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SIYE Time:10:38 on 29th March 2024
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Accidental Contact
By Emlyn

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Category: The Bond Challenge (2012-4), The Bond Challenge (2012-4)
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: General
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 82
Summary: A chance encounter on the streets of Diagon Alley lead to a life-altering experience for Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.
Hitcount: Story Total: 22619; Chapter Total: 4394







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Chapter Three


Over lunch, Harry told Ginny all about the different magical schools. Some were day schools, and some were boarding schools, like Hogwarts. Some accepted students as young as nine, and others wouldn’t accept students until they were thirteen. Some required a placement test before accepting a student, and many schools offered classes that differed greatly from Hogwarts.

The two poured over the brochures the Goblins had provided Harry, and Ginny was thrilled to realise that perhaps she, too, could start school in September. They eagerly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the various schools, and, eventually narrowed their list down to five schools they were seriously considering. They wanted a school they could both attend that would offer accommodations to them as bond-mates. Ideally they wanted to start in the same year, they couldn’t imagine being apart for a year while Ginny finished schooling.

Both Harry and Ginny knew they would have to return to the Burrow, but neither was eager to hasten the inevitable confrontation. They discussed their options and decided that, even though they would prefer to have a firm plan in place before they sat down with her family, they could not, in fairness to Ginny’s parents, put off the meeting for even one more day.

They quickly penned letters of interest and inquiry to the five schools, and then hurried upstairs to spruce themselves up before presenting themselves to what amounted to a firing squad. Meeting back downstairs, they looked each other over. Ginny ran her fingers through Harry’s hair, then sighed as she gave it up as a lost cause. The two clasped hands and made for the Floo. Exchanging nervous glances, they silently decided Ginny should go through first. They would have preferred going through together, however they weren’t sure that was possible, so they chose the safer course of action.

When Ginny emerged from the Floo, she found the kitchen deserted, which she found a bit odd, considering her mother would normally be working on supper by this time. She waited for Harry to exit, grabbed his hand and whispered that she thought she could hear voices in the sitting room.

Together, the two of them tiptoed to the door that led to the sitting room and peered in. The room was full of people, some draped on chairs, others sitting on the floor. Dumbledore was seated at the far end of the room in a comfy chintz armchair, and it appeared as if he was holding court.

George was the first to spot them. He simply grinned, winked, and sat back, waiting for the show to begin. Molly, who had risen to fetch more refreshments from the kitchen, was the next to spot them, and she let out a shriek and rushed over to gather Ginny in her arms, holding on to her tightly, tears spilling down her face.

“Oh, my baby, my poor baby. What did that horrid boy do to you?” She pulled back slightly, looking Ginny over, to make certain that she was healthy and whole.

The Weasley matriarch then turned to Harry and glared menacingly at him. “How dare you take my daughter? Not even a note! You are a dreadful child, even if you did defeat You-Know-Who. I’ll have you brought up on charges before the Ministry, see if I don’t!”

Arthur rose and stood behind his wife, laying a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Now, Molly, why don’t we wait and see what Ginny and young Harry have to say. No sense in overreacting and causing more problems.” He hugged his daughter lovingly, and turned a stern gaze upon Harry.

“Young man, what do you have to say for yourself? Are you aware of how much distress you’ve caused our family by your careless actions? My wife has been beside herself with worry following Ginny’s disappearance yesterday. We’ve been frantically searching for her everywhere.”

Harry paled as he took in Ginny’s father’s stern visage and words. In truth, he hadn’t thought about her family’s reactions. He simply knew he had to find her, had to stop the discomfort he was feeling - they both were feeling. It had been easier just to slip away so they could converse in peace. His whole world had been spiralling out of control, and he had needed some space and tranquility. Without thought, without pre-meditation, he had pulled Ginny into the still pool that was his home.

Harry squared his shoulders and met Mr. Weasleys’ eyes. “I’m sorry, sir, for any trouble that I might have created. I didn’t mean to cause you and your family any concern.” He suddenly looked indignant. “Why did Mrs. Weasley accuse me of not leaving word? What happened to my note? I left it right on the kitchen table. It was intended to spare you some worry.”

Ginny piped up. “He did, Dad. I watched him write it.”

Molly tried to shush her daughter, murmuring that she shouldn’t be defending that dreadful boy.

Arthur, on the other hand, noted that Harry had not apologised for having taken Ginny with him, and he found that an interesting omission. He wondered what knowledge the boy possessed and what were his reasons for having absconded with Ginny. He nodded his acceptance of the apology, but his expression did not soften.

“Molly,” Arthur asked gently. “Was there a note on the table? You were the first one to notice Ginny’s absence.”

Molly looked abashed. “There might have been. I’m not certain. Ginny was gone, and he,” she accused, pointing at Harry, “stole her, and that was all that mattered.”

Arthur cast a disappointed look at his wife, and strode into the kitchen. There, on the floor, beneath Ginny’s chair, lay a piece of parchment, overlooked during the previous night’s unrest.

It was at this point in the confrontation that Dumbledore chose to intervene. “Mr. Potter, Harry, you have caused a great deal of worry to a great many people,” he rebuked the boy.

Harry noticed that his eyes were no longer twinkling the way they had been the day before. It appeared that Mr. Dumbledore was seriously displeased. He wondered why. Based on what Mr. Ragnok had told him, it could be any number of things.

“I must insist that you come with me, Harry,” Dumbledore demanded sternly. “You need to return to your Aunt and Uncle. Your disappearance yesterday caused them a great deal of concern. You cannot be running off like this. It is not safe.”

Harry took a step or two away from Dumbledore, not trusting that the man would not resort to means other than verbal persuasion to impose his will upon Harry. Out of the corner of his eye, he gauged the distance to the Floo and located the container of Floo powder, which had been moved since his visit the previous day. He wanted to be certain he had his retreat mapped out, in the event that that the situation turned unpleasant.

I’ll bet they were concerned. They were worried the money they receive for keeping me would stop, he thought bitterly.

Aloud, he stated. “Mr. Dumbledore, sir. I very much doubt my Aunt and Uncle cared one whit about my whereabouts, other than to count themselves fortunate that I wasn’t around.” He paused a moment, a speculative look crossing his face. “I dare say, they might have missed me, as there was no one do the chores. They might have to hire a maid now that I’m gone.” With a sly look, he added. “And then there is all that money they’re being paid to take care of me. I wonder what they spend it on? They feed me bread and water, I sleep in a cupboard under the stairs, and the only clothes I have are my cousin’s cast offs.”

Dumbledore’s face paled slightly at hearing Harry’s words, but he was unwilling to back down. “I will not tolerate any more cheek from you,” he declared, staring hard at the boy. “It is time for this game to end. I no longer have the patience for your childishness. Come along, now. Let us be off.”

Dumbledore turned to the Weasleys. “I am terribly sorry to have intruded. I will make certain that this young man does not trouble you again. It is clear that I will need to take him in hand. Arthur, Molly, thank you for your patience and your hospitality.” He reached over to take hold of Harry’s shoulder and missed.

Narrowing his eyes, he went to reach for his wand, but before he could free it from the sleeve of his robe, Harry had dashed across the kitchen, grabbed a handful of Floo powder and leapt into the Floo, his destination masked by outraged cries from the assembled Weasleys.

In the ensuing confusion, Ginny slipped around her parents and the Headmaster, and, with a few muttered words, disappeared in a swirl of green flames.

Fred and George were the only two who noticed her departure, and they were too excited at how well Harry and Ginny were pranking everyone, to bring it to anyone’s attention. As much as they respected their parents and the Headmaster, they were beginning to think that their attitudes bordered on overbearing and were much more inclined to encourage Harry’s and Ginny’s little bout of rule-breaking.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Back at Gryffin’s Den, Harry and Ginny sat the kitchen table, holding hands and looking quite upset.

“Harry, I don’t think we should return, or at least you shouldn’t. It’s not safe for you,” Ginny remarked. “The Headmaster seems quite determined to make you do what he wants you to do. What are we going to do? He’s the most powerful wizard of our time.” She was shaking in fear.

Harry rose, rounded the table, and sat down next to her, drawing her back against his scrawny frame. “Hush, Ginny. Everything will be all right. I’m not going back, and I’m not going to let him catch me.” He tipped her head back to look into her eyes. “We do need to let your family know that you are safe, though. I don’t want your dad mad at me. He’s a bit scary.” He shuddered in remembrance.

Once the note was written, Harry asked Hedwig to deliver it and wait for a response, although he knew this last decision was a bit risky. He was concerned that someone might be able to trace Hedwig’s movements and decipher their location.

Although Harry knew this was not what Mr. Weasley had in mind, he was not about to risk his freedom by returning to the Burrow himself. He was equally concerned that, if Ginny returned, he might never see her again, despite the fact that her family no longer had the legal means to prevent them from being together.

xxxxxxxxxxxx


Early next morning, Harry and Ginny were awoken by the sound of an owl tapping on the bedroom window. Harry groggily arose and let the speckled owl in. I hope it’s a reply from one of the schools. Going to Hogwarts is right out.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Harry struggled to unfasten the letter from the owl’s leg. As he had never done this before, it took him some minutes before he was able to free the scroll. By the time he was successful, the owl was giving him irate looks and had nipped his fingers several times.

Harry stood in the middle of the room sucking his finger and attempted to unroll the parchment with one hand. A muffled curse woke the other occupant of the room, and she sat up in the bed, a confused look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Ginny demanded sleepily. “What are you doing over there? It’s much to early to be up.” She dropped back down on the pillows, and pulled the covers up over her shoulders.

“This infernal owl woke me up. But look, I think it’s a reply to one of our letters. Can you open it?” he begged. “I don’t want to get blood on it.”

Ginny mock glared at him, and grasped the scroll from his free hand. She hastily unraveled it and read the contents aloud. It was indeed from one of the schools they had contacted. They were disappointed to learn that this particular school would be unable to accommodate their special circumstances, however, it did allow them to narrow down the list.

Harry and Ginny were debating returning to bed or rising for the day, when another owl started tapping at the window, this one considerably larger than the first. Ginny decided it would be wiser for her to collect the missive, since she had more experience with owl post than Harry, and he was already nursing a sore finger.

After thanking the owl and offering it some owl treats and a bit of water, the two sat down on the bed to read over their newest piece of correspondence.

“Yes,” cheered Harry, quite relieved that they had at least one option for the upcoming school year. Whatever else happened, they would not be forced to attend Hogwarts.

The school, Beauxbatons in France, was quite willing to accommodate their various needs. They looked through the class offerings, pictures of the school - magical ones that moved, which startled Harry no end - and were quite excited at the possibility of attending there. The school was beautiful and the curriculum was well-rounded and included interesting extras that Hogwarts did not offer.

Ginny was thrilled that they had Quidditch. She was also interested to learn that they had advanced classes in Arithmancy and Runes and beginning classes in Curse-breaking and Wards. She explained to Harry that her oldest brother, Bill, who was presently in Egypt working for Gringotts, was a Curse-Breaker, and she had always thought that, if she couldn’t become a Quidditch player, she might like to follow in his footsteps and become a Curse-Breaker.

The more Ginny explained to him about what her brother did, the more fascinated Harry became. He resolved to work hard to keep that option open, even if he did end up changing his mind later on. This spurred his determination to learn all he could of the magical world. He did not want to be crippled by his lack of knowledge and understanding. He decided to spend the remainder of the summer sampling what the library had to offer.

Over breakfast, the two consulted their list once again, put a check mark next to Beauxbatons, and crossed out the small school in Italy that had first responded to their query.

Harry suggested that they spend some time outside exploring the grounds, and then devote the remainder of the day to exploring the library. He confided to Ginny that he was hoping to locate books that would help explain the magical world and, if they were truly lucky, a book on bonds.

Ginny just snorted at the chances of that happening, but happily followed him outside.

Hours later, they were ensconced in the library, each having found a book that caught their attention. They might have read straight through dinner, had not an elf popped in and reminded them it was time to eat.

They were just finishing their sandwiches and crisps when Hedwig finally returned. The envelope she was holding rather gingerly was red.

Ginny turned almost as red as the envelope and looked pleadingly at Harry, as she repeated over and over again. “I’m so sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Please don’t hate me.” She wrung her hands in distress and continued muttering to herself. “I should have known this would happen. I can’t believe Mum is doing this. This is so humiliating. I just wish she would try to understand.”

Harry was torn between staring at the smoking envelope and his bond-mate who was beside herself. Finally, he could tolerate it no longer. He turned his back to the envelope and pulled Ginny into his arms, rubbing her back and murmuring soothing reassurances into her hair.

When the envelope started shrieking in Molly Weasley’s voice, Harry fell over backwards and landed on the floor with a thump, inadvertently pulling Ginny along with him, eyes wide open in shock. He started looking all around the room, certain that the wards had failed and that Ginny’s Mum was standing somewhere in the room berating him.

The feel of Ginny shuddering in his arms distracted Harry from the message’s content, so he ignored the sound of her mum’s voice, as much as was physically possible, and concentrated on assuring his bond-mate of his continued concern and care for her.

Several minutes later, Harry realised that silence now reigned in the kitchen, and Ginny no longer seemed on the verge of a breakdown. He slowly pushed her off of him, tried righting her on the bench, and then scrambled up himself.

“What in the blue blazes was that?” demanded Harry, more than a bit undone by what had happened. He was still glancing around, not entirely convinced that Mrs. Weasley was not lurking just around the corner, ready to hex him to depths of Hades.

Ginny drew in a deep breath and explained. “That, Harry, was a Howler. It’s my mother’s favourite way of communicating her displeasure with her children, especially if they’ve been misbehaving at school. I think Fred and George average at least two per term,” she added with a smirk.

“I take it she’s displeased with us?” remarked Harry, stating the obvious. “I didn’t catch what she said, did you?” He looked inquiringly at his bond-mate.

“Erm, not everything,” replied Ginny, blushing. “I was a bit distracted by how nice it felt for you to hold me in your arms,” she confessed in whisper, hiding behind the fiery curtain of her hair.

Harry turned a bright scarlet. Perhaps he wasn’t meant to have heard her comment, but he had to admit, it did feel nice to know that she liked it when he comforted her. This was all so new for him. Experiences such as this, that most people took for granted, were life-changing for him, and he was busy storing up wonderful memories of his new life with Ginny.

“Erm, well, erm, did she say anything important?” prodded Harry, trying hard not to embarrass Ginny any further.

“Not really. She just threatened to send you to Azkaban and demanded that I come home immediately.” Ginny paused to mentally review what she had heard. “Oh, and she said that Professor Dumbledore was going to set the Ministry against the Goblins for having, what was it, oh, yes, “aided and abetted” your rebellious behaviour.”

They both smiled at the absurdity of that last bit. Then their expressions sobered. They weren’t certain what the Ministry could do against the Goblins, but Harry decided that another visit to Gringott’s might not be amiss. They would hate for the Goblins to be inconvenienced as a result of their decisions.

Ginny suggested that the best course of action would be to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and then proceed to Gringotts from there. They looked at each other and wished they could do something to disguise themselves, but they really didn’t know any magic, and had no adult to help them.

Harry briefly considered trying Muggle methods, but felt uncomfortable spending too much time outside the wards of Gryffin’s Den. They would simply have to go as themselves and hope that no one was lying in wait for them.
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