There was something... so by the time
he was ready to kiss her, she was ready.
Did he plan to kiss her? Did he speak in a way that set her
up to be kissed? It seemed like it came from nowhere, but
yet it didn’t. At that point, she wanted to be kissed. When
he caressed her neck she couldn’t let the moment pass.
Then, he began the kiss. It was unbelievable. She never
knew that a kiss could be like that. It woke up feelings she
never knew she had. That kiss... it was magical. He
tasted like... something buttery. It seemed to go on forever,
then when it was over, she was out of breath and her heart
was beating hard. She was shocked. Shocked that Ron
had wanted to kiss her and shocked at her own reaction. It
happened so suddenly, and yet it wasn’t sudden. He gave
her plenty of time to back out. She wanted to be kissed right
then and wanted to be kissed by him. It was perfect...
perfect.
She was remembering back to the kiss, when Luna spoke.
“Are you feeling ill? Your face is flushed, but you have chill
bumps. I get like that when I’m ill OR whenever Fred kisses
me. Since you are alone, you must be ill.”
Startled, Hermione jumped. “Luna, I didn’t see you come
in. No, I am not ill.” She gathered her notes and put them,
along with the ink and quill into her pocket.
“I felt like there were more people in the house, so I came
down. Do you know what time we are eating? I’m starting
to get a little hungry,” said Luna.
“No, I’m not sure. We just cleared the wedding things out
of the kitchen, so I suppose that it won’t be too long,” said
Hermione.
They left Ginny’s room and as they passed Ron’s room, she
heard Ron softly playing his guitar.
* * * *
Ron went up to his room. Even though it was at Harry’s
house, he thought of it as his room, now that Harry had
moved to his own room. Funny, they always called the
house Harry’s now. Now that Winky had redecorated, it
didn’t feel like Grimmauld Place anymore. It felt like Harry’s
home.
He picked up his guitar and sat on his bed. He gently
strummed a slow ballad, as he thought about today’s
events.
He was worried about his family. They were keeping some
kind of secret from him. Lupin and Harry were in on it too.
Maybe there was more than one secret going on. He wasn’t
sure, but he was sure that there was something today.
Hermione was a witness. She believed it too. Hermione
will be able to sort it out. She was a genius.
One thing that he didn’t mention to Hermione, was that it
was odd that his mum and Ginny didn’t invite Hermione to
go shopping with them. That was very odd, he appreciated
it though. It gave them time to be alone together. He was
going to capture Hermione’s heart, or at least try. He had
“chosen” her.
She was everything in a woman that he desired. He had
never really told anyone his feelings for Hermione. Harry
and Ginny seemed to have an idea, but not really the depth
of it. He had decided the other night, after “the talk”, that
he would try to win her over.
After her fling with Neville, she didn’t seek another
boyfriend. He was still hurt about her dating Neville, so he
didn’t pursue her. But now, it was time, and it was going to
be different. He planned to take his time, if he rushed her,
he would lose her.
Another thing that he knew, was that Hermione had deep
feelings for him too. That kiss... she practically asked him
to kiss her. He didn’t know why, but he knew that she was
ready to be kissed. When he started the kiss, it didn’t take
long to know that she wanted the kiss as much as he did.
He felt her desire for it to last, so he complied.
When it was over, he didn’t know what to say, but he knew
that if he said anything, it could ruin it. Hermione liked to
think things through. She was probably in Ginny’s room
analyzing the kiss right now. Yes, she would analyze it. It
was a perfect kiss and she would decide that it was.
He had no idea that his talk with Hermione today was close
to being perfect, if his aim was to romance her. He
unknowingly said things she wanted to hear. She wanted to
be admired for her intelligence. She wanted Ron and Harry
to regret that they were not just the three of them this year.
She wanted to be noticed and needed. Within his ramblings
of thoughts, he had conveyed all of this, but didn’t know
that Hermione was aware of “the look” he gave her that
morning.
* * * *
“So, you haven’t found him.”
“No, my Lord. I have searched the entire castle these last
few weeks. The only place I haven’t searched was
Dumbledore’s office, and he would hardly be hiding there,”
said Snape.
“Did you try?”
“No, my Lord. There is no way to get into Dumbledore’s
office without him inviting you there,” said Snape.
“Of course, of course.”
“What do you think? Did he just run off?” asked Snape.
“Perhaps... but he was in YOUR territory when last we
heard from him. Are you SURE that Dumbledore didn’t
mention Wormtail?”
“Of course, my Lord.”
“Are you SURE that Dumbledore trusts you?”
“Yes, I am sure. He tells me everything,” said Snape.
“Everything?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“I think it is time to tell Dumbledore that Wormtail is
missing.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Potter is to remain in hiding?”
“Yes, my Lord. Like a rabbit in its’ hole,” said Snape,
smugly.
“I assume they will take him out for Apparation lessons. He
will be coming of age soon. Him, and all his little friends?”
“No plans have been made, as yet, but he will have to go
elsewhere for Apparation lessons. Apparating within the
bounds of the house, will not be enough training to pass the
required test. Of course, knowing Potter, he may well think
it will be enough,” Snape said, scowling.
“Why do you scowl?”
“He is lazy and undisciplined,” said Snape.
“He will be coming of age and into full power soon.”
“He is wasting his power. Dumbledore indulges him. He
thinks he needs to have fun, instead of developing his
power.”
“All the better for us.”
“Of course,” said Snape.
“You don’t approve?”
“The only thing he shows a real talent in, is Quidditch. Just
like his father, he is arrogant,” scowled Snape.
“Severus, Severus, calm yourself. Someone would think
you are taking this personal. He will soon be joining his
father.”
“It won’t be too soon for me,” said Snape.
“Patience Severus, patience. When the time is right.”
Snape looked at the Dark Lord questionably.
“The girl, she is still closely watched?”
“Yes, my Lord. She has been to Potter’s, but only for a few
hours. She returns to her house, she has been seen.
Today she went shopping with her mother in Diagon Alley,”
said Snape.
“Has she been alone with Potter?”
“I don’t think so,” said Snape.
“You don’t THINK so... THINK SO?”
“I could hardly know that. I don’t have access to the house.
I have to have a REASON to be there. It would be
suspicious if I were there without reason.”
“You will have to think of reasons to be there.”
“I will try, my Lord.”
“You will do MORE than try.”
“Yes, my Lord,” said Snape, as he bowed to kiss the
bottom of the Dark Lord’s robe.
* * * *
Hermione and Luna joined Harry and Ginny in the Living
Room. Harry and Ginny were sitting on the sofa together.
Harry had his arms around her. They were both smiling.
“There’s that pillow,” thought Hermione.
They had just began chatting, when Ron arrived. Luna
picked up her copy of the Quibbler and began reading it
upside down.
Ron nodded to Harry and Ginny, then sat beside Hermione,
who was sitting on one of the wheeled cushioned seats
facing Harry and Ginny. “Here’s the sketch I made of the
building. Do you have your copies of the measurements?”
asked Ron, handing her the sketch.
She pulled out several pieces of parchment and showed
them to him. “Those can’t be right,” said Ron. He wheeled
his seat over to the game table, motioning for Hermione to
join him.
“Of course, they’re right,” said Hermione, loud enough for
Harry and Ginny to hear.
They huddled over the parchment at the game table. It
appeared that Ron was making corrections to whatever
Hermione had written. They kept themselves busy with this
until Molly called them for dinner.
The kitchen was full. Arthur, Tonks, Fred and George had
arrived. They all sat down to chicken stew and freshly
baked bread. Winky had made a platter stacked with slices
of hard cheese to add to the meal.
“How’d it go today?” asked Arthur to the crowd.
Everyone was nodding as if to say the day went well.
“How’s that building coming along?” Arthur said to Ron.
“I think it’s coming along. Hermione helped me with the
measurements, while Mum and Ginny went shopping,” said
Ron.
“You went shopping today?” Arthur asked Molly, with a look.
“Yes, Ginny and I picked up a few things for the wedding,”
said Molly, returning a look.
“I made a sketch of the building. We just need to know how
tall you think the building should be,” said Ron, passing his
sketch to be passed down to his father.
“What’s all this?” asked George as he glanced at the sketch
that he passed on.
“That’s the new chicken coop,” said Molly.
“Chicken coop?” asked George.
Fred grabbed the sketch to look before handing it to his
father. “That’s a pretty grand chicken coop, if you ask me,”
said Fred.
Arthur took the sketch and looked down on it. “It’s looking
fine. Are those Spanish tiles on the roof? I thought you
were talking about asphalt tiles,” asked Arthur.
“Spanish tiles, I think. You know, the orangish rounded
ones. I thought they would look real nice with the brick
walls. I want to paint the bricks tan,” said Ron.
“I don’t know. This looks awfully expensive,” said Arthur,
doubtfully.
“There are loads of bricks left over from when you built the
fireplace. They will just go to waste if we don’t use them.
We could use the money saved, to help pay for the tiles,”
said Ron.
“Yes, well, I bought the bricks in lots, it’s thirty,” said
Arthur. “What about these doors? Are you planning on
having doors with glass?” asked Arthur.
“Yes, it would give more light. We would use less
windows,” said Ron.
“Glass doors?” asked George.
“Only half,” said Ron, defensively.
“Windows? Since when, have you cared so much about
chickens?” asked Fred.
“You going to have velvet pillows for their nests?” asked
George.
“Yeah, red ones with gold tassels in the corners. They
would be for Gryffindor chickens, after all,” said Fred,
teasing.
“I don’t care about chickens, only to eat them. The building
is going to be four rooms. The chicken coop is only going to
be one of them. I want it to have a clean, uniform look,”
said Ron, defensively.
“Oh, thought you were going soft on us. ‘Course, you DO
have a thing for chicken meat and I haven’t seen you turn
down their eggs either,” said George.
“Will you be putting in a stocking block? I didn’t see one in
the sketch,” said Fred.
“He’ll have to get an ax with a silver handle for these
chickens. Nothing but the best,” said George, flippantly
“Those ARE expensive. I think he’ll have to wait for Father
Christmas for a silver one,” said Fred.
Hermione paled as she looked into her bowl at the chicken
meat in her stew. Ron noticed.
“Look what you’ve done. You’ve turned Hermione off her
dinner,” said Ron.
“I’m sorry,” said Hermione, as she pushed the bowl away
from her.
“City girls,” said Fred and George in unison, laughing.
“That’s enough, you two. You know better than to talk
about things like that at the table!” scolded Molly.
Ron took Hermione’s bread and put a few slices of cheese
on it to make her a sandwich, then handed it too her. He
scowled at the twins.
“Where’d you go shopping?” Harry asked Ginny.
“Diagon Alley. We picked up a few more candles and
things,” she said, smiling.
Harry frowned, this did not go unnoticed by Hermione.
“Anyone for pudding?” asked Molly, hurriedly.
* * * *
Harry, Ginny and Hermione went into the Living Room.
Harry and Ginny sat on the sofa, softly talking.
Hermione, however, went to the game table, pulled out her
parchment and began writing. A few minutes later, Ron
joined Hermione at the table. She showed him something.
It looked like he corrected it. Then she wrote some more.
“Something is going on,” whispered Harry to Ginny.
“What?”
“Dunno.”
“Hey there! Are you coming upstairs to talk wedding?”
asked Tonks, from the doorway.
The girls got up and left. Ron put the parchment in his
pocket and joined Harry on the sofa.
“What’s up with Ginny?” asked Ron, as casually as he
knew how.
“Nothing, she’s fine.”
“She wasn’t fine this afternoon,” said Ron.
“Guess she had a nightmare, like your mum said,” said
Harry, cautiously.
“Not one of THOSE nightmares, was it?” asked Ron.
“No, I don’t think so... maybe,” said Harry.
“She looked kinda pale,” said Ron.
“Yeah, well, she didn’t want to talk about it. So I didn’t ask
her if it was one of those,” said Harry.
“Harry, may I have a word?” asked Tonks, who had
returned.
“Sure!” said Harry, happy to get away from Ron’s
questioning.
They walked down the hall and stopped near the Dining
Room door. “Harry, I wondered if you would honor me by
giving me away at the wedding.”
“Me?” said Harry, confused.
“If it wouldn’t be asking too much. Ya see, you were Sirius’
Godson, so that makes you family. I thought that you could
represent my family at the wedding. I can’t tell ‘em and...
you know... later... I could tell them that there was family
there, you know.
“Oh! Yeah! Right! Sure, I guess. Can I give you away
and still be Lupin’s best man?” he asked, unsure.
“I don’t see why not,” said Tonks.
“What would I do? Just be there? I mean, you wouldn’t
have to ask me just to do that. I’m gonna be here anyway.”
“You walk me down the aisle to Remus, then step aside.
When Dumbledore asks, ‘Who gives this woman in
marriage?’ You’ll say ‘I do’. That’s about it.”
“Eh... sure! I can do that,” said Harry, smiling.
“Harry, I can’t thank you enough.”
“Is it important for your family to be there?” asked Harry.
“Well, a girl always visions that her family will be there. The
family expects to be there. Now don’t get me wrong, I am
happier than you could ever know. The most important
thing, is that we’re getting married. I love Lupin more than
you know. I’m happy,” said Tonks.
“Harry! Ron! Are you coming or not? We have tunes to
prepare. Last night to get things sorted,” said George, from
the Defense Room door.
“Coming,” said Harry.
The girls were in Ginny’s room spending the evening
deciding who would wear what. Winky popped in with
Ginny’s pearl gown. She had Tonks try it on again and used
pins to mark out areas to alter.
“Will you be able to fix it back like it was?” asked Ginny,
doubtfully.
“Oh yes. You will never know, after I fix it back,” said
Winky.
* * * * *
The boys had decided that George would play the Wedding
March. The door opened and Snape put his head through.
“I’m looking for Arthur and Lupin,” he said, looking around.
Harry left his place at the piano and walked quickly to the
door. He stepped out closing the door. “Last I’ve seen
them, they were in the kitchen,” said Harry as he walked
Snape towards the kitchen.
“Having a party?” asked Snape.
“No. Winky is redecorating. She put some of the things in
there,” said Harry.
“Things?” asked Snape.
“Oh, I thought you were talking about the boxes of stuff in
the room.”
“No, since you were all gathered around the piano, I thought
you were having a party. I didn’t see any of the girls,” said
Snape.
As they reached the kitchen, Harry called out. “Mr.
Weasley, Lupin, Snape is here to see you.”
“Snape thought we were having a party without the girls,”
said Harry, as they entered the kitchen.
“The girls are at The Burrow. I better go check on them,”
said Molly, as she left the room. She Apparated to Ginny’s
room.
“Shhhhh! Severus is downstairs. I told him that you were all
at The Burrow. Ginny get out your Portkey. We need to
get back there for a little while,” said Molly.
They all touched the rock as Ginny whispered “The Burrow”.
“Why don’t cha want Snape knowing we were at Harry’s?”
asked Tonks, after they landed at The Burrow kitchen.
“Harry said that he asked if they were having a party. I think
it was a warning that he saw the boxes in the Defense
Room. I told him that the girls were here. We don’t want
him to know about the wedding,” whispered Molly.
“Why are you whispering?” asked Luna.
“Oh! I forgot. We’re here. How about a nice spot of tea?”
* * * *
Chapter 50: Chap 50 The Wedding
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry takes a stand -- Lupin held hostage -- Tonks’ wish ---------------
Chapter Fifty - The Wedding
At last, the day of the wedding arrived, it was spent
decorating the Defense Room, Entrance Hall and the Living
Room. They scalloped wide white ribbon along the banister
and put huge elaborate silver bows at the top of each scallop.
Silver bows were tied on each of the sconces along the
staircase. The round table in the entrance held a huge
bouquet of red roses with fronds of green fern and tiny white
flowers. The piano from the Defense Room had been rolled
in. Upon it, was a gold, carved candelabra holding chunky
white candles.
In the Living Room, the sofa and two armchairs that once
faced the fireplace were now removed. An archway of
flowers now stood before the fireplace. Wide white ribbon
scalloped on waist-high posts formed an aisle leading to the
archway from the doorway. Upon each post was a chunky
white candle surrounded by a ring of flowers. The game
table was covered with a lace tablecloth with a bouquet at
each end leaving the center a place that would hold the
wedding cake. There were cake plates stacked to the side
with forks and napkins placed decoratively. At the end of the
table on the floor, was a tub that would hold ice and drinks.
Each side table held either a bouquet of flowers or a ringed
candle.
Between tasks, Ron and Hermione spent every moment they
could, going over Hermione’s notes. Harry watched as they
put their heads together studying them. He knew that they
were not studying the chicken coop plans, they were up to
something.
It took him most of the day, before he got a chance to glance
at one of them, he paled. With the help of Luna causing a
diversion, he managed to magically copy one of the pages.
What he read, alarmed him. He wanted to get copies of the
others but he never got another chance.
It was coming on to evening, not too long before dinner
when, Harry was leaving the downstairs loo. He heard:
“No! No! No! No! No! Harry! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaarry!”
Harry scrambled down the Entrance Hall and into the Living
Room to find Ginny on the sofa screaming. He leaped over
the ribbon aisle to get to her.
“Ginny! Ginny, wake up. It’s me, Harry,” he said,
enveloping her into his arms.
“Nooooooo!” screamed Ginny.
“Ginny! It’s me, Love.”
“Oh Harry,” said Ginny, opening her eyes. She was pale
and trembling. She began to sob. Harry cupped her face
and kissed her gently around her face, then wrapped his
arms around her again.
“Better, now?” asked Harry, a couple of minutes later.
“I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m
so sorry, Harry.”
“This was not your usual Chamber nightmare, was it?” said
Harry.
“No,” said Ginny, remembering. She was in Diagon Alley
when a scaly arm pulled her into a dark nook. It was
suddenly dark but she could see the face of the man who
grabbed her, his eyes were glowing red. “I know all about
your plan. My plan has changed, I didn’t take the potion.
You are mine, now,” said a horrible voice. She began to
scream.
She shivered, holding Harry tight.
Molly and Lupin entered the room. “Is she all right?” asked
Molly.
Harry turned towards her, scowling. “Get Dumbledore. Get
him NOW!”
“But Harry...” started Molly.
“NOW!” yelled Harry.
“We’ll be in the Dining Room.” said Harry, as he assisted
Ginny to the door. Harry and Ginny entered the Dining
Room. He closed the door and held her.
“I’m putting a stop to all this,” said Harry.
“How?” asked Ginny. He didn’t answer, but lifted her chin
and kissed her deeply.
Arthur arrived. Lupin filled him in on what was happening.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore arrived.
Harry remained holding and kissing Ginny until he heard the
door opening. Lupin, Arthur, Molly and Dumbledore entered.
Dumbledore waved his arm sealing the door closed and then
he put up a Silencing Charm.
Harry squeezed Ginny’s shoulder as they and the others sat
at the table. Dumbledore, dressed for the wedding, was
wearing beautiful red brocade robes with red silk slippers.
He didn’t say anything until everyone was seated.
“Harry, whatever it is, can it not wait until after the
ceremony?” asked Dumbledore, reasonably.
“No! This can NOT wait. Something needs to be done.
Something needs to be done, NOW.” His voice rising with
each word.
“What has happened to alarm you so?” asked Dumbledore.
“Loads!” said Harry, clearly outraged.
“Harry...” started Lupin.
“Look! It’s not working. Your little plan is falling apart. They
have to be told or something has to change,” said Harry.
“Why?” asked Molly.
“Why? Why? Look at what it’s doing to Ginny!” yelled
Harry.
“Harry, I’m fine. It was only a nightmare. I’m sorry,” said
Ginny.
“It was not just a nightmare. This has to stop! I trusted all of
you. YOU are the adults. You should have planned
something better. Look what it is doing to Ginny. Does
anyone CARE?”
“Harry...” started Arthur.
“You had her going to Diagon Alley! She’s been parading
around The Burrow everyday so she can be SEEN! She has
to walk around KNOWING that HIS lot is watching. How can
she stand that?” said Harry, standing.
“Harry, you know full well that yours and Ginny’s movements
have been watched,” said Dumbledore.
“Tell me about it. ‘Course, I know! Do YOU know how that
trip to Diagon Alley affected her? Do you SEE what it’s doing
to her? She’s scared to death! I won’t have it! You’re not
going to do that to her again!” yelled Harry.
“Harry... stop shouting at them. It was my idea to go to
Diagon Alley,” said Ginny.
“What! No, Ginny, no.”
“I thought...”
“You thought it would hurry things along. Yeah... look what it
is doing to you!” said Harry.
“I just want this all to be over,” said Ginny, softly.
Harry looked down on her, softening. “I know.” He turned to
the others. “You’ve got to have a better plan. We are not
leaving here until you do.”
“What do you want us to do?” asked Lupin.
“FIX IT! There IS no plan, is there? You just have her
parade around The Burrow each day hoping he will grab her.
That’s the plan, isn’t it? Day after day, she walks around
waiting to be... BAIT! You rushed us to get married, now we
wait. Do you see what that is doing to us? Look at Ginny!”
“Now Harry...” started Arthur.
“Now what? Now what? She is your daughter! Don’t you
CARE about her sanity?”
“Of course, I do,” answered Arthur, beginning to anger.
“You’re having her walk around the house in the yard, with no
purpose. Don’t you think that someone will wonder?”
‘Look at her, she’s walking around the house again. She
does that a couple times every day. She makes sure that
anyone can see her. I wonder if she wants me to see her. I
wonder WHY she wants me to see her,’ “ said Harry,
sarcastically.
“Each step she takes, she wonders if he will come and grab
her. Each and every step! THEN, she supposed to go back
into the house and pretend that everything is fine. She has
to continuously lie to her brothers and Hermione and Luna
and Tonks. Every day?... Every day!”
“I’m stronger than you think,” said Ginny, boldly.
“Ginny! No one can hold up to this, NO ONE!” yelled Harry.
“Harry, I can take it,” said Ginny.
“No you can’t. NO ONE can take this!”
“So, you’re just worried about her sanity?” asked
Dumbledore, stirring the pot, his eyes twinkling.
“Just her sanity! JUST her sanity? SHE’S MY WIFE! I
didn’t marry her for her body. I could’ve had plenty of...
bodies. I love her for her mind or whatever it is that makes
her Ginny! You are risking the very essence of her.
No more of this, something has got to change!”
“Harry, it’s not just us, that we’re doing this for?” said Ginny.
“I don’t CARE about the others. I don’t care about anyone
but YOU. Don’t you understand? You are the only one I
care about!”
“You don’t mean that,” said Ginny, softly.
“Yes I do! YOU are the only one that matters!”
“What about our babies?” asked Ginny.
“Babies?” asked Harry.
“Babies? You can’t have any babies. Molly, do something!”
said Arthur, paling.
“Yes, our babies, the ones we won’t have, if we fail. Not
just ours, ALL the babies,” said Ginny.
Harry looked at her and softened, remembering what she
said about Riddle being a baby killer. He paused, but got his
resolution back.
“Look! Your plan is failing. You have to come up with a
better idea. If it means telling the others, then so be it!” said
Harry, pounding the table.
“We already agreed that the others would not be told,” said
Dumbledore, gently.
“Then you better come up with something. We’re not leaving
this room until you do! I trusted all of you. You had all this
time to make a plan that would work. Something that could
give us some kind of normal life. I know we can’t live a
NORMAL life, but some kind of life, if only to have a little
private time. But it looks like you are just taking it minute by
minute. We can’t constantly make up things as we go. We
are going to get caught! We already have!” yelled Harry.
“What do you mean?” asked Molly, horrified.
“I mean that Ron and Hermione know something is wrong.
They are working on it, as we speak!” said Harry, running
his hands through his hair.
“How? Did they say something?” asked Arthur.
“They are pretending to be working on that stupid chicken
coop, but they are working on... whatever we are doing!”
“How do you know?” asked Ginny.
“Because I caught a glance at the chicken coop plan. It is
lists of things that are... wrong... with all of us,” answered
Harry.
“Wrong with us?” asked Ginny.
“Yes! How you’ve changed. Your staying in your room at
The Burrow. Your walks outside each day. Your dad staring
at you. Your dad’s changes. Your mum’s changes. My
changes. Secret meetings. Everything!”
“They are out there right now, working on it!” added Harry.
“They can’t possibly figure it out. That’s impossible,” said
Lupin, reasonably.
“It doesn’t matter! They are working on it!” said Harry.
“Can’t we talk about this later, Tonks is waiting,” said Lupin,
far more patiently than would be expected.
“No! It has to be now. Before the wedding. You don’t
understand?” said Harry, desperately.
“Why?” asked Lupin.
“Because you are leaving. You will be gone until Monday.
Hermione would have left by then,” said Harry.
“That’s a good thing. She’ll go home and forget all about
this,” said Lupin.
“No she won’t!” said Harry. “Know your enemy,” he said,
under his breath. “She will be thinking about it all the
harder.”
“It doesn’t matter. We will have time to come up with
something while she’s gone,” said Lupin, reasonably.
“You don’t understand. Ron is here. Ron will be writing her,
giving her all the latest or things he remembers or
something,” said Harry, desperately.
“So? They’ll never figure it out,” said Arthur.
“Ron will be WRITING to her. What if the enemy READS
their letters? We can’t have that!”
“I will forbid him to write. I will think of some reason,” said
Arthur.
Harry rolled his eyes. “That won’t stop him.”
“If I tell him not to write, he won’t,” said Arthur.
Harry looked desperately at Ginny and Lupin. “He doesn’t
get it. They will think of a way to get around it. Now that
they’ve started, they’re not going to give up.”
“We can keep him busy with the chicken coop. He won’t
have time for anything else,” said Arthur.
“No! It’s too dangerous. You have to come up with a plan
and some story to tell them. Something that will explain
everything. If you don’t come up with something, I’m going
to tell them. I can’t let you put Ginny in any more danger.”
“What do they know?” asked Ginny.
“Here,” said Harry, pulling out the piece of parchment and
handing it to her.
“Oh my!” said Ginny, after glancing down the page.
“Yeah!” said Harry.
“What made you think they were up to something?” asked
Dumbledore.
“Hermione. She only gets that look when she’s plotting.”
“Know your emery,” he whispered. “Since when, has Ron
had to correct Hermione’s figures? Hermione was just a little
too interested in Ron’s chicken coop. She has four or five
pages of stuff written,” added Harry.
“How did you get this?” asked Dumbledore, who had read
the parchment after Ginny was finished.
“Luna. She made a diversion, but only long enough for me to
copy one page. I choose the one with the most writing on it.”
“What did you tell Luna?” asked Dumbledore.
“Nothing.”
“Isn’t she going to want you to tell her why she diverted her
friends? asked Dumbledore.
“No. My sister always does what I ask, without question.
She trusts me, unlike my FRIENDS,” said Harry.
“Harry, that is unfair,” said Arthur.
“Show him the parchment,” Harry asked Dumbledore.
Arthur read the parchment and paled. “Merlin’s beard! Why
are they doing this?”
“Because they’re worried. You’re hiding something.”
“But why?” asked Arthur.
“Because... because they want to help. You look ill,
apparently something is wrong. If I didn’t know what was
going on, I’d be right in there with them.”
“Do I look that bad?” asked Arthur.
Even Dumbledore rolled his eyes on that remark.
“Why’d you leave Hermione alone with Ron? They’re both
probably wondering why she wasn’t invited to go shopping,”
said Harry.
“You know. We thought it would be a good time to leave
them alone together,” said Ginny.
Dumbledore studied Ginny and her remark.
“There seems to be something that I’m missing. Why would
you want them to be alone together?” asked Dumbledore.
“Hermione’s taken a fancy to Harry,” said Molly.
“I see,” said Dumbledore.
“I thought it was a bad idea to bring Hermione in this soon.
You know, we should have waited until things were more
settled,” said Arthur.
“Hermione? No, it’s Ron. You always under-estimate Ron!
Ron’s the one that’s been around us. It is Ron who is
concerned. So, of course he would consult Hermione. Ron
is feeding information to Hermione,” said Harry.
“But if she wasn’t here, he wouldn’t figure it out,” said
Arthur.
“You don’t understand the way it works. Ron is part of the
team. He often has been very close to the mark with his
flippant remarks. He says things that Hermione either works
on to prove him wrong, or she looks at it in a different way or
something. Anyway, leaving them alone together was a
mistake,” said Harry. “Know your enemy,” he chanted to
himself. “They are probably working on Luna right now.
Yes, Hermione is probably cleverly questioning Luna. We
need to get out there. You’ve GOT to come up with
something,” said Harry, clearly upset.
“What does Luna know?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t know, but she has a way of looking at things...
maybe... she might clam up if Hermione questions her,”
said Harry, thoughtfully.
“Why?” asked Ginny.
“Because Luna trusts me. If I’m keeping something from
Ron and Hermione, then I have a good reason. She won’t
help them. But... she could accidentally help them, before
she realizes that Hermione is trying to get information,” said
Harry.
“Ron wouldn’t try to talk to Luna?” asked Molly.
“No, he’d leave that up to Hermione. That’s they way they
work,” said Harry. “Know your enemy,” he whispered.
“Why do you keep saying that? Do you think that Ron and
Hermione are your enemy?” asked Molly.
“What? Oh! Yes! Anyone who could mess this up, is my
enemy. Anyone!” said Harry.
The room became silent with everyone thinking their own
thoughts.
“Tonks, Fred and George should be here by now. They will
want to know why we are not eating by now. They will all be
hungry. Ron is probably starving,” said Molly.
“You’re not leaving until you come up with something. I’ll go
out there and stall them. Get busy!” said Harry, as he went
to the door. Dumbledore unsealed the door, his eyes
twinkling.
* * * *
Harry went into the kitchen and found Winky and Dobby
working on dinner. They had just pulled a huge turkey out of
the oven. “Smells good! Could you put together about six
sandwiches? Big ones, Winky, you know the way I like
them. We’re having a meeting,” said Harry.
“Yes sir! Harry Potter! We will takes them to your meeting.”
said Dobby.
“No... just make them up. I’ll be back to pick them up in a
few minutes,” said Harry, leaving the kitchen.
Harry went into the Defense Room looking for everyone.
Luna was sitting next to Fred holding his hand. Fred was
laughing at some remark that Luna had just made. George
was at the piano, going over some sheet music. Ron and
Hermione were sitting at the table with their heads together.
“Excuse me. I think you will be eating soon. Winky let you
know. We’re in a meeting with Dumbledore. It could take
some time, so you’ll probably eat without us,” said Harry.
“Is anything wrong?” asked Hermione.
“Eh... well, not exactly. You’ll all know soon enough,” said
Harry.
“You mean you’re going to tell us something?” asked Ron.
“Yes. I know you are all concerned about... things.
Dumbledore is sorting everything out. Eh... don’t worry.
You should know everything by tomorrow... Where’s Tonks?
Has she come yet?” asked Harry.
“She went up to shower. She’s worried because Lupin was
not here to greet her. She thinks he might have ran out on
her,” said Ron, grinning.
“Not a chance. He’s just delayed,” said Harry, as he left the
room.
He went up and knocked on Ginny’s door. Tonks answered.
“Where’s Remus? Did he run out on me?” asked Tonks, her
eyes watering.
“He tried to climb out the window, but Dumbledore tied him
up. He’s not getting away,” said Harry, teasing.
Tonks face went to stone.
“Just kidding, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. We’re having a
meeting with Dumbledore. It could take a while... but please
don’t worry, your werewolf is safe with me. He’s not going
anywhere,” said Harry, trying to lighten the mood.
“Dumbledore is already here?” asked Tonks.
“Yes. Your wedding is on, as scheduled. You can eat while
we’re in the meeting. Soon as we’re done, we’ll get dressed
and get things started,” said Harry, assuredly.
“Harry, I won’t be able to eat a thing,” said Tonks.
“You better! You’re going to need all your strength... for
dancing,” said Harry, grinning.
“Yeah! For dancing,” said Tonks, with a grin.
Harry left her and went back to the kitchen. The sandwiches
were ready. He put them in a box along with six bottles of
butterbeer. “Winky, you may announce dinner, whenever
you are ready. I don’t know how long we will be.”
“Dobby, I want you to do me a favor.”
“Yes, Harry Potter.”
“Please make sure that NO ONE enters this house tonight.
No one from the Order, or even the Weasley family. NO
ONE. Everyone that is supposed to be here, is here. If
someone comes to the door, come get me. All right?” asked
Harry.
“Yes! Harry Potter. Winky and I will make sure, NO ONE!”
said Dobby.
Harry took his box, entered the Dining Room and sat it on the
table. Dumbledore charmed the door shut. Everyone but
Ginny dug into the box like vultures. Ginny sat with her arms
crossed against her chest. “Harry! I don’t want to be ill.
Please make them change it!” said Ginny.
“What did you come up with?” asked Harry.
“They want me to pretend that I have some serious illness.
I’m not doing it!” She pulled out her wand. “If you try, I’ll
bat-bogey-hex you.”
“Ginny, do you know what it feels like to have slugs
streaming from your nose?” asked Harry.
“Ewwwww,” said Ginny, lowering her wand a little. “You can’t
do any charms with a Bat-Bogey,” she said with satisfaction.
“I’m pretty sure I will have just enough concentration to make
it work. ‘Course it might end up being toads or something
else disgusting,” said Harry, grinning.
Ginny scowled at him.
“Is Tonks here? Is she all right?” asked Lupin.
“Tonks is fine. I told her that Dumbledore tied up you up to
keep you from escaping,” said Harry.
“What!” exclaimed Lupin.
“So, what’s all this about Ginny being ill?” asked Harry.
“I got the idea from you. You said that Arthur looked ill.
What if he looked ill because Ginny is seriously ill?” said
Lupin.
“Not bad,” said Harry. “Hmmm I don’t know, that seems like
a pretty standard ploy,” said Harry.
“It would answer a lot of their questions,” said Lupin
“We are trying to get away from having to lie so much. The
lies are getting us down too. We are going to mess up,
somehow,” said Harry.
“That’s the beauty of it. If Ginny were ill, it would answer
most of their questions,” said Lupin.
Harry thought. He took his sandwich and put it to Ginny’s
face. She bit. He took a bite and opened them both a
butterbeer.
After swallowing he asked; “What’s she got?”
“We don’t know. She will have to go to a specialist to find
out.”
“Why hasn’t she gone before? When did she come down
with it? What are her symptoms? How serious is it? Is it
catching? Why hasn’t the whole family been examined?”
“Whoa, Harry,” said Lupin.
“You’ve got to have answers. They will be asking questions.
Hermione’s parents are dentists or something. You better
know what you're talking about,” said Harry.
“I don’t want to be ill !” said Ginny. Harry put the sandwich
to her mouth and waited. She bit.
“She has an ‘affliction’,” said Lupin.
Harry continued to feed Ginny and himself as Lupin laid out a
plan. He gave Harry answers as quickly as Harry could think
of questions.
“You’re pretty good at this,” said Harry.
“I wasn’t a Marauder for nothing. It was my job to punch
holes in James’ and Sirius’ schemes,” he said, grinning.
Arthur, Molly and Dumbledore added or changed things as it
went along, but a plot was forming.
Two hours later, they felt that it was good as it was going to
get. Ginny remained scowling in her seat.
“You all go ahead. I want a few minutes with Ginny, alone,”
said Harry. After the others left the room, he turned to
Ginny, who was still sitting with her arms crossed, wearing a
scowl.
“Do you trust me? Have I ever steered you wrong?” asked
Harry. Ginny began to answer, when he stopped her.
“Oh, yeah, never mind, forget it. But do you trust me?”
asked Harry, seriously.
“Yes, of course I do, but I don’t want to act sick and I don’t
want to answer questions about it,” said Ginny, pouting.
“Weren’t you listening? You don’t have to act sick and you
don’t have to answer any questions,” said Harry.
“I don’t? No I wasn’t listening. I was... pouting,” said Ginny.
“You are going to act normal and no one is going to question
you. You will have to be seen around The Burrow, but with
a purpose. You will be either helping Ron or working in the
garden.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to make this work for us. We are going to have
more time together,” said Harry, wiggling his eyebrows.
“How?”
“You’ll see. I’m not a son of a Marauder for nothing,” said
Harry, again, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning sheepishly.
* * * *
Harry rushed upstairs, took a shower and dressed in his
finest robes. He took as much time getting his hair right, as
his patience would allow. They all had decided that they
were going to act as though it was a big formal wedding. So
everyone was dressing formally for the occasion.
He knocked on Ginny’s door. A pretty woman with brown
hair and a heart-shaped face opened the door.
“Tonks?” asked Harry, uncertainly.
“Yeah, it’s me,” said Tonks.
Harry entered the room and closed the door. He stood for a
moment looking at Tonks. Ginny’s gown was almost
unrecognizable. It was short in the front, even with her
knees, then cascaded down to full length in the back. The
skirt had been drawn up under the bust-line and attached. A
string of pearl beads bordered the seam in a way that made it
look like it was part of the design. She was not wearing the
outer robe.
“You’re so pretty, is this the real you?” asked Harry. Her
heart-shaped face looked soft and sweet, like a doe.
“Yep! The real thing. Well, most of it,” said Tonks, looking
down at her bust.
“Why haven’t we seen you like this before? You are really
pretty. You look... sweet.”
“What’d you think some Death Eater would think, if this face
arrested ‘em? I wouldn’t get any respect.”
“Yeah, I guess. You don’t look very intimidating,” said
Harry, grinning. “Has Lupin seen you like this?”
“’Course, you don’t think he’d marry some woman he’s
never seen before, do ya?” said Tonks.
“Sorry, of course. I was just so surprised. I brought you a
gift,” said Harry, pulling out a box from his pocket. She
opened it and gasped. It was a string of large pearls. He
removed it from the box.
“It’s from the Black Family Jewel Collection. I thought it
would be fitting for you to own,” said Harry, placing it around
her neck, closing the clasp.
“What ol’ Lady Black would think, if she seen me wearing
these.”
“Why don’t you go up and ask her? Her portrait is upstairs in
the attic,” said Harry, smirking
“Not on my wedding night... or any other NIGHT as far as
that goes. You been up there in the attic at night?” asked
Tonks.
“No. Too spooky for me.”
“I guess we’re ready. All I need is my shoes,” she sighed.
She slipped on the shoes and started to wobble.
“Bloody hell! How can she stand these things?” said Tonks.
“The shoes?”
“No! THESE!” she pointed to the front of her gown. “I don’t
know how she balances herself and having to carry these
things around all day... Damn! She must get tired.”
“Tonks! You shouldn’t talk like that with... that face... it
seems unnatural,” said Harry.
“That’s just why I don’t wear this face,” said Tonks.
“Sorry, can’t help it. You really are pretty though. Lupin is
going to be very pleased seeing you tonight,” said Harry,
grinning
“I have to admit that he does prefer the real me,” said Tonks.
“Ready?” said Harry, smiling.
“Just give me a couple of minutes to get my balance,” she
said as she walked around in circles.
“Ok. Ready or not,” she said, grabbing her bridal bouquet.
Harry opened the door and stepped out first. He leaned over
the railing and signaled for George to begin the Wedding
March.
“Harry! I can’t do it. I’m gonna fall flat on my face. You
know how clumsy I am. We should start at the bottom of the
stairs, not the top.”
“Lupin said he couldn’t wait to see you come down these
stairs tonight. You’re going to do it,” said Harry, firmly.
“Harry, really, I’m not going to make it,” said Tonks,
desperately.
“Yes you are. I won’t let you fall. You are going to walk
down gracefully.”
Tonks began to tremble. “I’m too nervous. What if I fall?
Remus will be humiliated.”
“He won’t either. Take my arm,” said Harry, calmly.
“I can’t do it. They’ll all be looking.”
“Tonks, it’s not as if they haven’t seen you trip and fall
before. Everyone here has seen you trip one time or
another. It’s just us. Don’t worry,” said Harry, patiently.
George started playing the intro with huge chords, filling the
room. The lights went out, leaving a soft glow from the
lighted candles. Harry took Tonks’ hand and guided it
through his arm, holding it firm. He walked forward, guiding
her down the hall to the top of the stairs, where he stopped.
They looked down and saw George at the piano and Lupin
standing in the doorway leading to the Living Room. Behind
him, the others stood watching.
When George began the main theme to the Wedding March,
Harry took the first step down. He paused on each stair
giving Tonks time to keep her balance for each step. About
half way down, George turned the piece into a
boogie-woogie. Tonks giggled. He must have gotten “a
look” because he went back to the traditional music. When
they reached the landing, George added another theme in
the background of the piece. Harry recognized it as “Blue
Moon”.
As they approached the doorway, Lupin walked into the
Living Room to the archway of flowers in front of the fireplace
where Dumbledore stood waiting. The glow of the candles
made everything seem dreamlike. Everyone else stood on
either side of the aisle of ribbon, as Harry guided Tonks to
Lupin. He stepped to the other side of Lupin and breathed a
sigh of relief.
Dumbledore began the ceremony. When it came to the part
where he asked “Who gives this woman in marriage?”,
Harry said; “I, Harry James Potter, Godson of Sirius Black,
cousin to Nymphadora Tonks, give her hand in marriage.”
When they got to the part where he asked for the rings.
Harry handed Tonks’ ring to Lupin. Ginny handed Lupin’s
ring to Tonks. After they exchanged rings, Lupin kissed his
bride. Everyone clapped and whistled as Lupin took his time
with the kiss.
When the ceremony was over, Dobby passed out glasses of
Champagne. Dumbledore led a toast to the bride and
groom. A little later, Winky and Dobby brought in the
wedding cake and set it in the middle of the table. It was
three tiers of white, with pink roses. On the top was a
miniature of the bride and groom. The twins did something
to make the bride’s hair change from brown to pink and the
groom to transform into a werewolf every few seconds.
Molly scolded them, but she hardly had the heart to scold
them seriously, because everyone was laughing, including
herself.
As they queued for the cake, Harry looked at everyone’s
faces, they all looked happy. He couldn’t help but feel a
twinge of jealousy. This should have been his and Ginny’s
wedding. This was the kind of wedding that Ginny wanted.
He looked closely at her face as she fixed her plate. She
was standing next to Ron, who was adding two pieces of
wedding cake to his plate. She was giving Ron a hard time
about his getting two pieces of cake at once. He didn’t see
any hint of dissatisfaction on her face.
After he sat, with his cake plate resting upon his lap, he
watched Lupin and Tonks. They were sitting on a sofa, gaily
laughing along with Arthur and Molly. They were both
glowing with happiness. This is how it should be, not rushed
into a hotel room with hardly any warning. Lupin would not
find his bride sitting in a chair wringing her hands. Lupin
would not wonder if his bride would run out the door,
screaming into the night. They both knew they loved each
other. They had more than a few minutes to sort out their
feelings and...
“You aren’t eating your cake,” said Ginny.
“Oh! Yes,” said Harry, taking a bite of cake.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I was just reflecting,” asked Harry.
“Tonks has been waiting a long time for this,” said Ginny,
smiling.
Harry looked over at Tonks again. She looked happy,
listening to every word that Lupin as saying as though he
were saying the most important words ever spoken. Lupin
had his arm across the back of the sofa, with his hand resting
on her shoulder. Every once in a while, he would squeeze it
gently.
He watched Lupin’s face. Although lined and careworn from
all the years of transforming, tonight it seemed smoother.
Lupin’s face and body language gave off an impression of
contentment. In all the years he knew him, Harry never saw
Lupin truly happy. The last of the Marauders, the only living
member, may have, for the first time in his life, finally found
happiness.
“I’ve decided that I would not sulk tonight,” said Ginny.
“What? Eh... sulk?” asked Harry.
Ginny didn’t say anything for a moment, but looked at him
questionably.
“This is their night. They want us all to share in their
happiness. Tonight is not a time to sulk, it would be selfish.
I don’t want to indulge myself, so I will save my sulking for
tomorrow,” said Ginny, thoughtfully.
“You’re right. It is selfish. They deserve their happiness,”
said Harry. Ginny felt the same way he did. It was unfair
that their wedding couldn’t be like this one. They often had
the same feelings about things, he mistakenly thought.
“So, you’re not upset?” asked Harry.
“I didn’t say that. I said I would save my sulking for
tomorrow. I plan on dancing and having a good time
tonight,” she said, smiling.
“Does that mean, you are going to dance with me tonight?”
asked Harry, knowing full well it did.
“If you ask me in the right way, I might,” said Ginny.
“I better go do some stretches. I haven’t danced in a long
time. Best be prepared,” he said, using this as a good
excuse to go to the loo.
On the way out of the loo, Harry thought to go down to the
kitchen to thank Winky and Dobby for all the hard work they
did. He spent several minutes talking to them before joining
the wedding party.
In the time that he was gone, the piano had been pushed
back into the Defense Room. The music had started and
dancing had begun. Dumbledore and Ginny were dancing
together when he arrived.
Harry pulled out two butterbeers and had opened one when
Ginny joined him. She was wearing “the dress”, being that it
was her most formal of clothing other than her pearl gown
that Tonks was now wearing. He handed her the opened
butterbeer and opened another. After taking a few big gulps,
he walked over and requested a song from Ron. After taking
another drink, he whispered to Ginny: “Would you ask the
dress if I may have the next dance?” she nodded.
Ron began the requested song and Harry swept Ginny up in
his arms. The beautiful ballad help put him into a romantic
mood. He held her close and could smell her clean,
“soap-like” smell. He’d almost forgot how it felt to be in
Ginny’s arms, while dancing.
He danced the next couple of songs with Ginny, then
danced with Luna. Luna had added a black baseball cap to
her attire. Across the front in peach lettering, to match her
gown, it read “WWW” then it would flash to “Weasley’s”
then “Wizard” then “Weezies”. It was quite distracting when
trying to talk to her.
Next, he danced with Hermione who had changed her
clothing. He didn’t remember exactly what she was wearing
before, but she was now wearing a pretty peasant dress, or
at least he thought that was what it would be called. Maybe
from Mexico or Italy, made from ocher linen with colorful
embroidery around the neckline and again around the bottom
of the skirt.
“Did you change your clothes?” asked Harry, as they were
dancing to a slow song.
“Yes. Eh... Ron... “ said Hermione, blushing.
“Ron? Oh, I see. He likes this dress, does he?” said Harry,
grinning.
“Well, he wanted me to wear it to the wedding but it’s too
casual, so I waited for the party. It’s ok isn’t it?” said
Hermione, uncertainly.
“Of course, don’t know why not.”
“You like it too, don’t you?” asked Hermione.
“It’s fine,” said Harry, afraid to give her an opening of
encouragement.
After dancing with Hermione, he stepped up close to Ginny,
whispering “Hermione’s wearing a dress that RON likes.”
Ginny beamed.
He volunteered to sing the next couple of songs, to give Ron
a break. He decided to sing the two new songs that he wrote.
Firstly, because they were slow and secondly they were
romantic. Since Ron used this time to dance with Hermione,
it was well worth any embarrassment that Harry endured. He
was getting better at singing in front of people, but these
being his own songs, added to his discomfort.
Later, Dumbledore pulled him aside and asked him to meet
with him at 11:00 am the following day. The Weasley
meeting would be held at noon. “Could you ask Winky if she
would delight us with a couple of her delicious sandwiches?”
Harry nodded.
Sometime later that evening Lupin and Tonks quietly slipped
out of the room. The party continued until the wee hours.
Harry and Ginny hung back for a few minutes after the party
broke up. When they stepped out of the room, they saw
Ron guiding Hermione up the staircase to Ginny’s door with
his hand around her waist. They were talking softly, when
Harry and Ginny arrived. Harry decided to leave them
talking, so he passed them up, until they reached the
stairway to the next floor. He guided Ginny up a couple of
steps, then stopped.
“What do you think?” asked Harry, grinning.
“Could be,” said Ginny, giggling.
Harry took advantage of the seclusion and dove in for a
passionate kiss. Little did he know, George had reached the
top of the stairway, starting his way down, to give Fred and
Luna a couple of private moments. So, George saw the
passionate kiss from above.
George was in a position where he had lovers behind him
and lovers before him. He decided that seeing Ginny and
Harry was worse than Fred and Luna so he stepped back to
the next floor landing. He waited a couple of minutes before
loudly clearing his throat and descending the stairs.
Harry and Ginny heard him, they separated and blushed.
They all came from out of the stairway to see Ron beginning
to bend foreword, cupping Hermione’s chin, when the sound
of Arthur and Molly’s voices reached their ears from the
bottom of the staircase.
Ron grimaced and backed away.
Hermione stepped through the door and Ron went off to his
room grumbling something about “having no privacy around
here”.
“Blimey! It’s a regular ‘lover’s lane’ around here,” said
George.
* * * *
Chapter 51: Chap 51 - Talks
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Ron goes back -- Hermione thinks -- Molly inspires Arthur -- Harry and Dumbledore talk ---------------
Chapter Fifty-one - Talks
As Ron entered the bedroom, it took all the strength he had to
keep from kicking something. Even here at Harry’s, there is
no privacy. He only had a very few minutes alone with
Hermione. It was enough when Harry and Ginny walked by,
but just when the moment was right... his mum and dad had
to show up.
Harry had all the luck. HE didn’t have to worry about making
the girl he wanted, like him. Ginny has ALWAYS had a
crush on him. All he had to do was ask. Too easy!
Hermione was a different matter. They’ve been best friends
for years. If things didn’t go right, it could ruin their
friendship. Ginny said that Hermione was excited about the
date for the party, said she was giggling and such. Could
she feel that way again? She had been talking about have a
“romance” at the end of school. Is that what she wanted?
Romance...
She liked his kiss, he was sure of it. One thing he knew how
to do, was kiss. After all the snog fests he had this year, he
knew his business. But it was different with Hermione, it was
different when there was love behind the kiss. Not snogging
just for fun, but with real meaning.
He was sure that she had analyzed it thoroughly and came to
the conclusion that it was good. He knew, because when
she thought he wasn’t looking, she was giving him “the look”,
or at least he hoped that was what it was. She wore that
dress that he said he liked. He really didn’t care anything
about the dress, but girls always think clothes were
important. She probably figured that she was giving him a
sign that she liked the kiss and was interested.
If she wanted “romance”, he would give her “romance”.
* * * *
Entering Ginny’s room, Hermione smiled to herself. Ron
was on the brink of kissing her, when Mrs. and Mr. Weasley
began coming up the staircase. She was sure of it. What
would it have been like? Would it have been as good as the
first? Her arms becoming goose flesh, she sighed.
“Mum and Dad have a talent for entering a room at the wrong
time,” said Ginny, entering the bedroom.
“Hrm,” said Hermione.
“Don’t tell me that it wasn’t going to happen. We saw more
than you think,” said Ginny, grinning.
“I don’t know what you mean. There wasn’t anything to see.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s ok,” said Ginny, as
she began changing into her pajamas.
“What makes you think there is something to talk about?”
“Hrm.”
“Do you THINK there is something to talk about?” asked
Hermione.
“Only if you wanted to. I don’t mean to... interfere,” said
Ginny, smiling.
“It’s just that I’m not sure...”
There was a knock at the door, Ginny answered it. “Ron.”
Ron strained his neck to see around Ginny. “I wanted to talk
to Hermione.” Hermione stepped forward. “Hermione, may I
have a word?” asked Ron.
Hermione squeezed past Ginny into the hallway. Ginny
stood by the door, not moving. Ron reached in and pulled
the door closed. He took Hermione’s arm and guided her a
few steps from the door.
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“No, everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you ... eh... I
wanted to dance with you more tonight, but with Charlie and
Bill not here... well... I couldn’t.. you know... not enough of us
here tonight.”
“Yes, you mentioned that before.”
“Oh, yeah. Eh... you wore that dress tonight, the one that I
said I liked.”
“Yes , it’s new. I’ve been dying for an excuse to wear it. I
bought it on the cruise. They have a wonderful little dress
shop right there on the ship.”
“Oh. Eh...it looks real nice. I thought maybe you wore it
because...”
“Because what?”
“Eh... when are you coming back?”
“I think right before Harry’s birthday, your mum mentioned it
earlier.”
“Do you think you could come earlier? You know, maybe a
few weeks?”
“Eh... I don’t know. It depends on my parents,” she said,
blushing. She didn’t think her father would let her leave
earlier after he had seen “the look”.
Ron blushed. After what his mum said about her father, he
doubted she would get to come early. He might not let her
come at all. “Maybe you could see. I’m really going to miss
you.”
“Really? I’ll miss you too. Eh... I could try,” she said, looking
into his blue eyes.
“Eh...yeah. Please try,” he said, cupping her cheek and
looking into her brown eyes. She didn’t move, so he bent
forward, lifting her face. She didn’t move. They both
paused, then he kissed her. Her response was equal to his,
so he deepened it, pouring his feelings into the kiss. It
lasted for several minutes before they parted. Now he knew
exactly what Harry was talking about, when he tried to tell
him about kissing Ginny that first day. Bottled up emotion
seems to slip out all at once.
Neither knew what to say, so he caressed her shoulder and
walked her back to the door. “See ya in the morning.”
“Yes, in the morning,” she said, slipping back into Ginny’s
room.
Ginny was lying in bed facing the wall, so Hermione didn’t
have to talk. She quickly changed into her pajamas, turned
off the light and got into bed.
She lie there thinking about the situation. She was not
confused, but she WAS undecided about what to do.
Harry may need her. Something was not right with Harry and
Ginny’s relationship. It was “wrong” in some way. She would
have to see what tomorrow’s meeting brought, before
deciding what to do about Harry.
Ron, on the other hand... She really wanted Ron, but Ron
was used to running around with loose girls. Since before
Christmas, he’d been dating anything in skirts. That wasn’t
exactly true, he was dating anything PRETTY in skirts. Ron
always had a fixation with pretty girls. She wasn’t actually
pretty, about average since she fixed her teeth. She had
began wearing make-up, when she thought of it. She didn’t
look bad when she fixed up. Ron wouldn’t bother if she
wasn’t at least presentable, so she knew she wasn’t bad
looking.
Actually, Ron spent all year dating. That must be how he
learned to kiss so well. He was a very good kisser, she still
felt the heat.
Did he miss dating? Was he just playing with her affections
because she was the only available female around? Did he
really care about her as a girlfriend?
She lie there for almost an hour before sleep over-came her.
* * * *
Ginny was awake. She was worried that Ron would screw
things up, but he did a fine job. She had peeked at them and
saw the kiss, Hermione was loving it. Ginny smiled to
herself. Maybe they could be good friends again.
She thought she would sleep well tonight. She was safe in
Harry’s home. No one would grab her tonight, but
everything kept flowing through her mind.
* * * *
“It was a regular ‘lover’s lane’ I tell you,” said George, lying
in the dark in his twin bed.
“So, Ron and Hermione now?” asked Fred, lying in the
other twin bed.
“Well, Ron was trying. Mum and Dad came up just as he
was about to snog her.”
“Then it didn’t happen?”
“Close enough. By tomorrow they will be holding hands and
trying to find places to snog. Should be interesting,” said
George.
“Give the boy a break. He’s been trying to kiss her for years
now.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But young Harry is a different
story.”
“Yeah? In what way?” asked Fred.
“That was no innocent kiss, that wasn’t,” said George.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Only that I don’t want to see them kissing like that. It was
way too passionate. He should be busting out in boils.”
“What was he doing?”
“Just kissing, I guess. I just don’t want to see my baby sister
locked up in that kind of passion.”
“Leave them alone. They’re young and in love.”
“You know, you’ve gone soft since you started dating Luna.”
“Yeah? Well, maybe so.”
“Ron said Ginny was very pale and shivering yesterday.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“Wasn’t sure, Bro, you were locked up with Luna when he
was talking about it.”
“I heard, but she was fine tonight. I didn’t see anything
wrong with her. Only after they came out of that meeting,
she looked miffed.”
“I noticed, but after she was dressed and the wedding
started she was fine. Wonder what that meeting was all
about... they were in there for hours. Ginny was included in
that one. Something’s going on.”
“Yeah. We’ll find out tomorrow. Go to sleep. We have to
get up early and figure out what we’re going to do about
work.”
“Does Luna know what’s going on?”
“If she does, she’s not talking.”
* * * *
Molly and Arthur were lying in their bed in the new bedroom
that Harry and Winky designed for them. The lights were off,
Arthur would have been staring up at the ceiling, only it was
so dark, he couldn’t see it. Even though Molly couldn’t see
him, she knew that was what he was doing.
“Arthur.”
“Yes, dear.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“You know perfectly well, what I’m thinking about. What set
him off?”
“Ginny had a nightmare.”
“Was that all? Meaning, it was not worse than yesterday?”
“No. I think it was only a nightmare. We heard her
screaming, by the time we got there, Harry was already
holding her. She was awake, but was still a bit peaky. As
soon as we asked if she was all right, he demanded to see
Dumbledore.”
“Was it a ‘Chamber’ nightmare?”
“I don’t know, really. I don’t think so, but it’s hard to tell. He
brought her out of the other one fairly quickly. It took a while
for us to get there, so it could have been.”
“She looked fine by the time I saw her.”
“That’s because he had been holding her again. Like
yesterday, she was white as a sheet, but after he held her
for several minutes, her color returned.”
“Recharging her batteries,” said Arthur.
“I don’t know what that means. It’s like she’s an empty tea
pot and he fills her with hot tea again.”
“Basically the same thing.”
“Oh.”
“I wonder how he’s doing it. Is it just because Ginny feels
better with him near or is he sending her power somehow?
I’d like to ask him about it, but I’m sure he won’t be telling me
anything now.”
“What does that mean, Arthur?”
“He’s lost all respect for me.”
“Arthur! Why would you say such a thing?”
“I saw it in his eyes, Molly. I let them down, both of them,”
he sighed.
“Not just you, all of us. He never once said YOU were to
blame about anything.”
“Remus was on assignment. It was up to me to keep things
under control until Dumbledore showed up. I didn’t think a
few days would make any difference. I didn’t want to make
any decisions without him. I let Ginny convince me that she
was fine and I never thought to look at Ron as being a
danger.”
“I did see that Ron could be a problem, and Ginny was not
holding up. I was becoming frightened about her. But
Arthur, he was referring to Ron and Hermione as being his
enemies. That scares me, Arthur.”
“He’s not talking about them as being his personal enemies,
but through them, their actions could help the enemy. He’s
scared, Molly. He wants to protect Ginny. He’s looking in all
directions for potential dangers.
“He’s scared?”
“Of course he is, he’d be a fool not to be. Ginny was wrong,
though. She told me that she didn’t think that Harry had
been thinking about when the moment would come.
Obviously he’s been thinking about it quite a bit. They’ve
been protecting each other by not talking about it.”
“Ginny is always saying that they never get to talk to each
other. They have been very good, Arthur. They have kept
their promise not to talk about anything to do with... you
know. Perhaps that is why he blew up, he’s been holding in
all his thoughts and ideas.”
“He blew up because he thought we would have a plan all set
up and we failed him. He’s been dealing with
You-Know-Who all his life. He’s a man of action. If
something is not right, he steps in and deals with it.”
“He’s always been a serious boy.”
“Man, Molly, he’s a man. He has taken the responsibility of
his wife and put her first in his priorities, as it should be.”
“They are so young, Arthur. Too young to be dealing with all
this.”
“This is more than anyone should bear at any age.”
“Why it had to be Ginny... our poor baby. We’ve always
known that she would do great things... That she was
destined...
“Molly, I think you have just gotten a brilliant idea.”
“Don’t I get most of my best ideas in bed?”
“That you do, Molly, dear.”
* * * *
Ron almost kissed Hermione tonight. Maybe that problem
would solve itself, thought Harry.
Maybe he would sleep well, knowing that Ginny was safe for
tonight.
* * * *
Harry startled awake. He had had a night full of restless
sleep. There had been nightmares... but they had already
faded. Today he would have to face Dumbledore, then
make it through the big lie shortly after. Another lie… lies...
too many lies.
Facing Dumbledore was going to be a chore. He would talk
to him calmly, and then somehow twist things around so that
Harry felt like toilet dregs. Dumbledore had a way of doing
that with some of the kindest words. Harry sighed.
After dressing, he dragged himself down to the kitchen.
Even after walking down the staircase, he still felt dull from
lack of sleep. Luna and Hermione were sitting at the table
talking, when he arrived.
“Good morning, Harry,” they both said.
“Erm,” he said, as he poured a cup of coffee, then flopped
down at the table.
“That’s what you get when you ‘party hardy’,” said Luna.
“Erm,” he grunted.
“Harry Potter needs breakfast. What does Harry Potter
want?” asked Winky, popping up beside him.
Harry startled. “Gees! Winky! A person needs to be awake
before you pop in like that.”
“Harry Potter is awake now,” said Winky, grinning.
“Yeah. Go away,” said Harry.
“Harry! How dare you talk to Winky that way,” said
Hermione.
“Harry Potter is grumpy this morning. What does Harry
Potter wish to eat?” said Winky.
“Nothing,” he said, staring at this coffee cup.
“Harry Potter must eat,” said Winky, firmly.
“What time is it?” asked Harry.
“Almost ten,” said Hermione.
“Winky, I need you to make about three sandwiches, like the
ones you made last night. They need to be ready right
before eleven. Dumbledore likes them.”
“Yes, Harry Potter. Now what does Harry Potter want to
eat?”
“Nothing. I will eat at eleven,” said Harry.
“Harry, the meeting isn’t until noon,” said Hermione.
“Dumbledore is coming at eleven.”
“What does Harry Potter want to eat?” said Winky, tapping
her tiny foot.
“I will eat with Dumbledore.”
“You will be too hungry by then. Then you will miss lunch. It
will mess up your whole eating schedule,” said Luna.
“Luna, it’s too early for logic,” said Harry.
“You should eat,” said Hermione.
“Fine! Fine! Winky, bring me some toast. Are you all
satisfied now?” said Harry, grumpily.
“Why is Dumbledore coming at eleven? Isn’t the meeting at
noon? Harry, are you in trouble?” asked Hermione.
“Yeah, when am I not in trouble?” said Harry.
“The Weasleys left at seven this morning,” said Luna.
Harry grunted.
“Fred and George left at 6:30, because it is Galleons Day,”
said Luna
“Galleons Day?” asked Hermione.
“Yes, Saturday is Galleons Day,” said Luna.
“What does that mean?” asked Hermione.
“Saturday is the day that they ‘rake in the Galleons’,” said
Luna.
“So the shop is doing well?” asked Hermione.
“Oh yes. Fred says that Galleon Day is the day of the week,
when everything sold is pure profit. They have to find
someone to run the shop while they’re gone today or close it
for lunch. Noon is the busiest time of the day for them. They
both work at noon on Galleons Day, usually,” said Luna.
“Why did the rest of them leave so early?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t know. Ron was grumpy. He wanted to stay here, but
Mr. Weasley got very stern with him and Mrs. Weasley pulled
his ear,” said Luna.
“I suppose that Ginny left too?” said Harry.
“Yeah. She didn’t look too happy either,” said Luna.
“Why didn’t they let her sleep?” asked Harry.
“She was already awake,” said Hermione.
“You were up then too?” asked Harry.
“Yes and no. Ginny didn’t sleep well. I heard her off and on
through the night. I heard Mrs. Weasley when she checked
on Ginny this morning. Ginny got up. I went back to sleep,”
said Hermione.
“Was she having nightmares?” asked Harry.
“I don’t really think so. I mean, she wasn’t screaming or
anything. She mumbled your name a few times. She would
just lie there. I could tell she wasn’t sleeping by her
breathing. I was so sleepy that I would fall back asleep.
When I turned over, I would wake just enough to tell that she
wasn’t sleeping. Harry, what is wrong?” asked
Hermione.
“You’ll know soon enough,” he said, rising. He grabbed the
toast and left the room. He was not in the mood to be talking
this morning. There would be plenty of talking in less than an
hour. He went up and showered.
* * * * *
When Harry arrived in the Dining Room, he noticed that
Winky had been there. There were two place settings
elegantly set out, including candles and a small bouquet.
One setting was positioned at the end of the table, the other
to its right. On a tea cart positioned at the corner between
the two settings, were various drinks to choose from and
plates filled with food.
“At least Dumbledore will get a good meal,” thought Harry.
He knew that before the hour was over, that he would be
screaming at Dumbledore again. In the last few years, that
was happening far more than Harry could ever have
imagined. He hated screaming at Dumbledore, but it
happened time and time again.
“Good morning, Harry.”
“Good morning, sir. Have a seat,” said Harry.
Dumbledore chose the chair to the right, instead of the
head chair, which he thought would represent the dominator
of the meeting. Harry was puzzled but sat in the head chair.
“Would you like to eat first?” asked Harry.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Harry served Dumbledore a drink along with his sandwich
and crisps.
“Winky is a fine cook. I’m quite fond of her sandwiches.
You will not go hungry with her in the house,” said
Dumbledore.
“That’s for sure. She’s always bullying me to eat.”
“Winky bullies you?”
“Yes she does, along with the others. Is it normal for house
elves to bully you?” asked Harry.
“I think it would be most unusual.”
“Well, she bullies me about eating. I’m not surprised that
she’s different than most house elves. I seem to be
surrounded by misfits.”
“Ah, but of course. You do seem to draw in rebels.”
“Never thought of it that way. Yeah, I do. Anyway, I think
she is happy. She likes to decorate the house, it seems to
give her pleasure.”
“Not many house elves get the opportunity to express any
creative talents they may possess. “
“It makes her happy and makes me happy too.”
After eating, they sat for a moment, without speaking.
“I suppose that I should get the worst of it over,” said
Dumbledore. “Arabella Figg was murdered. It has been
confirmed.”
Harry nodded. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Which leads us to the Dursleys. I believe them to be in
grave danger.”
“Why?”
“We don’t have any reason for Arabella’s murder. As far as
we know, she didn’t have any new or vital information. We
do know that instead of going to her sister’s, she decided to
go visit a cousin in Leeds. Perhaps they thought she was on
her way to pass on some new information to someone. “
“What has that to do with the Dursleys?”
“We don’t know. We only know that she is associated with
the Dursleys and that she disappeared around the same
time that they moved. That is the only connection that we
are aware of.”
“What would be the point of murdering the Dursleys?”
“Perhaps just to hurt you.”
“I think it is well known that I don’t get along with the
Dursleys.”
“Actually it is not well known. But, he probably knows this.
He knows much about you.”
“So, what’s the point?”
“Perhaps there are people in his organization that are
mumbling. Perhaps they wonder why the Dark Lord has not
defeated you yet. Perhaps he would like to show them that
he is capable of destroying the famous Harry Potter’s family,
causing you misery. There could be any number of
reasons.”
“What is taking him so long? It’s been months! Do you
think that the spell is too difficult for him?”
“No. I have a theory, but only a theory.”
“And?”
“You are about to come of age. You will be acquiring your
full power. He may be waiting for that. It would be worth the
wait.”
“Do you mean on my birthday, I will get more power?”
“Not exactly on your birthday, but there about. You see,
around the age of seventeen is the time when wizards come
to their full power. It does not come all in one day, but by
the end of the year, it should be complete. That is why that
age was chosen for adulthood.”
“What about Ron and Hermione? I haven’t noticed them
having more power.”
“I’m sure they have it. You must remember that just
because you have magical power, it does not mean that you
are capable of using it. You must know a spell or charm in
order to cast it. I was born with a great amount of power,
but I have had to study to develop my power. I did not
become powerful overnight. It takes many years of study. In
other words, you have to know how to use the power.”
“Oh, I assumed.”
“Never assume, Harry,” said Dumbledore, smiling.
“Harry, the other day, I did something that I never do. I
pushed you into contemplating your feelings for the
Dursleys. I stepped over the line. I’m sorry for that. A
person needs to understand their feelings for others, in their
own time. Sometimes this process takes years. I wanted you
to understand sooner. You have so much on your plate at
this time. Thinking that the Dursleys are danger, I wanted
you to be prepared. Yet, even when we know our hearts, it
doesn’t always help. I do not know if this was a mistake or
not. I hope if it was a mistake, that you understand that I
was only trying to help you.”
“Of course,” said Harry, nodding. “So, is there any way of
protecting the Dursleys?”
“I tried, Harry. They foolishly moved again. Of course, I
found them. I’ve put up some wards on their new residence.
It will not protect them, but merely warn me if any dark
forces try to enter. It is difficult to protect someone who
refuses protection. I do not have the man-power to keep
them guarded,” said Dumbledore, sighing.
“Do you think that I should go talk to them about it?”
“No. Right now is not a good time. It may make the situation
worse.”
“So, in other words, Uncle Vernon is still enjoying blaming
me for it all,” said Harry, sourly.
Dumbledore nodded.
“I see… even though… well… even so, I would like to keep
them from harm. If you are warned, would you let me go?”
asked Harry, blushing.
“If there is time and the situation is right.”
Harry nodded.
“Harry, I wanted to tell you just how proud of you, I am. You
have grown into a fine young man. Yes, a man.”
“Uh oh. Here it comes,” thought Harry. He didn’t say
anything.
“Last night, you revealed just how much you have matured.
You saw that something needed to be done and you took
action. Although some may have thought that holding the
groom hostage was a little extreme, I think it was
warranted,” said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.
“You do?” asked Harry.
“Of course, you saw a threat and decided to do something
about it. Harry, what you and Ginny are doing, takes priority
over everything.”
“So why didn’t anybody make a plan? I don’t understand.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had months to get ready. They did
nothing,” said Harry, miserably.
“You are disappointed in Arthur. I could see it in your eyes.
You have always respected him, haven’t you?”
Harry nodded.
“No man is perfect.”
“I don’t expect him to be perfect, but I expected… I don’t
know… something.”
“Arthur is going through a very rough time at the moment,
aside from the seriousness of the situation. It probably is
very hard for you to understand, but the love for a child is a
most special love. Although you do not remember, you
shared this love when you were a baby. Your mother
demonstrated it to the utmost when she sacrificed herself for
you. That is how powerful and strong the love for a child is.”
“There is nothing like having a child look up to you with
admiration and love. It warms your heart like nothing else.
Arthur and Ginny share a special bond. It usually, is not
easy for a man, when his daughter marries. Usually, with
the dating, the engagement, and then the wedding plans, it
gives him time to get used to the idea. This is a normal
process that fathers go through. In this case, however, her
being his youngest and only daughter, added to her being
far too young to marry, and the death threat, it has caused
him great distress. In one night, she was taken from him by
you, AND her life was put in danger.”
“Normally, Arthur is as brave as the next man. He would
fight to the death to protect his family, but Ginny happens to
be his weakness. He is in shock, Harry. Arthur was
paralyzed with fear. He felt that making the wrong move
would be devastating. So, he didn’t move.”
“This was partly my fault. I left it to them. I believed that the
Weasleys would know more about what would be suspicious
in their household than I would. Their experience would be
invaluable to the situation. Then, of course, you returned
early. That as not expected.”
“But, they had all that time.”
“Harry, being a powerful and respected wizard has its
drawbacks. People look to me to have all the answers.
Even though, they themselves, have more experience or
knowledge of the situation, they tend to believe that I would
know better than they. They did not want to make a decision
until they had conferred with me.”
“But…”
“But, of course, things were getting out of hand. You saw
the danger, so you acted.”
“Arthur did not see the danger. Only YOUR knowledge
would show where the danger lie. They have never been
around when you three were plotting some mystery. They
have only been told, after the deeds were done. You,
however, have always been in the midst’s of it and knew the
warning signs.”
“Arthur never thought to look among themselves for danger.
Although, I believe that Molly was beginning to see the
danger. Did you notice that Arthur was quick to point to
Miss Granger as being the danger?”
“Yes. I wondered why he wanted to blame Hermione. Ron
was there to see everything, only he knew something was
wrong.”
“That is because Arthur did not want to believe that danger
could come from within his family. He trusts his family.”
“What about Percy?”
“That is an entirely different matter. But Ron... he did not
want to see danger coming from his direction, so he
naturally put the blame on Hermione. Also, he never saw
how your ‘team’ works. How each person’s part is played.
You, however, are well aware of how it works. Knowledge,
Harry, knowledge is the key.”
“And… of course, they all expected for me to drop in and
make all the decisions for them. It is not always a good thing
to have a wizard of my reputation around. If I were to be
unavailable, I have no doubt that Remus and the Weasleys
would have stepped up to the task at an earlier time.”
“Do not judge them harshly, Harry. They did exactly what
you did. You expected the parents to make the decisions,
and rightly so. In their case, they think of me as the parent,
so they depended on me to make the decisions. If I had not
been around, they would have stepped in and had a plan all
worked out.”
Harry nodded.
“I wanted to commend you on your logical skills. You are
now taking each logical step past the one at hand. Seeing
how each situation leads to the enemy.”
“Because I’m paranoid,” said Harry, bitterly.
“You say that as though it is a bad thing. I think you are
confusing it with delusional paranoia, that is completely
different. Paranoia or fear is an instinct, it helps us to
survive. You are not delusional, Harry. Your danger,
unfortunately, is very real. Seeing each situation in its
context of leading to the enemy, is completely justifiable at
this time.”
“Go by your instincts, Harry, as you have in the past. You’ve
always listened to them, without respect for authority, I might
add. This has probably kept you alive all these years.
“Not without respect. I have always respected you... only...
sometimes you weren’t around or we were running out of
time or something,” said Harry, blushing.
“Thank you for that, Harry.”
“Speaking of... I want you to talk to Snape about coming to
the house.”
“Professor Snape, Harry.”
“Whatever. He has been to the house twice when there
wasn’t an Order meeting. I want it to stop,” said Harry,
defiantly.
“May I ask why?”
“I don’t trust him.”
“I trust him.”
“That may be so, but I don’t. You’ve told me to rely on my
instincts. My instincts tell me not to trust him. I don’t want
him around Ginny. I know he needs to be at Order
meetings, but there is no other reason for him to be in our
home.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Please do. I know it may be awkward, but I am firm with
my decision. I have already talked to Winky and Dobby.
They are not to allow him entrance unless there is an Order
meeting.”
“All right, Harry.”
“Time is drawing near for the next meeting. I have a bit of
advice I wanted to share before the meeting. When things
are explained, let them fill in some of the blanks. In other
words, if they come to some conclusion that is reasonable,
let them have it. It will seem far more believable to them, if
they assume many of the facts.”
Harry nodded.
Harry waved his wand and sent the remains of their meal to
the tea cart. Dumbledore unsealed the door and removed
the Silencing Charm. Dumbledore summoned the others
who had been waiting in the Living Room.
* * * *
Chapter 52: Chap 52 - The Affliction
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Who’s Aunt Hester? -- Dumbledore gets serious -- Ron talks -- Luna?
Chapter Fifty-two - The Affliction
Fred, George, Luna, Hermione, Ron, and Arthur entered the
dining room, and sat at the table. Dumbledore took the
dominant seat with Harry to his right, Arthur to his left. He
put up a Silencing Charm.
“So, everyone is here then. Arthur do you wish to begin?”
said Dumbledore.
“Mum and Ginny are not here,” said Ron.
“They won’t be joining us,” said Arthur.
“You may have noticed that there have been some unusual
activity in the family and wondered why we haven’t talked to
you about it. Today we will explain as best we can,” began
Arthur.
“It’s about Ginny… she… she’s not been well…” said Arthur,
hesitantly.
“What’s wrong with her?” asked Fred.
“We don’t really know. We think it may have to do with her
birth order. She is the seventh child of a seventh child,” said
Arthur.
“We all knew that,” said Fred.
“Ginny’s been showing some symptoms that have no
explanation. So, this last winter, I spoke with some of the
family. That is when I found out that she is also the first
daughter born in SEVEN generations to the Weasley family.
Although, we all knew that female births are unusual in our
family, being exactly SEVEN generations, seems to have
some significance. I’ve been trying to find out exactly what it
is, but have not had much success. There is no one alive
from that far back. The oldest in the family is your Aunt
Hester. Well, you can imagine.”
“Not Aunt Hester!” Fred and George said in unison.
“You didn’t go see Aunt Hester, did you Dad?” asked
George.
Arthur nodded.
“Blimey! No wonder you look ancient,” said Fred.
“I beg your pardon,” said Arthur, indignantly.
“Who’s Aunt Hester?” asked Hermione.
“She’s mad as a hatter, insane, more like,” answered Ron.
“She likes to dress like a crone. She purposely added a wart
to the end of her nose, so she would look like what Muggles
think a real witch looks like. She likes to… play with
Muggles. She is known to have started several covens,
where she tricked Muggles into thinking if they did all these
hideous rituals, they would receive magical powers. She was
caught and brought to trial, but she got off on a technicality,”
added Ron.
“What was that?” asked Hermione.
“Freedom of religion,” said Ron. “She likes to turn up at
Weasley gatherings just to prove that she has the right,”
continued Ron.
“Why?” asked Hermione.
“They tried to get her kicked out of the family a long time ago,
but failed miserably.”
“She did have proof, son. Nothing could be done,” said
Arthur.
“Great-uncle Henry tried to prove that Aunt Hester never
really married Uncle Archie. He thought that Uncle Archie
wouldn’t have the nerve. She let the whole thing go on for
years before she finally brought forth the marriage certificate.
It was all checked out at the ministry, all perfectly legal. She
held back to keep the family in an uproar. She likes
attention, the worse the better,” said Ron.
“Why would your uncle want to prove they weren’t married?”
asked Hermione.
“If you met her, you wouldn’t ask,” said Ron.
“Why didn’t they just ask your Uncle Archie about it?” asked
Hermione.
“He didn’t live past the honeymoon, did he?” said Ron.
“Oh!” Hermione covered her mouth in distress.
“Did you find out anything?” asked George.
“Only that she may have ‘The Affliction’, “ said Arthur.
“What is that?” asked Fred.
“I’ve no idea. When I asked, she only cackled,” answered
Arthur.
“Blimey!” said George.
“Now I don’t want you get ideas with strange theories. She is
not a werewolf or a vampire, if that’s what your thinking.”
“Why would we think that?” asked Ron.
“There are some Muggle cultures that have some beliefs
about seventh sons or daughters. There are some things
that are true, of course, but being a vampire or a werewolf is
not one of them. If they do become vampires or werewolves,
it is because they have been bitten like anyone else,” said
Arthur.
“So you think it’s a curse, rather than an illness? Wouldn’t
Bill be able to cure her?” asked Hermione.
“Bill works with curses on artifacts or buildings, places, things
like that. This would be upon a person, so that would be
different. Also, we don’t really know if it is a curse. It could
be physical,” said Arthur.
“What are her symptoms?” asked Hermione.
“She becomes pale and sometimes turns very cold. She
doesn’t sleep well. Things...” said Arthur, forlornly.
“But she was dancing last night and everything,” said Ron.
“Is it her heart?” asked Hermione.
“No, her heart is strong. There is no physical explanation for
what is happening to her,” said Dumbledore.
“Exercise does not affect her. Actually it does, she seems to
feel better when she takes walks,” said Arthur.
“So that’s why Harry has been taking her on all those walks
this year,” said Hermione, with a triumphant look.
“Yes. She likes taking walks with me,” said Harry.
“So, why haven’t you told us this before?” asked George.
“You know your sister. She doesn’t want anyone thinking
that she is weak or inferior in any way. She is stubborn to a
fault,” said Arthur.
“So, how’d you find out?” Ron asked Harry.
“Eh… well… I heard them talking about it in Dumbledore’s
office late one night. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone,” said
Harry. He decided that he would think of “The Affliction” as
the spell Riddle was working on. He hoped that it would help
him keep track of time and events.
“Was Ginny there when you found out? What did she say
about you knowing?” asked Ron.
“She wasn’t happy,” said Harry, truthfully.
“So, you’ve been dating her, to help her with this?” asked
Hermione.
“What? No. I mean… well… yes I’ve been helping her,” said
Harry.
“Ginny feels better when she’s with Harry,” said Arthur.
“I’ll bet she does,” said George, snidely. Arthur gave him a
look.
“Why isn’t Ginny here?” asked Fred.
“Ginny wouldn’t come, out of protest. She didn’t want us to
tell you lot about it,” said Arthur.
“Why?” asked Ron.
“As far as Ginny’s concerned there’s nothing wrong with her,”
said Harry.
“You mean she’s in denial?” asked Hermione.
“Is that bad?” Ron asked Hermione.
“But we have the right to know if Ginny is ill,” interrupted
George.
“Of course, but this is personal to Ginny. She has the right
to decide when or to whom it is told. It took all of us hours to
convince her that you lot need to be told,” said Arthur.
“So, she’s angry?” asked Ron.
“I’d say so. She wanted to Bat-Bogey-Hex me. At least this
time she warned me. Last time she got me with no warning,
so maybe she isn’t quite as mad as before,” said Harry,
thoughtfully.
“Ginny Bat-Bogey Hexed you?” asked Arthur.
“Yeah. It really hurts.”
“Why?” asked Arthur.
“Long story, maybe another time,” said Harry.
“Certain promises were made,” said Harry, changing the
subject.
“Like what?” asked Fred
“Like none of you are to talk to her about her ‘affliction’. You
are to treat her normally or she will hex you,” said Harry.
“I promised Ginny that none of you would talk to her about it.
You will NOT talk to her about it, unless she brings up the
subject. That includes you, Hermione. I will not be
responsible if she hexes you into next week. So if any of you
have any questions, you better ask them now, because the
subject will be closed once we leave this room,” said Arthur.
“How did you convince her to tell us about it?” asked Ron.
“Ginny will be starting treatments very soon. With her turning
pale and all, then us disappearing from time to time, you’re
all going to wonder what was going on. We had to convince
her that it was time to tell,” said Harry.
“Us?” asked George.
“Ginny and me. Yeah, I’m going to be taking her for
treatments,” said Harry.
“You’re taking her to a healer? St. Mungo’s?” asked
Hermione.
“No, she will not be going to St. Mungo’s. She will be going
to a specialist. I have found someone who might be able to
help her,” said Dumbledore.
“A healer?” asked Hermione.
“Not exactly. If it is some kind of curse, then he may be able
to help her. There are other options available, depending on
what we find out,” said Dumbledore.
“So why is Harry taking her?” asked George, suspiciously.
“That was all part of the negotiations. She doesn’t want to...”
said Arthur.
“So Ginny and young Harry here, get to run off alone, do
they? Leave it to Ginny to get her way on that,” interrupted
George.
“George, that’s enough. Ginny is perfectly safe with Harry,”
said Arthur, irritated.
Ron stared at his father quizzically. That didn’t sound exacty
right. Then he broke out in a big grin, turning to Harry. “You
got the Boils Curse! That’s why you said that about Dad.
Ha! I knew something wasn’t right. That explains it!”
Harry blushed.
“What are you talking about?” asked Fred.
“Harry got the Boils Curse. Not the other day, but while he
was still in school, when they started going together. He told
me he wouldn’t do anything with Ginny that Dad wouldn’t
approve of. That’s why...” said Ron. “Why didn’t you just
say so?” asked Ron, turning to Harry.
“You didn’t even know about the Boils Curse back then,” said
Harry.
“Yeah, you’re right. But you could have explained it to me,”
said Ron.
“Everything we say and do in school is monitored. What do
you think Malfoy would say, if he got wind of that little tidbit?”
“Blimey!” said Ron.
“So, why didn’t you put the Boils Curse on Ginny’s other
boyfriends?” asked George.
“What other boyfriends?” asked Arthur, looking around
hopelessly.
“You started going with Ginny, when you found out she was
ill?” asked Hermione.
“Thereabouts. Shortly thereafter,” answered Harry.
“Harry, what if it is really serious?” asked Hermione.
“Ginny and I will face anything we have to,” said Harry.
“But in her weakened condition...” started Hermione.
Molly and Ginny had made arrangements with Dumbledore
earlier, so they were outside the door using Extendible Ears,
listening to every word. When Hermione said that, Ginny
was about to break loose, but Molly held her arm. “Shhhhh,”
whispered Molly.
“Ginny is not weak! That’s exactly why she didn’t want you
lot to know about... her... problem. She hasn’t lost any of her
power. I’d put her up against anyone in this room,” said
Harry. “Except Dumbledore, maybe,” he added.
“I would think she could give me a go,” said Dumbledore,
grinning.
“So, the Weasleys made these arrangements because
Ginny’s ill? I don’t understand, why?” asked Hermione.
“Arrangements?” said Harry, confused.
“Harry, going with Ginny just because she is... ill. The
danger... don’t you see? It will only make matters worse,”
said Hermione.
“I’m not going with Ginny because she is ill. What gave you
that idea?” asked Harry.
“But...” started Hermione. She was confused. She had
suspected that Harry was dating Ginny because the
Weasley’s had arranged it. She just hadn’t figured out the
reason yet. Was she wrong about this?
“I was in love with her before I knew. I’m still in love with her,
nothing can change that. Certain people believed that
everyone knew I was in love with Ginny. He knows. Didn’t
you know?” asked Harry.
“Well... Eh. I mean, before Valentines... but ... Eh... HE
knows? You mean...” started Hermione. Thoughts were
whirling too fast in her mind for her to catch up.
“Yes. Riddle knows. I avoided Ginny because of him, but
since he already knew, I saw no reason not to date her,” said
Harry.
“I told you,” said Luna, speaking for the first time.
“Yes. Yes you did,” said Hermione, turning to Luna.
“How do you know that HE knows?” asked Hermione,
turning back to Harry.
Dumbledore spoke up; “I told him. Harry has been watched
more closely this year, than ever. His words and actions
have been monitored VERY closely. As you well know,
Peter Pettigrew was at the castle too. I’m sure he passed on
plenty of information before your encounter.”
She thought back, trying to remember exactly what Peter
had told her. Yes, he did mention Harry and Ginny. She
shivered. “Of course! Yes, he knew,” she said, looking a
little dazed.
“Hermione had an encounter with Peter Pettigrew?” asked
Fred.
“Scabbers?” asked George.
“Yes. That information does not leave this room. It occurred
right before school ended. Ron and Crookshanks rescued
her in the nick of time,” said Dumbledore.
“What happened?” asked George.
“He came up on Hermione from behind. Crookshanks came
and got me. After we cornered him, he almost got away but
Crookshanks bit him in half,” said Ron.
“You mean he’s dead?” asked Fred.
“Yep!” said Ron.
“No one else, other than Remus, Molly and Ginny know
about his death, and I want it to remain that way,” said
Dumbledore.
“Of course,” said George.
“No problem,” said Fred.
“I do not see any reason for you to speak of Ginny’s
Affliction, but if you were to discuss it later, you will have to
put up a Silencing Charm. We do not want the enemy to
know about this problem, if it can be helped.”
“I trust that everyone in this room knows that being close to
Harry is dangerous. You have all chose to remain close to
him, knowing the danger. Including Ginny, who would be in
no less danger than the rest of you,” began Dumbledore.
Harry’s heart stung. He did not want to hear that. It hurt. Of
course he knew this and he reckoned they all knew it too. It
just hurt to hear it. Coming from Dumbledore made it sound
that much worse.
“Which brings me to another matter I wanted to talk to you
about. For reasons of my own, I do not want you to speak
about the whereabouts of Harry or Ginny unless a Silencing
Charm is used. Actually, Silencing Charms should be used
when talking about ANYONE’S whereabouts or future
whereabouts. Even in this house, your words may be
monitored. Information, although seemingly innocent, could
be dangerous in the hands of the enemy,” said Dumbledore,
seriously.
“George, if you find any lady friends that you want to invite
home, you will need to give the family fair warning. She
would not be allowed to come, if Ginny is not home. I’m
sorry, but they will not be allowed here at all. I think you
know why. Bill and Charlie already know this,” said
Dumbledore.
George nodded.
“Hermione, you need to keep and eye out when you return
home. Your correspondence should not include any dates,
places or times, past or future. Anything suspicious, you are
to return here or The Burrow as soon as possible. During
full moon stay indoors, you know how to protect yourself
from werewolves. Vampires are running savage nowadays
also.”
“I don’t remember seeing anything in The Prophet about
werewolf or vampire attacks,” said Hermione.
“The Prophet has not been printing everything they know.
The Ministry does not want people to panic, so they are
leaving certain crimes out of the paper,” replied Dumbledore.
“Is it getting that bad?” asked Hermione, shocked.
“I’m afraid so. It has become quite serious, back to the
times before Harry stopped Voltemort in his heyday. People
are now beginning to realize just how much Harry has done,
by giving us so many years of relative peace,” said
Dumbledore.
Harry remained silent.
“But why do we need to use Silencing Charms here in the
house?” asked Ron.
“There are many wards surrounding this house, but let us
not forget Peter Pettigrew. He got into the castle. I don’t
have wards up for every possible event, so you all will have
to help in that respect. It is possible for an Animagus to
enter, if they were to be hidden among your clothing or hair.
So, extreme caution should be taken,” replied Dumbledore.
“Bloody hell!” said Ron.
“I almost forgot, Hermione, I’m assuming that you were
going to take Apparation lessons this summer. If you have
made arrangements, I would like you to cancel them. I am
arranging for all of you to have private lessons, this summer,”
said Dumbledore.
“Why?” asked Hermione.
“Apparation lessons require appointments. I do not wish for
any of you to have any kind of appointments. Appointments
are very easily turned into traps,” answered Dumbledore.
“And Hermione, I will be speaking to your parents about
when you will be returning. Molly seems to think that I should
be the one to approach them about this subject. It should be
some days before Harry’s birthday. I will let you know,” said
Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.
“Are there any further questions?” asked Arthur. No one said
anything.
“Well then, I think it should not be too long before we have
lunch. Winky said that since lunch would be so late, that we
will be having a late supper. She does not want Harry to
miss any meals,” said Arthur.
Ginny and Molly scrambled to the kitchen. They hurriedly,
along with Winky, started working on lunch. They decided
that Fred and George would probably want to leave as soon
as possible, so they began making them a take out lunch.
* * * *
They all stood and stretched, then left the Dining Room. All
except Harry. He remained in his chair, silently staring
forward.
* * * *
The kitchen became a mass of red-heads with one brunette
and one blonde. George and Dumbledore left immediately.
Fred would join George in a few minutes. He was going to
wait for the take out lunch and say his good-byes to Luna.
“Don’t take too long,” cautioned George, before he left.
“I know. I know,” said Fred, as he got as close to Luna as
was allowed.
With the mixture of bodies and various food preparation, it
took a while for everyone to settle at the table. Ginny kept a
neutral face as she looked at each of their faces. “Where’s
Harry?” she asked. Ron shrugged his shoulders.
Ginny grabbed two bottles of butterbeer and left for the
Dining Room. She cautiously opened the door, peeking.
She saw Harry sitting there. He looked so sad. She closed
the door quietly and put up a Silencing Charm.
She sat the butterbeers on the table in front of him and stood
beside his chair. “He didn’t mean it,” she said, gently.
“Of course he did,” said Harry.
“I mean, he didn’t say it to hurt you. He only wanted them to
pay attention to how serious everything is.”
“I know,” said Harry, sighing.
Ginny bent slightly to look into his eyes. She softly kissed his
lips.
“Ginny, do you really love me?” asked Harry, seriously.
She studied his face for a moment. “May I sit down?”
gesturing towards his lap. He pulled the chair back giving
her room. She slid into his lap, placing her right arm around
his shoulder and her left hand upon his right shoulder to
steady herself. “Yes, Harry. I really love you.”
He thought a moment, then asked; “What could make you
love me, after all the horror I’ve caused you?”
Ginny didn’t say anything for a moment. She studied his
saddened eyes. “It’s your glasses,” she said, with a straight
face.
Surprised, he sat another moment, thinking, his mouth
forming a half smile. “My glasses, huh?”
“Yeah, your glasses. Without them, you can’t tell the
difference between me and Ron.”
“Not if your sitting down, but I’ve found other ways to
distinguish the difference,” he said, grinning.
“What’s that?”
He pulled her tighter, snuggling his face in her chest.
“Smell,” he said. Ginny giggled.
* * * *
“Don’t you lot get too comfortable. We’ll be going back to
The Burrow in a little while,” said Molly.
As soon as lunch was finished, Ron escorted Hermione into
the living room. He quickly scanned the room and decided
that the sofa in front of the fireplace would be the most
private. He waited for her to sit before he sat down next to
her. He didn’t say anything, he was lost in his thoughts
about Ginny.
“Are you all right?” asked Hermione. Ron was starting to
look a little pale.
“I’m fine. I just never thought that there could be anything
wrong with Ginny. She’s always been so strong and
healthy,” he said, thoughtfully.
“I think she will be just fine. With Dumbledore on it, he’ll find
the right people to cure her. I know she looked bad
yesterday, but after a while she was ok. She appeared just
fine at the party. I don’t think all that dancing hurt her at all,”
said Hermione, trying to cheer him up.
“Yeah. I guess so. I hope they find the cause real soon. I
knew it had to be something bad. I just didn’t think it would
be her health,” said Ron, sadly.
Hermione gently caressed his hand. “I thought... I had an
idea, but I was way off,” said Hermione.
“So, you did have a theory?” asked Ron.
“Yes, but nothing like the truth,” said Hermione.
“What was it?”
“You would just think that I’m stupid. Forget it,” said
Hermione.
“You, stupid? Right!” said Ron.
“I thought that your parents had arranged for them to start
dating. Of course, I couldn’t come up with a reason for it,”
said Hermione, disconcerted.
“I could have put you straight on that one. There’s no way. I
mean, there are several things to shoot that theory out of the
water,” said Ron.
“Like what?” asked Hermione.
“Firstly, he’s in love with her. He’s been in love with her all
year, way before they started going together. He tried to find
another girl, but Ginny was the one. I told you that he told
me that he loved her. He just said it again today, in front of
everyone, including DAD and Dumbledore. He’s serious
about her,” said Ron.
“Secondly; depending on if Ginny was to know about the
arrangement. If she knew about it, forget it. She would not
go for it,” said Ron.
“I don’t know about that. She’s always had a crush on Harry.
I think any excuse to be with him, would be all right with her,”
said Hermione.
“That’s where you got it wrong. Ginny is very bull-headed
and independent. She has a lot of pride. She wouldn’t go
with Harry unless she thought he cared about her. Actually,
I’m surprised she would date him in her condition. I think he
had to do a lot of talking for her to agree to it,” said Ron.
“Really? I don’t know about that,” said Hermione,
thoughtfully.
“She’s too... prideful, I guess that’s the word. Anyway, she’s
so strong. That’s why she’s perfect for Harry,” said Ron.
“Strong?” asked Hermione, doubtfully.
“Of course, she’s the only one that can control him and he
does a pretty good job of controlling her too,” said Ron.
“Control? That’s a pretty hard word,” said Hermione, not
knowing what he meant.
“Well... you know... maybe that’s the wrong word but
something like that. You remember when The Burrow
burned, she’s the one that got Harry to settle down,” said
Ron.
“Yes, that’s right. I remember,” said Hermione.
“Every time Harry got real upset, Ginny would calm him
down. She’s good at... handling... yes that’s the word. She
knows how to handle him and he, her. Even at Christmas,
that was a real bad one, she calmed him down,” said Ron,
thinking back.
“I wasn’t here. What happened?” asked Hermione.
“That’s right. You hadn’t got here yet. Harry went into the
Defense Room and wouldn’t come out. There was glass
breaking and sounds coming out of there, like a storm, like
lightening. It was awful, really scary. They had to call
Dumbledore,” said Ron.
“They called Dumbledore? I wondered about that, I mean, it
was all in the Daily Prophet with Harry Christmas and all. I
wondered how Harry would take that if he knew. But by the
time I got here, he seemed ok,” said Hermione.
“Well... he found out and it was ugly,” said Ron.
“How’d he find out?”
“I wasn’t there, but Bill told me knicked the paper from
Charlie. Then he went into the Defense Room and carried
on for at least a couple of hours. Ginny sat in front of the
door and wouldn’t let anyone in. When Dumbledore showed
up, they both sat out by the door, but it was Ginny who went
in when it finally got quiet. He had tore the place up, broke
the windows and stuff. But anyway, she calmed him down
and after that, he was ok,” said Ron.
“Wow,” she said, surprised.
“Remember, how mad he got when we were trying to get
him to slow down with the D.A.? He yelled at you and Ginny
put him straight. She’s the one who talked him into talking to
Dumbledore,” said Ron.
“Yes, I remember,” said Hermione.
“He’s better this year. I mean, he gets madder, but he gets
over it faster. He doesn’t sulk like he used to. That’s Ginny’s
doing,” said Ron.
“She keeps him in line. Remember when she
Bat-Bogey-Hexed him? He likes that,” added Ron.
“What? Are you crazy?” asked Hermione.
“No. I mean, he likes that she treats him like anyone else.
She won’t take no rubbish from him. If she thinks she’s right,
she lets him know. She’s not afraid of him,” said Ron,
grinning.
“But what about Ginny?” asked Hermione.
“He’s good for her. He’s probably the only one to keep her in
check. She also has a temper. He’s not afraid of her either,”
said Ron.
“Ron, we’re leaving for The Burrow. Hurry along now,” said
Molly from the door.
“You coming with me? We don’t have a lot of time, you’ll be
leaving in the morning,” said Ron, looking hopeful.
Hermione hesitated. She wanted to stay to talk to Harry.
She hadn’t really talked to him alone since she got here. But
she looked into Ron’s sad blue eyes and decided that he
needed her right now. So she nodded.
* * * *
There was a tap at the door. Harry went over and opened it
a crack. “We have to leave for The Burrow,” said Molly.
“Is there going to be an Order meeting tonight?” asked Harry.
“No.”
“Good. We’ll be out in a minute,” said Harry, closing the
door.
He walked over and pulled Ginny close, wrapping his arms
around her. “Ginny, will you have dinner with me tonight? A
private dinner?” he whispered in her ear.
“You mean alone?” asked Ginny.
“Yes. Just you and me.”
“Sure,” said Ginny, smiling.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Pork chops?” asked Ginny.
“Your wish is my command. Meet me here at eight?” he
asked, kissing her neck.
“Yes, at eight,” uttered Ginny, breathlessly.
* * * *
After the Weasleys left, Harry talked to Winky about setting
up his private dinner with Ginny. Winky left to shop for the
requested pork chops and a few other requests from Harry.
He was in an excited mood, when he thought about their
date. He couldn’t wait to surprise Ginny tonight. He was
about to enter the Defense Room, when Luna caught him.
“I just wanted to tell you that they all believed your little
story,” said Luna, seriously.
“Wha... “ started Harry.
“Shhhhhhh,” said Luna, as she walked away, winking at
Harry.
* * * *
Chapter 53: Chap 53 - At The Burrow
Author's Notes: I apologize for the earlier version of the this chapter. I had a bit of a problem with my cut and paste action at this end. Any boo boos that remain, are truly the authors now. =0 DHobbit ****** SUMMARY: They put up a fence -- Hermione reads the mail -- Luna talks ---------------
Chapter Fifty-three - At The Burrow
After they arrived at The Burrow, Molly, Arthur and Ginny
went upstairs to Ginny’s room. Ron and Hermione went out
on the deck in the front and sat on the steps.
“Well?” asked Arthur, after putting up a Silencing Charm.
“Not bad,” said Ginny.
“Not bad? I was brilliant!” said Arthur, grinning broadly.
“All right, yes you were. I still don’t like it, but I have to
admit that you were brilliant,” said Ginny.
“I was inspired by your mother,” said Arthur, proudly.
“Did you have to bring Aunt Hester into it?” asked Ginny,
grinning.
“Yes! I believe that was the icing on the cake. They would
believe anything that had to do with Aunt Hester,” said
Arthur.
Ginny giggled. “You’re right.”
“Do you think that Hermione believed it, Arthur?” asked
Molly.
“Yes, by the look of her, she seemed to believe it,” said
Arthur, thoughtfully.
“Sounded like it to me. But she’s lucky she didn’t get hexed.
Did you notice that she was more concerned about when
and why Harry started dating me, than about my health?”
asked Ginny, angrily.
“Now Ginny,” said Arthur, calmly.
“I believe that Harry set her straight on that. He made it very
clear that he is IN LOVE with you,” said Molly, smiling.
“Yeah, he did,” said Ginny, smiling. “But I’m not sure if
she’s given up on him, just yet,” added Ginny.
“It’s a good sign that Hermione came back with us,” said
Molly, grinning.
“Ron’s been working on her. Things could go well if he don’t
screw it up,” said Ginny.
“You two are determined to get them together. I don’t
approve and I don’t like it,” said Arthur.
“You’d rather she kept after my husband?” asked Ginny.
“Ginny, shhhhh. And no, but are either of you thinking
about Ron?” asked Arthur.
“Ron’s fine,” said Ginny.
“Ron fancies her,” said Molly.
“All the worse. He could get hurt over this. Why would you
try to match them up, when she’s got her sights set on
Harry? His best friend,” said Arthur.
“Because it was Ron she wanted in the first place. She
wouldn’t have any interest in Harry if it wasn’t for Ron’s
stupidity. This is all Ron’s fault,” said Ginny.
“How could this be Ron’s fault? Do you realize how much
this could hurt him?” asked Arthur.
“If he would have asked her to Hogsmeade, we wouldn’t
have this problem,” said Ginny.
“What’s Hogsmeade got to do with it?” asked Arthur.
“Ron didn’t ask her out to Hogsmeade, so she went with
Neville,” said Ginny, impatiently.
“Why’d she go with Neville?” asked Arthur.
“Because he ASKED her. Hermione got tired of waiting
around for Ron. Ron assumed they would go together, he
didn’t ask. So when Neville asked, she went with him. Ron
was very upset about it, but it’s his own fault,” said Ginny.
“Oh, I see,” said Arthur.
“THEN, he didn’t ask her to the Harvest Ball. Neville gave
him plenty of time, at least a week. So, when Ron didn’t ask
her, Neville asked her. Then Ron started dating trash and
Hermione started dating Neville. So you see, it’s all Ron’s
fault,” said Ginny, logically.
“I see. So what makes you think that they will want to match
up now?” asked Arthur.
“If we can give them enough time together, maybe it will
begin a spark,” said Molly, smiling.
“I don’t want you two interfering,” said Arthur, seriously.
“We aren’t doing anything. We are merely observing,”
said Ginny.
“They’ve both had a secret crush for years,” said Molly.
“She’s been disgusted and hurt by Ron. We’re just giving
them time together, so she can remember why she had a
crush on him in the first place,” said Ginny.
“Why did she have a crush on him?” asked Arthur.
“I haven’t a clue, I don’t know what she sees in him,” said
Ginny.
“Ginny!” said Molly, exasperated.
“Mum, I didn’t get a chance to tell you, he went back,” said
Ginny.
“Back?” asked Molly.
“Yeah, last night. After you and Dad went to bed. He came
back.”
“Who? Ron?” asked Molly.
“Yes!”
“What happened?” asked Molly, excitedly.
“He came to the door and asked for Hermione. They went
back out into the hallway. Naturally I spied on them. He
kissed her a good one,” said Ginny, grinning.
“Oh! That IS exciting!” said Molly.
“Yeah, well... that was before the meeting and I’m not
exactly happy with her reactions to that,” said Ginny.
* * * *
It was a very hot, sultry day, so Ron and Hermione didn’t
leave the deck, but stayed sitting on the shaded steps.
Ron’s mind was whirling. Ginny looked ok right now, but
when would it hit her again? Was she getting worse? He
forgot to ask about that. He’d catch his mum or dad and
ask later.
“Ron?” said Hermione.
“Eh... yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s ok to worry about her. I understand, but she looked fine
last night and today,” said Hermione.
“Yeah,” said Ron. “About the roof, what do you reckon
would be the best way to use fewer tiles?” asked Ron,
changing the subject.
“A flat roof would use the least amount of tiles,” she said.
“Flat, huh? Can’t be flat, we have a lot of rain and snow,” he
said.
“Hmmm. What if you raised the far wall a bit higher than the
front wall? It would be slanted for the rain and snow, but
would use almost the same amount of tiles as if it were flat,”
said Hermione, thoughtfully.
“Hmmm. I wouldn’t want the inside to have a slanted
ceiling,” he said, trying to visualize it.
“On the inside, you would make the ceiling level. There
would be more empty space between the ceiling and the
roof on one side,” she said.
“Oh! Yes! I see. Hermione, you’re bloody brilliant.”
“Oh Ron, I’m sure you would have figured it out without
me,” she said, modestly.
“Maybe, but it would’ve taken a lot more thought. You
thought of it right away,” said Ron.
Hermione beamed.
Ron turned towards her face as a puff of wind blew her hair
in his face. He reached for her hair, feeling the soft texture,
he gently moved it back to her shoulder but did not release
it. He felt overwhelmed with desire. He pulled her face to
his and smothered her mouth with his lips.
“Ron... “ sighed Hermione, as she ran her hand up the back
of his nape into his hair, kissing him deeply.
“Hem, hem’ “ said a voice from behind.
“Ginny! Go a... “ began Ron, quickly breaking away from
Hermione.
“Mum and Dad are coming,” interrupted Ginny, grinning.
“Eh... thanks. No privacy around here,” said Ron.
“You should have taken her for a walk,” said Ginny.
“It’s too hot,” said Ron.
“It sure is,” said Ginny, giggling.
“Ron! How’s the chicken coop coming along?” asked
Arthur, as he and Molly entered the deck.
“Hermione has been helping me,” said Ron.
Ginny coughed.
“Ron, your building plan is all well and good, but right now
we need to just get them penned up. They are tearing up
the lawn, but more importantly, the garden. My herb garden
will be gone in no time at this rate,” said Molly.
“Let’s see how much fencing wire we have. We just may
have enough for a temporary pen,” said Arthur. Moments
later, they had a huge roll of fencing standing on its end.
“Hermione if you would write down my measurements, we
will see how big of a yard we’re able to make,” said Arthur.
Ron and Ginny uncoiled the fencing and pulled it out, while
Arthur paced out the distance. After it was measured, Ron,
Hermione and Arthur figured the size of the pen. Ron found
some left-over lumber to use a posts. They decided not to
put a gate on it. They would put the water and feeding
troughs near the edge so they could reach to fill them.
Ginny found some gloves for each of them and straw hats
for herself, Hermione and Molly.
After Ron and Arthur magically made holes to sink the
posts, Ron began to stretch the fencing out, when Arthur
stopped him. “Those chickens are smarter than you think.
They will be digging out under the fence before the day is
out. Molly, what’s that little spell you use during planting
time?” asked Arthur.
“Do you mean the Trenchus spell?” asked Molly.
“I believe so. Try it here. Run your wand from post to post.
I need it at least a hand deep,” said Arthur.
“Your hand or Ginny’s?” asked Molly, amused.
“Too funny, Molly. Mine. The trick is to get it as even as
possible in depth,” said Arthur. When Molly finished, they
all stood back admiring the work. It was very hot and they
were all perspiring. Ron removed his shirt before he began
unrolling the wire fencing again. Ginny and Hermione were
holding the end up to the first post, as he unrolled and
stretched it, fitting into the little trench along to the next post.
Ron was red and sweating from the heat. He noticed Ginny
was a red as himself. “Dad, help Hermione. Ginny, you
get out of this heat. Go into the house!” said Ron.
“I need to get exercise,” said Ginny, trying to keep a
excuse to be outside.
“You can help catch the chickens later, that ought to be
enough exercise. For now, get out of this heat!” he
repeated.
Arthur took Ginny’s part, leaving her standing with nothing
to do. “I’ll go get us some drinks, then,” said Ginny.
After Ginny left, Hermione and Arthur anchored the end to
the post. Ron unwound the fencing, pulling it taunt, while
Molly guided the fencing to the trench. Their system was
working very well.
Ginny went into the house and made lemonade, then took
some of the kitchen chairs out to the deck. Ron had
actually shown some concern for her. She didn’t like the lie,
but it was nice to see that he actually cared. She took the
pitcher and glasses out to the deck on a tray. She set it
down and watched them working on the pen. It really was
too hot to be physically working right now.
When they finished, they all joined her on the deck.
Ginny noticed Hermione checking out Ron’s muscles. She
grinned to herself.
“Hermione, it’s really too hot for those long slacks. Why
don’t you change into some shorts?” asked Ginny.
“It IS very hot, but I didn’t bring any,” said Hermione.
“Not a problem, I think I have a solution. Come in the house
with me,” said Ginny.
“While you’re there, bring some more lemonade and some
snacks. I’m working up a hunger,” said Ron.
“When are you not?” remarked Ginny. Hermione followed
her into the house
Ginny brought out a platter and set it on the counter. She
started gathering fruits that she placed in the sink to wash.
“Ginny, Ron likes strawberries. Why aren’t you going to put
those out?” asked Hermione.
“Because he likes them a little too much. I’m putting out
Ron’s least liked fruits. ‘Course he likes all these others too
but not as much. He would gobble all the strawberries and
not give anyone else a chance. Maybe Mum and Dad will be
able to get a bite or two,” said Ginny.
“Good thinking,” said Hermione. “I wish Harry had a healthy
appetite. He’s so thin.”
Ginny stiffened. She did not like having Hermione
discussing Harry’s body. Although all the females in the
household were always trying to “fatten him up”, she grew
angry. She hadn’t quite got over the snappish remarks
Hermione had given her at the end of term. She wanted to
hex her, but thought better of it. Explaining to Harry or her
mum about the reason for it, would sound unreasonable.
“I almost forgot. There’s a pair of Ron’s jeans in his
bottom drawer. They are nearly new but he’s outgrown
them. They will probably fit. Take the scissors from the
drawer over there and cut them off,” said Ginny.
“Thanks,” said Hermione, as she headed to Ron’s room.
“Ginny, we’re parched. Where’s those drinks?” yelled Ron
from outside.
Ginny took the lemonade out, she would come back for the
fruit later.
Hermione entered Ron’s bedroom and smiled. It was a total
mess. She didn’t know how he could live in such a mess.
At Harry’s, his room was not nearly as messy, because of
Winky. But here, things were tossed here and there, you
could hardly see the bed. She couldn’t help but pick up
some of this clothes and fold them. Pigwidgeon was jumping
excitedly now that she had entered. Hermione found a treat
on his desk and handed it to Pig. Also, on his desk were
several letters, most had been opened. Within sight was
one from Lisa Mills, the girl that went with Ron to the
Valentines Ball. She looked back at the door, she decided
she had time to take a little peek.
- - - - -
Darling Ron,
I’ve been thinking about you so much lately. It is so hot
here, I can hardly stand it. My mother and I went shopping
and I bought a new swimsuit. Father doesn’t like it, he says
there is not enough cloth to warrant the cost (he he). I think
it’s really cute. It’s bright blue with bright pink spots. The
blue matches my eyes exactly. It is so hot, even though it is
evening. I am lying across my bed, in my swimsuit, writing,
trying to get a breeze to come in through from the window.
Do you swim? With your strong arms, I think you would be
good at it. I’m not a strong swimmer, but if you were
around, I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure you could keep me from
drowning.
It’s so hot. I think it will be a long summer. It is so boring. I
wish I could see you before the summer is out. Maybe we
could arrange to go swimming or something. Is Harry still
guarding your little sister? I have a friend who would be just
right for Harry, if he were available. Perhaps we could go
double somewhere.
Please write.
Love & XXX,
Your bored Lisa
- - - - -
“Bloody hell! Is that obvious or what?” thought Hermione.
She reasoned she had enough time for one more.
- - - - -
Ron!
Seamus here. Mate, there is a cool party being planned.
TG (Too Good) is getting things together for a great time.
You don’t have to bring a date, there are going to be plenty
of girls there. I’m bringing a couple of bottles along to insure
the fun.
If Harry is unattached, ask him along too. TG says that if
Harry came, there would be even more girls. (YEAH!)
She’s thinking of the second weekend in July. That’s right,
the whole weekend! Let me know, mate.
Seamus
- - - - -
Hermione raised her eyebrows. That was short, maybe
another.
- - - - -
Ron,
Dean here. TG is planning a party. Do you think you can
make it? Second Saturday in July. TG promises some “hot
babes”, she says she knows the kind of girls we like.
Don’t mention it to your sister. This is not the kind of party
that she would approve of. Speaking of your sister, is she
still going out with Harry? I’m hoping that Harry says
something stupid so she’ll break up with him. If they do,
send me word by return owl.
Justin is planning a party in a few weeks. We (Seamus and
I) saw him in Diagon Alley the other day. He said he was
thinking of having a party in the third week of July. He said
he wanted to ask Ginny as his date, but was afraid of Harry.
If she’s broken up, I would love to take her to Justin’s party.
I think she’d go with me just to see the look on Justin’s face.
Don’t tell Harry I asked. Never mind, go ahead and tell
him. He already knows I’d be first in line if they broke up.
Dean
- - - - -
Perhaps another.
- - - - -
Dearest Ron,
I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Elizabeth. I
am in third year, I am very tall and thin. I have brown hair
and brown eyes. I go to all the Quidditch games.
Since you are a Quidditch Captain, I wondered if you would
have the time to teach me how to play. My parents bought
me a new broom. It is very fast. I want to sign up for the
team next year but I don’t know where to start on learning
how. I think I would like to be the one that catches the little
golden ball. It is so cute.
My father said it would be ok if you taught me because you
are the hero of Hogsmeade.
Love,
Elizabeth Crossly
- - - - -
“Teach me Quidditch rouse. What has Quidditch got to do
with Hogsmeade?” thought Hermione. One more.
- - - - -
Dear Ron,
Do you remember me? I’m the one that you told
that my stunners were getting better.
I’m afraid that I can’t protect my family. I was wondering if
you could give me some extra D.A. lessons. I told my family
all about you. They would be honored if you would do this for
me. Of course we wouldn’t think of paying you, but my father
owns an Italian restaurant and he would let you eat all you
want for free.
Love,
Brenda
- - - - -
“Food bribe,” thought Hermione. Time for one more.
- - - - -
Ron,
Hey mate! Justin is going to have the party for sure. I need
to know about Ginny. I don’t have much time. I believe he
is going to ask her in the invitation.
Hurry man!
Dean
- - - - -
Hermione was engrossed in Ron’s mail. If she took any
more time, she was sure to get caught. She quickly pulled
the jeans out of his bottom drawer and slipped them on. The
legs were almost twice as long has hers. The waist was too
big but they fit in the hips. She pulled them off and cut the
legs off. She neatly folded the hem two turns. Not bad, her
tan from the cruise made her legs look great.
She tossed the left-over legs in the dustbin and grabbed
her slacks. She hurried to Ginny’s room, tossing her
slacks on the bed. She hurriedly tied her hair into a ponytail
and went as quickly as she could to the deck.
“It’s about time you got back. I left you some sliced
peaches,” said Ron.
Hermione was flushed, but delicately took a slice of peach.
“Sorry I took so long. I wasn’t sure if these jeans were
going to work out,” she said.
“Are those mine? They look better on you,” said Ron,
appreciating Hermione’s tanned legs. Hermione smiled.
They all sat lazily around sipping their drinks and sometimes
making comments about capturing chickens. It would be at
least an hour before the sun would begin to set. They would
wait until then, before they started that project.
Hermione was unusually quiet. She was thinking about
Ron’s mail. She wondered if he responded to any of it yet.
There was a very large pile and she had only read a few.
Ron was lazy when it came to correspondence. There was
no way to know, only that Pigwidgeon was still in her cage.
Would he go to the parties? Would he respond to those
girls? Bathing Beauty Lisa, Quidditch Queen Elizabeth,
and Food Bribe Brenda. No telling how many other letters
were from girls like those.
She watched him beginning to doze. His arms had a light
layer of sweat, which highlighted his scars from the brain
that attacked him last year... battle scars. His shoulders
looked twice as wide in his undershirt than with his shirt on.
She had almost gasped when he removed it. He had
certainly filled out this year. Quidditch practice, along with
all that food, probably did it.
He looked so innocent, slouching in his chair. “Innocent?
Yeah, right,” thought Hermione. “He wouldn’t be
responsible for what others write to him,” she thought. “On
the other hand, his past was well known among his friends.”
Ginny and Molly went back into the house and came
back with several pillows. Everyone either propped
themselves more comfortably in their chairs or lie down on
the deck floor. Before long, everyone but Ginny was
asleep.
“I think it’s time to start gathering chickens,” said Ginny, at a
little after six o'clock.
Everyone woke and stretched. Ginny got a couple of nets
out of the shed for her and Hermione. Arthur brought out a
stool and some scissors for Molly.
Molly sat on the stool beside the pen. “Now when you catch
one, bring it to me. I’ll clip its wings, so it won’t escape,”
she said.
Arthur stood by and let Ron, Hermione and Ginny do the
catching. It was a bit cooler, but still hot enough for them all
to perspire in their tasks.
“I can’t believe how many there are now,” said Arthur.
“That’s because we have not been gathering all the eggs.
There is only one spot that I trust to get eggs. The others
are all in different stages of chicks,” said Molly.
Ron and Ginny cornered the head rooster. He was mean
and definitely did not want to be caught. Arthur helped them
hold him down so that Molly could clip his wings.
It took well over an hour before they had them gathered.
Ginny was sitting with her back to the hedge resting, when
she heard a peep. She looked under the hedge and found
about dozen chicks. “Hurry Hermione, bring your net,” said
Ginny. Hermione brought the net over and Ginny started
filling it with chicks.
“Aren’t they sweet? I love to pet them when they are all
fluffy like this. Mum would never let me keep one in the
house,” said Ginny.
“They are sweet,” said Hermione, putting one up to her face
and stroking it with her cheek. “How long do they stay like
this?” she asked.
“Not very long. In about two weeks, they start growing
feathers, then they start to get ugly. That’s why they are so
special right now,” said Ginny, rubbing one against her
cheek too.
Ron came over and picked up one, resting it in the palm of
his hand. He began petting it with his finger. “You grow up
big and tender, little one,” said Ron.
“RON !” groaned Hermione and Ginny.
He grinned and took it over to the pen.
“Ginny, you’ve been out here long enough. Go into the
house. We’ll put out the feed and water. In you go,” said
Ron.
Ginny didn’t say anything but went into the house. She
decided it that if she hurried, she could shower before the
rest came in.
She was going through her closet with her hair wrapped in a
towel, when Hermione came in. “Hurry, you might be able to
beat Ron to the shower,” said Ginny.
“That’s ok. He doesn’t take long. I want to shower and then
soak in the tub. I’m filthy. It’s going to feel so good,” said
Hermione.
Ginny was sitting at her dressing table putting on the last
touch of make up, when Hermione returned. “My don’t you
look pretty tonight,” said Hermione. “Is something going on
that I don’t know about?”
“I have a date with Harry,” said Ginny, smiling.
“Are you going somewhere?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t think so. I don’t really know. Harry has something in
mind,” said Ginny, her eyes shining.
Ginny was wearing a blue, scoop necked, knit top with
matching slacks and white heels. She had her hair up in a
French Twist and was wearing tiny gold earrings. She wore
her pearl tear drop pendant and the gold bracelet that Harry
had bought for her birthday last year.
Hermione started to feel a twinge of pity. Ginny could have
went to any night club or restaurant, dressed as she was,
but she would probably just have dinner with Harry at the
house. She had forgotten that Harry rarely left the house.
“I’ll have to change at Harry’s. All my clean clothes are
there,” said Hermione.
* * * *
Harry stood frozen on the spot. Luna was half-way up the
staircase before he was able to move.
“Luna, we need to talk,” he said, shakily.
“Ok. Your room?”
“Eh... yeah,” was all Harry could say. He rushed up ahead
of Luna and opened his door. They walked to the table in
the far corner. Luna sat down, then Harry.
“Eh... Luna... ,” started Harry.
“We need to put up a Silencing Charm,” she said, waving
her wand.
“Keeping the secret of your marriage to Ginny is very
difficult, isn’t it?”
Harry’s eyes widened and he turned pale.
“I assume that it has to do with HIM. You were somehow
forced into it, but not unwillingly,” said Luna.
He turned even paler, if that was possible. Harry’s lips were
moving but nothing was coming out.
“Harry? You’re scaring me, Harry. You look really pale,
breathe,” said Luna.
“How?” uttered Harry.
“Well... I know you very well. One day I noticed that you
were rubbing your thumb against your left ring finger as
though there was a ring there. I noticed Ginny doing the
same thing, but it only happened a couple of times, so I
was unsure until school let out. Ginny rubs her ring more at
The Burrow,” said Luna.
Harry stared at her with his mouth agape.
“There is nothing wrong with Ginny. She is very healthy.
But she’s been acting odd at The Burrow. She takes a walk
twice each day, but she doesn’t like it. I watched her face
before she goes out. She looks like she dreads it, but gets a
very determined look. When she returns, she looks
relieved. I think she goes out so that someone can see that
she is there at The Burrow,” said Luna, seriously.
“Er... “
“I think she’s frightened of something and so are the
Weasleys.”
“Er... “
“Harry, you are frightened! It must really be serious. I won’t
tell anyone, honest,” said Luna, with alarm.
“Fred?” asked Harry.
“Fred doesn’t have a clue. I keep him distracted. When I ...
well, never mind about that. George was getting suspicious.
He saw you kissing Ginny, he didn’t like it very much.
Ronald has been suspicious too, but he doesn’t think you
are married. He only knows that something strange is going
on. I think you had that meeting just in time. Ronald and
Hermione don’t notice me very often, they tend to talk freely
when they think they’re alone,” said Luna.
“Lots of people don’t seem to notice me. I often hear
things... Ginny and you always notice me. I really like
Ginny. She always treats me very kindly,” added Luna.
“I can’t tell you how serious this really is, Luna,” stammered
Harry.
“I only told you so that you would not worry. They believe
you,” said Luna.
“Er... Luna.“
“My feelings are not hurt. Since you didn’t tell them, I know
that it is very important. I know that you would tell me when
the time is right. I’ll help you all I can. I will not say a word,”
said Luna.
All Harry could do was nod.
“Does Lupin know?” asked Luna.
Harry nodded.
“That makes seven. Seven is a very lucky number, Harry,”
said Luna, dreamily.
* * * *
Chapter 54: Chap 54- Special Dinner
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Harry & Ginny have a date -- Hermione is enlightened -- Luna wants something -- Ron is shocked ---------------
Chapter Fifty-four - Special Dinner
Harry remained seated after Luna left the room. What was
he going to do? He was semi-happy for about an hour.
Now, yet another problem. The panic was building.... he
ran his hands through his already messy hair. He felt like he
wanted to cry. If crying would help, he would have.
Could he trust Luna with the secret? Would she somehow
accidentally let it slip? It sounded like she understood how
serious it is.
Luna is a funny little thing. She accepted Harry as a brother,
like it was the most natural thing in the world. He trusted her
heart. His instincts told him to trust her. He also had no
choice, she knew.
He grabbed his bathrobe and went to the bathroom. Maybe
a soak in the tub would relax him enough to fight the panic.
He sat on the stool watching the water rise, then he added
some bubbles. When the tub was nearly full, he stepped in
and lay back. It took him two seconds to realize that it was
making him worse, he needed to move. He got out and took
a shower.
What was he doing before Luna shocked him? Defense
Room... right! He went downstairs in his bathrobe. He found
what he was looking for and took it to the Dining Room. He
had to focus. He checked the time. He had plenty of time for
the surprise.
He went back up to his room and sat on the bed. He
reckoned the only thing he could do, was to take it one step
at a time. First... what was the most important thing?
Ginny. He was forced to tell the illness lie against her
wishes. He had to try to make it up to her. He had to try to
make her life as pleasant as possible. So... on with the plan
for tonight.
He grabbed some clothes and dressed quickly. He went
down to the kitchen, sat at the table with a butterbeer to wait
for Winky. When Winky arrived from shopping, he helped
her set up the Dining Room. When everything looked perfect
he went back up to his room and began dressing.
He selected his three piece, dark green suit for the evening.
He dressed carefully. All the buttons were buttoned and
everything tucked in where it was supposed to be tucked.
His shoes were shined and he carefully tied his laces. He
checked his fingernails and could find no fault in them. His
hair was as good as it gets. He checked the time. Ginny
would be arriving soon.
She would arrive in the kitchen. The kitchen was very busy
at the moment. Winky and Dobby were preparing dinner for
Luna, Hermione and the Weasleys. He had asked them to
prepare Hermione’s favorites for her last night here. He
hadn’t a clue, but trusted Winky to know what Hermione
liked.
He finished a few last minute details in the Dining Room.
Where should he stand? He decided that outside the Dining
Room near the top of the kitchen stairs would be the best.
He nervously kept an eye on his watch. Had it stopped?
Then... suddenly, she was there. Ron and Hermione were
right behind her. He nodded to them but did not speak to
them. “You look lovely,” he said to Ginny, bowing and
kissing her hand. She smiled.
“Come with me,” he said, softly, leading her into the Dining
Room. Ron and Hermione had only a brief glance inside,
before he closed the door.
Soft music was playing. The only light in the beautiful Dining
Room was the warm glow from candles. Candelabras stood
near each end of the long table. The long wooden table was
polished so that it reflected the candlelight like a mirror. In
the center was a huge bouquet of white daisies.
He walked her to the chair he had sat in previously that day.
He stood holding the chair behind her. “I’ve missed you,
Love,” he said, eyeing her beautiful neck as she sat.
She turned and smiled up at him.
On the table, at her place setting, lay a single red rosebud.
All the thorns were removed from the long stem. Tied
around it, was a tiny bow made of slender white ribbon.
“Thank you,” she said, with eyes shining.
The tea cart was again in the corner between the head chair
and the one to the right. From it, he took a bottle from an ice
bucket. He displayed the label to her, in the manner of a
waiter. “Sparkling Cider” it read. Then he opened it and
filled two Champagne glasses. He sat and raised his glass.
“To us,” he said.
“To us,” repeated Ginny, sipping the cider. The bubbles
tickled her nose.
“The flames from the candles are reflected in your eyes,” he
said, softly.
“I can see my reflection in your glasses,” said Ginny.
“Your refection is in my heart,” said Harry. Ginny blushed.
He took a plate from the cart and began putting a salad
together for her. When he finished, he placed the plate
between them. He carefully filled a fork and began feeding
her salad.
After a few bites, Ginny said; “You’re not eating.”
“Feed me.”
Ginny picked up another fork and fed him a bite. He savored
it. While he gave her another bite, he wondered why he liked
her feeding him so much. It was as if when she fed him, she
was giving him life or something. It was comforting and yet a
bit sensual. This was the first time that they were completely
alone while eating. When she gave him another bite, he felt
the same. As he fed her yet another bite, he felt a nagging.
It was almost ruining the experience. It was a memory. Her
feeding him was stirring some kind of memory. After
Hogsmeade, the first time she feed him? No, that wasn’t
quite right. He had felt a little of that sensation then. The
lighting... candlelight? It was almost there, that memory.
“Harry.”
“Ginny, did you feed me when I was ill?”
“Of course, you remember.”
“No, I mean, did you hand feed me? When it was dark or
almost dark?”
“Of course, you were... out. You couldn’t feed yourself. I fed
you from a spoon, liquids, potions, things like that,” said
Ginny.
“Was it at night? Maybe by candlelight?” asked Harry,
thoughtfully.
“Yes, I was with you during the night and I kept the room
dark, except the light from the fire or the lamp dimmed.
Why?”
“I think I have a memory of it.”
Ginny blushed.
“Why are you blushing?” asked Harry, grinning.
“Eh... nothing,” said Ginny, still blushing.
“You did something, didn’t you?”
“Like what?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t know. Did you feed me dishwater or something?”
“I wouldn’t do anything like that, you were helpless.”
“You WERE mad at me, at the time.”
“No I wasn’t. I didn’t get mad at you until after you woke up.”
“Ok, but you did something, confess.”
“I’m not telling.”
“Was it something erotic?” he asked, sheepishly.
“I would say that you preferred butterbeer.”
“Well, I do love my butterbeer. So, you’re not going to tell
me, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Never mind. I think I want to use my imagination. That will
give me something to fantasize about before I go to sleep
tonight.
Ginny giggled.
He removed the salad plate and began filling two other plates
with the main course. “We have fresh pork chops, filleted,
dipped in flour with seasonings, cooked to perfection. Along
with the meat, we have mashed potatoes made with fresh
cream, imported from Belgium and sweet butter imported
from the same Belgium cow. Fresh from the garden, we
have vegetables to match my hair and your eyes. OOPS, I
mean, my eyes and your hair, peas and carrots, lightly
seasoned with fresh sweet butter, imported from Belgium.
To top off the meal, we have freshly baked bread, made
from; none other than Miss Winky Potter, topped with sweet
butter imported from... “
“Belgium,” finished Ginny.
“Of course,” he said, grinning, as he set her plate before her.
Then he poured ice cold water into their water glasses.
He set his plate down and sat. “Tell me what you did at The
Burrow today,” he said, as he began his dinner.
Ginny had begun cutting her meat into bite size portions.
She thought a moment, the said; “First I have to tell you
about what happened last night.”
“Something happened last night?”
“Yes! He came back!” said Ginny, excitedly.
“Who?”
“Ron!”
“Where’d he go?” asked Harry, confused.
Ginny looked at him questionably, then giggled. “To his
room.”
“To his room... Oh! You meant he went back to your room?”
“Yes! He asked to speak privately with Hermione. They
went out into the hallway.”
“Wow! He’s a lot braver than me.”
“What does that mean?” asked Ginny.
“Never mind. Go on.”
“Well, of course I spied on them.”
“Of course,” he said, grinning.
“Do you want to know? or not?”
“Of course,” he said, grinning.
“Well... he kissed her! Quite passionately, I might add.”
“Wow! What’d she do?”
“Enjoyed it very much. That was a sight. Well, you can
imagine. Anyway, I could hardly keep from laughing out
loud. Before she returned, I crawled into bed and faced the
wall. I don’t think I could have kept a straight face, if I had to
face her.”
Harry grinned.
She had been taking bites of her dinner, as she told her
story.
“So, that’s it then,” said Harry.
“Not so fast. That was before the meeting. I’m not convinced
that she’s given up on you.”
“But I told her straight out, that I’m in love with you,” said
Harry.
“She hears what she wants to hear,” said Ginny.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll see,” said Ginny, uncertainly.
They both ate a good portion of their dinner before Ginny
continued. “Anyway, after we got back to The Burrow,
Mum, Dad and I talked for a while, then I went out to the
front and what do you think I found?”
“A Crumple-Horned Snorkack?”
“What? Oh! No, but almost as strange,” she giggled. “I
found Ron and Hermione wrapped in each other’s arms,
kissing, on the front steps.”
“Again?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. I hated to break them up, but Mum and Dad were
coming,” said Ginny.
“Then it’s settled then,” said Harry.
“Not quite, but things ARE looking good.”
Ginny continued to tell him about how they made the chicken
pen and captured the chickens. “You should have seen the
baby chicks. They are so precious. They are only fluffy like
that for a short time. Maybe I’ll nick one tomorrow and bring
it for you to see,” said Ginny.
Harry was enjoying her story of the day’s events. Just
watching her expressions as she talked was a treat. When
they finished eating, Harry removed their plates, then he
changed the music to his favorite slow song.
They danced together, very slowly, enjoying being in each
others’ arms. When the song was over, he walked her back
to her seat. As he stood behind her holding the chair, he
could not resist kissing the back of her bare neck.
She had worn her hair up as temptation for him to kiss her
neck. She loved it when he kissed her neck.
He gently kissed her neck and worked his way around to her
lips. Since they were completely alone, with little chance of
being interrupted, he kissed her slowly and deeply.
He had kept the whole evening going at a very slow pace,
hoping that it would give the illusion that their time was not
limited. He knew if he kept her too long, that the others would
begin to question it.
After separating from their kiss, he wrapped his arms around
her in the manner that they have been holding each other
lately, with his head resting on her head, swaying. They both
knew it was the end of their date. Ginny’s eyes began to
tear, but she looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you for
the beautiful date, Harry.”
Harry picked up the rosebud and handed it to her, then
guided her to the door. The Entrance Hall was empty. They
both stood outside the Dining Room, looking back into the
room. Harry waved his hand and the candles went out. He
reached in and closed the door.
“Harry, everything was perfect. I don’t know how you
thought of doing something so special.”
“Because I love you so much,” he said, taking her into his
arms and kissing her one more time before they would join
the others.
Hermione was in the loo at the time. She had begun to open
the door to leave, when she heard Harry and Ginny come out
of the Dining Room. The door was only opened a fraction,
but enough so that she saw and heard them. During the
kiss, she stepped back, eased the door closed and leaned
her back against it.
Harry was in love with Ginny. Really in love. Could it have
been pity? No. She had mistaken the look Harry gave Ginny
in the Chamber of Secrets as passion. It was love, but it
was mixed with passion. She saw that now.
This couldn’t be happening. Why was it such a shock? Ron
knew. Luna knew. Harry had even told Ron, he told HER.
He told it in front of all of them, even Dumbledore... and
Voldemort knew.
Ginny had always had a crush on Harry, but he had always
chosen to ignore it. She had talked with Ginny about it two
years ago. She had advised Ginny to put her crush aside
and see others. Once she did that, Ginny could talk and be
natural around Harry.
Harry had been acting so strange this year. He did things
and said things that she thought were unexpected. Such as
after the Hogsmeade battle. It was not like Harry to comfort
Ginny while she was having hysterics, but he did and did it
well. Was that when he fell in love?
Why did Harry choose someone who is ill? Someone who is
not going to hold up to his lifestyle. Obviously, they all knew
the danger.
How was she going to help them? Even Dumbledore didn’t
know what Ginny’s illness was. If she could only get to a
library...
There was a knock at the door. “Hermione,” whispered
Ginny. “Are you all right? We were getting worried.”
“Eh... I’m fine. Bit of a tummy ache. I’ll be right out,” said
Hermione. She looked in the mirror, she looked a fright.
She washed her face and decided that it was a good time for
makeup. “Accio makeup!” After fixing her face and brushing
her hair, she began to look normal again.
When she entered the Living Room, Ron was sitting on the
sofa talking to Harry; he rose. Luna had Fred were snuggled
up on one of the other sofas. Ginny was curled up on the
carpet leaning on Harry’s knees, holding a flower. He was
twirling one of her tresses between his fingers.
Ron smiled at Hermione, gesturing for her to come sit by
him. What was she going to do about Ron? She didn’t trust
him. He had become too popular. Would he drop her the
first time some pretty girl gave him a look? He was invited to
those parties. Would he go?
“What did you two have for dinner?” asked Ron.
“Belgium food,” said Ginny, grinning.
“What kind of food is that?” asked Ron.
Harry interrupted their conversation...
“Eh... Fred, could you save that for the AstronomyTower?”
asked Harry.
“Do we HAVE an Astronomy Tower?” asked Luna, unlocking
her face from Fred’s.
“No,” said Harry, grinning.
“Harry, were you being facetious?” asked Luna.
“Yes,” said Harry, grinning.
“Ha ha ha,” began Luna. Then her laughter became hearty.
She had such a crazy laugh, that everyone began laughing
along with her.
Moments later, after their laughter had settled, Luna asked;
“Harry, do you think we could GET an AstronomyTower?”
“Luna, are you being facetious?” asked Harry.
“No,” said Luna.
“I think a item that expensive would have to go through
Lupin,” said Harry, grinning.
“Oh,” she said, looking disappointed. Then she brightened.
“We could say it was for educational purposes.”
“I don’t think that’s the education he had in mind,” said
Harry.
“We could share,” said Luna, wiggling her eyebrows.
“I’ll put in a good word,” said Harry.
George abruptly entered the room. “Has anyone seen Dad?”
“I think they went upstairs,” said Luna.
“Could you go get him?” he asked Ron.
“Why? Go get him yourself,” said Ron.
“Boils,” said George, pitifully.
Fred rose, and left the room to get his father.
Hermione smiled.
Moments later, Arthur Weasley entered the room. This was
a cue for the girls to leave. Ginny gave the excuse that they
would bring back some butterbeer and snacks.
“George, you’ve had one night... ONE NIGHT! and look
what you’ve done to yourself!” said Arthur, annoyed.
“Eh... Dad, could you take them off? I was only testing and
... well... you see?” said George.
“Yes, I see. I’ve told you before, this curse has been in the
family for generations. Don’t you think it’s been tested
before? It is ‘fool proof’. You fool!” said Arthur.
“You’re right, Dad. I am. I confess. Now PLEASE take them
off,” begged George.
* * * *
Of course, Ginny had stayed close enough to the open door
to hear that conversation. She decided she heard enough
and headed for the kitchen. She told Luna and Hermione
what she heard, they all laughed.
Ginny pulled out the strawberries they had brought from The
Burrow and began making individual bowls. “This is how we
fix strawberries at our house. Ron needs to have his OWN
bowl or nobody has a chance,” said Ginny.
* * * *
Arthur left after removing George’s boils. Not the curse, but
the now existing boils.
“I’m going home!” said George, relieved, yet still
disgruntled.
Fred, Ron and Harry were talking while they waited for the
girls to get back.
“Harry, why’d you go and set up that date? How are we
supposed to compete with that?” said Ron, angrily.
“Compete?” asked Harry, surprised.
“Yeah. We can’t arrange for a private dinner. Luna and
Hermione were all soppy about your date tonight,” said Ron.
“Luna didn’t mind,” said Fred. Ron ignored him.
“I don’t know what your point is. I have little choices, since I
can barely leave this house!” spouted Harry.
Ron reddened. “Sorry, I forgot,” he said, meekly.
“Yeah, well... I don’t forget,” said Harry.
“You wouldn’t mind if I took Luna out sometime, would you?”
asked Fred.
“I don’t mind at all. It would be nice for her to go some place
nice. There’s no sense in both of us being prisoners here,”
said Harry.
“Prisoners? I didn’t think of it that way. Sorry Harry,” said
Ron.
“Never mind. I didn’t mean to be so touchy about it,” said
Harry.
The girls came back, each holding two bowls of strawberries
and cream. Ron was the first to rise and the first to grab a
bowl. Ginny went back to get the butterbeer, then they all
settled down for a game of Aggravation.
Fred and Luna slipped out of the room after each won,
leaving the others to compete for the finish. Ron, then
Hermione closed out. They disappeared, leaving Harry and
Ginny battling it out. Just as Ginny finished leaving Harry the
loser, they noticed the others were all gone. “I think we were
‘set up’, “ said Harry.
“Nah, they all have their own agenda. Hermione’s last night,
Ron would be saying his good-byes to hold her over until the
end of July. Luna is teaching Fred Astronomy,” said Ginny.
“See what I mean?” said Harry.
“Yeah, left us old folks alone.”
“You don’t suppose I could sneak a kiss, do you?” asked
Harry.
* * * *
Ron took Hermione’s hand and led her to the Defense Room.
They sat at the table at the end of the room.
“Ginny looked really healthy after her date, didn’t she?” said
Hermione.
“Yeah. Being with Harry always cheers her up. She loves
him, ya know,” said Ron.
“Yes,” said Hermione.
“Well... yeah. I mean... she’s fine with Harry, but I’ve kept
my eye on her all year. I didn’t like it when she and Harry
broke up and she was gonna go to the ball with that git, but
she came to reason and dropped him,” he said.
“You really have been watching out for her this year, haven’t
you? You are such a good brother. It must be nice to have a
big brother like you to watch out for her,” she said, warmly.
“Yeah, well... that’s all part if it, isn’t it? Hermione... you’ve
always felt... safe, right? You’ve always known that Harry
and I were always there for you, right?” he asked.
“Eh... yes, of course,” said Hermione, thoughtfully.
“If anything around your house doesn’t feel right, you’ll come
to The Burrow, won’t you? Just be very careful. Dumbledore
doesn’t give warnings like that, unless he thinks... well, you
know,” said Ron, seriously.
“Don’t you think I can take care of myself?”
“’Course, you can. But with your parents being Muggles and
all, they couldn’t help you... if... I don’t like you being off
alone, is all,” said Ron.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I know, but you’ll be gone off a long time. Maybe I could
see you. There’s this party, Justin Finch-Fletchley is giving
one. Eh... third week of July, a Saturday. Would you come
as my date?” he asked, holding his breath.
Hermione was taken by surprise. She never thought about
him inviting HER to one of the parties. “I’ll have to check the
calendar. I might already be here by then. I didn’t get a
specific date about when I will be returning.”
“Even better,” he said, thinking he wouldn’t have to face her
father. “I mean, well, in case you are invited by someone
else, would you go with me?” he asked again.
“If I can, I’ll write you and let you know,” said Hermione,
beaming. “What kind of party is it?” she asked.
“Eh... I’m not sure. I think it’s a birthday party. Not sure. I’ll
let you know.”
“Oh, Ron, I’m so excited. I hope it all turns out.”
“Yeah. Eh... may I...”
He didn’t get a chance to finish before Hermione put her
arms around him and gave him a hug. He took the
opportunity to kiss her cheek. She paused, then boldly
kissed his lips. They were engrossed in each others arms,
when the door opened.
“Ron, Hermione, it’s time we all turned in now. We have to
get up early to take Hermione back,” said Molly.
Ron startled, but Hermione just smiled. “We’ll be up in just a
moment,” she said.
“Ron, your father always put a little Sticking Charm on the
door. It didn’t stop the door from opening, but it gave just
enough warning for us to finish our... conversation,” said
Molly, winking, as she left, closing the door.
“Blimey!” said Ron, in shock.
“Where were we?” asked Hermione. Ron grinned.
* * * * *
As Harry lie in bed, he thought about the last few days. His
emotions had gone to every extreme humanly possible.
Thoughts and ideas were flashing in his head, too many
thoughts. His brain was tired. He tried to focus on one
thought; Ginny.
The date went well. He made her eyes shine. That’s all he
really wanted, to make her happy and forget about the
burden for a little while. He knew that even if everything was
not perfect, that Ginny would have still appreciated the
effort. But all in all, it was about as perfect as it could get.
He had gotten the idea while he had his lunch meeting with
Dumbledore. The Dining Room was almost the most
beautiful room in the house. He thought his bedroom was
the most beautiful, but he didn’t think that the others would
go for his taking Ginny to his bedroom for dinner. He
grinned.
Now, what could she have done to him while he was
completely out? It would have had to be something really
strange. Although she blushed, she was grinning. Ginny
could be quite mischievous. His thoughts were whirling...
* * * *
Dumbledore sat at his desk, looking weary from all the
responsibilities of his position. Severus Snape entered and
sat in the chair before him.
“Good evening, Severus.”
“Peter Pettigrew is missing,” said Snape.
“How long?”
“A few weeks, since right before term ended.”
“That long... perhaps he has followed in the footsteps of
other Death Eaters in abandoning his master.”
“I doubt it. He is too cowardly. The Dark Lord has been
searching tirelessly for him,” said Snape.
“Is there any significance to this?”
Snape looked at him questionably. “He knows things...
things the Dark Lord would not want revealed to certain
people.”
“I see,”
“The Dark Lord seems to think that I would be foremost in
finding him,” said Snape.
“Why would that be?”
“He was last seen here at Hogwarts, my territory, so to
speak,” said Snape.
“Inside Hogwarts? Interesting,” said Dumbledore.
“I have searched the entire castle. He is nowhere to be
found,” said Snape.
“If he has not deserted his master, I’m sure he will surface
sooner or later.”
“I seem to be responsible for his whereabouts. I need to find
him,” said Snape.
“Perhaps he was eaten by a cat. There are several here at
the castle,” said Dumbledore, off handedly.
“It would be a justified end to him,” sneered Snape.
“Ah, Severus, old childhood animosity.”
“If you were to hear word of him...”
“Of course.”
“On another matter, I was refused entrance to Headquarters
today,” said Snape.
“Were you, now?”
“Why that little... if he only knew what I have done for him,”
growled Snape.
“But he does not know, and I believe he should continue not
to know,” said Dumbledore, patiently.
“The Dark Lord wants to know what he is up to.”
“Of course he does,” sighed Dumbledore.
“I was the only one who had entrance.”
“Harry is continuing to do what he did last year at this time,”
said Dumbledore.
“Which is nothing. He needs guidance, not self indulgence.
He needs to be learning skills in order to complete the task
he was destined to do. He could have defeated him by now.
Let me teach him,” said Snape.
“Do you know what skills to teach him to defeat Voldemort?
Perhaps potions? Do you think Voldemort would use a
potion on him?” said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.
“You are being facetious, while he Dark Lord is growing
stronger, while Potter indulges himself with Quidditch and
playing with his little friends.
“Patience, Severus.”
* * * *
Chapter 55: Chap 55- Photographic Memory
Author's Notes: Beta by Wolfs_Scream - - THANKIE! SUMMARY: Ginny sleeps late -- What is Hermione doing in Harry’s room? -- A ticklish situation -- Harry has chicks on his mind --------------
Chapter Fifty-five - Photographic Memory
Harry awoke early. Knowing that Ginny was safe here, he
slept very well. He hoped, she slept well too.
“Winky!” said Harry.
Crack! “Yes sir, Harry Potter,” said Winky.
“When Mrs. Weasley wakes, please send her to my room
before she wakes anyone else,” instructed Harry.
“Yes sir, Harry Potter,” said Winky, then she disappeared
with a crack.
Harry was dressed when Mrs. Weasley knocked lightly on his
door. Harry invited her in and offered her a chair at the
corner table.
“What is it, Harry?” she asked.
“I should have thought of this last night, before we all went to
bed,” he started. “When you go to wake Hermione, if Ginny
is still sleeping, I want you both to be very quiet and not
wake her. Have Hermione dress in my room, so that she
doesn’t disturb Ginny.”
“Why? She will want to be there when Hermione leaves this
morning,” said Molly.
“We know she hasn’t been sleeping well. I want Ginny to get
as much rest as possible. She doesn’t have to worry about
someone grabbing her in her sleep here. We will just tell
Hermione that Ginny is finally getting some rest and she
needs to sleep in, she will understand.”
“Oh Harry, you’re right. My poor baby,” said Molly, tears
welling.
Harry led her to the door, then went on downstairs to the
kitchen. Winky and Dobby had started breakfast. Harry
began helping them, when Arthur showed up. Harry filled
two cups of coffee and gestured for him to follow. They went
up to the Defense Room and sat at the table.
Harry put up a Silencing Charm. “I wanted to have a quick
word before you left for The Burrow this morning. Ginny is
still sleeping. I asked Mrs. Weasley to let her sleep in this
morning. I want her to wake up naturally.”
“She would want to say good-bye to Hermione before she
leaves, and Ron will wonder,” said Arthur.
“No, they will understand. They both think that Ginny is ill, so
it won’t bother them. Ginny’s health is more important than
saying good-bye. I will do that for her. Ginny will be fine with
it,” said Harry.
“What about being seen this morning at The Burrow? She
should be around this morning. Ron and I plan to work on
the chicken coop. It would be a good excuse for her to be
out there,” said Arthur.
“Ginny will be there AFTER she wakes naturally and AFTER
she has had breakfast,” said Harry, firmly.
“But she has had a routine of going out early, then again later
in the afternoon,” said Arthur.
“She told me that its been very hot lately. Today she can go
out for a short time later this morning, unless she really
sleeps late, then it will be later this evening when it has
cooled off for the day. I don’t think it’s natural to go out at the
same times every day, anyway. Normal people don’t do the
same thing every day. They do things and go places. The
girls are going to want to go shopping before my birthday. I
will be expecting presents,” he said, seriously.
“Did she tell you that she wasn’t sleeping?” asked Arthur.
“No. She wouldn’t tell me anything like that. She doesn’t
want me to worry about her. But she hasn’t been sleeping
and it will only get worse,” said Harry.
“Worse?”
“Of course. Each day it is only going to get harder. He is
taking his sweet time with the spell. We don’t have a clue
when this will be over. I never thought it would take this long.
I thought it would be easier at home, but it was actually
easier at school. Anyway, every day she will be thinking
that ‘today’s the day’. Her nerves are going to get worse,”
said Harry.
“Did she tell you this last night?”
“No. We didn’t talk about anything that had to do with THAT
last night. Last night was a ‘date’. She needs time to think of
other things, it will become too much if she doesn’t.”
Arthur nodded.
“Ginny will become ill if she doesn’t get proper rest. I know
she doesn’t sleep well at The Burrow. If she doesn’t get
sleep, then she needs to come here. She could take naps
here in the afternoon, if need be. I don’t want her to wait until
she can’t stand it any more. When she gets frightened, I
want her to come here to me. I don’t want her to wait until
she gets as bad as she did the other day.”
“What if he comes for her and she’s not there?”
“That’s his problem. He will have to come back, won’t he?
We don’t have to make it easy for him.”
“She wants this to be over as soon as possible,” said Arthur.
“I know, but he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry. This could
go on for years. She has to live a normal life or as normal as
possible.”
“Years?”
“It won’t. I will put a stop to it all if I have to.”
“But what about...” started Arthur.
“I don’t care.”
“Do you have some other plan?” asked Arthur.
Harry paused, thinking about THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE,
then lied. “No.”
Arthur nodded, but knew Harry was lying.
They both looked directly into each other’s eyes. Neither
saying a word, but they both understood each other perfectly.
* * * *
After Hermione went to the loo, she entered Harry’s master
bedroom. She hadn’t seen it yet. It was beautiful. It was a
sharp contrast to Ron’s room at The Burrow.
The beautiful plush green carpet and the velvet bedspread,
along with the drapes, gave it a formal look. The two oil
paintings added color, richness and class. On each of the
dressers and tables were gold framed photos, which gave
the room a homey feeling. Winky kept the room very neat
and clean. She smiled to herself. She knew that Harry had
nothing to do with the cleanliness, Winky would have made
sure it was clean without his asking.
She quickly changed for her return home. As she brushed
her hair before the mirror above the dresser, she couldn’t
help but look at all the framed photos. There was one of
Hagrid sitting on Sirius’ restored motorcycle and all of them
surrounding him. There was one of Harry, Ginny and Luna
proudly displaying the Snape toilet seat. Another one was of
her and Ron dancing together at the Christmas ball. She
hadn’t realized that their picture was being taken at the time.
She looked a little nervous, but Ron actually looked natural,
very handsome.
She shuffled the photos around to see others. Lee and
Nancy, Ron and Sylvia, Luna with Fred and George.
There was one of her and Neville. She studied it for a
moment. It was from the Harvest Ball. Neville had his hand
over hers and was looking at her fondly. She sat it down and
picked up another of her and Neville from the Christmas Ball.
Neville was leaning into the frame with his arm on the back of
her chair, smiling at the camera.
She walked over to another dresser that had framed photos.
There was another photo of her and Neville. It was from the
Valentines Ball. Neville had leaned toward her for the
picture, but he was looking off towards something off
camera. They were both smiling, but not at each other. Her
thoughts ran to the differences in Neville in each picture, how
his feelings about her had changed over the months. She
noticed that she was smiling in all of them, but no other clue
to show how she felt about Neville.
There was one of Ron in the middle of one of the Quidditch
games. He had just stopped a goal and was flying around
looking triumphant. Another of Ron when he won his award,
being kissed by Madam Rosmerta, she had a copy of that
one.
She walked over to the large round corner table. Centered
towards the back was a beautiful large vase, that captured
the colors from the rest of the room. Before it were three
gold framed photos. They were of Harry and Ginny from
each of the balls. In each one, Harry would look up towards
the camera, smile, then would turn and look towards Ginny
tenderly. Ginny smiled in each one, then her eyes would
always look down at Harry’s hand that was resting on the
table. The only difference in each, was the color of the
tablecloth and what they were wearing.
On each side of his bed was a night table with a lamp and
two gold frames. She picked up a frame from the far side
table, a close-up of Ginny crossing her eyes and sticking out
her tongue then laughing with glee. The other was of Ginny
pointing her finger at Ron and laughing. Ron was wearing
his ‘stripes’ from the Harvest ball. He looked angry and gave
the camera a rude hand gesture. “What an ugly picture to
wake up to,” she thought, but she could not help but giggle.
She walked back around the bed and sat on the edge. She
picked up a framed close-up of Ginny. She looked very
pretty with her soft smile. The last remaining photo was of
Harry and Ginny from the Christmas Ball. She knew
because Ginny was wearing the red gown. They were
dancing to a slower song. Harry had just released her to
twirl, then she whirled back into his arms. There was no
mistaking the look of love on his face. It was something of a
shock to see his expression. Colin was either very lucky or a
fine photographer.
She reflected back to the balls. Did she know that they were
in love then? Yes. If asked, she would have said they were
in love. She remembered that she thought it was cute that
Harry finally noticed Ginny. Yes, she thought he was in love,
but a school age crush kind of love, nothing more than that.
This was something different. He had that same look last
night right before he kissed Ginny. There was no mistaking
it, seeing was believing. Now that she knew their relationship
was real, she would never try to come between them.
She would have been a better choice for him, being that she
was so intelligent and gifted. Ginny would not be an asset.
Since it had already gone too far, he had fallen in love with
Ginny, she would just have to help him protect her.
She sat the frame back, reflecting. The few dates she had
with other boys this year, were a total waste of time.
Groping sessions is what she called them. All the boys
seemed to have one thing on their mind, they were all the
same. If she talked to one who seemed to have some
intelligence, once he found a private spot to be alone, he
became mindless. They wouldn’t have cared if she spoke
English, with further thought, they would probably have
preferred that she didn’t. Not one of them was in any way
romantic.
Neville was different. He respected her as a person.
Although he did kiss her, he didn’t grope. He had an interest
in her other than mindless snogging. The problem with
Neville was that there just wasn’t any “spark” between them.
They both slowly lost interest. She still liked him but not as a
love interest.
She shouldn’t have let Ron kiss her. That was a mistake.
She had a weak moment. She wanted to know if his kiss
would be as she imagined it would be like, would there be
any “spark” between them. Well, she found out, there was
not only “spark” but “flames”. She didn’t let it stop with only
one kiss, either. She let him kiss her several times this
weekend. Each one better than the last. She could feel her
face heating up, just thinking about it.
He hurt her too many times over the years. Last fall was the
worst. She thought that he finally would ask her to be his
girlfriend after the party last fall. He had treated her like a
real date; he even held her chair at dinner. He gave her
attention between songs that he sang, and made her feel
special. She thought he would kiss her that night, but he
rushed away, leaving her at the door.
After they started back to school, he just treated her the
same old way. There didn’t seem to be any difference,
except for a few times she thought he was looking at her
fondly. She waited patiently for him to ask her out to
Hogsmeade. When it was mentioned, she thought he was
looking at her in a way that meant he would ask her, but he
didn’t ask. She cried every night.
When Neville asked, she decided that she would not wait
any longer. It would be nice to go with Neville to
Hogsmeade. He was attentive and probably would be fun.
Ron had followed them around, which was amusing. She
hoped it was because he cared about her. Then the attack
changed the whole situation.
She still had hope when the Harvest Ball was announced,
but again, he didn’t ask. More tears... When Neville asked,
she decided she would not stay up in her dorm, secretly
crying over Ron any more. Even Harry thought that Ron
wanted to date her. He told her that Ron was upset. But
then, he started dating other girls. When Ron showed up
with another date, she knew. Obviously, he wasn’t interested.
She would give up on him.
The Christmas Ball was like a slap in the face. Bringing
those two “scarlet women”, as Ron would have called them a
few years back, was an insult to her, Nancy, Luna and
Ginny. She kept all her feelings inside, appearing to
everyone that nothing was bothering her. That night, she
again, cried herself to sleep. That was the last straw. She
promised herself she would never cry over Ron again.
School was her life. There was little time for anything but
studies and D.A. this year. Harry and Ron were her best
friends, they were her whole world. She had always
centered her life around them. Without them, she was alone.
Since Harry and Ron were her best friends, she didn’t have
anyone to talk to about this problem. She couldn’t talk about
it to Ron, obviously. Harry, being Ron’s best friend, would
be no help. Harry had always tried to keep himself out of the
arguments between her and Ron. Also, they didn’t really talk
about romances. When Harry started going with Cho, they
didn’t talk about it very much, that was a relationship outside
of their circle.
She didn’t have any close girl friends. She used to talk to
Ginny about things, but she couldn’t talk to Ginny about this,
he was her brother. Luna... she was just “weird”. She didn’t
feel that either of them would understand what it was like to
be in love with someone who didn’t seem to care.
She didn’t have talks with the other girls, everyone was just
too busy and the other girls her age were just silly. Their
solution to boy problems was either changing their hair style
or a new outfit. She attempted to talk to her mother about it
once, but that only led to a lecture about boys being a
distraction from her studies. So, she faced her problem
alone.
She shouldn’t have let Ron kiss her... She was frightened.
She had already been hurt by Ron too many times. Her
heart was very tender at the moment. Ron had always hurt
her more than anyone else had ever hurt her. If she were to
give her heart to him and he crushed it, she didn’t think she
could stand it.
Things had changed this year. Ron was dating. He was
used to dating pretty girls. He had always had a weakness
for pretty girls. Since there weren’t any other girls around for
him to date now, he might just be using her until another one
was available. The first pretty girl to show any interest would
have him dropping her, like she didn’t exist. She sighed.
He had plenty of offers. Lisa, for one. She noticed at the ball,
that Lisa was the center of some kind of secret. She may
have had a crush on Harry. Harry seemed uneasy around
her. Lisa and Ginny had strange conversations. Ginny didn’t
like her. Ron seemed oblivious to the whole situation, but
there was some kind of undercurrent. Ron seemed to like
her, but she didn’t think he was in love with Lisa. From that
letter, Lisa was obviously still interested. Was Ron?
She had only read a few of his letters. The stack was large.
There could be mail from other girls that he could be
interested in.
On the good side, she knew that he probably would not be
going to that party that Seamus and Dean were going to.
George’s boils made her realize that that would put a damper
on his dating loose girls. She grinned.
What was she going to do? She had promised herself that
she was over him. She couldn’t trust him. She trusted him
with her life, but not her heart.
He DID ask her to Justin’s party. Was he really interested?
His kisses were so good. He knew what to do with his lips,
but did he know what to do with her heart?
Tears began streaming down her face. She promised she
wouldn’t do that again. A tap on the door brought her back
to the present. She stood and quickly wiped her tears, as the
door opened.
“Hermione?” asked Ron, entering the room. “What’s the
matter? Have you been crying?” he asked, walking up to
her.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” she said, with a faltering smile.
“Hermione?” He cupped her cheek, looking into her eyes.
She tried to turn away. “Hermione?” he repeated, turning
her face back to his.
“Let me kiss you,” he said, softly She tried to turn her face
again. He turned it back and gently kissed her lips. He
paused, then again, kissed her gently. Tears fell from
Hermione’s eyes. He kissed her again, a deeper, more
passionate kiss. She melted into the kiss pouring all her
emotions into it. Ron knew he had her. He grinned as he
responded by pouring in all his pent-up love. The kiss went
on and on... Each casting their doubts and fears away.
Harry stood in the doorway watching his two best friends in a
deep, passionate kiss, in the middle of his bedroom. He felt
uncomfortable, but knew it was for the best. He waited
another moment, believing that they were winding down,
before he loudly cleared his throat. They startled, then
separated.
“Breakfast is ready. Your dad is looking for you. I told him
that I would find you,” Harry told Ron, grinning. “I’ll just take
your bag. Is this everything?” he asked Hermione.
“Eh... yeah... thank you Harry,” said Hermione.
Harry followed Ron and Hermione across the landing and
down the stairs. He thought he would give them another
minute alone, but decided against it, because Mr. and Mrs.
Weasley might walk in on them.
As they walked to the kitchen, Ron thought it was time for
them to talk about their relationship. He knew that if they
didn’t talk, he could easily loose the ground that he had
made with her. He should have talked to her about it last
night, instead of doing all that kissing. It was too late now.
His parents would not understand that he needed to talk
seriously with Hermione this morning.
What he didn’t know, was that Molly would have gladly given
them a few minutes to talk seriously about their relationship.
Molly’s concern at the moment, was to get Hermione back to
her parents, so they would be more apt to let her return.
What SHE didn’t know, was that the Grangers could care
less what time Hermione came back today, if it was at a
reasonable hour.
Molly assumed that all mothers who had children who went
off to school for most of the year, would want them to be with
them as much as possible during the holidays. She didn’t
want to intrude. She did not know, that Mr. and Mrs. Granger
were more concerned with each other and their careers, than
with Hermione. It was not that they did not love her, she was
just a bother to their schedules. They simply didn’t know what
to do with her. That is why they always let her spend
holidays with the Weasleys when she was invited.
Harry and Luna were not the only motherless children under
Molly’s care. She did not know that the times they went
shopping with Mrs. Granger last year, were the only times
that Hermione actually spent with her mother last summer.
Hermione ate at the dinner table with her parents each night
that they were not out together, but that was the extent of
their time spent with her. Hermione spent most of her time,
in her room reading.
The time spent on the cruise this year, was an excuse for
the family to be together. But all they shared was the idea
that they were on a ship together and dinner each night. That
was the extent of time shared. Hermione spent most all her
time alone, filling in her day as she pleased.
Ron held Hermione’s chair for her, then sat down beside her
at the breakfast table. Although he was unusually polite to
Hermione, he started dishing out his breakfast in his usual
manner.
Hermione was unusually quiet at the table. Harry wondered if
it was because she was embarrassed by him seeing them
kiss, or if she had other things on her mind.
“Hermione, what are you planning on doing, when you get
home?” asked Luna.
“Eh... I’ll probably just catch up on some reading.”
“Me too,” said Luna, referring to her old Quibbler issues.
“Hermione, Ginny is going to be real upset that she wasn’t up
to send you off. We wanted her to sleep this morning. You
understand, don’t you?” asked Harry.
“Of course. It did take her quite a while to get to sleep last
night. Tell her that I’ll miss her. I’ll write.” said Hermione.
After they finished off breakfast, there was an awkward
moment. Harry rose and gave Hermione a big hug. “You be
very careful. If you get ANY feelings about things not being
‘right’, you come here or go to The Burrow, you
understand?”
Hermione gave him a strong hug. “I promise.”
Luna, Molly and Arthur all hugged her and wished her well.
Ron waited for last, then hugged her hard. “Be careful,
Hermione. We have to talk. Write me, OK?” he whispered.
She nodded, then reached up and kissed his cheek.
It was silent for a moment, then Ron remembered
Crookshanks. He called the cat, who came briskly into the
room. Molly held her bag and Ron handed her the cat before
they Flooed back to the Grangers.
A moment later, Ron and Arthur Flooed back to The Burrow.
* * * *
Harry silently entered Ginny’s room. She was sleeping
soundly. Before entering, he had thought that he would crawl
in bed with her and hold her as she slept, but she was not
sleeping in the position he was used to seeing her sleep.
She usually slept on the sofa on her side with her knees
curled. This morning she was lying on her back with one arm
above her head and the other stretched out hanging over the
edge of the bed. No room for him; he would have to move
her, which would wake her.
It eased his mind to see her sleeping soundly. He decided to
sit quietly on Hermione’s bed until she woke naturally.
He was fascinated just watching her, but after several
minutes, he started getting sleepy.
Ginny rolled over, mumbling; “Harry.” Her eyes flickered.
“Harry?”
“Good morning, Love”
“Harry, what are you doing in Hermione’s bed?”
“Waiting for you to open your beautiful eyes.” Harry stepped
across the room and knelt at Ginny’s bed.
“Hold that thought,” said Ginny. She scrambled out of the
bed and left the room. She went to the loo, washed her
face, brushed her teeth, and ran a brush through her hair,
then scrambled back. She climbed onto her bed from the
end, then quickly got between the sheets. She adjusted
herself, then pulled the covers up to her chin, turned her
head towards Harry and closed her eyes.
“Ginny, what are you doing?”
“Shhhhhh. I’m pretending to sleep, so you can kiss me
awake,” whispered Ginny.
“Move over,” said Harry, as he shoved her over and lay on
the bed next to her. He faced her then closed his eyes.
“Harry, what are you doing?”
“Shhhhhh. I’m pretending to be asleep, so you can kiss me
awake.”
“We can’t both be asleep for this to work. One of us has to
be awake,” said Ginny, reasonably.
“Shhhhhh,” said Harry.
Ginny was not going to let him get away with this. It was her
idea first. It seemed that he was not going to give in. Her
only other option, was to tickle him. She started on his ribs
and worked her way to his arm pits. He began giggling and
squirming. At first, this was fun, but he didn’t seem to be
trying to defend himself. She would pause a little, then
begin again. He was tossing side to side giggling. After
several minutes, she stopped.
“Harry, aren’t you going to defend yourself?”
“I don’t know what to do,” he said, after catching his breath.
“You’re supposed to try and tickle me back, while keeping
your tickle spots covered,” said Ginny.
“Tickle spots?” asked Harry.
“The places on your body that are ticklish.”
“Like this?” asked Harry, as he went for her ribs.
“Yes!” squealed Ginny. She began running around the
room, jumping from one bed to the other to escape him.
They played the tickle game until neither had enough
strength to continue.
“I better get dressed. I’m getting hungry,” she said.
“I have to kiss you first. It will be the first time to kiss you in
your pajamas,” said Harry, grinning. Ginny grinned back.
After dressing, Harry caught her arm as she started to leave
the room.
“Ginny, have you been touching your ring?”
Ginny blushed. “Eh, yeah. I confess I do sometimes when
I’m thinking about you. Why do you ask?”
“Er... I caught myself doing it. I wondered if you did it too.
We have to be careful about that. It’s a dead give-a-way.”
“You’re right. Only in bed at night or in the loo,” she told
him. He gave her another quick kiss.
“Oh! And Ginny, if you ever feel as bad as you did the other
day, don’t wait that long. You come to me. OK?”
“Yes, Love. Beat you down to the kitchen!” she said, as she
flung the door open and headed down. Harry followed.
They both arrived in the kitchen out of breath.
“What have you two been doing? I could hear you all the
way down here!” asked Molly.
“Ginny was teaching me how to play tickle,” said Harry.
“You mean, ‘tickle tickle tickle’?” asked Luna, as she
crunched her fist three times.
“Yeah,” said Harry, laughing with Ginny joining in.
“Harry has to make my breakfast. I beat him down,” said
Ginny.
Breakfast was already made, so all Harry had to do was fill
her plate. Harry chomped on a piece of bacon, as he
watched her eat.
Right before Ginny left for The Burrow, Harry summoned her
rosebud from her room. “Later, Love,” he whispered,
handing her the rose.
* * * *
Harry and Luna left Molly in the kitchen. Luna started to
head upstairs, when Harry caught her arm and led her to the
Defense Room.
He locked the door and put up a Silencing Charm. “Will you
have some time to spend with me today?” asked Harry.
“Of course. I don’t have anything that is important scheduled
for today.”
Harry grinned.
“Harry, you didn’t tell Ginny, did you?” Luna stated.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“I can tell. She didn’t look at me real funny. I think you
should tell Lupin though. I might be able to help you
sometimes. If he knew about me, it could make things
easier,” she said, seriously.
“I’ll think about it. I have another secret that I wanted to
share,” he said, as he summoned a daisy from the Dining
Room, and handing it to her.
“Thank you, Harry. I knew you were summoning things
without your wand. Did you unzip Malfoy’s pants that day?”
“Yeah, how’d you guess?”
“I thought it was either you or Dumbledore. I didn’t think it
would be Dumbledore,” she said, grinning.
“Dumbledore has a sense of humor, you know,” he said.
“Do you think Dumbledore would be protecting Ginny’s
strapless?” asked Luna, grinning.
“Strapless?”
Luna giggled.
“Anyway, I don’t want anyone but you and Ginny to know
about it, for now,” said Harry. “I want to teach you some
simple wandless spells, if you would like to learn.”
“Of course. Harry, you are the best brother,” she said.
“I thought I would be,” said Harry, grinning.
Harry proceeded to teach Luna a simple wandless spell.
* * * *
Later that early evening, Arthur went to Harry’s, using the
time to catch up on some reading. Molly returned to The
Burrow. She and Ginny went out into the garden and began
weeding around the herbs.
“What was all that about teaching Harry to tickle?” asked
Molly.
“He didn’t know how, Mum, honest,” said Ginny.
“How do you know?”
“Because I started tickling him and he just squirmed around.
He didn’t try to defend himself or anything. He told me he
didn’t know what to do. I had to show him.”
“That poor boy. Ohhh, if I EVER see that woman on the
street. Ohhh, I’d like to show her a trick or two. I know that
Harry isn’t blood related to that man... but her own flesh and
blood! She could have shown him some affection, while her
husband was at work. There is no excuse! I don’t think I
would be sent to Azkaban, if I only scratched her eyes out,”
said Molly, as she jabbed her hand trowel forcefully into the
ground. “He’s probably starved for affection!”
“He is,” said Ginny, softly.
“I don’t mean THAT,” said Molly.
“I didn’t mean THAT either, but now that you mention it...”
started Ginny, giggling.
“I get your meaning. Something happened between Ron and
Hermione,” said Molly, changing the subject.
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure. Ron was treating her very gallantly, this
morning. He actually held her chair. But Hermione... her
eyes were red. I think she’d been crying earlier. She was
unusually quiet. Thoughtful, I think.”
“You don’t think he screwed it up, do you?” asked Ginny.
Molly hesitated; “I don’t think... no, I don’t think Ron did
anything wrong, for a change. He’s so much like your
father.”
“Ron? Like Dad?” asked Ginny, astonished.
“At that age, yes. Your father was a bit thick, until I
straightened him out.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. “What about Harry? Do you
think Hermione may have been confused about which one
she wants?”
“No, I don’t think so. She didn’t look at him the way she has
been lately. No, I think she finally got the message about
you and Harry. I think her thoughts were about Ron,” said
Molly, thoughtfully.
“Mum, what if she decides she doesn’t love Ron? I think he
really cares about her,” asked Ginny, worriedly.
“It will all sort itself out,” said Molly.
* * * *
Harry and Luna spent the morning working on wandless
magic. After lunch they discussed THE HALF BLOOD
PRINCE, although they didn’t get anywhere with it. Luna
decided to re-read it. She started by trying to read it upside
down. It was a good idea, but she got nowhere with it, so
went back to reading it normally. Harry summoned some of
his old Transfiguration books and studied theory to use on
more wandless magic.
It was early evening, not long before dinner, when there was
a knock on the Defense Room door. Harry released the
charm on the door, then Lupin stuck his head in. “We’re
back, “ announced Lupin.
Luna leaped from her seat and ran to his arms. “We missed
you! Did you have fun?” Lupin blushed.
“We had a blast,” chimed in Tonks. “We went to this really
pretty island in the Pacific, with white sands and blue water.
‘Course we didn’t see much of that,” added Tonks, with a
wink.
Harry grinned at Lupin. He thought he knew exactly where
they went.
“We plan to go back in the near future,” said Lupin.
“Can’t wait ‘til next weekend!” said Tonks, excitedly.
“Mr. Weasley is reading, napping more like, in the Living
Room. Does Winky and Dobby know you’re back?” asked
Harry.
“I’ll pop in and let them know. It’s getting close to dinner
time, isn’t it?” said Lupin, leaving.
Luna went upstairs to get ready for dinner.
As Harry and Tonks left the room, they paused outside the
door. “Harry, I want to thank you for everything. Remus told
me all about his wanting to break up and you talking him out
of it. Harry, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” said
Tonks, seriously.
“I think he would have changed his mind in the long run,” said
Harry, modestly.
“And... Harry, your giving me away so formally; that was
inspired. You couldn’t have done it any better. It really made
me feel better, knowing that sometime in the future, I can tell
my family that they were represented at the wedding. Thank
you so much,” said Tonks, grabbing him for a bone crushing
hug.
Harry blushed, but was pleased. Tonks went up to change
for dinner. He watched her climbing the stairs. No sign of
clumsiness today. She was really part of his family now,
actually from two sources; Sirius and Lupin. His family was
growing indeed.
Tonks had always been a very open person, always saying
what was on her mind. He remembered when he first met
her, she was complaining to Mad-Eye about the cold while
they flew their brooms that night. Most people feared
Mad-Eye but she treated him like he was just anybody else.
She was curious and not afraid to ask personal questions.
The night of her wedding, she was complaining about her
new body shape. It was amusing, but more than that, it was
they way she treated him. She talked to him as though he
was an adult. She didn’t talk down to him. He could see why
Ginny could be best friends with her, although there was a
large age difference, Tonks would talk to Ginny on the same
level. He wondered what they talked about.
Arthur joined them for dinner. Winky and Dobby had outdid
themselves making all of Lupin’s favorites. They were
almost done, when Ron Flooed in.
“Mum and Ginny will be here in a couple of hours. I got
bored. Do you have enough for me?” asked Ron, looking at
all the food.
“No, nobody has enough food for you,” teased Harry. “You
weren’t bored, you just thought you could squeeze in
another meal. Winky do we have enough for another plate?”
“Yes sir, Harry Potter. With Weezy around, we keep plenty
extra.”
After dinner, Ron and Harry went to the Living Room and
played a few games of Wizard’s Chess. As Ron’s bishop
was chopping off Harry’s knight’s head, Ginny appeared,
holding a shoe box. Harry rose and embraced her.
“Sit down, Harry. I’m not through slaughtering you yet,” said
Ron.
“I’m going to go talk to Tonks for a bit. You continue with
your game. Harry, that knight is in bad shape,” she said,
grinning.
After they finished this last game of Wizard’s Chess, Harry
suggested Aggravation. He had lost so pitifully to Ron this
time that he thought a change of pace could only improve his
spirits. He invited Luna to join them. She seemed to be
amusing Ron with her tactics, but was ahead of both of them
throughout the game.
When Ginny arrived back, Harry excused himself from the
game. He told them that he would be spending some time
alone with her. Ron raised an eyebrow, but shrugged his
shoulders and didn’t make a comment.
Ginny led Harry to his bedroom. “I think we can risk a few
minutes in here without comment. Look what I brought,” she
said, opening the shoe box. Inside was a baby chick. She
removed it from the box, holding in her open hand. She held
the chick up to Harry’s cheek.
“It is sweet,” said Harry, enjoying the feel of the fluff on his
cheek. “How many of these did you say you have?”
“Eleven, I think. They won’t hold still, so I’m not exactly sure.
I’ve counted up to fifteen, but knew I was recounting some of
the first ones. After three tries, eleven came up twice, so
that’s the official count for now,” she said. The chick pooped
in her hand. She gently put it back into the shoe box, set it
on the bed, then cleaned her hand off.
“Ewww,” said Harry.
“It’s just chick poop. That’s what babies do best, poop. But
they are worth it, when they are sweet.”
“Just like you,” teased Harry.
“I beg your pardon. I don’t poop,” said Ginny.
“I beg your pardon. If you didn’t, you would explode.”
“I meant, I don’t poop around you,” she said.
“You could if you wanted to. I’d still love you.”
“Harry, you are gross.”
“Not as gross as that chick poop,” said Harry.
“Aw Harry, look at it,” she said, then added; “Not the poop,
the chick.”
Harry grinned. “Ok, I admit that it’s very cute and sweet.”
He watched her eyes shining as she watched the chick.
“Ginny, do you want to have chicks?”
“Raise chickens or have babies?” asked Ginny.
“Both,” he said, grinning.
“If we live here, there would have to be some altering to the
house to raise chickens.”
“And babies?”
“Not so much, if we have babies. Depends on how many we
have. How many do you want?” asked Ginny.
“Eleven,” he said, with a straight face.
“Hmmm... that could be arranged, I guess. So you want a
large family?”
“Do you?” he asked.
“As many as my body and mind will allow,” said Ginny,
thoughtfully.
“What if we had some like Fred and George? Maybe we
wouldn’t want any more after that,” said Harry, teasing.
“Oh we won’t have any babies as bad as Fred and George,
ours are going to be worse. We can terrorize everyone
when we come to visit. ‘Hide the breakables! The Potters are
coming!’ “ teased Ginny.
“Yeah! We should give them outrageous names too. So that
people will have a hard time pronouncing their names to
correct them. In the meantime, they could be getting into all
kinds of mischief,” he said, laughing.
“We could teach them to be very good at home, but when
we visit, they can go wild,” she said.
“That sounds like a very good plan. I think we should start
working on those names though. That’s a lot of names to
think of. Eleven or fifteen names. Just in case you loose
track counting. They will be running around, ya know,” said
Harry.
“I’ll work on it. I don’t want to have babies too soon. I want
to have time for just you and me to spend together,” said
Ginny, seriously.
“I agree. We need time to finish growing up, ourselves,” said
Harry. He pulled her close to him and began kissing her
neck.
“Hmmm... when are we going to get our honeymoon?” she
cooed.
“I’m going to give Lupin at least one day, before I approach
the subject,” he said into her hair.
“OK. He gets until tomorrow, then he has to work on it,” said
Ginny.
That night, before he went to sleep, Harry reflected on his
conversation with Ginny. He knew she would want to have
children, probably from their conversation last summer. But
they needed to talk about the subject. They didn’t have any
time before their marriage to actually talk about things like
that.
He pictured having lots of children. They would all look up
to him and call him “Dad”. He would cuddle and tickle them.
He found it amusing to be thinking about children. He was
still a kid, himself. No, he would be an adult in a short time.
They would definitely have to wait a while. They both
needed time to grow up... if they survived.
He decided that they would survive. He never thought about
it as being that important before, at least not for himself. He
was the last of the Potters, he did not want to be the last of
the Potters, he wanted to be the beginning of the next
generation of Potters. He felt a strong feeling of
determination. He knew they would survive, because he had
never had a stronger will to live.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_Scream
Chapter 56: Chap 56- Cheating
Author's Notes: Beta by Wolfs_scream SUMMARY: Who’s cheating who?
Chapter Fifty-six - Cheating
Harry decided that he had had enough of the indoors. He left
a message with Luna, and then went to his room. He took
out his broom, then Apparated to a spot he remembered
outside of Ottery St. Catchpole. He walked to a shaded area,
then mounted his broom.
He had not been outside for a few weeks, so the sun and the
warm breeze felt good against his skin. He had to fly low, to
keep from being spotted. He knew exactly where he was
going, but didn’t know what it would look like. He had only
seen the inside of The Burrow, since it had been rebuilt. He
came up to a plain white house with a brown asphalt roof. It
had a wooden deck that ran all the way around it. Then he
spotted the familiar shade of red hair that could only be
Ron’s.
“Harry! What are you doing here?” asked Ron.
“I wanted a bit of sun,” said Harry, as he landed beside him.
Ron had been going over his list of needed supplies, one last
time before his buying trip. “I was going to go get the stuff for
the chicken coop. Do you think you can come?” asked Ron.
“Yeah, why not? I’ll buy lunch. So, these are the famous
baby chicks,” said Harry, as he counted. “Eleven.” He
grinned.
“Harry!” Ginny leaped off the deck, running towards Harry.
“There are eleven,” said Harry, pulling Ginny into his arms.
“Harry’s going with me to go get the stuff,” said Ron.
“You are? Should you?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t see why not,” said Harry.
“Harry!” came another voice from the deck.
“Molly Dear!” yelled Harry.
“What on earth?” said Molly.
Ron, Ginny and Harry headed to the deck. “Harry’s going
with me, this morning,” said Ron.
“You are? Should you?” asked Molly, worriedly.
“Yeah. I need to get out of the house,” said Harry.
They all went into the kitchen. “When are we leaving?”
asked Harry, as he looked down at Ron’s now too-short
jeans.
“Now, I think. They should be open,” said Ron.
“Diagon Alley?” asked Harry.
“Yeah close, right near,” said Ron.
“I want to do some shopping while we’re there. Is that OK?”
asked Harry.
“Sure, we’ve got all day,” said Ron, looking at his mother.
She nodded.
Harry squeezed Ginny’s waist goodbye, then stepped into
the fireplace. Ron and Harry Flooed to Winston’s, the
place where Arthur had bought all the supplies to rebuild The
Burrow. Harry followed Ron around as Ron checked his list.
A male assistant came over to help Ron with his purchases.
Ron started to get a worried look. Harry surmised that their
estimates on goods were low.
Not wanting to embarrass Ron, Harry walked around the
outside yard, looking at lumber and brick heaps, then made
his way into the building. At the far corner were pre-built
cabinets, next to the office. Harry was opening and closing
the cabinet doors, wondering if these would be right for
Arthur’s workshop. He heard voices coming from within the
office.
“The Weasley boy is here with a list. His father told me he
would be sending him today. His father knows how to save a
knut, but doesn’t know quality. I’ve convinced him that white
is cheaper than color. I could sell him anything that was
white. Sold him that pink paint, too. Remember old lady
Primiss? She ordered that awful shade of pink, then refused
it. I sold it to Weasley at the same price as white paint,” he
chortled. “We could get rid of some old stock at a good
price, if we work this right,” said an older sounding male
voice.
“Should I go out there and take over?” asked a younger
sounding male voice.
“Nah, Alex is a pro. He’ll know right away what to do. I want
you to tell Alex to steer him towards those windows and
doors around back. You know the ones. They were water
damaged and are out of plumb. We got them looking good,
but they won’t hang properly. Tell him we will give them to
him at a good price, but charge him the normal price. Alex
knows to bump up the price on everything. Weasley has put
most everything on his account,” said the older voice.
“Weasley doesn’t pay on time?” asked the younger voice.
“Yeah, he pays on time, but I should have made his
installments bigger. If the boy buys enough, we will make
more on the interest than on the goods. Hurry, get out there
before the boy spends too much. We need to get rid of those
doors and windows,” said the older voice.
Harry froze. “The older man wants to cheat the Weasleys!
Sounds like he knows Mr. Weasley, and had been cheating
him all along,” thought Harry. He waited until the younger
man left the office, then silently left the building.
Ron looked frustrated. “I don’t understand. My dad has
been buying from here for months. His estimates can’t be
that far off,” said Ron.
The younger man whispered into the assistant’s ear, who
must be Alex.
“Come this way, Mr. Weasley. My supervisor tells me we
have an excellent price on some doors and windows. They
are on your list, aren’t they?” said Alex.
Ron’s face brightened, as he started to follow Alex around
back.
“Ron, may I see your list?” asked Harry. Ron handed him
the list. Harry turned, then wandlessly made a copy of the
list. “I have to leave for a few minutes. Continue shopping
but don’t buy anything.”
“Why?” asked Ron.
“Never you mind, just don’t buy anything until I get back,”
said Harry.
Harry left the property and walked up the street until he came
to an alley. He stopped to think for a minute. Hogsmeade
would probably have a similar store. He Apparated to
Hogsmeade and found his way to the Three Broomsticks.
Madam Rosmerta was leaning against the bar, talking to the
bar man.
“Excuse me,” said Harry.
“Harry! So good to see you! Come have a drink,” said
Madam Rosmerta.
“Eh, no thank you. I would like to ask a question, in
private,” said Harry.
They stepped away from the bar to a table near the fireplace.
“Is there a place here in Hogsmeade that sells timber, bricks
and such?” asked Harry.
“Sure. Madison and Grommet’s. Why?” she asked.
“Ron is at Winston’s of Diagon Alley. I think they are trying to
cheat him. I wanted to see if there was another place that is
more honest,” said Harry.
“Ron? Our Ron Weasley?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You go up the street until you see the Hip’s Boot. There’s a
little street on the left. Follow it, you’ll see the sign. Tell
them that I sent you and when you’re done, you both come
here and have a drink. I can’t believe anyone would try to
cheat our local hero. ‘Course Diagon Alley thinks they are so
much better than us, being that they are so close to London.
Imagine! There won’t be any shady stuff going on here in
Hogsmeade. You tell Ron he gets extra special treatment in
Hogsmeade,” she said.
“Thank you,” said Harry.
“Off you go!” said Madam Rosmerta, as she kissed him on
the cheek. “Hurry back. I want to see my hero.”
Harry followed her instructions and found the place right
away. He asked to see the owner and showed him Ron’s
list. It included the estimates and the prices that Ron had
written of the quotes from Winston’s.
“This is outrageous! Highway robbery, this is. Winston’s
huh?” said Mr. Grommet.
“Yeah, these are the prices they are quoting him. They were
also going to sell him some doors and windows that were
wrong... out of plums or something,” said Harry.
“Out of plumb, that’s p l u m b. That means they are
warped. You say this is for Ron Weasley?” asked Mr.
Grommet.
“Yes, Madam Rosmerta sent me,” said Harry.
“You tell Ron Weasley that we can beat those prices. We
can beat these estimates too. Nothing but the best for our
local hero. You tell him I said so. I’ll personally help him with
his order. Winston’s! Those crooks! I’ve said it for years.
And our hero being cheated like that. What’s the world
coming to? When will he be coming?” he asked.
“Straight away,” said Harry. “I just have to go Floo from The
Three Broomsticks.”
“No bother. You can Floo from here. Tell ol’ Winston he
went too far this time.”
Harry entered the fireplace and Flooed to Winston’s. He
started to go outside, but saw Ron in the office, through the
open door, sitting at the big oak desk. He looked deflated.
“Harry! It’s about time. I’ve went over my list and I’m not
going to be able to get everything that I wanted,” said Ron.
Mr. Winston was sitting behind the desk, pretending to look
concerned. “You can put up some of the other things later.
More like, buy as you go,” he said.
“You are Mr. Winston? The owner?” asked Harry,
recognizing his voice.
“At your service,” he said.
“No, not at my service and not at Mr. Weasley’s either,” said
Harry in a cold voice. “Ron, we are going to Hogsmeade.
Mr. Grommet has far better prices,” he said, turning to Ron.
“But Dad told me to come here. I have to put all this on his
account,” said Ron.
“No. We are going to Madison and Grommet’s. We will pay
cash,” said Harry.
“I don’t have any cash. Dad told me to put it on his account,”
said Ron.
“I will pay cash,” said Harry. He saw the look on Ron’s face,
then added; “Your dad will pay me.”
“I guess it will be OK,” said Ron, uncertainly.
“Now, if you would have said you were paying with CASH...”
started Mr. Winston.
“Come on, Ron,” said Harry.
“They were going to give me a real good deal on some doors
and windows,” said Ron, as they left the building.
“Yeah, ones that were ‘out of plumb’,” said Harry.
“What does that mean?” asked Ron.
“Warped,” said Harry. “We have to stop at Gringotts first,
then we’ll Floo from the Leaky Cauldron.
“Why’d you leave and what’s this all about?” asked Ron, as
they walked to Gringotts.
“I heard them talking in the office earlier. They have been
purposely raising the prices AND they specially wanted to
sell those doors and windows to get rid of them. They’re not
any good,” said Harry.
“Why?” asked Ron.
Harry didn’t want to tell him the truth, so... “They knew that
you didn’t know much about building costs. So, they were
going to take advantage of it.”
After going to the bank, they Flooed to the Three
Broomsticks.
“Ron! Come here, by boy,” said Madam Rosmerta, grabbing
him and kissing his cheek. “Have a drink! What’ll you
have?”
“Eh... fire whiskey?” asked Ron.
“You are ‘of age’?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s ‘of age’ since last March,” said Harry.
“You?”
“No. I’ll have a cold butterbeer,” said Harry.
“I’ll slip you anything you like,” she whispered.
“Nah, I prefer butterbeer, thanks,” said Harry.
“I’m starving,” said Ron.
Harry ordered a bag of crisps to hold them over. “We’ll eat
after we’re done at Madison and Grommet’s. I still want to
do some shopping too,” said Harry.
They finished their drinks and crisps, then went to Madison
and Grommet’s. Ron couldn’t believe how reasonable the
prices were; AND the service was excellent. He got such a
good deal that he was going to have plenty of extras and still
come below his budget.
Harry found a water fountain that he bought as a gift for The
Burrow. It was a phoenix. “It’s perfect. From out of the
ashes, The Burrow will rise,” said Harry.
Ron politely refused the gift, but ended up accepting after
some nudging.
They next went to Gladrags Wizardwear, where Harry bought
some jeans he didn’t need. It was an excuse for Ron to get
some new ones, he had outgrown all of his. They each were
fitted for new dress robes, two each, new shoes and
underclothing. Harry spotted a beautiful dark blue velvet
dress robe for Ginny. He also found a pink dress robe for
Luna. He told the clerk that the measurements would be
sent.
As they walked through the village, many eyes peeked
through windows at the pair, some people waved. Of course
Harry always drew in stares, but they were excited to see
Ron too.
They walked along, looking into shop windows. They found a
jewelry shop that looked interesting. Harry found a blue
sapphire pendant to go with Ginny’s new robes. There was a
pink sapphire pendant also, so he bought it for Luna to go
with her new robes.
Ron watched Harry in amusement. Then he saw a pretty
silver ring with carved roses on it. He had withdrawn some
money from the bank earlier, so he paid for the ring. He
didn’t say anything to Harry about it, but Harry saw and knew
it was for Hermione.
After a couple of hours of shopping, they ended back at the
Three Broomsticks. Ron said he was tired and wanted to
rest for a bit. They sat a table near the fireplace. He ordered
a Scotch and water. Later he said he wanted his vitamin C
for the day, so he ordered a Bloody Mary. After that, he
ordered Rum and Coke.
“Ron, you are going to get sick. You’re not supposed to mix
your drinks,” said Harry, sipping on his butterbeer.
“How am I supposed to know what I like, if I don’t try
everything?” asked Ron. Harry had no answer for that, but
was still concerned. It was not long before Ron started
drooping a bit.
There were few people in the Three Broomsticks when they
first arrived, but more were coming in as time went on.
Padma and Parvati, the Patil twins, walked in and came over
to their table. “Hello Ron, Harry,” purred Padma.
They both rose and each of them gave each other a hug
greeting.
“Please join us,” said Ron, perking up.
“What are you two doing today?” asked Parvati, as she sat
beside Harry.
“Only some shopping,” said Harry.
“And drinking,” said Ron, gesturing to his drink. “Can I get
you anything?”
“A Coke,” said Parvati.
“So, Ron. I haven’t seen you in a while. You still owe me a
dance,” said Padma, teasing.
“I owe you lots of dances,” said Ron, blushing.
“Time for pay back?” asked Padma, batting her eyes.
They got up from the table and began dancing.
“Ron’s had a bit too much to drink,” said Harry.
“Where’s Ginny?” asked Parvati.
“She’s home. This is a guy’s day out. We don’t have long
before we will have to head home,” said Harry, looking at his
watch. It was after five. “We’ve been gone all day.”
“Us too. We came to order new dress robes for this coming
year,” said Parvati.
“We did too. We got robes for Ginny and Luna ordered,”
said Harry.
“Ooooh, which ones?”
“Ginny has the dark blue velvet and Luna has bright pink.
Unless they decide they don’t like them or something,” said
Harry.
“The dark blue velvet with the low neckline?” asked Parvati.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
“She’ll look beautiful in it. I saw it there. It had a ‘sold’ sign
on it. I would need a lighter shade, but for Ginny it will be
perfect,” she said.
Madam Rosmerta brought Parvati’s Coke and Ron another
drink and set them on the table.
Harry looked over at Ron and Padma. They had
maneuvered their way to the corner of the room. Ron was
kissing her. Harry didn’t know what to think. Before he could
even get a thought straight, Ron separated from Padma and
swaggered over to the table and flopped down.
“She doesn’t taste right. I’m disgusted with myself,” he said,
as he swallowed his drink.
Padma, who was left standing near the corner, came back
up to the table. “Come on Parvati, I don’t need to be treated
like that.”
“Sorry,” said Harry, as the girls left.
“Ron, I think we need to get home,” said Harry.
“What for? I’m ‘of age’. I don’t need to be home at any set
hour,” said Ron, slurring his words.
“Why can’t Hermione just live with us? I want her,” said Ron.
“Eh... Ron, Hermione has a home. Eh... she’ll be back in a
few weeks,” said Harry.
“I don’t want to wait WEEKS! Let’s go get her,” said Ron,
his ears turning red. He ordered another drink, vodka and
something.
“Don’t you want to eat something?” asked Harry.
“Not hungry. Thirsty,” said Ron.
Harry began to panic. Ron was getting drunk and it was not
a pleasant drunk. “I’ll be right back,” said Harry.
“Yeah? Well, don’t take as long as you did earlier. I may
not be here,” said Ron.
Harry entered the fireplace and Flooed back to The Burrow.
“Anybody here?” yelled Harry.
Ginny ran into the room. “Harry! Are you all right? I’ve been
so worried!”
“I’m fine. Ginny, don’t worry about me. Is your dad home,
yet?” he asked, holding her.
“No, he should be home soon. Where’s Ron?” she asked.
Molly ran into the room. “Is everything all right? Where’s
Ron?”
“Everything is just fine. Eh... could you send Mr. Weasley to
the Three Broomsticks, as soon as he gets home?” asked
Harry.
“Why?” asked Molly.
“Eh... just send him along as soon as he gets home. I have
to get back,” said Harry.
“He’s drunk, isn’t he?” shouted Molly.
Harry rushed back into the fireplace and Flooed back, without
answering.
“Ron, do you need to use the loo?” asked Harry. Noticing
that Ron was drooping even more than earlier.
“What? Do you think I don’t know when to use the loo?”
asked Ron.
“I was going. Thought maybe you did too. No big deal,” said
Harry.
“I want Hermione... Harry, do you ever get ideas about my
sister?” asked Ron.
“Dangerous territory” thought Harry. “Ginny’s too young,” said
Harry, being the safest answer he could think of. “Why’d you
kiss Padma?” he said, changing the subject.
“Cause she wanted me to. What kind of question is that?”
asked Ron.
“Oh nothing. I thought you were going with Hermione, is all,”
said Harry.
“Hermione... when could I ask her to go with me? No
privacy. Hermione... oh, she’s gonna be pissed. Why’d you
let me dance with Padma for? You’re not going to tell her,
are you?” asked Ron, pitifully.
“No, I won’t tell her,” said Harry, thinking that Parvati and
Padma will probably be telling everyone about what
happened here today.
“She’ll find out. She’s smart, you know. That’s the end of it
all,” said Ron. “I gotta use the loo.”
“You want me to go with you?” asked Harry.
“What? You don’t think I can use the loo by myself?” asked
Ron.
“ ‘Course you can,” said Harry.
Ron rose from the table. “Are you coming or not?”
Harry followed Ron to the loo. This was not going to be
easy. Ron was definitely drunk and Harry didn’t have any
experience with drunks, other than Hagrid. Maybe he should
dunk Ron’s head in a water barrel. It worked for Hagrid.
“I’m gonna go get Hermione. Harry, do you know how to get
there?” asked Ron.
“No,” said Harry, truthfully.
“Well, I’m gonna go get her. I want her. She’s mine. I’ve
‘chosen’ her. What’d you think about that?” said Ron.
“I think its fine. But I don’t think right now is a good time.
Hermione will not like it that you’ve been drinking. Her
parents won’t like it either,” said Harry, reasonably.
“Oh yeah? They got no say over Hermione. She’s ‘of age’. I
haven’t been drinking that much. They were small glasses.
It’s hot in here. Let’s go get another drink. I’m thirsty,”
slurred Ron. They went back to their table.
“Rosmerta, I need another drink. It’s hot in here. Bring me
something I haven’t tried before, with ice,” said Ron.
Ron watched Madam Rosmerta walk across the room. “I
wonder how old she is. She’s still got it. I bet she don’t taste
bad. Did you know that Padma tasted bad, Harry?
Hermione don’t taste bad. She tastes good.”
CRACK! Arthur Weasley Apparated into the room. He
walked directly over to Ron and Harry’s table. “Hello boys.”
“Boys? We’re not boys, we’re men, right Harry?”
“Yeah,” said Harry. Giving Arthur a look.
“Did you get everything you need for the chicken coop?”
asked Arthur.
“Yeah, we did. Got a good deal too. I’m gonna go kick
Winston’s arse. Harry, don’t you think I should kick his
arse?”
“He deserves it, but we should wait until tomorrow,” said
Harry.
“I think we should go do it now,” said Ron.
“Tomorrow would be better. They’re closed by now,” said
Harry, thinking quickly.
“Yeah? Then let’s go get Hermione, she doesn’t close. She
doesn’t close. Do you ‘get it’, Harry?”
“Yeah, I get it, but I think we should wait on that too. I’m
hungry. Don’t you want to go home and eat?” asked Harry.
“I’m not hungry, I’m thirsty,” said Ron.
“What have you been drinking?” asked Arthur.
“Everything! I haven’t made up my mind what I like yet,” said
Ron.
Arthur rose and went over to the bar. A moment later, he
returned. “It’s time to go home,” he said.
“What time is it? It’s early. I don’t want to go home yet,” said
Ron.
“Ron, we’re going home. Your mother is worried,” said
Arthur, firmly.
“Tell her where I am, then she won’t be worried,” said Ron.
“Ronald, we are going home!” said Arthur, strongly, as he
took Ron’s arm and Apparated them away.
Harry left money on the table, picked up all the bags of
purchases they made, then waved to Madam Rosmerta and
the barman, before entering the fireplace. A moment later,
he arrived at The Burrow.
“Harry!” said Ginny, grabbing him around the waist. “Dad
took Ron up to his room. I think he’s going to be sick.”
“He should, he’s had enough to drink. I need to get home.
Lupin and Luna are probably getting worried,” said Harry.
“I’m coming too,” said Ginny. “Just give me a minute to tell
Mum.”
“You can’t come with me. I have to take my broom,” said
Harry. “Give me about twenty minutes,” he added.
“OK. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Harry went outside to the deck and fetched his broom. It was
already beginning to get dark. He flew it to a tree covered
area, got behind a tree, then Apparated home.
When he entered the kitchen, both Lupin and Luna rose
from their dinner. Tonks remained seated. “Wotcher Harry,”
she said. Harry nodded.
“Harry, we were worried sick,” said Lupin.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of
myself. Oh, that food smells good. I apologize for being late.
Ginny will be here in a minute. I’m going to shower and be
right back down,” said Harry.
The water ran dark gray as Harry showered. He had been
Flooing all day. The soot had built up on his hands, face and
hair. He quickly changed and returned to the kitchen, where
Ginny had already arrived.
“I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat was breakfast and
butterbeer all day,” said Harry, sitting at the table.
Ginny prepared him a plate and drink, then sat beside him.
“Tell us what happened today. Ron’s drunk,” said Ginny.
“Yeah, well it’s a long story. Is Ron OK?” he asked, digging
into his dinner.
“He was being sick, when I left. What’s he been drinking?”
“Everything. He wanted to see what kind of drink he liked, so
he started trying different ones. I thought he might get sick,”
said Harry.
“How many did he have?” asked Lupin.
“I have no idea. He’s been drinking all afternoon. I tried to
lure him home with food, but he said he wasn’t hungry,” said
Harry.
“OH! I will have to write that one down. That’s two times he
hasn’t been hungry,” said Luna.
“You two have been at the Leaky Cauldron all day?” asked
Lupin.
“No, the Three Broomsticks,” said Harry, munching on some
warm bread and butter.
“Molly told me that you went to Diagon Alley. How did you
end up at the Three Broomsticks?” asked Lupin.
“It’s a very long story. Shortened version, they tried to cheat
Ron at Winston’s, so we went to Hogsmeade.”
“Then you didn’t buy the supplies?” asked Ginny.
“Sure we did. Got everything and more. It’ll be all delivered
in the morning,” said Harry.
“But Ron didn’t have any money,” said Ginny.
“I paid. Mr. Weasley will pay me back,” said Harry. “By the
way, I withdrew a considerable amount of money from the
bank. I have plenty left over, so I’ll put most of it back,”
Harry told Lupin.
“You paid for the supplies?” asked Ginny.
“Yeah, your dad doesn’t have an account at Madison and
Grommet’s.”
“Dad is not going to like that,” said Ginny.
“Well, how was we supposed to get the stuff, if somebody
didn’t pay?” asked Harry, not expecting an answer.
“Harry, paying for someone’s things, especially something
that expensive, is a touchy subject. I don’t think Arthur will
be pleased,” said Lupin.
“I’ll talk to him about it. We had no choice.”
“Interfering in people’s finances is not a good thing. I’m sure
Arthur had made arrangements with Mr. Winston,” said
Lupin.
“Well, now he can make arrangements with me. What’s the
difference? At least ... That man is crooked. Don’t get me
worked up,” said Harry.
“Eh... Harry, why did Ron mention Padma Patil?” asked
Ginny.
“Padma? He mentioned Padma? When?” asked Harry.
“While he was throwing up,” said Ginny.
“Uh oh,” said Luna.
“What do you mean ‘uh oh’? “ asked Harry.
“Only that Padma fancies Ron. She’s been trying to get to
him all year,” said Luna.
“Now you tell me,” said Harry.
“Why? What happened?” asked Ginny.
Harry felt like a hare caught in a trap. It must have shown
because Ginny added; “Whatever happened will be no
secret. It’s all going to get out before morning,” said Ginny.
“Padma and Parvati showed up at the Three Broomsticks,”
said Harry.
“Uh oh,” said Luna.
“Ron screwed up, didn’t he?” asked Ginny. Harry didn’t
answer.
“Harry, who’s the worst gossip you know?” asked Ginny.
“Other than you, Lavender Brown,” said Harry, grinning.
“And who is Lavender’s best friend?” asked Ginny.
“Uh oh! Ron’s in trouble,” said Harry.
“I’ll bet he is. What did he do?” asked Ginny.
“Eh... they danced,” said Harry.
“There isn’t any music at the Broomsticks in the daytime,”
said Tonks.
“I didn’t hear any music,” said Harry, defensively.
“Did Ron snog her?” asked Tonks.
“Eh... “
“What were YOU doing while Padma and Ron were
dancing?” asked Ginny.
“Talking. We were talking about the dress robes that I
bought for you and Luna,” said Harry, brightly.
“You bought us dress robes?” asked Luna. “What color?”
“I got you a pretty bright pink and Ginny a dark blue,” said
Harry, proudly.
“Where are they?” asked Luna.
“Still at the shop. You need to send your measurements,”
said Harry.
“How long did they dance?” asked Tonks.
“Eh... I don’t know. Parvati ordered her drink, then it came. I
don’t know,” said Harry.
“Did Padma have a drink?” asked Ginny.
“No, I don’t think so. No, only one drink came, plus Ron’s,”
said Harry.
“What did they talk about before they started dancing?”
asked Luna.
“Dancing, it was only a minute or so before they got up to
dance.”
“In the daytime? Hmmm... ok, you shopped all day. That
could mean it was getting on to night time,” said Ginny.
“That’d mean that the lighting was different. They light
candles on the tables at night. Was there a candle on the
table, Harry?” asked Tonks.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t lit. I was daytime, for Merlin’s sake!”
“What was Parvati drinking?” asked Tonks.
“Coke. Look, I didn’t know I was going to be interrogated
about it, so I didn’t take notes,” said Harry, irritated.
“Did Ron ask to see her again?” asked Tonks.
“Hardly, he left her over in the corner. Came back to the
table... upset,” said Harry.
“Did Padma slap him?” asked Ginny.
“No. I don’t think so. I didn't see any marks on him. I wasn’t
watching their every move,” said Harry, defensively.
“So, they didn’t leave on speaking terms?” asked Tonks.
“No. It was kinda ugly. Padma said something about ‘not
being treated that way’ or something, then they left.”
“Oh dear,” said Ginny.
“That makes it worse?” asked Harry.
“Well... yeah. They are going to turn it into... let’s just say
that whatever happened, is going to sound much worse that
it was. Spite, you know,” said Ginny.
“I don’t understand you women! It was bad enough.
Hermione is not going to understand. I mean... maybe she
will... that’s bad enough. But to say that we were out ...”
“Looking for women,” finished Ginny.
“We weren’t out looking for women! We stopped to have a
drink. Ok, Ron had more than he should have... but you’re
making it sound like we were out looking for women... at
night!”
“Oh it’s going to sound worse than that, especially after
Lavender gets through with it,” said Ginny.
“Maybe something else will come up. Something juicier and
they will forget all about it before school starts up again,” said
Harry, hopefully.
“No way. Besides, everyone’s going to know, before the
sun sets tomorrow,” said Ginny.
“Well, at least Hermione won’t get wind of it,” said Harry.
“Are you kidding? There will be an owl on its way to
Hermione, tomorrow morning,” said Ginny.
“Oh, I see. They’re going to wait that long, huh?” said
Harry, sarcastically.
“Yes. Tonight they will refine their story” said Ginny.
“I gotta talk to Ron,” said Harry, rising. He left the kitchen,
then Apparated to Ron’s room. Ron was curled up on his
bed with a bucket beside his bed. The bucket had already
been used.
“Ron! Get up!” he said, loudly.
“Eh, what? Leave me alone. I’m sick.”
“Get up, Ron. We have to talk,” said Harry.
“No! Go away. I’m sick,” said Ron, just before he retched
and heaved into the bucket.
“Harry?” asked Arthur, opening the door.
“Yeah, it’s me. Ron has to get up,” said Harry.
Molly came up behind Arthur at the door. “I thought I heard
Harry’s voice. What’s wrong?” asked Molly.
Ron rolled over and groaned.
“Get up Ron,” said Harry, shaking Ron’s shoulder. “We
have to talk about Hermione,” he added.
“Not now,” groaned Ron.
“Yes, now! Get up! Time is getting away from us,” said
Harry.
“Can’t this wait, Harry? He’s pretty sick,” asked Molly.
“No! There will be owls flying tonight and there will be one at
Hermione’s in the morning. He has to get up,” said Harry.
“Owls? Harry, what are you talking about?” asked Ron.
“The girls reckon that the story about you and Padma will be
all over by tomorrow night. Hermione will hear about it by
morning. Get up!” said Harry.
“Who is Padma? What did he do?” asked Arthur.
“Ron, if you don’t get up. They are all going to hear the
whole story right here,” said Harry.
“It’s too late, anyway. Leave me alone,” said Ron, beginning
to retch again.
Ginny appeared at the door behind Molly. “Harry, what are
you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to get him up, so he can go see Hermione,” said
Harry.
“I don’t want to see Hermione,” said Ron. “Leave me alone.”
“You sure wanted to see her earlier. Wanted to go find her,
didn’t you? Well, now I think you better do just that,” said
Harry.
“He can’t go anywhere in his condition,” said Molly.
“He better,” said Harry.
Crack! George Apparated outside Ron’s door.
“OY! So it is true,” said George.
“What?” asked Harry.
“There was talk at the Three Broomsticks about Ron being
there earlier. Said he was pretty drunk and was carrying on
with some girl. I see that at least part of it was true,” said
George.
Ron sat up on the side of his bed. Fingers threading his hair.
“Can’t you just leave me alone? My head hurts. Stop
shouting. Can’t I just die in peace?”
“Who was he with? Anyone I know?” asked George.
“Padma,” said Ginny.
“Padma Patil? Parvati’s sister? Lavender Brown’s best
friend?” asked George.
“The same,” said Ginny.
“Bloody hell. You sure know how to pick them,” said George.
“Go away. I never get any privacy,” moaned Ron.
“I thought you had a thing for Hermione. She’s been gone
one day and you are already out pursuing sweet young
things,” said George.
“Look who’s talking,” said Ron.
“What do you mean by that? A girl goes out with me with no
expectations other than having a good time for the evening.
Make no promises, break no hearts,” said George.
“See? Even George knows better than that,” said Harry.
“Even George, Harry?”
“Sorry, You know what I mean,” said Harry.
“I’ll pretend that was some kind of compliment,” said George.
“Will you all just go away. I should be in a hospital,” moaned
Ron.
“That’s it! George, would you take Ron to St. Mungo’s?”
asked Harry.
“St. Mungo’s? Harry, that is a bit extreme, besides he needs
to learn his lesson by suffering it out,” said Arthur.
“No, it’s brilliant. Take him to St. Mungo’s and we’ll work it
out in the meantime,” said Harry.
George looked at his parents. They nodded, so he took
Ron’s arm and Apparated him away.
“Let’s all go down to the kitchen. It smells in here,”
suggested Molly.
Molly put on a pot of tea as Arthur, Ginny and Harry sat at
the kitchen table.
“What do you think his chances are?” Harry asked Ginny.
“Dunno, depends. What actually happened?” asked Ginny.
“Dunno, exactly,” said Harry. “But Luna said that Padma had
her eye on Ron, so that’s in his favor.”
“How do you reckon?” asked Arthur.
“You don’t know witches, these days. They can be very
aggressive. Ron was drinking, an easy mark. Yeah, he may
be more innocent that it looks. Got to talk to him. I hope St.
Mungo’s can do something fast,”
“I’m really confused. Yesterday morning, Hermione had
been crying, but it looked like Ron and she were getting
along fine when she left. Do have any idea what that was all
about?” asked Molly.
“No, I noticed she’d been crying too, but... well... she and
Ron were... getting along fine,” said Harry, blushing.
“Did he say anything to you about her today?” asked Molly.
“Plenty. He wanted to go see her. He wanted to bring her
back. You see? It doesn’t make sense that he was... “
started Harry.
“Yes, he mentioned going to see Hermione to me also,” said
Arthur, thoughtfully. “You see, Molly? He is too young to be
having a serious relationship. You two have pushed them
together and look what it’s caused. I told you two not to
meddle,” said Arthur.
“We haven’t done anything. I told you, we were merely
observing,” said Ginny.
“Arthur, really! We haven’t said or done anything. Ron’s got
his heart set on Hermione. It’s his own mind that’s made up,”
said Molly.
“So why was he kissing this other girl?” said Arthur.
“So he DID kiss her,” said Ginny.
“Yes, he told me she tasted awful,” said Arthur. “It was
probably all the alcohol he drank.”
“No, I don’t think so,” said Harry.
“What does that mean?” asked Arthur.
“I’m not completely sure. I need to talk to Ron,” said Harry.
Molly gave Ginny a knowing look. Ginny nodded.
“So, you’ll take Ron to see Hermione, if he wants to go?”
asked Harry.
“I don’t think...” started Arthur.
“Of course we will,” said Molly.
“But...” started Arthur.
“Arthur, if Ron can prevent her from having unnecessary
pain, it is only right that we help,” said Molly, firmly.
“I don’t approve of you helping him cheat on Hermione. He
needs to learn right from wrong,” said Arthur.
“We are not going to help him cheat on Hermione. We will
talk to him about it first. Let’s see what Ron wants to do.
Arthur, you need to calm down,” said Molly.
“Why do you think that Hermione’s going to find out about
this so soon? Certainly she wouldn’t get wind of it until
school started,” asked Arthur.
“That’s what I asked,” said Harry.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “You heard George. It’s already
getting spread about. Since, for whatever reason, it didn’t
work out for Padma; they will want their version of the story
to get out. They will have to move quickly.”
“But why tell Hermione?” asked Harry.
“Because, Padma is mad at Ron. The best way to get to
Ron is through Hermione. Everyone knows that Ron and
Hermione have a ‘thing’ for each other. They keep her up to
date on who he’s seeing,” said Ginny.
“Why would they do that?” asked Harry, confused.
“I think they tell Hermione things, because they want to get
some kind of reaction out of her,” said Ginny.
“Why would they want to do that?” asked Harry.
“Hermione is known to be a ‘Miss Know-It-All’, so they like to
show off their own expertise. She is not part of their little
group. Hermione keeps to herself most of the time that she
isn’t with us. They think that they are the ‘head gossips’ of
the school, but I doubt that. Anyway, they think that they
have all rights to any gossip about your little circle. You
being the center of all gossip in the school,” said Ginny.
“Why do they think that?” asked Harry, fascinated, yet
frightened of her answer.
“Parvati is bona fide,” said Ginny.
“Bona fide? Exactly what does that mean?” asked Harry.
“You took her to the Yule Ball, your fourth year. Everyone
knows it, so that gives her status as being someone on the
inside. Plus, she and Lavender can usually back up their
stories. They would lose their reputation if their stories
weren’t at least partly true. They will be very careful with the
wording of their story. They are going to make it sound as
bad as possible, because Ron made Padma angry, but just
enough truth to be viable. That’s why I think Ron has until the
morning before Hermione hears anything.”
“Can these young girls be that cruel?” asked Arthur, shocked.
“Treacherous, more like and yes they can,” said Ginny.
“I don’t understand this whole thing. I thought Hermione was
in love with Harry. Now she’s in love with Ron? You say
Ron is in love with Hermione, yet he kisses this other girl?”
said Arthur, completely confused.
“Hermione was never in love with me,” said Harry.
“But Harry...” said Ginny.
“She loves me, as I love her, but not in a romantic way.”
“You’re wrong, Harry. Hermione was after you,” said Ginny.
“I know. But she was never ‘in love’ with me. Did she ever
act like she was ‘in love’ with me?” asked Harry.
“Well, no. But she was after you,” said Ginny, leaning a little
closer to Harry, putting her hand on his arm. Harry put his
other hand over Ginny’s.
“When did she start getting interested in me? What were we
doing at the time? Why did she become interested in me?
We were all doing our own thing. You and I were dating.
While Ron was learning about love,” Harry.
“Eh... “ uttered Ginny.
“Ron was not learning about love with those girls. He was
playing,” said Arthur.
“Ron learned a lot about love from those girls. I mean real
love. He was taking your advice before you even gave it to
him. Ron’s always had a weakness for pretty girls. He was
dating lots of girls. He learned exactly kind of girl he
wanted... Hermione,” said Harry, wisely.
“And Hermione?” asked Molly.
“Hermione was left out. Don’t you see? It’s always been
Ron. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. She became
interested in me when I started paying attention to her. I
reckon she thought that I would be the safest person to give
her heart to,” said Harry.
“To make Ron jealous?” asked Molly.
“No, I don’t think so. It’s possible, but I think she knows I
would never hurt her the way Ron does,” said Harry.
“But she knows that Ginny loves you. Why would she want
to come between you?” asked Arthur.
“Ginny said it before, I think she’s right. Hermione treats
Ginny like Ron does. Ron thought Ginny still has that old
little girl crush. Ron didn’t think that we really cared about
each other. He seemed to think that I’m going with Ginny to
keep her away from the other boys, to help him out.”
“Why would he think that?” asked Molly.
“Because that’s what he wanted. If I’m going with Harry,
then I’m safe and he can go do as he pleases without having
to bother about me,” said Ginny.
“Yeah, safe. I never understood that. I’m the most ‘unsafe’
boyfriend you could have,” said Harry, squeezing her hand.
“Did you ever think that maybe Hermione doesn’t like me or
just doesn’t care,” asked Ginny.
“Yes. I gave it some thought, but I don’t believe that.
Hermione has always been very fond of you. No, I think it
has to do with age. Have you noticed that since Hermione
has become ‘of age’, that things seem to be childish to her?
Ron went on about you being young, his responsibility.
That’s how she sees you, very young and still having a crush
on me. I think your old crush on me is meaningless because
she is associating your feelings for me with your younger
crush.”
“Ron knows better than that,” said Ginny.
“Since when?” asked Harry.
“Quite a while, last summer, I believe,” said Ginny, blushing.
“But has Hermione been around much since he came to this
conclusion?” asked Harry.
“I guess not. I suppose they hadn’t talked about it,” said
Ginny.
“So all she was going on, is that you are so young and need
to be protected and you’ve still got that childish crush on me.
For whatever reason she decided I would make a good
boyfriend, it was easier to lure me away from you than for her
to lure Ron away from those girls,” said Harry.
“Hermione usually thinks things through,” said Ginny.
“She may have thought about it, but she hadn’t thought it all
the way through. She doesn’t love me like that. Just like it
would never have worked with Neville. It’s like a dog chasing
a car, it wouldn’t know what to do with it once it caught it,”
said Harry.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Molly.
“Of course. Didn’t you notice that once Ron started giving
her attention, she lost all interest in me? It’s kind of
insulting,” said Harry, grinning.
“Yeah, you’ve been dumped without giving you a chance,”
said Ginny, squeezing his hand again.
“I’ll just have to make do with what I got,” said Harry,
pretending to pout.
“What are you going to do?” asked Molly.
“Nothing,” said Arthur.
“But Arthur...” started Molly.
“I think that if I talked to Ron, he would feel like I’m only
lecturing him. He doesn’t need a father right now. He needs
a friend,” said Arthur. Molly turned to Harry.
“I don’t plan on doing anything but letting him know exactly
what could happen from his actions tonight. He will have to
decide from there. I don’t plan on getting between him and
Hermione. I’ve always tried to stay out of their quarrels. It’s
not easy,” said Harry.
George and Ron Apparated into The Burrow kitchen. “You’re
welcome Ron. I must be off, there are sweet young things
that need my attention,” said George, as he Apparated
away.
“That was the worst experience. You wouldn’t believe what
they did to me in there. I’d rather have just suffered it out,”
said Ron, carefully sitting at the table.
“How are you feeling?” asked Molly.
“Better, I guess. I still have a slight headache and there are
parts of me that hurt from... never mind,” said Ron, blushing.
“Is your head clear enough to talk about the situation?” asked
Arthur.
“What situation? It’s over,” said Ron, defeatedly.
“Do you know what is going to happen by morning?” asked
Harry.
“You mean, Hermione finding out? Yeah,” said Ron.
“So that’s it then. You don’t care how much she is hurt.
You’re not going to see her any more,” said Harry.
“I guess so,” said Ron.
Everyone sat in silence for several minutes. Ginny could feel
Harry trembling. He was biting his lip, trying to keep himself
under control. She was stroking his arm trying to calm him.
Her eyes were welling.
Ginny began to rise, to leave the table, when she burst out
at Ron; “Tell me that you don’t love her. Tell me!”
“Eh... “ started Ron.
Ginny began to leap at Ron, but Harry caught her around her
waist and pulled her into his lap.
“Why’d you go and tell them for?” Ron accused Harry.
“Harry didn’t tell us anything. You told on yourself in your
drunkenness,” said Arthur.
“I didn’t mean to upset you Ginny. I’m sorry,” said Ron.
“If you love her, you won’t let her find out like that!” said
Ginny, through gritted teeth, trying to get away from Harry so
that she could get at Ron.
“It’s not going to make any difference. She’s going to hear
about it,” said Ron, rising to leave the room.
“It WILL make a difference. If you love her, you can at least
tell her yourself; instead of her finding out from those cats! It
is going to hurt her a lot more,” said Ginny.
Ron turned toward her, studying her face.
“Reverse it,” said Ginny.
Ron looked at her quizzically.
“Reverse it, Ron. What if it were Hermione who kissed
someone in her drunkenness? How would you feel if
Lavender or Parvati told you about it? Think, Ron,” growled
Ginny. “At least if she is hurt, it will be from something real,
not something that they decide to come up with.”
“Take me to her,” Ron told his mother.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_scream - THANKIE !!
Chapter 57: Chap 57 - Confessions
Author's Notes: Beta by Wolfs_scream SUMMARY: Ron confesses - Hermione doesn’t want to hear it - - Will Ron have to pay? ---------------
Chapter Fifty-seven - Confessions
Ginny sank back onto Harry’s lap crying. Harry turned her to
face him. She buried her face in his neck. He rubbed her
back cooing into her ear.
“Ron, I think you should shower first,” said Molly.
“I already took a shower,” said Ron, defensively.
“I know, but I really think you should take another before we
go. It wouldn’t hurt to brush your teeth too. We have enough
time that it won’t be too late in the evening to come calling,”
said Molly.
Ron went up to shower as Harry comforted Ginny. Molly
went up to Ron’s room straightened his bed and removed the
bucket, then she went to freshen up for their visit.
Arthur left the room to leave Harry to comfort Ginny in
private. Harry placed his hands on the sides Ginny’s face
and he gently kissed her all over her face. When he felt her
body untense, he kissed her lips. After a few moments, he
helped her stand. “I think you should go freshen up. Ron is
going to think that your ‘Affliction’ has taken over,” said
Harry, gently.
“I look that bad?” asked Ginny.
“Yeah,” said Harry, squeezing her waist.
Ginny went to the sink and washed her face, then went up to
her room. Arthur saw her pass so returned to the kitchen. “I
think Ginny should stay here with me.”
Harry nodded.
“Are you going? ” asked Arthur.
“Yeah, don’t know why; as support I reckon,” said Harry,
hoping that he wouldn’t be forced to take sides. At the
moment, Ron would be on the losing end. He was very
close to hitting him right now.
Arthur nodded, then looked at Harry quizzically. “Harry, is
there any reason that Ginny should be so upset? She seems
unusually upset about Hermione hearing the news from
those girls.”
Harry thought a moment. He had an idea but wasn’t sure, if
that was what it was, he surely didn’t want to talk to his
father-in-law about it. “I’m not sure; I think her nerves are a
bit raw right now.”
He sipped his tea thinking about what had just happened. He
still didn’t have the whole story from Ron. Of course, it really
wasn’t his business about what went on between Ron and
Hermione, but he was disappointed in Ron giving up so
easily. He had held his temper with help from Ginny, but
then Ginny just suddenly went off on Ron. As Arthur had just
mentioned, she seemed more concerned about Hermione
hearing about what happened from Lavender and Parvati
than what actually happened. It was as if she knew the
feeling personally. Did she ever know that kind of hurt? If
she did, was it something that he did that others told her
about? Lisa? Or was it from before they got together,
maybe as far back as Cho?
Whatever the cause, she had enough of a burden to deal
with. How was he going to make her life better with so much
turmoil surrounding them?
* * *
Ginny entered the kitchen to see that everyone had returned
but Ron. She went directly to Harry, wrapping her arms
around his waist. Harry held her until Ron entered the room.
“Ready, I guess,” said Ron.
Ginny hugged Ron tight. “Nothing but the truth, Ron. She will
see through anything else,” she whispered in his ear.
He nodded.
“Do you have a story to tell the Grangers?” Arthur asked
Molly.
“I’ll stick to the truth as much as possible,” said Molly. She
stood between Harry and Ron, linking her arms with theirs,
then Apparated.
They appeared at the Grangers back door. There was light
filtering on the ground close to the house from the curtained
windows. Further back, the yard was in shadow, with a hint
that it was enclosed by a tall hedge or thickly grown shrubs.
“You two stand back. Go off around to the side of the house.
I’ll bring her out,” whispered Molly.
Molly knocked at the door. Mr. Granger answered it,
surprised to see Molly Weasley standing there. “Come in
Molly. Is something wrong?” he asked.
Molly stepped inside. “I would like to speak to Hermione, if I
may.”
He led her into the living room, where Mrs. Granger was
sitting, watching television. He left to go get Hermione. Mrs.
Granger turned off the television, invited her to sit down, then
asked if there was something wrong.
* * * *
Harry and Ron stood on the walkway that ran between the
Granger’s and their neighbors. There was a tall hedge that
separated the properties. The diffused light from the street
lamp and from shaded windows from the nearby houses was
the only source of light.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Padma was after me?” asked
Ron.
“I didn’t know until tonight when Luna told me,” said Harry.
“Luna? How would she know that?” asked Ron.
Harry shrugged his shoulders.
“I hate to tell her the truth, she’s only going to think I’m trying
to defend myself, which will sound like a lie,” said Ron.
“The truth will be enough,” said Harry.
“Well, you saw. I suppose I could have been more
gentlemanly, but she caught me off guard,” said Ron.
“What are you talking about?” asked Harry, irritably.
“I mean, you know. I could have pushed her off sooner, but
... well, you know... “
“So you’re saying that Padma did the kissing?” asked Harry.
“Of course, what else did you think?”
“Sorry Ron, I wasn’t watching your every move, so I didn’t
know what happened. Besides, it isn’t really any of my
business. I don’t want to interfere in your love life,” said
Harry.
“Yeah, thanks. I don’t get any privacy in my life. I didn’t
even get to ask Hermione... it’s not easy like it was for you,”
said Ron.
“Easy? What’s easy?”
“You know, asking Ginny. You already knew she would. I
have no idea what Hermione would do. It’s really hard and I
... well you know.”
“I didn’t know any such thing. What makes you think it was
easy for me?” asked Harry.
“Ginny’s always had a crush on you. You’ve known that,”
said Ron.
“I knew she USED to have a crush on me.”
“Are you really that thick?” asked Ron, not expecting an
answer.
“There were other obstacles. It wasn’t that simple,” said
Harry.
“Like what?” asked Ron.
“Like there was you AND your family, who may think that I
was betraying their trust AND her “Affliction” AND there’s
always Tom Riddle. Yeah Ron, it was real easy for me,”
said Harry, sarcastically.
“Yeah, I guess, but you KNEW about me. You knew that I
approved,” said Ron.
“Not really. You’ve let on like you would approve, but I don’t
know if you trust me with her even now,” said Harry.
“I trust you all right, but not so sure about Ginny,” said Ron.
“Careful Ron, be very careful about what you say concerning
Ginny.”
Ron didn’t respond. Harry didn’t get it. Harry doesn’t know
what it’s like to care about someone. Someone who is...
above himself. Ginny does... yes, Ginny does.
He remembered back to the beginning of last summer,
before Harry arrived. He and Ginny were talking in the living
room of The Burrow. It was a nothing conversation, nothing
of any importance. Ginny mentioned some girl’s name; that’s
what got started the whole thing. He made some comment
about Harry wouldn’t have any interest in this girl because
she wasn’t pretty enough. Ginny went cold. She was sitting
on the sofa, then suddenly her face changed. “I know I’m not
pretty enough for Harry to ever notice me, but it doesn’t
matter. I will always love him, always,” she said, then she
left the room.
Even though what was said before she made the statement
was not connected to her, she was hurt by it.
What struck him, was that she said it with little emotion. It
was stated as simply a fact. It was hard to explain to himself,
but he knew that it was a rare moment in their life; she had
let him see right into her heart and she would probably never
expose herself to him like that again.
Later, while Harry was ill, he remembered asking her how
she could stand taking care of Harry while he was so
helpless. She replied; “You know why.” That statement had
the same impact on him. He knew that if Harry would have
been in a coma for months or longer, that she would have
tended to him, feeling that it was her right to do so, because
she loved him.
After Harry was healed, he worried that Ginny might throw
herself at him. But she didn’t change when Harry was
around, not the way the other girls did. She acted her normal
self. He rarely thought about her statement and the effect
that it had on his opinion of Harry and Ginny’s romance, but
when he did think about it, it was unsettling. It was a strange
feeling to know the amount of love that his sister had for his
best friend. Although, he wanted her to be happy, he always
feared that Harry could never return that kind of love. That’s
why he was so shocked and relieved, while in the Chamber
of Secrets, when he realized that Harry was deeply in love
with Ginny.
Since they started dating, she still didn’t change much when
around Harry. She looked pleased when he entered a room,
but not “gushy.” There was a small change, she became
“softer” when she was around Harry. Now that he knew why
they had been acting so strangely, his mind was greatly
eased, except for that fact that Ginny had an “Affliction.”
It worked out for Ginny, but she knows that feeling. Harry
couldn’t understand.
Hermione was everything he ever wanted. She was brilliant
and beautiful. He was just a poor boy who barely got by in
school. Without her, he would probably have failed every
year. He was not worthy of her, but he loved her.
“Ron, do you know what you’re going to do or say to her?”
asked Harry.
“No. It’s too late to try to fix anything. The only thing I can do,
as Ginny said, is to keep her from hearing about it from
those cats first. She won’t be happy. Harry, if she “Stuns”
me, you and Mum will get me home, right?”
“Yeah, we’ll get your body back no matter what shape its in,”
said Harry, grinning.
“Thanks, Harry.”
* * * *
Hermione entered the room looking harassed. “What’s
wrong?”
Molly stood. “It’s about Ron. He’s been to St. Mungo’s.
He’s better now, but we thought that you would want to see
him,” said Molly.
“St. Mungo’s? Is he all right?” asked Hermione, worriedly.
“What happened?”
“He’s better now. I think we would only be gone about an
hour. Is that all right with you?” asked Molly, turning to the
Grangers. They nodded.
Molly and Hermione stepped out from the back door. Harry
heard the door close and stuck his head around the corner of
the house. Molly motioned for him to come and gently
pushed Hermoine towards the corner, motioning for her to go
around. Harry and Molly bent forward and snuck back into
the shadows of the yard, as not to be seen.
When Hermione rounded the corner, Ron gasped. The
diffused light shone on her hair, reflecting on her curls. It
made her hair appear glistening wet. “I can’t do this,” thought
Ron.
“Ron?”
“Yeah.”
“Your mum said you were at St. Mungo’s. What happened?”
“Was... I was drunk,” confessed Ron.
“Drunk? People don’t go to St. Mungo’s because they’re
drunk.”
“I did. It was Harry’s idea.”
“Oh.”
Ron stood frozen in place. After a bit, Hermione began
getting nervous. “Ron, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. Eh... I messed up...
really bad. I didn’t want to face you,” he said.
“Well, we’re here. You might as well tell me,” said Hermione.
“Eh... OK, I got drunk at the Three Broomsticks today. Very
drunk. Eh... Padma and Parvati showed up,” said Ron.
“Oh, I see,” said Hermione.
“You see what?”
“You and Padma. She’s been fancying you this year,” said
Hermione.
“I didn’t know that, did I?” said Ron.
“So, how does this concern me?” asked Hermione.
That was not the reaction he was expecting. He didn’t know
how to respond, so he didn’t answer. He could make out the
light shining on her eyes. He dared to step closer to her.
“Ron?”
“Everything that I do concerns you. If I didn’t run out of time,
you would know that,” he said.
“Run out of time?”
“Yesterday morning. I wanted to talk to you about us, but...
well... you know. Mum was in a hurry to get you back. I
thought we would have enough time... “
“What did you want to say?” she asked.
“Now is not the right time for that. I don’t want to... not with
you mad at me, or anything,” said Ron.
“I’m not mad at you,” said Hermione, gently.
“You should be... or think you should be... but not really...”
“Ron?” Hermione moved closer, then pulled his face down
and kissed him. The kiss was so unexpected that it threw
him off all thoughts other than this could be the last time that
she would ever let him kiss her, so held on like it was his only
link to life. When he felt that they both needed a break to
breathe, he whispered into her hair, as he kissed her neck; “I
love you more than anything in my life, please don’t leave
me.”
He felt her body tense. He knew that he went too far...
“I love you too.”
“What? Hermione, did you just say... ?”
“Yes, Ron. I love you,” she said, eyes dancing.
“You love me,” he said, joyfully lifting her up and spinning
her around. They were both laughing. He gently lowered her
back to the ground and kissed her. Then he began to panic.
It was more important than ever to explain what happened
today.
“Hermione, about Padma. I don’t have any interest in her. I
haven’t talked to her in years...” started Ron.
“I know. Shut up, Ron,” she said, deepening their kiss.
“Hermione, I really need to tell you about it,” he said, after
another moment kissing.
“Ron, I really don’t want to hear it. It’s not like we were going
together at the time,” said Hermione.
“Are we going together now? Eh... I mean... Hermione, will
you be my girl now, officially?”
“Yes.”
“You will? I mean, you’re my girl. No misunderstandings,
it’s official. You’re mine?”
“Yes, and you’re mine.”
Ron lifted her up again, spinning her. Then gently lowered
her and began kissing her again.
“Bloody hell! I forgot. Hermione, I bought something for you.
I sort of messed up. I was going to give it to you when I
asked you,” said Ron, regrettably.
“What is it?”
Ron dug in his pocket and pulled out a tiny wrapped box. He
unwrapped it. “It’s a ring,” he said.
“You bought me a ring? A ring? When did you get it?”
asked Hermione, excitedly.
“Today, I thought it was pretty. I wanted you to have it,” he
said opening the tiny box. He carefully removed the ring
and placed it on her right hand ring finger.
“It’s beautiful! Oh, Ron.”
“It’s not anything fancy or ...”
“Shut up, Ron.” she said, kissing him again.
He knew what that meant and indulged in a very passionate
kiss. Several passionate kisses...
* * * *
“What do you think they’re doing?” Harry whispered to Molly.
“It’s awfully quiet. I’m sure they put up a ‘Silencing Charm’,
but... it’s awfully quiet.”
“Yes, it has been a while. I think I’ll go take a peek,” she
whispered. She tipped-toed over, then peeked around the
corner.
“Oh my,” she whispered.
“What?” Harry whispered. “Is Ron OK?” Picturing Ron
sprawled on the ground bleeding, with Hermione standing
above him grimacing triumphantly.
“They’re kissing,” she whispered.
Harry stepped around her and peeked. They were kissing all
right. “He’s using the ‘softening her up strategy’,” he
whispered, drawing himself back.
“Oh dear,” whispered Molly.
“What? Bad idea huh?”
“I would think so. She’s going to see right through that. It will
probably make her even madder. I know I would be,”
whispered Molly.
They both tip-toed back into the shadows. They had been
standing in the dark for about a half an hour and they were
getting tired, so they sat down on the damp lawn.
“He’s taking a long time to tell her. How long to you think
they have?” asked Harry.
“I told the Grangers about an hour,” whispered Molly.
“He’s used up about half his time already. If he plans to
soften her up, then tell her, then try to win her back, he’s not
going to make it,” whispered Harry.
“I guess I should have told him how much time he had,”
whispered Molly.
They sat for another fifteen minutes before Harry couldn’t
stand it any longer. “I’m going to take another peek,” he
whispered. He tip-toed back to the corner, took a peek,
then returned.
“I think Ron’s forgotten why he’s here. They’re still at it,” he
whispered.
“One of us is going to have to go remind him,” she
whispered, looking at her watch.
“I suppose you mean me,” whispered Harry. Molly nodded.
“Well? Are you going or me?” whispered Harry, after a
couple of minutes.
“No! You go. I nodded my head, meaning that you would
be going,” Molly whispered.
Harry stood. “It’s dark, how was I supposed to see you nod
your head,” he whispered
Harry tip-toed to the corner and peeked. He sighed.
“Psssst”, whispered Harry. No reaction. “Psssst!” Harry
whispered again. “Ron!” he whispered louder.
Ron heard that time and separated from Hermione. “Be right
back. Don’t go away,” he told her.
“What?” he asked Harry, impatiently.
“You only have five minutes left. Hermione has to get back,”
whispered Harry.
“OK,” said Ron.
“Ron, are you going to tell her?” whispered Harry.
“I’m working on it,” said Ron.
“Five minutes. Your mum is getting antsy,” whispered Harry,
pointing to his watch.
“He said he was ‘working on it’,” whispered Harry, when he
got back to Molly.
“That boy! I’m gonna kill him if she doesn’t”, she whispered.
Four and a half minutes later, Harry went back to the corner
of the house, peeking. They were still at it. He noticed that
Ron had a fine technique going on, but knew he had to break
them up. He walked up the path a few steps then cleared his
throat very loudly.
“Harry! Thank you for coming tonight,” said Hermione,
beaming.
“Eh... yeah. We got to get back,” said Harry.
“Hermione, come back with me,” said Ron.
“I can’t. Dumbledore, remember?” she said, disappointedly.
“Yeah, right,” said Ron.
Hermione rushed over and gave Harry a hug. She put her
right hand in his and mashed his fingers on the ring on her
hand. Harry beamed at her. “Goodnight, Hermione. We’ll
see you soon,” he said.
“Be careful, Hermione, we’ll see you soon,” said Molly.
Hermione entered the house without looking back.
“Off we go,” said Molly, taking Ron and Harry by the arm.
* * * *
“How’s Ron?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“Much better,” said Hermione.
“What was wrong with him?”
“His heart,” said Hermione.
“It’s amazing with they can do now days,” said her father.
“Yes, it is amazing,” said Hermione, before she walked back
to her bedroom. She closed the door and looked at her ring.
It was beautiful. She didn’t tell Ron that she could barely
make it out in the dark.
On her dressing table lay a piece of parchment. She picked
it up and re-read it, then took out a fresh piece of parchment.
Posing her quill, she paused, then she began composing a
letter to Lavender Brown.
* * * *
“Ronald Weasley! What was the purpose of going tonight, if
you weren’t going to tell her?” said Molly, exasperated.
“I did,” said Ron, grinning.
“When?”
“When we first got there,” said Ron.
“Do you mean that Harry and I sat in the dark on that damp
lawn for an hour, while you two... ?” asked Molly, outraged.
“Did you want me to waste an hour I could spend with
Hermione?” he said grinning.
“Really! You’re just like your father. I may have ruined this
dress,” she said.
Ron and Harry stood grinning.
“Well?” asked Ginny.
“It’s official. We’re going together,” said Ron, lifting her up
and spinning around.
“That’s wonderful,” said Ginny, giggling.
“Thanks, Gin,” he whispered.
“What did I do?” asked Ginny.
“Let’s just say, you inspired me,” said Ron.
She hugged him and he let her down.
“You explained everything?” asked Ginny.
“Yes, of course. Well, at least as much as I could. She
really didn’t want to know too much about it. I mean, I tried,”
said Ron, thoughtfully.
“That doesn’t sound like Hermione,” said Ginny, warily.
“She already knew that Padma was after me. Anyway,
Hermione’s mine. I’ve got to go send her an owl,” he said,
excitedly, beginning to leave the room.
“Ronald, not so fast. I want a word,” said Arthur.
“Whew! Glad that’s all settled. I best be off,” said Harry. He
was heading over to give Ginny a hug before leaving when
Arthur interrupted him.
“Harry, I think you should join us. Please sit down.” Harry
looked over at Ginny, who gave him a warning look.
******
Arthur tossed some Floo powder into the fire. A moment
later Luna Flooed in, then Lupin and Tonks Apparated into
the kitchen.
“Ron! How is Hermione?” asked Luna.
“Mine! It’s official,” said Ron, grinning.
“She’s a very forgiving kind of person,” said Luna.
Molly and Ginny made drinks and snacks then left with
Tonks and Luna for the other room. But before leaving, Luna
put her finger to her ear and twisted it. Harry got the idea
that it was a warning.
“Ron, today, I sent you to buy supplies for the chicken coop.
You had a set amount to spend; also a list with estimates.
You knew that you would have to make adjustments on the
list according to the prices. It was to be a learning
experience,” said Arthur.
“It was, we learned that Winston was a crook,” said Ron.
“You were given explicit instructions about payment,” said
Arthur.
Ron blushed. Harry saw what was coming then.
“You decided to shop elsewhere, so a loan was made,” said
Arthur.
“He was upping the prices and he was going to sell me
warped doors and windows. Even Mr. Grommet said so,”
protested Ron.
“I see, but arrangements were made. How were you
expected to pay at a different establishment?” asked Arthur.
“I loaned him the money,” said Harry.
“I see. You offered to loan Ron the money?” asked Arthur.
“Yes. Winston was planning on cheating Ron, so we took
our business elsewhere,” said Harry.
“So you wanted to help,” said Arthur.
“Of course,” said Harry.
“Do you realize that now instead of one debt, there are two?
Do you know my financial situation?” asked Arthur.
“Eh... I didn’t think of it that way, but what were we
supposed to do?” asked Harry.
“What were you supposed to do? That’s a good question. A
little late to be asking now, I think,” said Arthur.
“Ron, what were you supposed to do?” asked Arthur.
“Eh... I don’t know.”
“You never thought to contact me?” asked Arthur.
“Eh... no,” said Ron.
Arthur looked to Harry. “Eh... no, I never thought of it
either,” said Harry, blushing.
“I see. A loan was made. Ron you accepted the loan?”
asked Arthur.
“Yeah, Harry said you would pay him back,” said Ron,
defensively.
“Harry said that I would pay him back. Did I say that I would
pay him back?” asked Arthur.
“No. But what’s the difference if you pay me back or
Winston? Actually I wouldn’t change you interest so you will
come out much better in the end,” said Harry, reasonably.
“But I didn’t accept a loan from you. You can’t just loan
people money without asking. This is the real world, boys.
“Well then, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to pay me
back. I would gladly give you the money,” said Harry.
“It was a gift then?” asked Arthur.
“Yes,” said Harry.
“Ron, you are to go to Madison and Grommet’s in the
morning and cancel the order,” said Arthur.
“But why?” asked Ron.
“Because we won’t accept such a large gift,” said Arthur.
“OK! It was a loan,” said Harry.
“Who did you give the money to?” asked Arthur.
“Ron.”
“Ron, did you accept the money from Harry?” asked Arthur.
“Yeah.”
“Good, then that’s settled. Now how do you expect to pay
him back?” asked Arthur.
“Me?” asked Ron.
“Yes, you. Harry offered you a loan. You accepted it. It is
YOUR responsibility to repay the loan.”
“But I don’t have any money,” said Ron.
“Then I suppose you will have to look for work. Weasleys
pay their debts, Ron.”
“But...” stammered Ron.
“You are ‘of age’. You accepted a loan, you must pay it
back,” said Arthur.
“But... I’m still in school. I can’t make enough money to pay
that much,” said Ron.
“Then I suggest that you start looking for employment first
thing in the morning ,” said Arthur, firmly.
“What if I don’t find a job?” asked Ron.
“Then I suppose you will have to start selling your things. I
am assuming that the first installment will be in thirty days.”
“I don’t have that much to sell,” said Ron.
“You have a guitar and a broom for starters,” said Arthur.
“My guitar and my broom? Bloody hell! Harry! Look what
you’ve done!” said Ron.
“You are going to blame Harry, Ron? Harry was helping you.
Don’t blame the person who lends you money when you
need it. You put yourself in this position,” said Arthur.
“No. I put him in this position. I am the one who sent him to
Madison and Grommet’s and I offered the money. I was only
trying to help,” said Harry.
“We have no doubt that you were trying to help, Harry. Your
motive is not in question,” said Arthur.
“I guess I’ll get Fred and George to give me a job,” said Ron,
defeatedly.
“Don’t assume, Ron. We don’t know Fred and George’s
finances.”
“They’re doing well,” said Ron.
“They appear to be doing well, but they are doing all their
own work. They may be making enough for a fair living, but
they may not be doing well enough to hire outside help. You
are making the mistake of assuming again,” said Arthur.
“That being said, I wish to see the bill of purchase from
today.”
“Harry has it,” said Ron.
The invoice was in Harry’s room. He didn’t want to go
through the bother of leaving and returning, so he wandlessly
summoned it to his pocket. Then he handed it to Arthur.
“That’s all of it. Minus the fountain from the total, that was a
gift,” said Harry. He watched Arthur’s face as he read the
invoice. He was blushing and paling off and on.
“Very good, very good indeed. You did a fine job. Ron are
these their regular prices on the timber?” asked Arthur.
“Let me see.” Ron took the invoice, then returned it. “Yes, I
didn’t get any extra deal on that. There were a few things
that he told me he was giving to me at special prices, but the
timber was his regular price.”
Harry summoned the list with Winston’s quotes on it and
handed it to Arthur. Again he watched Arthur’s face as he
read the quotes. Ron started to say something but Harry
kicked him from under the table. He was forming an idea as
he watched Arthur’s face simmering with anger.
“Ron, give me some money,” said Harry.
“What? I don’t have much,” said Ron.
“Just anything, give me a knut or whatever,” said Harry. Ron
pulled some change out of his pocket. Harry lifted a knut and
stated: “I am accepting this as payment for services,” said
Harry.
“For what?” asked Ron.
“You are hiring me to assist you,” said Harry. Harry watched
Arthur’s eyes as they looked from one parchment to the
other, comparing prices. He knew he had to move quickly
and very carefully for this to work. He kicked Lupin from
under the table. Lupin’s eyes widened. Then Harry
summoned parchment and ink and quill.
Harry quickly made copies of the papers and began doing
figures. He asked the interest percentage from Winston’s
and how long he would be making payments and did more
figures. He handed it to Lupin who re-checked the figures.
“According to my figures, checked by Lupin. You owe Ron
two hundred and thirteen Galleons,” said Harry.
“How do you figure?” asked Arthur.
“This is the price that Winston was going to charge. This is
the percentage that Winston would have changed. This is
the price that Ron paid, minus the fountain,” said Harry,
pointing to each figure as he read them off. “Of course I’m
just guessing about the time, so it is an approximate
number.”
“Time?”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Harry, grinning.
“How did you know how to figure this?” asked Arthur,
checking the figures.
“Winky. She insisted that I know how to do some of this.
Since house elves do most of the shopping, they pride
themselves on saving their masters’ money. Winky is a good
house elf. She knows how to save a knut. She knows when
to put things on account and when to pay cash,” said Harry.
“Isn’t it always better to pay cash?” asked Arthur.
“Not according to Winky. It depends on the shop you are
dealing with and the timing. We got your bedroom
redecorated for only a few Galleons, by her methods,” said
Harry, grinning.
“Anyway, she insisted that I learn the basics. She said that
all young masters should have some knowledge of money
management. She bullies me sometimes,” added Harry.
“How could you get that room done for only a few Galleons?”
asked Arthur, fascinated.
“Partly because we used lots of stuff we already had. Some
of the items, she bought at shops that let you wait ninety
days to pay, with little or no interest . The time that the
money remained in the bank somehow accumulated almost
as much as the price. Something about the more it costs the
better. Anyway, it ended up costing only a few Galleons. I
get lost when she starts talking about the time of day, that
factors in there somewhere,” said Harry.
“This is all well and good on paper, but the reality is quite
different,” said Arthur.
“Don’t you see? Winston lost several hundred Galleons by
us buying elsewhere. You’ve got to get some satisfaction out
of that,” said Harry.
“Yes, I see. It does, but Harry, I can not afford two
payments. That is a fact. Ron will have to pay, ” said Arthur,
blushing.
“After what he tried to do to Ron? You bought a lot of stuff
from him and he is making a lot of money from you. If
anything, he should have given Ron his best with reduced
prices. It was not right for him to take advantage of your son.
He is a dishonest man, he deserves to be punished,” said
Harry.
Arthur looked back at the figures. His face showing anger.
“I think we should pay him off,” said Harry.
“Winston? No Harry, you don’t understand,” said Arthur.
“Yes I do. Winston would have ended up getting twice the
money of the actual purchase, PLUS two hundred and
thirteen Galleons. We won’t even account for the other
money he would have gotten because Ron would have had
to buy even more to complete the project. If the things Ron
bought today lost him hundreds, a whole house should lose
him a thousand or more. Let me run some numbers,” said
Harry, grabbing a blank parchment.
A few moments later he sat back. “There, making a wild
guess at the cost of a house, he would loose over ten
thousand Galleons. TEN THOUSAND,” said Harry,
excitedly.
Arthur looked at Harry’s figures. They weren’t really too far
off the mark. “That’s all well and good, but no,” said Arthur.
“Why? Because it will be benefiting you?” said Harry.
“Harry, you don’t understand about money.”
“I understand more than you think. Your pride is a heavy
factor, but this time there is more involved,” said Harry.
“Like what?”
“Revenge,” said Harry. “There is a lot of money sitting in our
vaults at the bank. It is not doing anything but sitting there.
Let’s use it to get back at Winston,” said Harry.
“Harry, the money in the bank is drawing interest. You
would be losing money,” said Arthur, reasonably.
“Not if you paid me the difference. The interest paid to the
estate from the bank is far less than the interest on a loan.
Winky explained some of that to me,” said Harry.
“Thank you Harry, but that is not what our family does. We
pay our own way,” said Arthur.
“I understand that, but you don’t have to pay so much for
your own way,” said Harry, looking to Lupin for help.
“We could make an agreement that would be to our
advantage. Harry, run these figures,” said Lupin.
Harry worked out the figures. “Where would be the
advantage?” asked Harry.
“Add one percent,” said Lupin.
“Yes, that would be a tidy sum. What do you think, Mr.
Weasley?”
“Call me Arthur, Harry. You make me feel like an old man.
Anyway, that is a nice sum but not nearly enough,” he said.
“I wouldn’t mind having that in my pocket,” said Harry. “Look,
your payments would be much smaller and it would be paid
off in three... no four times as fast. You’d be crazy not to go
for it,” added Harry.
“I agree,” said Lupin. “The benefits would far out weigh any
pride that I would have.”
“Besides, it’s a family thing. Family should stick together,”
said Harry.
Arthur frowned, nodding towards Ron.
“No worry, he’s been sleeping since I brought out the
parchment,” said Harry, grinning.
“I don’t like this,” said Arthur.
“OK, what if I add another one percent for the chicks? That
gives you more pride and me more Galleons later,” said
Harry, grinning.
“The chicks?” asked Lupin.
“Never mind, it’s just a saying, Muggles use it,” said Harry,
thinking fast.
“So, you agree that by taking a loan from the estate, that it
would benefit both of us and get back at Winston, correct?”
Harry asked Arthur.
“Harry’s right,” said Lupin.
“Since you put it that way,” said Arthur.
“Do you see it any other way?” asked Harry.
Arthur sat thinking over the situation for several minutes. He
worked over the figures trying to see the flaw in Harry’s plan.
“Arthur, I really don’t see how this would not benefit both
parties,” said Lupin, after several minutes.
They sat at the table working out the actual figures and came
to an agreement. They shook hands on the deal, then woke
Ron to send him off to bed.
“I will run this by Winky. She will know exactly when we
should do it. Time, she always factors in time, somehow,”
said Harry.
* * * *
As Arthur and Molly lie in bed that night, Arthur reflected on
his latest disappointment.
“Ron and Harry don’t understand about the whole situation. I
can’t tell Ron and it would only upset Harry,” said Arthur.
“Arthur stop worrying about your foolish pride,” said Molly.
“They both think I’m a fool. They don’t have any idea that we
didn’t have time to save up the money to get a bank loan. So
all they know is that I let Winston cheat me all this time,” he
said, frowning.
“You can’t tell Ron that we needed the house quickly so that
Ginny would have a place to be ‘seen’. That will all have to
be explained later... when this is all over,” said Molly.
“Winston went too far. After all the money I spent, then
letting him charge a high interest on the loan, he tried to
cheat my son. You wouldn’t believe the prices he was going
to charge Ron. I had explained to Winston that it was an
educational experience for Ron. What did he do? He tried
to sell him inferior goods at inflated prices. I really wanted to
sort him out.”
“Arthur, we have enough to be going on with. We don’t need
any more drama in our life right now,” said Molly.
“I know,” he sighed.
“I let Harry and Lupin talk me into giving me a loan to pay
him off instead. It would hurt him more than if I punched him
out, but I don’t like taking personal loans from friends or
family. We Weasleys have always paid our own way.”
“Are you planning on not paying back the loan?” asked
Molly.
“No.”
“Will they be making a profit from the loan?” asked Molly.
“Yes, but only a token amount,” said Arthur.
“Arthur, Harry is your family now. He will not be pleased
when he finds out the debt you carried was to buy a house
because of You-Know-Who. He is very sensitive about what
people suffer because of him.”
“Molly, I’m tired.”
“I know you are. If it is worrying you that much, tell Harry the
situation, he will understand. About Ron... what does he
know?”
Arthur thought a moment. “He fell asleep during our
meeting. I think he only knows that Winston tried to cheat
him, not how much I was in debt to him or the interest rate.”
“Arthur, Ron won’t know the difference. Let the matter drop
and give yourself some rest. You’ve put far too much on
your shoulders. It’s time you thought about other things.”
“Such as?”
“Me,” she said, grinning, snuggling up to him.
“Right you are, Molly.”
* * * *
After Hermione finished her letter, she folded it neatly, with a
mischievous grin on her face. She put Crookshanks on her
bed and changed into her pajamas.
She lay in bed studying her beautiful new ring. The unusual
ring was silver, designed with roses carved across the top.
The bottom, a little narrower than the top, was smooth
polished silver. After a few minutes she became sleepy, so
she turned off the light and fell asleep. It was the first time, in
a very long time, that she fell asleep completely content.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_scream
Chapter 58: Chap 58 - The Vow
Author's Notes: Beta by Wolfs_scream
SUMMARY: The coop is started -- Lupin learns a secret --
Arthur learns to ask
---------------
Chapter Fifty-eight - The Vow
The next morning Harry flew his broom back to The Burrow.
Ron had already taken inventory of the supplies that were
delivered earlier. Bricks, timber, doors, windows and sacks
of cement were piled neatly all over the yard.
“It’s like a maze. Where do we start?” asked Harry.
“We have to move the broom shed and get the ground
perfectly level. Dad has to show me how to build the
foundation, then I think I know what to do from there,” said
Ron.
“Do we just lift the shed and move it?” asked Harry.
“I don’t think so. I think we will have to remove everything
from the shed or all the stuff will just fall out all over the
ground,” said Ginny, wrapping her arms around his waist
from behind.
They scrambled around finding boxes and lined them up
outside the shed. Ginny handed out hats and gloves, then
put the rest into one of the boxes. Harry and Ginny took the
old brooms and garden tools that had long handles and put
them up on the deck.
“Hey there! Do I get a box too?” called out Luna from the
deck. She had just arrived by Floo, Lupin was standing
beside her.
“We were bored and thought we would help out,” said Lupin.
“Great!” shouted Ron. “There are hats and gloves over here
in one of these boxes. You really should wear a hat, the sun
is scorching.”
Lupin levitated the boxes to the deck, as they were filled.
The morning was starting to get hot, so Ron insisted that
Ginny get out of the sun. She retreated to the deck and
began sorting, repairing and cleaning the things from the
boxes. After a few minutes, Luna joined her, since they
were almost finished emptying the shed.
Ron decided that he wanted the shed to be moved to the far
end of the chicken run. They dug around the stone flooring
of the shed to unearth the stones that were below the floor
level. It was hard and hot work, so Harry removed his shirt.
Harry went to the outside of the shed and began to remove
dirt from around the base of it, to unearth the stones below
dirt level too.
Ron asked Molly to dig a shallow trench so that the could
lower the shed in to make it more stable.
Once this was done, Molly, Ron and Lupin began levitating
the shed towards the spot Molly had prepared. Harry
watched, as he was still not supposed to use magic outside
of school until he was “of age”. The shed began teetering,
so he wandlessly helped steady it and guided it gently to the
trench previously prepared.
“Harry! You better not get sunburned,” shouted Ginny.
“What does it matter? He’s white as a ghost anyway,” said
Ron.
“If he were sunburned, Ginny wouldn’t have anywhere to put
her hands,” said Luna.
“What does that mean?” asked Ron.
“She always puts her hands around his waist or back. If
Harry were sunburned, she wouldn’t have any place to put
her hands,” said Luna.
Ron rolled his eyes and Harry grinned, as he put his shirt
back on. Harry guessed that Ginny didn’t want him getting
as sunburn right before their honeymoon.
Molly and Lupin returned to the house as Ron and Harry
began filling in the trench where the broom shed previously
stood. A few minutes later, Lupin returned with Winky.
Winky took over the task of cleaning and repairing the items
from the shed, so Ginny and Luna went into the house to
prepare lunch.
Lupin taught Ron a spell that would level sections of the
ground, so together they had the ground level in no time.
When they were done, they went to the house for lunch.
Harry remained outside on the deck.
“Why aren’t you going in the house?” asked Ron.
“I’m tired of being stuck in a house all the time. I prefer to eat
out on the deck,” answered Harry.
Ginny brought sandwiches and drinks for them to share on
the deck.
“I see that Ron’s still looking out for you,” said Harry.
“Yeah, it’s sort of sweet. But when he finds out that I’m not
ill, he’s gonna be all over me,” whispered Ginny.
“If he does, I’ll kick his ass,” whispered Harry.
“Really?” asked Ginny.
“Least I could do,” answered Harry, grinning. Ginny giggled.
In the meantime, Arthur had joined the others in the house
for lunch. When they were finished eating, they gathered on
the deck. Arthur walked around the yard looking at all the
supplies for the chicken coop.
“This is all high quality. Ron, you did an excellent job with
the purchase. What about these bricks? Tan bricks are far
more expensive,” questioned Arthur.
“Yes, they were a little more, but we won’t have to paint
them. I know that I was not supposed to pay more just to
save time, but Mr. Grommet told me that we would have to
be careful about the paint we used because of the chickens,
some paints have lead in them. Also, he said we would
have to paint every few years, so in the long term, we would
save money buying these,” said Ron, defensively.
“That makes sense. Very good, Ron,” said Arthur. Ron
beamed.
Arthur patted him on the back as they walked over to the
area where the foundation would be built. Lupin joined them,
as Arthur described exactly what needed to be done for the
foundation.
Harry asked Ginny about how she slept. She told him that
she slept OK but he saw the purple streaks under her eyes
that told him different. He suggested that she come to his
house to take a nap. So Harry, Lupin and Luna left The
Burrow right after lunch.
Luna went up to her room to read. Harry and Lupin went into
the Defense Room for a quick chat. Harry locked the door
and put up a Silencing Charm.
“I have to tell you about Luna,” started Harry.
“Is something wrong?” asked Lupin
“Luna knows about Ginny and me being married,” said Harry.
Lupin sat down hardly on the piano bench. “Oh, eh... that
does make things difficult. How did she find out?”
“She saw Ginny rubbing her ring often at The Burrow before I
arrived. She saw both of us doing it a couple of times at
school too. I wasn’t aware that I was doing it. Anyway,
Ginny also has shown dread when going outside at The
Burrow. Luna doesn’t know what that means, but she
noticed it,” said Harry.
“So, exactly how much does she know?” asked Lupin,
calmly.
“Only that we are married. She told me after we had our
‘Affliction’ meeting that ‘everyone believed our little story’.
She told me she wanted to reassure me that they all believed
it.”
“What about Fred? Does he know?”
“No. She said he didn’t have a clue. She said she would
help us cover it up if we needed her. I haven’t told the
Weasleys, Dumbledore or Ginny about it. I think they all
have enough to worry about. I thought that you should know,
though.”
“Do you feel you can trust her?” asked Lupin.
“Yes. She would not tell it willingly. I think that her knowing
is not any worse than the Weasleys knowing. Anyone could
break if tortured. I don’t believe she would crack any sooner
than they would. If that’s what you mean,” said Harry,
thoughtfully.
“It sounds so... I don’t know. You saying it like that makes it
sound so unreal, yet very real. Is she aware of the danger?”
“Yes, I believe so. She knew it was dangerous because we
hadn’t even told Ron and Hermione. She put up the
Silencing Charm when we talked about it,” said Harry.
“Nothing can be done about it now. She shouldn’t have to
worry about things like that,” Lupin said sadly.
“I know. She said that SEVEN was a very lucky number,”
said Harry.
“Leave it to Luna to say that,” said Lupin, smiling.
“Do you think we should tell the others that she knows?”
asked Harry.
“Let’s just leave it between us for a while. I agree that
Dumbledore, the Weasleys and Ginny have enough to bear
for now.”
Harry changed the subject, “I saw one of the watchers
today.”
“You mean at The Burrow?” asked Lupin.
“Yeah. I was flying straight towards him. He was up in a
tree, I could see a light reflecting off his spyglass, so I
diverted my path. I flew a bit farther towards the village and
found another set of trees, where I Apparated from,” said
Harry.
“I thought I saw a flash of light earlier today too. This one
seems to be more careless than the others or perhaps he
stayed farther back, thinking he could use the spyglass to
give him more distance. Did you see who it was?”
“Nah, but it was a male. I was sorely tempted to go back
and sort him out, but I thought better of it,” said Harry,
disappointedly.
“You did well not to. I know the pressure is always there.
How you do it, is beyond me,” said Lupin, sadly.
“Ginny. If I do something stupid to delay things, it will only be
worse for her,” said Harry.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Harry
released the Silencing Charm and opened the door to find
Ginny standing there.
“We are going into the Living Room for Ginny to take a nap,”
Harry told Lupin.
Harry closed the sliding door and closed the curtains to
darken the room. He guided her to the sofa in front of the
fireplace then sat beside her and kissed her. Then he
adjusted himself so that he could pull her against him, both
facing the fireplace.
“Harry...” started Ginny.
“No talking. You are to go to sleep. I will be silent. Maybe
we will both go to sleep and you can kiss me awake,” he
said, hopefully.
“No. I’m the one taking the nap. You have to kiss me
awake.”
“If I fall asleep, maybe you will wake first, so you could kiss
me awake.”
“No way. I’m taking the nap so you will have to kiss me
awake. That’s the deal.”
“What if I kissed you asleep then you kissed me awake?
asked Harry.
“Do you think I can sleep with you kissing me?”
“What if I kissed you real boring like?” asked Harry.
“Yeah, I could see that happening.”
“Let’s see,” turning her to kiss her.
After several minutes, they both began laughing. “Whoever
wakes first has to kiss the other one awake. There’s no
other way,” said Ginny.
“Ok,” said Harry, knowing she would cheat.
“Ok,” said Ginny, knowing he would cheat.
* * * *
At seven o’clock Arthur arrived at Harry’s and asked to speak
with him in the Defense Room. “There is going to be an
Order meeting tonight. I thought I would have a word with
you before it started. Harry... about Winston...” started
Arthur.
“I know. Don’t you think I’ve lived around you long enough
to know that you wouldn’t have paid so much, unless you had
a very good reason?” said Harry, grinning.
“Harry...”
“You did it so that Ginny would have a place to ‘be seen’.
You should have had me pay for all of it. I am responsible
for Ginny now, not you. You forget that... Arthur, I know that
you would not feel right if I paid for The Burrow. You would
not feel that it belonged to you, I understand that, so I think
that you should pay that cost. But anything else that has to
do with Ginny, I should pay for, that is my right,” said Harry.
Arthur thought a moment; “I see. Yes, of course.”
“Thank you. I want you to know that the Black Estate is there
to make our lives easier. If we need it, we will use it. If
Hagrid or anyone else that I consider family, needs money, it
will be there. I don’t plan to live off of the estate. After my
schooling, I will work and be making my own way.”
“Sirius wanted the money to be used to make us happy. I
don’t pretend to understand about money, but I know that his
family left a lot. We will use some for fixing up the house,
that he requested, and for some fun things. But most of it is
just going to sit there. I’m not fussed about having great
stores of money. Ginny and I will get by on what I earn,”
added Harry.
“All right, Harry,” said Arthur.
“I hope you understand that my family stretches out a little
further than what would be considered ‘normal’. Anyway, we
have to stick together more than ever. If we need something,
we need to ask. Because, if Ginny or I need anything, I’m
going to ask. Do you understand?” asked Harry.
“Of course,” said Arthur.
“You understand when WE ask, but not for yourself. Arthur it
has to go in a circle. We all ask if we need to.”
“All right Harry. We all ask.”
“Wednesday next, 5:49 p.m.” said Harry.
“What is Wednesday next?” asked Arthur.
“That is when it will be the perfect time to pay off Winston.
Winky has it all sorted out. That will be the worst time for
Winston, financially speaking,” said Harry, grinning.
“She has it figured out to the exact time of day too?”
“I told you she always factors in the time. I don’t understand
it all but she says it’s important,” said Harry.
“I will arrange to be in his office at that time then,” said
Arthur.
“On another matter, I want to ask you if you would allow
Winky to help the girls with fixing up The Burrow. The cost
will be minimal. Winky really knows how to arrange things.”
asked Harry.
“Yes, I would appreciate it. Molly hates the new Burrow,
maybe with Winky’s help, she will hate it less. I bought that
beautiful new sofa. It was a very expensive sofa that I got a
really good deal on, but when we put it in the house, it looks
awful,” said Arthur.
“Molly Dear does not hate the new Burrow, it’s just too new
looking. I noticed the new sofa, I think it’s the color, that dark
brown against all those white walls, makes it look out of
place, or something. All it needs is Winky’s touch.”
“There is a lot of furniture from this house that could be used.
We re-arranged some bedrooms upstairs. It seems,
according to Winky, that the old families prided themselves
on how many bedrooms they had. Many of them were too
small with far too much furniture in them. We moved some
walls and took out the extra furniture. Now we have too
much furniture left over. If you would allow Winky to use
some of it at The Burrow, I would appreciate it, the attic is
really overflowing.” added Harry.
“All right, Harry,” said Arthur.
* * * *
While the meeting was being held, Harry retreated to his
bedroom to study. He wanted to avoid seeing Snape at all
costs. He wasn’t in the mood to take any of his remarks.
At 10:30 that night, a paper was slipped under his door. He
picked it up and read it.
Harry,
Go to your ‘safe place’ at 6:45 p.m. You will be taking Ginny
to her first ‘appointment’.
Albus Dumbledore
Harry could hardly get to sleep that night, anxious about his
honeymoon.
The next morning, Harry went back to The Burrow and
helped Ron lay brick for most of the morning. After lunch, he
returned home.
Luna informed him that she had a date with Fred that night.
They were going out to a famous restaurant, then going to a
carnival. She was very excited about it and was going to
paint her fingernails red for the occasion.
Harry told her he would be taking Ginny to her appointment
that evening. So they were both very excited.
After dinner, Harry took a few bottles of butterbeer and
placed them in a paper bag to take. Winky suggested that
he take a book to read, while he waited for Ginny’s
consultation. So he added a book to the bag.
At exactly 6:45 Harry Apparated to the cave. Standing
before him were Dumbledore and Ginny. It took him a few
seconds to realize that the cave had been transformed.
There were lit candle sconces placed on the walls of rock,
every several feet. There was a huge Persian carpet on the
dirt floor and a big brass bed up against a far wall. The bed
had a puffy blue comforter and several colored pillows piled
upon it. Several small rugs were place strategically near the
bed and other areas that the larger carpet did not reach.
There was a table with two chairs against another wall.
Centered on the table was a candelabra with lit candles. On
the wall, Harry assumed was the entrance, hung dark velvet
drapes.
“Do not open the drapes. A light seen where it is not
supposed to be, could draw attention. There is a make-shift
loo around a corner at the far right. You have until exactly
11:30. I’m assuming you know what to do,” said Dumbledore.
“Of course,” said Harry, blushing.
“No. I meant, eh... the spell I taught you,” Dumbledore
stammered, blushing.
“Oh! Right!” said Harry, blushing more deeply. Ginny could
not help but laugh out loud.
I must be off,” said Dumbledore, then he was gone.
“Harry, you embarrassed Dumbledore. That is just too
funny.”
“It was an easy mistake to make,” said Harry, defensively.
“Easy for you,” giggled Ginny.
Ginny looked beautiful. He thought he had better put the bag
down before it got in his way.
“Is that a book in your bag? You brought a book on your
honeymoon?” asked Ginny, grinning.
“Winky thought I would need something to read, while I
waited for your consultation.”
“Harry, I need to talk to you,” said Ginny.
“Now?” asked Harry, as he placed the bag on the table.
“It’s important.”
“OK.”
“You know I’ve always loved you. I can’t say that part of it
isn’t because of your fame. I mean, I’ve never known you
before you were famous, so all I know is that it is a part of
you. I know that your fame is not one of the things that I like
about you, but the reason for the fame probably is. Does that
make sense?”
Harry thought a moment, “Yeah. OK. I see.”
“I’ve always been drawn towards you . Your looks... your
wit,... your laugh... and especially your smile. Anyway, I
didn’t know for sure if I loved you for yourself, as a person,
until last fall. The day you adopted Luna as your sister, that’s
when I knew that I loved you for who you are as a person.
You not only took her in, you treated her as a welcomed
family member, a real sister. I know you looked to Ron as
an example of how to treat a sister, and you found him
lacking,” Ginny grinned. “You went beyond that to make her
feel wanted and loved. She needed that and has returned
that love,” said Ginny.
“Luna has brought joy into my life. She makes me laugh,”
said Harry.
“I know,” Ginny smiled.
“I have to tell you that I am very worried,” said Ginny,
seriously.
“Why?”
“You’ve changed.”
“I know. I hope for the better,” said Harry.
“Yes and no. Harry, we know that you’ve been destined to
defeat Riddle. It’s been a personal thing between you and
him. Although you’ve had help, it’s always been just you and
him.”
“Yeah. You think that has changed?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. That’s the part that has me worried. Harry, on the
night we married, you insisted on it. Did you wonder why I
didn’t want to marry you?”
“Yeah, but I thought that you didn’t love me or that you didn’t
want to make me feel that I was trapped or something...” he
said, thoughtfully.
“No, at least not completely. You have to understand that
what Dumbledore told us, was a shock. I knew that I loved
you, but that was not the way I wanted you. I had to put my
feelings aside and look at it as if I were someone else, a third
party, so to speak. I told myself that you were someone else
too. The same situation, but two other people. Do you
understand?”
“Yeah.”
“When I said that I would... volunteer, I asked myself if it
would be the right thing for me to do. Yes, in order to
destroy Riddle, it was not too much to ask. My virginity was
nothing, compared to his evil. Not just to us, but to everyone.
He is a monster, a baby killer. That made my decision easy.
But if we were two other people, then to marry, would be
wrong. You understand?” asked Ginny.
“If you put it that way,” said Harry.
“I do.”
“OK.” said Harry, not knowing exactly where this was going.
“Then you proposed to me. It was so sweet,” said Ginny,
sighing.
“I can be sweet,” he said, grinning.
“Then you sort of swept me off my feet,” she said, blushing.
“I’m very good with a broom, ya know.”
Ginny elbowed him in his side, grinning.
“That night... you didn’t just...you know... you made love to
me the way a man who’s in love does. Then it became
personal.”
“Very personal,” he whispered, stepping closer.
“That night, we bonded. We both knew that the marriage
was real. We became like... two sides of a single coin.
There would be no separating when this was over,” she said.
“Yes.”
“That’s when you changed. Not immediately, but you’ve
been changing all along. I’m scared, Harry.”
“Of course you are.”
“Not of him, of you. I mean, I’m scared of him, I’m not
stupid, but I’m more scared of what you will do.”
“You’re worried about that?” he said, astonished.
“I think you’ve forgotten what we are here to do. We have to
defeat him. We may die doing it, one or the other, maybe
both of us. We just don’t know. You’ve been talking about
me being the most important thing. That is not right, Harry.
What we are doing is for everyone. We are only two people.
Our two lives are not important compared to all the
thousands, or whatever,” she said, seriously.
Harry began to anger. “Ginny, I plan on living. I want to live.
I want to us have a place together and have chicks, a real
family.”
“I do too. But Harry, he would never let your babies live, you
know that. He has to be destroyed.”
“Not if it means your life!”
“Don’t do that to me, Harry. I could live without you, but I
couldn’t live with myself if he lived because of the choice to
save me,” she said, tears streaming.
“Ginny...” he held her close, rubbing her back.
“Harry, you have to promise me. No, more than a promise...
a vow. A sacred vow... a vow that says that you will not
choose me or anyone else, like Ron or Hermione... Luna...
anyone. When the time comes, if you are there, you are to
let me go with him or whatever. If there is a choice, then you
will do or not do, whatever it is that will lead to his defeat. Do
you understand me?”
“Oh, Ginny. What have I gotten you into?”
“You didn’t get me into anything. I chose, remember? I
chose to do it as if it were not you or me. The Wizarding
world may never get another chance like this one. We’ve got
to take advantage of it. It’s a good plan. I think it will work.
The spell is very powerful. He has a lot of power. We can
use HIS power to destroy him,” she said, determinedly.
“It is a good plan. I think it will work,” he said.
“It will only work, if you forget about who is involved and stick
with the plan. Will you make that vow?” she said, pulling
back and looking directly into his eyes.
He hesitated.
“Harry?”
Thinking the whole process through, he finally nodded.
“Ginny, you are just like your father. You don’t make
anything easy.”
Ginny boldly stuck out her chin.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“Whatever is in your heart,” she said, gently.
“I vow to go on with the plan, no matter whose life gets in the
way,” he said.
“That’s good enough,” said Ginny. They both relaxed. They
both had been very tense without realizing it.
“Do you like my dress? Mum bought it for me. She said she
had one like it when she was young. She said Dad really
liked it.”
The dress was black. It was made of a stretchy crepe
material that clung in all the right places. It had a deep ‘V’
neckline. The skirt hung in folds to her knees.
“Yeah, I can see why your dad liked it. Black is your color.
You look beautiful in black. Very sexy,” he said, wiggling his
eyebrows.
“Harry, I wear black at school every day,” she said,
exasperated.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows again.
“Oh Harry,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He took this moment to deeply kiss her. This is what he had
been waiting for.
“Harry, where are my shoes?”
“Over there with mine,” he said, starting a new kiss.
“Harry, I feel a draft,” she said, when they paused between
kisses.
Harry grinned.
“What is that sound? Do you hear it? I noticed it when we
first arrived,” said Ginny.
“Yeah. It’s coming from the loo, I think,” he said. Curious,
he stepped over to the area that Dumbledore had referred to.
“Ginny, come see.”
She stepped over in her bare feet and peeked around the
corner. There was a portable loo with a stand beside it piled
with big fluffy white towels. Beyond the loo, farther back
there were lit candle sconces leading to a perfect waterfall
near the back wall. There was candlelight shining from
behind the wide sheet of water. There was a large puddle in
the floor. From the puddle the water flowed into the rock
wall.
“It’s beautiful!”
“That was very thoughtful of Dumbledore. That took a bit of
magic to make, that did,” said Harry.
Ginny stepped close to the water, watching the candlelight
reflect on the surface. Harry stepped closer to see too.
Ginny quickly splashed a handful of water in Harry’s face.
“Ginny!”
Ginny tiptoed a few feet away and splashed him again.
“That water is cold and you’re getting me all wet,” said Harry.
“It’s not that cold,” said Ginny, splashing him again.
“You’re getting your dress wet.”
“It will dry. So will you!” She then began splashing him
fearlessly. Harry splashed back and soon it became a full
fledged water fight.
Closer to the area where the waterfall flowed, the water was
a little deeper. It came up to their knees. Harry grabbed at
her and she slipped and fell into the deeper water. She
quickly darted away from his grasp and came up on the other
side of the wall of water.
“Ginny, you’re soaked, it’s cold. Come out.”
“I like it here. Come join me,” she said, with her hair dripping
with water.
“Don’t try to lure me in. That water is cold. Come out.”
Ginny began lifting her hair off her shoulders and flicking it
about. “It’s not cold, it’s cool. You’re not very brave to be
afraid of a little cool water.”
Although the sheet of water made her look blurry, he could
see a sly look on her face. He held his breath and
crossed through the water to the other side. He grabbed her
around the waist and boldly kissed her...
After several minutes of passionate kissing, Ginny asked;
“Harry, where’s my dress?”
* * * *
------
Beta by Wolfs_scream - THANKIE !!
Chapter 59: Chap 59 - The Payoff
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Luna returns from her date -- A debt paid --
More shopping
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Chapter Fifty-nine - The Payoff
Ginny took her rock that she had placed on the table before
Harry arrived, then whispered “The Burrow”. Harry
remained only long enough to put the empty butterbeer
bottles and his book back into the bag. He waved his hand
and all the candles went out, then he Apparated back home.
* * * *
Ginny arrived in The Burrow kitchen to find Ron sitting at the
table.
“What are you doing up?” she asked.
“Writing to Hermione. Did they find anything? I mean, did
everything go all right?” he asked, clearing this throat.
“I think the worst things were eliminated. Think I’ll go to bed,”
“Ginny... eh... never mind.
“Good night, Ron.”
As Ginny went up to her room, she reflected on Ron. It was
sweet of Ron to stay up for her. She was not fooled at all
about his writing to Hermione.
* * * *
Harry was pulling out leftovers when Lupin entered the
kitchen.
“All went well?” asked Lupin.
“Yeah... perfect,” said Harry, with a mouth full of ham.
“Hungry I see,” said Lupin, grinning.
“Yeah, I can’t find the peanut butter.”
“It’s in the bottom cupboard on your right,” said Lupin.
“Ha! Now, why would she put it there?” he said, making a
peanut butter sandwich that he immediately began
munching on.
Lupin sat amused, as Harry found cold mashed potatoes
and some cold peas that he threw in a pot to heat up on the
stove. He made a ham sandwich. He carefully selected a
large pickle from a jar and sat it beside the ham sandwich.
He opened a can of olives, then stirred the potatoes and
peas. He poured himself a tall cold glass of milk and sat it on
the table. He looked around until he found a can of
pineapple that he opened. He stirred the pot again, then
poured the contents onto a plate, then he piled his
sandwiches, pickle, olives and pineapple on the table. He
found a bag of corn crisps and sat at the table.
“Harry, you’re eating like you didn’t have dinner,” said Lupin,
after a moment.
“I always get hungry after swimming,” said Harry.
“Swimming? You went swimming?”
Harry put up a Silencing Charm and explained about the
waterfall. He asked if Lupin knew the spell that would create
one. Lupin told him he didn’t know, that he would have to
ask Dumbledore about it.
There was a loud crack, then Fred and Luna appeared.
Fred looked flushed. “Lupin, Harry... I must be off,
Galleons day, ya know.” With that, he disappeared.
Luna was wearing a bright red fleece top with denim jeans
and white trainers. Her waist length hair was up into pigtails
that curled into long coils. She was wearing her tomato
earrings.
“Hey Sissy, you look cute. How was your date?” asked
Harry.
“It was fun. Is Ronald here?” asked Luna, looking around.
“No, why?” asked Harry.
She paused... “Oh! I get it, Ginny’s appointment went well,”
said Luna, as a statement, not a question.
“What?”
“You always eat a lot when you...” began Luna, wiggling her
eyebrows.
Harry looked around at the table and his plate. Yes, he had
eaten quite a bit, he blushed.
“Fred seemed to be in quite a hurry,” said Lupin.
“Eh, yeah... Galleons day, you know,” said Luna, blushing.
“So, he said. What did you two do tonight?” asked Lupin.
“We went out to a famous restaurant. I wasn’t real
impressed. I mean, I expected different. They decorate with
a lot of red and yellow,” said Luna.
“What was the name of it?” asked Harry.
“I forgot. I think it was Scottish. I think it’s a children’s
restaurant, there were several there. The food wasn’t all
that, not like Mrs. Weasley’s or Winky’s, but it was fun.
Then we went to the carnival. Fred won me some prizes,”
she said, pulling out a bag Harry hadn’t noticed before. From
the bag she pulled out a framed square mirror with writing on
it. “The Grateful Dead, I think I’m going to give this one back
to Fred. The name sounds very sad. If they are grateful to
be dead, then they must have been miserable.”
She then pulled out a plastic bag of water that had a twist tie,
it had a goldfish swimming merry around inside. “I’m going
to name him Fred. His color is the same as Fred’s hair,” said
Luna.
“Good thing there wasn’t two,” said Harry.
“Why?” asked Lupin.
“Because what would she name the other one, if they are
both the same color?” asked Harry, grinning.
“George,” said Luna, looking strangely at Harry.
“Duh! Of course, stupid me,” said Harry.
“I think so,” said Luna, grinning.
“I think I’ll be off to bed now. Tonks and I will be going
somewhere for the weekend,” said Lupin.
“Eh, sorry Lupin. We shouldn’t have kept you up so late,
you with a young wife and all. I forgot that you and Tonks
would have liked to have some time together tonight,” said
Harry.
“No bother, with both of you gone tonight, we had the whole
evening alone together,” said Lupin, grinning.
“Of course, stupid me. I think I’ll have some ice cream.
Anyone want some?” asked Harry.
“Yes, that sounds good,” said Luna.
“I’m going to bed,” said Lupin.
Harry filled two small bowls with vanilla ice cream and placed
pineapple chunks on the top. He felt that something wasn’t
just right with Luna. “So you had a good time?” asked Harry.
“Yeah. It’s hard not have a good time when I’m with Fred.”
“OK,” said Harry, wondering why he didn’t feel completely
satisfied. Fred didn’t stay long enough to give Luna a
goodnight kiss, which was very unusual, but he decided not
to mention it.
“I think if you take Ginny to very many appointments, you are
going to get fat,” said Luna.
Harry looked down at his slim body. “I think she would have
to have a lot of appointments for that to happen,” he said,
grinning.
After they ate their ice cream, Harry cleaned up the mess.
“Sissy, did you really have a good time?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?” asked Luna.
“Don’t know, Fred left quickly,” he said.
“Galleons day,” said Luna.
“Yeah, so he said. Good night, Sissy.”
* * * *
For the next few days, Harry spent the mornings at The
Burrow helping Ron build the chicken coop. On one
afternoon he went shopping and bought deck furniture. He
justified the purchase to Arthur by telling him that it was a gift
for Ginny. He said that Ginny was always bringing the chairs
from inside the house out to the deck and that was too much
work. Arthur had no choice but to accept the expensive
furniture.
There were two porch swings and several waterproof
cushioned chairs, enough for the whole family. Along with
several small wooden tables to set their drinks. The colorful
floral printed cushioned furniture was an asset to the outside
appearance to the house; it gave it a more homey look.
On the following Wednesday, Harry, Ron, Lupin and Arthur
knocked Winston’s office door at 5:49 p.m.
“Winston, I am very disappointed in the manner in which you
treated my son. I expect an apology,” said Arthur.
“Now, Arthur,” said Winston.
“You have shamed me before my son,” said Arthur, sternly.
“If you feel that I need to apologize for something, then
please accept my apology. Is that all?” asked Winston,
impatiently.
“No. I want you to apologize to my son.”
“Now, Arthur, I apologized, that is enough for you,” said
Winston, snappishly.
“You will apologize to my son or we are through doing
business together,” said Arthur, firmly.
“I’m not going to apologize to this young... whatever. You
have tried my patience. I have things to do before leaving,”
said Winston, turning red in the face.
Arthur checked his watch. “So you will not apologize to my
son?” asked Arthur.
“There’s no reason for it. I’m a busy man.” Winston eyed
Arthur quizzically. “If you don’t like it, I could call in your
note,” he said, in a superior manner.
“No, you can not call the note in. I’m not a stupid man, I
would never have agreed to those terms. The agreement
was that I would make payments to you at an exceedingly
high interest until the loan was paid in full.”
“Exceedingly high? You knew the terms. What is this all
about, Arthur?” asked Winston, impatiently.
“Respect, Winston, respect,” said Arthur.
“Ron, when two men make an arrangement, they should
BOTH be satisfied in the end. Both parties should get what
they want from the beginning. I needed the house built
quickly, before the school term ended. In order to do that, I
expected to pay more. Winston wanted more than what his
supplies were worth. We both knew it, but it worked for both
of us. Ron, I told you that you should never blame the
person who lends you money when you need it. There are
exceptions to that rule. Apparently, he believes that I have
spent all that I could and will no longer be buying from him,
so he no longer respects me.”
“I’ve been seriously considering buying your sister a horse
for her birthday, which means we would have to build a barn.
You’ve done such a fine job on the chicken coop, I thought
you would do just as well building a barn. You would be in
charge of buying the supplies,” said Arthur, eyes twinkling.
“If you think you are going to get more credit from me...”
started Winston.
“No.” Arthur turned back to Ron. “Since he also seems to
think that it is time for us to cease our business arrangement,
I think that I will just have to pay him off,” again looking at his
watch, then reached into his inside cloak pocket.
“Winston, here is a copy of the agreement and latest figures
to the amount owed.”
Harry handed Arthur a small satchel that he sat on the large
oak desk, then opened. From it, he pull out several large
bundles of money that he placed on the desk. “Here is the
amount owed. I hope you don’t mind large notes,” said
Arthur.
Winston’s eyes widened as he saw the bundles of cash.
“What is all this? Arthur, you can’t pay off the loan now.”
“Please count it carefully. I expect a signed receipt,” said
Arthur, seriously.
“Now Arthur, be reasonable.”
Arthur stood silent.
“It’s all here,” Winston growled, as he signed the receipt.
“THERE! Now get out of my office!”
“Just one moment. Remus would you be so kind as to sign
as a witness?” asked Arthur.
“You don’t even trust me with a signed receipt?” asked
Winston, incredulously.
“I’m afraid not, Winston. You see, I have lost my respect for
you also.”
“Ron, sometimes people just don’t allow you to respect
them,” said Arthur, then turning to Winston. “You don’t look
very happy for someone who has just received a very large
sum of money. Sometimes you just can’t make some people
happy no matter what you do.”
“Get out of my office! OUT!” screamed Winston.
Arthur, Ron, Lupin and Harry left the office and merrily
walked to the Leaky Cauldron.
After they all settled down with a drink, Ron asked; “Are you
really buying Ginny a horse?”
“No, son. I thought I would just add a little salt to the wound,”
said Arthur, grinning.
“Does Ginny want a horse?” asked Harry.
“Of course she does, every young girl wants a horse. Now
Harry, forget about the horse. I’ve already thought it all
through. If she got a horse for her birthday, she would only
have it for a month, then she would be off to school. It would
break her heart to leave it, she’d cry her eyes out,” said
Arthur.
“Ok, no horse. How about a motorcycle?” asked Harry,
grinning.
“She’s got a broom. Why would she want a motorcycle?”
asked Arthur.
“Dunno, she liked Hagrid’s,” said Harry, grinning.
“So Dad, why did you want the house built before we came
home from school?” asked Ron, thinking that he’d changed
the subject.
“Ginny. We thought that if she was back at The Burrow, that
she would feel a bit better, her not feeling well and all,” said
Arthur.
“Oh,” said Ron. He thought that Ginny would have felt better
living at Harry’s, but decided not to point out the fact.
“Harry, do you know why Winky wanted us to pay at this
exact time?” asked Ron.
“She told me that he would leave for Gringotts at 5:50. He
usually deposits at that time. Tonight, Gringotts pays the
interest to the bank accounts, so he would put as much
money into the account as possible. Then he returns to his
office to add the interest to the accounts owed to him. By
paying at this time, he did not get to the bank before 6:00 so
he will only be paid for the amount that is in his account
before 6:00. We have no idea how much that is, but he will
not get paid interest on the money paid by your dad tonight
until next month. That was a lot of money, so it would be a
noticeable sum to miss out on,” said Harry.
“Also, since the loan was paid before HE added the latest
interest to your dad’s account, he misses out on that too. It
wouldn’t be considered a vast amount of money that he lost
out on, but it will make him mad.” added Harry.
“He’ll probably do the figures every month so that he can see
what he missed out on,” said Lupin, grinning.
“So we cheated him out of quite a bit of money?” asked Ron.
“No we didn’t cheat him out of anything. It could have been
better timing for him, if it would have been paid earlier today,
in time for him to have it in his account before Gringotts paid
out their interest. He was only cheated out of the potential
he could have made. The more we owed and the longer we
owed, the more he would have made. He got paid
everything that was owed to him. It was the extra interest
that he lost out on. Of course, he missed out on the chicken
coop and barn money too,” answered Arthur, grinning.
How did Winky know exactly when to do it?” asked Ron.
“Winky said that it was best not to ask,” said Harry, grinning.
“Ron, have you seen Fred any this week? asked Harry.
“No.”
“That’s strange that we haven’t seen him around. I wonder if
he and Luna had a quarrel,” mused Harry.
“Dunno”, said Ron. He knew exactly why Fred hadn’t been
around. He had talked to George about it. He didn’t want to
talk to Harry about it and specially not with Lupin and his dad
around too.
After their drink, they all returned to The Burrow where an
owl was waiting for Ron.
Ron,
Sorry to hear that you will not be able to attend the party. I
was looking forward to seeing you both.
Remind Ginny that if she comes to her senses before the
party, that I would gladly be her date.
If your other plans fall through, you a both welcome. Just
pop in.
Justin
“Great! That’s just what we hoped for,” said Ron.
“What?” asked Harry.
“Dumbledore said we couldn’t make appointments and all. I
had to write to Justin to cancel. Mum said that he would
probably leave the invitation open and he did. So now I can
take Hermione.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Harry.
“As far as anyone is concerned we are not going. We are
not expected, but the invitation is still good, see? So,
Hermione and I are going to just show up. Mum will bake a
cake for us to take. It is all going to work out,” said Ron,
beaming.
“Yeah, great,” said Harry.
“Do you and Ginny want to come? You can just show up
too.”
“No. Not this time,” said Harry. He knew that Ginny
would like to have gone, but feared that it would be too easy
for an attack.
Harry returned home, a little disappointed, but decided it
was for the best.
After dinner, Harry cornered Luna. “Sissy, did you and Fred
quarrel?”
“No.”
“He hasn’t been around since your date,” said Harry.
“He’s been busy,” said Luna.
Harry didn’t believe it, but didn’t comment.
“Fred loves me,” said Luna.
* * * *
Albus Dumbledore knocked on Harry’s bedroom door that
evening. Harry was very surprised to see him but quickly
composed himself and led him to the corner table.
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” asked Harry.
“Yes, mead would be fine.”
Harry called for Winky and had the mead delivered to the
table.
“Thank you,” Dumbledore said, taking a sip. “All that talking
tonight has me parched. I’m here with an invitation. Mr. and
Mrs. Longbottom have invited you to a shared ‘coming of
age’ birthday party with Neville. Since your birthdays are just
a day apart, they wondered if you would like to share. The
party will start at 9:00 PM and continue on until 2:00 am,
that gives you both a few of hours of birthday within the same
party.”
“That sounds great, Ginny can go, right?” asked Harry.
“Of course. No one is to speak of it without a Silencing
Charm in place. The Longbottoms are aware that it is to be
‘top secret’ that you and the Weasleys will be attending.
The Weasley Band will be entertaining, that will also be kept
a secret. There will be tight security but hopefully it will be
unconspicuous during the party,” he said, smiling.
“Great! I think Ginny was really disappointed that she
couldn’t go to Justin’s party, but we agreed that it was not
worth the risk,” said Harry.
“Your wife is extraordinary,” said Dumbledore. “Harry, about
your priorities... “
“Ginny and I have already talked about that. The plan will go
as planned, no matter what.”
Dumbledore nodded.
“She’s a better person than I am,” said Harry, proudly.
“No, she just knows you better than you know yourself.
Hopefully, you both will have long lives. You have to live
the rest of your lives with the decisions that you make now.
Not an easy task,” said Dumbledore, biting his bottom lip.
* * * *
The next morning, Harry went to The Burrow and helped
Ron with the chicken coop. They got the tile roof on and
began working on the inside ceilings. That evening, Harry
took Ginny to her “appointment” (the cave). On Friday, they
all went shopping, excluding Arthur and Tonks, who went to
work.
While the girls went to the beauty salon, the men went to get
haircuts. The first thing that Harry noticed was that several
men in the shop had red hair.
Sitting in the barber chair, Harry asked Carlo about it.
“It’s the latest rage. All the stylish men are now red heads.
They all come here just to get that shade. Business is
booming. Now, if only you would let me loose on your hair,
we could have another style for the coming season. We’ve
been working on how to create that scar without it looking
phony,” said Carlo.
“I’m still in school, they are very strict.”
“What about coloring your hair red? It’s the latest fashion,”
asked Carlo.
“I don’t think so,” said Harry, laughing. He wondered what
Ginny would think of him with red hair.
“It’s a shame,” said Carlo. “What is your name?”
“Harry.”
“Ahhh Harold,” said Carlo.
“No, Harry, my name is Harry.”
“Really? I would have thought you would have a more formal
name. I know people. It’s my job to know people. When you
have a career such as mine, you get to know people.”
“Really?” asked Harry.
“Take your friend over there, outside of the obvious, he’s ‘a
devil may care’ sort of bloke,” said Carlo.
“Really.” Harry thinking it would be amusing to get this
person’s insights.
Carlo had already wet Harry’s head and had begun trimming.
“Yes, he’s the very confident type, very confident in sports
and women. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him,
not a care in the world,” said Carlo, confidently.
“Interesting,” said Harry.
“Isn’t it? I know people. See? I can tell that he’s a very even
tempered person. He lets things roll off his back. He’s not
the type to get into anyone else’s affairs. He avoids people
who have problems. He just lets things just take their natural
course. You know... he doesn’t like to get involved.“
“Ron?” asked Harry.
“His name is Ron? That fits, yes.”
“So you don’t think he would be one that would stand with
someone in a fight?” asked Harry.
“Ron? No, not hardly. He’d be the type to quietly slip away,
but of course would be there to pick up the pieces, so to
speak. Of course he would always be forgiven, because of
his charm,” said Carlo, thoughtfully.
“Interesting,” repeated Harry. “What kind of girl do you think
he would go for?”
“Oh! Now that’s easy. He would tend to go for the
voluptuous type, flashy... blonde... definitely blonde... with no
brains.”
“Why no brains?” asked Harry, fascinated.
“The same reason he has a friend like you, no conflict,” said
Carlo.
“Do you mean that we are alike?” asked Harry.
“Oh no, quite the contrary. You are completely different.
You are a very neat person, whereas your friend tends to be
less so. For example: I wager that before you left home,
your bed was made and all your things were neatly put away.
Am I correct?”
Harry thought, Winky would surely have had the bed made
and everything put away before he left. “Yeah.”
“Exactly! And that’s the way your whole life is. Very neat
and orderly.”
“Have I always been ‘neat’?” asked Harry, chortling inside.
“Of course, it’s a major part of your personality. You also
don’t like conflict, you go out of your way to avoid it,” said
Carlo, confidently.
“What kind of girl do I like?” asked Harry, grinning.
“That’s easy. She’s very quiet and reserved. Pretty, if she
wasn’t, what would be the point, huh? Anyway, she would
be closer to the plain side, understated, with classic looks.
Intelligent, yet un-demanding... she would always give you
the last word on anything.”
“You mean I’d bully her?” asked Harry, shocked.
“Oh no, my dear young man. I mean that you would be
slightly more intelligent than her, so of course, you would
have more insight to any situation. She would be of the type
that would not question this. It would all come natural to her.”
“Oh,” said Harry. He thought about arguments with Ginny.
There were few, but the only one he could remember winning
was the one about getting married. He grinned.
When his hair was finished, Harry bought several of the hair
products to keep the style.
After they left the stylist shop, they picked up a few items in
the shops along the street. They shopped until noon, where
they had planned to meet up with the girls at a certain
restaurant. Harry was apprehensive about seeing Ginny. He
got that way when she went to a beauty salon. He feared
she would do something drastic with her hair. He loved her
hair and didn’t want any changes in it. He had mentioned
how much he loved her hair the day before, he hoped she
got the hint.
The men were seated at the table when the girls arrived.
Harry sighed with relief when he saw Ginny’s hair. It was
fluffed at the top as usual, but the back was put in a French
braid. She looked radiant. She was wearing black jeans with
a beige top and a light weight black blazer. She wore tiny
gold earrings and the gold bracelet he bought her last year
for her birthday. Perfect.
Mrs. Weasley looked vibrant. Her hairstyle looked the same
as the last time he saw her, only perhaps a bit neater.
Luna had the most dramatic change in her hair. It had more
light blonde streaks in it, but not overly done.
While they waited for their food, Harry told them a little bit
about Carlo’s insight to Ron and Harry’s personality. He left
out the part about Ron probably would run during a fight.
When he got to the part about Ron’s girl would probably be
voluptuous and flashy... blonde... definitely blonde... with no
brains, Ron nearly choked on his water.
“He thought I would go for the meek, mousy type,” said
Harry.
“Am I meek and mousy?” asked Ginny.
“Yep! No words ever fly out of your mouth,” said Harry,
teasing.
After eating, Harry decided that he wanted to go back to the
stylist shop. It was only a few blocks from the restaurant, so
they walked back, looking in the shop windows along the
way. When Harry and Ginny walked into the shop, Carlo left
his customer and rushed up.
“I lost my ink pen,” said Harry, as he bend down and
wandlessly summoned an ink pen. “It was a gift.”
“Oh! I’m so glad you found it,” said Carlo, eyeing Ginny.
“Harry, I think this one is too much for you,” whispered
Carlo.
“You don’t think she’s suited to me?” whispered Harry.
“No! This one has a look in her eye,” whispered Carlo.
“I know, I’m the one who put it there,” said Harry, grinning,
taking Ginny’s arm and leaving the shop.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_scream - THANKIE !!
Chapter 60: Chap 60 - Justin's Party
Author's Notes: Beta by Wolfs_scream
SUMMARY: Will Ron face Mr. Granger? -- Ron and
Hermione go out -- What happened at the party?
Chapter Sixty - Justin’s party
Saturday morning, Harry went to The Burrow to help Ron
work on the chicken coop. When he arrived, Ron and Molly
were inside the building having an argument.
“I’m not going! She’s your date, not mine. You will pick her
up properly,” said Molly.
“Mum, I don’t want to face Mr. Granger. I can’t apologize or
anything for just looking. You could pick her up, then he
wouldn’t even know Hermione is going with me,” said Ron.
“You are not going to hide behind my skirts. You have to
face up to him. You talk about being ‘of age’; act like a
man,” said Molly, hotly.
“But Mum...” started Ron.
“No Ron.”
“Harry! Harry, will you go pick up Hermione?” said Ron,
when he saw him through the door opening.
“She’s not my date either,” said Harry.
“Why does everything I do have to be so hard? Harry, you
owe me a favor,” pleaded Ron.
“Harry, don’t you dare. Good morning, Harry dear. Besides,
Harry has already did his part for you and Hermione. She
wouldn’t even be speaking to you, if it wasn’t for Harry.”
“You should be all right. She’s not bringing Crookshanks this
time, is she?” asked Harry, grinning
“You’re becoming a downright git, you are,” said Ron, sourly.
Harry helped Ron for a couple of hours. They quit around
ten o’clock so that Ron could get ready to go pick up
Hermione. The party was to start at one o’clock going on
until four.
Ron dressed carefully. He choose brown twill slacks, brown
loafers, a blue and brown plaid shirt with a blue necktie. His
hands and fingernails were a mess, so he trimmed his nails
and cleaned them, but his hands were still rough. His hair,
however, looked very good.
Using the Portkey the girls used at the end of term, Ron
arrived at Hermione’s back door. It was the first time he had
seen the backyard in daylight. Tall shrubs encased the
whole yard. He noticed that the lawn was mown perfectly.
The flower beds were very tidy. They were lined up with the
tall flowers towards the back and the shorter ones near the
front, not a weed in sight. The yard was almost too perfect.
He decided that Hermione must have worked in the yard.
He gathered all his courage and knocked on the door. Mr.
Granger answered the door. He opened the door broadly to
allow Ron to enter.
“I’m here to pick up Hermione. Mum was busy with the cake
for the party, so she sent me.”
Mrs. Granger entered the room in time to hear Ron’s
statement. “Was I supposed to send something?” she
asked.
“Eh... no. Mum is just doing it. You know Mum, she just
does things like that. Is Hermione ready?”
When Hermione entered the room, Ron made a point to only
look at her shoes. “Hello, Hermione. I’m supposed to tell
you that Luna and Ginny are having a pajama party tonight.
We couldn’t owl you about it. If you want, bring your pajamas
and stay the night.”
“Oh, could I?” Hermione asked her parents.
“Where is this taking place?” asked Mr. Granger.
“Ginny’s room at Harry’s,” answered Ron.
“And who will be supervising?” asked Mr. Granger.
“Supervising? Nobody. The girls will be up in Ginny’s room.
I don’t think there will be anyone else in there,” said Ron,
slightly confused.
“He means, will there be adults present. I assume Lupin and
Tonks will be home,” said Hermione.
“Eh... yeah, and my Mum and Dad will be around until we
go home,” said Ron.
“I suppose it will be all right,” said Mr. Granger.
Hermione beamed, then left the room to get her things.
“What will you be doing during this pajama party?” asked Mr.
Granger.
“Sleeping probably. Those girls stay up half the night.”
“What do they do?” asked Mr. Granger.
“I don’t have a clue, giggle mostly,” said Ron.
Hermione returned with a large suitcase.
“Hermione, it’s for just one night. You don’t need a large
suitcase for just your pajamas, do you?” asked Ron.
“It’s a pajama party, right? Well, I will need all my makeup
and things to do my hair and of course we will be doing our
nails,” she said.
“Did you remember your pajamas?” asked Ron, grinning.
Hermione got a thoughtful look. “Eh... be right back.”
“She forgot her pajamas,” laughed Ron. As Hermione
rushed off.
“Mum said to tell you that we will have her back early
tomorrow,” said Ron to her parents.
“Tomorrow with be fine, but you don’t have to bring her back
too early,” said Mrs. Granger.
“I’ll tell Mum,” said Ron.
Hermione returned quickly and Ron took her bag. “We need
to stop in the garden for a moment,” said Hermione.
They entered the yard and Hermione picked several flowers.
“Ok, I’m ready.” she said when her arms were full.
“You did the yard, didn’t you?” asked Ron.
“How did you know?” she asked. Ron grinned.
They arrived at The Burrow and Hermione gave the large
bunch of flowers to Molly. Molly beamed as she filled a vase
and set it on the table.
* * * *
Hermione rang the bell at Justin’s house. When the door
opened, Mrs. Finch-Fletchley answered it. Justin was
standing behind her, pleasantly surprised to see Ron and
Hermione standing there. He stretched his neck to see if
anyone else was with them.
“We’re Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger,” Ron told Mrs.
Finch-Fletchley.
“Come in,” she told them, opening the door broadly.
Justin looked behind them as the walked in. “No, it’s just us,”
said Ron, knowing Justin was hoping Ginny came along too.
“Plans changed so we were able to come for a while, after
all. Mum sent a cake,” said Ron.
“Oh. I was hoping that Harry and Ginny would be able to
come too,” lied Justin.
“No, Ginny wasn’t feeling well. Harry wouldn’t come without
her,” lied Ron. “You got a place for me to set this cake, it
weighs a ton.”
Justin lead them into the dining room, where Ron placed the
cake on the table. The dining room was open to the drawing
room and several young people with hopeful expressions
were standing around in little groups. Since they were all
Hogwarts students, mostly Hufflepuffs, there were no
introductions. Ron took Hermione’s elbow and guided her
over to a small group. They chatted a few minutes and
casually made their way around the room, talking to each of
the small groups.
Ron left Hermione chatting with a couple of girls and made is
way to the drink table, where Seamus and Dean were
leaning against the table.
“Hey Ron, we heard a couple of stories about you,” said
Dean.
“What’d you hear?” asked Ron.
“I heard that you were drunk at the Three Broomsticks and
accosted Padma Patil,” said Seamus.
“I heard that you got Padma drunk, then you accosted her,”
said Dean.
“The first story was half right. I was drunk, but I didn’t accost
Padma. I was accosted, more like,” said Ron.
“Are you sure about that?” asked Seamus.
“Since when was I attracted to Padma?” asked Ron.
“Well, with too much drink and a darkened room, any girl will
do,” said Seamus.
“It wasn’t a darkened room. It was daytime, for Merlin’s
sake. Ginny was right, it got all twisted around.”
“Ginny’s usually right about everything, ‘cept Harry. So, he
hasn’t screwed up yet, huh?” asked Dean.
“Naw, Harry’s not gonna mess up with Ginny. He loves her,”
said Ron.
“He’s gonna mess up sooner or later and when he does, I’m
gonna be first in line,” said Dean.
“You’re not gonna date Ginny. I won’t allow it,” said Ron.
“Since when does Ginny do what you say?” asked Dean.
“You got a point, but I definitely wouldn’t approve and would
make your life miserable,” said Ron.
“Why?” asked Seamus. “Dean’s a good bloke.”
“Yeah, well I know too much about Dean and women,” said
Ron, grinning.
“Sometimes it’s worth giving all that up,” said Dean.
“Yeah, now that Hermione’s my girl, I given that all up. It’s
worth it,” said Ron, looking over at Hermione, who was
chatting with a couple of girls. She looked lovely today. She
was wearing that dress that he told her he liked.
“I’m not giving up my freedom. I’m having too much fun,”
said Seamus.
“I’m not either, unless Ginny becomes available,” said Dean.
“So, did you have a good time at TG’s party?” asked Ron.
“Oh yeah,” said Dean.
“Yeah!” said Seamus. “Not like this party. So far, you and
Hermione have been the life of the party. We even loaded
the punch, but I guess it will take more than Firewhiskey to
liven up this lot.”
Ron gestured with his drinks that he was going to take
Hermione her drink.
Ron took her aside and gave her her drink.
“Ewwww! What’s in this?” asked Hermione, sputtering.
“Firewhiskey. Seamus thinks this party needs a boost,” said
Ron, grinning.
“It’ll take more than Firewhiskey to get this lot moving. And
Ron, this tastes ghastly,” whispered Hermione, setting the
drink down.
Ron looked at his watch, two o’clock. It seemed much later.
“Do you wanna go somewhere?” whispered Ron.
“Sure, but should we?” whispered Hermione.
“I got an excuse. Don’t worry,” said Ron.
He found Justin and made excuses that he and Hermione
had to leave. There were other plans and they only stopped
in for a few minutes. He told him that they had already
stayed longer than they planned. Justin was very
disappointed but said he understood. He escorted them to
the door.
They went back to The Burrow, then Flooed to Harry’s. “I
have to talk to Harry for a couple of minutes, then we’ll be
off,” he told her when they reached Harry’s kitchen.
The Living Room door was closed so Ron knew that Harry
and Ginny were there. He gently knocked. “It’s Ron,” he
said.
“Shhhhh, come in quietly,” said Harry, softly.
Ron entered and gently closed the door. Harry was at the
end of the sofa in front of the fireplace with THE HALF
BLOOD PRINCE in his hand. When Ron came up on him,
he saw Ginny was laying with her head on a pillow on Harry’s
lap. She was lying on her stomach with one leg bent and her
arm dragging the carpet. She was sleeping soundly.
“She had another bad night?” whispered Ron.
Harry nodded.
“Do you have any Muggle money? Justin’s party was a dud.
I want to take Hermione out to eat somewhere,” whispered
Ron.
“How much do you need?” whispered Harry.
“I haven’t a clue, but I got money. Could I buy some Muggle
money from you?”
“Sure. Here, take the credit card,” said Harry.
“Ok. I’ll give you the cash when we know how much it’s
going to be. But I think I need some Muggle cash for car fare
and such,” whispered Ron.
Harry summoned the cash and credit card to his pocket. He
carefully reached in and got it, as to not disturb Ginny.
Ron watched Ginny sleeping as he put the money into his
pocket.
“No luck with the ‘Affliction’?” he whispered.
Harry shook his head.
Ron quietly left the room and closed the door. He was
disturbed that Ginny needed to take a nap. She never took
naps usually, until this summer. He was, however,
impressed with Harry. It took a lot of patience to sit there
silently reading while Ginny slept. He wondered why she
didn’t sleep upstairs in her bed, but remembered Hermione
was waiting, so he rushed back to the kitchen.
Ron and Hermione left the house and walked down to the
next large intersection and caught a taxi. He asked the
driver about where to find a restaurant that was not too
expensive but nice. The driver took them to an area of
London that had several to choose from.
He and Hermione walked along hand in hand looking through
the windows of several restaurants before they choose one.
It was dimly lit with candles on the tables. They choose a
cozy table near the back away from the windows. They sat
across from each other. After ordering, Ron held Hermione’s
hand as they talked softly.
“Your hands are so rough,” said Hermione. “Haven’t you
been using... you know.”
“Yeah, well... sometimes you just have to get in there with
your hands. Harry can’t... you know. Well, he can on the
inside work, but anything outside the building he can’t. We’re
almost done with everything on the outside of the building, for
now. We are just about ready to begin putting in the shelves.
Winky is going to do all the organizing and arranging of
Dad’s workshop, garden shed and the tool shed. So I will
just have to get the chicken house ready. Once that’s done,
we will re-build the fence.”
“Why are you going to re-build the fence?”
“Not all of it. We want to bring it out up to the garden wall
and of course we will be putting in a gate. It won’t be long
before it’s all done.”
“I will have to go out and see it when we get back,” she said.
“I think I’ll like it when it’s finished. Dad seems to be really
happy with how it’s turning out.”
“Your hands are very soft. Why aren’t they rough from the
garden work you’ve been doing?” he said, stroking them
softly.
“I do it all with m... you know. The hardest part is finding the
right time without any Muggles around to see me doing it,”
said Hermione.
Ron softly stroked her ring with his thumb. Hermione
blushed, then smiled at him.
“So, Harry’s been helping you?”
“Yeah, he comes over just about every morning, usually
stays until lunch when it begins to get too hot,” said Ron.
After their food came, they lingered over it for a long time.
Ron wanted to make his date last. This was the first time
that he had ever taken Hermione anywhere that wasn’t
already set up by his family or the school. It felt a lot more
special than just tea and sandwiches. He had taken her
someplace that they chose together.
After they had lingered over their food for as long as
possible, they walked along the street hand in hand. They
talked and just enjoyed their time together until a little after
five o’clock, then returned to Harry’s, then Flooed to The
Burrow.
“Where have you been?” yelled Molly when they entered the
kitchen.
“We went out to eat. What’s wrong?” asked Ron, shocked at
her mood.
“Don’t you know? The Finch-Fletchley’s house was attacked
by a group of young people. Lucius Malfoy’s boy was
involved,” she said exasperated.
“How do you know?” asked Ron.
“We heard it on the wireless. Oh, Ron, we’ve been so
scared,” said Molly, tearfully.
“When did you hear this?” asked Hermione, shocked.
“About ten minutes ago. A long ten minutes but ten minutes
none the less,” said Ginny.
“Didn’t you know that we left?” asked Ron.
“No! How would we know that? Ronald, you have to be
more considerate. You could have at least told us where you
were,” Molly said, sternly.
“I did. I told Harry that we were going out to eat,” said Ron,
defensively.
“When?” asked Ginny.
“While you were sleeping. I talked to Harry. He didn’t
mention it?” asked Ron.
“No. Why weren’t you at the party?” asked Ginny.
“We were, but the party was boring so we decided to go
elsewhere,” said Ron.
“Where’s Harry?” asked Ron. Ron looked at Hermione, she
nodded.
“Home,” said Ginny.
Hermione stepped into the fireplace and Flooed to Harry’s.
She knew that Harry would want to go with them. Ron hadn’t
said it yet, but Hermione knew that they were going back to
Justin’s. Harry was in the Living Room reading, when
Hermione found him. “Did you hear the news?” asked
Hermione.
“No. What?”
“Justin’s party was attacked after we left. The wireless
mentioned Malfoy as being one of the attackers. We’re
going over there. Do you want to come?”
Harry rose off the sofa and they both Flooed back to The
Burrow.
“Ron, I forbid you to go,” said Molly.
“Mum, we’re going. His parents are Muggles. I bet that
Malfoy and his cronies thought that we were there. It’s our
fault,” said Ron.
“We won’t be long,” said Hermione.
* * * *
Hermione rang the bell at Justin’s door. The windows were
all broken out so they could hear voices coming from within
the house.
Mr. Finch-Fletchley answered the door.
“We heard the news. We came to see if there was anything
that we could do,” said Hermione.
“Come in,” said Mr. Finch-Fletchley. He lead them into the
drawing room. It was a wreck. There was broken glass all
over the floor and scorch marks on the walls and furniture.
Mrs. Finch-Fletchley was sitting on the sofa crying.
“Justin, what happened?” asked Hermione.
“Malfoy and his lot broke into the house and attacked us.
Some of them broke in through the windows,” said Justin.
“Was anyone hurt?” asked Harry.
“Only a few cuts and bruises. We defended ourselves very
well. You would have been proud of us, Harry. We used the
Tie and Bind spell and I’m pretty sure we got all of them.
The Ministry Aurors just left,” said Justin.
“They left this mess?” asked Ron, recognizing his mum’s
cake splattered on everything in the dining room. It looked
like it had been blasted.
“They are busy checking the neighborhood to make sure no
Muggles saw anything,” said Justin.
“Our home is in ruins!” said Mrs. Finch-Fletchley.
“I’ll help you clean it up,” said Hermione. She pulled out her
wand and began repairing the damage.
“First you were petrified, now this. We should have sent you
to Eton!” Mrs. Finch-Fletchley told Justin, tearfully.
The door bell rang and Mr. Finch-Fletchley answered it.
They could hear Dumbledore’s voice as he walked to the
drawing room.
Dumbledore nodded to them, then took the Finch-Fletchelys
into another room to talk to them. Harry, Ron and Justin
began helping Hermione repair and clean things in the room.
“Do you know who they were?” asked Harry.
“Yeah, most of them. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were
the ones in charge. The Aurors told me that the ones that
were ‘of age’ would probably go to prison. He didn’t say
about the younger ones,” said Justin.
“Why were they here?” asked Harry, not wanting to hear the
answer.
“I don’t know,” said Justin, turning bright pink.
“How many did you tell that we were coming?” asked Ron.
“Eh... I don’t know. I didn’t know it was a secret. I told
several people that you weren’t coming after you owled me.”
“What about me?” asked Harry.
“Eh... well my owl kept coming back, so I never got to
properly send you an invitation. I asked you through Ron, so
it was always a maybe with you,” said Justin.
“Was my name mentioned by Malfoy’s lot?” asked Harry.
“Eh... no,” lied Justin, turning a deeper shade of pink.
Harry used his Legilimancy to look into Justin’s mind: He
saw the window break, then males crawling through. Others
had entered the house and start attacking the guests. He
heard Crabbe ask Justin; “Where’s Weasley and Granger?
We saw them arrive. Where’s Potter? If Weasley and
Granger are around Potter’s here somewhere. If we have to
search every room, we will.” Justin whipped out his wand and
hit Crabbe with a Stunner. There was chaos, with spells
flying in all directions. The scene moved forward, then he
saw Malfoy’s group all laying in the middle of the floor, tied
and bound. There were several bloody noses. Dean had a
deep gash over his left eye. Then he saw Seamus Apparate
in with several Aurors.
Harry had seen enough. He stepped back and sat on the
sofa.
“They were after me. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry Justin,”
said Harry, heavily.
“This is not your fault,” said Justin.
“You’re right. This is no one’s fault but the perpetrators,” said
Dumbledore, who had stepped into the room unexpectedly
and made everyone startle.
Mrs. Finch-Fletchley looked around the room, her jaw
dropped. “You fixed everything,” she said, amazed.
“Our students are very adept at cleaning up, thanks to
Professor Snape’s detentions,” said Dumbledore, grinning.
All four students, glared at him.
“Yes, well... I think it’s time for us to be off,” said
Dumbledore.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_scream THANKIE !!
Chapter 61: Chap 61 - Pajama Party
Author's Notes: SUMMARY: Luna and Hermione’s tales - Tunnel of Love
**Beta by Wolfs_scream**
******
Due to a death in the family... there will be a long delay for future chapters...they are almost all written but not ready for the public.....=(
Chapter Sixty-one - Pajama Party
After they all returned to The Burrow, Ginny grabbed Harry
and held on.
“Is everything all right now?” asked Molly.
“Yes, we tided up and the Finch-Fletchety’s are calmed down,”
said Hermione.
“Ronald, you should not have left after I told you not to,”
began Molly, hotly.
“Leave him be,” said Arthur, entering the kitchen. “Of course
he was going to go check on his friends after they were
attacked.”
“Arthur...” began Molly.
“Now now, Molly, we’ll talk about this later,” said Arthur.
They heard a sound and all turned towards the fireplace.
Dumbledore’s head was sitting in the ashes.
“We are going to have an Order meeting tonight. Molly, was
that your strawberry whipped cream surprise cake I saw at
the Finch-Fletchleys?” asked Dumbledore.
“How did you know?” asked Molly.
“I thought I recognized it,” said Dumbledore.
“I baked another for us. Would you like some? We are going
to have dinner in a few minutes,” said Molly.
“Could you save me a piece for after the meeting?” asked
Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.
“Of course,” said Molly, beaming.
Harry Flooed home. Ron took Hermione outside to show her
the progress on the chicken coop, since they had eaten not
too long before.
In a few minutes, Arthur, Molly and Ginny sat down for
dinner.
Harry arrived in his kitchen, where Luna and Lupin were
chatting. “Are we eating soon?” asked Harry.
“Yes, Harry Potter. Missy Tonks will be late, so we eats
without her,” said Winky.
“Did Tonks tell you anything other than she will be late?”
asked Harry, sitting down at the table.
“No. She just said that they were busy at the Ministry and
she would be late,” said Lupin.
Harry told Lupin and Luna what little he knew about the
incident at Justin’s party, as they ate dinner.
* * * *
“Ooooo the deck furniture is fantastic,” said Hermione.
“Harry bought it for Ginny,” said Ron. “Looks nice and is very
comfortable.”
“Why would Harry buy deck furniture for Ginny?”
“He said that it was too much work for Ginny to be dragging
the kitchen chairs in and out,” said Ron.
Hermione stood on the deck and looked over to the chicken
coop building. “It’s brilliant,” said Hermione. She ran down
the steps and rushed over to get a better look. “Oh you
slanted to roof as I suggested. The tile roof really makes it.
You’ve done a fantastic job.”
“Harry helped too,” said Ron, beaming.
Hermione entered each room praising Ron as she went.
When they entered the last room that was destined to be the
actual chicken coop, Ron explained how he was going to
make the roost and where he was going to put the nests.
“It’s exciting, isn’t it? I mean you’ve done everything from
scratch. Your mum knew exactly what she was doing when
she put you to the task,” said Hermione.
“Yeah. I can’t believe that I’m even enjoying it. Dad and I
have become a lot closer too. He comes out every chance
he gets to see the progress.”
“It’s a shame to call it the ‘chicken coop’, when the coop is
really just a small part of the whole thing. I mean, it is so
much grander than that, isn’t it? Perhaps you should call it
‘The Complex’ or something,” suggested Hermione.
“Yeah, I like that. It IS more than just a chicken coop,” said
Ron, proudly.
“I can’t tell you just how proud of you I am,” said Hermione,
giving him a hug.
That gave Ron the opening he was looking for. He pulled
her close and kissed her. He’d been wanting to kiss her from
the moment he saw her today. They spent several minutes
kissing before they left the chicken coop. They walked hand
in hand around the garden, then made their way back to the
deck, where they sat in one of the deck swings.
Ron put up a Silencing Charm. “About Harry’s birthday;
Neville is going to have a huge birthday party. They are
going to combine birthdays, since they are only a day apart.
The party is going to go from 9:00 p.m. till 2:00 a.m. so that
the party will be part of both birthdays.”
“That sounds wonderful,” said Hermione.
“Yeah. They are going to have it at Neville’s place. The
Weasley Band is going to play. This is all a secret. I guess
Neville is going to send out the invites but not tell anyone that
we’re going to be there. It’s supposed to be highly guarded.
Anyway, I wondered if you would be my date for the party.
Bill and Charlie are going to be there, so I won’t be singing as
much. We could have more time for dancing,” said Ron,
hopefully.
“Oh Ron! Yes, I will be your date. Ooooo I can’t wait,” said
Hermione, excitedly.
Ron put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it. They
sat slowly swinging, watching the chickens until it was time to
leave, neither had ever felt so content.
* * * *
When the Weasleys and Hermione arrived at Harry’s
kitchen, the girls were loaded down with baggage.
“Aren’t you just staying the one night?” asked Harry.
“Yeah,” said Ginny.
“Then what’s all this stuff?” asked Harry.
“Harry, don’t say another word, or you are going to be in so
much trouble,” said Luna.
Harry looked at Ginny and Hermione’s faces.
“Eh... yeah. Do you need any help?” asked Harry. He hadn’t
a clue what they needed all that stuff for, but with further
thought, decided that he did like the final results, so decided
not to tease any farther.
“We can handle it ourselves,” said Ginny, coldly. Hermione
nodded in agreement.
Ron was rummaging through the cupboards. He ended up
with a chicken leg, a bag of crisps and a glass of milk. He
took his food and joined Harry in the living room. From there,
they heard the girls upstairs squealing and laughing. A few
minutes later, the girls joined Ron and Harry. They closed
the living room door, since there was an Order meeting very
soon.
Hermione pushed the game table up to the sofa and got the
Aggravation game set up while Ron finished his snack.
Harry put a pillow to his chest and leaned Ginny up to it and
wrapped his arms around her, giving her a feeling of warmth
that she could not get anywhere else. He held her like that
until just before beginning the game.
They filled Luna and Ginny in on what went on at Justin’s
party, while they played the game. After a couple of games,
Harry announced that it was time for Ginny’s walk.
Sometimes while Ginny was there in the evening, Harry
would take Ginny on a walk all through the house.
Sometimes he told her about future plans for the house and
asked her advice. They got plenty of exercise climbing and
descending the stairs in addition to spending alone time.
When they were on their way to the stairs up to the next
floor, Harry opened his bedroom door, pulled Ginny in, then
closed the door. He pulled her in tight and kissed her
passionately. After a few moments, Ginny pulled away and
opened the door. Harry sighed, he knew that if they were
caught in his room for more than a couple of minutes, that it
would cause trouble. He followed her up to the next floor.
They walked around upstairs for several minutes, then he
stole another kiss. He heard Luna coming up to get her
things, so they parted and went back to the living room.
When Ron and Harry decided to play a game of Wizard’s
Chess, the girls decided it was time for their pajama party,
so they left. Harry left the door open, so he could see when
the Order meeting was over.
He and Ron talked a little more about what happened at
Justin’s party and decided that when they got back to
Hogwarts, Malfoy and his cronies were going to pay.
Harry kept his eye open to the Entrance Hall. Every once in
a while, he could hear the girls giggling or banging around.
Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow of black caught his
attention. He hushed Ron, got up and stood with his back
against the wall next to the door. He peeked around the
opening and saw Snape standing at the bottom of the stairs
staring up towards Ginny’s room. Harry stuck his head a
little further out to see Ginny, Hermione and Luna running
from the bathroom to Ginny’s room in their pajamas, with
their hair wrapped up in towels. They were squealing as they
ran.
Snape showed disdain on his face.
Harry stepped forward. “May I ask what you are doing?”
asked Harry.
Snape turned toward Harry, startled. He didn’t speak.
“I said, ‘May I ask what you are doing?’”
“Eh... I heard sounds. Those girls are making a lot of racket
up there,” he snarled.
“Those girls can make as much racket as they want. They
are guests in MY house. As for YOU, your welcome is
dangling by a thread,” said Harry, coldly.
Snape turned sharply and returned to the dining room.
“What was THAT all about?” asked Ron.
Harry thought a moment. Not wanting to call attention to his
fear that Snape was spying on Ginny, he said; “Eh... I don’t
want Snape wandering around my house. He doesn’t have
any business being out here. I don’t trust him.”
Ron and Harry decided to go into the Defense Room and
work on some music arrangements.
* * * *
The girls unloaded their bags and changed into their
pajamas. Hermione wore white baby doll pajamas with tiny
pink flowers and a tiny pink bow, centered on the neckline.
Luna’s short pajamas were made out of T-shirt material that
were light gray with large red hearts and black lettering
saying “Make love, not war” written in all directions. Ginny’s
were peach and made of shiny nylon. The short sleeved top
buttoned down the front with pearl buttons, the bottoms were
short shorts.
They sorted all their items by category. They decided to first
look at some of the clothes that Luna and Ginny purchased
on their trip to London.
Luna summoned hers from her room. They laughed at some
of the crazy T-shirts she bought. Most of them were wildly
colored with funny sayings on the front or back. Then she
brought out the dress she would be wearing to Neville’s
party. Ginny told Hermione that Dumbledore said that the
girls would be wearing muggle summer party dresses instead
of dress robes, since it would not be a formal occasion and
the boys would be wearing informal suits.
It was a peasant dress, light blue, made of light cotton. It was
strapless, it gathered on elastic and fit around her top going
under her arms all around to the back. There were no
sleeves connected to the bodice, they were worn separately
puffing between her upper arms and her elbows. The skirt
gathered at the waist with the hemline at the knees. She had
bought light blue slippers to match. The earrings she
planned to wear with it were clip-ons with light blue feathers
that covered her ears. Hermione suggested a string of
pearls would set it off.
Ginny pulled out several pairs of shorts and various short
sleeved tops. She described the dresses that she probably
would wear to the party. Both were made with the same
material and same style as the black crepe dress she wore
on her first “appointment.” Since Harry really liked that dress
and its style, she didn’t think she could go wrong. She just
hadn’t decide whether to wear the cream colored or the blue
one.
She explained that she had mostly bought underwear, since
she felt she hardly had enough since the fire. When she
showed them a black lace bra and knickers set, the other
girls squealed.
“I’ll have to go shopping this week, since I didn’t know about
the party until Ron asked me today. I have nothing to wear,”
said Hermione.
“So Ron actually asked you to the birthday party?” asked
Ginny.
“Yes, he made it perfectly clear that he wanted to take me as
his date. Ever since he gave me my ring... “ started
Hermione.
“A ring?” asked Ginny, with surprise.
“A ring?” asked Luna.
“Yes! Didn’t you know? Ron gave me this ring when he
asked me to be his ‘official’ girlfriend,” said Hermione,
holding out her hand.
“Oh! How exciting!” said Luna.
“It’s beautiful!” said Ginny, squealing.
“I know!” said Hermione, squealing.
They all stood around admiring Hermione’s silver rose ring,
giggling and carrying on about it.
They decided that they would not be able to do makeup or
their nails until they got their hair washed. So they went to the
bathroom to wash their hair. They all knelt up against the
bathtub. With cups, they wet their hair and applied
shampoo.
“Ron didn’t tell you he bought me a ring?” asked Hermione.
“No! But he was very excited about you becoming his
‘official’ girlfriend. He wasn’t shy about it either, he let
everyone know,” said Ginny, grinning
“He was acting giddy,” said Luna.
Hermione beamed.
After rinsing and wrapping their hair in towels, they ran back
to Ginny’s room.
They decided that they were ready for some snacks, so Luna
called for Winky. After discussing several hair styles, they
began styling each other’s hair. Winky appeared with a
huge tray full of goodies; cake, popcorn, candy and drinks.
Ginny looked over at the snacks. She felt she had an
appetite tonight. She looked down at her slim body. Harry
had noticed that she lost weight. The other day, when he
put his arm around her waist, she knew he felt her ribcage.
He frowned but didn’t say anything. Mum’s strawberry
whipped cream surprise cake was just what she needed.
Once their hair was done, they began experimenting with
make-up. Ginny and Luna brought out some of the new
make-up they bought on their shopping trip. Hermione had
also brought some new items to add. They began sorting it
and deciding which item to try first.
“Eh... Hermione... have you heard from Lavender?” asked
Ginny, applying lilac eye shadow.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I have,” said Hermione, grinning.
“Did she have anything interesting to say?” asked Ginny.
“Yes, very interesting... she seemed to be confused.
Someone told her that Harry and Ron were out Monday night
‘looking for women’, when they came across Padma and
Parvati at the Three Broomsticks,” said Hermione.
“Really? Monday NIGHT?” asked Luna, looking at Ginny
knowingly.
“Yes, according to Lavender, Harry and Parvati had a very
private conversation. It was very romantic with candlelight
and all. Ron, not wanting to intrude, danced with Padma,”
said Hermione.
“Interesting,” said Ginny, nodding to Luna.
“Yes, she proceeded to tell me that Ron began telling Padma
how beautiful she was and how he’s always been in love with
her, then he kissed her. The kiss was so passionate and he
became quite aggressive, Padma panicked and left him
standing there,” said Hermione.
“That’s strange. I never knew that Ron was attracted to
Padma,” said Luna.
“Quite the opposite,” said Ginny.
“Yes. Well, according to Lavender, seeing that Padma was
clearly upset and wanted to leave, Parvati had to leave too,”
said Hermione.
“I see,” said Ginny.
“Of course, I wrote back to her right after Ron left,” said
Hermione, grinning.
“After Ron left? Do you mean they sent you an owl BEFORE
Ron got there?” asked Luna.
“Yes,” said Hermione.
“That explains it then,” said Ginny, thoughtfully.
“Explains what?” asked Hermione.
“Ron said that you didn’t want to hear an explanation as to
what really happened,” said Ginny.
“Well, I saw through that ruse immediately,” said Hermione,
removing the purple mascara that looked ridiculous. “The
owl came not long after dark. Obviously it would have been
too early for a candlelit rendezvous and of course, we know
that Harry and Ron would not be out ‘looking for women’,”
said Hermione, taking out some pink nail polish.
“Did she say why she was telling you all this?” asked Luna,
taking a piece of cake.
“She told me that since we were so close and that I knew
everyone involved, that I would surely want to be the first to
know,” said Hermione, tempted by the cake, but chose
popcorn instead.
“Yeah, you’ve always been close to Lavender,” said Ginny,
sarcastically.
“Very best friends,” said Luna.
“Soooooo are you going to tell us what you told her? asked
Ginny, as she began painting her nails pearl white.
“You want me to tell you what I told my very best friend in
confidence?” asked Hermione, mockingly.
“Yes!” said Luna and Ginny in unison.
“Ok! I’m trying to remember, the wording may not be exact,”
said Hermione, thoughtfully, reaching for a drink.
“That’s ok, I’m sure you will be close,” said Luna, as she
began painting her nails midnight blue.
“My most dearest friend, Lavender,
Thank you for informing me of the latest, since I was not
really going with Ron at the time, it hardly concerns me.
Since I am friends with all who were involved, it was kind of
you to want me one of the first to be informed. There seems
to be some mistake, however.
Firstly, if this event were to have happened tonight, it would
have been impossible since I received your owl not long after
dark. They don’t light candles at The Three Broomsticks until
after sunset, so there could be no candlelit rendezvous.
Also, since everyone knows that Padma has had a crush on
Ron all this year, and he has shown no interest, I doubt that
anyone would believe this story as told.
Surely you didn’t receive this information from Padma or
Parvati, it would have been a pathetic attempt to save face.
Of course, Padma being in Ravenclaw, has heard the old
adage: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make
him drink.
With further thought, no, I don’t believe you heard the story
from Padma or Parvati. Perhaps you were told by one of
Padma’s many enemies. If she wonders who they are, the
one who told you this ridiculous story would be a good place
to start.
Since we all know that you don’t pass on information unless
you are very sure it is true, I would also caution you about
the person that told you this story.
As always,
Hermione “
“Padma has many enemies?” asked Luna.
“I really wouldn’t know that, but I’m sure she will be looking
over her shoulder from now on,” said Hermione, grinning.
Ginny and Luna busted up laughing. After they caught their
breath, Ginny painted little white stars on each of Luna’s
fingernails and a crescent moon on each thumbnail.
Hermione checked her nails to see if they were dry and
noticed her ring shining. She looked at it admiringly and
smiled.
“I can’t wait until Fred gives me a ring.”
“You think Fred is going to give you a ring?” asked
Hermione.
“Oh yeah. After our date, he’d better,” said Luna,
thoughtfully.
“Why? What happened?” asked Ginny.
“Boils.” said Luna.
“Fred has a case of the boils?” asked Hermione.
“I wondered why I hadn’t seen Fred for a while. It’s strange
that I didn’t know about it. I know most of Fred and George’s
secrets. Hmmmm of course I haven’t seen much of George
either,” said Ginny, thoughtfully.
“Harry has been concerned. I don’t know if he suspects boils
or not, but he knows that something is not right. Fred doesn’t
want Lupin and Harry to know. He doesn’t think they would
take it in the right way. He is especially concerned about
what Mr. Weasley would say or do, so he has been lying low
until they heal,” said Luna.
“When did this happen?” asked Hermione.
“The night of our date. After he took me to that famous
restaurant, we went to a carnival,” began Luna.
“What famous restaurant?” asked Hermione.
After Luna explained about the restaurant, Hermione giggled.
“Anyway, after we got to the carnival, we had a great time
walking around watching Muggles. We thought they were
hilarious.”
“We watched them make candy. They put this cone made of
rolled up parchment into this spinning thing that has sugar in
it. After whirling it around for a while, a big piece of pink
cotton appeared. When you take a bite of it, it melts down to
almost nothing, but it tastes ok,” said Luna.
“We went to these little booths and played games, like
throwing darts or hoops. If you hit the target, you win prizes.
Fred reckoned they were rigged, but he used magic and won
me a few prizes.”
“The most amusing part was watching the Muggles. They
would eat all kinds of treats, then bought tickets to go on the
rides. The rides are big machines that have seats that they
sit in, then the machine starts. Most of them would spin the
Muggles around, then the Muggles got dizzy and threw up.
We did a lot of laughing at the Muggles” said Luna, giggling.
“We walked around looking at all the different rides. Some
would go up and down or side to side, but most of them did a
lot of spinning. We decided that we were smarter than the
Muggles, so we didn’t ride any of them. Except the “Tunnel
of Love”. At first I thought the “Tunnel of Love” was boring.
You get into a little car big enough for two and it goes into a
black tunnel very slowly. You can’t see anything. We got
bored, so we began kissing, there really wasn’t anything else
to do. Anyway, that’s when Fred got the boils,” said Luna.
“How did that happen?” asked Hermione, fascinated.
Luna looked strangely at her.
“I mean, Eh... I didn’t want to ask that. I meant, eh... you
know, did they come up on him suddenly? I mean, how did
you know he got them?” asked Hermione.
“Eh... well... his hand sort of slipped, then he cursed and told
me he had boils,” said Luna, blushing.
“Fred and George have been experimenting with the ‘boils
project’. George hasn’t been happy with Fred because he
hasn’t been helping him except that first time when Mr.
Weasley cursed them,” said Luna.
“So what is this ‘boils project’, exactly? “ asked Hermione.
“Fred and George believe that it was up to them to find a way
around the ‘Boils Curse’ since they believe that all previous
generations of Weasleys have let them down. It’s a challenge
to them, you see. They believe that if they don’t find a way
around it, then nobody would or could,” said Luna.
“Fred and George have a theory. They believe that Weasleys
are more passionate than normal people. They believe that
the curse was not invented by a Weasley, but by one of the
local townspeople many many generations back. The curse
was put on the Weasleys because once someone has been
loved by a Weasley, they would accept no others,” said Luna.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, they believe that after several generations,
someone took pity on them and the curse was entrusted with
the head of the Weasley family. This person would decide
whether the younger Weasleys needed the curse or not.”
“They think that the curse is cruel and needs to be stopped.
They believe by knowing exactly how the curse works, they
will be able to stop it, or at least alter it so that it is not so
painful. George has been doing all the research and
experimenting. So when Fred got them that night, he
thought it was his duty to test them. He said that he owed it to
the future generation of Weasleys. So I helped him with his
research,” said Luna.
“What did this research entail ?” asked Hermione, fascinated.
“Well, we found out that the curse has several levels of
intensity, actually George discovered that. But depending on
what the violation is determines how severe they are. What
we discovered was that once it is evoked at a certain level or
from a specific action, that you could repeat that action and
they will not get any worse,” said Luna, sheepishly.
“Luna!” said Hermione, shocked.
“It was all to a good cause,” said Luna.
“How do you know for sure if that’s the case?” asked Ginny.
“We tested it several times,” said Luna.
“How many times?” asked Ginny.
“I’m not sure... but we rode the ‘Tunnel of Love’ twenty-four
times,” said Luna, sheepishly.
All three girls hooted with laughter.
“I can’t believe you fell for that story,” said Hermione, after
catching her breath.
“Who said that I did?” said Luna, grinning.
“You just let him get away with that?” asked Hermione.
“Well, it’s not like he did anything drastic, besides I had my
own family history to share,” said Luna, grinning.
“What was that?” asked Ginny.
“That our family had the same problem with passion, but it
was handled in a different way. We were all forced to carry
our burden every day to warn the unsuspecting,” said Luna.
“What was it?” asked Ginny.
“Our name,” said Luna, grinning.
* * * *
Beta by Wolfs_scream THANKIE !!
Chapter 62: Chap 62 -Neville's Party
Author's Notes: So sorry for all the delays. A death in my family and other health related issues made work on the story impossible. My next installment will be arriving in a timely manner ---------
SUMMARY: What happened at Justin's party? Yet another party.
**Beta by Wolfs_scream**
Chapter Sixty-two - Neville’s Party
After Ron went home, on his way to bed, Harry heard the
girls giggling as he passed their door. He had hoped to kiss
Ginny goodnight, but thought it would be awkward if he
disturbed their party.
As he lay in bed, he sighed as he thought about Justin’s party. Justin
was either too embarrassed or afraid to tell Harry what really
happened. Harry had felt he had to use Legilimency on Justin to get
to the truth.
So, Malfoy was looking for him. What was the point? Malfoy always
ended up on the dirty end of a wand when he crossed Harry. Riddle
would not be using Malfoy to get to him. Riddle wanted him whole
and full of magic for his scheme. Malfoy must have reasons of his
own, probably revenge for his father who was still in Azkaban. If that
was the case, Malfoy may be in more trouble than just the Ministry’s
punishment.
He finally tossed off those thoughts and returned to his main
priority, Ginny. He prayed that she slept well that night. At
least here, she was safe or as safe as she would be
anywhere. She was only just down the hall... not very far...
too far. He hoped that soon, she will be sleeping where she
belonged; next to him. He sighed, then rolled over.
* * * *
When Hermione and Luna finally went to sleep, Ginny lay
thinking about different things that the girls had said. It was
very strange to listen to Hermione and Luna share some of
their feelings about her brothers. She had to pretend that
they were talking about two other boys.
She wondered about what Malfoy was up to. Was attacking
Justin’s party worth it? Draco knew that Justin was Muggleborn. Did
he want to risk prison just for a little revenge?
As always, her mind wandered back to Harry. He was just
down the hall... just a little ways... if she could only get out
the door without waking Luna and Hermione. There was
stuff piled everywhere all over the floor . There was no way
to get out without waking one or both of them. She sighed
and rolled over.
* * * *
When Harry arrived in the kitchen early the next morning,
Hermione and Lupin were at the table drinking tea and
talking. He put on some toast and poured himself a cup of
tea to hold him over until Ginny came down.
Hermione and Lupin had been discussing the Wolfsbane
Potion. Hermione wanted the instructions from Snape so
that she could begin working on making it while she stayed
the rest of the summer. It was supposed to be a very difficult
potion to make, so they hoped by the end of the next month,
she would have it perfected.
Harry suggested that she would more likely get it if she
asked Dumbledore to request it from Snape.
“That’s a great idea,” said Hermione.
“I miss that potion. I will have to lock myself up tonight,” said
Lupin, sighing. He looked worn.
Lupin, Winky, Dobby and Harry had designed a lock-up in
the basement of the house for Lupin when he transformed.
Lupin and Harry had worked on making it strong, with the
heaviest iron bars available. Dobby worked on making it
escape-proof. The concrete floor of the enclosure held the
iron bars, so there was no way to dig under or around them.
The door hinges and lock were magically enhanced so that
they could not be removed or broken. Winky had worked on
making it as comfortable as possible. She had scattered
blankets and pillows on the floor everywhere so that when he
slept, it would be cozy. Dobby would keep watch, just in case
Lupin found some way around their precautions.
“Did Ginny sleep well last night?” asked Harry, as he sat
down with his toast and tea.
“I think so. She was sleeping deeply this morning. I tidied up
and dressed without disturbing her,” said Hermione.
“Where’s Tonks? Isn’t this her day off?” asked Harry.
“She went back to the Ministry to see what she could find out
about Malfoy’s lot. She said that she will try to get back before
Hermione leaves,” said Lupin.
After Harry finished his toast, he went upstairs. Luna was
just coming out of Ginny’s room.
“Is Ginny awake?” asked Harry.
“No. She’s sleeping soundly,” said Luna.
“Did she sleep well?”
“I think so, if she didn’t, she is now,” said Luna.
Harry stared at the door.
“Why don’t you go in and check on her? She won’t mind,”
said Luna, smiling.
Harry entered and closed the door quietly. The dim room
was unusually messy, although Hermione’s bed was made
and her things were neatly stacked on top.
He knelt down before Ginny’s bed. She was sleeping soundly. He
watched her for a moment. She looked beautiful, her skin looked soft
and creamy in her silky peach pajamas. He couldn’t help but brush
his hand across her soft cheek. The temptation was too much for
him, he had to kiss her cheek... then again. He kissed her lips softly,
then her eyes opened.
“Harry,” she purred.
“Shhhhh go back to sleep,” whispered Harry.
“I’m awake,” she said, stretching out like a cat.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” said Harry.
“I’m ready to get up. I slept well.”
“Did you really?”
“Yes,” she said sweetly.
“I’ll have breakfast ready when you come down,” he said, as
he rose and started for the door.
“Thank you for kissing me awake, Harry,” she said, grinning.
“You owe me,” said Harry. He ducked, but too late, a
pillow hit him on the side of the head. He grinned and left the
room.
Down in the kitchen, Harry peeled and sliced a banana that he put
onto two bowls of corn flakes, then added sugar. He waited for Ginny
to come down before he would add cream. Since Ginny was looking
so thin, he decided he would use cream instead of milk.
Luna, Ron, and Hermione were eating fried sausages,
scrambled eggs and toast when he arrived. Mrs. Weasley
and Winky were discussing dinner arrangements.
Ron eyed Ginny’s corn flakes as she sat down at the table to
join Harry.
“Don’t even think about it,” said Ginny.
“I was only looking,” said Ron, defensively.
“I see that you’ve already had two breakfasts,” said Ginny.
“It wouldn’t be three if I had some corn flakes, it would only
be part of the second breakfast,” said Ron. He started to get
up to make him a bowl, when he caught Hermione’s eye, she
winked. He changed his mind about the corn flakes then
they slipped out of the kitchen together.
* * * *
About an hour after breakfast, Tonks arrived. She gathered
Luna, Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry in the Dining Room.
“I thought that you’d all want to know the latest on the
Finch-Fletchy’s case and what went on at the Ministry,” began Tonks.
“Firstly, I just want to say, that I was so proud of all you. After
Mr. Finnegan reported the attack, we didn’t know what we were going
to find when we got there. To our surprise, all the thugs were tied up.
All we had to do was a little first aid and haul them in,” said Tonks.
“Why are you proud of us? We weren’t even there,” asked Harry.
“You taught ‘em what to do under attack, that’s why,” said Tonks,
grinning.
Harry blushed.
“The most consistent story is that three of them broke the windows
and crawled through, then opened the door to let the rest in. A few of
them started breaking things. Draco Malfoy was asking everyone
where Harry was. He said he had “a new spell up his sleeve” and
wanted to use on him. A fight broke out and Malfoy’s lot lost,” said
Tonks.
“At the Ministry, Draco kept his mouth shut... for a while. Then he
told a most obvious lie. He said that the kids at the party pulled them
in off the street and attacked them, said they just happened to be
walking by.”
“Later, his mother, Narcissa Malfoy showed up at the Ministry. She
was crying, it was obvious that she was faking it. She said she came
to pick up her ‘little boy’. She went on and on about her ‘little boy’
until someone pointed out that we already knew that he was of age.
Then she turned... she became outraged. She began screaming that
it was just a boyish prank. She repeated the same words ‘boyish
prank’ several times and very loudly. She caused such a
disturbance, that she had to be escorted out of the Ministry,” said
Tonks.
“The prim and proper Mrs. Malfoy was chucked out of the Ministry?
Ha!” said Ron, in amusement.
“Yeah. Of course, Draco heard her words. You couldn’t help but
hear her screaming, even through closed doors. Anyway, Draco got
the hint, so after a little while, he changed his story to it all being a
joke that somehow went bad. He said he had no idea that Justin was
Muggle-born and also swears that he forgot that he was ‘of age’” said
Tonks, rolling her eyes.
“According to Adrian Pucey, do you know him?” asked Tonks.
“Yeah, he was on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He finished school
last year or the year before, I think,” said Harry.
Tonks nodded. “Anyway, he said he came up on the others
at The Leaky Cauldron not long before the party. Malfoy and
his cronies were talking about getting some action at some
party. He says he assumed they were talking about girls,”
continued Tonks.
“He said that now he understands a little better about what
Malfoy was talking about earlier. He said that Malfoy told
Crabbe that he was being stupid, that people didn’t hide in cakes.
Adrian assured him that sometimes, especially Muggles, girls hid in
cakes for parties. He said that he understood that Ron Weasley had
brought a large cake. He had heard tales of Ron’s reputation this
year and thought that it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Ron to bring a
cake with a girl in it,” said Tonks.
Hermione kept a straight face, while Ron blushed.
“Anyway, Adrian now believes that they were talking about
Ron hiding Harry in the cake. When Malfoy and the others
decided to leave for the party, Adrian asked if he could go too. He
said that Malfoy hesitated before deciding he could join them.”
“After they arrived, he said that Crabbe, Goyle and Nott
broke through the windows, then Nott opened the door to let
the others in. Malfoy immediately started asking about Harry, then
began searching the rooms. Adrian said he just stood there at first.
He didn’t know what was going on. He thought they were just going
to crash the party and see about connecting with the girls, but then
he saw Justin hit Crabbe with a Stunner. Others pulled out their
wands and a fight broke out. He ducked a few spells before he was
hit. He saw Draco blast the cake before he was Stunned and hit the
floor. The next thing he remembered, was waking up with his hands
tied behind his back,” said Tonks.
“Mum’s cake wasn’t big enough to hide a person. I know
Harry is skinny and all that, but not THAT skinny,” said Ron.
“Thanks Ron,” said Harry, rolling his eyes.
“Adrian told me that when he saw the cake, he knew that no
one could hide in there. Although it was a large cake, it was
not nearly the size for that. He thought that Malfoy blasted it just out
of frustration. He heard Malfoy mutter ‘Crabbe’, ” said Tonks.
“Adrian told us that the reason he was co-operating, was
because he was the oldest of the lot, he was ‘of age’ and
already out of school. He didn’t know if the others were ‘of
age’ yet or not. So, all he is claiming is ‘being along for the
ride’. Personally, I believe him,” said Tonks.
“So, what’s going to happen to them?” asked Hermione.
“There were seven of them, two were under age, they went
home and will have a hearing in a couple of weeks. The rest
are in holding cells and will not be released until after their
hearings,” said Tonks.
“Do you mean they were sent to Azkaban?” asked Hermione.
“No. They are being held in lock up at the Ministry. It looks like they
will be convicted; if so, then they could be sent to Azkaban.
We are at war, the Ministry will not go too lightly on them,” said
Tonks.
“So, are they going to break their wands?” asked Harry.
“It’s possible. It will depend on what happens at their
hearings,” said Tonks.
“They were going to break my wand the night I used magic
out of school,” said Harry.
“There are different people in power now, so it’s hard to
judge the outcome,” said Tonks.
Not long after their conversation, Hermione went home.
* * * *
During that week, Ron completed the inside of the chicken coop
section of The Complex. It was now ready for roosting and nesting.
Each night, Winky completed one of the other rooms, by organizing
and installing all the items that were to go into each section.
Everyone was delighted with the results.
On Thursday morning, Harry, Ron, Molly, Luna and Ginny
worked on moving the fence. That evening when Arthur
came home from work, they completed it, including making a gate.
All week Ginny had been working on her own project of
making a pathway from the deck stairs in the back yard to
the chicken coop yard. She mixed the left-over bricks from
the chimney and the tan bricks from The Complex to make a
herringbone pattern. Ron was so impressed with it that they
decided that they would make one for the front too. Ron
decided he was going to try to talk his dad into letting him
make a full patio from the house across the way to The
Complex. He would have to buy more bricks to do it though.
He decided to wait a while, hoping his dad would think of it
himself.
Winky was enjoying herself immensely. She couldn’t wait to
get started on the house. Harry suggested that Ginny’s room
be first. Winky almost passed out when she saw the color of
Ginny’s room, so Winky planned to redo Ginny’s room next.
Also during that week, Harry continued to give Luna wandless magic
lessons. On days when Ginny needed a nap, after she woke, he
would instruct her on wandless magic too. She took home a few
beginning Charms and Transfiguration books to practice in her room
at night. Her concentration was sporadic. Depending on whether
she could keep her mind from wandering back to the Riddle problem,
sometimes it was easy for her, sometimes not.
* * * * *
The night of the Neville’s birthday finally arrived. Harry and
Ron, each dressed in black, and Luna in her blue summer
party dress, were waiting in the Living Room when the
Grangers and Hermione arrived with Arthur. Ron’s jaw
dropped, he knew at once that the Grangers were going to
the party. Mr. Granger had on a three piece suit and Mrs.
Granger was wearing a blue party dress. He hadn’t expected
the Grangers to be there. That meant that Mr. Granger was
going to find out that he and Hermione were attending the
party together.
Hermione looked radiant. She wore a pink cotton eyelet
dress with short sleeves. Her hair was sleeked back into a
knot at her nape.
Harry immediately stepped forward and greeted the
Grangers. He hugged Hermione, as did Luna. Ron paused,
then stepped over and shook hands with Mr. and Mrs.
Granger. He took Hermione’s hand and whispered his
greeting to her, then gave her a quick hug. This did not go
un-noticed by Mr. Granger, who bit his bottom lip.
“The Grangers have a special invitation from the
Longbottoms. Since they missed the awards ceremony, the
Longbottoms wanted the opportunity to meet them,” explained Arthur.
Molly, Fred and Ginny arrived. Molly was wearing new moss
green dress robes. Her red hair was up in a French twist. With her
lovely diamond necklace and earrings, she was a picture of
perfection. She greeted the Grangers and gave Hermione
a smashing hug.
Fred was wearing a silk black shirt with black trousers. Luna
started to move forward, but Harry caught her arm. After
Fred greeted the Grangers, he gave Hermione, Harry and
Ron a hug. Fred approached Luna and gave a her hug.
Taking her hand and bowing to her, he then summoned a
blue flower to match her dress. Luna’s eyes twinkled.
Ginny had had a hard time choosing what dress to wear, but after
talking to Ron, she choose the black crepe dress. She wore the
pearl drop necklace and her gold bracelet. Her hair hung down loose.
Harry waited patiently for her to approach, then hugged her and
kissed her hand.
Bill and Charlie had waited outside with two cars to drive
them to the party. The adults rode in Charlie’s car and the
teens in Bill’s.
It was a warm summer night. Standing on the sidewalk outside the
Longbottom’s estate, Harry took in his surroundings. A black, iron
gated fence faced the street. The tiny garden was neat, the house,
however, was showing some neglect. Although there weren’t
any obvious patches, there were places where the paint was
flaking. The centuries old stately home appeared to have four
floors. All the windows were lit, so although the house
looked stately, it had a welcoming appearance.
The door was opened by an older man, at first, Harry
thought it was a butler, but the man introduced himself as
Algie Longbottom and lead them into the large off-white
foyer. If it weren’t for the bouquets of flowers and the side
table that was piled with bright colored birthday gifts, the
foyer would have been very bland. Harry decided that
Neville’s gran’s no-nonsense personality dictated the
interior of the house.
Lined up to greet their guests were: Augusta, Frank, Alice
and Neville Longbottom. Algie Longbottom announced that
the Weasley, Granger, Lovegood and Potter party had
arrived.
Neville’s grandmother, Augusta, was not wearing her normal
vulture hat, but a wide brimmed straw summer hat with
pansies covering it. Her dress robes were purple to match
the flowers. “Ahhhh Harry, so good to see you again. I’m
honored that you consider Neville one of your friends,” said
Mrs. Longbottom, taking his hand with her claw-like hands.
“I’m the one who is honored to have Neville consider me to
be one of HIS friends,” said Harry.
When Harry approached Neville’s parents, he again, had a very
strong feeling inside that told him to bow. He held very high esteem
for the Longbottoms, since he knew that they held back information
from Death Eaters while being tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. He
knew exactly what the pain was like. Withholding information, while
under this curse, was one of the most bravest things a person could
do. They gave up their sanity rather than divulge whatever
information that the Death Eaters wanted. He glanced over at
Neville. Unfortunately, Neville also knew exactly what that curses’
pain felt like too. Neville had to be proud of them. Until you have felt
the pain, you just couldn’t appreciate their bravery.
Ginny took Harry’s cue and bowed to them too. They both
graciously nodded.
Harry took Neville in his arms and gave him a very strong
hug. “Happy Birthday, Neville.”
With Ginny beside him, they stood to the side and waited until each
one had been greeted, then Neville’s uncle escorted the group
though the French glass doors that led to the back garden.
The patio was wider than the width of the house. There were
outside chairs, tea tables and a porch swing. On the right,
a staircase led to a balcony above. On the left, the patio formed an
‘L’, backed by hedge that was taller than a man’s height. It was
lighted with hundreds of tiny fairy lights.
On the left side, beside a large brick outdoor grill, were
tables filled with snacks and drinks. Beyond the tables, further away
from the house, was the large wooden stage for the band.
Charlie, Bill, and George, each wearing a black silk shirt the
same as Fred’s, were playing a soft, non-descript
instrumental tune.
Tiny fairy lights were scattered here and there among the
many shrubs. There were several fellow students in little
groups scattered around the grounds. Harry and Ginny
along with Fred and Luna, followed Ron and Hermione’s lead
as they began greeting each little group. They each greeted
each other with a hug, as everyone they met were in the D.A.
Padma and Pavarti Patel were chatting with Lavender Brown and
Seamus Finnegan, who had come as a couple. Both Ron and
Hermione took a deep breath, then hugged each one in turn. Harry,
Ginny, Fred and Luna followed suit. They didn’t stay with this group
long. There were some awkward moments, but Harry talked a little
with Seamus and was told that Dean Thomas should be arriving at
any time.
The party continued to grow with each passing minute. There
were a lot of hugs exchanged before Neville made his
appearance. On his arm was Susan Bones, who was
wearing a yellow flowered summer dress. The crowd
cheered and wished him a happy birthday. Although he
turned a shade of pink, Neville was pleased with the cheer of
good will.
From the balcony above, Dumbledore, Molly, Arthur, the
Grangers and the Longbottoms were watching the party.
“Why are they all hugging when they greet each other?”
asked Mr. Granger. “That is most unusual, isn’t it?”
“Most unusual,” said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. “You
are looking at the most powerful wizards and witches to ever
attend Hogwarts.”
“Do you mean that for some reason, this generation has
more magical powers?” asked Mr. Granger.
“Not in the way that I think you are thinking. No, they are just
better educated. I would say without exception that all of
these students are part of the defense club known as the
D.A. They are taught to defend themselves in times of war.
Most of them know more about defense than their parents.
They greet each other with a hug, it shows unification among
them.”
“Don’t you think that is promoting violence?” asked Mrs.
Granger.
“They live in a violent world. Defending themselves and their
families is important. They are no more violent now than
before, less I think,” said Dumbledore.
* * * *
Dean Thomas and Katie Bell stepped up and greeted Harry
and Ginny. Dean hugged Ginny a little longer than necessary but
Harry didn’t comment.
“Oh Dean, that wound over your eye is probably going to
leave a scar,” said Ginny.
“I know. I decided to leave it. I hear that scars on the
forehead are quite attractive,” said Dean, grinning.
Ginny giggled.
Ginny and Katie began a conversation about Quidditch, so
Harry took the moment to pull Dean aside.
“Have you heard anything about Malfoy’s lot?” asked Harry.
“Yeah, a bit. Last I heard, Malfoy is still in lockup. They
aren’t going to let him out until the hearing next week,” said
Dean.
“How do you know?” asked Harry.
“Everyone from the party were called back to the Ministry to tell our
story again. They asked a few more questions, wanting more details.
I picked up a few things from one of the Aurors,” said Dean.
“Oh,” said Harry.
“What’s wrong with Ginny?” asked Dean.
“What do you mean?” asked Harry, surprised.
“She’s thinner. They said she was ill last week, is it from the
illness? Is she ok now?” asked Dean, clearly concerned.
“Eh... yeah, she wasn’t feeling well last week. She’s been
exercising too much. She needs to stop working so hard
in the garden too. Have you seen Justin?” asked Harry,
changing the subject.
“Yeah, well not tonight. He won’t be attending in respect for
his mother. She is still shook up pretty bad. She’s on
sedatives. This party is just a little too soon after his
disastrous party. He said that he won’t be going anywhere for
a while, but will be attending Hogwarts in the fall,” said Dean.
Fred and Ron walked up at this last statement. “Well this
party is not going to be disastrous,” said Ron, taking Fred’s
arm and leading him to the bandstand.
Ron removed his sport coat revealing his matching black
shirt and strapped on his guitar. He began stomping one
foot on the wooden bandstand and clapping, creating a beat.
Bill, Charlie, Fred and George began stomping their feet and
clapped to the same rhythm. Everyone else stopped talking
and joined in. The crowd began to sway. Ron speeded up
the tempo and everyone else did too. After a bit, Fred
began drumming the tempo, then Ron played a riff as they
all kept clapping to the beat. Ron played another riff and the
crowd recognized the song. Several moved closer to the
bandstand, while some began shouting. Ron began singing
and the crowd went wild.
From up in the balcony, Mr. Granger watched in horror.
“He’s a rock singer too,” he said under his breath. Arthur
heard his mutter but only smiled to himself.
Hermione and Luna wove their way closer to the
bandstand. Harry and Ginny danced and sang backup to
the song. Their singing was mostly wiped out because most
the crowd new the backup words and sang them too.
When the song ended, they went into an even faster song.
By the time the second song was over, everyone was ready
for a slower one. Ron left the stage to join Hermione. Bill
began singing the lead to a very romantic ballad. Ron scooped up
Hermione by her waist and pulled her close. Her father was watching
from the balcony, his hands in fists at his side. When the song
ended, Ron kissed Hermione’s forehead and went back to the stage
replacing Fred. Fred joined Luna for the next dance.
Ron sang one of Harry’s favorite slow songs. Harry always
felt strong feelings of love when he danced with Ginny to that
song. When it finished, both of them were thirsty, so they
went over to the drinks table to find Neville and Susan
sipping butterbeer, talking quietly. Neville pulled Harry aside.
“I think everyone is having a good time,” said Neville.
“Yeah. I know that I am,” said Harry. In the meantime, Ron
left the bandstand, Fred replaced George and Charlie began
singing a slow ballad that Ron and Hermione were dancing
to.
“Thank you for the birthday present. I opened it this morning.
I know that they will come to good use. I plan on studying
them in my spare time. So by next year I will have at least
some preparedness,” said Neville.
Harry had bought him a complete set of advanced level
Herbology books. They were very expensive but would be
required for specialty in Herbology schooling. Harry had
asked about the subject at Florish and Botts. They told him
that these were the best ever published, so he ordered them
and had them delivered that morning. Since this was Neville’s special
birthday, he wanted to give him something extra special.
“I’m glad you like them,” said Harry.
“I like the jumper that Ginny sent too,” said Neville, grinning.
“Yeah, she said you would need something to keep you
warm on cold winter nights. Of course, we didn’t know about
Susan,” said Harry, grinning.
“Yes, Susan will be with me on cold winter nights. We are to
be married,” said Neville.
“Married? Neville... eh... that seems sudden,” said Harry,
shocked.
“I need not look further. It was Ginny that made me see,”
said Neville, glancing over at Ginny and Susan, who were chatting
animatedly.
“What did Ginny make you see?” asked Harry, confused.
“The way she looks at you, that’s what I wanted.”
“Sorry Neville, she’s mine,” said Harry.
“Of course, she’s yours. That’s what I’m talking about, I
wanted someone to love and admire me the way that Ginny
does you,” said Neville, glancing over at Ginny and Susan
again.
“Oh,” said Harry, frowning.
“You don’t approve?” asked Neville.
“Eh... sure. Susan is a lovely girl,” said Harry.
“I’ve lived with you for six years. I ought to know when you
don’t approve of something,” said Neville, grinning.
“Eh... I mean... marriage. You haven’t gone together very
long,” said Harry. He didn’t think it was any of his business
who or why Neville wanted to marry. Now he was boxed in
to the conversation. He was desperately trying to come up
with something to change the subject.
“We’ve known each other all our lives.”
“I meant, you haven’t been a couple very long,” said Harry.
“Longer than you think.” Seeing the look on Harry’s face, he
said; “I tried very hard to make it work out with Hermione,
since we had so much in common and all,” said Neville.
“Much in common?” asked Harry. He couldn’t help himself,
the question just slipped out.
“Of course. We both lack self confidence and we both need
to be admired,” said Neville, grinning.
“Hermione lacking self confidence?”
“Of course. Haven’t you noticed? She always re-reads
everything. She re-reads until she has everything
memorized word for word. She understands it completely the
first read, but she is a perfectionist. She can’t help but go
over everything again and again. She has to be the best, that
is her thing. Nobody works harder at it. It’s quite maddening,
actually,” said Neville.
“I’m like that, but not to that extent. With my memory
problem, I had to re-read everything too. I usually don’t
have to re-read any more. I don’t care if it is exact, as long
as I get the idea. Hermione also wants to be admired more
than most people. That’s why she works so hard at being the
best, I think,” said Neville, thoughtfully, looking over at
Hermione and Ron dancing together.
“I see that they finally got together, it’s about time,” added
Neville.
“Yeah,” said Harry, hoping the subject was changed enough
to move on.
“It took them so long to finally get together. It’s hard to
imagine, since they are so well suited,” said Neville.
“Yeah,” said Harry, not having a clue about what Neville was
talking about.
“You don’t know, do you?” asked Neville.
“Know what?”
“Why they are suited to each other,” said Neville.
“Yeah... well...” Harry let the sentence trail off.
“They have been drawn to each other since second
year. Although Hermione did get off track for a few months
at the end of last term,” said Neville.
Harry blushed and looked around trying to find another
subject to move to.
“Of course THAT would have been disastrous, but I see that
Hermione came to her senses... but then, so did Ron,” said
Neville, seriously.
“I don’t think that Hermione would ever had been satisfied
with anyone other than Ron,” added Neville.
“Why?” asked Harry.
“Because Ron gives her everything she ever wanted.”
“Like what?” asked Harry, fascinated.
“Haven’t you noticed how critical Ron is? He has a very high
standard that he judges people by. Of course, he is just as
critical of himself,” said Neville. “Ron admires the best. He
wants the best. To him, Hermione represents the best. No other girl
will do.”
“So what’s in it for Hermione?” asked Harry.
“Hermione wants to be admired more than anything. To be
admired by Ron is like the ultimate praise. So you see, they
are very well suited.”
“Hmmmm I think your theory is a bit flawed. I mean, Ron
admires Hermione and all that, but he doesn’t always show it.
They seem to argue over just about anything,” said Harry.
“That’s because, for one thing, Ron doesn’t just take her
word for everything. He makes her prove it. She likes that... but at
the same time, it irritates her, so they bicker. Most of the time she’s
right,” said Neville.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Of course, there has be that certain little ‘spark’ combined with
admiration and respect, to make it work. Admiration is the key. Just
like you and Ginny. You both admire each other, but you also
understand each other. There is definitely a ‘spark’, you both glow
when you look at each other. Ginny admires you above all people,”
said Neville.
“No she doesn’t. I mean... She does think highly of me, I think, but
you heard her, she admires her dad the most,” said Harry,
thoughtfully.
“No, she lied. Of course she thinks highly of her father, but it
is you who she admires the most. I can see it in her eyes
when she looks at you,” said Neville.
“And that’s what I see in Susan’s eyes when she looks at me.
Susan admires me... respects me... I mean... she listens to
what I have to say. We agree on most subjects most of the time. We
think alike,” said Neville, eyes shining.
“Is that enough?” asked Harry.
“Oh there is far more to it than that... that is just the basis of
it... a solid foundation, if you know what I mean.”
“When are you going to announce it? Tonight?” asked Harry.
“No, we have it all planned out. We will announce it
sometime in the middle of this school year. Then we will marry next
summer before I start Herbology school,” said Neville.
“Before you get a job and all?” asked Harry.
“Yes. We’ve talked to our parents about it. My mum and
dad agree that we needn’t wait too long. After all the wasted years
of their lives, they don’t want us to miss out on the happiness we
could have. My dad says that supporting both of us for a couple of
years while I finish schooling is the least he could do. They want me
to have a full life,” said Neville, seriously.
Harry, although surprised, finding the logic in it, just nodded.
“I have a feeling that you will marry young too,” said Neville.
Harry caught Ginny’s eye. Not saying a word, Harry used
this moment as an excuse to join the girls.
* * * *
From above, Mr. Granger watched as Ron and Hermione
slipped away from the dance area to the side of the house
out of sight. His face was turning a shade of red that only
Vernon Dursley could muster during a fit of rage.
“I wouldn’t worry about them,” said Arthur.
Mr. Granger only glared at him.
“I mean, girls are perfectly safe with my sons,” said Arthur, proudly.
“How can you be so sure?” asked Dumbledore, knowing
perfectly well why.
Arthur rocked on his heels proudly telling them about the
Boils Curse.
“Why that’s barbaric!” said Mrs. Granger, shocked.
“Can’t be too careful with young ladies in the house. I can
rest easy at night, knowing that the girls are protected while
living under my roof,” said Arthur.
“That’s terrible! I mean, you don’t even trust your own
sons?” asked Mrs. Granger.
“I do now,” said Arthur, grinning.
“Now now, dear, the man does need to sleep at night,” said
Mr. Granger, showing a great deal of relief for the first time
this summer.
* * * *
A few minutes before midnight, Neville stood on the bandstand and
got everyone’s attention. “I’d like to thank everyone for
coming. Some of you may not know, but at midnight it will
become Harry Potter’s birthday. For this one hour, I like to
think that we share the same birthday. Please join me in
sharing our combined birthdays,” said Neville, as a huge
cake with the words “Happy Birthday Neville and Harry”
written in curly script, with a total of thirty-four lit candles on it,
seventeen for each of them, was carefully placed upon a
sturdy table upon the bandstand. Harry grinned.
At midnight, everyone clapped and cheered , when together they blew
out the candles together. Cake was passed around to everyone.
After everyone finished their cake, Fred and George put on a
fireworks display, which included a huge roaring dragon with a boy
dressed in red and gold circling it on a broom. Even Dumbledore
was impressed by the detail.
The band played until 2:00 a.m. then the party broke up.
In bed that night, Harry reflected on the night’s events. He had
enjoyed himself at the party, but always in the back of his mind, he
had expected trouble, trouble from Riddle. Harry’s birthday would
have been a significant day to attack. If Dumbledore was correct, the
attack could come at any time now that he was ‘of age’. It was a long
time before he drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Chapter 63: Chap 63 Freaky Storm
Author's Notes: *****Beta by Wolfs_scream*****
Dumbledore has a surprise. ******** What do you do on a stormy night?
Chapter Sixty-three - Freaky Storm
The following morning, after Neville's party, when Harry got
out of bed, he found his legs were burning from all the
dancing he had done the night before. He tried a few leg
stretches, but decided that pain was not something he
wanted to deal with before breakfast. He dressed and
dragged himself down to breakfast.
Harry was surprised to see Dumbledore sitting at the kitchen
table finishing off what looked to be a huge breakfast of
waffles, bacon and scrambled eggs. Ginny and Ron were
also sitting at the table eating breakfast, along with Luna and
Hermione. Harry filled his plate and sat across from Ginny.
One glance told him that she was as tired as he was.
"Good morning, Harry. Happy birthday," said Dumbledore,
cheerfully.
"Good morning," said Harry.
They all wished him a happy birthday. "Thanks," he said,
before tucking into his breakfast. He listened to Luna,
Hermione and Ginny talking about what all the other girls
were wearing and who was with who at the party the night
before, as he ate. When Harry had finished, Dumbledore
waved his hand and all the dishes floated into the sink.
"I'm glad to see that everyone had a hearty appetite this
morning," said Dumbledore. "Now that we are all filled to the
brim, I thought I would surprise all of you. I am going to give
you all some private lessons."
"Ooooo!" squealed Hermione.
Everyone else sat with their mouths gaped in surprise.
"I want you all to stand and touch this rolling pin. One, two,
three."
Harry felt the familiar tug-behind-the-navel sensation. He hit
the ground, then found himself laying upon long green grass.
He looked around to see a beautiful green meadow
surrounded by pine trees. He stood up, scanning the
surrounding area. The round meadow was at least twice the
size of a Quidditch pitch.
Once everyone was settled, Dumbledore had them stand in
a semi-circle around him. "I am going to give you lessons in
Apparation. Although not all wizards or witches can do it, I
am sure that you all will be up to the task. You will notice
the place I have chosen," broadening his arms to display the
surroundings. "I believe that it is large enough to keep you
out of harm’s way. Beware the trees. I don't want any of
you to get involved in the entanglement of branches."
"Eh... Professor... Did you forget that Ginny and Luna are
not old enough to Apparate?" asked Hermione.
"I did not. Since they are so close to Harry, I felt that it
would not hurt for them to learn. Of course, no one else is to
know. We will keep that as our little secret," he said,
winking.
"As I have mentioned before, since you all are in danger, I
had requested that you not take the usual formal lessons, I
decided to give you lessons myself. And since I was going
to give YOU private lessons, why not include Ginny and
Miss Lovegood?"
"You will notice that the meadow is not perfectly smooth,
there are little bunches of dandelions, tufts of long grass,
and a few large rocks here and there. Choose a spot that
attracts you, then concentrate on it. Will yourself to go to
that spot," said Dumbledore.
Harry watched in amusement as Hermione straightened her
back and began to concentrate. He could almost feel her
excitement.
Harry Apparated to a large rock, then looked back at the
others. They were still standing in their original positions.
He Apparated back to his original spot.
"You did it on your first try!" said Ron.
"Well... yes. But THIS time wasn't my first time. I've been
able to do it for a while," said Harry, blushing. "Never mind
me, continue," added Harry.
Harry watched as they each got very red in the face, trying to
force themselves to the spot they had chosen. After several
minutes, there was a CRACK! Luna had Apparated to a
little cluster of flowers some twenty feet away.
"Very good! I had a feeling that it would be easier for you,"
said Dumbledore.
Luna flushed, and after a few minutes, she Apparated back
to her original position.
"How'd you do that?" asked Hermione, clearly peeved that
Luna did it first.
"I don't know," said Luna.
"Everyone relax. What you need to do, is visualize yourself
at your goal. I think having a vivid imagination makes it
easier. Straining too hard will probably do more harm than
good," said Dumbledore, patiently.
Ron stepped forward, lost his balance and fell on his face.
Harry turned his head knowing that he would not be able to
suppress laughing. He straightened his face and turned back
stepping forward to give Ron a hand in rising.
"Think about a chocolate frog being near that rock over
there," whispered Harry.
Ron looked over to the spot that Harry had pointed out.
CRACK!
Ron had made it, but when he tried to return, he tripped and
landed on his knees. After a few minutes, he Apparated
back to his original position, grinning from ear to ear.
Hermione had not managed to move and was clearly getting
agitated. Ron whispered something into her ear. She
grinned, then with a CRACK, she appeared near a large
rock. After a couple of minutes, she returned to her original
position next to Ron.
A half an hour later, Luna, Ron and Hermione were
Apparating from one spot to another. It looked like a
exaggerated game of leap frog.
Ginny, however, hadn't moved an inch. Her face was red
and she looked as though she were about to cry.
Harry caught Dumbledore's eye. They stepped away, out of
Ginny's hearing. "What's wrong? Why can't she do it?"
asked Harry.
"She's trying too hard, I think. Since everyone else has done
it, she's become frustrated. She also may not have gotten
enough rest after the party," said Dumbledore, watching
Ginny closely. Suddenly, he beamed. "I've got an idea.
Harry, Apparate over to there," he said, pointing to a large
rock several feet away.
Harry did as he was told. He watched as Dumbledore said
something into Ginny's ear. CRACK! Ginny came at Harry,
knocking him on to his back, she landed on top of him.
"Ugh!" uttered Harry, his breath knocked out of him.
"I made it!" said Ginny, gleefully.
"Yeah," said Harry, once he got his breath back, looking up at
her.
"All I needed was you to be my goal." She was sitting on his
stomach pinning him down. She bent over and kissed him.
"Ginny, the others may be watching," said Harry, blushing.
"I don't care," said Ginny, grinning mischievously.
"Miss Weasley, I think you need to get up. Others are
watching," said Harry, firmly.
"Oh, all right," said Ginny, begrudgingly, then she rose.
"Anyway, I can do it now."
"Ok. Prove it," said Harry. He Apparated further away.
Within a few seconds, she was standing at his side. They
played a game of tag for a few minutes, before Dumbledore
called them all back.
"I believe you have all had enough for today. You will find
that you will be more tired than usual. It takes a lot of
magical power to Apparate your first time, so you will feel
drained very soon," said Dumbledore.
"So, that's all there is to it? Why haven't we been able to do
it before? I mean, there has been several times in my life
that I have willed myself to be somewhere else. Wouldn't I or
any of us, have done it before?" asked Hermione.
"I have. When I was back in Muggle school I Apparated to
the roof," said Harry.
"That was Accidental magic. It happens to the very young
sometimes," said Dumbledore. "The reason that you can all
do it now, is because I gave you permission." They all stared
at him blankly.
"The mind is a wondrous thing, but it has its limitations. It
will only allow you to do what you think you can do. It also
takes in information in short bits. Learning magic is like
learning to read," said Dumbledore, pausing.
"If I were to hand you a large book, such as this."
Dumbledore conjured a huge tome. "And I asked you to read
it, you would surely protest."
"I'll say," said Ron, staring at the huge book.
"Yes, it is quite intimidating," said Dumbledore, smiling. "The
vastness of it makes your mind say that it is far too much to
be going on with. The same would be when you were seven
and someone asked you to read a whole page full of text.
You may have known most of the words, but there are just
too many words to take in at one time."
"You learn to read in tiny steps. Firstly, you learn your
letters. Your mind gets familiar with the shapes and you
learn the sounds. Then, three letter words are introduced;
big, pig, dig... etc. These words are words that you already
know the meaning of. Then you are introduced to sentences
that contain the simple words. If you look at primary books,
you will notice that there are very few sentences on
each page. There is usually an illustration complementing
the sentences. As the book progresses, you will notice that
there are more sentences added to each page. This is
because if a youngster were to see all those words on a page
at one time it is far too intimidating," he paused.
"You struggle, but as time goes on, more words are
introduced. New words that you don't know the meaning of
are introduced, so that you not only learn a new word but
also the definition of that word. In a couple of years, you
get used to seeing many words upon a page and there are
less illustrations. After more time has passed, you no longer
have to decipher each letter and word, your mind knows the
word and translates the familiar words for you. At some point,
you begin reading with comprehension. Your mind begins to
show you visions of what the author has written. You only
pause when there are unfamiliar words on the page. From
the experience you have had with words, you often can
figure out the meaning of most of them without having to look
up the meaning in a dictionary. This takes years to
accomplish, but your mind processes a lot of information for
you without you even knowing it." He paused again.
"So is it with learning magic. We who have been born with
magic, have to learn how to use it. When you started
Hogwarts, you were taught the simplest of spells. I'm sure
you remember Professor Flitwick teaching you to levitate a
feather. Weight, distance and the combination of an
incantation, the proper wand motion, AND the casters
intentions, determine whether the charm will work. I'm sure
for most of you it was difficult. If I remember correctly,
Professor McGonagall started you out turning a match into a
needle. Whatever it was, you started out with very simple
things to transform. I'm sure she has you transforming
animals by now."
They all nodded.
"My point is, you have been taught magic in bits; very slowly
and carefully. You may not have noticed, but your teachers
don't give you step by step instructions anymore. They
usually tell you the incantation or in some cases, special
instructions, depending on the spell, then leave the rest up
to you. Like reading, you no longer have to look at each
letter or word... you read in sentences. You perform magic
that way now too. When you learn a more complex spell,
you don't have to begin at the basics. Your mind fills in the
things you already know and applies it. With a new spell, you
may have to experiment with how much energy you use or
the way in which to wave your wand or pronounce an
incantation, but all the basics are filled in for you." He
paused again, waiting for the all the information to sink in.
"Professor, I still don't understand what giving us permission
has to do with it," said Hermione.
"If someone other than a teacher, were to tell you to
Apparate, you would have told them that you couldn't,
because you don't know how. However, since I told you that
you could, your mind was prepared. You trust my judgment,
so you knew it was possible. Knowing it is possible for YOU
to do it is very important to the process."
"It was really hard," said Ron.
"You learned it inside an hour. That is very remarkable. I am
so very proud of all of you. You must understand, it takes
most people several days or even weeks to learn to do it.
Some people never learn to do it, however, I had trust in you
all accomplishing the task."
"Apparation can not be taught. Only YOU can teach yourself
to Apparate. Around your age, you have enough
information inside you to put it all together. All the education
up to his point has given you the tools. Then, once your
mind is ready, it begins working on putting everything
together inside to make it work."
"My experience told me that you would all be up for the task.
It takes strong magical power to Apparate the first time. Your
mind has to process a lot of information that you may not be
ready for, mentally, I mean. Of course, you all have enough
magical power to complete the task."
"Professor, does that mean that it doesn't take as much
magical power to Apparate after the first time?" asked
Hermione.
"You are correct. Processing your experience and the
strength of your power enabled you to complete the task. It
takes a vast amount of each to complete Apparation the first
time. That is one of the reasons you are not usually
instructed to begin Apparation until right before you become
`of age'," said Dumbledore.
"But Ginny and Luna are not `of age' and don't have the
same amount of experience as the rest of us," said Ron.
"Magic power grows along with you. It is like your body in
some ways. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.
You four have been using your magic far more than the
average student. Teaching D.A. has kept your magic in fine
tune. You have been building magical muscles, like an
athlete. In your cases, your magical muscles are like the
muscles of a weight lifter.
"So, it is not how much magic you are born with, but how
much you use it that determines how powerful you are?"
asked Hermione.
"There are several theories about that. It has never been
proven one way or another. My experience tells me that
witches and wizards all have around the same amount of
magic in us when we are born... on average. There are
exceptions, of course, but on the whole, I think we are close
to the same. There are many factors that need to be called
upon, intelligence and ambition of the person plays a big
part."
"In what way?" asked Hermione.
"If you were fortunate enough to be born with an exceptional
amount of raw magic, but you were lazy or not too bright,
the magic would be wasted. However, if you were born with
less raw magical power but you used it and studied hard, you
could become more powerful than the one who had more raw
power," said Dumbledore.
"Oh, that's fascinating," said Hermione.
"As much as you four have been using your magic, you will
soon begin doing things automatically. You may find that
some incantations don't actually have to be spoken aloud or
you may not need your wand for every spell. Apparation is
one that you do not need a wand to perform. In your spare
time, it might be a good idea to test out some of the simpler
spells."
"I should add caution to that... I remember when I was a boy,
my Aunt Torbethia used to wave her hand and light all the
lamps in the room without waving her wand or saying a word.
I found this fascinating. One day I decided to try it out for
myself. With much concentration, I cast the `Lumos Charm'.
The whole room lit up... literally. It was so bright I could not
see! I had to close my eyes... it was as bad as looking at the
sun. I had set my wand down on the table, but dared not
open my eyes to find it. Out of panic, I could not
remember the counter-spell. Once I calmed myself down, I
finally remembered `Nox' and got the room back to normal,"
he said, chuckling. "To this day, I remember being
exhausted and soaking wet from fear. It was a good lesson,
I learned that although you may not need your wand for some
spells, most do need to be directed. I also learned to have
the counter-spell fresh in my mind before experimenting."
They all laughed. After a few moments, Luna asked; "So
now we know all there is about Apparating? We are done?"
"Oh no, you have much to learn. I could not teach you to
Apparate but once you have mastered the initial act, I CAN
teach you the rules and refinements of Apparation. You have
tests to pass before you may obtain your license. There is a
lot of responsibility associated with Apparation. In the next
few days I will be teaching you everything about it," said
Dumbledore.
"I wish I could have been in school when you were teaching.
You are the best teacher. You make everything
understandable and fun," said Ron.
Albus Dumbledore turned beet red. "Thank you for saying
that. I haven't blushed so much since I walked out of the
bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe."
They Portkeyed back to Harry's kitchen and Dumbledore
left. They all talked excitedly about their lesson. Before
long, Harry noticed that Ginny was wilting. He told the
others that Ginny needed a nap. He took her to the living
room, where he darkened the room and sat her on the sofa in
front of the fireplace.
"Are you all right?" asked Harry, as he sat beside her.
"Kinda, I feel really drained," said Ginny. Harry held her, it
wasn't long before they were both asleep.
That evening, Harry enjoyed all of his favorite foods that
Molly and Winky especially prepared. Since they had
already celebrated Harry's birthday the night before, they
spent a quiet night at home, IF you consider playing Twister,
Exploding Snap and Aggravation with all the Weasley's, Luna
and Hermione, a quiet night.
Between two and three hours were spent each day for the
next several days with Dumbledore. He took them to many
places by Portkey to practice Apparating. This included
going to a deserted island where they practiced on the beach
and going to a vast desert to work on distance. After being
satisfied with their distance by sight, he taught them how to
Apparate to places that were out of their range of sight.
Dumbledore instructed them on all the little refinements, such
as how to stand before Apparating so that they landed firmly,
which also helped them when using a Portkey. He also
taught them all the rules of Apparation set by the Ministry of
Magic, so they could pass their written exam.
During that week, Harry spent several hours helping out at
The Burrow, although not every day. He began giving Ron
and Hermione wandless magic lessons. When Hermione
was free, she worked on future lessons for the D.A. with
him. At night he studied magic. He also worked on his
project of learning spells that took very little power to
perform. He tried to keep each day as full as possible.
Since his birthday, he began having waves of anxiety about
Riddle. He lost his appetite and began staying awake for
hours, before getting to sleep. If he wasn't kept busy, he
had a hard time chucking off the anxiety. So, he tried to fill
every waking moment with something to do. Even then, he
would often brood upon the problem. He knew that Luna,
Hermione and Lupin were becoming anxious about him
because he would catch them looking at him with a look of
concern.
*****
It was on a Friday that the storm came. It started out very
hot and muggy that morning. It was overcast all day with
thunder pounding and lightning flashing, promising rain.
Ginny went out to work in the garden that morning. By the
time she got out to the garden shed, she was soaking in
sweat. The humidity was more than she could bear, so she
went back into the house. She went to the bathroom and
soaked in a tub of cool water. After an hour she felt guilty
about hogging the bathroom, so she went to her room to lie
down in her newly redecorated room. It had been
redecorated to look very much like the one at Harry's. The
mint green walls should have given her a feeling of coolness,
but it was just too sweltry to do any good. Within just a few
minutes she was sweating again. She dragged herself
downstairs to the kitchen. By the time she got there, she was
exhausted and flopped down into a chair.
"Ginny, you look pale. Why don't you go up and lie down?"
asked Molly.
"I just came from there. I came down to get some ice water,"
said Ginny.
"Why aren't you doing that, then?" asked Molly.
"I will in a minute," said Ginny, listlessly.
"Ginny, are you all right?" asked Molly.
"I just don't have any energy. It's the heat."
"Why don't you go up and take a nice cool soak in the tub?"
asked Molly, as she handed Ginny a tall glass of ice water.
"I just came from there. I soaked for over an hour, but as
soon as I got out, I was all hot again." She took out a piece
of ice and rubbed it on her forehead, then drank the whole
glass of water down in one drink.
"Ginny! You're going to hurt yourself. Slow down," said
Molly, exasperatedly.
"I think I'll go back up and lie down again," said Ginny, as she
rose. She took a couple of steps, then stopped. She had
become extremely dizzy. Molly noticed and guided her back
to her chair.
"Don't move," said Molly. She tossed some Floo Powder into
the fireplace and stuck her head in. "Winky? Harry? Is
anyone in the kitchen?"
"I'm here," said Luna, lazily. "What's wrong?"
"Is it hot there today?" asked Molly.
"Yes. Outside it's stormy. It's all cloudy and there's thunder
and lightning, but it hasn't rained yet."
"It's the same here.
"It's not hot in the house, but I'm feeling a bit drained," said
Luna, slowly.
Molly looked back at Ginny, who was sitting limply at the
table. Although Molly felt a bit sluggish, Ginny looked
downright lethargic.
“I think Harry's house is a bit cooler, do you want to go
there?" asked Molly.
"Yeah," said Ginny, dully.
They arrived by Ginny's rock Portkey. Hermione and Harry
had, by that time, joined Luna in the kitchen.
Harry took one look at Ginny and immediately wrapped his
arms around her. "What's wrong?" asked Harry.
"I dunno. It's just too humid," said Ginny.
"She'll be all right here. I'll go let Ron know where we are,"
said Molly, as she dusted Floo Powder in the fireplace and
said; "The Burrow."
Hermione looked at Ginny closely. "She's all pale and
clammy. Harry, do you think she should go to the healer
right away?"
"Yeah, I'll take her now," said Harry, gently guiding Ginny up
the steps. He took her to the Defense Room, then Apparated
her to the cave.
He lead her to the waterfall and had her soak her feet in the
cool water. She sat limply on the edge of the water, not
speaking. Harry left her there and went into the main room
of the cave. He looked around trying to find an idea of what
to do. He cast a Cooling Charm on the room and returned to
Ginny. He gently dried her feet and led her to the bed to sit.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't
believe it took me longer than everybody else to Apparate
and today I don't know why I'm weaker than everybody else.
I hate it! I am not weak!" She balled up her fists and
pounded her knees.
"Lift your stubborn Weasley chin a little higher," he said,
lifting her face with his hand. "You heard Dumbledore, you
learned to Apparate within an hour. What more do you
expect? Anyway, Hermione said that it's the air pressure and
humidity from the weather that was making us all feel
sluggish. Not just you, but all of us. You get this
stubbornness and pride from your father, Weasley pride."
"No, Potter pride. I'm a Potter," said Ginny, with a
determined look.
"That you are! But you were born with it," said Harry.
"That's what you love about me, so don't get angry if I'm
frustrated."
"You're right, but I'm not angry with you," said Harry, softly.
Ginny moved her head around a little so that it was making
his hand gently caress her face.
There was a sudden blast of thunder that startled both of
them. He walked over to the dark curtain and peeked out.
They had never been to the cave in daylight. No light from
within the cave would be spotted from the outside in the
daylight. He pulled back the curtain part-way to let the air
flow in, looking at the grayness all around.
"I just wish this would be over. Riddle is so stupid. He
always goes about things the hard way. Remember how he
took the whole year to Portkey me to the graveyard? He
could have had Crouch Jr. do it at any time that year. No
one would have known if he got me alone, but he waited for
the last Tri-Wizard challenge before launching his plan.
Then he took the whole school year sending me visions of
the Department of Mysteries. He surely could have come up
with a better, if not faster, way of doing it. I know he knows
a lot about magic... Professor Dumbledore says he knows
more than just about everybody... but I wonder if he has
much common sense..."
It began hailing, drowning out his words. In a much louder
voice, he said; "It's starting to hail. It's really coming down
now." He looked over at Ginny, who was curled up fast
asleep.
He left the curtain open just a crack, then sat down on the
bed. He took off his shoes, then curled up next to Ginny and
fell asleep.
* * *
He felt Ginny's lips on his and opened his eyes.
"Hmmmmmm," he murmured.
"The rain has stopped and it's dark. We've slept the day
away," said Ginny.
"Hmmmmm," he said, pulling her closer.
"We better get back. Mum will be worried," said Ginny,
between kisses.
"In a minute," said Harry, kissing her passionately.
* * * *
Sometime later, they Apparated to the Defense Room, then
headed for the kitchen.
"There you are. We were beginning to get worried," said
Molly. Luna and Tonks were sitting drinking cold butterbeer
at the table.
"We're fine," said Ginny.
"I admit that you do look better than you did this morning. Go
on home now. Your father is home waiting," said Molly to
Ginny.
"Later," said Ginny, before she Portkeyed home.
"Sorry we are so late, we fell asleep," said Harry. "I'm
starved."
"I'll fix you something," said Luna.
"Don't bother, I'll find something," said Harry, as he
rummaged through the cupboards.
"Where's Hermione and Lupin?" asked Harry.
"Hermione is on a date with Ron. They went to The Three
Broomsticks," said Molly.
"Lupin is upstairs reading. He's pretending that he isn't
worried about you," said Tonks.
Harry loaded a plate with food and sat down. Luna fetched
him a butterbeer to wash it down.
"How come you fell asleep at the healer's?" asked Tonks.
"He said that lack of sleep along with the weather was the
reason Ginny was so listless. He suggested that she take a
nap... next thing you know, we were both sleeping. We just
woke up a few minutes ago," lied Harry. The lie came so
naturally that he felt a twinge of guilt. He hated lying to
Tonks, yet, it answered Molly’s question.
"Ginny looked a lot better tonight. She ALWAYS looks better
after she spends time with Harry. Ginny makes him hungry.
He always eats a lot after he spends time with Ginny," said
Luna, grinning.
Harry's face went scarlet. He nearly choked, but with
tremendous effort, got the mouthful of food down.
Harry nearly finished his plate when Dumbledore appeared.
"Harry, the Dursleys are being attacked. We have no time to
waste if you want to come along with me," said Dumbledore,
seriously.
"Yes!" said Harry, as he immediately rose.
"You want me to come along?" asked Tonks.
"It wouldn't hurt," said Dumbledore. He picked up a wicker
basket off the table and said: " `Portus'. Touch the basket.
One... Two... Three."
At the count of three... both Luna and Molly also touched the
basket.
* * * *
They landed across the street from the house. There were
no working street lights, so the only light was from the
windows of the nearby houses. Even in the darkness, Harry
could tell that the neighborhood was shabby. Uncle Vernon
would never drive through a neighborhood as this, let alone
live here. The wooden house appeared to be at least fifty
years old. He couldn't tell what color it was, he only knew it
wasn't white. From the front he could see a path of broken
cement leading to the dark door. He saw light coming from
the windows on either side of the door. There was a large
tree on the left side of the yard and a smaller one on the right
that were dripping from the rain that had stopped earlier. Two
Death Eaters wearing masks, apparently look-outs, were
outside the house near the windows.
Harry startled, he heard Aunt Petunia's voice screaming
from within the house. The neighbors on both sides closed
their window blinds and turned off the lights.
Dumbledore and Tonks sent Stunners at the two Death
Eaters as they made their way across the street. Harry
spotted a third Death Eater near the large tree on the left, the
Death Eater Disapparated.
Aunt Petunia was still screaming and he could hear
thunderous footsteps from within the house. Suddenly the
screaming stopped. He could hear Uncle Vernon roaring.
With a CRACK, six more Death Eaters Apparated into the
yard. Luna Tied and Bound the two already-unconscious
Death Eaters.
Flashes from wands were flying every couple of seconds.
Everyone was scrambling to find a good spot in which to do
battle.
A Death Eater sent a spell at Tonks, who darted, but was
grazed on her forehead by the spell. She whirled around and
hit him in the knee with a Stunner spell. He went down to the
ground rolling, she aimed and Stunned him again.
A Death Eater came face to face with Molly. She had her
wand at the ready, but it was zapped from her grasp. Taken
by surprise, she lost her balance and fell. She reached for
her wand, but the Death Eater stepped on her hand mashing
it into the wet, spongy lawn. Suddenly, Luna leaped down
from a branch of the larger tree and landed on the Death
Eater's back, knocking his mask off. She grabbed his eyes
and scratched his face all the way to the chin before
releasing her hold. The Death Eater reeled in pain. Molly
Stunned him, after Luna caught her balance, she Tied and
Bound him.
All the while that Tonks, Molly and Luna were fighting the two
Death Eaters, Dumbledore and Harry were fighting off the
remaining four. Dumbledore had zapped two of them and
they hit the ground. He did it so calmly, it was like swatting
away a fly. Harry sent a spell that bloodied the nose of one
closest to him. He turned and Stunned the other, then
quickly used the Tie and Bind spell on the first one. Molly
came up from behind and Tied and Bound the stunned Death
Eater.
Dumbledore had Disapparated.
The bound Death Eater with the bloody nose was heavily
bleeding. Molly hesitated, she looked as though she would
leave him be, then she used a first aid spell to stop the
bleeding.
From within the house, Harry could hear Dudley crying "No!
No! No! No! No! No! No! "
Dumbledore reappeared, blasted the door open, then
signaled Molly to remain outside.
Dumbledore, Luna, Tonks and Harry went through what was
once a door and entered the disheveled living room. Uncle
Vernon's newspaper was scattered around on the floor.
Objects had obviously been thrown and broken against the
walls. There were two Death Eaters in the room. Tonks got
hit by a spell, she was reeling but still standing.
Dumbledore waved his hand at the Death Eater who
attacked Tonks. The Death Eater flipped up in the air and
landed on his neck, which made a haunted cracking sound.
His neck was broken and he died instantly.
The other Death Eater removed Luna's wand in one quick
movement. Luna wandlessly transformed his wand into a
bird. She grabbed her wand off the floor, Stunned him then
Tied and Bound him.
Dumbledore and Harry went into the next room which was
the kitchen. This room was also in disarray, there were
broken dishes on the otherwise spotless floor and a chair
was turned on its side. They found Aunt Petunia tied up
squirming with her mouth taped. They left her there, and
passed into a hallway.
Harry opened a door that lead into a bedroom. There was a
loud CRASH. Harry was hit by shattered glass. The
stinging sensation left him immobilized for a fraction of a
second. Blood trailed from the cuts in his forehead into his
eyes, leaving him temporarily blinded. After a moment,
Harry regained his senses, then cleared his eyes of blood. If
he hadn't been wearing glasses, his eyes would have been
pierced by the glass.
The first thing he saw, was Uncle Vernon on the floor tied
and gagged and a Death Eater lying on the floor
unconscious, he assumed Dumbledore took care of him. He
saw the large empty wooden frame that once held a mirror
above a dresser. With a bloody hand, he waved his wand at
the mirror frame, yelling “Reparo”, then quickly closed his
eyes. The mirror fragments flew across the room back to the
frame, including the tiny fragments that were covering him.
"Where's Dudley?" asked Harry, scanning the room.
Dumbledore stepped into the hallway again, Harry followed.
Dumbledore tried the next door, it opened. It was another
bedroom, empty. Harry tried another door, it was locked.
"Step back, Harry," said Dumbledore. He blasted the lock
and the door flew open. It was the bathroom. It looked
empty but Harry thought he heard something. He put up a
Shield Charm, then he cautiously pulled back the shower
curtain to find Dudley huddled up in the bathtub whimpering.
In the kitchen, Tonks had untied Aunt Petunia and removed
the tape from her mouth. Aunt Petunia immediately began
screaming again.
As Harry reached the doorway to the kitchen, he saw a
Death Eater with mud on his robes, enter from the living
room doorway. The Death Eater left muddy footprints on the
once clean floor as he came up from behind Aunt Petunia.
He reached for her, but slipped on a piece of broken dish and
knocked her up against the counter. Her hand hit the edge of
a long sharp knife that had be lying on the counter. It flipped
up as though it were a spring board and stuck Tonks in the
ribs. Tonks moaned, then sank to the floor bleeding.
Harry pointed his wand at the Death Eater and Stunned him
in the chest. The Death Eater fell to the floor, then Harry
Tied and Bound him. Aunt Petunia was still screaming. A
disheveled Molly entered the room and immediately began
trying to calm her down.
Harry, shocked at seeing Tonks on the floor bleeding with a
knife in her, knelt down and removed the knife from Tonk's
rib cage. Her blood began flowing even faster.
Uncle Vernon came up from behind and grabbed Harry by
the shoulder. "Get out! You're the cause of all this!"
"We're TRYING to help you!" shouted Harry.
Harry, kneeling on the bloody floor, tried to block the bleeding
with his hand, as Uncle Vernon was pulling on him. Seeing
that his effort was fruitless, Harry used a first aid spell to
block the bleeding.
"Get that pink-haired freak out of my house!" shouted Uncle
Vernon.
Harry went cold. For a second, he was tempted to pick up
the knife he had dropped on the floor, but he became so
enraged that he couldn't move.
"Get out!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
Harry slowly rose, then swung his fist at Uncle Vernon's chin
as hard as he could. Uncle Vernon went down.
"FREAKS! FREAKS! GET OUT!" screamed Aunt Petunia.
Molly grabbed Aunt Petunia by the hair and slapped her in
the face. Aunt Petunia, instead of calming down from the
shock from the slap, became enraged and began hitting
Molly with both fists. Molly punched her in the stomach and
started pulling at her hair again. One of them slipped on
Tonks' blood and they both went down. They were rolling on
the floor punching, scratching, and pulling hair. Blonde and
red hair rained the air.
Luna entered the kitchen. She glanced around the room
trying to take in all that was happening. She stood there in
shock at seeing Mrs. Weasley in a fight, rolling around on the
floor. She jumped out of their way just in time, as they rolled
towards her.
After Dumbledore released Vernon Dursley, he had checked
the rest of the house and the back yard for more Death
Eaters. Dumbledore stood in the doorway to the kitchen
taking in the chaos for a moment. After letting her get in a
few more handfuls of Petunia's hair, he pulled Molly off the
floor. With a lot of struggle, he finally pinned her arms down,
then led her to the living room. Harry could hear her ranting
to Dumbledore from the other room.
Petunia sat up on the kitchen floor. Her head bent, she
began sobbing.
Dudley stuck his head through the doorway, glanced at his
mother, then saw his father sprawled out on the floor. He ran
up and knelt at his father's side.
"Daddy! Did you kill my daddy?" cried Dudley.
Luna looked towards Petunia and said: "Harry, is that our..."
"No, Luna, she is nothing... to either of us," said Harry, coldly.
He gently picked Tonks up in his arms and Apparated.
* * * *
Chapter 64: Chap 64 - Molly's Tale
Author's Notes: Sooo sorry for the long delay. Lost my files... backup disks were blank.... grrrrrrr! So I had to rewrite the whole thing. Next chapter promises to be not too far in the future. **************** Again I am soooo sorry for the long delay. This story will be fininshed... there have been some very hard times at this end..... my son's heart transplant and death of my sister-in law.... big REAL stuff.... but the story was laid out a long time ago and will be fininshed. DHobbit *****Beta by Wolfs_scream*****
Chapter Sixty-Four - Molly’s Tale
They landed in the crowded reception area of St. Mungo's. Suddenly,
Harry's scar burst with pain. Riddle was angry... VERY angry. Harry felt
weak. He could barely stand for the pain and the weight of Tonks in his arms. It took a moment for Harry to gather his thoughts and block Riddle out. He steadied himself; swallowing bile that was trying to come up. With one last gulp he yelled: "Medic! Medic!"
By the look on her face, the blonde, middle-aged witch behind the desk
labeled "Enquiries" was confused. Harry realized that he had just yelled out the words from some old war movie that Uncle Vernon had watched on television.
"Help! I mean, help!" shouted Harry.
Several witches and wizards wearing lime-green robes ran up to him. "Mr. Potter, we will take her now. Let go," said one of them.
"No, she's hurt. She's been stabbed," said Harry.
"Just let go. We'll take care of her," said one of the witches, kindly.
"I can't. She'll die. Don't let her die," said Harry, pleading.
"Just let go... that's a good lad," said another kindly witch in lime-green
robes who gently removed Tonks from his arms.
"Where are you hurt?" asked a dark-haired wizard in lime-green robes.
"I'm not," said Harry.
They gently levitated Tonks down the hall out of sight.
"You're covered in blood, Mr. Potter," said the wizard healer.
"It's not mine. Only a bit, I think. It's hers. She was bleeding all over the place. I think she's lost too much blood. I blocked the bleeding but she's still unconscious... her hair..." said Harry, just realizing that Tonks' hair was now brown. Her hair had been pink before, he was sure of it. Why did it turn brown? Was she dying?
"What about her hair? Are you sure that you're all right?" asked the
wizard healer.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Where did they take her?" asked Harry.
"They took her to an examining room. We will take care of her. You
just give the nice receptionist all the information that she asks for."
The witch behind the desk motioned him over to her desk. She asked Harry several questions that he answered the best he could, then she had him sit in one of the rickety wooden chairs that were standard for the reception area.
Harry sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands running through his
hair, oblivious to his surroundings. There were babies crying and people
moaning in pain. But even those in pain were staring at the famous Harry Potter.
All he could think about was: "What if Tonks died? It was the Dursleys'
fault. She was trying to save them and they called her a ‘freak'."
He wanted to kill them... all of them... whining Dudley... ungrateful Uncle Vernon... and Aunt Petunia. Her screaming had been driving him mad. His anger rising, he thought: "Why couldn't she just shut up?" He hoped that Mrs. Weasley had done her some permanent damage.
After a while, a kindly witch guided him to another room. It was a sickly pale green, with a tall ceiling. It had several cushioned chairs. Although they were softer, they were not much more comfortable than the wooden ones out in the reception area. There were old copies of Witch Weekly and the Daily Prophet scattered upon old coffee tables that were placed here and there. "You can wait right here, dear. Someone will come and let you know how things are going. Why don't you go wash up?"
She showed Harry where the bathroom was. He relieved himself, then
hurriedly washed his hands and glasses that were covered in blood. He
wondered how long he had been gone. He felt panic rising, so left and
rushed back to the green waiting room. He feared he would miss the
healers with news about Tonks.
Harry hadn't realized how much he cared about Tonks. He remembered her wedding that was just weeks ago. She had asked him to represent her family... family. Yes, Tonks really was a part of his family now.
He remembered how she treated him like he was an equal. How she joked around with him like he was an adult, not a child. Actually, Tonks treated everyone as her equal, young and old alike. He remembered how she talked to Mad-eye Moody. The only ones that he noticed that she treated with special respect were Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore.
He thought about how Ginny was going to take this... and Lupin. Lupin
didn't even know where they were. Harry couldn't leave now. No... he couldn't leave her here alone. Somebody would need to go back to the house and tell Lupin.
"She just can't die," thought Harry.
He sat, for what seemed hours. He was about to go looking for a healer to find out what was going on when Lupin rushed in. "Harry! Are you
hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. This is Tonks' blood," said Harry. Then he remembered
that he shouldn't have said it that way. Lupin didn't have clue about what was going on.
After putting up a Silencing Charm, Harry spent the next few minutes
explaining how Dumbledore had arrived to get him and that Tonks offered to go. He told him everything that he could remember that happened that night and that there was still no word about Tonks’ condition.
"How did you know to come here? I couldn't leave... I couldn't leave her
here alone," said Harry.
"Luna. She briefly explained a little about what happened and I rushed
over," said Lupin.
"Where is she now?" asked Harry.
"She was going to The Burrow to let them know what's going on. They
will probably be here shortly," said Lupin.
Although he was talking rationally, Harry could see the panic behind
Lupin's eyes.
"How long has it been since you've talked to anyone? asked Lupin.
"I dunno," said Harry, looking at his watch. Reading his watch meant
nothing. He saw the time, but each time he had looked at his watch, he
would forget what it read from the time before.
"Mr. Potter?" asked a familiar wizard wearing lime-green robes.
"Yes," said Harry, rising.
"May I be frank? Is this a close friend?" asked the healer, referring to Lupin.
"Eh...yes, very close. Is she all right?" asked Harry.
"She is alive. It will be a while before I can tell you... anything... one way or the other." The healer spoke as if he was choosing his words very carefully.
"Can we see her?" asked Harry.
"Eh... no. She is undergoing several procedures. This all takes time. The knife struck her lung, causing it to collapse. She has lost a lot of blood externally and was bleeding internally. We stopped the internal bleeding. Whoever stopped the external bleeding may have saved her life... Anyway, there's the fever... and other complications. The healers are doing all they can. I will keep you informed," he said, walking away slowly with is head lowered.
Harry turned to Lupin, who was white. "This can't be happening," muttered Harry. Her hair had turned brown. He knew that that was not a
good sign.
Lupin said nothing. He lowered his head, wringing his hands.
Since marrying Tonks, Lupin was finally happy. Tonks was just the kind of person that Lupin needed. Tonks was playful and lively. Lupin liked to be around active people, although he was a quiet man. She brought out his humor and playfulness.
It had just dawned on Harry that he was very much like Lupin. Harry liked to be around active and humorous people too. Other than playing Quidditch, it was Harry's friends that caused him the most enjoyment. They both chose girls that were lively and playful.
Arthur, Ginny and Luna arrived a few minutes later. Harry rose, then Ginny hurriedly ran over taking his hand. They sat down next to each other.
"Have you heard anything, yet?" asked Arthur.
"It's not good," said Lupin, his voice cracking. Luna kissed his cheek and sat beside him, putting her head on his shoulder.
"Luna told us the basics. Ron and Hermione were out, so we left them a
note to meet us here," said Arthur, taking a seat.
Harry came out of his self-pity enough to notice that Ginny's face was pale and her eyes looked magnified with shock. Tonks was Ginny's best friend. Her reaction to the news was understandable. He had to put some of his feelings aside and be strong for Ginny.
"Let's take a walk," said Harry.
"Harry, you're a mess," said Ginny, softly as they started down a corridor.
"Eh... yeah, I know. Why don't we find a place for me to clean up."
They walked out into a hallway, not knowing exactly where they were
going, when an old witch wearing gray robes with a name tag reading “Volunteer”, approached them.
"He's got several cuts and needs to clean up. Can you tell us where we
should go?" asked Ginny.
"Of course, follow me. I'm a volunteer here at the hospital. I used to be a healer but the hours were becoming too much. I decided if I volunteered I could pick my own hours. ‘Course they don't pay me any more, but I've got a little set aside," she said, as she guided them down several hallways to a large linen closet.
Her long, stringy gray hair was tied into a low pony tail, so that her hair
trailed down her back. Standing very close to Harry, he had no choice but to notice that her eyes were gray. As she talked he noticed that her teeth had a grayish tint too.
A potion bottle appeared on a shelf, it read: "Olde English Scratch
Remover."
"Isn't that for furniture?" asked Harry, warily.
"What? No, no... it's a wondrous mixture that clears up scratches very
quickly," she said, taking his hand and quickly wiping them with a potion-soaked piece of cotton. The scratches were disappearing as though the were being erased or painted away.
"Let me take a look at you," she said, as she began removing Harry's shirt. From out of nowhere, a pan of warm water, cloths and some liquid soap appeared on a shelf nearby. She wet a cloth and added soap to it.
Her gray eyes greedily scanned Harry's chest. "So young and brawn. So
firm, yet supple," she whispered to herself, as she started to wipe the dried blood from his chest.
"I'll do that myself," said Harry, grabbing the cloth.
With a disappointed expression, she said; "I'll get you a clean shirt.
Removing the blood won't be the same as a fresh one. I'll be right back."
With that, she left.
Harry quickly cleaned off the blood that had dried on his chest and
stomach, then Ginny handed him a towel. Ginny's expression on her
face told him that she had gotten the same creepy feeling about the gray
witch.
When he was dry, Ginny got a fresh ball of cotton and began removing the scratches from his face. The potion stung a little but Harry didn't say anything. He was actually beginning to enjoy it. Most of the cuts were near the hair-line. When she finished his head and face, she grabbed another fresh ball of cotton and started working on his neck. Harry began to feel uncomfortable. Guilt became to overwhelm him because he was feeling sensual and Tonks was somewhere in this hospital near death. His face reddened as he gently moved Ginny's hand away.
"I think that was all of them," said Harry.
"I know. I was just re-checking in case I missed one," said Ginny,
grinning.
"I think this will fit you," said the gray witch, who had just returned with a white shirt. They both startled. "Would you like me to help you put it on?"
"No, he wouldn't. He's perfectly capable of dressing himself," said
Ginny, testily.
"Thanks," said Harry, as he took the shirt. "We better get back."
Harry and Ginny quickly rushed out of the linen room and down the hall,
before speaking.
"You don't think she... ?" started Harry.
"Yes, I do."
Harry shivered. "I mean... you were right there."
"I'm sure she was just about to find an excuse to get me out of the way,"
said Ginny.
"Ewwwwwww," said Harry, shivering again.
"I can understand, in a weird sort of way. Tending a man's wounds after a battle is quite... eh... stimulating," said Ginny, grinning.
"I think we need to get back," he said, blushing
Ginny giggled as they rushed back to the waiting room. When they arrived outside the doorway, they both sobered. They looked at each other and felt the dread of returning to the somber atmosphere of the waiting room. Tonks' critical danger became all too real once again.
"No word," said Arthur, before they could ask.
They sat for several minutes before Ron and Hermione arrived. They both stood in the doorway, taking in the atmosphere
"What's wrong with Tonks? The note only said that Tonks was here," said Hermione, as she rushed up to Harry.
"The Dursleys were attacked. We went to protect them and Tonks was
injured," said Harry.
"Blimey, you mean we missed out... " started Ron, disappointedly.
Harry's attention was drawn away to the wizard healer who had just
entered. "Mr. Potter, may I have a word?" Harry nodded, stood and
stepped away from the others. Lupin followed.
"I ... eh... she is improving. I believe the worst is over. She is quite the
little fighter. It is hard to believe how strong she is. She looks so
delicate... that angelic face," he said, sighing.
"Can we see her?" asked Harry.
"Yes, just you ... then family, of course. I suggest no more than two at a
time and only for a moment. She may only be awake for a few minutes.
She needs rest," said the healer.
Harry motioned for Ginny to come along. Luna rose and followed too.
Harry tried to keep track of the way, as the healer took them down several hallways to Tonks' room.
Ginny and Luna remained outside the door as Harry and Lupin entered.
Harry noticed that it was a private room, as there was only one bed in the
room. Lupin rushed to her side, kissing her forehead and taking her hand. Tonks’ face was as white as her pillow. She smiled as she slowly opened her eyes that were glassy and bloodshot.
Harry kept back near the door to give Lupin a little privacy. Lupin was talking very quietly to her.
"Harry?" said Tonks, as she turned towards Harry.
"I'm here," said Harry, softly.
"Come here," she said.
Harry hesitantly stepped up to the bed. Tonks took his hand noticing
that it was very warm.
"I'll be ok," she said.
"I know," said Harry. He was unable to think of anything to say, so he
kissed her hand.
"Ginny," said Tonks.
"She's right outside. I'll go get her," said Harry, as he started for the door. He didn't want to see Tonks like this, yet at the same time he wanted to be near her.
"Harry, you'll make her happy, won't you?" said Tonks, weakly.
"Of course. I love her," said Harry, surprised as to the question. Tonks
nodded her head.
Harry went out to the hallway where Ginny and Luna were waiting. "She asked for you," Harry told Ginny. Luna looked disappointed.
"Luna can go in now. I'll wait," said Ginny.
"Only a moment," cautioned Harry. Luna nodded, then entered the room, closing the door gently.
Harry heard a sound like a stifled cough. He looked around but didn't see anyone. He slowly re-scanned the hallway and noticed a tiny brown spot. He pulled out his wand.
"No need for that. I'm getting too old. You should never have spotted
me," said a voice that could only have been Mad-Eye Moody.
Harry and Ginny walked over to the source of the voice. "Moody?" asked Harry.
"Yeah. I came to keep an eye out. Poor little thing," said Moody, in a
hoarse voice followed by a sniffle.
"Have you seen her?" asked Harry.
"Nah. I didn't know if they were... you know... maybe she wasn't dressed properly or something."
"She's eh... in bed with covers on and stuff," said Harry.
"How's she doin'?" asked Mad-Eye.
"Eh... well she's pretty sick," said Harry.
"I'll just stay outside the door. Can't be too careful," said Moody.
"You can go in with me. I'll hold the door open long enough for you to
sneak in," said Ginny.
"That's right kind of you," said Moody.
They stood outside the door for only a few minutes, when Luna returned.
Ginny held the door open a little longer than normal in order for Mad-Eye to pass.
"Harry, do you think she's going to be all right?" asked Luna, worriedly.
"She'll be ok," Harry said, trying to sound convinced.
"I'll get us something to drink," said Luna.
"Fifth floor, I think," said Harry.
Luna nodded, then walked purposely down the hall.
Harry only waited a few minutes before the door opened. Ginny held it
open for several seconds before letting it close.
"No one’s getting in who isn't supposed to," whispered Moody.
"Can we get you anything? We could go up and get you something to eat or drink," said Ginny.
"Nah. I had something earlier. If I need anything, I know where to get it," said Moody.
Harry and Ginny only walked a few feet, when the healer that Harry had
talked to earlier came up to them. "Good, I was going to tell you that
you've had more than enough time with her. She needs rest."
"We only stayed a couple of minutes with her. Mr. Lupin will remain,
though," said Harry.
"Oh? He'll have to leave. Who is he anyway?" asked the healer.
"Eh... family," said Harry.
"I see. Well, she needs complete rest. I don't want anyone to disturb her
any more tonight."
"He won't disturb her. He is very good in a sick room," said Ginny.
"I don't want anyone interfering with her treatment," said the healer.
"He wouldn't do anything to interfere. He stayed with me when I was ill.
He's practically an expert at sitting with sick people," said Harry.
"He just sits there and gives comfort," said Ginny.
"Well..." began the healer.
"You can ask Professor Dumbledore..." began Harry.
"Eh... no. I don't need Professor Dumbledore's word, Mr. Potter. If you
say that he's all right, then that's enough."
"Eh... what is your name?" asked Harry.
"Simmons. Earl Simmons Assistant Professor for Internal Dilemmas."
"Is she going to live?" asked Harry.
"Yes. I believe so. She has hurdled the worst, I believe. She's... delicate. You can see it in her face. So... angelic. Women should not take part in battle," he said, with conviction.
"It was an accident. She just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time," said Harry.
"Yeah, it's always an accident," said the healer sadly, looking off past
Harry's shoulder.
"But she's going to be all right?" asked Ginny.
"It won't be easy, but with time, I believe so."
Harry and Ginny left him and slowly walked down the corridors hand in
hand.
"Tonks seems to attract older men," said Harry, trying to lighten the mood.
"That healer isn't so old," said Ginny.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. He's not that old, but he's fallen for her.
Delicate! If he only knew," said Harry.
Ginny giggled.
"I don't think Tonks thinks you are happy with me," said Harry, softly.
"Harry, even though things are not as they should be, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I'm happier with you than I've ever been in my life," said Ginny, seriously.
Harry paused. Although he didn’t need any reminder, Tonks’ words pointed it out to him that Ginny was not happy. He studied Ginny’s face. Although she was a very talented liar, she was not lying about this. She did love him and their time together was worth everything. It was not a usual situation, she could tire of him and call it all off at any time. He found that he needed to be re-assured often. He nodded, then took her hand. They walked in together to face the gloomy waiting room.
Hermione rushed up to the couple asking dozens of questions, not giving them time for answers.
“Hermione, let them sit down,” said Ron, rolling his eyes and guiding her back to her seat next to him.
As Ginny was finishing giving them the lowdown on Tonks’ condition, Luna arrived with trays of sandwiches and drinks. They had just settled down when Molly arrived. Her hair was messy, although you could see that she had hastily tried to pin it back up into a French twist, wisps of her hair were hanging haphazardly. Her robes were shifted off her shoulders in an odd angle and looked lumpy in the wrong places. Her face was scratched and swollen and it looked like she had the beginning a very formidable black eye.
“How is dear Tonks?” asked Molly.
Arthur was stunned: “Molly! Whatever has happened to you? Are you all right? Here, sit down, Molly dear,”
“I’m fine, Arthur. Tell me about Tonks,” said Molly, tossing off his concern.
“She will be ok, but she needs lots of rest. She has fever and lost a lot of blood. She‘s resting now. You‘ll have to wait until tomorrow to see her,” said Ginny.
“You think so? Watch me!” said Molly, stiffening up, her mouth tightening. “Harry, take me to her.”
Harry knew by the look on her face, that she would see Tonks tonight. It would be a waste of time to try to stop her. He stood up resignedly and began guiding her to the hallway. Ginny followed.
“Mum, you’re a mess. Don’t you think you should see a healer?” asked Ginny.
“I don’t NEED a healer. I NEED to see Tonks. That poor dear was hurt so badly, bless her,” said Molly, leaning heavily on Harry. Harry could tell by her slight limp and her glassy eyes, that Molly was exhausted and hurt.
“Maybe you should wait until the morning to see her,” suggested Harry.
“It IS morning and I will see her now,” said Molly, testily.
The closer they got to Tonks’ room, the heavier Molly leaned on Harry. He tried to pause, to give her a little rest, but she pulled him along. When they arrived at Tonks’ door, Molly knocked sharply, allowing no time for an answer and pushed open the door. Harry quickly held the door open as Molly rushed over to Tonks’ bedside.
Harry saw that Lupin had a tray of tea and sandwiches on a little table next to his chair. Luna must have stopped by and set him up before returning to the waiting room. He mouthed silently to Lupin, “Are you all right?” Lupin nodded.
Harry backed out of the room to stand beside Ginny. After only a couple of minutes, Molly returned. “Wait right here,” she said, then Disapparated. A minute later, there was a “pop” and she re-appeared.
“We’re going home, “ she said, taking both Harry and Ginny’s arm.
After arriving, she told them to go to the Dining Room and she would be around in a few minutes. Harry and Ginny sat at the dining table talking quietly about some of the evening’s events. After a pause in their conversation, Harry leaned in to steal a kiss. His lips barely brushed her lips when Fred and George burst into the room.
“Can’t we ever enter a room without finding you snogging my sister?” said George, as both he and his brother sat down across the table from Harry and Ginny.
“Stay out if it,” said Ginny, scowling at George.
“I don’t SNOG your sister. I KISS her,” said Harry, hotly.
“Same thing,” said Fred.
“No,” said Harry.
“What then?” asked George.
Harry thought a moment. “Attitude,” he said, seriously.
“Actually, I could DO with a bit of snogging,” said Ginny, defiantly.
Harry sputtered, then grinned. At that moment, several voices were heard as the door opened again. Arthur, Luna, Ron and Hermione burst in. Ron and Hermione were arguing about something. Luna rushed over to Fred like an excited puppy. She sat down beside him, running her arm though his and leaning her head on his shoulder. Harry’s heart turned cold. He didn’t like how submissive Luna was acting towards Fred. He didn’t like the way it made him feel either.
Everyone had just settled down when Molly came in.
“What the hell?” asked George.
“Mum, what happened to you?” asked Fred.
Molly looked terrible, worse than she did just a little while ago. Harry could see that she had made another attempt to adjust her hair, but she looked even worse than she did at St. Mungo’s. Her whole body was drooping. Red marks on her face and neck were more pronounced now. Her swollen eye was puffier and was a darker purple too.
“I think you should go back to St Mungo’s and be seen,” said Arthur.
Molly straightened up to her fullest height and pulled down hard on her robes. “I WILL NOT! No one is going to say that THAT woman put me into hospital!”
“But Molly, dear…” uttered Arthur.
“What woman?” asked Fred.
“Mrs. Dursley,” answered Luna.
“Mrs. Dursley did THAT to you?” asked George, horrified.
“You had a fight with Mrs. Dursley?” asked Fred.
“Yeah,” answered Luna.
Ron’s mouth gaped and Hermione put her hand to her mouth.
Ginny turned her head towards Harry, who nodded. She turned back towards her mother. “Mum!” she gasped.
“You attacked a Muggle?“ asked George, smirking.
“I didn’t use magic on her. I tore into her with my bare hands,” said Molly.
“Molly!” said Arthur, shockingly, looking helplessly towards Harry. Harry nodded.
“Besides,” said Molly. “she started it.”
“What’d she do? “ asked Ginny.
Molly sighed. “She was screaming her head off, driving us all mad. So I slapped her. Obviously she wasn’t REALLY hysterical because she hit me with her fist. I couldn’t let her get away with that…”
“They were rolling around on the floor and everything,” said Luna, giggling.
“Wish we had a Pensieve. I’d really like to have seen THAT. Missed out on everything…” said Ron, disappointedly.
“Looks like she got the best of you,” said Fred, regretting his words before he finished the sentence. Molly gave him a cold stare.
“She didn’t do all this to me, it was that Death Eater,” said Molly.
“What Death Eater?“ asked Hermione.
Molly sighed again. “When everyone went into the house, Luna and I moved all the bodies into the living room and kept watch.”
“Bodies?” gasped Hermione.
“Not dead ones. We couldn’t leave all those Death Eaters lying out in front of the house for the Muggles to see, now could we? Once they were all piled into the living room, Luna stood guard over them while I kept an eye out in case any more showed up,” said Molly.
Harry looked over at Luna, who caught his eye. “Any time one of them stirred, I zapped them, ” said Luna, proudly. Fred patted her hand.
“Anyway, I noticed a fresh set of shoe impressions moving along on the mushy lawn. There was someone there. They had to be using an Invisibility Cloak. I reached out and pulled the Invisibility Cloak off. I knew it was wrong just as soon as I did it. I should have just Stunned him, but… well… Anyway, the heel of my shoe sunk into the lawn and I lost my footing as I pulled it off him, we both went down. We… a … we were wrestling around and I got punched about a bit. He hit me good and hard a few times. By the time I got my wind, and stuffed the Invisibility Cloak in my robes, he had entered the house,” added Molly.
“Wow!” gushed Ron.
“You’ve got it?” asked George.
Molly blushed, then said; “Spoils of war,” as she pulled part of it out of her robes for them to see before she stuffed it back.
Arthur looked white.
“These heels were not meant for battle. They sink right into a lawn,“ she said, looking down at her shoes. Anyway, I was already a mess before I hit the kitchen. The Death Eater was knocked out cold and poor little Tonks on the floor, bleeding. That woman just wouldn’t shut her mouth!” said Molly.
“I wonder how Mrs. Dursley looks, if you look this bad,” said Ron.
“She’s just fine,” said Dumbledore, who seemed to come out of nowhere. He sat down at the table looking very tired. “Will you sit down, Molly?” asked Dumbledore.
“Eh…no. I think I’ll stand,” said Molly. Harry thought that if she ever sat down, she’d never be able to get up again.
“I thought I would let you know all that occurred this evening,” started Dumbledore. “As you know, the Dursleys were attacked tonight. The wards I had secretly put up at their home warned me of the invasion. By the time we arrived, several Death Eaters had already entered the house and there were more guarding the outside. We attacked the guards but one of them Disapparated before we could stop him. More Death Eaters Apparated in. A short battle ensued. It was not long before we had everything under control. Lord Voldemort lost several of his Death Eaters to the cause.”
“I must say that Miss Lovegood displayed one of the finest fighting maneuvers I’ve seen in many a day,” he added, his eyes twinkling.
Luna beamed.
“What WERE you doing up that tree?” asked Harry.
“Tree?” asked Fred.
“Well, there were too many people crowded around. I thought I would find a spot to see where I was most needed,” said Luna.
“What did she do?” asked Fred.
“She dropped out of the tree onto the back of a Death Eater, tearing at his face, causing him great injury. I’m sure he will spend quite a while in St. Mungo’s before he is sent to Azkaban,” said Dumbledore.
“Anyway, after extremely severe interviews with the some of the conscious Death Eaters, we found out their intentions. They had planned to kill the Dursleys on Harry’s birthday, but the Dursleys had gone to Mr. Dursley’s sister's house on holiday. They had just returned tonight. The plan was to enter the house, tie them up and wait. Lord Voldemort was going to send in a couple of specialists to… well… leave a most grisly scene, as an example,” said Dumbledore, seriously.
“Albus! You needn’t… “ said Molly.
“Yes, I do. They need to know, Molly,” said Dumbledore.
“But Harry… “ began Molly.
“Molly, we can’t keep Harry sheltered from everything. He is a man now. And… everyone in this room is old enough to know what they are up against. Voldemort is back to where he was before. We can’t hide it. More and more people are disappearing, or found murdered like the last time. They need to know,” said Dumbledore, firmly.
Harry didn’t say anything, but he felt the guilt returning.
“Harry knows that he is not responsible for everything that Voldemort does or to whom. Since we are all in the thick of things, so to speak, we can not ignore the danger. It would not hurt for everyone to be reminded that we are all targets. Not only because of our closeness to Harry, but we are also known to be actively against Voldemort,” added Dumbledore.
Harry remained silent.
“The Dursleys were warned of their danger. They refused my help. If I hadn’t put up my wards, behind their back, they would now be dead. I must say that Mr. Dursley is the most stubborn person I’ve ever encountered.”
Harry raised his eyebrows in agreement.
“You can’t blame Harry for hitting him,” said Luna.
“What?” said Ron. “You mean you really hit your Uncle Vernon, Harry?”
Harry nodded.
“Blimey!” said Ron.
“Oh, Harry” said Hermione, in shock.
“Well, at least Dudley remains uninjured, ” said Dumbledore, who almost cracked a smile.
“Well not completely,” said Luna.
Dumbledore turned on her. “What do you mean?”
“Eh… well… it was an accident. Sort of,” said Luna, defensively.
Everyone stared at Luna. Dumbledore gave her a look that called for an explanation.
“Well, when everyone was in the other room talking and removing Death Eaters, Dudley and I were left in the kitchen. He asked me who I was. I told him that I was Harry’s sister. He said; ‘No you’re not. Harry doesn’t have a sister.’ and I said ‘Yes I am.’ He looked me up and down and got this most nasty grin and said; ‘Oh, so that’s what he calls it.’ I MAY have ACCIDENTLY taken that the wrong way. In any case, I slapped his face.” said Luna.
“Well, that’s not so bad,” said Ron.
“Eh… well, it looked like he might have hit me back, since his hands were clinched in fists. I could have been wrong about that too. In any case, I kicked him and he fell down on his knees. He said something that didn’t sound like he was calling me a witch, I could have heard him wrong. Anyway, I kicked his rear and he fell down flat. So you see, it MAY have been an ACCIDENT,” said Luna, sheepishly.
“Eh… well… anyway, it looks like the Dursleys were not harmed by any Death Eaters,” said Dumbledore.
Harry grinned.
“We really didn’t know what to do with them. They could not stay where they were, and they will be easily found if left to their own device, so I brought them here,” said Dumbledore, very quickly.
“What? The Dursleys are HERE? In MY house?” said Harry.
“For only a few days, Harry, only a few days,” said Dumbledore, nodding.
* * * *
*****Beta by Wolfs_scream*****