harry potter and unexpected beginnings by

dan's girl62
rating: r
the summer after ootp, harry discovers he has control of his connection with
voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. with the help of his friends, and
an unexpected joining of their team, harry and the gang return to school for their
6th year and go in search of a way to defeat voldemort. however, when
teenage hormones set in, can harry find room in his heart to love, or will he
reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or lack
thereof. rated r for future chapters.

spoilers: ps/ss, cos, poa, gof, ootp. written between order of phoenix and half-
blood prince.
genre: general, romance
era: multiple eras
main character(s): d
ship(s): none
summary: the summer after ootp, harry discovers he has control of his connection
with voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. with the help of his friends,
and an unexpected joining of their team, harry and the gang return to school for
their 6th year and go in search of a way to defeat voldemort. however,
when teenage hormones set in, can harry find room in his heart to love, or will he
reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or
lack thereof. rated r for future chapters.
disclaimer: this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by
jk rowling, various publishers including but not limited to bloomsbury
books, scholastic books and raincoast books, and warner bros., inc. no money is
being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. i in
no way am attempting to impinge on those rights. no money is being made and no
copyright or tradmark infringement is intended. this is written basically
because i'm tired of waiting and wondering about books 6 and 7!!!
author's notes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

harry potter and unexpected beginnings

the sun drove down on the identical housetops, radiating the heat of summer. the
sounds of children laughing in a nearby yard, echoed through the saturday
humdrum of lawn mowers and hedge clippers. house windows were left open, to catch
the breeze of the day, and the soft aromas of various lunches being prepared
filled the warm air. life continued much as it always had, except for one lone
person. sitting in the shade of a large oak tree in the backyard of number
four privet drive, was a teenage boy. his messy hair shadowing his be-speckled
eyes from the sun, his hands curled around the thick book he'd been reading
for the past two weeks. he appeared much like any other fifteen-year-old boy, with
the exception of the lightening bolt scar on his forehead.

harry potter, the boy who lived, had suffered the end of the worst of all years,
just a few weeks ago. with the loss of his godfather, and the knowledge
of the prophecy tucked within his mind, his world had taken on a sense of
seriousness. his mood had become less open, less friendly, less obedient,
especially
toward his relatives. he had seen and felt more than any person four times his
age, and he chose to tuck his feelings concerning all of it away, rather
than confront them. it was less painful to think of oneself as cold, and
unfeeling, then to grieve for hours and days on end. he allowed his anger to
motivate
him, his hatred to push him into positive actions. since the death of his
godfather, his whole life had taken on a new routine. every morning before dawn,
so the neighbors wouldn't see him and glare at the delinquent living with the
dursleys, harry would don an old pair of sweat pants, tee shirt and trainers,
and set out running. he worked his way up from a few blocks to over five
kilometers a day, in no time at all. he spent hours on end in his little room,
lifting cans he'd filched from the trashbins, and filled with a variety of rocks
to weight them down, sealing the ends with duct tape he'd confiscated
from his uncle vernon's tool box. in just a few short weeks since the end of his
fifth year at hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry, harry had managed
to transform his once thin arms and legs into strong limbs of muscles. he had
taken on a daily routine of five hundred sit-ups and nearly as many pushups,
giving him a tight abdomen and strong shoulders. his appearance had slowly changed
over the weeks, giving him the image of a silent threat, to anyone who
dared to look twice at him. even his porkley-sized cousin, dudley, and his gang of
cronies thought twice now about confronting the young wizard.

the sound of uncle vernon's lawn mower echoed through the air, coming closer to
where harry sat reading. shortly after school, harry had sent hedwig to
diagon alley to purchase the advanced book of dark arts and forbidden curses. if
it hadn't been for dumbledore authorizing his purchase, the storekeeper
at flourish and blotts would not have sold it to him. usually, this sort of book
was reserved for aurors only, but considering the news of the return of
he-who-must-not-be-named, it was considered logical for his would-be-defeater to
be armed with as much information as possible. since then, every spare
moment he had was spent reading and studying the various spells, curses and hexes
contained within the thick leather covers. harry shifted slightly on
the hard ground; feeling the wand he had tucked within his shirt, poke him in his
side. he had taken to carrying his only object of defense with him last
year, and continued the habit now. his senses were heightened and alert to every
rustle of the wind, every sigh and every whisper of the children nearby.
he would react with lightening speed to any sound he heard, ready for an attack.
he knew now, it was inevitable. voldemort was coming, and he had to be
ready.

harry continued to read a particularly difficult spell on disembowelment, when the

hairs on the back of his neck stood up in response to an oversized shadow
that fell across him. looking up from his reading with a frown, harry saw his
enormous cousin standing over him, his usual smirk of distaste etched on
his face, his porkley hand wrapped around a large ice cream cone.

"are you trying to convince someone, you know how to read?" dudley snorted loudly.
"that freak school you go to can't possibly have normal lessons." the
stupid smile he was wearing suddenly disappeared when he took notice of the type
of book his cousin was reading. "wh...what is that?" he stammered. seeing
the wording on the front cover, he gave an audible gasp that sounded much like a
pig snorting. his normal dim-witted reactions slowed even more than normal,
as a look of fear crossing his suddenly pale features. "dad will kill you, when he
sees you reading that thing in public," dudley announced, pointing a
pudgy finger to the book harry was reading.

"sod off, porky", harry snarled, watching the fear cross his cousin's beady eyes.
the sound of the lawn mower shutting off indicated his uncle had finished
mowing the front lawn and was about to start on the back. dudley turned around
quickly, as his equally engorged father stomped toward them.

"dad, look what harry is reading," dudley announced proudly. uncle vernon glanced
down to his nephew, instantly turning a shade of purple that matched the
plums in petunia's kitchen drawer.

"what are you doing out of the house with that?" demanded uncle vernon in a soft
growl, the veins in the side of his neck popping out dangerously.

"i know you think me ignorant, but my guess would be, reading it." harry was no
longer afraid of his uncle, as he once was, due partly to his newly acquired
muscles, but mostly because it had occurred to him shortly after starting his
summer holidays, that he had faced voldemort, who was more menacing and
threatening
then all of his relatives put together, and had survived to tell the tales.

"don't take that tone of voice with me, boy, and get back in the house before the
neighbors see you," uncle vernon demanded. harry stood slowly, shutting
the book as he straightened his legs. not only had he developed his physical
attributes, he had also grown at least three inches since the start of summer.
he stared down at his uncle, un-phased by his tone of voice, offering him a soft
smirk and a glare of his narrowed eyes.

"as you wish," harry said softly. "i have a letter to send to mad-eye moody,
anyway." the announcement of the man who had threatened vernon at king's cross
at the beginning of summer, caused a sudden fear to race through the fat man's
frame, forcing the purple in his chubby cheeks to turn ashen, and the glass
of lemonade his aunt had stepped out of the house with, to crash on the patio
stones. harry smiled brightly to himself as he walked casually past aunt
petunia, and into the kitchen, snatching a sandwich from the platter his aunt had
prepared for lunch, along with a large red apple from the counter as
he proceeded up the stairs to his cramped bedroom.

harry felt a soft pang of guilt in the back of his head, with the realization that
he had already owled moody, when he awoke earlier that morning, but quickly
pushed it aside. he hated his relatives as much as they hated him, and it gave him
a shimmer of pleasure to irritate them occasionally for all the grief
they have given him, over the years. sitting on his small bed, harry opened the
book again, re-reading the spell he had been studying for the past two
hours. the sudden pain in his head, forced him to finally pay attention to it, and
he tossed the large leather clad item aside, resting his head back against
his flat pillow.

with eyes shut tight, harry began to go over the occlumency lessons, determined to
master the task before returning to school and starting lessons back
up with snape. the ache in his head began to diminish as he was able to relax and
clear his mind of all thought. his progress was such a surprise, that
even he was amazed at how well he was doing. in a state of complete relaxation,
harry could feel himself floating away on a cloud of peaceful retreat.
his thoughts seemed to drift out beyond little winging, beyond london, even beyond
the present and into the darkness of another world.

harry found himself standing in a narrow hallway outside a dimly lit room, no
outside light entered, making harry suspect it was nightfall. the crackles
of a fire echoed through the silence, and he forced himself to walk closer to the
room who's door stood slightly open. he had the urge to push it open
and step further inside, as he saw the shadows of the room's occupants and froze
where he stood. the heat radiating from the small confines of the room
was stifling, and harry found himself having to breath around the thick, smoky
aroma.

he heard a familiar, squeaky voice bouncing off the walls of his mind, and
realized instantly it was wormtail. harry knew his mind had traveled back to
voldemort, but he also knew there was a definite difference this time. this time,
he was in control of his mind. he was a silent visitor in the cold, dank
surroundings of his enemy's lair.

"but master, i have tried," wormtail was sniveling, his shadow cast by the light
of the fire showed him crouching on the floor in front of his master, trembling
in fear. "i can not find the spells dumbledore uses, even our spies at the
ministry can't find them."

"impossible!" hissed voldemort angrily, as an object was hurled across the room to
smash against the opposite wall. the fearful squeak from wormtail mingled
with the growling hiss from voldemort. "there must be a way to break through his
defenses. there are weaknesses, i know it. i must have them." voldemort's
shadow turned to face the sniveling form of his servant curled on the floor before
him. "i am tired of your failure," he snarled. "i have suffered your
stupidity for the last time."

"master, please, have mercy," wormtail pleaded, his shadow curling in a smaller
ball on the floor, as if hoping to hide from his master's anger. "i beg
of you." voldemort's shadow raised his arm in the air above his head, the wand
apparent in his shadowed grip.

"forgive me, master," a woman's voice said, as harry turned to see bellatrix walk
right past him as if he was not there. his eyes narrowed and his hands
balled into tight fists, as he watched her pass him by. she pushed the door open
further and harry could see the image of wormtail on the carpet, unable
to see more than the hem of voldemort's robes around the door and bellatrix, who
stood in his line of vision. the sound of pleasure echoed in her evil
shrill, as she interrupted her ruler's actions of punishment. "you told me alert
you to any changes at the ministry." these words put an abrupt halt to
wormtail's torture.

"what have you found out?" the cold hiss of voldemort demanded.

"fudge has ordered a complete lock down of all departments," bellatrix announced.
"every crack of the ministry has been placed on the highest alert, even
that stupid muggle-loving weasley's corner has added charms placed on his files.
however, in fudge's haste to confirm he is still in control of the ministry,
he overlooked the prison of azkaban. your loyal followers have convinced the
dementors to release the prisoners and rejoin us. they are on their way here,
even as we speak. the prison has been emptied, once again, my lord."

"excellent," voldemort laughed, his tone an evil hissing sigh. "it is merely a
matter of time, before the ministry is mine, and dumbledore bows at my feet."

"and what of potter, my lord?" bellatrix asked, a hint of pleasure in her icy
tone. "if he is allowed to return to hogwarts, it is only a matter of time
before he grows too strong for us to control. he is already stronger than any
anticipated. if he continues..."

"i have other plans for potter," the dark lord whispered, interrupting the woman's
irritating chatter as he turned his back on wormtail who silently began
to crawl out of the room, past harry. "leave the boy to me."

harry's eyes popped open with a start, the pain in his scar throbbing violently,
forcing him to close his eyes again, tightly. he covered his head gently
with his hand, rolling over on his bed with a moan of pain as he buried his head
in his little pillow. what was voldemort up to? had the prison really
been emptied? where was he hiding, and why was it nightfall there, when it was
midday here? one thought stood out among the many in his aching, throbbing
mind. he had to tell dumbledore what he had seen; he had to warn him of voldemort
coming after him. with shaky movements, harry sat up on the edge of his
bed, cradling his head in his hands. the pain seemed worse now, then it ever had
been before. he had to get control over it; he had to contact dumbledore,
to warn him, but how? hedwig hadn't returned from taking his letter to moody yet,
and there was no other way of communicating the news.

thinking hard, harry stood up on weak legs, forcing himself to walk to the window
and look out, hoping to find his snowy owl in the skies above. instead
what he saw was his aunt and uncle reclining in lounge chairs on the patio below,
while his over-sized cousin stuffed sandwich after sandwich in his mouth,
from the chair across from his parents. harry turned from the window. they were
out of the house, he could easily sneak away and board the night bus, but
he wouldn't be able to contact that for several more hours. he thought of stealing
his uncle's car, but that wouldn't do any good, he'd get caught when
the new alarm he had installed went off. then he thought of his friends. if there
was only some way of contacting them. he would need an owl to make contact
with ron, but hermione was a muggle, which meant she would have a telephone.

quickly sliding under the bed and pulling open the floorboard he hid his secrets
and candies in, he retrieved a small piece of parchment she had given him
a few years back. grabbing his invisibility cloak from his trunk and slipping
silently out of his room, he hurried into his cousin's room next door, picking
up the extension phone and dialing the number on the paper. he waited while the
phone on the other end rang, once, twice, a third time. just as harry was
about to give up, he heard a click and a man's voice say "hello?"

"hermione granger, please," harry said softly, stepping to his cousin's window and
looking down at the three still sitting below.

"just a moment, please," the voice replied, and harry listened as her name was
called out in the background. a moment later and a familiar voice answered.

"hello, this is hermione granger."

"hermione, it's harry," he said quietly.

"harry! how wonderful of you to call. how are you? how on earth did you get the
use of the phone, i thought your uncle wouldn't allow you to use it? i was
about to owl your birthday present to you, unless you think i could bring it to
you in person? would your aunt and uncle allow me to visit you? honestly,
it's as if you were a prisoner, instead of member of their family."

"hermione, shut up, i have to talk to you and i haven't much time," harry
interrupted, hearing the soft gasp on the other end of the phone. "i had another
vision of voldemort and hedwig isn't back from sending moody my letter. i need you
to contact dumbledore and warn him. the prison has been emptied."

"what? the prison emptied? are you sure?"

"i'm positive, now listen, contact dumbledore and tell him about it. i heard
bellatrix tell voldemort, that his followers had convinced the dementors into
rejoining him, and that the prison was emptied. i don't know when hedwig will be
back, but by then it may be too late. voldemort said he was trying to
find the spells dumbledore uses as a defense. i think he's trying to get into the
school. if that happens, we're all in danger. can you do that for me,
hermione, please?"

"of course, i'll owl him right away. but harry," her voice was hesitant and harry
could tell she was chewing her lip. "are you sure voldemort wasn't using
you again? i mean after everything he did last year..."

"i'm sure hermione. this was different; i had control of my mind. i've been
practicing my occlumency lessons all summer and i've got hold of it."

"you said that before, harry, remember? but you weren't telling the truth," she
reminded him. harry sighed deeply. she did have reason not to trust him,
after he boldly lied to her about practicing his lessons at hogwarts.

"this time is different, hermione. i honestly have been practicing, and i know he
wasn't aware of my presence. please hermione, it's very important you
contact dumbledore. he has to know what's happening."

"all right harry, i believe you. i'll contact him right now. and harry," she
stated with another slight hesitation. "please be careful."

"i will," he promised, hearing the door in the hallway downstairs close and heavy
footsteps on the stairs heading his way. "and hermione," he whispered
softly, "thank you." harry hung up the phone quickly, slipping his cloak over his
head and snatching up the piece of parchment with hermione's phone number
on it. he walked slowly toward the open door to dudley's room, and had to flatten
himself against the wall beside it, as his large cousin came bounding
in through the door. harry cleared the threshold, just in time for dudley to swing
it shut. with a deep sigh of relief, harry quietly slipped into his
own room, and eased the door shut behind him, returning his cloak to his trunk and
the phone number to his secret hiding place under his bed.

if hermione was able to get an owl to dumbledore, he still wouldn't be able to

receive it for at least a few hours yet, which meant there was nothing left
to do, but wait. and waiting, was not one of harry's strong points.

pacing the floor, harry found himself staring out his bedroom window, anticipating
either an owl in response to hermione's message, or hedwig to return.
neither of which was happening soon enough. with a grunt of irritation, harry
flopped roughly to the bed; causing the heavy book he'd been reading relentlessly
over the past two weeks, to hit him in the shin before landing with a thud to the
floor. he picked it up, opening it and began to read it, as a thought
came to his mind. if hermione could see him now, knowing that he was actually
reading during his summer holidays, she'd have nothing but praise for him,
insisting that he should have started this new habit years ago. ron, on the other
hand, would probably call him mental and offer him a handful of chocolate
frogs, while dragging him out to the field behind the burrow to practice his
quidditch game.

with a smile to warm his heart, he suddenly realized, he was not only lucky to
have friends like hermione and ron, but he was very fortunate they were complete
opposites. at least it gave his life a bit of stability.

read? review!

author notes: please r/r and let me know if you want additional chapters, because
i can keep writing until draco becomes a brunette!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------�

chapter two

harry's little room was exceptionally warm, and he was forced to sleep only in his
boxers with the covers kicked to the foot of the mattress. beside him
on his small desk sat the book he'd been reading, his glasses, his alarm clock,
and a half full glass of water. all appeared normal, as the moon shone
through the open window, and yet harry had a distinct feeling that something was
happening outside little winging, and he was restless and eager to find
out what.

he sighed deeply, reaching for his glass of water and draining it in a single
swallow. he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes, trying to force himself
into sleep. he thought perhaps he should practice his occlumency lessons,
realizing that he actually found it enjoyable now that he had a handle on it,
but the thought of traveling back to wherever voldemort was currently hiding, kept
him from attempting it. it wasn't that he was afraid, because he wasn't,
he was just getting really tired of the pain that always seemed to rip his head
apart whenever he made contact with his enemy.

again harry sighed, and again he flopped to his back. "this was ridiculous," he
scolded himself, looking at the clock on his dresser and seeing that it
was three in the morning. his frustration was quickly turning to anger. if he was
back home at hogwarts, he'd simply slip on his father's cloak and sneak
down to the kitchens for a late night snack, but here...harry opened his eyes.
"what's to stop me", he thought. uncle vernon had stopped locking him in
his room, when he realized it really didn't work, which meant that he was free to
roam around the house at will. gathering his invisibility cloak, taking
up his wand, and covering his head with the cloak, he quietly slipped out the
door, listening for a moment to make certain his relatives were sleeping.

the loud snoring from uncle vernon and dudley sounded in unison, as if they were
competing to see who could snore the loudest, while aunt petunia's soft
horse-like whining echoed in the background. harry curled his lip at the sound;
thinking of how they could easily pass for the wild bores living in the
forbidden forest back home. assured his robust relatives were indeed asleep, harry
tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding making any noise as he quietly opened
the door to the kitchen. padding softly to the refrigerator, he pulled on the
handle and peered within.

harry was amazed how there could be so much food, when dudley was home for the
summer holidays, but oddly enough, there seemed to be a great deal more than
there ever was. harry gathered together a few easily concealed items; two
chocolate ?airs, a large red apple, a pint of apple juice, a bag of carrots,
and a piece of left over shepherd's pie that they had for dinner, and was about to
return upstairs, when he heard footsteps echoing down the stairs. he
was trapped, he thought in a slight panic, unable to find a place to hide. but
then as the door opened, he realized he was still hidden beneath his father's
old cloak, rendering him invisible. all he had to do was wait until the coast was
clear and slip quietly out the door and back up to his own room.

with baited breath, harry waited to see who was up at this hour. he wasn't all
that surprised to see his aunt pad her big slipper-clad feet into the room.
she looked around briefly, before going to the drawer by the sink and opening it.
instead of reaching inside it for a spoon or fork, she pulled the entire
drawer out of the cabinet, setting it silently on the counter. she then reached
inside the exposed hole, all the way to the back and pulled out a piece
of cloth, then set down at the table near where harry was standing and began to
unroll it.

harry almost gasped his surprise, tightening his grip on the spoils he had hidden
within his arms, as he watched his aunt unroll a...wand! how could his
aunt petunia, the same aunt petunia who despised and hated anything magical, have
a wand? did she even know how to use it? he got his answer almost immediately,
as she waved it across the table and whispered something, he couldn't hear.
instantly the table filled with pastries of all sorts; there was a pumpkin
pie, pumpkin cookies, chocolate cake with butter cream frosting, honey dukes lemon
ice, chocolate frogs, cotton candy and pumpkin juice. he watched as
his aunt eagerly began to devour the items before her, eating them as if she
hadn't eaten in over a month's time...and with dudley as a son, it wasn't
all that surprising if she hadn't. he just couldn't believe his eyes. within the
span of ten minutes, his thin, horse-faced aunt had eaten the entire contents
of her magically prepared picnic. he continued to watch as wiped her mouth,
sitting back in her seat, and tossing the napkin aside.

a soft pop sounded on the other side of the table, and harry watched his aunt
stand up and look down, her hands on her bony hips. her eyes narrowed as an
object moved from the back of the table.

"it's about bloody time, you got here," she snarled in a silent whisper. "if you
keep coming this late every night, someone is bound to see you, and then
where will we be?" harry moved gingerly so he could see what it was his aunt was
scolding. on the other side of the table, near the sitting room doorway
stood a small house elf. she was small, much smaller than dobby had been, and
seemed much shier. harry frowned deeply at his aunt's profile.

"misty's sorry miss petunia," the small voice squeaked. "misty was afraid to come
earlier, in case that big brut was up."

"i've told you before, you wretched creature, to keep your mouth shut when you
speak of my son," petunia growled, her tone slightly louder than it had originally
been.

"misty's sorry miss, please don't beat her," the little house elf cringed in fear
as petunia walked around the table. he watched with narrowed eyes as petunia
raised her wand and pointed it at her. just as she was about to curse the poor
creature, footsteps above her creaked the ceiling. "just you get busy and
make certain this house is clean when i get back up, or i'll send you to the pits
of hell." petunia turned and stalked away, leaving the little creature
alone to clean up her mess.

"bad miss petunia," the little house elf said softly. "if not for harry potter,
you would be dead. dumbledore not smart, leaving you to watch over him.
you're not good enough for the likes of harry potter." the little house elf began
cleaning the mess left behind by the woman, as harry silently slipped
out the door, she had left open in her haste. he quietly slipped up the stairs and
back into his room, again hearing the soft horse sounds coming from
his aunt's bedroom.

"what's going on?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity. he dropped on to the
bed, removing the cloak from around his shoulders and setting the forgotten
goodies on the mattress beside him. how did his aunt, the only woman hateful
enough to keep him brow beaten for so many years, be a...a...witch!? just
as harry was about to begin pacing the floor, he heard the soft familiar hoot of
his snowy owl, as she flew through the open window, and landed on his
bed, next to his deposited supply of food from his late night raid of the kitchen.

"you've missed an interesting day, hedwig," harry told his owl, as she began
picking at the sweets next to him. she glanced up at him questioningly, as
harry patted her white head gently. "did you get the letter to moody, all right?"
he asked her, returning to her reason for not being with him all day.
hedwig hooted again, as if to confirm his question. harry looked at her leg,
noting the absence of a reply. not surprising, he thought. mad-eye moody wasn't
exactly known for his manners. still it would have been nice to know that he
wasn't forgotten by the wizarding world, even if it was a simple note t say
"hi, how you doing?"

harry flung himself back on his bed, leaning against the wall and pulling his feet
beneath him. he reached for the food hedwig was eating, stuffing an entire
?air in his mouth in one simple bite. as he chewed, his thoughts returned to his
aunt. he just couldn't understand how it was possible for her to know
magic, and yet deny him to know about it for eleven whole years. harry absently
picked up an apple, biting into it and offering a piece to hedwig, who
took it and flew up to her cage, as she devoured it and then closed her eyes and
drifted off to sleep. he watched his owl for quite awhile, before realizing
he was finally tired. retrieving a large piece of parchment from his trunk, harry
wrapped the remnants of his raid within it, rolling it snugly around
the leftovers, and placing it in his hiding place under the bed, then laying down
on the mattress, pulling his hands under his head.

harry found himself drifting into a peaceful slumber, as the sun began to creep
over the horizon. morning would definitely hold a new meaning to him, when
he awoke. he had decided to confront his aunt about her late night tricks, when he
got a chance later on. with that out of the way, harry found sleep to
be a welcome friend.

harry awoke some time later, to the sounds of uncle vernon stomping down the
stairs. the aroma of breakfast drifted up to him, and he rubbed his eyes sleepily.
sitting up on the edge of his bed, harry looked around him. the sun was high in
the sky, and the clock on his desk read half past ten. gathering his shoes,
he'd kicked off last night and pulling them back across his feet, he opened the
door and stepped into the hallway, nearly falling to his face, as he tripped
over the sweat pants he'd deposited on his messy floor the day before. for a brief
moment, harry thought he saw the small image of his aunt's house elf
disappear from the bathroom doorway. harry remembered how many times he had seen
the little image when he was growing up, but passed it away, unaware of
what a house elf was. now he realized, he had seen her many times. once he awoke
as a very young child, a nightmare raking his tiny body. as he lay curled
in the cupboard beneath the stairs, sobbing sadly, he remembered the little house
elf shushing his sorrow, smoothing his hair back from his tiny face and
drying his tears. he had always thought it was just a dream and for many long
years held on to it, as a secret dream of love, the only love he'd ever known.

"well guess what, aunt petunia," harry thought with a wicked smile, climbing down
the stairs to the kitchen. "your secret is out."

harry walked into the kitchen, ignoring the irritated looks from his aunt and
uncle. dudley barely noticed his joining them at the table, as he continued
to shove eggs and bacon into his mouth, greedily. harry reached across the table
and took one of the last two eggs on the platter, then taking two slices
of bacon and half a slice of toast, he began to eat, suddenly feeling ill at the
amount of food his porkly-sized cousin was putting away.
"slow down popkins," aunt petunia cooed at her son. "you'll make yourself sick,
eating that fast."

"i have to hurry," dudley said around his mouth of food, spitting remnant from his
mouth onto the table as he spoke. "i'm meeting the guys and we're going
to the movies."

"do you need any money, son?" uncle vernon asked, immediately reaching for his
wallet and retrieving several paper bills. dudley nodded, accepting the money,
before grabbing the last four slices of toast and heading up the stairs.

"it's so nice that he's such a popular boy," aunt petunia said with a sickly sweet
smile, as she sat in the seat her son had just abandoned, wiping at the
spilled food with her napkin. she looked up at harry and narrowed her stare at
him.

"you know aunt petunia," he said as he watched her wipe the mess left behind by
her enormous son. "i don't think i've ever taken notice of what a really
good housekeeper you are." uncle vernon and aunt petunia both stopped and stared
at him, wide eyed. they had never heard a compliment from him before,
having never given him reason before now.

"of course she's a good housekeeper, boy," uncle vernon smiled at his wife, who
blushed softly. "she's the best in all of london."

"oh vernon," cooed his now embarrassed wife.

"i couldn't agree more," harry continued with a false smile of appreciation. "i
know in my world, people have a difficult time keeping house. why, if it
wasn't for the use of house elves, i doubt there would be many homes that would
compare even by half to how clean this one is." harry was delighted to
see the shocked expression on his aunt's suddenly pale face as she looked up at
him. uncle vernon, however, nearly choked on his coffee. wiping at the
spilled drops from his shirt, he turned a purple-faced glare to his nephew.

"what have i told you about mentioning those things, in this house?" he growled.

"i was just making a simple observation, is all," harry commented, un-phased by
his outburst, his eyes still locked on his aunt's horse-like features. "i
think aunt petunia's life would be much simpler if she had a house elf to help her
out around here, say at night when everyone's asleep. and just think
of the meals she could prepare with the use of a wand." uncle vernon slammed his
fat fist on the table to bring a halt to the conversation, as aunt petunia
sputtered and reached for a glass of orange juice.

"enough!" snarled vernon, raising himself up on his enormous legs. "go to your
room, right now. as if your aunt would need the aid of such freakish things.
how dare you insult her, like that, and in her very home? so help me boy, if it
wasn't for her good-hearted kindness, you would be on the streets where
you belong. now get out of here, and go to your room. i don't want to see your
face the rest of the day. and there will be no lunch for you, either."

harry rose with a smirk, offering his aunt a brief look of acknowledgement. he was
unaffected by his uncle's outburst, knowing that his aunt at least understood
what he was talking about. he walked to his room, listening as his uncle's
continued ranting about the boy's "indignity" and "rudeness". opening his door,
he peered in, taking notice immediately of the difference. his room had been
cleaned; dusted and organized in the short time he had been gone. at first
he thought he must have done it in the hours of sleepless pacing last night, but
then remembered nearly tripping over his sweat pants when he left for
breakfast. he closed the door and smiled around the small confines.

"you don't have to hide," he said to nobody present. "i know you're here. misty,
isn't it? come out and talk with me." the soft rustle from his closet brought
harry's eyes toward the door as it pushed softly open. harry smiled, sitting on
the edge of his small, but neatly made bed.

"hello," he said, his tone soft and friendly. "i remember you, from when i was a
little boy. come, sit and talk with me. i'm harry."

"misty knows who you are sir," she squeaked shyly, cautiously stepping toward him.
"i have been with you for many years."

"yes, i know. i remember several things now, which seemed odd once. but it had to
be you. who else would clean up after me? but why have you been hiding?
once i joined the wizarding world, you could have made yourself known to me."

"misty was afraid, sir. harry potter is great, misty was afraid he would be upset
at her hiding from him."

"i'm not upset misty. how long have you been hiding in my room?"

"always, sir. i must keep an eye on
soft knock sounded at the door, and
in thin air. harry turned a curious
opened. he had been expecting this,
into the room, carrying a tray with
desk next to his bed.
harry potter, sir. he is my life." just then a
the little house elf disappeared
eye toward the door as his aunt pushed it
but not so soon perhaps. she stepped
sandwiches, fruit and juice, and sat it on the

"vernon had to go take some papers to his work," she said awkwardly. "i thought
perhaps you might be hungry. you didn't eat much breakfast."

"i never do, with dudley around," he mumbled, ignoring the look of disapproval on
the woman's face. "thank you," he said after a moment of looking at her.
with a soft smile curling his lips he added, "it makes my eyes misty to know how
much you care." petunia gasped, then nearly fell on the bed beside him.

"how...how long have you known?" she asked softly, her face turning much paler
than normal. harry leaned back on his bed and pulled his arms across his
chest. he thought for a few minutes, before deciding to take the easy way out.

"why don't you start by telling me how long you've been a witch and neglected to
tell anyone? does vernon know?" petunia gasped, placing her hand over her
mouth.

"heavens no! if he knew i could do...do..."

"magic?" harry supplied for her, hearing the gasp from the woman at the sound of
the word. petunia nodded, silently. "did you go to hogwarts as well as
my mother?" harry asked, watching as the woman began wringing her hands in her
lap.

"no. i didn't know i could do any of that stuff, until she had...until she was
gone. the night you were left here, i heard the doorbell ring. when i opened
it, you were there. there was also a package with you. it had a note about what
had happened to your parents, and a few of their belongings; their wedding
rings," she said, reaching into the pocket on her apron and pulling out two gold
objects and handing them to him. harry eyed the rings with a sting of
tears in his eyes. his mother's was a simple gold band attached to a beautiful
gold and diamond solitaire, and his father's was just a thick band of gold.
he closed his hands around them, feeling the warmth of his parents love radiating
through him.

"what else was there," he asked softly, placing his father's ring on his left hand
and pulling the shoelace from his old trainer and slipping his mother's
ring around it before tying it around his neck.

"there was the usual, diapers, bottles, a few clothes, and wrapped up in piece of
cloth was her wand. i was horrified at first. i was so afraid vernon would
find it, so i hid it. the day after you arrived, i was changing your diapers;
disgusted that fate had left you with me, when that little creature appeared
out of nowhere. she said she was your nanny, and she was there to protect you. i
didn't want you, i didn't want any part of your kind in my home, so i
allowed her to stay and care for you, so long as vernon and dudley never knew
about her. after you grew older, i realized there was really no room for
her here, and that if you knew of her existence, you'd ask questions and i was not
going to have you turning into one of them, so i ordered her to leave.
she said she couldn't, she was owned by you and only you could free her. so
instead i told her if she stayed, she would have to clean the house at night
when nobody was awake." petunia took a deep breath and continued.

"one night, when i couldn't sleep, i remembered her wand. i took it out of the
hiding place and just held it. it felt warm in my hands, and i remembered
her using it the night she brought him home for dinner, to meet our parents. i
remembered the words she used, so i decided to try it. i was amazed that
i could make it work for me. i don't use it very often, just when i have to
prepare something exceptional. it's not like i'm using magic or anything, i'm
just repeating what she did. i would never commit myself to doing anything that
would make me like her."

"i knew you were cold, but i never realized how heartless you could be," harry
said, eying the woman, noticing the slight jarring of his closet door.

"heartless? you have no idea what i had to endure, because of my sister," petunia
shouted as she stood and began pacing the room. "she was always mother
and father's favorite, the pretty, perfect lily. she was the smartest, the
sweetest, and the most polite. when she married that potter, i knew there would
be no end to raving from our parents. i hated her with every inch of my being. i
didn't even cry when she died. i still don't when i think of her. she
and that man got what they deserved."

"what they deserved?" harry jumped from his bed, confronting his aunt with all the
anger he hid within his soul. "they were murdered by a madman, who wants
to control the world. i can hear her screams to save me, every night when i close
my eyes. my parents died to protect me and to protect the likes of you."

"they didn't protect me," petunia huffed. "i am not a part of that sort of life."

"voldemort wants all muggles dead, and that includes you, vernon and your precious
robust dudley. he wants to world to be returned to the control of the
magical born, only. death will be a reward to what he will make you feel before he
kills you. he will cause you more pain and misery then you could ever
imagine. if you think my parents deserved to die, think of what you deserve."
harry stepped around the woman, opening the door and holding it open for
her. the look in his eye warned her not to tempt his anger further. slowly she
walked through the door, as harry stopped her with his words.

"i want my mother's wand back, tonight," he announced, his tone filled with
subdued anger. "it's not yours and you don't deserve it. furthermore, i am taking
misty back to hogwarts with me. let's see how well you can manage without her."
harry watched the look of shock and disbelief cross his aunt's features
as he shut the door in her face. he turned back to the closet and watched as misty
stepped cautiously out from her hiding place.

"misty is so sorry, harry potter," she said, tears streaking down her face. "misty
had no idea how badly those horrible people had treated him."

"it's not your fault, misty, it's voldemort's. i hate him so badly, i want him
dead."

"please sir, you should not say such things. the dark lord is very bad, he can
hurt harry potter, even kill him."

"he's already hurt me, misty. there's very little else he can do to me now."

"did sir mean what he said to that horrid woman?" misty asked, wringing the tail
of her tea towel dress. "is harry potter truly taking misty back to school
with him?" harry smiled softly at the little creature, placing a warm hand on her
tiny shoulder.

"yes, misty, i meant every word of it. you belong back with your own kind, and not
here with these people. i just don't know how i'm going to explain you
to hermione."

"harry potter is ashamed of misty," the little creature squeaked, a tear escaping
her large green eyes. harry instantly regretted his words, and reached
out, lifting her chin and wiping her tears away.

"no, misty, i'm not ashamed of you. it's just that my best friend thinks house
elves should be free, and have rights. she's going to flip when she finds
out i have you, and i haven't set you free."

"please sir, misty does not want to be free. misty loves harry potter and she
wants to stay with him forever."

"don't worry misty, even if you are free, you'll still be with me. my parents
trusted my care to you, which means i trust you. being free isn't such a bad
thing you know? dobby likes his freedom. he works at hogwarts, and i'm sure
dumbledore will let you work there as well, if you'd like. that way, you'll
have a place to live and still be near me."

"misty will stay with harry potter, but she does not want to be free. misty loves
being harry potter's house elf."

"well, just don't take offence to my friend's insistence that i set you free, all
right. she's quite adamant about house elf rights."

"harry potter has some strange friends, sir," misty said with a slight frown.
harry laughed openly for the fist time in weeks.

"that i have, misty, but there are none more loyal or more worthy of having. i
couldn't have survived the past five years without them."

"then harry potter is very lucky."

"more then you'll ever know," harry said, looking out the window, mentally
counting the days until he could go back home and be with his friends.

read? review!

author notes: thank you everyone who reviewed. i hope i don't disappoint any of
you. keep reading and reviewing. i love to hear what you have to say. one
thing, for those concerned about my writing harry as an "athlete", consider he is
growing up and if he expects to defeat voldemort, he will need all the
physical strength and wizard skills he can muster. thanks again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter three

nightfall seemed warmer tonight than it had for the past three weeks. harry sat in
his desk chair lifting the cans of rocks he used as weights, sweat rolling
down his face and bare chest. he was still irritated from his conversation with
his aunt earlier that day, and found exercise to be a great release for
his frustration. since discovering misty, harry was amazed at how quickly she felt
comfortable popping in and out of his room. so far today, she had brought
him sweets from honeydukes and sandwiches from diagon alley. finally harry had
become so irritated with her constant interruptions of his studying, that
he sent her back to diagon alley to purchase him a new pair of trainers and some
parchment for letters; anything to get rid of her for a little while.
at last, he was able to be alone, and concentrate on something other than spells,
hexes and curses.

his mind began to wonder from everything his aunt had said to him earlier that
day, to voldemort and what he had seen. it had been an entire day, and still
harry hadn't heard anything from either dumbledore or any of the members of the
order. his usual arrival of the daily prophet that morning said nothing
about the prison being emptied, which was highly unusual. something of this
magnitude would surely hit the papers, even if the ministry tried to hush it
up. harry had become so frustrated with pacing his room that he finally chose to
do something constructive. since he had slept through his routine of running
this morning, he chose to workout in his small room. after completing his usual
five hundred sit-ups, and forcing himself to accomplish another five hundred
pushups, he began working on his arms, chest, shoulders and back. he was just
about through his tenth set of twenty arm curls, when the front door bell
rang.

harry knew the door couldn't be any of his relatives coming home, as his aunt and
uncle were in the sitting room downstairs. he had heard, as did the neighbors,
the earlier argument about the progress of supper. harry smiled again as he
remembered the course of the fight. apparently his aunt had used her sister's
magic more than she wanted to claim, and was now forced to rely on her own skills
to prepare the evening meal, since harry had gained ownership of his
mother's wand. the smells of burnt food still lingered in the air, even though it
had been thrown out over four hours ago, and pizza had been delivered
shortly thereafter. harry also knew his cousin was home, since his walls had been
vibrating with the sound of loud music for the past hour and a half.
with the sound of the doorbell, dudley finally shut off his stereo and stomped his
way from his room and down the stairs. harry was relieved that at last,
he was able to think without his head feeling like a set of voodoo drums were
exploding between his ears.

a sudden scream from his aunt, alerted harry to the dangers below. he quickly
retrieved his wand, throwing the door open and running down the steps two
at a time. he turned the corner to the kitchen, wand raised, shirtless, sweaty and
somewhat out of breath. inside sat a pale-faced aunt petunia, uncle
vernon standing over her fanning her face with a dishtowel, his own face purple,
the veins on his neck sticking out worse then normal. cowering in the
corner beside the refrigerator was the porkley-sized figure of dudley, his face
nearly as white as his mother's, his hands holding securely to his backside.
in the middle of the room stood the dark cloaked figures of remus lupin, mad-eye
moody, the green haired tonks, and arthur weasley. they all turned to
eye harry as he rushed into the room, eyeing his state of attire and his wand held
tightly, pointing directly at them.

"it's nice to see you, too, harry," lupin commented with a light voice.

"my word, harry," tonks began, eyeing the young man's physic. "summer has
definitely been good to you, hasn't it?" harry felt the rush of embarrassment,
realizing by the way tonks stared at him, that he had neglected to put a shirt on,
and last year's jeans were tighter than they had been a few weeks ago.
he looked at mr. weasley, and then to moody, aware that he should lower his wand,
but a tiny warning in the back of his mind told him to stand alert.

"smart boy," moody said, as though reading harry's thoughts. "never let your guard
down, even if you think you know whom you're up against."

"this is ridiculous," tonks insisted, still admiring harry's bare chest. "he knows
who were are."

"do i?" harry asked, his eyes narrowing on the woman. tonks was taken back by the
sudden suspicion in the young man's eyes.

"harry, put the wand away, son," mr. weasley ordered gently, taking a step toward
him. harry turned his attention to the man he considered a father, feeling
a twinge of guilt for having him at bay, but knowing he wouldn't relent until he
knew for sure they were, who they claimed to be.

"why are you here?" harry demanded, his attention still on mr. weasley, who
stopped his approach when he realized the boy wasn't backing down.

"dumbledore sent us," mr. weasley told him.

"he got hermione's owl about the prison, and ordered us to pick you up," informed
lupin.

"if that's true, then tell me how i got in touch with hermione?" harry asked,
knowing he had to have answers before he'd relent his stance.

"by fellytone," mr. weasley answered.

"you mean funnybone," tonks tried to correct. harry lowered his wand and smiled,
relief washing over him.

"you had better explain yourself, right now, boy," ordered uncle vernon.
"watch what you say to him, muggle," moody growled, turning to face the round
purple man, his magic eye swiveling throughout the room, inspecting every
corner of the house.

"now see here, this is my house, and i demand you all just leave at once," vernon
insisted, glaring from one to the other of the room's occupants.

"we'll leave when we know it's safe," lupin explained, taking a seat across from
petunia and crossing his legs.

"what do you mean, safe?" vernon asked, his face deepening, making his face appear
to be a giant bruise.

"the prison of azkaban has been emptied," tonks explained. "the death eaters are
on the loose and looking for trouble. that usually means, they're out to
kill innocent muggles, and as you are muggles...well, need i say more."

"this is all your fault, boy, you and those freakish parents of yours," vernon
growled bitterly. "i knew we should have turned you out, when you were left
on our doorstep. because of you, we now have these...these, eaters of death after
us."

"harry potter may be your only salvation, muggle," moody insisted with a quiet
tone that held more warning than any shout ever could.

"james and lily potter fought against the death eaters, and were killed as a
result of trying to protect your world," lupin told vernon, his eyes locking
with the fat man's.

"harry has confronted voldemort more times then you could imagine, and has walked
away each time," tonks added, anger lacing her usually friendly demeanor.
"he's more a hero then you would ever dream, and still you treat him like an
outcast. harry potter is the-boy-who-lived; the only one voldemort fears next
to dumbledore, so i'd watch my mouth around him if i were you,"

"balderdash," vernon growled. "the-boy-who-lived? the-boy-who-intruded, is more

like it."

"harry was a baby when his parents were killed, and because of his mother's love
for him, he was able to defeat voldemort when he was only a year old,"
arthur weasley picked up where tonks had left off. "now voldemort has returned,
and it's up to harry to protect the world from him, yours and ours. that's
a lot to ask of a young man, and still you act as though he were an outsider. he
is your nephew, man. is your heart so cold that you can't even treat him
right, because of that?"

"enough of this," moody insisted. "we're here until it's clear to leave, so you
three might as well accept it. harry, you and tonks go get your things together.
we'll need to leave the instant we get the all clear." harry nodded, eyeing his
aunt and uncle for a brief moment, before turning to leave the room. he
knew what his life meant, he knew the responsibility that was his to shoulder, yet
hearing it from someone else's mouth, seemed to make it all the more
real, and all the more depressing.

"you really had me worried there for a minute, harry," tonks told him, as she
helped him pack his belongings.

"sorry," he told her with a slight blush to his otherwise handsome features. he
crawled under the bed, retrieving his hidden items before turning back to
the green haired woman. "why didn't the daily prophet have news of the prison this
morning?"

"because it was still occupied," tonks told him. "the alert of the escapes came
down just a few hours ago. a few prisoners were recaptured and are in holding
at the ministry, but the dementors have turned sides, just as you told hermione."

"how is that possible?" harry asked, pulling a dark blue jumper across his
expanded shoulders. "i saw bellatrix telling voldemort about it yesterday."

"i don't know, harry, but maybe dumbledore can explain it when we get to grimmauld
place."

"will dumbledore be there?"

"probably. he has been there all day, all the members have." harry sat down on the
end of his bed. his thoughts turned to sirius. he didn't know if he could
return to his godfather's house, knowing he wouldn't be there waiting. tonks,
seeing the look on his face, and knowing the grief the boy had yet to confront,
sat down and placed a warm arm around his shoulders.

"we're all there, harry. it's what sirius wanted. he asked that the house remain
with the order, if anything were to happen to him."

"i don't know if i can go back there," he told her honestly, his voice shaking
slightly with hidden emotion. "it's my fault he's dead."

"harry you can't believe that?"

"it is, tonks," harry told her, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. "if i had
just practiced my lessons like i was told to, if i had listened to hermione,
or had more confidence in snape to confide in him, he'd still be alive. he gave me
a two-way mirror for christmas last year, and i didn't even open it
until he was gone. if i had, i could have contact sirius and found out it was all
a set up, and he'd still be alive. maybe voldemort would have been captured
that night."

"you have to let go of this harry, before it eats you alive. things happen for a
reason, i know they do. there's a reason why this happened, and even though
we're not clear on the reason right now, we have to look for it."

"i'm all alone, tonks. he was all the family i had. everyone i've ever loved has
been taken from me, because of voldemort. i want him dead so badly, i can
taste it."

"revenge can be a dangerous ally, harry, don't let it consume you. you also need
to understand, you're not alone. what about the weasleys? they love you
as a part of their family, and lupin, he loves you as a son, dumbledore loves you
as a grandson, and i used to love you as a brother, but looking at you
today, i'm almost sorry you're not a few years older." tonks ended with a smile
and a wink, causing harry to blush again. with a chuckle, she stood up
and held her hand out to him, happy that he took it and stood beside her.

"you'll never be alone, harry. and it's not because you're the-boy-who-lived, but
because you are harry...our harry...the-boy-we-love." harry chuckled,
and accepted the hug she offered him, feeling for the first time in quite awhile,
what true affection was.
"thanks, tonks," he said, as he bent down and gathered the last of his belongings,
tossing them in his trunk and latching the lock. he picked up his broomstick
and the two of them carried his trunk and hedwig's cage downstairs, having let the
snowy owl out with instructions to meet them at grimmauld place. they
joined the others in the kitchen, looking around with fascination as mr. weasley
was examining every item in aunt petunia's kitchen with deep interest.
dudley had remained hidden, as much as a small elephant could in a sterile white
kitchen, his hands still tucked behind him. aunt petunia and uncle vernon
were seated at the table, glaring at the occupants, as lupin made small talk about
the weather, the price of milk and the news coming from the television
in the sitting room. moody paced silently around the room, continually looking
outside in the night sky. harry set his trunk down on the floor and looked
around the room. his interest was mainly on moody, remembering how traveling last
year had been, he quickly removed his traveling cloak from his trunk
and tossed it on the back of one of the chairs, to wait their departure.

the room was thick with tension, as the television signaled an emergency alert
test. moody listened to it with interest for a several seconds, his magic
eye focused solely on the screen, as though seeing something that wasn't there. he
then turned his attention to the sky outside, seeing an odd flash above
the houses like lightening, in the clear sky.

'it's time," he said, walking toward harry. "tonks, signal the night bus."

"we're not going by brooms?" harry asked, a little taken back by the change in
moody's manner, as tonks stepped down the hallway and outside.

"not all of us," moody answered, turning to arthur weasley who was no sticking his
head in the dishwasher, while pushing the buttons.

"what do you mean?" harry asked, watching lupin stand and walk to his side,
placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

"moody feels it necessary to have a decoy. you, tonks and moody are going by night
bus, while arthur and i will take your belongings by broom."

"tie his trunk on the end of his broom, and...weasley! are you paying attention?"
moody snapped, causing mr. weasley to hit his head roughly on the top
of the dishwasher, as he stood up out of it, rubbing his aching bald head.

"do you still have that broom of yours harry?" harry lifted his firebolt up from
where he'd laid it, next to his trunk, watching as moody's magic eye quickly
scanned it, before turning back to the sky outside. "good, then let's go," he
ordered, hearing tonks return through the front door. arthur stopped harry
from leaving with a strong hand on his elbow, and then turned back to his
oversized relatives.

"you are to pick harry up at the train station at the end of the school year, as
usual," he ordered, seeing the anger rise further in vernon's cheeks. "he'll
be at school or with us the rest of the year, and i expect you to send him a
decent present for christmas this year. he is after all, your only nephew.
you could try and show him a little appreciation for that at least." the group
divided, going their separate ways. harry, tonks and moody stepped out the
front door and stopped near the night bus, as moody's magic eye scanned the area.
mr. weasley and lupin lingered briefly in the air above them, until moody
signaled them to leave, then flew off with harry's broom, trunk and hedwig's cage
in tow.
"well, 'ello there 'arry potter," said stan shunpike, the big eared conductor.

"hey stan," harry said, stepping in between tonks and moody. stan gave a low
whistle as he watched tonks board the bus, admiring her slim figure and pretty
face.

" 'ello, 'ello," he said, tipping his cap to her as she stopped behind ernie, the
driver and turned to make certain harry was boarding all right. "the name's
stan," he continued, ignoring the sniff of disaproval from moody who stepped up
unseen behind him. "i'll be your conductor, if there's anythin' at all
you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"we won't need anything, other than your attention on the road," moody snarled,
causing stan to jump back, nearly falling into ernie's lap, when he looked
at the man with half a nose, and swiveling magic eye. moody reached forward,
placing several pieces of gold in the boy's trembling hand. "anyone on the
upper levels?" moody asked, watching the boy as he struggled to regain his
composure.

"only a witch, what's headin' to scotland," he answered, clearing his voice as he

tried to sound stronger than he truly was.

"where?" moody demanded.

"top level. i'm sure she's sleepin' though. haven't heard much from her since she
boarded couple of hours ago."

"up the stairs harry, and stay away from the windows," moody ordered, starting to
walk behind the boy and green haired woman. he stopped suddenly, his eye
focusing on stan from the back of his head. "no one is to know we're on board, is
that understood?" stan nodded, looking at harry briefly as he stopped
with his hand on the railing leading up the stairs.

the night bus was unusual in many ways, mainly that there were no seats, only
large brass beds and candles to light the area. on the second level, harry
and tonks found the beds empty, situated on the outer walls, and pulled the
curtains across the windows shut, then sat down on them. harry suddenly felt
the lack of sleep catching up to him, and he kicked his shoes off, leaning
backwards on the bed, watching as moody sat on the edge of the bed opposite
him, his magic eye scanning the upper deck.

harry felt a sudden weight being lifted from his shoulders as the bus sped off
towards the east. he felt he was finally able to relax. the presence of tonks
and moody were enough to help ease the tension left behind from another year at
the dursleys. harry sighed, thinking about what mr. weasley had told them.
he would be back next summer, even though the thought nearly made him scream in
frustration. sensing his thoughts, tonks rolled over on the bed where she
laid, her head resting in her hand.

"you do realize, harry, that you only have one more summer with those people,
before you're of age and can do what you want with your life?" harry looked
at her and blinked. that was right, he would be sixteen tomorrow, and that meant
that after seventh year was over, he'd be on his own. then a thought came
to him. would he even have a life to look forward to? would he even live to see
the end of seventh year?

harry rolled onto his back, and looked up at the ceiling of the bus, watching the
shadows from the candles dance across the darkness. he had lived for so
long, not knowing what tomorrow would bring, hoping for some sort of rescue from
his horrible relatives, only to discover he was a wizard, and at last
felt he had found a home at hogwart's. now, he was facing the thoughts of having
to leave that home after next year, if voldemort didn't attack it and
kill everyone within its walls first.

fatigue finally demanded attention, causing harry's eyes to close, his mind empty
of all thoughts as he drifted into a peaceful slumber. he could feel himself
on the familiar cloud, drifting him far away, the light of the sun slowly sinking
into the horizon, as twilight promised a warm day's end. harry saw a
large old home, three, no four floors, pealing paint on the outside walls, windows
boarded up and the ground surrounding it looking dead and long neglected.
he walked through the shadows of the past, seeing the tombstones of those long
gone. something about this place looked familiar, as he passed one grave-marker
after another. he stopped short at the sight of a fresh grave, and looked at the
name on the gleaming stone marking the deceased. he tried to read it,
but could only make out the first few words, here lies the body of nar..., but
then the rest faded as if in a mist before his eyes. he stood and looked
around him, recognizing the place, but unable to remember it fully. he turned
started walking away, when a tortured scream echoed from the house nearby.
harry felt a sudden urge to run, baring all his weight and newly acquired talent
for speed to take him up the front steps of the house, through the old
warped door and into a dark hallway beyond.

in a room, dark and familiar, harry could see the hooded figures of the room's
occupants; death eaters. they were gathered around a lone figure of a person,
crouching on the floor between them. he tried to push past, eager to see who it
was they were looking at, when the cold hissing voice of voldemort echoed
through the stillness of the room.

"how dare you turn against me," hissed the dark lord, his tone cold and filled
with hatred. "you of all people know, once you have joined my forces, it
is for life. now the final dues are owed to me." voldemort nodded to one lone-
cloaked figure next to him, and harry watched as the figure stepped forward,
his hand wrapped around his wand. he pointed it at the figure, and harry watched
as the pale head of a woman raised, the fear in her voice as she began
to beg the death eater for mercy. without relenting the robed man raised his hand,
pointed his wand full force and whispered the words, harry still heard
nightly in his dreams, "avada kedavra."

harry watched in horror as the light shot out from the tip of the hooded figure's
wand, striking its victim, killing her in an instant, her last breath
escaping in the form of a scream, that left harry's ears ringing with an all too
familiar sound. wide eyed, harry looked up at the woman's executioner,
watching as if in slow motion as he lowered his hood, looking down at the lifeless
form before him, his cold gray eyes staring, unemotionally. harry gasped,
screaming out the name of the woman's murderer:

"lucius malfoy!" he screamed, sitting up immediately, his head throbbing, his scar
feeling as though his head were being ripped in two. harry grabbed his
head, nearly screaming in his own agony. he could feel his stomach wrenching, as
the bus twisted and swerved through the night streets. harry was nearly
certain he was going to loose whatever contents he had eaten that day, laying back
on the bed with a loud groan. he felt the warmth of another person sitting
next to him, responding to the touch on his arm, he looked up into the concerned
eyes of the green haired tonks.
"harry, are you all right?" she asked, worry and fear etching her usually friendly
tone. "harry speak to me." harry tried to form the words, but nothing
came out, he tried to speak but his throat was dry and the bile in his stomach
burning in his chest.

"potter, eat this," moody ordered, pressing a piece of chocolate against his lips.
harry did as ordered, fighting to swallow the sweet object. a few minutes
passed by, before the pain from his scar started to subside, his stomach relaxing
its clenching sensation. he opened his eyes slowly, adjusting them to
the dimly lit surroundings. he stared up at tonks, and then looked to moody, who
was sitting on the other side of him. struggling to sit, harry realized
what it was he had eaten.

"i thought chocolate only worked with dementors," harry said in a weak tone.

"chocolate works for several maladies," moody told him, his magical eye focusing
on harry for several seconds before twisting and scanning the area once
again.

"what happened, harry?" tonks asked, her hand still resting comfortably on his
shoulder. harry focused on the vision, trying to remember the sequence of
events.

"i saw a grave of someone, but i couldn't read the name on it. then i heard a
woman scream and i ran to an old house," he began, feeling as if he was offering
only small pieces of the story. "there was a room filled with death eaters, and
voldemort was torturing a woman."

"who was it?" tonks asked softly. harry shook his head.

"i couldn't see her face, but she had pale blond hair. she was on the floor
between them. voldemort ordered a death eater to kill her and he just did it,
not even acknowledging her pleas for mercy. she was begging for her life, and he
just pointed his wand and said..." harry couldn't repeat the words that
still raked his soul. he had heard voldemort using those same words on his mother,
every night in his dreams, and still he couldn't bring himself to say
them.

tonks looked to moody, who stared down at harry. he could see concern etched in
his one normal eye, and harry felt a sudden fear race through him. he remembered
what they had said about the prison being emptied, long after harry had seen
bellatrix and voldemort discussing it. had this also be a vision of the future?
could this murder be stopped?

"you woke up screaming out lucius malfoy's name," moody informed him. "why?" harry
thought back for a moment, remembering the death eater lowering his hood.
harry paled as he remembered the cold, evil look in his eyes.

"it was him," harry whispered. "he killed that woman, as if she was nothing more
than a bug on the sidewalk. he just pointed his wand and spoke the killing
curse." harry lowered himself back to the pillow on the bed, closing his eyes to
the sights dancing before him. was this how it had been for his mother
and father? had voldemort just spoke the curse and walked away, like it never
happened? harry felt the familiar stir of bile rise from his stomach again,
as the bus came to a halt.

"we're here," stan shouted up to them. moody rose first from the bed, gathering
his cloak and walking ahead of them down the stairs.
"stay here," he ordered. "i'll let you know if the coast is clear." harry sat up
on the edge of the bed, thankful that the pain in his head had stopped.
he reached for his shoes, tying them back on his feet, before standing on shaking
legs.

"are you all right, harry?" tonks asked, motherly concern etched across her
delicate features. harry tried to smile, but found the attempt difficult.

"no, but i'll survive," he told her.

"it's all right, come on," moody called up to them. harry and tonks walked down
the stairs to the exit, and smiled at stan and ernie.

"all right there, 'arry?" stan asked, concern shining across his face. harry
smiled at him and nodded.

"fine," he said. "and thanks for the ride."

"take care of yourself, now 'arry," stan ordered. "don't want to hear no more bad
stuff about you in the daily prophet." harry chuckled. was there anything
bad left to say about him, that hadn't already been written?

the three stood on the sidewalk, watching as the bus disappeared back into the
night, before turning to where they knew number twelve grimmauld place was
hidden.

harry remembered what this had been like last year, and prepared himself for the
appearance of his godfather's home, as he thought the words that would
make the house appear.

"the headquarters of the order of the phoenix may be found at number twelve,
grimmauld place, london."

harry waited as the door appeared between number eleven and thirteen, before he
stepped toward it with tonks and moody as his guard. a feeling of regret
and grief rose inside him, as he heard the numerous bolts and locks turn at the
knock from moody's wand. he knew what lie within the hidden house and he
dreaded coming face to face with mrs. black's painting and kreacher, the
treacherous house elf who told bellatrix about sirius.

within a few moments, mrs. weasley appeared within the small opening. behind her,
harry could see the tall red haired image of ron, who was eagerly smiling
at his friend, and next to him stood an equally happy hermione. mrs. weasley
placed her finger across her lips to silence them, then stepped aside to allow
them all to enter. once inside, she escorted them past the covered portrait of
mrs. black and into the kitchen, whispering orders to ron to take harry's
trunk upstairs to the bedroom.

the kitchen was much as harry remembered it, large, warm and filled with the aroma
of cooking foods. the chair at the end of the table, where sirius sat
remained empty, and harry felt a lump grow inside his throat as he stared at it.
the whole house seemed to take on a sudden emptiness and harry had to
fight to contain his memories and sorrow. he hadn't cried since sirius had
vanished through the veil and he wasn't about to start now.

"sit down," mrs. weasley ordered. "you must all be starving. i've kept dinner for
warm for you." the three of them did as ordered, as lupin and arthur weasley
joined them from the other room. moody frowned at them, when they joined them at
the table.

"what are you doing here so soon," moody growled. "you were supposed to take
detours to confuse anyone watching you leave."

"calm down moody," lupin interrupted, taking the cup of tea mrs. weasley offered
him. "we did take detours, every twenty minutes, just as you told us. we
just hurried along the way."

"right, no point in dawdling," mr. weasley told him cheerfully, receiving a glare
from the deformed man across from.

harry and tonks eagerly began eating, feeling as if they hadn't had a meal in a
week. even harry felt his appetitive coming alive, having endured very little
in the way of meals while at the dursley's. mrs. weasley frowned at the way harry
scarphed down his meal, drinking the pumpkin juice with vigor.

"i don't like the way those relatives of yours feeds you," she insisted, refilling
his glass for him. "i have half a mind to teach them a thing or two,
about raising growing boys."

"i think they know how, considering the size of that cousin of harry's," mr.
weasley pointed out. "i think he must have had most of harry's portions for
the past year, all in one week's span of time."

"those people had best hope, i never get a chance to speak with them," mrs.
weasley grumbled. "i can think of a curse or two i'd like to teach them."

"you don't need to worry, mrs. weasley," harry told her, suddenly looking up from
his plate. "i think my aunt has a curse of her own for her family to endure."

"harry, you didn't use magic, did you?" lupin scolded. harry looked up, his
innocent eyes conveying his honesty.

"no, i didn't," he told him. "she did it herself."

"what do you mean, harry?" moody asked, seeing the smile cross over harry's
features.

"i learned late one night, completely by accident mind you, that my aunt has had
the aid of a house elf at her disposal, as well as my mother's wand," he
clarified, watching the expressions cross each of their faces. "she remembered a
spell my mother used once to create a meal for her parents, when she brought
my father to meet them, and decided to use it for her own benefit. the house elf
was mine as a child, and came to her shortly after taking me in."

"i'll have to tell dumbledore about all of this," mr. weasley insisted. harry
glanced to him, reaching for his pumpkin juice. "i'm sure he'll have a thing
or two to discuss with your aunt and uncle."

"that won't be necessary, mr. weasley," harry told him.

"how's that, harry?" moody asked, watching him with both his eyes. harry chuckled
softly, taking a drink from his glass.

"because i am now in possession of both objects. i confronted her about them, and
demanded their return. she claims she rarely used my mother's wand, but
after smelling the results of her attempts at making a roast muggle-style, i'd say
my cousin and uncle are about to go a very strict diet." the room burst
into sudden laughter, as they all thought of how this woman would survive now with
the lack of magic in their perfectly sculptures, muggle home.

"what was your uncle's response to her loosing the wand?" mr. weasley asked,
receiving an almost evil look from the young man.

"he doesn't know anything about it."

"you mean, she's been using magic all these years, and he's never caught on to
it?" tonks asked in astonishment.

"that's rich," lupin added, with a laugh. "after the way they treated you because
of your magical blood, to find out the only way they have all they do,
is because of magic. i can't wait to see what their lives will be like come this
time next year."

"care to wager who will loose the most weight, between now and then?" tonks asked
lupin with a glint in her eye.

"hey harry," ron said, returning from taking
interrupting the current conversation. "have
the house team. dumbledore told us today the
you, has been lifted. you're back on, mate!"
amazed that he hadn't thought about quiddich
his best friend's trunk upstairs and
you heard? you're back on
band that old bat umbridge placed on
harry blinked several times,
even once, since summer began.

"that's great," harry said, the thrill of excitment edging its way back into his
numb mind.

"we'll be unbeatable, with you back on the team," ginny announced, as she and
hermione joined the group. talk of school and quiddich consumed the conversation
for over half an hour, until dinner was finished and the table cleared. it was
nearly two in the morning before mrs. weasley ordered everyone off to bed.
harry stood up and looked around the room.

"i thought dumbledore was going to be here?" he asked, watching mrs. weasley as
she cleared the table.

"he will be in a few hours, harry dear," she told him, glancing up to him. "he had
to go to the ministry and discuss a few things with fudge. don't worry,
he'll be here when you wake up. now, off to bed with the lot of you. tomorrow's a
busy day."

"all right mum," ron said, tugging on harry's arm, as they left the room, followed
close behind by hermione and ginny. once out of sight, and tucked securely
into ron's room, the three began pounding harry with questions.

"did you really know about the prison before it was emptied?" ron asked him,
watching the expression cross harry's face.

"i know it's weird," harry said. "but i honestly don't know how i did it. it all
seemed so real at the time. and there's something else," harry hesitated
telling them about the vision he'd had on the night bus. the three of them waited
as he cleared his throat.

"what is it, mate?" ron asked, the look of concern and fear etching his face.
"i had another vision, on the way here," he told them, watching he expression
cross their faces. "i saw lucius malfoy killing a woman, and a recent grave."

"who was it?" hermione asked, her tone soft, as though afraid to awaken the house
ghosts.

"i don't know, i didn't see her face. but he just did it, no questions, no second
thoughts, he didn't even blink, he just pointed his wand and issued the
killing curse. it was horrible."

"who's grave was it, harry?" ginny asked, watching him closely as he shook his
head.

"all i could make out was the letters nar. i couldn't read the rest of it." the
four sat in silence, until they hear the footsteps of mrs. weasley echoing
up the stairs. hermione and ginny quickly and quietly stepped out of the room, and
hurried across the hall. harry and ron waited in silence when they heard
mrs. weasley stop by their door, then began to breath again when they heard her
walk away. harry felt more fatigued now, then he had on the bus. he quickly
stripped off his clothes, crawling into bed in only his boxers, a habit he had
began earlier that summer, when he realized his pajamas were too tight around
his shoulders and legs.

"holy warts, harry!" ron said as he watched his friend crawl into bed. "what
happened to you? you look like of those models in witches and wizards unleashed."
harry chuckled at his friend's obvious comparison to his recently developed form
and the naughty magazine of fred and george's they had found one night
in fourth year.

"i've been running every day and working out with weighted cans. i have to be
ready for my battle with voldemort," he told him, watching his slight twinge
at the mention of the dark lord's name, for the first time in quiet a while.

"you look like you run around the bloody country every day," ron grumbled.

"no, just five kilometers a morning." harry turned to his friend, watching as he
folded his arms across his chest, the grunt of irritation snorted from
him. "what's wrong?" he asked, aware of ron's total disapproval of his new habit.
ron remained quiet for a few minutes, before turning on his side and
resting his head in his hand.

"you're going to think i'm mental," ron began softly, picking at some fuzz on the
blanket pulled up across his chest.

"what is it?" harry watched his friend's expression turn from a bright pink, to a
deep red that ran from his neckline to his ears.

"it's just that, i sort of like someone, and with you looking like that, i'll
never get a shot."

"why would my being physically active have anything to do with you getting your
girl? it is a girl, isn't it?" ron grabbed his pillow and tossed it roughly
at his friend. harry chuckled, blocking the propelled object. "so, who is it?" he
didn't think it was possible, but ron actually seemed to turn a brighter
shade of red.

"i don't want to tell you," he said with a slight smile. "you'll laugh at me."
"i'll bet i can guess who it is," harry told him, watching as ron continued to
pick at the fuzz on the blanket. "have you told hermione you're in love with
her, yet?" ron looked up at his friend with a deep shocked expression.

"how'd you know?" he asked him. harry couldn't help but laugh this time, tossing
the pillow back across to ron.

"are you kidding? everyone knows you've had a thing for her, since second year,
when she was petrified."

"do you think she knows? i'd be horrified if she knew i liked her."

"why? i'm pretty sure she feels the same about you. just ask her out, already.
we're going to diagon alley soon, you can make that your first date, sort
of a casual start."

"do you think she'd say yes? i mean, what if she doesn't want to go with me? she's
our best friend, and i don't want to loose that. besides, who'll help
me with my homework if she says no?" harry chuckled again, laying down in bed and
pulling the blankets across him.

"she won't say no, if you do it right. just don't' get her angry with you."

"sure, like that will be easy. she's always angry with me."

"go to sleep, ron. i'm sure you'll think of a way to ask her, tomorrow." the two
were silent for a few minutes, and just as harry was about to drift off
into sleep, ron's voice brought him back to reality.

"harry," he whispered. "could you ask her out for me?"

"what if she thinks i'm asking her out for myself? i could you know, and i might
if you don't. just think, all i have to do is take off my shirt and she'll
be putty in my hands."

"harry, you wouldn't do that would you?" harry chuckled and rolled over, offering
ron his back.

"don't worry ron, i love hermione, but nothing like that. now go to sleep."

"hey harry," ron whispered again. "i'm glad you're here. it's been a long summer
without you, mate." harry closed his eyes tighter, thanking whatever spirits
brought him and the weasleys together. only with them, did he really feel like he
belonged.

read? review!

author notes: thank you all so very much for r/r. please keep reading and
reviewing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter four

harry awoke to a strange sensation of being watched. he'd had a restless night,
his dreams kept going back to his vision of malfoy, but instead of seeing
the pale woman on the floor, he could see his mother instead, begging to spare her
young son's life. harry couldn't help but wonder what would have happened,
if voldemort had chosen neville instead of him. would he have had his parents?
would he have still gone to hogwart's? what about the weasleys, would they
still have treated him as a member of their family? so many thoughts raced through
his mind upon opening his eyes, that he nearly jumped out of bed when
he turned over and saw misty sitting on the edge, watching him sleep.

"good morning harry potter," she said softly, her hands wringing the tea towel
dress she wore. "misty has new shoes for harry potter, as he asked." harry
suddenly remembered he had sent her to diagon alley, and hadn't told her when he
left the dursleys. this whole owning house elf stuff, was going to be
a big adjustment for him.

"misty, i am so sorry," he told her, sitting up in bed and glancing briefly toward
ron, who snored softly in the bed next to him. "the advanced guard came
last night after you left, and brought me here. i didn't know how to get in touch
with you to tell you."

"misty knows sir," she said with a soft smile. "misty always knows where harry
potter is. it is her job to protect harry potter."

"what's going on?" ron asked, rolling over, having heard voices in the still
morning air. he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and stared at misty, who seemed
suddenly very shy and worried. "who are you?" he asked, with a yawn.

"ron, this is misty, my parents house elf. misty, this is my best friend ron
weasley." misty lowered her large eyes and smiled shyly to the red haired boy.

"misty is pleased to meet you, sir," she said in a soft squeaky voice. "misty is
so happy to know harry potter has best friends."

"thanks," ron answered, swinging his legs over the bed and staring at harry. "does
hermione know you have a house elf?" he asked with a frown. harry shook
his.

"not yet, but it's only a matter of time before she finds out. misty is determined
to stay with me at hogwart's."

"no kidding? you'll be the only student with his own house elf. hey, maybe she can
sneak in and booby trap snape's office for us," ron and harry laughed
and misty looked suddenly horrified.

"misty cannot do harm to any wizard, sir," she whispered. "she is forbidden."

"relax misty," harry told her, sitting up in his bed. "ron was just kidding."

"yeah, hey look, i wouldn't do anything to get you into trouble. or me for that
matter." a soft knock on the bedroom door, made harry and ron look up, as
misty fell to the floor and began backing away, towards the closet. harry looked
at her and smiled. it was about time people found out about her, he thought.

"misty, stay. it's all right." misty stopped in her progress to hide, and harry
turned his attention to their visitors, as ginny and hermione poked their
heads into the room. ron suddenly turned the shade of a raspberry preserves, and
pulled the blankets back across him, and harry chuckles softly, knowing
their visitors were the reason for his sudden embarrassment, or at least one of
them.
"hey, good morning," the girls chimed in together, as they entered the room.
hermione immediately sat on the end of ron's bed, and looked at the little
house elf trying to hide herself near the foot of harry's bed.

"hello," she said sweetly. "who are you?"

"hermione, i want you to meet misty," harry began with a smile. "she's my house
elf." hermione's smile turned instantly to a frown of disapproval.

"harry potter, are you telling me you own a house elf? haven't you even listened
to me the past two years? house elves should not be bought and sold like
pieces of furniture. how could you have a house elf, and not free her?"

"easy hermione," harry told her with a raised hand, as ginny sat gingerly on the
end of his bed, watching the two with interest. "for beginners, i didn't
even know i had a house elf until this summer, when i found my aunt with her.
misty was mine when i was a baby, and since my aunt didn't have the authority
to free her, she made her clean the house when everyone was asleep. secondly, i
did offer to free her, but misty doesn't want to be free. she's been with
me since i was born, and to be honest, she's the last connection i have to my
parents. i'm not so sure if i want to let her go."

"but harry, she has rights," argued hermione adamantly. "she doesn't deserve to be
a slave, even to you."

"misty is not a slave, miss," the little house elf interrupted. "harry potter's
parents made misty a part of their family, a gift to her when harry potter
was born. that is why misty must stay with harry potter. she is his only family."

"misty, you never told me this," harry said, watching as she slowly walked around
the edge of the bed toward him.

"misty is sorry, sir," she said sweetly. "harry potter was surprised when he found
out about misty, so she thought he would need time to adjust to knowing
her first. misty is not a slave, she is harry potter's nanny. it was her job to
care for him, and when his parents died, misty was so scared for harry
potter, that she told dumbledore. misty was never a slave, sir. mr. potter found
misty after he-who-must-not-be-named killed her family. she was alone,
and mr. potter took her in. he saved her life and cared for her. it was misty's
pleasure to be with the potters."

"what was my dad like," harry suddenly asked, not really knowing where the
question had come from. misty climbed up on the bed next to him, and put her
hand on his.

"harry potter is much like both his parents, but probably more like his mum. mr.
potter was very kind, very good. he loved his family very much. he would
always hug and kiss mrs. potter and when he had to go away on business, he would
always bring her and misty a gift when he came home. mrs. potter was very
happy, especially when harry potter was born. they both were. misty remembers mr.
potter sending out owls to everyone, telling them he had a son. even
that horrible miss petunia got an owl. mr. potter had a big party for harry
potter, when he was born. everyone was happy then."

"i wish i could remember them," harry said sadly, thinking back on the only thing
he knew of his parents, the cries of their deaths.

"mrs. potter would sing and rock harry potter every night," misty continued, tears
welling in her bright green eyes. "mr. potter bought harry potter a golden
snitch when he was born. this one," misty said, pulling the small golden object
out of a hidden pocket within her tea towel. harry took it gingerly, watching
as it stretched it's wings and lifted in his hands, buzzing softly around him.
"mr. potter said harry potter would be the greatest seeker in hogwart's."

"and he was right," ron said, brushing a tear from his cheek. harry's throat
closed around the lump that suddenly developed and for a time, he wasn't sure
if he'd ever be able to breath again.

"thank you misty," harry finally said, catching the snitch and closing it tightly
in the folds of his hand. harry felt warmth spread through his hand and
up his arm to his heart. he had something that his father had once given him. he
had fulfilled his father's wish for him, and had become a great seeker.

"harry potter needs breakfast," misty said suddenly, jumping down from the bed.
"misty will get breakfast for him."

"i think mrs. weasley has probably already made it," harry told her.

"then misty will help her finish it for harry potter. misty will bring it to him."

"no, misty. i'd rather eat downstairs, but you can help mrs. weasley if you'd
like. just tell you i told you, you could." misty smiled and quickly left
the room, closing the door behind her. the room's occupants sat silently, thinking
about what the little house elf had told them. a soft popping sound
echoed through the room, as fred and george appeared from thin air. they were
dressed in muggle clothes of jeans, tee shirts and dragon hide boots, and
their capes had been thrown across their shoulders haphazard.

"she's right you know, harry," fred said with a friendly smile. "you are the
greatest seeker in hogwart's."

"how long were you listening?" he asked, seeing the soft blush from both twins.

"long enough," george answered.

"well, will you take a look at our conquering hero?" fred said, changing the
subject and walking to ginny, ruffling her bright red hair. "looks like someone's
been working out."

"a little," he said, placing the snitch he still held inside the drawer between
his and ron's bed. harry glanced up and saw the look on his friend's face,
remembering the conversation they had the night before. clearing his throat, he
looked toward hermione and ginny, both were blushing profusely.

"if you two can give us a few minutes, we'll get dressed and meet you for
breakfast," harry suggested, and both girls stood and quickly left the room.

"you know little brother," george began with a wicked smile. "if you want hermione
to take notice in you, maybe you should start running with harry there."

"were you listening in on our conversation last night?" ron asked, his face
turning a brilliant shade of red.

"only for a while," fred chuckled. he turned to harry and winked. "of course, you
may have to act fast, if you want her. after seeing harry there, she may
not give you a second glance." ron growled unhappily, reaching for his pillow and
tossing it into his brother's face.

"come on you guys," harry scolded. "lay off him. he knows i'm not interested in
hermione."

"no? so who are you interested in?" fred asked with a smirk. harry turned to face
him, his expression void.

"nobody," he answered truthfully, as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his sweat
pants and tee shirt, he used for running.

"why not?" george teased, tossing harry his shoes. "a good looking guy like
yourself, and with a body like that, you could have all the girls at hogwart's
begging for a little of the old potter magic." harry tied his shoes on, and stood
up. his whole attitude had changed to a definite distant demeanor. he
glanced at the three red heads staring at him, and shook his head.

"what's the point?" he asked. "voldemort will probably kill me, before i get a
chance to look. why would i want to leave someone to grieve for me, when
i'm dead?" harry left the room and it's occupants in silence, as the three
exchanged looks of bewilderment. they had never considered the reason harry
didn't want a girlfriend, was because he didn't think he'd live through another
confrontation with you-know-who.

harry walked down the stairs, glancing briefly at the stuffed heads of the black
family's house elves. he had a sudden feeling of sorrow cross through him,
as he passed by sirius's bedroom. he wanted to stop and go in, but he couldn't
bring himself to open the door. it was still too soon, and far too painful.

in the kitchen, harry found lupin and moody talking quietly to mr. weasley, while
snape, mcgonagall and dumbledore sat, quietly conversing as mrs. weasley
and misty prepared the meal. tonks stood by the stove watching the room's
occupants, her hair today hung down her back in long ringlets of baby blue, and
she wore a tight black skirt and white cotton top, that hugged her frame expertly.
harry couldn't help but notice the glances she kept giving lupin, and
the smile he offered her in return. sitting at the table across from mcgonagall
and snape were hermione and ginny, who quickly looked up when he entered
the room.

"harry, we got our o.w.l. reports," hermione exclaimed, jumping from the table and
handing him his envelope. harry glanced at the writing on it, remembering
how eager sirius had been last year to know the results.

"thanks," he told her softly, tucking the letter in his back pocket. hermione
frowned at him.

"aren't you going to open it? aren't you even curious about the results?" harry
couldn't help but notice the sudden silence in the room. harry shrugged,
pulling the letter from his pocket and handing it back to her.

"you open it, if you want. i don't really care what it says." looks were quickly
exchanged from one person to another, then they all glanced to dumbledore,
who watched harry with interest.

"misty has harry potter's breakfast for him," squeaked the little house elf, as he
sat at the table, and smiled to her. "harry potter must eat before he
runs."
"thanks misty, but i'm not very hungry." harry picked up a piece of toast from the
plate she sat in front of him, and pushed the rest aside. silence enveloped
the room, as each person glanced around, looking at the expressions on each
other's faces that stared at the young man. just as the tension became unbearable,
the door swung open and ron and the twins entered, arguing about the way questions
should be asked. harry glanced up when they entered the room, listening
briefly as ron was telling his brothers to "sod off", and smiled, knowing exactly
what it was they were giving him advice on. ron sat at the table next
to hermione and reached for the pitcher of orange juice, at the same time hermione
reached for it. both pulled back their hands apologizing to the other
and blushing deeply. harry smiled and shook his head slightly.

"so harry," dumbledore began, causing the room to fall into an abrupt silence.
"how has your summer been so far? i see you've met misty."

"yeah. it's been great."

"there are a few things we need to discuss, before the day begins," the older
wizard began, softly clearing his throat.

"like what?" harry asked, his tone thick and unemotional, causing the others to
stare at him again. "the weather, the price of tea in china, the fact that
i can see what voldemort is doing, before it happens?" dumbledore stared directly
at harry, knowing the pain and grief from all that happened to him a
few months ago, had not healed.

"i always suspected that you would be able to predict the future," he told the
younger man. "it was a gift your mother possessed, as well."

"it must not have been a very good gift, if she couldn't see the coming of her own
death." harry snapped bitterly.

"she did see it," dumbledore clarified gently. "she just didn't see who it was
voldemort was killing." the room was silent for several long moments, causing
the tension harry was now feeling to mount.

"i think we should all eat," mrs. weasley insisted, levitating the platters of
food over to the table, along with the juice and empty plates. those around
the table sat those who were eager to put a halt to the tension mounting within
the walls of the room.

breakfast was eaten with a great deal of enthusiasm, as happy chatter continued,
and ron eagerly opened his letter containing his o.w.l. results. mrs. weasley
was very pleased that he had done so well, getting high marks in charms,
transfigurations, defense against the dark arts and history of magic, while barely
scraping by in potions and failing miserably in divinations. between all his
exams, ron had been able to make seven o.w.l.s in all, making his already
bright smile grow and his face to turn a brilliant red, when hermione gave him a
kiss on the cheek to congratulate him.

"what did you get, mate?" ron turned to harry, who shrugged. "didn't you get your
letter?" he asked him again.

"hermione has it," was all harry said, as he stood and walked his full plate to
the sink.

"why's hermione have it?" ron asked, turning to the girl next to him.
"he didn't want to open it," hermione said softly. ron frowned and turned back to
his friend.

"why not?" harry took a deep breath, and stomped over to the table, grabbing the
letter and ripping it open roughly. he pulled the contents out and tossed
the pages aside, until he found the final results.

"eleven, okay? now will you get off my back?" the room fell into a stunned silence
again, with only dumbledore looking calm at the boy's reactions.

"eleven is excellent harry," whispered hermione, softly.

"yeah, miss perfect? what did you get?" hermione blushed profusely, lowering her
hands in her lap.

"fourteen," she whispered.

"well, there's a surprise. hermione granger gets top scores in every class. who
would have thought?"

"hey, lay off her harry. what's gotten into you, anyway?" ron asked, coming to his
friend's defense, as the tears began to sting her chocolate brown eyes.

"nothing," harry answered, turning to leave the room. "i'm going out."

"out where?" moody demanded, standing and walking towards him.

"running," harry answered, unable to contain his anger.

"you're not going alone, it's too dangerous." lupin replied, joining moody.

"you have to be kidding?" harry snarled bitterly, looking from one to other. "what
could possibly happen to me, that hasn't already?" the room was silent
for several moments. "that's what i thought. if you want to stop me, you'll have
to catch me," he snarled, then stormed out the door.

"leave him be," dumbledore ordered, stopping the two men from following him, as
well as those who jumped from the table to join them. "he needs to burn
off some of his grief. he'll be all right."

"what if we went with him?" ron asked, suddenly, watching as dumbledore nodded his
head. ron and the twins jumped up and headed out the door behind harry,
leaving the rest in their wake.

"i hope you know what you're doing, professor," snape commented boldly. "potter
isn't' exactly stable, right now."

"he needs time to deal with his grief. he has yet to confront it, and until he
does, his mood is unpredictable. he'll be all right. i placed protective
charms on him at the end of last year, and they will stay with him, until he goes
back to hogwart's."

moody and lupin looked back to dumbledore, then reluctantly sat back down at the
table. they had faith in their leader, but there were times when they couldn't
even begin to understand the depths of his magic. perhaps this was one of those
times, when it was best to just follow blindly, and ask no questions.

harry turned a corner and looked behind him, watching as the three red haired boys
struggled to keep up with him. at fist it was irritating that they were
following him, but after a few blocks, it became quite amusing. harry was barely
winded, but that was because he was used to running. ron and his brothers
however, had to stop every so often and catch their breath. when this happened,
harry would just slow his pace and wait. it was a game of cat and mouse,
and waiting for them to catch up was actually quite amusing. harry leaned back
against the wall of the building he was hiding behind, glancing around the
corner and watching as the three again began jogging rather unceremonious. he
folded his arms across his chest and waited patiently for the three to catch
him. the morning breeze was actually very cool, making the air that dried his
sweaty chest feel refreshing. harry thought back over the events that morning,
not exactly sure what it was that was making him feel so irritable lately.

he listened as he heard the stomping of feet heading his way. the gasps for air
echoing in the breeze around him, made him smile. he leaned further against
the brick wall, listening to his friends as they approached him.

"i...think...he...turned...up...here..." gasped ron.

"why...are...we...doing...this...again..." panted fred.

"because...he's...our...friend..." ron exclaimed, breathlessly.

"remind...me...to...get...some...new...friends..." george said, as the three

turned the corner and nearly ran over each other, when they saw harry just
standing there, waiting.

"if you really want to catch someone, you need to be in better shape," harry
teased, smiling as the three collapsed against a signpost, a postbox, and the
ground.

"how...long...did...you...say..." began fred.

"you've...been...doing...this..." george finished for his brother.

"i run five kilometers a day. i've been doing it since the start of summer."

"i...think...i'm....going...to...die..." ron gasped, holding onto his side. harry

chuckled softly, watching as the three struggled to catch their breaths.

"you know ron, a girl likes a guy who can carry her up more than two stairs,
before he passes out," harry teased, watching the aggravated expression cross
his face. he slowly pushed himself away from the wall and began walking back
towards grimmauld place. "if you don't keep moving, your muscles will cease
up and you'll be unable to move the rest of the day." the three groaned as they
stood and started to follow behind their bare-chested friend.

"so, mr. potter..." gasped fred, trying to keep up with the younger boy. "are you
feeling...any better?" harry sighed softly.

"yeah, i guess so," harry said, looking back at ron. "i'm sorry for the way i
acted back at the house," he told him. "i don't know what's been going on
with me lately. one minute i feel fine, the next i feel like crawling out of my
skin."

"it's just the idea of being cooped up with those muggles all summer," george
announced. "it would make me feel a little stir crazy, too."
"yeah, i guess," harry said softly. the four of them walked on for quite sometime
in silence. the thoughts consuming their minds was enough to keep them
moving forward.

"what are we walking for?" fred suddenly asked his brother. "we can apparate."

"hey, yeah. why are we doing this the hard way?" george smiled.

"no offense you two, but this walking stuff is for the dogs. we'll see you back at
the house." with that said, the two of them disappeared into thin air,
leaving harry and ron behind to proceed in tense silence.

"are you ever going to talk to me again?" harry asked, pulling his shirt from
around his waist where he had tied it while running, and slid his arms back
through the holes. ron glanced sideways at his friend, and smiled slyly.

"well, i guess i'm going to have to," he told him. "i don't know of anyone else
who has the patience to deal with your mood swings."

"i don't have mood swings, girls do."

"well, if the shoe fits..." harry slugged ron in the shoulder, glaring at his
friend.

"can i ask you something, harry?" ron asked after a few minutes.

"sure."

"do you really think i stand a chance with hermione?" harry chuckled softly.

"you are thick sometimes, aren't you?" harry asked, watching the blush creep up
across his neck. "haven't you seen the way she looks at you? she's got as
big a thing for you, as you do for her."

"i'm really scared, harry," ron whispered. "i think i'd rather face fluffy again,
then run the risk of having her laugh at me."

"she's not going to laugh, ron. trust me. just go up to her and say, 'hermione,
will you go out with me?' it's that simple."

"i'll ask her, if you ask someone." harry turned to his friend, staring at him as
though he had three heads himself.

"are you crazy? who would i ask out? there isn't another girl around here, for
miles. all i've seen today, or old people, and women with kids. i'm not exactly
ready to be somebody's daddy you know."

"there has to be someone. think." harry sighed deeply.

"ron, there's nobody, except mcgonagall, but i don't think the school board would
go for the idea of my dating one of my professors. there's tonks too,
but i have a hard time dealing with her constantly changing her hair color,
besides i think lupin would strangle me if i tried to ask her out. i think
he's got a real thing for her."

"tonks and lupin? what an odd couple."

"yeah, like you and hermione." harry fell into silence again.
"hey wait a minute," ron said with a glow to his face, stopping harry from
proceeding further. "what about ginny? she's only a year younger than you. she'd
be perfect."

"ginny? your sister, ginny? ron, she's like a little sister to me, besides she's
dating dean thomas, remember?"

"no she's not. they broke up right after summer started, something about her not
writing often enough, or some dumb thing. anyway, she'd be perfect. she's
always had a crush on you, and i know she'd go for it. please?"

"why do i have to ask someone out, just so you can ask hermione? i don't want to
go on a date?"

"please harry? i'm really scared, i can't do this alone." harry growled under his
breath, turning and continuing to walk forward. they walked in silence
a little ways further, before guilt began to rake his mind. ron had always taken
second seat to harry, ever since they first met. he had always thought
of ron as a brother, so he felt like it was his duty to help him out. but ginny?
in his mind, she was still a little girl of eleven, needing to be rescued
from tom riddle.

"fine, ron," harry finally agreed. "but you owe me. i can't believe i'm agreeing
to this."

"thanks mate, i promise, i'll pay you back double."

"yeah, whatever. just don't name your first born after me, if things go that far."

"harry?! we're talking about hermione here."

"yeah, and your point? you're sixteen, ron, you know, hormonal and all that
stuff."

"what about you? today's your birthday - by the way, happy birthday - aren't you
loaded with hormones, and all that stuff too?"

"for ginny?! ron, we're talking about a little girl, that's like a sister to me.
that's really gross."

"well for what it's worth, thanks again. i really do appreciate it."

"you'd better. i can't believe i'm agreeing to this." the two walked on in
silence, ron practically glowing with excitement and harry thinking of how weird
it was going to be to ask ginny out on a date. maybe he was cracking up, after
all.

read? review!

author notes: thank you all so very much for r/r. please keep reading and
reviewing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter five
inside grimmauld place, hermione and ginny were busy dusting and cleaning the many
large rooms. they knew their chores were more a reason to keep them occupied
until harry came back. the twins had already arrived back at the house, assuring
everyone that harry was fine and on his way home. the tension within the
walls was thick, as they all thought about the mood harry would be bringing back
with him. snape and mcgonagall had stayed on at the house, longer then
they had originally intended, in orders to lend support to dumbledore, who was
looking and acting much older these last few weeks. the question of the
elderly wizard's health was a normal part of everyone's conversation, of late.

the front door to the house opened up and harry and ron entered, talking about
their impending trip to diagon alley. they had just passed by the open door
to the study, when they caught sight of hermione and ginny quietly dusting the
bookshelves. ron nudged harry's arm, edging him closer to the door. harry
rolled his eyes. he wasn't ready to ask ron's little sister out, the very minute
they arrived back at the house.

"hey, harry," ginny said, looking up from her dusting. hermione turned and smiled
at her friends, uncertain whether or not she should confront harry after
the way he acted at breakfast.

"hey, ginny," harry answered, walking into the room with ron. "what are you two
doing?"

"mum thought we needed something to keep us busy," ginny commented, with a sly
smile. "you've been gone nearly the entire morning, where did you run to?
scotland?" harry chuckled. the idea wasn't at all that disdainful, to be honest.
right now, he'd love to just start running and not stop until he was far
away from grimmauld place, voldemort, and his promise to ron.

"i probably wouldn't mind it, but i think the exertion would kill ron. he could
barely make it, a full kilometer."

"it's not my fault," ron grumbled sitting down in on the divan near the fireplace.
"i'm not the one who's determined to see all of england, by foot."

"i think it's admirable, harry," hermione complimented, glaring at ron. "heaven
knows we could probably all do with a little more exercise."

"right," ron said, staring up at harry. "we were just discussing that. harry and i
were thinking of taking a day to visit diagon alley, there's plenty of
walking to be had there."

"that sounds marvelous," hermione added eagerly. "i'm dying to see the list of new
course books, for this year. i hope they are more interesting than last
year."

"i wonder who they've gotten for the new da teacher, this year." ginny commented,
returning to her dusting.

"it's got to be something interesting," ron added. "after all, look what we've had
so far. anything would be an improvement on last year."

"i'll take that as a compliment," tonks said, as she turned the corner and entered
the room. all four occupants turned to her, frowning. "don't tell anyone,
but i'm your new defense against the dark arts teacher."

"this is great!" hermione commented. she and tonks had become great friends over
the past year. everyone knew it was only a matter of time, before they
began thinking of each other as sisters.

"i hoped you'd be happy about it," tonks chuckled, brushing her now pink and
orange braids out of her face. "and don't worry, i won't play favoritism, just
because i happen to think you four are the brightest and most wonderful kids in
all of hogwart's."

"well if you don't play favoritism," harry began with a sly smile directed at the
redhead still sitting on the divan. "then how is ron ever going to pass?"

"sod off, potter," ron argued. "i may not be the boy who lived, but i think i can
hold my own."

'we'll see," harry said with a smile. "i've spent my summer holidays studying
advanced spells, what have you done, besides pine over..."harry suddenly stopped
with a soft blush to his cheeks, realizing he'd almost let his best friend's
secret out. he quickly cleared his throat and looked around the room for a
distraction.

"let's not argue about this," tonks picked up, sensing harry's blunder, having
seen the way ron and hermione were acting over breakfast. "we'll see whose
the best student, come september. until then, harry, professor dumbledore would
like to speak with you. he's in the kitchen." harry nodded, eager to escape
before ron had him tied and bound to the chair, forcing him to ask ginny out on a
date.

harry pushed the door to the kitchen open, feeling the familiar twitters of
anticipation he always got whenever he had to speak with the greatest wizard
who ever lived. he saw the room was still occupied with snape, mcgonagall, mr. and
mrs. weasley, mad-eye moody and lupin. he felt a sudden dread, as though
he were facing the quiatine. he stepped through the door, glancing behind him as
tonks, hermione, ron and ginny joined the group, while the twins; fred
and george, apparated into the room, and quietly took a seat at the table. now
harry was certain he was on trial, and his jurors were the people he trusted
most - with the exception of snape, of course.

"you wished to speak with me professor?" harry asked, willing his voice to remain
calm, under the circumstances.

"yes harry, i did. please sit down." harry glanced around the room briefly, noting
the smell and bubbling pots on the stove, assuring him that lunch would
soon be ready. he wanted to focus on the aromas emanating from the pots, but knew
it was just a way to distract his thoughts from what was about to happen.

"i think i know what this is about," harry began, looking into the aging eyes of
the most admired man in his life. "i owe you an apology for my behavior
this morning. i had no right to say those things to you. i'm just not sure what's
happening to me, lately. i just seem sort of..."

"lost," dumbledore supplied the word for the boy, after a few moments of harry's
stumbling to find one. harry nodded his head, and fell into silence. "it's
understandable, harry," the wizard continued. "sirius was a good friend to us all,
but he was much more than that to you. he was like a father to you,
the only real connection you had of your parents. loosing him was a great shock
and an unexpected tragedy."

"yes sir," harry answered softly, looking down at his hands resting on the table
in front of him, twisting his father's wedding ring he wore, around his
finger.

"sirius loved you as a son, harry," dumbledore continued gently. "that is one of
the reasons why i must speak with you...with all of you. i believe sirius
suspected something may happen to him, so he owled me his last will and testament,
just a few weeks before he left us." harry looked up into the tired
face of his headmaster, and forced back his tears. he refused to cry, he would not
show weakness, especially in front of all these people.

"i am sure it is no surprise, that he left you the bulk of his estate, harry. the
funds from his account at gringott's have been transferred into your account,
enough to see you through for many years to come. he also left you this house,
with the condition that it remains the headquarters to the order of the
phoenix, for as long as it deems necessary. sirius was very concerned about your
welfare, harry, as are we all. he and i did not see eye to eye on your
staying with your relatives in the muggle world. he knew it was necessary in order
to protect you, but he wanted you here with him. he was not only your
connection to your father, harry, you were his. he and james were closer than any
two brothers i've ever known. much like you and young mr. weasley, are,"
dumbledore nodded in the direction of ron, as the two boys exchanged glances.

"since he was your godfather, sirius knew that you would need guidance and
support, and someone to lean on when things were difficult and complicated. sirius
asked remus to take over for him, if anything were to happen to him. your father
also asked remus to look after you, if anything were to happen to sirius.
i have spoken with remus about this, and he has agreed to step in if you would
allow." harry looked at lupin, who sat with a proud smile on his face, as
if he had just been told he had a son.

"i know my father and sirius meant well, and no offense intended to professor
lupin, but i don't want another godfather. i don't really think i need one."
harry saw the sudden look of disappointment in lupin's eyes, but turned away
before he felt it necessary to respond further.

"then don't consider me a godfather, harry," lupin said softly. "just consider me
a friend with a few more years under his broomstick, than mr. weasley."
harry smiled. it was just like lupin to keep a cheerful disposition when things
looked their worst.

"harry, i know you're concerned about the visions you have been having, about
voldemort," dumbledore continued, sensing the sudden shudders from those present,
at the mention of the dark lord's name. "i don't know how to explain it to you,
other than to tell you that it's in your blood. your mother was a very
talented seer, and her talent and skills was a definite concern to lord voldemort.
he knew that your mother would supply his downfall, and i suppose in
a way, she did, with you. it's only natural that you would have her talent. i'm
surprised you have yet to demonstrate any signs of your father's talent,"
he said, indicating his father's ability to transform into a stag. harry looked
back down to his hands, trying to contain his mounting anger.

"i don't think my mother was very talented," he said softly, his jaw clenching in
response to holding back his anger.

"lily was a unique woman, mr. potter," professor mcgonagall said. "she had a
wonderful way with transfigurations, as well as divinations. miss granger reminds
me a great of her. she was truly gifted, she was just naive. we all were. we
assumed that pettigrew was competent and loyal. your mother never had reason
to doubt him, so she never focused on his inner soul."

"so why is it now, that i am able to do these things? why is it, that i can now
see what voldemort is doing, or going to do, without him knowing it?"

"i believe that when he possessed you at the ministry, he triggered your sense of
empathy. your thoughts and love for your friends, drove him out of you
and awakened your inner eye."

"awakened my inner eye?" harry questioned doubtfully.

"history is filled with seers who didn't know they were seers, until a tragic
accident brought it out of them," hermione commented, using her usual walking
dictionary tone of voice.

"your heart is pure, harry, as was your mother's," dumbledore continued. "she gave
you a gift upon her death, and now it is helping you in ways you have
yet to understand. her love will always see you through, harry. she gave her life
for you, and thereby gave you the ability to ward off voldemort, possibly
in more ways than any of us is aware. her love has awoken a sleeping dragon inside
you now. this gift, will protect you even further." harry was silent
thinking on what dumbledore was telling him. it didn't feel like a gift, it felt
like a curse. he didn't want to know what voldemort was going to do. he
didn't want the nightmares that accompanied the visions.

"when i saw bellatrix telling voldemort about the prison, it was as if i wasn't
there, i could smell the fire, and feel the heat of the room. if it was
a premonition, how could that have happened?" dumbledore looked at harry, locking
his aging gaze with the younger green eyes staring back at him. he could
not only see his curiosity rising, but he could sense the anger beginning to build
as well.

"a true seer has the ability to sense their subjects emotions with perfect detail.
they can taste their tears, feel their fears, and even experience their
joy or pain. i believe this is what is happening to you, harry. you and voldemort
were connected through your mother's sacrifice to save you. even though
you could feel everything that was happening around you, you weren't actually
there. only your subconscious mind could detect the situation to its true
nature." harry thought on this for several moments, before looking back into the
eyes of the man staring at him.

"if i can see voldemort and what he's planning, if i can walk in the room with
him, without him knowing i'm there, can i control the situation?"

"what do you mean, harry?"

"the first time i saw him, he was about to kill wormtail. what if it was possible
for me to prevent him from doing harm, or make him do something different
than what he's planning? maybe if i can control the situation, i can turn the
tables on him, make him cause himself harm or even make someone near him,
turn their wand on him. is that possible?"

"i'm afraid not, harry. you are only a visitor in that time and space, you're not
actually there. you have no control over the area. do you remember the
pensive? it is similar to that. no body can hear you, or see you. you can't touch
anyone and make them feel it, and you can't coerce them into doing anything
that is not fated."
"then what good is having this so called gift, if it doesn't help us?"

"but it does help us, harry," lupin added to the conversation. "now that we know
you have this power, we can use it to prevent situations from occurring."

"it didn't help with the prison, did it?" harry snapped bitterly. "nobody even
believed me."

"it's not that we didn't believe you, harry," mrs. weasley then added.

"it's just that when we tried to confirm your vision, everything was in order. the
prison was full," explained mr. weasley. "it wasn't until hours later,
that those we set to watch the prison, noticed something different. when they went
to investigate, they found the dementors had opened the doors and set
the prisoners free."

"that's when we realized you could see the future," tonks said.

"when this happens again, are you going to believe harry, or just send people to
check it out?" ron asked, coming to his friend's defense.

"we have to check it out, but we will definitely take it much more serious," moody
clarified.

"if we had more than just this one-time occurrence, then we could alter our
judgment, but as it is..." commented snape, who received an evil glare from
harry.

"it wasn't one time," harry growled angrily. "i saw your friend killing an
innocent woman, when we were on the night bus."

"what friend?" snape barked back, his tone low but his words thick with
suspicions.

"what woman?" tonks added simultaneously.

"lucius malfoy," harry clarified. "he was standing over a woman with pale blond
hair, and used the killing curse, without even blinking. voldemort said
he had been betrayed and that she must pay the dues owed to him." the room was
silent as harry and snape paired off, each looking directly into each other's
eyes, trying to see what lie behind. a few moments passed, before snape gasped and
fell backwards off his chair. harry stood up over him, glaring, an evil
smile crossing his lips.

"you have been practicing your occlumency lessons," dumbledore continued,

knowingly. harry nodded still looking at a stunned snape, who pulled himself from
the floor.

"he's done more than just practice the occlumency lessons," moody stated, his
magical eye focusing on harry's profile. "he's developed his mind into a weapon."

"how is that possible?" fred asked, exchanging looks with george.

"he's only a boy, doesn't that sort of skill take years of intense training?"
george picked up where his brother left off. dumbledore nodded, his eyes fixing
on the boy standing in front of the greasy haired man.

"you have surpassed all my expectations, harry. i'm very impressed."

"why should you be?" harry snapped, turning his glare to the headmaster. "i am
after all the famous harry potter, remember? the-boy-who-lived, the defender
of the wizarding world, and all that crap."

"watch your tongue, potter," snape ordered, defending his headmaster and friend,
as he tried to contain himself.

"go to hell, traitor," harry growled, causing hermione, ron and ginny to gasp
audibly, and the twins to snicker softly, which in turn earned them a stern
glare from their mother.

"what did you call me?" snap demanded, turning on the boy and confronting him
fully.

"you heard me. you're a traitor. i don't know why dumbledore trusts you and i
don't care less, but to me you're nothing but a filthy death eater. you deserve
to be azkaban, or worse." harry watched the look cross snape's face. "what's the
matter professor?" he continued. "no house points to take away for my
audacity? no draco malfoy to cheer you on?"

"harry that's enough," mrs. weasley demanded, breaking through the tension. "it's
time for lunch anyway. now sit down, all of you."

"no," harry refused, his green eyes still bearing into the dark beady eyes of
snape. "i won't eat at the same table as that creature."

"harry, that's enough," warned lupin, as he and moody stood and walked slowly
around the table. they knew the tension mounting was going to lead to trouble,
as the two faced off. in answer to the call of the challenge, snape pulled his
wand on the boy facing him, but was a breath's move too late. harry had
seen the intention in his eyes, and had his wand out before snape could get a firm
grip on his own. the room's occupants gasped, fear and uncertainty echoing
among the walls. nobody knew what to do. as dumbledore stood to defuse the
situation, a determined voice interrupted him, causing him to blink twice at
the sudden bravery.

"that's enough," ginny insisted stepping in between the two wands. she glared from
one to the other, than turned full forced on harry. "i said enough."
still harry didn't move, or blink. "harry james potter, put it away and sit your
arse at that table, the same with you professor snape!" she ordered, this
time, getting a brief glance from both opponents. "now!" she shouted, watching as
they lowered their wands, frowning at the red haired girl standing between
them. snape returned his wand to his robes, as harry replaced his inside his
shirt, where he had been hiding it for so many months.

"i'm not hungry," harry said softly, turning to leave the room.

"i said sit down," ginny snapped, grabbing harry by the arm, holding onto him
firmly. harry turned, seeing the look in her eyes, daring him to confront
her. "mum has made lunch, and you will sit down and eat. now everyone, sit and eat
before it gets cold." the rest of the table returned to their seats,
while harry and ginny just stared at each other. harry didn't know quite what to
do, and ginny merely raised an eyebrow at him, demanding silently for
him to obey, which he reluctantly did. he returned to his seat, pushing the plate
mrs. weasley sat in front of him aside, and picking up a roll instead.
ginny quietly stepped to his side, pulling the plate back in front of him, handing
him the spoon and poring him a glass of pumpkin juice. harry glanced
up at her, seeing the determined look, much like her mother's, shining in her
green eyes.

the room concentrated on eating their lamb stew, including harry, who actually
found himself hungry after a couple of bites. he finished his entire meal,
and then gingerly pushed his plate aside, looking up at the smirking face of
ginny, as she stood and walked her own empty plate to the sink and began washing
the dishes. hermione glanced at harry and ron both, as conversations began again
in the too quiet room. the look in her eye was one of amusement and pride,
and it irritated both boys immensely.

after several long minutes, snape stood, announcing that he had to leave. glancing
back to harry briefly, he left the house, shutting the front door behind
him. ron nudged harry's elbow, then leaned in to speak softly to him.

"i can't believe you faced off against snape," ron said, excitement and awe in his
whispered tone.

"he made me mad," harry answered softly.

"wait until malfoy hears that you challenged his favorite teacher. i can't wait to
be the one to tell him." professor dumbledore cleared his throat softly,
forcing both boys to look up. the look in his amused eyes told them he had heard
everything they had said, and held a silent warning to keep this among
themselves. both boys looked a little embarrased, lowering their eyes to the
table.

"harry, we have a very special dessert," mrs. weasley announced, bring out a large
bowl of ice cream covered with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and chopped
nuts. "in celebration of your sixteenth birthday," she announced setting in the
middle of the table. she waved her wand briefly, as sixteen candles appeared
in the center of the sweet concoction, each lit with a brilliant red and yellow
flame. the room's occupants smiled, each starting in a chorus of happy
birthday. harry felt suddenly awkward, as presents began popping onto the table in
front of him. he didn't want to celebrate his birthday, especially not
here where memories were so painfully alive, but he didn't know how to tell mrs.
weasley, and he wouldn't attempt to tell ginny no again, any time soon.

"you didn't have to do this, mrs. weasley," harry said, a slight blush creeping up
his cheeks.

"nonsense, dear. i give my children a party every year for their birthdays, and
i'm not about to stop now."

"but i'm not one of your children," he told her gently. mrs. weasley was quiet for
several moments, as was the rest of the room once again. then with a
slight clearing of her throat, she looked into the green eyes; her own eyes
misting at the lost and lonely expression that echoed within his.

"i may not have given you life, but that doesn't make you any less one of my own.
now, make a wish and blow out the candles." harry smiled warmly at the
woman, doing as she ordered. he closed his eyes, making a silent wish he knew
would never come true, and blew out the candles. the voices of those gathered
around the table cheered, patting the young man on the back.

"open mine first, harry," ron insisted, handing him a poorly wrapped present of
red and orange. harry smiled and took the gift, pulling the ties that held
it closed. inside was an autographed photo of the chudley cannons team players.
they were all standing by their brooms waving at him, each one with a winning
smile on their faces.

"this is great ron, where'd you get it?" harry asked, inspecting the signatures.

"i wrote to them and told them i was your best friend, and i wanted the best
present in the world for your sixteenth birthday. so they sent it to me. you
really like it?"

"it's totally wicked," harry chided, smiling happily at the picture.

"boys," hermione grumbled, handing him her present next. "try something a little
more serious, please." harry smiled, lifting the neatly wrapped present
from her hand. he knew even without opening it, it was a book. pulling the ties
off, he opened the paper and peered within. a wizard's companion to spells,
was written on the outer cover.

"um...thanks hermione," he said with a forced smile.

"i thought it might come in handy since you have your n.e.w.t.s. coming up soon."

"bloody hell, hermione," ron complained. "that's not for another year. what you
trying to do, turn harry into a dictionary of spells and curses?"

"i'm sure it will come in handy, hermione, thanks," harry told her with a smile,
trying to defuse an argument, before ron even had a chance to ask her out.
his smile widened as he thought about his present. only hermione granger could
make a birthday into a learning experience.

"that's really great, hermione," fred said with a serious expression.

"but ours is the best," george added, shoving a large box about the size of a
muggle shoebox in harry's grip. harry reluctantly opened the top, peeking
inside in case it was alive.

"it's a full year's supply of our newest lines, weasley's wicked whistlers. all
you have to do is open one, toss it under another person's seat and they
whistle. listen," fred told him, opening up one and rolling it under the table.
instantly it began whistling wolf calls under ginny's chair. "great, huh?"

"this way if you find you're all hormonal and stuff, all you have to do is toss
one under a girl you like, and it'll get her attention for you," george
added. harry smiled with a slight blush. he couldn't imagine setting one of these
off in a classroom, or anywhere for that matter.

"hey, maybe we should try one on old snape," ron said with a wicked smile. "can
you imagine pansy parkinson's face if his seat suddenly starts whistling
at him?"

"pansy parkinson?" ginny asked with a frown. "isn't that the girl that looks like
a pug dog?"

"yeah," ron answered with a chuckle. "she's got a major crush on snape. though i
can't imagine why. old greasy git." just then professor mcgonagall cleared
her throat, turning ron's face a deep shade of scarlet, as the rest of the room
laughed at his reaction.

the rest of the presents were all unique and well appreciated. mrs. weasley had
given harry a knitted scarf and hat in the gryffindor colors, while mr.
weasley gave him a muggle calculator, insisting it was the best thing he had ever
seen. lupin gave him a shaving kit, though harry didn't think he would
ever need it. he found a spell last year to help him reduce any signs of stubble,
after nearly cutting his chin off, when he snuck his uncle vernon's razor.
moody gave him an auror's mirror, to protect him from anyone in disguise, as
crouch had been two years ago. tonks gave an engraved case for his wand, lined
in red and gold velvet, with his name and house emblem on the front, while
dumbledore gave him an old necklace, a deep blue, tear drop stone on a delicate
silver chain. it was much more feminine than harry would have thought he'd ever
receive. he glanced to dumbledore and smile politely.

"it was your mother's," he told the boy, who looked back at the stone, touching it
lightly. "it's an azurite," he clarified. "it holds great powers to help
improve decision making, ease depression, heightens dreams, improves mental
balance, sharpens your mental clarity and increases mental disciple. your mother
believed it had great power and helped her with her premonitions."

"it's wonderful," harry said, holding it up to the light and watching the colors
reflect through the center. "thank you."

"well, if we've all had enough," mrs. weasley said, taking the now empty bowl away
to the sink. "i think we need to get things cleared up and get busy cleaning
the attic. since kreacher passed on, we're finding his hidden stashes of trash in
every crook and corner." harry looked up at the woman suddenly.

"kreacher is dead?" he asked, realizing he hadn't even asked about sirius's

treacherous house elf, since arriving there. he had assumed the beast was in
his hiding hole. the feelings harry had for the creature was any but friendly. it
was equally his fault that sirius had gone to the ministry the day he
fell behind the veil.

"he died from old age about three weeks ago," hermione said, her voice shaking
slightly.

"good," harry commented, gathering up his presents. ron placed a hand on

hermione's shoulder, shaking his head in warning her to not say a word about the
house elf that had lied and betrayed sirius.

"let's go drop your stuff off in our room, and head to the attic," ron told harry,
helping gather his belongings together.

"at least there's no more doxies left," ginny said bitterly. "i didn't care much
for their bites." ron and harry listened as hermione and ginny chatted
in the kitchen behind them, about the little beasts from last year, that they had
to clean out of the house. once they were out of earshot, ron turned
to harry, a slight blush to his cheeks.

"can you talk to ginny today," he asked harry. "i don't want to push you, but i
don't think i'm going to be able to sit still, or even sleep if you don't.
i really want to ask hermione out."

"i still don't know why you can't just ask her. if i ask ginny, with the way she
was over lunch, she's liable to kill me."

"no she won't. but she was pretty mental wasn't she? can you imagine, she's
starting to sound just like hermione? i can't believe we'll have two of them,
in the same house back at school. we'll never survive."
"look, ron, if i ask her, you have to promise me to get off my back about asking
anyone else, deal?" ron looked at harry with an odd expression. "i meant
what i said. i don't think it's a good idea to try and start something with a
girl, if i'm just going to die soon, anyway."

"what makes you think you're going to die?" harry stepped into the room followed
close behind by ron. he lay his presents on his bed then sat on the end.

"that prophecy voldemort wanted, said basically that either i have to kill or be
killed by him. we can't both of us survive. i know my powers aren't that
strong, i felt his power when he possessed me, and it was really strong. i can't
survive against something that raw and hateful."

"bloody hell, harry, why didn't you tell us about this?"

"can you imagine how hermione would react? no, its best if nobody knows about that
whole thing. promise me?" ron sighed deeply. he knew it wasn't going
to be easy keeping this from hermione, but for harry's benefit, he had no choice
but try.

"all right, harry, i won't say anything, but you should know by now, there's no
way you can keep hermione or me away if you need us."

"thanks ron, but when the day comes, it will be something i have to do myself."

"all right, but i still think you're mental if you think we're going to let you do
this alone. now, go find ginny," ron told him, hearing hermione go into
the room across from ron and harry.

leaving the room, and heading down the hallway, harry couldn't help but feel as
though he was doomed to be the only boy at hogwart's without a girlfriend.
still, he knew he was right. he didn't want to go through loosing another person
he cared deeply about. sirius's death taught him that, even if nobody
else could ever convince him. he knew what the future held for him. he was
destined to die.

read? review!

author notes: thank you all so very much for r/r. please keep reading and
reviewing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter six

the door to the room across the hall remained closed, and harry avoided looking at
it, on his way downstairs to find ginny. he knew he couldn't allow himself
to look; it was sirius's bedroom. it was the only place in this whole house that
was strictly sirius. harry drew a deep breath, trying to erase the image
of his godfather from his mind. he had a mission to accomplish and he had to
remain focused, even though right now he would rather take off running again.
he still couldn't believe he was doing this, and told himself for about the
millionth time that day, that he was totally mental!

the stairs were taken in slow recession, as harry stepped down one at a time, his
eyes focused on the old worn carpet. he hadn't seen her coming up and
ran full force into her, bumping her backwards. with the speed of hogwart's
greatest seeker, harry reached out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her
back toward him. for a brief moment, all he could do was stare into the bright
green eyes that stared back at him. they were clear, honest and filled with
shock. he abruptly let her go, making certain she was steady on her feet.

"i...i'm sorry," harry said softly, a soft blush tinting his cheeks.

"it was my fault, harry," ginny said, her blush creeping up her neck, across her
face and over her ears. "i should have been watching where i was going."

"no, really, it was my fault. i wasn't watching where i was walking." ginny
chuckled softly, causing harry to smile.

"i never thought you would try and knock me off my feet, harry," she smiled, her
eyes lowering briefly. harry chuckled, shaking his head. "actually, i'm
glad i ran into you, so to speak. i didn't give you, your birthday present
downstairs."

"it's all right, you don't need to give me anything." harry felt suddenly
embarrassed about the idea of accepting more gifts. he leaned against the wall
and tucked his hands into his front pockets. he had to stay focused on his
mission.

"i know you don't want to celebrate, but i do have something, and i really want to
give it to you." harry drew a deep breath and forced a smile across his
lips.

"all right," he told her, waiting patiently. ginny blushed again, softly clearing
her throat as she looked at her feet on the worn carpet.

"not here," she said, hearing her twin brothers coming out of the kitchen below.
"let's go up to the attic."

"your mum's up there," harry told her, seeing the shifting of her eyes down the
stairs. he reached out and took her by the elbow, pulling her gently up
the stairs. "we can talk in sirius's den." he lead ginny into the small room next
to sirius's bedroom and closed the door before fred and george made their
way up the last stair. the two listened to the footsteps that continue up the next
flight of stairs, to their bedroom above, before looking back at each
other. harry smiled again, walking to the window and looking out past the dusty
panes. the alley behind the house was empty, with several trash bins lying
on their sides, empty, indicating the trash collectors had already been there. he
could hear ginny shuffle her feet, and turned to face her.

harry took notice of the way she was dressed, and a frown creased his forehead. he
hadn't really noticed before that the little girl he had once saved from
tom riddle, had grown up. she was taller than he remembered, reaching the height
of his shoulders. her hair was much longer then it had been, resting just
above her hips. her slender frame had grown and rounded in all the right places,
making her look much more like a young lady, rather than a little girl.
she wore a pair of muggle jeans that seemed to hug her waist and hips rather
flatteringly. she had pulled on a light tan colored tee shirt that exposed
just a glimpse of her flat belly. her toes were exposed through the sandals she
had strapped on and her toenails had been painted a bright pink. harry
glanced up her delicate frame again, noticing that she was watching him. he
blushed slightly, leaning against the frame of the window.
"so, how have you been, ginny?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. a
stupid question, he thought, but at least it broke the uncomfortable silence
in the room.

"all right i guess," she answered, as she stepped toward him, leaning against the
opposite side of the window. "i'm sorry for the way i acted at lunch,"
she told him, raising her chin and looking him in the eye, waiting for him to
start yelling at her. instead he smiled, chuckling softly.

"ron thinks you've been hanging around hermione too long," he told her.

"what do you think?"

"i think you're turning into your mum." ginny tilted her head gently, inspecting
his features.

"is that a bad thing?" she asked him.

"absolutely not," he clarified honestly. "i happen to think your mum is about the
greatest lady i've ever known."

"then i suppose i'll thank you." harry laughed again.

"just so long as you don't yell at me." ginny couldn't help but smile this time,
as silence again fell between them. after a few moments, she looked up
and saw him staring at her.

"can i ask you something, harry?" she locked her eyes with his green ones briefly,
and then glanced down again.

"sure, what is it?" harry hoped she didn't want to discuss his premonitions. he
was getting tired thinking about them.

"did you get married over the summer?" harry gasped, looking at her with wide
eyes.

"what?" he frowned. "why would you ask me something like that? i don't even have a
girlfriend."

"so you and cho are really finished?"

"i think we were finished, even before we got started," he told her, shuffling
slightly in his stance, leaning his hands against the windowsill. they were
silent for a few moments, before harry turned back to her. "why did you think i
was married?" ginny reached down and lifted his hand, exposing the wedding
band he wore. he took the ring off, then reached in his pocket and pulled out the
shoelace he had tied to his mother's rings.

"they belonged to my parents," he told her, showing them to her. "my aunt had them
all these years, and never gave them to me until this summer, when i
found out about misty, and her having my mother's wand."

"she had your mother's wand?" ginny asked, holding the rings he handed her in her
hand, feeling the warmth of harry's body lingering on the metal objects.
"did she know how to use it?"

"only to a point. she knew of a spell my mother used to make dinner, and she's
been using it since. she claimed she only used it when it was necessary,
but after i demanded its return, she sort of had a difficult time boiling water."
ginny giggled, picking up his mother's ring and staring at it. it was
simple, but very beautiful. a single solitaire diamond set in a band of gold, and
attached to a matching slim, plain band. she looked at it closer and
saw the writing inside.

"what's this say?" she asked harry, showing him the writing. harry took it and
looked closer. he hadn't seen the inscription before, and carefully read
it.

"it says, in this life and the next, we will always be one," harry read, he throat
suddenly felt tight and mouth went dry. ginny looked at his father's
wedding band, reading the inscription on it.

"it says the same on this one, too." she handed him the ring back and watched as
he replaced it on his finger, pulling the shoelace towards his head. "wait,"
ginny interrupted his actions, taking the string and laying it flat on the dusty
desk. she reached inside harry's shirt and pulled out his wand, glancing
up to his face, seeing the shock of her actions shining in his eyes. she raised
the wand above the string and whispered, "mutare fascia" and watched as
the dirty old shoelace transformed into a golden chain. she picked it up, handing
him back his wand and reaching up and slipping the chain across his head.
for a brief moment, she allowed her hands to linger on his shoulders, staring into
the bright eyes that shinned back at her.

"thank you," he whispered, seeing the soft blush creep across her cheeks. he
noticed for the first time, that ginny had made her face up, but just a little.
her eyes were dusted lightly with a pink powder, and her lips were softy
shimmering with something that looked like liquid glass. harry wasn't exactly
sure what had happened, but within the span of a few brief moments, he was no
longer seeing her as ron's little sister, but as an attractive young lady.
reluctantly ginny pushed way from him, leaning back against the windowsill. she
felt her knees shaking and her palms sweating. harry cleared his throat,
glancing back toward her.

"what did you want to give me?" he asked, his voice thicker than he had intended
it to be. ginny looked up at him, blushing profusely. he couldn't help
but wonder what it was that made her do that, or why she felt it necessary to keep
blushing. clearing her throat softly, she turned to face him.

"it's a gift i've wanted to give you for quite awhile, but i've never really had
the courage," she told him softly. "i mean, what if you didn't' like it,
or laughed at me, or something. i'd be horrified. especially if you didn't like it
and told ron."

"i would never laugh at you ginny, you should know that. and i'd never tell ron if
you didn't want me to."

"i know you wouldn't laugh on purpose, but that doesn't stop me from being scared.
i mean, what if you don't like it, and you don't want it once i've given
it to you?"

"why don't you just give it to me, and let me decide if i like it?" harry smiled
sweetly, as he stared into her bright eyes. ginny visibly drew a deep breath
to stead her nerves, her tongue nervously wetting her lips and she slowly reached
up to him, placing her hand around his neck and leaning into him, capturing
his lips with her own. the action was slow and the touch was as gentle as a
butterfly kiss. harry couldn't believe what was happening. at first he just
stood there, unable to breath, much less move. but as the kiss began to register
to him, he began to realize what was happening inside him. his heart was
pounding violently, his hands were sweating and breathing was in the form of short
pants. he could feel the softness of her lips against his, and taste
the sweet strawberry of her lip-gloss. it wasn't until she began to pull away from
him, that he realized he didn't want the kiss to end.

ginny moved away slowly, her heart feeling as though it were breaking. harry
hadn't closed his eyes, he hadn't held her, and he hadn't even kissed her back.
he'd just stood there like a statue. the only clue she had that he was still alive
was the sound of his breath and the warmth of his lips on hers. she
felt horrified. she had dreamed of this moment for so many years, but in her
dreams, he had at least kissed her back. she felt the sudden stab of pain,
the thought that he didn't want her, or feel the same for her as she always had
for him, echoed in her mind. as she removed her hand from his neck, the
tears began to prick her eyes. she couldn't look at him, she couldn't barely
breath. instead she leaned against the windowsill again, hoping to get control
of her emotions, before speaking. she had to get her nerves under control and stop
her knees from shaking in order to leave the room. harry looked at her,
wide eyed and mouth a gap.

"wow," he whispered softly, causing ginny to look at him with misty eyes. "when
did you grow up?" he asked her gently, reaching forward and wiping a single
tear from her cheek. ginny tried to smile, but felt too miserable.

"i've been doing it a little every day, for the past four years," she whispered,
appalled that her voice revealed how she felt inside. harry leaned forward,
leaning his forehead against hers, his hands resting on her shoulders. he took a
deep breath to steady his nerves, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"i guess i've just never noticed," he whispered. "you've always been ron's little
sister."

"but i'm not yours, harry," ginny whispered in return, the tears escaping her eyes
without her permission.

"no, you're not," he told her, kissing her eyes and wiping the tears away. he
leaned back just a little and looked into her beautiful face.

"i don't want you as a brother," she told him, her voice barely audible in the
silent room. harry smiled, his eyes focusing on her soft lips.

"i don't want to be your brother," he told her, leaning in and placing his lips
gently against hers. at first ginny could hardly think, but after a few
moments she could feel the pressure of his lips on hers, and she reached up,
slipping her arms around his neck. within barely three minutes time, she had
gone from her heart breaking, to it soaring freely. he was actually kissing her,
just as he always had in her dreams. it wasn't until she felt his arms
wrap around her waist, pulling her away from the windowsill and into his warm
embrace that she realized this was real. he was kissing her!

ginny wanted to scream her excitement, but at the moment, her mouth was
preoccupied. she felt the pressure of his kiss increase, causing a slight alarm
to ring in mind, but then relaxed, allowing him to kiss her deeper. it seemed
natural to feel his lips against hers, and when she felt the tip of his tongue
caress her bottom lip, she gasped, but allowed him to deepen his kiss even
further. the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs above them brought them
abruptly from their moment of euphoria, and back to reality. harry heard the soft
moan escape her throat as he pulled his lips from hers, and couldn't
help but smile. he didn't release her at once, instead he pulled her into a secure
embrace, feeling as though his entire world had just turned from winter's
cold to summer's warmth. he felt alive and happy, and had an urge to keep it that
way. within just a few short minutes, she had saved him, and brought
him into a world he had so long denied himself. he felt loved, and wanted to
return that feeling to this wonderful girl in his arms. how could he ever
have considered her like a little sister?

"we better get up to the attic, before your mum takes out a search party," he
teased, feeling her laugh as she laid her head against his shoulder, holding
onto him tightly. she couldn't believe that she was actually in harry potter's
arms, but then again, he was never really harry potter to her, never the
boy who lived, just harry, and she liked it better that way.

reluctantly they pulled away from each other, blushing as they looked into the
other's eyes. harry couldn't resist the urge, and leaned down, placing a
soft, but all too brief kiss on her lips again. when they parted he smiled at her,
warmly.

"i don't think i want to exchange this gift," he told her softly. "it's the one
birthday present, i'll always treasure." ginny smiled with a soft glow to
her already pink cheeks.

"i could arrange a similar christmas gift, you liked your birthday present that
well." harry chuckled gently, looking at her with mischief eyes.

"i hope i don't have to wait that long, to hold my present again." ginny blushed
profusely, turning to walk out the door, her hand securely tucked inside
harry's.

"if you're a very good boy, mr. potter, and you don't cause any further arguments
with professor snape, i suppose i could arrange a few visitation privileges."
harry felt happier than he ever had, and pulled her back into his arms, as she
opened the door, hugging her closely to him.

"i promise to be a very good boy, so long as i know what the reward will be." he
leaned down and kissed her briefly again, hearing a soft cough from the
doorway. they parted slowly, looking into the eyes of lupin, who had been alerted
to his and ginny's absence. he smiled brightly at the two, watching as
they literally jumped away from each other.

"take it easy, you two," lupin said in a low tone. "we were just worried about
you. i'm glad to see everything is all right. it is, isn't it?" harry and
ginny blushed deeply, turning to each other. harry couldn't help but smile, as he
saw the corners of her mouth turn upwards.

"ginny was just giving me my birthday present," he told lupin, watching her color
glow deeper, all the way up into her hair, and feeling his own face burning
like it was on fire.

"really?" the older man said, softly scratching his chin. "my birthday's coming up
soon. i'll have to discuss gift options with tonks." with that said,
the three left the room laughing, as they headed up the stairs.

"harry, ginny," hermione shouted, coming out of the attic, her bushy hair covered
in cobwebs. ron stood shortly behind, his face ashen, a terrified look
on his face. "we were so worried. where did you disappear to?" harry glanced to
ginny, who lowered her eyes.

"ginny and i were talking," he told her, watching some color return to ron's face,
as he stepped up behind hermione. his eyes were suddenly bright and shinning,
questions lingering in their green depths. harry turned back to ginny, taking her
hand and pulling it slightly behind them, so nobody could see him holding
it. "ron and i were talking about taking a trip to diagon alley soon," he began,
watching the curious look cross her face. "would go with me? as my date,
i mean?" ginny turned a bright red, as hermione stared opened mouth at the two of
them.

"i'd love to," ginny answered, and was totally amazed when he leaned down and
kissed her cheek softly, his lips lingering a few seconds longer than he should
have. "maybe ron and hermione would care to join us," ginny added, picking up on
the look from her brother's face. "we could make it a double date." harry
turned to hermione, who instantly turned as red as ginny had been.

"what do you two say?" harry asked. "care to join us in diagon alley?" ron looked
at hermione, who glanced at him and shrugged. he stepped up behind her
and nodded. "great. then let's get to work, so your mum won't have anything to
complain about when we ask her." ginny and hermione stepped into the attic,
whispering, as ron grabbed harry's arm and pulled him back gently. a look of
confusion across his face.

"what was that kiss for?" he asked his friend, who smiled brightly. "i told you to
ask her out, not snog her on the stairs."

"we weren't snogging on the stairs, and remember, this was your idea."

"you don't have to act as if you enjoy the idea so much. she's my kid sister,
harry, just remember that."

"how could i forget? she blushes about as well as you do. besides, she's your
sister, not mine."

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"only that she is growing up, ron, and sooner or later, she's going to want a real
boyfriend. would you prefer me or malfoy?"

"that's not funny, potter." harry chuckled as he passed ron, looking to the
cobwebs in his hair and across his shoulders, noting the little black object
crawling from behind his left ear.

"by the way ron," he smiled brightly. "you have a spider on you." harry chuckled
as he left ron screeching and brushing at his hair and clothes frantically.

read? review!

author notes: thank you all so very much for r/r. please keep reading and
reviewing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter seven

work in the attic continued until late in the day, when misty arrived to inform
them all that dinner was ready. they had spent the last five hours cleaning,
dusting, exterminating, and sweeping, until at last mrs. weasley announced that
the room was finished to her satisfaction. they had found over two dozen
hiding places of kreacher's, each one containing a great deal of confiscated,
stolen or filched items sirius had thrown out last year. there were old,
torn pictures of the black family, old letters, jewelry, broken wands, mismatched
knitting needles, torn blankets and towels, rusty pots and pans, and
even old dresses that had once belonged to the former mistress of the house.

following fred and george down the stairs, harry, ron, hermione, and ginny left
the attic feeling much worse, than they looked, which was in itself, pretty
bad. they were all sore, with blisters and splinters covering their hands. mrs.
weasley promised everyone that she would administer to their injuries and
wounds, once they were clean. harry listened to the twins discussing their ideas
regarding their experiments. harry had told them they could use the now
clean room to create more of their original jokes and treats for their little
shop, just so long as they promised not to blow anything up. harry was surprised
that mrs. weasley wasn't all that upset anymore, that her sons had dropped out of
hogwart's last year and started their own joke shop. it might have been
due to the fact that they were quite successful businessmen. it may also have been
attributed to their not turning their backs on their parents, as their
older brother percy had done.

harry and ron stepped into their room, each eager to take a shower. they drew lots
to see who would be first, and much to harry's disappointment, ron won.
he left the room, whistling. harry fell back on his bed, exhausted, kicking off
the new shoes that misty had gotten for him, in diagon alley. he heard
a noise in the painting near the door, and looked up to see nobody there, but knew
who it was. he laid his head back against the pillow, raising his arms
above his head, and closing his eyes. he couldn't imagine a single muscle in his
body that didn't hurt, but at least he was more fit than ron and the twins
were. they were still accusing him for their morning run, for the majority of
their aches and pains. harry sighed as he thought back on how much had happened
to him that day, from the near duel with snape, to the spiders fred and george had
used engorgement spells on to chase ron on top of an old, dust filled
dresser, to the kiss ginny had given him. if it wasn't for his living that day, he
would have sworn you couldn't possibly have fit that much into a single
span of roughly twelve hours.

the room was warm and silent with the last rays of sunshine drifting in the
window, casting shadows across the room. harry felt the soft lull of the moment,
drifting him into a light slumber. he awoke with a start, when ron returned to the
room, tossing his clothes to the floor and swinging the door shut behind
him. harry glanced to him, seeing the wet mop of hair dripping down his neck,
soaking into his shirt collar. he closed his eyes again, as his friend began
his relentless complaining, about his sore muscles and blistered hands. harry
listened with only half an ear, trying to relax for a little while longer.

"if you're too sore to go to diagon alley, i'm sure hermione will understand,"
harry said softly, his eyes still closed, a smile turning the corners of
his mouth up.

"that's not funny, harry," ron complained. "you know how long i've wanted to ask
her out, and now you think i'm going to let a few bruises, and broken bones
stop me? are you mental?" harry chuckled softly.

"you don't have any broken bones, ron," he assured his friend.
"i might as well, considering how many spiders were trying to chew off my ankles.
i don't know what i did to deserve brothers like fred and george." harry
continued to smile, taking a deep breath, as he tried to relax his mind.

"speaking of relatives," ron began, making certain harry was listening to him.
"what happened between you and ginny? you were gone a long time, and then
you turned up with her, and practically snogged her brains out on the stairs."
harry didn't answer for several minutes, trying to consider what he should
say. ron was his best friend, and it was difficult not talking to him about this.
he also knew since he was the girl's older brother, that he would demand
to know details. rolling over on his side and facing ron, harry rested his head on
his hand, looking first to the worn carpet, then to the boy sitting
on the bed opposite him.

"i went to look for ginny as i said, and ran into her on the stairs. we talked for
a few minutes until the twins headed upstairs. i wasn't all that anxious
to have them laughing at me for asking their little sister out, so we went into
sirius's den. she said she had a birthday present for me, and she said
she had wanted to give me this present for several years, but was afraid i would
laugh at her."

"so what did she give you?" harry looked at the boy, and then sat up on his bed,
folding his legs beneath him, indian style.

"a kiss," he told ron honestly, watching as ron's mouth dropped open.

"excuse me?"

"she gave me a kiss. and at first it was really weird, because i've always thought
of her as a sister. i didn't know what to do."

"so what did you do?"

"i just sort of stood there. i didn't want to hurt her feelings or anything, but i
didn't know how to react."

"how did she take it, when you turned her down?" harry looked at the boy, locking
his gaze with his own.

"i didn't' turn her down, ron," harry told him boldly. "at first, i didn't know
what to do, but then when she pulled away, i realized that i didn't want
it to end."

"what does that mean?" harry could see the curiosity as well as he anger building
in his friend's eyes, knowing there was a blow up about to commence.

"after she kissed me, we talked a little, and then i kissed her back, and it just
felt right. when i held her in my arms, it felt like i had just learned
to breathe. i was warm and for the first time in my life, i felt alive. i care for
her, ron. in a way i never knew i could."

"but she's my sister," ron snapped angrily.

"yes she is, but she's not mine." ron stood up, his face turning as purple as
uncle vernon's.

"you kissed my sister, potter! have you gone stark raving mad?"
"calm down ron," harry tried to reason. "it's not as bad as it sounds."

"no, nothing could be as bad as you saying you were snogging my kid sister...and
holding her!" just then the door opened, and hermione walked in, followed
close behind by the girl in question.

"what's the matter with you, ron?" hermione asked, looking at the red face
confronting harry. "we could hear you shouting all the way downstairs."

"him," he answered with a wave of his hand. "he's been kissing my sister."

"and what's wrong with that?" asked ginny.

"what's wrong with it? you're like a sister to him, it's practically incest."

"oh, don't be ridiculous," hermione argued, her attitude telling harry that ginny
had already told her everything that had happened.

"ron, calm down, it's not as bad as all that," harry said, trying to defuse the
situation.

"no, nothing could be as what i'm thinking, and if you ever do what i am
thinking..." ron didn't finish his sentence, he couldn't. harry saw it coming,
as his friend suddenly reacted, jumping across the bed toward him. harry didn't
have time to react, as ron suddenly flew across the room, landing hard
against the opposite wall. harry looked first to ron who tried to console himself,
rubbing the back of his head, then turned to look at ginny, who was
standing with her wand pointing at her brother.

"you will not touch harry, ronald weasley. i'm the one who started this, and i'm
glad i did, so stop acting like a stupid git. harry is my choice, and you
will not do anything to harm him." ron watched as his little sister walked out the
door, and looked back to harry. without a word, harry gathered his clean
clothes together, leaving his two best friends alone, while he went to take a
shower. he walked to the bathroom, tossing his clothes to the back of the
toilet, and locking the door. he turned the water on in the shower; stripped out
of the clothes he'd been wearing the entire day, and sat his glasses on
the side of the sink. he climbed in beneath the water, feeling it wash the cobwebs
and dirt from his tired limbs. he tried to concentrate on relaxing,
but all he could think about was ginny. she was so much more than he had ever
imagined. she was beautiful and sweet, warm and loving, stubborn and strong
willed. she was the air he breathed and the light that shined in the sky. he
couldn't believe it had only been a few hours since she had given him his
present. it felt like he had been awakened from a life long slumber, and
discovered he was falling in love with his best friend's little sister.

"potter," he told himself. "ron's right. you are mental."

a knock on the bathroom door, reminded him that there were other people in need of
a shower, and quickly finished. he lathered his hair and washed the dirt
from his face and neck, before rinsing and turning off the water. he climbed out
of the shower, rubbing his hair roughly with the towel before wrapping
it around his waist. he wiped the fog from the mirror and staring at the image
looking back at him. he seemed to not recognize the face; he appeared older,
yet happy, for the first time since he didn't know when. he knew the reason behind
this transformation, had long red hair and tasted like strawberries.
she was the reason he wanted to live, she was the reason he was now smiling.
harry tried to dry his hair with his wand, but gave up, knowing it was useless.
his hair would was destined to be messy; it always had been and always would
be. he pulled his clean jeans across his damp legs, tugged the green tee shirt
across his torso, and replaced his glasses to his nose before hanging the
towel up on the hook and leaving the room.

inside the room he shared with ron, harry found himself alone. he felt an odd sort
of relief. he wasn't ready to deal with another confrontation. he sat
on his bed, tossing the dirty clothes to the end, and began lacing his trainers
back across his feet. he had just opened the door to leave, when he heard
something in the picture next to him. turning, he saw the image of the phineas
nigellus leaning against the side of the painting, his arms crossed over
his chest.

"hello, sir," harry said, thinking that the image of sirius's great-great-
grandfather looked much older and sadder than he had a few months ago. "how have
you been?" the image only nodded.

"seems a little quieter around here, lately," phineas said softly. harry nodded,
unable to really comment.

"i never told you, how sorry i am," harry began. "i never told him, how much he
meant to me."

"he knew," phineas said softly. "he was very proud of you. i don't think he could
have loved you more, if you were his own child. you can't find him, you
know? nobody has ever come back from the veil."

"i know, dumbledore told me, but that doesn't stop me from wishing."

"so much regret in such a young life," phineas commented. harry just stared at the
floor. "you're a lot like your father. he was always hoping, always wishing
things would be different, too."

"what was my father like?" harry asked suddenly, unaware that he had even asked
the question.

"like you, emotional, head strong, determined. always rushing into things without
thought of what might lie beyond. you remind me so much me of both of
them, sirius and james, with a little bit of your mother added, just to balance
you off."

"i wish i could have known him."

"sirius always said that too. he missed your father's friendship. they were more
like brothers than friends, much like you and your angry friend are. you
should have heard the argument your bushy haired friend had with him, after you
left," phineas chuckled. "i'd be surprised if he wasn't crawling down the
stairs behind her."

"he just worries about his sister."

"as do you. you don't need to, you know. she's a strong girl."

"i know, but that won't prevent voldemort from harming her, if it means getting to
me."

"don't underestimate your friends, potter." phineas pushed away from the edge of
the painting, and walking to the other side. "you're stronger than you
think, even dumbledore thinks so. don't give up the faith, potter, and don't turn
away from those who love you. they are stronger than you may think."
with that said, phineas disappeared from the painting, making harry think he had
probably returned to dumbledore's office.

harry stepped out of the room, walking past the bathroom, when he heard ginny
inside, singing. he smiled, stopping to listen. how had he survived so long
without her? he leaned against the wall next to the door and listened as ginny
continued to sing. he never knew what happiness felt like. he had always
felt hogwart's was his home, but he had never anticipated that life would exist
for him outside of those castle walls. with the simple touch of her lips
on his, she had opened up his heart to feel a love he never knew existed. he
couldn't blame ron for wanting to protect her. harry knew he would do whatever
it took to protect her too. even if it meant, surrendering his own life. he only
hoped voldemort would never learn of his feelings for her. he already
knew how deeply harry cared for the weasleys and because of that, they were at
risk. he couldn't allow anything to happen to her, because he had fallen
in love with her.

just as he was about to abandon his eavesdropping and head downstairs, he heard
the door unlock. quietly he eased away from his perch, hiding against the
wall between the bathroom door, and another. he waited silently, a mischievous
feeling coming over him. he saw her start to walk by, her long red hair
flowing down her back, her slender build calling out to him. without a second
thought, harry reached out, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into
the empty room behind him. he closed the door and pushed her against it, capturing
her mouth with his, as she opened it to speak. ginny felt him slip his
tongue awkwardly into the dark recesses, teasing hers with the tip of his own.
ginny moaned softly, causing harry to push against her firmer, as she wound
her arms around his neck.

"mr. potter," she asked, when he finally released her lips, and began kissing his
way across her cheek to her ear. "just what do you think you're doing?"
she tried to sound stern, but failed miserably, not that she minded though. harry
chuckled, kissing the tender flesh beneath her ear, causing her to shiver
with an excitement she had never known.

"it's not my fault," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe. "i heard the sweet song
of siren and knew i was done for." ginny giggled, tilting her head back
so he could explore her neck. harry kissed the soft spot of flesh, where her neck
joined her shoulder, then back up, across her jaw line, over her cheek,
to her eyelids, down to the tip of her nose and finally back to her lips. the kiss
was intoxicating, and ginny found herself drinking in his sweetness,
wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. she never wanted this day to end.

"we should go down to dinner," she argued weakly when he again released her mouth,
trailing kisses across the opposite side of her face and neck. she slid
her arms down his chest, and back up to his shoulder, caressing the tight muscles
beneath the thin material of his shirt. "my mum will send out the entire
order, to find us if we don't make an appearance pretty soon."

"true," he said gently, continuing his explorations of her neck. "but i seem to
have a very serious problem."

"what's that," she whispered, feeling the warmth spread through her body, as he
reached behind her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist.
"i don't want to stop," he told her, receiving a happy giggle in response. harry
smiled, kissing her lips again, before releasing her from where he had
pinned her to the door. ginny smiled happily at him, watching the warmth of his
smile reach his eyes.

"promise me, you'll do this again soon?" she pleaded with him, as he turned her
toward the door.

"any time, any place," he assured her, then froze as he took in the sights of the
dimly lit room, where he had pulled her. ginny looked at him, frowning
as he stared at the large bed, with the red and gold comforter.

"harry, what's wrong?" she asked him, seeing a mixture of fear and grief cross his
face.

"it's sirius's room," he whispered, taking not of the dusty contents. it looked as
if sirius had just left it, his old cloak laying unceremoniously on the
back of he large velvet, wingback chair next to the large four-poster bed, his
mud-caked boots on the floor at the foot of the bed. along the wall to this
right, situated between the two windows sat a large oak desk. a number of
parchments strewn across, along with an open bottle of ink and a quill left lying
on top of something he had been writing. harry recognized the letter that lay open
on the desktop, as he walked toward it. it was the last one harry had
sent to his godfather, telling him of umbridge and filch's control they had on the
school. he felt a sudden stab of pain. he should never have been so
selfish, as to write to his godfather, complaining about things he couldn't help
with. harry lifted the quill and looked at the parchment beneath. there
lay a letter sirius had started to him, but never had a chance to send it. harry
picked it up with shaking fingers, reading the familiar scrawl.

dear harry,

i wish i cold be there to help you with umbridge and filch. i know this is a
difficult time for you, and i'm sorry. i know it can't be easy seeing malfoy
with so much authority, knowing what his father is, but be patient just a little
longer. i can't believe the weasley twins dropped out, though i can say
it's not a total surprise. school was never really meant for them. they stayed on
for dumbledore's sake. with the headmaster gone, there was really no
reason for them to remain. i know dumbledore will find a way of saving the school,
he always does.

harry, i was wondering if you would like to spend the summer with me? i've already
taken the liberty of arranging for a trip to africa; it will be a real
holiday, just the two of us.

have you opened your christmas present yet, harry. if not, do so soon. it will all
be explained, when you do.

i hope to see you soon, harry. i wish i could do more to help you, but know that i
am there with you, and always will be.

i miss you,

sirius

harry folded the letter; tears streaking freely down his cheeks. he wiped them
away with the back of his hand, as he quietly slipped the letter into his
pocket. he turned around and scanned the room's d?r a little closer. the closet
door in the corner of the room stood open, with a number of articles laying
about the floor, where sirius had tossed them. against the wall, at the foot of
the bed stood a tall six-drawer dresse, with a round mirror above it. harry
stepped up to it, looking at the objects scattered across the top. there was a
number of galleons, as well as several muggle coins, a small black comb,
a pocket watch with a broken face, and hands that didn't want to move, a rolled up
parchment with a red ribbon, and a black leather wallet. harry took
the parchment and unrolled it. it was confirmation and an itinerary for the trip
he planned to take with harry this year. then he noticed the date. they
were to leave today, on his sixteenth birthday. harry rolled the parchment up
again, unwilling to deal with the pain of what might have been.

he picked up the wallet and opened it. inside was great deal of paper muggle
money, a picture of lupin, sirius, and his father when they were still in school,
all smiling and waving at him. there was also a picture of a sleeping baby harry,
with the inscription:

to uncle sirius, with love from your godson, harry.

inside was another picture, a still photo, a muggle photo of a woman with long
ebony hair, and blue eyes. she was very attractive and appeared to be around
twenty years of age. on the back was a handwritten note, which read:

my beloved sirius, i'll love you today and forever, sara.

harry handed the wallet and the pictures to ginny who stood by his side, then
turned and walked toward the four-poster bed. ginny looked at the pictures,
and then sat them along with the wallet back to the dresser. she turned to see
harry sitting on the edge of the bed, his tears running down his cheeks
unchecked. she went to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. in his hand was a
small mirror, the other end to the one he had given harry for christmas
the year before.

"it was a link between us, so we could communicate," he told her through his
tears. "i never opened it, i just put it in my trunk. i found it when i was
packing to for the summer. if i had only opened it, if i had only known about it,
i could have contacted him, i could have found out kreacher had lied,
that the whole thing was a set up, but i didn't. if i had only..." harry's voice
broke as he began to sob uncontrollably. ginny reached toward him, wrapping
her arms around his neck. harry immediately picked her up from the bed, sitting
her on his lap and burying his face in her shoulder. he held onto her as
if she were a lifeline. he didn't want to let her go, ever.

the door to the room opened cautiously, and the head of mrs. weasley poked
through. she saw her daughter holding harry, and heard his cries of grief, then
slowly shut the door again. when moody's magical eye had seen them together, and
told her they were alone in an upstairs bedroom, she panicked. she didn't
know what was happening between her daughter, and the boy she loved as a son, but
she could guess, after the way they had spent the day looking at each
other. she hurried up the stairs, concerned for her daughter's virtue, but after
finding them together, she realized that ginny would never be in trouble
with harry. he would protect her, and she would save him. he may eventually be the
boy who would save the wizarding world, yet again, but ginny weasley
was the girl, who would save the boy from himself.

phineas nigellus had indeed returned to dumbledore's office, just as harry had
anticipated. he looked down from his painting at the old wizard, and frowned.
he seemed older, every time he looked at him. dumbledore, having heard the old
headmaster's return, sat his quill aside, and looked up at him.

"it's as you suspected," phineas commented. "potter and girl are together. the
four have joined at last, as the prophecy's predictions are coming to light."
dumbledore smiled.

"his premonitions have lead us to a key, voldemort would never have expected," the
image of headmaster dippet commented. "it was predicted that the mother's
blood would be strong, and through the son, the fall would be evident. the
prophecy is coming to pass."

"what will the boy say, when he finds out you didn't tell him the whole prophecy?"
asked an elderly witch, sitting in a large wingback chair, her painted
black hat falling into her plump round face.

"i will deal with that when the time comes," dumbledore said softly.

"you had better get a few more possessions, if you plan on telling him here,"
dippet commented. "after his last visit, you haven't many left."

"the prophecy also predicted another," phineas commented; bring the subject back
to the one most important on their minds. dumbledore nodded.

"the fifth point of the star," the aged wizard commented, placing his fingers
together as he thought.

"that one won't be so easy," phineas said, sitting in the painted seat of his
portrait. "the fifth one may be difficult to convince."

"there will be no convincing. the prophecy has foretold of the five, and it will
be completed soon enough. fate has already dictated their destinies."

"and if the fifth one is persuaded otherwise, then what happens?" dumbledore
looked up

over the rim of his half moon glasses.

"it that happens, then all is lost."

read? review!

author notes: thank you all so very much for r/r. please keep reading and
reviewing.

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chapter eight

harry lay on the bed beside ginny, his arms wrapped around her tiny waist. he had
cried himself into exhaustion, and had finally laid down only after a
great deal of insistence on her part. she lay there listening to his steady
breathing, feeling the warmth of his breath against her cheek. the ideas of
what this boy must have to endure daily, was more then she could comprehend. she
had known him since the summer before she entered hogwarts, and had always
heard ron talking about their adventures, but unlike her brother, ginny was more
concerned of the lasting effects those adventures had on harry.
ginny drifted off to sleep shortly after midnight, dreams of fighting dementors,
played out behind her eyes. she saw herself running beside harry, his hand
wrapped securely within hers, the forbidden forest looming ahead of them. as they
ran closer, she could see the shimmering image of a portal and felt a
sudden urge to run toward it. harry was beside her, trying to pull her away from
it, but she couldn't go with him. she could hear the voices calling to
her from the other side, beckoning her toward them.

"ginny, no," harry was pleading with her. "don't leave me, please don't go." ginny
turned to look at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. turning back,
ginny saw people standing by the portal. she recognized one of the images as
cedric diggory, then the image of a man stepped from the shimmer. he looked
like harry, but slightly older, the same messy black hair, the same glasses. he
was holding onto the hand of a woman with reddish hair. she was beautiful
and ginny saw the eyes she had grown to love; they were harry's eyes. she turned
to harry and saw him transfixed on the people, stepping slowly toward
them. ginny's heart began to race. what was happening? a sense of fear echoed in
her mind. she tightened her grip on his hand and tried to stop him, but
he kept walking. she could still hear the voices calling, but they had changed and
were now calling to him. she turned back but the shimmering object had
disappeared, and in its replace was a black curtain, blowing violently in the wind
that had suddenly come up.

the others had vanished and harry's eyes were transfixed on the image of sirius.
he had stepped out from the curtain and was calling to harry. ginny tried
to stop him, but he released her hand and stepped forward, as though in a trance.
ginny was horrified, how could she stop him. she tried to move, but her
feet wouldn't budge. she looked down and saw the ground she stood on, growing up
around her feet, limbs and roots wrapping themselves around her legs,
reaching up and snatching her hands. she was being held back from, she had no
choice but to watch as harry and sirius walked together through the curtain
and disappeared. the skies opened up and rain began to pour down. ginny heard a
cold hissing laugh echo all around her, and she screamed.

"ginny, wake up," a voice was calling to her. she opened her eyes, feeling the
moisture run down her cheeks. the sensation of warmth circled around her,
and she suddenly realized she was being held. "it's all right," harry was saying,
pulling her closer to him, smoothing her hair down her back, holding
her tightly.

"harry, it was awful," she cried, burying her face in his shoulder. "we were in
the forbidden forest, and there were people everywhere. cedric was there
and a man that looked like you with a woman who had red hair, and then sirius
walked out from behind a black curtain and you went back in with him, and..."

"shh, ginny, it was just a dream. sirius isn't coming back." ginny pulled back and
looked up into his green eyes, seeing his own sorrow, mixed with a tint
of compassion and love.

"i was so scared," she told him through deep sobs, as he wiped the tears from her
face. "i couldn't move, the ground grew held me back, and all i could
do was watch you, walk away from me."

"it was just a dream, ginny," harry told her with a smile. "i'll never walk away
from you, and i know sirius isn't coming back. he's gone and i can't do
anything about it."

"harry, i'm so sorry," ginny fell back into his arms, as they just lay there,
holding each other until sleep finally won out again.

it was nearly noon, by the time harry stretched his stiff muscles and opened his
eyes. he looked around the room, recognizing where he was. he looked to
where ginny had slept next to him, the imprint of her body still on the covers,
the pillow holding the impression of her head. he couldn't believe that
everything that happened yesterday and then last night, had been done in a single
day. he had fallen in love, was confronted with his godfather's death,
challenged snape to a duel, and fell asleep in the arms of the girl he now
considered his. she would always be there for him, and he would never do anything
to make her regret it. with a sigh, harry thought about the love in his life, and
shifted reluctantly to his loss. he knew with a deep sense of grief that
sirius truly wasn't coming home. but somehow it didn't seem to hurt as much as it
had last night. then, he had felt alone and lost. today, knowing that
he had ginny, he felt that he could do whatever was required of him, and actually
make it through.

the door to the dimly lit room opened slowly, and he looked up to see the image of
the girl who had occupied most of his dreams, step quietly in, a silver
tray in her hands. she tiptoed over to the bed, as harry quietly shut his eyes,
pretending to be asleep. he heard her set the tray on the nightstand, then
reach down and brush the hair from his face. with a sly smirk, he reached up and
grabbed her around the shoulders, pulling her down to the mattress, as
she yelped in surprise. he was laughing at the expression of surprise on her face.

"you rat," she scolded. "i thought you were still sleeping."

"that was the whole idea," he chuckled, kissing her cheek gently. "sleep well?" he
asked, knowing she hadn't. a blush crept up her delicate features, as
she lowered her eyes. "it was just a dream, ginny," he told her, leaning over her
and capturing her lips with his. he kissed her deeply, feeling the tension
leave her tiny frame. "does that feel real to you?" he asked her when they parted.
ginny smiled brightly.

"if it wasn't real, then i don't ever want to experience anything else." harry
chuckled again, rolling over and sitting up, smelling the aroma of food.
his stomach gave a hearty growl and he looked at the girl, a blush tinting his own
face. "hungry?" she asked, setting up on the bed and reaching for the
tray.

"i forgot about dinner, last night," he answered, accepting the tray of food and
eagerly beginning to eat. ginny watched as he started to devour the meal,
amazement etching her honey brown eyes.

"if ron saw you eating like that, he'd be jealous," she teased him, receiving a
sideways glance from the boy.

"nobody can eat like ron," harry said over the food he stuffed in his mouth. ten
minutes later, the platter of kidney and steak pie was gone, as were the
home baked potatoes, steamed carrots and treacle pudding. he drained the last few
drops of pumpkin juice from the small pitcher, before looking contentedly
back to the red haired girl beside him.

"full?" she asked, watching him wipe his mouth on the napkin.

"for now, i suppose," he answered, looking at her with a sly grin. "when's
dinner?" ginny laughed happily, removing the tray from his lap, before occupying
the abandoned spot herself. she sat boldly across his legs, holding them down as
she reached up and kissed his lips, tasting the remnants of pumpkin juice
on his mouth. he groaned softly, and then broke the kiss with a deep blush.

"i think i should shower," he told her, easing her off his lap, reluctantly.

"all right. then i'll see you downstairs when you're done." harry nodded, staying
where he was, watching her leave the room. he didn't exactly know what
had just happened, but as she sat on his lap, a very strong physical reaction
occurred, and he had the urge to do things he had no idea he'd even wanted
to do. with a shake of his head, harry stood up from the bed, adjusting the jeans
he wore, around the sudden and very obvious result of her recent position.

half an hour later, harry had finished his shower and was heading out of the
bathroom, a chill running along his arms from the cold shower he had taken,
when he nearly ran head on into the girl who had forced him into the cold shower
in the first place.

"guess what?" she asked, her face flushed with excitement. harry frowned at the
girl, as she continued without catching her breath. "bill and charlie are
coming home. they'll be here in a few minutes. come on, i don't want to miss their
arrival." she grabbed harry's hand and bolted down the stairs, dragging
the boy behind her. harry smiled at the thought of the two oldest weasley boys
visit. he really liked them and always enjoyed their visits. harry also
knew, how much mr. and mrs. weasley loved their visits, especially after the
horrible way their third son, percy, had treated them over the past year.

as ginny ran down the stairs enthusiastically, she missed the last step, running
full force into the painting of mrs. black, knocking the coverings off
of it. instantly the old woman began shouting and screeching at them, causing he
house occupants to come running. harry picked up the embarrassed ginny
from the floor, making certain she was all right, before turning to the woman's
painting.

"filthy mudbloods, in my house," she screeched. "good for nothing son, allowing
this to happen. how dare you contaminate my home with your worthless filth?"
harry stood up and turned on the painting, his anger building to lethal depths.

"shut up, you old hag!" he shouted back, receiving a brief moment's silence and a
look of surprise. "never speak of sirius in that tone of voice again.
he's better than you or any of those worthless purebloods, you call family."

"how dare you speak to me? i am the last true black, no thanks to that worthless,
filthy, muggle loving son of mine."

"enough!" harry bellowed, ignoring those around him, as they tried to stop him
from shouting at the enchanted painting. "sirius is dead, you old bitch!
don't you have any feelings of that?" the painting was silent for several seconds,
the look of grief etching her weathered features.

"dead?" she whispered, astonishing those around her into silence. "my son...how?"

"your niece, bellatrix, killed him. sent him through the veil." mrs. black looked
horrified at the boy's words.

"no, not the veil. it's worse than death."

"tell that to your niece the next time you send a house elf to betray him."
"i never!" shouted the painting.

"liar! kreacher betrayed sirius to voldemort. he was tricked into going to the
ministry by your lord and master."

"never speak of the dark lord by name," growled the angry painting. "you're not
worthy, you're nothing more than a mudblood."

"i am not a mudblood," harry whispered in deadly calm. "i am harry potter." the
painting gasped, as if never expecting to hear that name. "heard of me have
you? then let's get something clear," harry stepped up to the woman's painting as
he spoke, his voice remaining calm as he confronted it. "this house is
mine now, sirius gave it to me in his will. if you don't want me using muggle
turpentine on your ugly face, i suggest you learn to keep a civil tongue
in that thick skull of yours." the painting gasped, opening and closer her mouth
as though wanting to speak, but not being able to form the words necessary.
harry glared at the woman's image for a few more moments, then turned to leave. he
stopped short, his hand on ginny's elbow, and turned slowly around.
he took another step closer to the painting, touching its frame. the image of the
old woman cringed; as though shocked by his touch, but harry ignored
it as he investigated the carvings surrounding her.

"what is it harry," dumbledore asked, stepping up from behind the crowd. without a
word, harry pulled his wand out of his shirt, and pointed it at the woman,
who merely smirked.

"think you can curse me, potter?" she asked in a voice filled with indignity.
harry ignored her, as he stepped back, feeling the others around him move
aside. he stared at the carvings and concentrated deeply, his wand pointing at the
painting.

"open," he commanded in a hissing tone. the others looked on in amazement, as the

woman's painting began to shake, then fell from the wall, causing the
painting's occupant to yelp as she fell.

"you...you're a parseltongue," she gasped as realization struck her, her painting

free from its perch, leaning against the wall haphazardly. harry ignored
her comment, and walked toward her, pushing the large heavy painting aside. those
witness to the event, stared on in shock, when harry revealed a secret
door. he looked at the handle, seeing the same snake designs that had been
engraved around the woman's painting. he again held out his wand and hissed.
the bolts to the door's interior sounded, and the door swung open.

"i don't believe it," whispered lupin, turning to look at moody. "didn't you see
this room?" moody shook his head.

"it must have been hidden with very dark magic, even i couldn't detect." moody was
amazed and embarrassed at the fact that there was something hiding inside
the house, that he couldn't see with his magic eye.

harry pulled the door open wide, raising his wand and whispering, "lumos." the end
of his wand began to glow, lighting the large closet sized room beyond.
he stepped through the opening, brushing the cobwebs aside. seeing the large rat
sized spider scurry under the table, he turned back to ron.

"don't come in yet," he warned him, watching as ron backed up two stairs. he
leaned down and saw the spider's eyes shining out at him from beneath the old,
weathered table. the spider immediately tried to escape its hiding place, but
harry was too quick. "arania exumai," he shouted, watching the spider flip
to it's back at the foot of the stairs. ron looked on in horror, his face ashen,
his eyes round. lupin stepped forward, wrapping his cape around the insect
and leaving the room.

"stay out of there," screeched mrs. black's painting. "that is not for the likes
of you. only the dark lord may enter. why are you a parseltongue? you're
going to ruin everything. how did you figure out my secret?"

"hey, harry," fred called to him, stopping him from returning to the room. "what
do you say we get rid of the old bat, now that she's off the wall?"

"sure, whatever," harry said, turning to return to the hidden room.

"abscondere," george said, raising his wand at the old painting. instantly a thick
canvas cover appeared, and wrapped around the painting. they listened
to the old woman shout her complaints, as the twins picked her up.

"where do you want us to put this, mr. potter?" fred teased, looking back to harry
who was looking at the objects on the dusty old shelves. harry looked
back and smiled.

"the cellar should be good. she is after all, found of the dark side." george and
fred chuckled on their way down the hall to the door that led to the cellar.

"no, you can't go in there," shouted the muffled voice of the annoying painting.
"it's not for you, it's for the dark lord, stay out...stay out!" the door
to the cellar slammed shut, as the twins and the painting disappeared from the
upper level.

"look at all this stuff," hermione said, stepping in behind harry, followed close
behind by everyone but ron, who was still eyeing the cobwebs clinging
to the walls and doorframe. "i've never seen any of these ingredients listed in
any book i've ever read."

"that's because they are used only for very dark magic, miss granger," snape said,
stepping up behind them. "most of them are illegal, and for good reason."

"why did she say that this was meant only for the dark lord?" tonks asked, picking
up a large bottle of ground pixie livers.

"you don't think he knows about grimmauld place, do you?" ron asked, cautiously
edging in the room.

"it's very unlikely, mr. weasley," dumbledore said, as the others moved aside and
allowed the old man to enter the room. "if voldemort had known about this
house, he would have already done what was necessary to find it. i believe, mrs.
black set up this room while he was in exile, and never lived to see him
return to power. the house was moved and special charms placed on it, to prevent
unwanted visitors."

"look at these books, harry," ginny said, stepping to the shelves and picking up
the old, fragile books. harry stepped to her side, and scanned the bindings
of several books. they were all old and filled with dust and cobwebs.

"administration of deadly curses," ginny read aloud. "torture in the dark ages,
beyond death, remember the pain. i can't believe all of these. they're horrible."
"look at these spells," hermione said, turning the pages of a book and peering
inside at the disfigured, tortured image of a man. "what kind of a person
would do something like this, to another living soul?"

"voldemort," harry said, replacing the book he held to the shelf, and turning
around. there were a total of forty-two shelves, all filled with antique and
rare spells of dark arts, with the worst kind of ingredients known to mankind.
there was horntail venom, powdered phoenix heart, unicorn blood, and crushed
mermaid's scales, just to name a few. all items used in the darkest magic.

"there's a fortune of illegal contraband here," mr. weasley said in amazement.

"we'll need a full inventory of everything," dumbledore announced, heading toward

the door.

"i'll do it headmaster," snape offered, receiving a glare from harry and ron.

"feeling at home here, are we snape?" harry asked boldly.

"it is only logical that i should be the one to record these items, since i am the
positions master," snape replied in a cold tone. "i know in which order
these should be stored. if they are placed together incorrectly, mr. potter, they
can release curses on anyone who comes near. if you had paid attention
in my class a little more, you would have known that."

"if i had paid attention in your class, i would have seen a lot more than you
would have liked, a long time ago."

"what are you insinuating, potter?" harry stood toe to toe with the greasy haired
wizard.

"you know exactly what i'm insinuating," he said, causing a silence to build up
around the small group. "i don't trust you, i don't like you, and if it
were up to me, you'd have been in azkaban years ago."

"harry, severus, that's quite enough," dumbledore interrupted. "harry, i'd like to
speak with you alone for a moment, please." harry and snape stood silent
for several long minutes, staring at each other, until ginny grabbed harry by the
arm and pulled him out the door to where the headmaster waited. "will
you wait for us in the other room please, miss weasley?" he asked, looking over
the rim of his half moon glasses. ginny nodded, and then glanced to harry,
seeing the anger still lingering in his green eyes.

dumbledore led harry into the sitting room, taking a seat in the wingback chair
and motioning to harry to sit down. he did as ordered and waited patiently
for the old wizard to begin. the room was silent and warm, and harry found it
uncomfortable after only a few seconds.

"i know i shouldn't have spoken to snape like i did," harry began.

"professor snape," dumbledore corrected.

"i know you trust him, sir, but i don't. he's never shown any sign of goodness,
he's as evil as voldemort, and as black hearted."

"harry, professor snape is one of us," dumbledore began, watching as harry stood
and paced to the fireplace.
"how can you say that? he's a death eater. he's one of them."

"no harry, he is not. please sit down." dumbledore waited until he had sat, then
folded his fingers together as he continued. "i can not divulge a confidence,
if professor snape wished for you to know his story, he would tell you. what i can
tell you is that he was influenced at a young age. after seeing the
horror involved in his decision, he came back, but not until after he lost someone
he cared very deeply for. when voldemort was at his height, it was professor
snape who chose to infiltrate his circle and bring us back information. he was
nearly killed for his decision, and he has a price on his head, even today."
dumbledore paused, watching harry digest the information, before continuing.

"i know you think professor snape hates you harry, but it simply is not true. he
admires you, very highly."

"are you crazy?" harry asked, looking at the old wizard as if he had just sprouted
horns and a tail. "you aren't there in class, or in the halls when he
sees me, or ron or hermione. he hates all of the gryffindors. the only one he is
even slightly considerate to, is ferret-faced malfoy." dumbledore stifled
a laugh, covering it up with a cough.

"what do you think would happen, if voldemort were to learn of snape's trust in
you?" harry thought for a few minutes.

"i suppose snape would be in more danger, than he already is."

"yes harry. there is danger lurking in every alley and around every corner.
voldemort is uncertain of what to think regarding professor snape. he's being
told that snape is loyal to him, by other death eaters who know him. this may be
to our advantage, someday. harry, we all have faith in you, we believe
in you and we're all willing to back you up, even professor snape."

"he blames me for the trouble my father and sirius caused him in school, you can't
deny that."

"i will not deny it. your father was a good student and an even better friend. he
and your mother meant a great deal to me, to all of us. sirius was a prankster,
he liked to play tricks and have fun, much like the young weasley twins. professor
lupin was the sensible one, the serious one. he was the one who kept
sirius and james's feet on firm ground. during all their years in school, it was
professor snape they liked to torment, more sirius than your father. at
first your father rarely gave sirius a second glance, but then when your mother
came into the picture, he felt it necessary to fight for her attentions."

"fight for her? with whom?" harry stared at dumbledore, then turned a wide eye
expression to him. "snape? my mother had a crush on snape?" dumbledore chuckled
softly.

"your mother was the brightest student in hogwarts. i haven't seen a student like
her, until miss granger. she was always helping others, if there were
a student who needed tutoring; lily evans was the one to offer a helping hand.
severus snape was one such occasion. they spent a great deal of time together
in the library. i think severus developed an attraction to her at that time, but
since she was a muggle born, his father would never have allowed him to
take it any further. but then your mother had very serious eyes on a young
gryffindor seeker. it was during their seventh year at school, that things began
to turn dark. voldemort was gaining power, and converting every pureblooded wizard
and witch he could find."
"and snape was one of them." dumbledore didn't answer, he simply looked at harry.

"you must understand how difficult it is for professor snape to show any signs of
affection. he closed his heart years ago, and has yet to reopen it." harry
was silent for several moments, staring at the worn carpet as he considered all
the old wizard had told him.

"i suppose i shouldn't have been so hard on him, but i still don't trust him. he's
mean spirited and evil, at least to anyone gryffindor." dumbledore chuckled
softly.

"old wounds run deep," he mumbled softly. "i'm not asking you to invite him dinner
in your dormitory, harry, just try and be a little lenient. he really
does have faith in you. perhaps he's a little jealous of the closeness you and
your friends have. i'm sure he may even take his anger of the way james
and sirius treated him out on you, but patience will prevail."

"if you say so, professor. just don't expect me to shake his hand or anything."
dumbledore stood, laughing as he reached for harry, patting him on the back.

"i daresay, i do not expect miracles in that area."

read? review!

author notes: for everyone who has r/r, i want to thank you so much. i've never
tried to write a story of this type, and it's so great to hear that so many
people like my ideas. please be aware, i am trying to keep to character, because i
love jk's writing, but my characters are based on my ideas, not jk's.
they are different. also, i made a mistake on ginny's eyes. i know they are brown,
and the future chapters has that changed. please forgive me. and for
those who have emailed me wanting more h/g passion, be patient, it is coming.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter nine

hogwarts letters arrived right on schedule, and the house was a buzz with
excitement. plans for their trip to diagon alley, and their first dates, was
planned
for later that afternoon. everyone was running to gather shoes, brush their hair
and teeth and fight around the next person who was trying to get in the
bathroom. harry had finished first, anticipating the letters and had yet to return
downstairs to open his. he was excited to return to school, but in a
way he was dreading it. the last few weeks had been grand, even if cleaning was a
part of the daily activity. ron and harry had spent a great deal of the
time playing wizard chess, and practicing their d.a. lessons they had started last
year. harry had told them of the book he'd gotten from diagon alley,
and hermione took to immediately studying the spells, curses and hexes. when she
thought she had one up on harry, she would blurt out a spell or a curse,
and harry would finish it, or tell her the results. he actually found it fun to
antagonize her, especially when ron was left to console her, which left
time for harry to be alone with ginny.

"hey, harry, hurry up!" shouted ron up the stairs. the house had become much more
noisy with the removal of mrs. black's painting. life and laughter had
entered the house, possibly for the first time in history.
"i'm coming, hold your knickers on," he told his friend stepping down the stairs.

"very funny, i don't wear knickers and you bloody well know it."

"well, you're screeching like a girl, i just assumed..."

"sod off potter!" ron snapped, punching him in the arm. the two laughed as they
entered the kitchen, looking at the papers laying spread across the table.

"so, are you two unlucky enough to be prefects again this year?" harry asked them,
pushing the letters aside to locate his own.

"you know it, mate," ron announced proudly. "even with that old hag umbridge's
records on us, we still get to keep the badges."

"i'm sure professor dumbledore had a lot to do with that," hermione clarified,
proudly pinning her badge to her jumper. harry shook his head softly, glancing
across the table to ginny, who just smiled at him. he retrieved his letter,
slipped the flap open and pulled out the letter welcoming him to school, as
well his list of supplies. he scanned the papers quickly, noting the lengthy book
list.

"can you imagine all of those books?" ron complained. "how are we ever going to
get through them all?"

"how are we going to pay for them?" ginny asked softly, walking around ron. harry
grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to his side. he kissed her cheek
and smiled.

"your supplies are on me, this year," he told her, nuzzling her ear gently,
causing tingles to travel down both of their spines.

"that's gross," ron complained, walking around them to the sink where mrs. weasley
stood washing the last of the breakfast dishes. "mum, tell ginny and
harry to get a grip. they're at it again." mrs. weasley turned and saw the two,
their foreheads leaning together, as they were smiling. she liked the idea
of her only daughter being with harry. they were happy and for the first time
since she met harry, he actually looked like he fit in.

"you four had best be getting a move on," mrs. weasley said, as she wiped her
hands on the towel. "we'll have to be leaving soon."

"i have an idea mum," fred said, as he and george stepped into the kitchen. they
had spent the past several weeks at grimmauld place, between sharing shifts
at their joke shop. "why don't you let the sweethearts go to diagon alley alone
this year, and george and i will take you to lunch in hogsmeade." mrs.
weasley looked at the two, blinking several times, before smiling brightly.

"you want to take your old mum to lunch?" mrs. weasley's enthusiasm turned quickly
to suspicion as she eyed her twin boys. "what's the occasion? what did
you do?"

"we didn't do anything, mum," george swore. "we just thought you'd like to have
lunch with us."

"besides, we wanted to show you our new shop," fred commented with a bright smile.
"what new shop? what happened to the one in diagon alley?"

"nothing, mum. we're expanding," george explained quickly. "we've become so busy
and we're getting so many new orders, we've decided to open another shop,
closer to customers."

"that's great!" ron exclaimed. "now we'll be able to shop at the new store when we
go to hogsmeade this year."

"yeah, little brother," fred teased, ruffling his hair. "and if you're really
good, we'll even give you a discount."

"knowing you, it'll be double the price," ron grumbled, straightening his hair.

"now, ronald, you'll need to go to gringott's and get the money you need. be sure
and get only what's on the list. here's the key, now be very careful with
it."

"i've gone to diagon alley with you since i was a baby, mum. i think i know what
to do." ron took the key and put it in his pocket, hoping the blush he
felt creep up his neck wasn't too obvious.

"make certain you help ginny with her purchases as well," mrs. weasley insisted,
ignoring her rambling.

"come on you guys," tonks complained as she entered the room, her hair a short
pale blue mass of curls, her dress simple and black and her face looking
much older than normal.

"now be careful, and harry please watch yourself," mrs. weasley warned them,
brushing their jumpers to make certain they were clean and neat, before giving
each a kiss on the cheek.

"we'll be fine, mum. can we go now, please?" ginny insisted as ron picked his
cloak up from the back of the chair and tucking it in the bag tonks had the
other's cloaks in.

"we need to get moving, if we're going to get back before school starts. lupin is
already waiting by the car."

"we're taking a car?" hermione asked, thinking back to last year and how difficult
it was to get to the leaky cauldron.

"yeah. i think fudge is trying to make up for his stupid attitude towards the way
he treated harry, last year."

"at least he believes us now," hermione grumbled, as she and ginny walked out of
the kitchen behind tonks, followed by harry and ron. they were about to
leave the house, when george came rushing up behind them. he slipped a key into
ron's hand, and glanced over his shoulder.

"don't tell mum," he whispered. "this will open up a vault we've set up for the
family at gringott's. get everything you need, as well as a set of new robes.
fred and i want to start helping out more, but mum and dad said they can manage."

"thanks george," ron said, actually looking like he was about to cry.

"don't mention it...ever! and get out extra, to get your girlfriend a treat. she
needs a little something, in order to keep her interest in the likes of
you." ron blushed brightly, and george returned to the kitchen chuckling.

diagon alley was filled with hogwarts students, much to all of their amazement.
the mutual consensus was, now that voldemort's return was public knowledge,
many families would choose not to allow their children to return to school. from
the looks of the little town, there were not only the normal students
shopping for their supplies, but a great number of first years. harry smiled to
himself. it was a tribute to dumbledore, knowing the reason so many students
would return to school, was because of the faith the wizarding world had in the
old wizard.

harry followed ron, hermione and ginny down the street, stopping at the quidditch
shop and staring at the newest equipment. he and ron had to practically
be dragged away from the front window, while ginny pretended not to look at the
new display. they looked into the store shop windows, inspecting the robes,
the brooms, the owls, even the wands, before winding their way to gringott's to
get what they needed. ron, hermione and ginny entered the bank ahead of
harry, as a woman with an elegant hat and expensive robes eased out the door, in
front harry. he was about to enter the building, when the last person
he expected to see stepped out the door. they stood facing each other; green eyes
fixing and holding onto gray ones. they stood as if silently challenging
each other. harry had his hand on his wand, as he knew the other one did.

"draco, stop dawdling," the woman who had just exited the building snapped. draco
malfoy, his white blond hair slicked back with his usual perfection. the
smirk he had worn for the past five years was gone; in its place was a sneer of
hatred. harry watched the boy as he physically pulled himself away from
the step, walking beside the woman down the street.

"i'm surprised he has the nerve to show his face in public," ron said, stepping
out the door of the bank to see what was keeping harry.

"it's his father who was imprisoned, not him," hermione said, joining them.

"well, that wasn't because we didn't want him there," ron argued. "he deserves to
be prison, as well as his creepy father."

"the prison's empty, remember ron?" ginny asked joining the three on the steps.
harry didn't want to discuss this any further. her reached out and snatched
ginny's hand and pulled her into the bank. right now he didn't want to think about
his enemies. he just wanted to enjoy their day without adult supervision,
even though they knew tonks and lupin were nearby, it was enough to just walk
around and talk without interference.

at flourish and blotts, ron and ginny made their way toward the used book section,
taking their lists with them. harry and hermione glanced to each other,
and then went to the other two, pulling them toward the new books. after a great
deal of arguing about cost, the four secured their purchases, and left
the store, heading toward madam malkin's robes for all occasions. all four were in
need of new robes, which they found, allowing the clerk to magically
adhere their house emblems on the fronts. harry and ron talked together in hushed
tones, while the girls tried on their robes, then excused themselves
and left the store. twenty minutes later, they returned in time to pay for their
purchases, ignoring the looks from their dates. hermione assumed they
had gone back to the quidditch shop, and ginny was sure ron had talked harry into
sneaking off the twins shop for treats and tricks.
next stop was debated on with great discussion. ron wanted to return to the leaky
caldron for lunch, while harry and ginny wanted to go to the creamery
for ice cream sodas. hermione on the other hand, wanted to go the apothecary to
check out some of the items they had found in the hidden room. after a
long argument in which ron insisted he would starve to death, and harry and ginny
simply rolled their eyes, hermione finally got her way and the four of
them entered the apothecary. inside, they began to search the store quietly,
searching for items the ministry had declared illegal, which ron pointed out,
they weren't supposed to have much less know about. the store was quiet, since the
school's students didn't need ingredients for their potions, at least
not these kinds of ingredients. they could just pick up their potions kits at
flourish and blotts, along with the books necessary for each kit.

the shelves were long, immaculately dusted and well kept. they contained a great
deal of powder filled jars, boxes of chopped toad livers, liquids of every
color imaginable, balms, creams, lotions and jells, and hanging above the
countertop, were dead chickens, dried bats, rats and toads, along with a great
number of animal parts. harry and ron were disgusted at the sight of a table
behind an open curtain, which had obviously been used recently to create potions.
blood from an animal had run down the leg of the table, dripping to the floor and
puddling on the hard, cold stones. the smell that emulated from the room
was nauseating, and harry and ron found themselves trying to breathe around it.
hermione was fascinated with the array of spell books, so engrossed in
them; she hadn't noticed when the clerk arrived at the counter.

a witch with snow-white hair, and pale complexion stood behind the counter. her
black eyes were so intense; it made anyone who looked at her feel as though
she were seeing through to their soul. hermione turned at the soft rustle of the
woman behind the counter and nearly screamed. her dark robes and pointed
black hat, made her pale complexion seem nearly transparent.

"how may i help you children?" the woman asked, her tone soft and barely above a
whisper.

"um...we were just curious about some potion ingredients," hermione began,
swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. "you see, we're doing a report
for school, and we are having a difficult time finding any information on what
certain ingredients are used for." harry, ron and ginny looked at each other,
surprise etching their faces at the obvious lie. hermione never lied, and to hear
this coming from her, was a shock to say the least.

"what ingredients were you interested in?" the clerk asked. hermione stepped
forward, unrolling a small parchment in which she had written several items
found in mrs. black's secret room. the woman eyed the list, then looked back to
hermione with narrowed eyes. "such ingredients have been deemed illegal
by the ministry of magic," she replied.

"yes, i know, but our potions professor wants us to understand the more serious
ingredients of dark magic." hermione felt a sudden race of her heart as
she stared at the woman.

"whom, may i ask, is your potions professor?"

"um...snape, severus snape, from hogwarts." the woman's eyes returned to their
normal almond shape as she sighed heavily, her voice no longer sounding quite
so soft and mysterious.

"ah, yes, professor snape. he has always been one, interested in the darker side
of magic," the woman stated, setting the parchment on the counter. "i suppose
it is a good thing, he is on our side, and that dumbledore has such high respect
for him."

"do you know the professor?" harry asked, drawing the woman's attention to him.

"we attended hogwarts together. does he still have greasy hair?"

"and how," ron added with a smile.

"i often wonder how dumbledore could trust him, after everything that happened,"
harry said in a nonchalant tone, even though his curiosity was demanding
answers. the woman looked at him again, ignoring his obvious bating of the
subject, than took note of the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.

"you're harry potter," she said, more to herself than to him. harry nodded, and
the woman's dark eyes seemed to grow misty. "i knew your parents," she continued.
"i was horrified when i heard the news about them, and then to find out that
sirius black was responsible, it was dreadful. they were such good friends."

"sirius black did not kill my parents, or sell them out to voldemort," harry saw
how the woman flinched at the sound of the dark lord's name. "it was peter
pettigrew who betrayed them and caused their deaths."

"peter? that wormy little git?" the woman paused as if thinking, then nodded her
head. "i can see him doing something like that. he was very jealous of
the great three, as they were called; james, sirius and remus. terrible about
remus, though. he was always so good looking; i had such a crush on him,
and sirius. but then sirius had that muggle he was in love with. more's the pity."

"sara," harry added thinking back on the photo he had found in his godfather's
bedroom. the woman nod her head, her pale features seeming a bit more normal
as she spoke about the past. "did you know her?"

"i met her only once, at graduation. sirius brought her and introduced her as his
fianc?i heard he married her shortly after school, but she died in childbirth,
along with their daughter. he was never the same after that."

"sirius was married?" harry asked, shocked and stunned at the news.

"sadly yes, but it wasn't meant to be i suppose."

"what house were you in, at hogwarts?" ginny asked, watching the woman's thin lips
spread into a smile that somehow didn't quite reach her eyes.

"ravenclaw, of course," she tapped the small emblem on the collar of her cloak,
making note of the badge she had pinned there. "i was head girl in my seventh
year."

"i'm a prefect," hermione said proudly, showing off her badge to the woman, who
smiled brightly. "so is ron."

"good for you. now, let's see how i can help you." she turned her attention back
to the parchment hermione had given her. "most of these ingredients are
used for deadly results. i have a book over here written by paracelsus, who used
such ingredients during the middle ages, to create medicines for the muggle
population. he hypothesized; the dose of a chemical determines the type and
severity of the body's response to it. he rather enjoyed his experiments, and
was quite successful in hiding the fact that he was a wizard, from the muggles.
when the ministry caught up to him, he had created a great number of medications
for both wizards and muggles, but at a great loss of life." she searched for the
book as she spoke, until she found it on the very top shelf. she retrieved
her wand, pointed it at the shelf and said, "accio book," holding her hand out as
the book fell into it. she returned to the counter, opening the old pages,
comparing them to the list hermione had written out for her.

"all right now, let's see what we have here. lycintus," she said, finding the
first item on hermione's list in the book, reading it as the four gathered
around her. "it is usually used in healing potions although it can also be used in
poisons. the part of the plant used depends on whether it is used for
healing or poisoning. for a healing potion, 4-6 mature leaves are needed. these
leaves are then chopped up to retrieve the sticky liquid. the stem is used
to make poisons. to make this potion the stem is simply cut up and boiled in a
small pot of water. the liquid is then strained and ready for use. if the
plant is not disposed of by use of burning, it will kill all other plants within
twenty meters of it and the surround soil will be useless to grow anything
in for about ten years." the woman continued as she went down the list of
ingredients, as the four listened intently on what she was saying, and hermione
was busy scrawling notes on a slip of parchment she had brought with her.

"platypus poiren, is a waterborne plant in which it eats pollution. it is harmless

to humans so long as it remains underwater, but once exposed to oxygen,
it releases fatal spores as a defence. the only possible way to kill a platypus
poiren is to expose it to harsh sunlight. the plant has legitimate use
other then to purify water."

"monkshood is the safest and most practical use of aconite, and is used for the
relief of pain. it also is used to treat fevers. when used as a poison,
it can cause severe fevers, coma, and eventually death. sounds like the kind of
plant everyone should have in their gardens," the woman added sarcastically.

she continued on in the same manner, inspecting the ingredients on hermione's

list. there was mandrake, which all of them knew about from harry, ron and
hermione's second year, and ginny's first, when she was lured down to the chamber
of secrets by tom riddle's diary. there was also hemlock, which was used
to create nervousness, trembling, incoordination, depression, coma, and death;
henbane, which was used as a hallucinogenic; the oleander plant, which when
sucked, caused death; inkberry which caused muscle spasms, convulsions,
respiratory difficulties, and eventually self suffocation; and atropa belladonna,
which was used as a powerful sleeping aid, and when used in larger quantities
caused the sleep of death. with all of these plants, there was one common
factor; they all caused death.

"these are some interesting ingredients snape wants you to research," the woman,
who had introduced herself as marla mandapole, said, closing the book and
returning it to its perch on the top shelf. "i hope he's not planning on trying to
use any of these items, in his potions. the ministry will certainly
have his head on a platter."

"i'm sure he's not," hermione stated, folding the parchment she had been taking
notes on, and putting it in her cloak pocket. "thank you for your trouble."

"not at all," marla told them, walking them toward the entrance. "i hope this was
useful to you."

"it was, a great help. thanks again." the four left the shop and walked quietly
away. once they were certain they were out of hearing range, ron turned
to hermione with a sly grin.

"hermione granger, knows how to lie," he said in a tone of admiration and awe.
hermione on the other hand, offered him a look of indignity.

"i most certainly did not lie," she told him.

"you told her we were doing research for a paper. if that wasn't a lie, than i
don't know what was."

"for your information, ronald weasley, i intend to write a report on those

ingredients for advanced potions, once we return to school."

"only you could think of getting out of lie by using homework," ron told her, his
voice an echo of admiration and amusement.

"now can we get a soda?" ginny asked, hoping to stop any argument between her
brother and his date.

they walked to the creamery, where harry ordered sodas for himself and ginny,
leaving ron to order a double scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce,
triple whipped cream and nuts for himself, and a single scoop of strawberry ice
cream for hermione. the sun was slowly dissolving in the horizon, and they
knew that they would have to head back to grimmauld place before long, but the
idea of ending the day was one they wanted to avoid a little longer. it
had been a very pleasant day, with the regards of running into malfoy. as the four
sat chatting about their upcoming school year, a voice called to them
from across the street. they turned to see seamus finnigan, and dean thomas
heading in their direction.

"can you believe the list of books this year?" seamus said, as they joined the
four at the table. "i can't imagine what kind of courses we have, if we have
to get this list filled."

"i just hope we don't have double potions again," ron complained, using his finger
to get the last bit of chocolate sauce from the bottom of his dish.

"have you heard who's going to be the new quidditch captain this year?" dean
asked, his dark eyes darting to ginny on occasion.

"angelina graduated last year, so it left the post open," seamus said.

"maybe it'll be harry," hermione said, pushing her finished ice cream dish aside.
"after all, he is the greatest seeker in all of hogwarts."

"i don't think there will be much of a chance in that," harry said, suddenly no
longer interested in his half finished soda. "umbridge banned me from the
game for life, remember?"

"ah, dumbledore will over turn that order, and you know it," ron insisted.
"there's no way any of that old hag's orders will be upheld."

"fudge approved her decision, ron, remember?" harry argued.

"that was before she made such a mess of things. now that dumbledore has taken
hold of the school again, there are no concerns."
"you could always be captain," harry told ron, watching the color creep up his
friend's cheeks. "you are after all, our king."

"sod off potter," ron growled, his cheeks going all the darker.

"hey, ginny," dean said softly. "could i speak with you for a moment?" ginny
glanced to the boy, then looked to harry who seemed very interested on the
straw of his soda, his eyes cast down as if not paying attention.

"sure," she said softly, as they walked across the street to stand in front of
flourish and blotts. ron turned to harry and kicked him under the table.
harry looked up with a glare.

"what'd you let her do that for?" he demanded, watching the dark look cross
harry's face. "if i were you, i'd curse him where he stands." ron tried to pull
out his wand, but was caught by hermione.

"don't you dare, ronald weasley," she demanded in hushed tones. "you can't use
magic out of school." ron opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he
saw the look on harry's face. he had turned in the direction of ginny and dean,
seeing her give him a hug and brief kiss on the lips, and then they walked
back to the table.

"what's going on?" seamus asked, curious about the way ron and harry were acting.

"nothing," hermione assured him. "just brotherly protection."

"we have to be heading off," dean told his friend when he and ginny joined them
again. "i promised my mum i would spend the last couple of days with the
family, before school starts. she's still put out at me for spending so much time
at your house, this summer."

"all right," seamus said, no longer interested in what was going on between harry
and ron. "we'll see you guys in school," he told the four, then turned
and left in the direction of the leaky caldron.

"what was that all about?" ron demanded, once the two had left, turning his gaze
to his sister. "i thought it was over between the two of you, especially
now?"

"it's not really any of your business, ron, so lay off," his sister told him,
glancing to harry, who was refusing to look at her.

"i should have cursed him when i had the chance." ron turned to hermione and
frowned. "why did you stop me?"

"you can't do magic outside of school, you know that. if you had cursed dean, you
would have run the chance of being expelled."

"we've been doing magic all summer, so why haven't any of us gotten expelled
already?"

"because we've been at grimmauld place," hermione said softly, her voice barely
more than a whisper. "the charms and wards surrounding the house are too
strong for the ministry to get through. they don't even know about the house, or
where it's located. if they did, voldemort would have found us before
now."
"don't say his name," ron warned her, looking around the area for anyone
listening.

"why not?" harry said, anger tinting his green eyes. "he's back, ron. the fear is
more real now than ever before. there's no need to hide from it."

"i just don't like to hear his name," ron said honestly. "i'd like to pretend
everything is normal, for as long as i can."

"life will never be normal again," harry told him standing up from his seat. "the
war has started, remember? i'm surprised we're all still alive." harry
turned on his heel, walking toward the leaky caldron, and the exit waiting him.

"so much for a happy ending, to a great day," ron said, and the three followed
behind the dark cloak of their friend.

the hidden figure who watched the four depart remained hidden, a cold, evil smile
etched on thin cracked lips. it was only a matter of time before the plans
were carried out, and then the boy, the school and the old wizard overseeing it
would fall to the dark forces of the great lord voldemort.

read? review!

author notes: to everyone who's r/r thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! i love
hearing what people think, and hopefully i can continue to please you. i'm
having so much fun writing this, it's difficult to concentrate on anything else.
one clarification in this chapter...the fact that ginny was able to do
magic while at grimmauld place, i hope i cleared that up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter ten

dinner that night was eaten in near silence. ron and hermione chatted about their
day, involving ginny as often as necessary, and having given up on trying
to get harry to talk. he was moody and stayed that way the whole trip home from
diagon alley, as well as through dinner. he barely ate anything, pushing
the kidney pie and mashed potatoes around his plate. ginny had even tried to speak
with him, and received nothing more than an occasional grunt in response.

"so, ginny," ron started, after finishing a conversation with fred and george
about their new line of exploding quills. "what did dean want with you? you
seemed pretty cozy with him on the street today." harry tossed his fork to the
plate, pushing it aside, causing the eyes around the table to turn to him.

"he asked me how my summer was going," she told them, glancing to harry who stood
suddenly and walked his plate to the sink.

"most people don't snog their ex-boyfriends for asking how their summer was."

"i was not snogging him, and for your nosey information, he wanted to apologize
for the way he broke up with me, and asked me if i thought we could make
it work again."

"what did you tell him?" harry asked, the first real sentence he had uttered in
hours. he turned away from the sink, leaning against the counter and crossing
his arms across his chest.
"so you're going to speak to me now?" ginny asked, her brown eyes locking with his
green ones. the silence rose again in the room, as mr. and mrs. weasley
stopped their conversation with tonks and lupin, staring at the two.

"you didn't answer," harry told her softly, anger lingering on every syllable.

"what do you care? you've barely said two words to me since we left diagon alley.
besides, i don't think i owe you an explanation."

"answer the question, ginny," harry demanded, his tone sharp as daggers.

"why should it matter to you, what i said to him? it's not like we have any
commitments between us, to interfere with what an old friend had to say to me."

"what?" ron nearly choked on his pumpkin juice, as he took up an uninvited place
in the conversation. "with all the snogging you two have been doing, you
don't think there's a commitment? are you mental?"

"ron stay out of it," hermione warned softly, watching the eyes of her best friend
and the girl he loved, never once leaving each other.

"why? it's obvious harry's bonkers for her, and she's a nutter for not seeing it."

"ron, be quiet," ginny told her brother, standing up and walking toward harry,
standing a few feet away from him.

"answer the question, ginny," harry told her in soft deadly tones. "what did you
tell him, when he asked if you could work things out."

"why do you care, harry?"

"apparently i shouldn't," he told her, his jaw clenching tightly. "i guess i
shouldn't have assumed there were any real feelings in you. after all, you've
had a different boyfriend every week, why should i be anything more than just a
number to you." ginny reached out and slapped harry's face, hard, the smack
resounding off the walls. he looked at her as if he hadn't felt the wrenching pain
from her assault.

"at least i know where we stand, before either of us lost our hearts," he told her
softly, walking away from her, and out the door. ginny stood there in
silence. her hand hurt from she had slapped harry, her heart breaking at his
words. she tried hard to control her emotions, but couldn't contain the tears
any further. she was angry and upset in a way she had never felt. she ran from the
room, leaving the stunned observers to watch her departure.

"bloody hell," ron said softly, echoing the thoughts of the others in a mere two
words.

harry sat on his bed, in the room he shared with ron. he was miserable. his cheek
hurt, and his heart felt like it had just been ripped from his chest.
the sounds of phineaus echoed from the painting, causing harry to glance up and
see the old wizard standing quietly watching him.

"rough day, potter?" he asked, as harry turned over to his stomach, folding his
arms and resting his chin on them.

"leave me alone," he ordered bitterly.

"ah, female problems i take it. what happened? she get tired of looking at that
scar?"

"no, she was snogging an old boyfriend in diagon alley."

"i see," the old wizard said, remaining silent for so long, harry thought he had
left. "did she tell you she didn't want to be with you any longer?" he
asked again after several minutes.

"she didn't have to. i saw how she looked at him."

"potter, this is your first love affair, and you don't know how to deal with
females, so let me give you some advice. women like it when their man fights
for them. they want to hear words of endearment and they want commitments that
they can substantiate. men don't care much for words, but women do, they
have to hear them."

"then she'll have to hear them from him. i don't have any for her."

"are you sure about that?"

"positive. besides, she doesn't want to hear them from me, even if i did say
them."

"i see. so i suppose that's not her across the hallway, crying her heart out?
sounds like a very heartbroken young woman, to me. but then again, things
were different in my time. when a man wanted his woman, he'd fight for her. if it
were i, i'd go to her and prove i was a better man. i'd take her in my
arms and kiss her so thoroughly that she wouldn't even remember the other bloke's
name."

"well things are different now," harry said sadly. "i can't fight for something i
never had."

"so sure about that, are you? told you that, did she? at the very least, you
should demand to hear the words, so you know it's over. otherwise, you'll never
know what might have been." phineaus sighed deeply, and then smiled to himself.
"well, i'd better go. dumbledore's trying to get things settled before
school starts day after tomorrow." harry listened as phineaus left the painting,
before turning over to his back. he considered what the old wizard had
told him, hearing ginny's crying echo through his heart.

he didn't' know if he should go to her and comfort her, or if he should find dean
thomas and throttle the daylights out of him. he was angry and hurt, and
he just couldn't make his thoughts work for him. slowly he sat up on his bed,
looking out the window to the dark skies beyond. feeling like this, he'd
rather face voldemort without his wand. what he wouldn't do to have sirius right
now. he needed to talk to him, and ask him what he was supposed to do.
a few minutes passed by, before a soft knock sounded on the door. harry glanced to
it, seeing lupin poke his head around the corner. he carried in a silver
tray with a sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice, setting it on the table between
the two beds, than sat on the edge of ron's.

"you didn't eat much dinner, so i thought i'd bring you a snack." harry was silent
as the two sat there, looking down at their hands.

"i thought she cared for me," harry said, his voice breaking with the emotions
that raked his insides. lupin looked up and smiled.

"she does care for you, harry," he told him gently. "love is a very complicated
thing. it's strong enough to withstand any storm, and yet fragile to the
bitterness of emotionally spoken words. this is new to you harry, and it's new to
ginny too. right now you're both on shaky ground."

"she's had other boyfriends, remus. there's nothing new for her about any of
this."

"that may be, but ginny's never felt love. not real love. she may have had
crushes, but that was different then what she feels for you. i know i'm not an
expert at any of this, but i know when a young girl's heart is breaking. go to
her, harry, talk to her. tell her how you feel. i think right now there's
a lot of miscommunication going on."

"i can't go to her. i have nothing to say to her, that she wants to hear."

"have you ever told her how you feel?" remus looked at the blank expression on his
face. "have you ever asked her how she feels about you?" harry slowly
shook his head no. "then how do you know you haven't anything to say to her, that
she wants to hear?" remus sighed, offer the boy a soft smile "you're
a true potter, harry. you're just like your dad. did you know that your parents
broke up twice before they finally made it down the isle? your dad was
so upset that lily had male friends, that it was a constant fear to him that he
would loose her. he hated it when she would spend late nights in the library
tutoring students, especially if they were boys. they fought over it every time
they got together. he loved her so much that it ate him alive, until he
finally had the courage to tell her his true feelings. after that, sirius and i
swore they were locked at the lips." harry thought about this for several
long minutes, and then looked back at the man across from him.

"you know about the prophecy, don't you?" lupin drew a deep breath, and nodded.
"do you think i have anything to offer her, that she won't end up regretting?"

"take it from a man who has never known what love is, until recently. it's better
to have a few moments together, to treasure forever, than a lifetime of
regrets. sirius told me that, shortly after he buried his wife and baby girl. they
are words i've thought about every day since then." lupin stood up and
stepped toward the door, opening it and looking back at the boy struggling with
his emotions. "you deserve happiness harry, i know it, sirius knew it,
and your parents would want it for you. don't let what may be, stop you from
having what is." lupin left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

harry sat on the bed alone for a long time. the light from the candles burned
down, nearly complete, leaving the room in dim shadows. he sat with his head
resting against the wall, his eyes focusing on the flames of the candles as they
fought to stay lit. he was tired, his head ached and his heart felt numb.
the crying from across the hall had stopped a while ago, leaving the upstairs in
silence. he could hear the creaking to the wind as it blew gently across
the rooftop. the sounds of children playing in a nearby yard echoed up through the
open window to where he sat, unseen by the muggle world.

the door to the room slowly opened, and harry glanced up to see ron peaking his
head through. he smiled awkwardly at his friend, then walked further into
the room. he sat on his bed, watching harry stare at the candles. he wanted to say
something, but he didn't' know what. he had spent most of the evening
in the sitting room with his parents and hermione, while lupin and tonks had gone
out to take watch over the neighborhood. he had eventually talked hermione
into a cup of tea, and they sat at the kitchen table talking in a way they never
had before. he had spent a wonderful evening getting to know his best
friend, feeling guilty for being happy when his sister and his other best friend
were upstairs miserable. he had walked hermione to her bedroom door, and
was delighted and amazed that she had kissed him goodnight. he was even more
surprised, when the simple kiss she started to give him, had deepened and
they found themselves, several breathless minutes later, wrapped in each other's
arms, gasping for air.

"have you talked with ginny?" he asked her, seeing the emotion flicker across his
friend's eyes. harry didn't answer, he just shook his head no. "hermione
checked on her a while ago, and she told hermione that she was miserable. she said
she told dean that she didn't want to be more than friends, because
her heart belonged to you. she said she gave dean that hug and kiss when he told
her, you were a lucky bloke." harry listened to the words, closing his
eyes. he had come to that same conclusion a little while ago, once he sorted out
his feelings and the events of the day. "i know i've been a real prat
about you two, but honestly harry, i think it's great you two are together. i've
never seen either of you so happy before. you belong together."

harry stood up and ran his hand through his hair, walking to the door. he didn't
want to talk to anyone right now, he just wanted to be alone, to think.
he opened the door and glanced back to his friend.

"thanks, ron," he told him gently. "but i really need to be alone for a while." he
left the room and closed the door on his friend, walking to the stairs.
he could hear mr. and mrs. weasley talking in the sitting room, and knew he
couldn't go down there, without having to talk with them. he considered going
to the attic, but after seeing the light and shadows of the twins on the upper
level stairs, he knew he couldn't go there either. with a sigh of reluctance,
he chose to walk to the room across the hall. he opened the door, and stepped in.
the room was pitch black, and he stumbled over furniture as he tried
to make his way to the bed. without hesitation, a light appeared by the bedside,
encasing the room in a soft shimmer. harry blinked several times, before
his eyes could focus again. he looked at the red-eyed face staring back at him,
from under the covers of the bed.

"harry," ginny said softly. 'i didn't know you'd be coming in here. i just wanted
someplace to be alone. hermione wouldn't shut up about her and ron."

"yeah, i know. ron was pretty much the same way," he told her, feeling a twinge of
guilt for not telling her the whole truth.

"if you want to be alone, i can go," ginny said, starting to crawl out from under
the blankets.

"no, it's all right, i can leave." ginny caught harry's eyes with her own, seeing
the tears he'd cried still lingering on his cheeks.

"please, harry, stay. i don't know if i'm ready to talk or not, but i just
realized i don't really want to be alone." harry smiled, walking to the other
side of the bed, and kicking his shoes off, before climbing under the blankets. he
lay there like a stiff board, as ginny rolled over, offering him her
back. he could feel the heat radiating from her, and fought the urge to touch her.
he couldn't help it, he loved her and he felt miserable without her.

"do you still hate me?" she whispered, her voice echoing her heartache, her tears
forcing themselves down her cheeks again, her tone cracking with hidden
sobs.

"i never hated you, ginny, i couldn't even if i wanted to." ginny suddenly rolled
over, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her damp face in his
shoulder and crying openly. harry wrapped his arms around her, soothing her hair
from her face and down her back.

"i'm so sorry, harry," she whispered. trying to pull her emotions under control.

"i'm sorry, i should never have gotten jealous over your friendship with dean. you
are just friends, right?" ginny nodded.

"he's your friend too, harry."

"i know that, but i don't want to snog him in public." ginny stiffened at his
words, hearing the bitterness lingering behind them. she looked up, wiping
her face with her hand.

"i wasn't snogging with him. i just gave him a friendly kiss and hug. there was
nothing more than that."

"i still didn't like it," he told her, reaching up and brushing a few stay tears
from her cheeks.

"now you know how i've always felt, when you and ron and hermione have left me out
of everything. i always thought you and hermione had feelings for each
other. i never would have dreamed it was ron and hermione who were in love."

"hermione is just a friend, ginny, and she's like a sister to you. i love her, but
not the same way i love you." ginny didn't miss the slip of his words.

"you love me?" she whispered. harry swallowed hard, looking into her blood shot
eyes, feeling a pull at his numb heart.

"there's a lot you need to know," he told her, pushing himself up to a sitting
position. he reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "i have
to tell you something, that happened last year." he drew a deep breath, looking
down at his hands resting on the covers. "you know about the prophecy voldemort
wanted."

"it was smashed, and he never got it. nobody ever heard it."

"dumbledore knew about the prophecy, and told me after sirius fell through the
veil." harry took a deep breath. now that he was finally telling someone,
it was as if a damn had broken open, all his emotions and thoughts from all those
long weeks ago flowed to the front of his mind. "the prophecy told of
a baby who would defeat voldemort, but it didn't say it was me. neville longbottom
and i share the same birthday. voldemort made me his defeater, ginny.
he could have chosen neville, but instead he chose me. now i have no choice but to
fight him."

"but you're not alone harry. we're all behind you and we'll fight by your side,
when the time comes." harry shook his head softly, looking back to the blankets.

"i have to face him alone. the prophecy said i have to either kill, or be killed
by him. neither of us can live, unless the other one dies. i don't want
to get involved with you, just to leave you to mourn my death."
"what makes you think you'll die? you're a great wizard harry, you'll defeat him,
and i know it."

"i wish i had your confidence, but the truth is, he'll use those i love the most
to get to me. ginny, you'll be first because i love you more than my own
life. he knows i'll come for you, or avenge you. you're an easy mark for him, and
i can't let that happen."

"harry, i love you, i always have. i know that we were destined to be together,
just like the inscription on your parents wedding rings," she lifted the
chain from around his neck, fingering his mother's wedding rings. "in this life
and the next, we will always be one. i know that in my heart, harry, and
i don't care if i have one day, or a million with you. i will never regret loving
you...and i do love you, harry, with all my heart." harry sighed, knowing
this was wrong, knowing that it was for her best interest for her to forget him,
but he couldn't resist. he reached out, cupping her cheek in his hand,
and leaning in to kiss her. as his lips touched hers, all doubt slipped away, he
didn't care about tomorrow, all he wanted was her and now. he wrapped
his arms around her, as she entwined hers around his neck. he laid her down to the
mattress, his kiss deepening as she opened her mouth, allowing him to
explore the dark recesses beyond.

ginny moaned at the invasion of his tongue, causing the hair on the back of his
neck to stand on end. he pressed his lips against hers harder, his breath
coming in rapid succession. when his lips left hers to travel down her neck, ginny
was certain they were bruised, but she didn't care. she had harry back
in her arms, and that was all she could think about.

harry felt the heat and hormones coming to life, rising to dangerous heights,
forcing himself to pull away from her all too inviting embrace. he looked
at her, clearing his throat, looking at the outline of her delicate body, beneath
the thin, faded pink nightgown, her breast straining against the thin,
faded pink material.

"maybe i should leave, so you can get some sleep."

"please, stay. i don't want you to leave. if i had my way, we'd never leave this
bed again."

"ginny, i don't know if you understand what being in this bed next to you is doing
to me, but i'm not ready for this much right now," he told her, knowing
she was aware of what he meant. "i want to be with you, and i do want...you know,
just not right now. i'm still trying to get used to this whole love thing."

"and what makes you think, i'd let you go that far?" she asked him, her eyes
holding an indignant expression. "i'll tell you when to stop, and if you don't,
i'll conjure up a bucket of ice water and pour it on your head." harry smiled,
leaning his forehead down to hers.

"you might want to sleep with your wand under your pillow," he told her, kissing
the tip of her nose. "you may need that ice water, if i can't stop."

"i have faith in you, harry," she whispered. "you'll stop when i tell you to." she
leaned into his kiss, pulling him down next to her. harry groaned deeply,
feeling the warmth of her breasts straining against the thin material of her
nightgown, as she leaned against him, his arms wrapping around her slender
waist.
"harry relax," she ordered him, sensing his hesitation. "even my brothers have
seen me in my nighty before."

"but i'm not one of your brothers, and my reactions are a lot different than
theirs would be."

"if you don't relax, i'll have no choice but to strip these clothes off and make
you watch." harry chuckled, leaning into her embrace, kissing her neck.

"i wouldn't consider that a threat, if i were you," he told her, capturing her ear
with his teeth. "the idea is far from unappealing." ginny blushed, feeling
his lips travel down her throat to the neck opening of her nightgown. she wanted
more, but she was suddenly afraid of how much more she wanted. sensing
her resistance, harry wrapped her in his warm arms, nuzzling her neck, smelling
the sweet aroma of lilacs and spring in her hair.

"maybe we should just try and get some sleep," he told her gently. "i'm really
tired, anyway." ginny smiled, curling up in his arms and wrapping her legs
with his.

"harry," she began a few minutes later, certain that he had at last reigned in his
hormones, enough to relax. "can i ask you something?"

"sure," he told her, kissing the top of her head.

"are we okay again?" harry chuckled, easing her out of his embrace and reaching in
his pocket, pulling out the small package he had been carrying since
he and ron had left her and hermione alone to try on their robes. he placed the
small package in her slender fingers and watched as she struggled to sit
up. she quickly unwrapped the package and pulled out a small, silver, heart shaped
locket. she opened it and saw a picture of herself on one side and one
of him on the other.

"this is so beautiful," she told him, as he helped her fasten it around her
slender neck, allowing his fingers to trail down her back, feeling each vertebra
in turn.

"i got it for my girlfriend," he told her, seeing the expression cross her face.
"in case you weren't aware, that was a declaration of commitment. you are
mine; you belong to me. is that the kind of commitment that will allow me to punch
the next guy you snog in public?" ginny giggled, wiping the tears for
her eyes.

"you'll look really funny punching yourself in the nose," she teased, curling back
into his embrace again. harry chuckled, fighting the sudden urge to roll
her delicate body, beneath him. "i love you harry potter. and i don't care if you
are the boy who lived, just so long as you're mine." harry kissed the
top her head and hugged her closer to him.

"i'm the boy who lived...for you," he told her, drifting off to sleep with his
heart wrapped securely in her delicate little hands. he was happy, and nothing
would ever make him feel anything else. not even the thought of double potions
with severus snape.

read? review!

author notes: a lot of people have emailed me, wanting passion and emotion between
harry and ginny. i don't think they are ready to go all the way yet,
but don't worry, they will. this is just a major teaser! please continue to r/r

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter eleven

harry opened his eyes, as the warm body next to him stretched, rolling out of his
embrace. he looked down at her and smiled, touching her cheek with his
finger, brushing the long red stands of hair from her face. she was so beautiful,
he just couldn't believe that this was the same little girl, that a few
months ago, had helped him fight the death eaters at the ministry of magic. she
was so brave, so determined, and he was amazed at himself for not seeing
her for the young woman she truly was.

he quietly slipped out of the bed, stepping out of door, closing it behind him. he
felt the pangs of hunger, realizing he hadn't eaten much that night at
dinner. the old clock in the sitting room chimed four times, as harry passed by.
breakfast would be in a few hours, but there was no reason not to have
a snack in the meantime. he stepped to the door to the kitchen, and started to
push it open, but paused as he heard voices. looking in through the small
opening he'd created, he could see the back of arthur weasley, and sitting across
from him was his third eldest son, percy. harry frowned. how was it percy
was here, when last year he had turned his back on his family, taking the side of
cornelius fudge, the minister of magic, over his own parents. harry leaned
closer to the door, to hear the two men, listening intently at the conversation.

"i'm telling you father, the minister is in trouble," percy was saying, as he
sipped his coffee. "his refusal to accept harry's word on voldemort's return,
cost him a great deal of supporters, and now with the situation involving azkaban
prison, has him looking over his shoulder."

"he's proven to be more a politician than a wizard," mr. weasley said. "when he
allowed dolores umbridge to take over hogwart's and put out a warrant on
dumbledore, it proved he cared little for the people who elected him, and more for
the power his title allowed."

"his association with lucius malfoy didn't exactly help his standing either. he
told me yesterday, he's determined to keep his position as minister, regardless
of the cost. he's convinced dumbledore is after his job, and he is still
determined to have dumbledore arrested for treason. he just doesn't know how to
prove it."

"that will be the day. dumbledore arrested for treason, will happen when fudge
turns into a thin man. what news have you about malfoy's whereabouts?"

"nothing, it's as though he simply walked out of azkaban and off the edge of the
world. our guards are still watching malfoy manor, but there has been no
sign of him."

"and our spy inside the manor?"

"i'm afraid that news is worse. we haven't heard from the inside in two days, and
there has been no sign of life. even the house elves have left the manor.
i don't like the feel of this." mr. weasley sat silently across from his son, the
two sipping from their beakers, considering all that they were told.
"i should be going," percy said, setting his cup down. "penelope will be worried."
the younger weasley looked to his father, a sad expression on his stern
features "i wish i could tell mum we've married, and she's going to be a
grandmother next spring." mr. weasley laid his hand across his son's.

"i know this is hard on you, it's hard on all of us, but it has to remain this
way, for now at least. harry's premonitions have laid stones to the completion
of the prophecy, they will lead us to a conclusion to voldemort's terror, and
you'll be back home where you belong. just be patient a little longer, son."

"does mum still hate me?" percy's voice actually shook with emotion, and harry
could see the tears slip down his freckled cheeks.

"she'll understand when the time comes," mr. weasley told him, reaching out and
grasping the younger man's shoulder. "you are doing the order, a great service
and your mum will understand."

"what about the others? will they ever understand that i had to act harshly, in
order to convince fudge i'm loyal to him? will they ever forgive me for
the way i've turned my back on them?"

"percy, you have to listen to me now. i know in my heart, we will all prevail.
you'll be back home soon, and all will be forgotten. we'll have a huge celebration
for you and penelope and the new baby. just be patient a little longer."

"i'm trying father, but it isn't easy. it's hard to hide all this from mum, but
penelope thinks i've lost my mind, refusing to contact the family. she's
still furious with me, that i won't let her owl mum and tell her about us and the
baby."

"just think of the world you're helping to give that baby," mr. weasley said,
standing and walking toward the kitchen fireplace with percy. "he deserves
a free, safe world to grow up in."

"thank god for harry," percy said. "i don't know where we'd be if it wasn't for
him."

"he's a god send, that's for sure. it's a shame he's had to go through so much
alone."

"he's not alone anymore. he's a part of a great family, i should know. there isn't
a day that's gone by, that i haven't regretted accepting this assignment.
i miss you." mr. weasley hugged his son tightly, then handed him the pot of floo
powder.

"you'll be home soon, son. i promise." percy smiled and stepped into the
fireplace, taking the floo powder.

"tell mum...well, make her understand i'll come to my senses soon." percy smiled,
dropping the powder in the fireplace and stating his destination, "percy
weasley flat." green flames surrounded the young man, while harry and mr. weasley
watched him disappear. harry closed the door quietly, leaving mr. weasley
to clean up the kitchen. he hurried up the stairs in silence, returning to the
room where he had been sleeping with ginny, his hunt for a snack no longer
a thought, his mind consumed on what he had heard. harry glanced to the young girl
still asleep in the bed, than sat in the large velvet wingback chair
beside her.
for the past year, percy had been rejecting his family, telling ron to cease being
friends with harry, even returning his christmas presents to his parents,
and all along he was on a mission for the order. he wasn't the family traitor as
they had all thought him to be. harry had a new sort of respect for the
former gryffindor prefect. harry thought back on the past five years. he knew
percy could be pig-headed and stubborn, he was a rule monger, insisting on
going by the book, letter by letter. but harry couldn't believe the way he had
turned against the greatest family in the world, closing his eyes and heart
to them. now he was proving to be more than the hogwart's head boy, he was a hero,
infiltrating and spying on the enemy for the goodness of all wizards,
worldwide.

harry closed his eyes, thinking back on what he had heard. last year percy had
contacted ron telling him it was for the best, to severe all contact with
harry, but then to hear himself being called a "god send" seemed unreal.

a soft moan escaped the delicate lips of the bed's sole occupant, causing harry to
shift his attention to her. how was it possible for him to save the entire
world, when all he wanted to do was be with her? he didn't want to be the savior
of the wizard world; he didn't want people looking at him in awe, pointing
at the scar etching his forehead. he just wanted to be a teenager, he wanted to
laugh and listen to music, and ride his broomstick. he wanted to play quiddich,
and have friends, and never again think of an evil madman out to kill him. why was
this happening to him? why didn't voldemort choose neville longbottom?
why were his parents the ones to die? why couldn't he just be normal?

"harry?" the soft voice sounded from the bed. harry looked up and saw her sitting
up in bed, her tired eyes looking to him. he smiled at her, watching her
rub the sleep from her honey brown eyes.

"i'm right here," he told her, watching as she turned to where he sat. she frowned
at the sight of him looking disheveled and thoughtful from the chair.

"what's the matter? why are you up?" harry's smile increased, as he returned to
her side, crawling in beneath the covers and reaching out for her.

"i couldn't sleep," he told her, kissing her forehead as she wrapped her arms
around his waist.

"what's wrong? have a bad a dream?" harry chuckled, rubbing her shoulders with his
warm hand.

"i could never have a bad dream, with you next to me," he told her, feeling her
blush radiate up her cheeks, as he stared down at her.

"you are so sweet," she said, snuggling closer to his chest. "i don't think i'll
ever grow tired of being with you."

"i hope not. i'm hoping you'll want to be by my side for a very long time to
come."

"only forever, but i can't promise any longer," she whispered with a yawn, as the
two of them curled up beneath the blankets, closing their eyes and falling
into a restful slumber.

morning brought with it, an array of excitement. one day left until the beginning
of school, and the house was bustling with last minute details. tonks
and lupin were eagerly attending to security tactics, while trying not to draw
attention to the way they kept looking at each other. mr. and mrs. weasley
were making plans of how to get to king's cross, where they would see their
children and harry off for another year of school.

harry and ginny were sitting at the kitchen table, discussing their classes, and
making plans on how they were going to fit time in for each other, between
everything else they had to do daily. they were whispering about the many hiding
places harry knew of, their heads close together. ginny blushed bright
red, when harry suggested they could hide out in the tunnels that led to
hogsmeade.

"i take it, you two made up," hermione said, as she and ron entered the room.
harry leaned closer to ginny, kissing her cheek in answer to his friend's
inquiry.

"ewww, gross!" ron exclaimed, taking a seat across from the two. "get a grip will
you? it's really disgusting seeing my kid sister snogging my best friend."

"it could be worse," harry teased, reaching for the glass of pumpkin juice sitting
in front of him. "you could watch your sister snog your worse enemy."

"if she even thinks of snogging malfoy, i'll disown her and kill him."

"like i'd give her a chance," harry mumbled under his breath, glancing up at ginny
who smiled at the comment.

"good morning, good morning," a cheerful voice sounded from the hallway, causing
the room's occupants to turn and see dumbledore, dressed in green and gold
robes, enter the room. the gold moons and stars decorating his robes, moved freely
among the dark green background. his face seemed less stressful, his
eyes holding a happy twinkle, making him appear much younger.

"wonderful to see you albus," mrs. weasley chimed in after everyone bid the old
wizard a good morning. "just in time for breakfast. what would you like?"

"i'll just take some tea, molly, thank you," he answered, setting in the vacant
chair at the head of the table. "so, you four, ready for another year of
school?"

"and how," ron answered. "i'm bloody tired of dusting and cleaning. i'm even
looking forward to potions class and bin's homework assignments."

"that's a miracle," hermione added, watching the young man next to her glare. she
slyly reached over to him, her arm wrapping around his shoulders. "i was
just joking," she told him, kissing him on the cheek, causing the color to rise
from his neck to his hairline. harry and ginny looked at each other and
smiled.

"ewww, gross!" they said in unison. "get a grip." the room exploded in happy
laughter, causing the color ron was experiencing to travel to hermione.

"so, harry, how are you feeling?" dumbledore said after a few moments of light
conversation with the older occupants. harry glanced up to the old wizard,
frowning.

"i'm fine, professor, how are you?" he replied. dumbledore looked down to his
teacup, paying a great deal of attention to the dark liquid.
"any more premonitions?" he asked the boy in turn. the room fell into silence, as
they all turned to harry, who was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"not since the last one, where i saw lucius malfoy killing that woman. why?"
harry's voice was filled with suspicion. he could tell the man had something
on his mind, but the look in his eyes remained calm and clear.

"no reason, harry, just interested."

"professor," ginny began looking at the man at the head of the table. "why hasn't
harry had any more visions? do you think its over, his seeing the future
i mean."

"i don't believe so, miss weasley," the older man answered. "if i am not mistaken,
lord voldemort is biding his time. he'll grow tired soon, and we'll have
harry there to warn us."

"i'm not a bloody fortune teller," harry grumbled.

"no harry, you're not, but you are the one connection we have to him," mr. weasley
told him, placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

"i think too many people are counting on me to defeat voldemort, and i don't think
i can do it." the room was silent, as they looked at the boy, who concentrated
on the empty glass in front of him.

"you're a wise young man, harry," dumbledore began, his tone serious yet
confident. "when the time comes, you'll have the skills and the knowledge you need
to face lord voldemort. and contrary to current beliefs, you will not be alone
when the time comes."

"are you sure about that, professor?" harry looked up at the older man, his eyes
locking with the older, wiser ones of the headmaster.

"i am quite sure, harry." the room was silent for a moment, before the old wizard
cleared his throat. "i nearly forgot, harry, i have something for you."
he reached inside his robes, pulling out the sealed envelope with harry's name on
it, handing it across the table to him. harry looked at the old man with
a frown, then turned the envelope over and slipped the seal open. he pulled out
the letter, feeling a heavy object folded up in the parchment. he unfolded
the letter, his fingers picking up a small gold badge. he looked at the item for a
few brief moments, before turning his attention to the letter. the room
was silent as harry read the words, his eyes widening, a smile crossing his lips.

"well, what's it say?" ron asked, looking at harry eagerly.

"'dear mr. potter,'" he began. " 'this is to inform you the life long band from
flying placed on you by the former acting head of hogwart's school of witchcraft
and wizardry, dolores umbridge, has hereby been lifted. i am further pleased to
inform you that you have been selected as captain of the gryffindor house
quiddich team, this year. congratulations, professor minerva mcgonagall.'"

"wicked!" ron exclaimed, jumping from his seat to read the letter over harry's
shoulder.

"harry that's wonderful!" ginny told him, hugging his neck tightly.

"you must have friends on the board of governors," dumbledore said, standing to
leave. he walked to harry and patted his shoulder, smiling brightly to the
boy. "you've had a year off the broom. think you're up to the task?"

"yes sir, i'm definitely up to it." dumbledore smiled, chuckling softly as he

walked out the door, and out of sight.

"i suppose that means you'll be taking over the seeker's spot again?" ginny said
suddenly aware that she had just lost her place on the team. harry looked
at her and smiled, his fingers stopping his process of pinning his badge to his
jumper.

"don't worry," he told her, kissing her cheek. "i'll always have a spot for you."

"i don't think that's what she was talking about, harry," hermione said, with a
wicked grin. "she wants to stay on the team." ron, harry and ginny all looked
at the serious expression on the young woman's features, jaws open.

"i can't believe she just said that," ron whispered to his friend.

"you need to definitely get a grip on those lips of yours, ron," harry teased.
"you've created a monster."

read? review!

author notes: how's that for a new twist? please r/r, and thank you so much for
your comments, good and bad.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twelve

they stood outside the door, waiting for it to open, the large book of spells in
harry's hand. he and ron were standing, tapping their toes, waiting as
patiently as they could, trying not to make noise. they had to be quiet, or mrs.
weasley would hear them, and right now was not the time to irritate the
woman, who was already beyond her stress limit, having spent the day rushing to
make certain all clothes were washed, mended, pressed and packed.

"hello," ginny said as she opened the door, smiling at her boyfriend and brother.
"what's up?"

"shhh," harry said, glancing behind him. "can we come in for a minute?" he
whispered quietly.

"sure," ginny whispered back, standing aside for them to enter. she watched as the
two stepped through the door, closing it behind them. ron sat on the
edge of hermione's bed, kissing her cheek as he did, while harry waited for ginny
to join them, taking her hand in his.

"what's wrong?" hermione asked the two.

"we don't want mum to hear us," ron told her.

"ron and i were talking about school, and mostly about neville and snape," harry
told them. "you know how snape is always after neville, making him nervous
so he'll mess up?"
"poor neville," ginny said with a soft smile. "he's such a sweet boy, but he's
really rather clumsy. i've always felt sorry for him."

"we need to help him find a girlfriend," hermione said thoughtfully.

"what about luna lovegood?" ginny asked. "she's really quite sweet, and they'd
make a great couple."

"loony luna, are you crazy?" ron asked in surprise. "she's a nutter."

"she's a good friend of mine, and she should be your friend too," ginny argued.
"she helped out a lot at the ministry last year."

"we'll have to think about that later," harry said, putting a halt to the argument
about to ensure between brother and sister. "but that's not what we were
talking about. we thought maybe we could help him out a little, where snape was
concerned."

"short of giving him a nerve transplant, i don't know what we can do," hermione
told them. harry smiled, opening the book he was carrying, and showed them
the page he had found.

"this may be the transplant he needs," harry said, watching as hermione and ginny
read the page.

"courage for the coward," hermione said, reading the words out loud. "harry, this
isn't going to work. you have to have a piece of what the person is afraid
of, in order to complete the spell, and there's no way snape will ever allow us a
piece of him."

"he doesn't have to know," ron said with a bright smile. "he just happens to be
downstairs with mum and dad."

"the spell says anything will work, even hair," harry told them. "look at what
hair did for us, with the polyjuice potion. if we can somehow get a piece
of his hair, we can cast the spell, and save neville an entire year of bullying,
not to mention keep a few extra house points."

"it may just work," ginny said, excited at the idea of helping their friend.

"but how are you going to get it from him?" hermione asked. "he's not exactly
going to just hand us over a lock of hair."

"we've got that figured out," harry said with a smile, then looked to the floor of
the room. "misty? i need you." they stayed quiet for a few moments, then
a soft pop sounded, and misty appeared, her large eyes brimmed with tears.

"misty, what's wrong?" hermione said, crouching down near the little creature.

"harry potter needs misty," she sniffed. "misty has never heard harry potter say
that before. misty is so happy."

"misty, don't cry, i just need to ask you if you'd be willing to help us," harry
felt strangely squirmy in his stomach. he'd never had anyone cry over him
before.

"harry potter, misty will be happy to help."

"it's a little tricky," ron told the house elf. "it involves professor snape."
misty cringed physically at the sound of the man's name.

"misty does not like that professor snape," she said softly. "he scares misty."

"we can't ask her to do it, if he scares her," ginny told them. "it's not right."

"no, i guess it's not. we'll have to find another way," harry answered, thinking
how they would be able to get what was needed.

"what does harry potter want misty to do?" the small squeaky voice asked. harry
showed her the book with the spell they wanted to use.

"we have a friend, named neville longbottom," he explained. "snape really scares
him, and we wanted to help him get through one year in his class."

"he's really mean to neville," hermione said. "he's always taking house points
away from gryffindor, and making neville nervous so he'll make mistakes.
it's not fair."

"that professor snape is a mean wizard," misty said, a determined, angry look on
her face. "misty will help the son of frank and alice longbottom."

"you knew neville's parents?" harry asked, watching the smile cross the little
creature's face.

"yes, very well, sir. mr. longbottom was good friend of mr. potter's. misty liked
him very much, and his wife. they had very good magic they were very kind
to misty. both babies were born on same day, big celebration." misty looked as
though the years had faded away, and she was seeing the past replay itself
before her large green eyes. "very sad times ahead, though. misty was very scared
for both babies." she looked up at harry and blinked. "misty will help
harry potter."

"great, misty," harry said happily.

"all we need you to do, is help us get some of the greasy git's hair," ron told
her.

"can you do it, misty?" ginny asked softly.

"miss ginny is very pretty," misty told her, as a blush crept up her cheeks.
"misty happy harry potter has miss ginny. happy she makes him." with a determined
look, misty raised her head. "misty will get hair." the little house elf snapped
her fingers, vanishing from sight. harry glanced to ginny who was still
blushing, then realized where his house elf had gone.

"come on," he told the others, grabbing ginny's hand, and tossing the book aside.
"we can't let her do this alone." the four hurried down the stairs and
into the kitchen, seeing misty preparing the teakettle. they sat at the table,
quietly. snape turned to them, narrowing his eyes as they sat.

"i hope you have all studied your potions lessons," he told them. "school does
start tomorrow, don't forget."

"how can we forget," ron said, forcing a smile across his face.

"we're looking forward to returning," hermione told him.

"yes, really looking forward to it," ginny added, a soft blush tinting her cheeks.
snape turned his eyes harry and glared at the boy.

"what about you, potter? have you been studying your summer lessons?"

"not only studying them, but actually completing all of the assignments due."

"that will be a surprise," snape growled, ignoring the little house elf who
stepped to his side, carrying the tray of teacups. "for once the famous harry
potter is ready for class? we shall see when the time comes." misty looked up at
the man with an angry glare, and then pretending to trip, spilled the
entire tray of hot teas on the greasy haired man. immediately snape jumped up,
shouting obscenities at the little creature.

"misty is sorry, sir," she said, her tone lacking in sincerity.

"look at what you have done to my robes, you clumsy little bug,"

"lay off her," ron yelled, jumping up and going with harry and the girls to the
little elf's aide.

"it was just an accident," hermione insisted, as misty jumped up on the table.

"misty is sorry sir. please, let misty make better. sit please." snape glared at
the four standing around him, and sat in the chair as mrs. weasley hurried
to get a dry rag. misty snapped her fingers and a large towel appeared in her
hand. she began wiping the wizard's robe, and then smoothed his greasy hair
from his face. once she was certain he was significantly dry, she smiled gently.

"better, sir?" she asked, watching as snape stood and inspected his robes.

"it will do," he snarled, and then turned back to mr. and mrs. weasley. "i'll see
you soon," he told them, turning back to his four future students. "we'll
see you in school." with that said, snape left the room, his dark cape billowing
out behind him.

"misty, you need to learn to be more careful," mrs. weasley scolded.

"easy mum," ron said, looking at the sad expression on the elf's face. "it wasn't
her fault."

"yeah mum, snape had his foot out," ginny insisted.

"misty, go upstairs and wait for me please," harry said and the little creature
disappeared with a snap of her fingers. "i'm sorry mrs. weasley. misty means
well, she just gets nervous around strange people and you have to admit, snape is
pretty strange."

"try and explain how things are to her, will you harry?" mrs. weasley said,
sitting with an exhausted sigh in the chair next to her husband, as he patted
her hand. "we can't have a jittery house elf about."

"yes, ma'am, i will." harry nodded to the others and they all hurried out of the
room.

upstairs, misty sat on ginny's bed, swinging her legs freely. she glanced up as
harry and the others entered the room, a sly smile on her little face.
"did you get it?" harry asked her, watching as she held up a lock of greasy black
hair. "amazing, how did you do that?"

"harry potter wanted misty to help. professor snape will never miss it, sir."

"misty, you are incredible," ginny said, sitting beside her on the bed, and
hugging her to her chest.

"now all we have to do, is make the potion without anyone knowing," hermione said.

"we'll have to do it at hogwart's," harry, said, sitting next to ginny and

wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "we can use myrtle's bathroom again."

"the girl's lavatory? again?" ron complained, sitting on the bed next to hermione.
"well, at least i won't have percy around to hassle me about it." harry
stared at ron for a minute, his memory going back to the conversation he'd heard
the night before.

"you all right?" ginny asked, seeing the distracted expression on his face. harry
smiled, kissing her cheek.

"yeah, fine," he answered, watching as hermione took the hair from misty, and
placed in a small vial from her trunk, placing a stopper in the top. "listen,
this is our last night here, want to do something? maybe play a game, or
something?" ron glanced to hermione and shrugged. ginny giggled, patting misty
on the hand.

"we could always find a deserted closet, and see how long it takes mum to find us
snogging," she teased. ron cleared his throat, a soft blush on his freckled
face.

"i have a better idea," harry told her, kissing her cheek again. "why don't we
leave these two alone, and you and i can find a quiet place to discuss your
idea."

"harry potter is very cute, when he is wanting to be alone with his miss ginny,"
misty said, smiling as she snapped her fingers and disappeared. harry stood
up and held his hand out to ginny, who took and followed him to the door. ron
watched them apprehensively for a moment, before standing up.

"hey, harry, can i talk to you for a minute?" harry looked at his friend and
frowned, then glanced back to ginny.

"wait for me," he told her, as the two boys walked out the room and across the
hall. once inside the room, ron shut the door, and began pacing the floor.
"ron, what's wrong?"

"i have to ask you something, but i'm not sure how."

"just say it. we've been friends too long for you to get tongue tied now."

"okay. have you shagged my sister?" harry gasped, his face turning brighter than
ron's hair. he opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sound
that resembled a squeak. "i know it's none of my business, but i just have to
know." clearing his throat, harry looked at his best friend, nearly falling
to his bed.
"have you and hermione..."

"bloody hell, harry! i think she'd probably hex me a hundred different ways if i
tried."

"so you haven't tried, even a little?" ron blushed, sitting on the bed across from
him.

"i really want to...i mean...she's not the hermione i knew last year, and she's
really..." ron paused, unsure exactly what to say to describe his feelings
for his other best friend.

"do you want to...you know, because she's gorgeous, or because you love her?" ron
looked up and frowned.

"would it be weird if i said both?" harry smiled, shaking his head.

"i feel the same about ginny," he told him. "but i don't really think i'm ready
for that just yet. i mean, when she's in my arms, all i can think about
is her. if she wanted to, if she tried or suggested...i wouldn't be able to say
no. it's getting really hard to keep that distance between us, but when
we're not together i know it's right not to, well, just yet anyways."

"i feel the same about hermione, but i'm having a really hard time keeping
control. i thought she was going to break my neck last night, after you left.
i went to talk to her, and we sort of started a heck of heavy snogging fest, and i
sort of touched her...where i probably shouldn't have. she went mental.
do you know she actually slugged me? she didn't slap me like she did with malfoy,
she slugged me. i thought she broke my jaw. i had to use a healing spell,
before mum found out. i thought for sure it was over between us, but then this
morning, she met me in the hall and kissed me like nothing happened. i'm
really confused."

"i think we're supposed to be. it's a weird thing called love."

"do you think we'll ever...you know? i mean, i heard the patil sisters comparing
notes last year during divinations. did you know they've both done it?
i couldn't believe it."

"i can," harry said, both of them falling into silence.

"do you still care for cho?" ron asked, looking up at his friend again.

"not like i do for ginny. cho is just a friend; i don't think she could have ever
been anything else. she was really have a hard time dealing with cedric's
death, last year. she was really annoying when she cried, and she did that a lot."

"do you think her and cedric..."

"i don't know. probably. they were going together for a while before he died, and
filch was always catching them snogging. if they felt the way we do, it
had to have happened, at least once."

"want to hear something really weird, especially coming from me?" ron asked, a
blush tinting his face again. "i'm in love with hermione. i don't just love
her; i'm totally lost in her. i can't think without thinking about her. pretty
mental, huh?"
"i think it's great. you two have been moaning over each other for so long, i'm
surprised it didn't happen a long time ago."

"you're not going to do anything to hurt ginny, are you? i mean she is my sister,
and you're my best friend. i don't want to have to kill you." harry chuckled.

"if i even think about hurting her, you won't get a chance to kill me. i'll do it
myself."

"i guess if anything more happens between you two, you will make it right by her,
won't you?" it was harry's turn to blush.

"i promise, i'll make an honorable woman of her. and hermione..."

"don't worry, we'll make it a double ceremony," ron smiled. "that way we'll have
each other to force down the isle."

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who has read, and keeps reading my story. to
those who are still wanting harry and ginny to go all the way, all i can
say, is patience please. let's at least get them back in school!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter thirteen

morning brought with it the usual rush of excitement, always associated with the
end of the summer. mrs. weasley was rushing to find everyone's toothbrushes,
hairbrushes, socks, scarves, and school bags. shoes were assembled in the kitchen,
while matches were being looked for among the other rooms and closets.
misty had already packed harry's trunk, leaving him the only one capable of
stringing together more than two sentences, that didn't begin or end with "where
did you put it?"

harry was sitting at the kitchen table listening to ron's complaints about mrs.
weasley going mental, a glass of milk in front of him, and the daily prophet
in his hands. he was trying to concentrate on the quiddich scores, while ron
ranted. hermione and ginny were upstairs trying to help mrs. weasley find
the last minute items, before they left for train station. the twins had arrived
shortly after seven that morning, bringing with them an assortment of
treats and pastries, knowing how their mother was the last day of summer. they
were sitting at the table with ron and harry, trying to read over harry's
shoulder, while the listened to ron's complaints.

"well, you're mother is nearly ready," mr. weasley said, joining the boys. he
looked worn out and tired, not surprising, since mrs. weasley had the man
chasing about the house all morning in search for mislaid items.

"mum won't be ready, until christmas," george complained, pouring more coffee for
himself, and a cup for his father.

"she's been this way every year since i can remember," fred told them, a smile on
his face. "even with bill and charlie, she was a nutter the last day of
summer."

"your mother just wants to make certain everything is packed, and goes well. it's
just her way," mr. weasley insisted, knowing his boy's were right.

"hey, look at this," harry said, turning the page of the paper. "malfoy manor
seized by ministry officials" he read aloud.

"what?" george exclaimed, looking over harry's shoulder again.

"it's impossible," ron said, leaning closer to his friend.

"that's what it says," harry insisted, reading the article.

"ministry officials seized the property of lucius malfoy, friday by order of the
minister of magic, cornelius fudge. ministry insiders stated that there
has been no sighting of malfoy, since his escape from azkaban prison, in late
july. as you may remember, lucius malfoy was among those captured death eaters
arrested earlier this year, after breaking into the ministry of magic, assuring
the wizarding world that he-who-must-not-be-named had indeed returned to
power. harry potter stated in an exclusive interview with the daily prophet, that
he had been warning the ministry of the return of the dark lord, but
it was cornelius fudge who insisted it was impossible. with the support of albus
dumbledore, headmaster of hogwart's, harry potter and several unknown
members of a club curiously called the d.a. (short for defense association) were
able to trap and secure the arrest of malfoy and his cohorts. after the
outcome of the events at the ministry of magic, minister fudge has lost a great
deal of supporters who had at first agreed with him on the unlikelihood
of the dark lord's return. since the escape of the death eaters from azkaban
prison, many members of the wizarding community are now demanding the removal
of the ministry of magic. according to one ministry insider, it is speculated that
albus dumbledore is in line for the position, if fudge is impeached
from office. this news has been met with a great deal of enthusiasm. keep reading
for further updates on this story."

"unknown members?" ron snorted. "and where do they get off calling the d.a. the
defense association?"

"i can't believe fudge is being booted out," fred said.

"serves him right," george insisted. "remember how he refused to pay up on all
those bets, after the world cup? should have known then, that he was no good."

"do you really think dumbledore will accept the position of minister of magic?"
harry asked, looking to mr. weasley. "what about hogwart's? who would take
over as headmaster?"

"probably mcgonagall," ron said, interrupting his father from answering.

"could be snape," fred said with a grin.

"bite your tongue," ron snapped bitterly. "if snape becomes headmaster, i'm
dropping out of school."

"calm down, all of you," mr. weasley insisted. "it's true, fudge has lost a lot of
support, and there are some very influential wizards demanding he step
down from his post, but i doubt dumbledore will accept the position. he has said,
for a great number of years, that he doesn't want the job. every time
there's a new minister, the daily prophet insists that dumbledore will be the next
minister of magic, and when it doesn't happen, they claim to have known
all along, that he didn't want to leave his position at hogwart's."
"the article really didn't say much about malfoy," harry said as he reread the
words again. "it didn't mention anything about mrs. malfoy or draco malfoy.
where were they at?"

"draco malfoy has been under the custody of his godfather for a number of weeks
now," mr. weasley began, glancing down at the table. "his mother disappeared
several weeks ago, and hasn't been seen since."

"that's what he meant," harry said softly.

"what who meant?" ron asked, causing harry to look up, realizing he had spoken his
thoughts aloud. he glanced around the table, trying to find the right
excuse, but was saved having to think of one with the arrival of the girls and
mrs. weasley.

"what are you all just sitting around for?" argued mrs. weasley. "get a move on,
or you'll be late. we have to be leaving in a few minutes. arthur, go contact
remus and moody. we can't go until they get here, and we're running out of time."

"calm down molly," lupin said, entering the room beside moody. "we have everything
under control."

"well it's about time," mrs. weasley argued.

"relax mum, or you'll have an stroke," george teased.

"besides, the hogwart's express doesn't leave for another two hours. we'll get
there on time," fred insisted.

"you two going back to school, then?" ron teased, his mouth full of the muffins
sitting in the center of the table.

"not a chance," george said.

"why would we go back to school, when we're practically millionaires?" fred asked.

"that reminds me," mrs. weasley began. "ronald weasley, how much money did you
take out of the account at gringott's?"

"i promise, i didn't take any more than i was told to," ron answered, hoping he
didn't sound as guilty as he felt.

"that's it exactly," mrs. weasley with a narrowing of her eyes. "i received an
account balance from gringott's and there was nothing taken out, as you were
told. where did you get the money for those books, and how did you afford new
robes?"

"i...um...it was just..." ron stammered, his face turning bright red.

"give him a break, mum," fred said. "we gave ron the money for this year's
supplies."

"you did what?" mrs. weasley gasped.

"i thought we already told you boys, we didn't need your help?" mr. weasley
scolded.
"you won't let us pay rent, you won't let us help with the solicitors, and we have
the money to help out," george argued.

"we're not percy," fred insisted. "we have no intention of watching our parents
struggle, when we can help out."

"why don't you discuss this later," lupin interrupted, looking at the expression
on the four older weasleys. "you said it yourself, molly, we're running
late."

"and that distraction spell we placed on the neighbors will only last a little
while," moody insisted. "why don't you two go get the girls, so we can leave."

harry and ron jumped up from the table, hurrying out of the room, hearing mrs.
weasley scolding the twins for spending their money on items that was the
parents' responsibility.

"i hope mum lets fred and george live until after christmas," ron told harry as
they hurried up the stairs.

"why?" harry turned a frown to his friend.

"because, i'm asking them for a new wizard chess set, and a new broom. maybe i can
get a firebolt too."

"you're too much ron," harry chuckled.

"why? they've got it don't they? and besides, after all the years of torment they
put me through, i think i deserve a little retribution."

harry and ron met the girls upstairs, as they were heading out of their room,
dragging their trunks behind them. the boys hurried into their own room, securing
their trunks and carried them out to join the girls. harry nearly fell over misty
as she popped into the hall in front of him. he dropped his trunk to
the floor, smashing it to his toes and cursed loudly at the pain that radiated up
his foot. he looked down at the little elf, his eyes filled with a mixture
of anger and shock.

"misty is sorry harry potter," the house elf said in a small voice.

"you nearly killed us both," harry scolded, holding his throbbing foot in his
hand, leaning against the doorframe to his room. misty looked fearful for
a moment.

"misty is so sorry, sir," she answered, a slight quiver in her voice. "misty just
wanted to tell harry potter that she would see him at hogwart's."

"what? you're going to hogwart's? why?" harry felt guilty at the tone of his
voice, but the pain and shock still lingered in his words.

"misty must take care of harry potter," answered the small voice. "misty will stay
out of the way. harry potter will never know she is there."

"you can't go with me, misty," harry told her, his tone softening as he saw the
sad look in her big green eyes.

"harry potter does not want misty?"

"it's not that," he began, kneeling down to her and placing a warm hand on her
shoulder. "i do want you with me, and we'll be together again soon, i promise.
it's just that...mrs. weasley could really use your help here." he knew the woman
could manage on her own, as she always had, but he had to find an excuse
to make her stay behind.

"yeah," ron said, seeing the look in harry's eyes as he searched for help. "mum
isn't really that organized, and she's kind of scatter-brained, you know,
she looses things a lot. she could really use help, right ginny?"

"huh? oh, yeah right," the girl chimed in. "especially with the order and all. she
could use help keeping the place clean and fixing the meals, and stuff."

"misty, you don't know how much help mrs. weasley really needs," hermione added,
kneeling down beside her. "she's a wonderful lady, but she's not as young
as she used to be."

"misty is not needed with harry potter?" the elf asked shyly.

"there are a lot of house elves at hogwart's already," harry assured her. "i'm
sure there's always room for more, but you're much more needed here. will
you stay here, and help mrs. weasley? please?" misty looked at the four
suspiciously, and then smiled.

"misty likes to be helpful, sir," she told them. "if mrs. weasley needs misty's
help, she will be happy to stay here. but harry potter must promise to be
careful. misty will be very sad if harry potter gets hurt, and she's not there to
make it better for him."

"i promise to be careful, misty, and i'll write you every chance i get." harry
hugged the little elf, and stood up, watching her dry a tear before smiling
and disappearing.

"bloody hell," ron grumbled softly. "the things we have to do, just to go back to
school."

lupin and moody led the way in kings cross, as mr. weasley and the twins lead up
the rear. mrs. weasley walked next to harry and ginny, with ron and hermione
on the other side of her. harry knew from the way she walked with her hands in her
pockets, she had hold of her wand. he felt strange, knowing how much
these people were putting on the line, in order to protect him.

they came to the wall entrance of platform 9 ?, stopping and looking around
casually. lupin and moody leaned against the bricks nonchalantly, quickly
disappearing
through them to the other side. next were ron and hermione, followed by harry and
ginny. behind them were mrs. weasley, mr. weasley, and the twins. harry
looked around the platform, seeing a number of students he recognized from the
past years at school, as well as a large number of first years, all bidding
their parents good-bye, many tearfully hugging and a couple of them begging the
adults who were pushing them into the train, not to send them.

"now hurry up you four," mrs. weasley was saying, as mr. weasley, fred and george
loaded the trunks and cages f animals onto the train, to await their owners.
"be sure to stay together, and be very careful."

"blimey, mum," ron complained. "we're not babies, you know? we've done this every
year for the past five years. i think we can get on the train, by ourselves."
"don't give me any lip, ronald weasley," his mother insisted. "and harry dear,
please try and stay out of trouble."

"i never try to get into trouble, mrs. weasley," harry assured her. "trouble just
sort of finds me."

"don't worry mum," ginny assured the woman, as she squeezed harry's hand. "i'll
keep him out of trouble."

"you're one to the things, i want him to stay out of trouble with," mrs. weasley
insisted, hugging her daughter, then ron, and finally hermione and harry.

"remember harry, if you need us, just owl," lupin told him, placing a strong hand
on his shoulder.

"and keep your eyes and ears open," moody insisted.

"be sure and let dumbledore know of any more dreams," mr. weasley insisted,
shaking his hand.

"don't worry, i will." harry promised.

"hey harry," fred said hurrying up to his side. "have a good year, and tell filch
we said hello." harry frowned, as george crowded closer to his side, pulling
his hand it out of sight of their mother, as he slipped a brown wrapped package
into it.

"yeah, tell old snape hello for us too," george said with a wink. harry nodded,
hiding the package behind his back.

"come on," ron complained, seeing the way several of the students stared at them
as they passed by. "lets get a compartment, before we get stuck sharing
with crabbe and goyle."

ron lead the way into the train, pulling his trunk and holding pigwidgeon's cage,
followed by hermione, who carried crookshanks, and harry and ginny, who
carried along hedwig and their trunks. they found an empty compartment and piled
in, lifting their trunks to the luggage racks and putting the cages with
the birds on top. hermione let crookshanks out of his cage, and then sat next to
ron. harry looked out the window as he sat down, remembering what it was
like last year at this time. he remembered the large black dog lumbering beside
the train as it sped away, and felt a pang of grief strike through him.

"you all right?" ginny asked him, wrapping her arm through his.

"i just realized, how much i missed sirius," he said sadly. "i wish i could have
told him how i felt."

"he knew, harry," ginny said softly. "he loved you like a son, and he knew you
felt towards him as a father. he didn't miss out on any of that, just because
you never used words." harry smiled, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"have i told you lately, how great i think you are?" ginny blushed, lowering her
eyes.

"yes, but i won't argue if you want to tell me again." harry chuckled, wrapping
her in his arms, and hugging her tightly.
"get a grip," ron complained, his face distorted in a grimace.

"i have one ron," harry smiled. "a firm one, on your sister."

"ugh... that's so gross," ron complained, slouching in his seat.

"depends on who's on the receiving end," hermione told him, a sly smile crossing
her face. ron blushed deeply, glaring at harry and ginny who laughed at
his sudden predicament.

"hey, what was that the twins gave you?" ron asked, seeing the package harry had
laid on the seat next to him. harry lifted the package and pulled apart
the strings that held it closed. he unrolled it, exposing the contents to the
other three.

inside was an assortment of their newest creations, weasley wicked whistlers,

ginny gum drops, wicked squirters, and musical maladies for every occasion.
there was also several of the old stand bys, dungbombs, wild-fire whiz-bangs,
canary creams, fainting fancy, and fever fudge.

"you had best not try those out on filch or snape," hermione warned, a look of
disapproval on her stern face.

"lighten up, 'mione," ron scolded with a wicked smirk on his freckled face. "these
may come in handy."

"how, may i ask, ronald weasley?"

"if we ever need a break from the ordinary, we can use these," ron said lifting
the musical maladies for every occasion, "and while the teachers are trying
to find out who's suffering the unique flatulence, we can sneak into a closet and
snog."

"you're impossible," hermione snarled, leaning back into her seat and folding her
arms across her chest.

"oh, come on 'mione," ron said pleadingly. "i was just kidding, don't go getting
all sour with me. i didn't mean it."

"i should certainly hope you did not mean it," she told him, a look of warning in
her honey brown eyes. "are you forgetting we're prefects? we have a standard
to uphold."

"i remember, and i was only kidding. gees, if you can't take a break once in
awhile, then this is going to be a really long year." harry and ginny smiled
at each other, as the package was folded up again and rewrapped. harry stood up,
placed the tricks in his trunk, and then sat back beside ginny, taking
her hand in his again.

"well, i don't know about you two," ginny began sternly. "but i have my first
o.w.ls to study for this year, and i intend to spend a lot of time with my
nose in a book." harry looked at her with disbelief. "but, i'm always up for study
breaks," she told him, leaning against his shoulder. "say, in the astronomy
tower, after dark?"

"hey, wait up there," ron said, stopping harry from kissing her. "the astronomy
tower is used for...well, couples use it for...well, it's not called the
deflower tower, for nothing you know."

"and how would you know about that?" hermione asked him, watching the blush creep
up from his neck to his hairline.

"i heard the patil sisters talking about it," ron told her, then gasped.
"hermione, i have never...i mean, i'd never try...you don't think i...bloody
hell!"

"i think we should have a long talk, when we get back to school, ronald weasley,"
hermione said, huffing slightly, a look so stern she could have rivaled
mcgonagall.

the four of them spent the next couple of hours talking and playing exploding
snaps, until the lunch cart came around. mrs. weasley had made sandwiches
of pork back bacon and cheese, porkpies and twiglets. but once the aromas from the
sweets the lunch cart carried, they forgot about the nutritious foods,
and chose instead a large supply of fruit filled pastry cakes, chocolate mini
rolls, raspberry sponge cakes, assorted battenbergs, fruit tarts and jammie
dodgers. harry and ron insisted on their usual treats, chocolate frogs, bertie
botts every flavor bean, assorted toffees, and licorice. they ate their
treats with happy conversation, until hermione noted the time.

"we have to go to the prefects meeting, ron," she told him, standing and
retrieving her cloak from her trunk. ron wiped his chocolate stained fingers on
his pants, and then scavenged around his trunk for his own robes.

"we'll be back soon," hermione promised, taking ron's hand and heading out the
door, leaving harry and ginny alone inside.

"i'm glad was have a chance to be alone," ginny told him, leaning across the seat
and kissing his cheek. "i can't believe this may be the last chance we
have, to be together, until christmas break."

"we'll find convenient times to be together," he promised her, wrapping her in his
warm embrace. "remember, you were the one to suggest study breaks."

"maybe a reward for us both?" ginny asked, tilting her head backwards, as harry
began planting warm kisses along her jaw line and throat.

"i may actually study, if i know what kind of reward i have awaiting me."

"harry, i have to ask you something," ginny pulled slightly away from him, looking
at his chest. "you heard what ron said about the astronomy tower, right?"

"yeah, so?"

"i know you said you weren't ready for that much...but if you want to...i mean
when you are ready...will you consider me?" harry looked at her deeply, lifting
her chin in his hand and smiling.

"you're the only one i ever will want to do that with," he promised.

"when?" she asked. harry sighed deeply.

"are you saying you're ready?" ginny blushed deeply, lowering her eyes from his.

"i think i've been ready since i gave you, your birthday present." harry leaned
back in the corner of the seat, his hands still holding her around the waist,
his face stern with thought. several tense moments passed, before he spoke to her
again.

"when the time comes, ginny," he began. "and it will come, i promise, i don't want
it to be in the astronomy tower. i want it to be special, for both of
us. until you came into my life, i never really took the time to think about that
side of growing up, or dating. now that i have you, i find it difficult
not to think about it."

"i won't lie to you, harry," she said, her tone soft, barely above a whisper. "i
want you to make love to me. i know i'm younger than you, but that doesn't
mean i don't know what i want." harry smiled at her, running his finger along her
cheek, down her throat to the opening of her shirt.

"i know what i want too," he told her gently. "i want to make love to you, ginny,
but i don't know when. it's hard for me to deal with all these emotions,
right now. i've never had anyone care for me, and i've never dreamt i'd ever feel
like this about another person. when i'm with you, i feel alive in a
way i've never known. you make me think that there may be another day for me. i
actually believe it's possible for me to defeat voldemort. i have never
imagined myself succeeding before."

"of course you can defeat him," she told him sternly. "nobody else has the powers
you do."

"if you would have told me that four months ago, i wouldn't have believed it. now
i do." ginny leaned into him, kissing his lips with her own. harry reached
forward, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her down as he lay on the seat
beside her. he leaned over her, his kisses deepening, his tongue easing
its way into her mouth, tasting the sweet remains of their lunch. harry moaned
deeply, as she reached up, slipping her hands beneath his jumper. her hands
against his bare skin felt like fire, and he could barely contain his desires. his
lips left hers, causing her to groan her regret, followed by a gasp,
as he kissed his way down her throat, to the opening of her shirt. she felt like
she was going to explode in a ball of flames, as his tongue licked a path
between her breasts, back up her chest, to her neck, and finally tracing the
contours of her ear. she shifted her position slightly, allowing him to place
one long leg between hers, as he lay partly on her and partly on the seat.

"we can't do this," he told her reluctantly, his hands finding their way inside
her shirt, resting just below her breast. "there are consequences to consider,
ginny. things i don't know if you've thought about."

"i love you, harry," she told him, her tone husky and deep. "what more is there to
consider?"

"what if we do this, and you become...what if there's a...baby?" ginny opened her
eyes, realizing the possible outcome in a way she had never thought of.
harry rose above her, his eyes filled with passion, as he looked at her, seeing
how deeply his words were making an impact.

"i never thought about that," she told him. harry smiled, kissing the tip of her
nose, then her lips.

"i didn't think you had," he told her a moment later.

"we'll just have to be careful," she told him.

"careful and preventative planning, before this happens." harry smiled at her,
lying next to her on the seat. "i won't do this, until we've thought through
all the possibilities. we have to take precautions, ginny. until we do, there's no
way i'll go any further."

"if we can find a way to do this without accidents?" she asked, her voice filled
with hopefulness.

"there won't be anything left to stand in our way," he assured her, as she curled
up in his arms, pressing her back against his chest, as he wrapped her
in his warm embrace.

"then i'll look for a spell, or a charm, or something."

"just, promise me, you won't want our first time to be in a closet or the
astronomy tower?"

"how about on a cloud, in the middle of a star filled night, high above the
world?" harry chuckled, as he pulled her against him tighter, before whispering
his reply.

"it's a date."

read? review!

author notes: sorry, but another teaser is always nice. it's about time harry and
ginny openly discussed what they wanted, don't you think. please keep
r/r, i love hearing from all of you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter fourteen

harry felt his shoulder being shaken, waking him from his sweet slumber. he felt
ginny stir awake next to him, and they looked up to see hermione and ron
standing over them.

"get up, you two," ron told them, sitting across from them in the opposite seat.
"we have great news."

"what?" harry asked, rubbing his eyes and looking down to ginny, watching her
stretch.

"you'll never believe who wasn't at the prefect meeting," ron said, his face
lighting up with excitement.

"who?" ginny asked, as she and harry sat up on the seat. harry wrapped his arms
around her, pulling her into his chest, as he leaned in the corner of the
compartment.

"malfoy!" ron's voice was filled with glee. "he's not even on the train."

"he's not?" ginny asked with a frown.

"maybe he's dropped out of school," ron exclaimed, picking up a handful of

chocolate frogs and stuffing them in his mouth. "that would be the start of a
perfect year, no more malfoy."

"i doubt that's happened, ron," harry said, frowning at his friend. "remember what
your dad said, malfoy's been staying with his godfather? he's probably
just taken another way to school."

"i can hope, can't i?" ron said bitterly.

"i wonder if his father's escape has him being watched by the ministry," hermione
asked, smoothing the invisible wrinkles from her robes.

"it would make sense," ginny added. "his father would try and make contact somehow
with his wife and son."

"harry, what's wrong?" hermione asked, seeing the distant look on her best
friend's face. harry looked up, seeing all three of them staring at him.

"i heard mr. weasley and...a member of the order talking, the other night," he
told them. "they said they had lost contact with their spy inside malfoy
manor, and that there had been no sign of life for days."

"do you think they found the spy?" ginny asked.

"wouldn't put it past ferret-face to have done away with him," ron commented.

"i wonder if that's when mrs. malfoy came up missing," harry said softly.

"what are you talking about?" ron asked around the chocolate frogs.

"don't you remember your dad saying that mrs. malfoy had disappeared, and there
was no sign of her in weeks?" harry asked.

"maybe lucius malfoy managed to contact her, and they are in hiding somewhere
together," ron said, with a shrug of his shoulders

"i can't believe that," hermione commented. "the order would have every possible
avenue covered, the floo network, charms and spells on the house to detect
any comings and goings, and the spy inside would have seen or heard anything, and
reported it."

"what if they found out they were being watched?" ginny asked. "they could have
found another way out of the manor, look at all the secret passages at hogwart's.
surely, someone like lucius malfoy would have at least a dozen ways to get into
his house, if he wanted to."

"i don't know about any of that," ron said again. "i'm just hoping draco malfoy is
too ashamed of his father, to show his face around school. i can't imagine
someone like him, having a godfather, anyways. who would want the job?"

"another death eater, no doubt," ginny said.

"well, we'll find out soon enough, when we get back to school," harry said,
pulling ginny against him tighter. "i just want to spend the rest of the trip
with my girl, and not think about the malfoys."

"your girl?" ron croaked, staring at the two.

"what's wrong with that?" ginny asked. "we've been together practically the whole
summer."

"yeah, but i didn't know it was that serious," her brother told her.

"he's right you know," harry said suddenly, looking at the red head in his arms.
"we've talked about a lot of things, but i've never gotten around to asking
you, if you wanted to be my girl."

"so what do you think we should do about it?" ginny asked, a shy smile crossing
her lips. harry turned her around in his arms, holding her close, ignoring
the disgusted look on ron's face.

"i guess maybe i should ask you to be mine," he said with a tinkle in his eyes.
"that is, if you want me to?"

"i guess there's worse things in life," she told him with a smile.

"you two are gross," ron grumbled.

"hey, harry, did you bring that advanced spell book with you?" hermione asked,
hoping to change the subject.

"yeah, why?"

"wasn't there a spell in there, to ward off the killing curse?" harry frowned. he
had read so many spells, charms, hexes and curses; he couldn't remember
all of them.

"i think there was mention of it, but i can't recall. why do you ask?"

"if there was a way to avoid the killing curse's effects, why wouldn't it be
public knowledge?"

"maybe it doesn't really work," ron said.

"or maybe it's just too hard for the average wizard, like the
patronus charm
," ginny added.

"if it was easy, it wouldn't have been in the advanced book of dark arts and
forbidden curses," harry told them. "some of those spells were really
complicated."

"why are you so concerned about the killing curse?" ron asked the girl next to
him.

"i'm just thinking of ways harry can protect himself, when he confronts you-know-
who," hermione said. "you know he's going to try and use the curse on harry,
so it's only logical to learn all we can about the curse, and find ways to protect
against it."

"just like you, hermione," ron grumbled, reaching for another box of bertie botts
every flavor bean. "even when there's no homework to be done, you find
something to study."

"and what's wrong with that, ronald weasley?" hermione asked, bitterly. "my
studying has saved your arse a number of times."
"i didn't mean anything by it," ron told her, his face suddenly filled with shock.

"then why did you mention it?"

"i was just joking, honest. i didn't mean to upset you."

"there's a lot more to me, then books and lessons, you know?" hermione stood up
and walked out the door, closing it behind her. ron looked at the empty
space where she had just been, then looked back to harry and ginny.

"now what do i do?" he asked them.

"if it were me, and it was my girl, i'd go after her," harry told him. ron stood
up and rushed to the door, pulling it open behind him.

"do you think they will ever get all their problems under control?" ginny asked.

"i think the arguing is what makes them attracted to each other," harry said with
a smile.

nightfall brought with it the thunder and lighting of a typical scotland summer's
night. the drizzling rain beat against the windowpanes, as the train pulled
into hogsmeade station. harry and ginny had already changed into their uniforms
and robes, when ron and hermione joined them. they were talking again,
harry noted, but there was still a tense undertone in their words. ron spent a
great deal of the time flattering hermione, helping her round up crookshanks,
who had snuck out of the compartment shortly after they boarded the train, and had
yet to return. he helped her gather up her books she had brought out
to study, and even pulled her trunk down and helped her repack her belongings.
harry and ginny smiled at each other, knowing he was in the preverbal doghouse,
and was trying to rectify the situation.

the train huffed and puffed, as the students disembarked, looking around the dark
night for friends from the previous year. harry looked to the end of the
platform, seeing the lumbering frame of hagrid, holding the large lantern, calling
to the first years. harry smiled, waving a friendly greeting to the
large man, as he, ginny, ron and hermione found an empty coach to take them to the
castle. they had just climbed in, when the door opened again, revealing
the far off, mystical expression of luna lovegood and the eager smile of neville
longbottom.

"hey guys," neville said. "can we join you?" harry was happy to see the two,
having gone through so much last year, he was afraid they would have chosen
not to return to school.

"come on in," hermione said, scooting closer to ron to give them room. ron smiled
brightly, as she pushed up tightly against his side, blushing brightly
when her hand settled on his knee briefly.

"how was your summer?" luna asked, her eyes revealing the almost trance like
gleam.

"very good," harry said, smiling at ginny, who blushed softly. "how was yours?"

"all right," she said, sitting next to ginny as neville sat across from her. "my
father and i went to australia to find the clabbert. my father's magazine
was doing a feature on them, and he wanted to investigate their natural habitat."
"what's the clabbert?" ron asked, glancing around the small carriage as it began
bouncing toward the school.

"the clabbert," hermione began, in her usual bookish tone. "is an arboreal
creature, which resembles a cross between a monkey and a frog. it has smooth
mottled green skin, short horns and a wide grinning mouth. it has long arms with
webbed hands and feet that allow it to move easily through the trees.
it also has a large pustule on its forehead, which flashes red when it senses the
approach of danger and muggles."

"gross," ron complained with a sour look on his face.

"they are also highly intelligent, and clairvoyant," luna added, receiving a
disapproving look from hermione, who silently rolled her eyes. "it is said
the clabbert can predict the future."

"that's rubbish," hermione said, folding her hands across her chest. "the clabbert
is not clairvoyant and can not predict anything more than an immediate
threat of danger."

"you should have read the quibbler, this past august," luna said, her tone filled
with her usual mysterious tone. "you would have known the truth about
the clabbert." hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by harry, who
saw the impending argument about to erupt.

"so, neville," harry said, quickly. "how was your summer? do anything fun?"

"my grandmother and i went to the south american rainforest, and found some really
fascinating plants," he said with an unusual amount of excitement. "we
found the asphodel plant, and monkshood."

"sounds like you had a wonderful holiday," ginny said smiling. they all knew how
much neville loved plants, and seeing him excited was a rare and unusual
occurrence.

"it was," he replied. "i was able to get several new specimens, i'm anxious to
show professor sprout."

"how was your summer, harry?" luna asked, glancing up over her glasses. harry
smiled, glancing sideways to ginny again.

"i had a marvelous summer," he told her, grasping the red head's hand in his. "we
spent the entire summer just sort of being lazy and doing nothing much."
luna stared at the young couple for a moment, an odd expression on her face, then
lowered her eyes and stared at her hands.

"i don't know about all of you," neville said, "but i'm glad to be back at school.
things are really kind of weird, with news of lord vol...vol...you know.
my gram was pretty upset when she found out about what happened at the ministry.
she said i was acting just like my parents." harry saw the proud expression
cross his young friend's face. he supposed it was the first time in the boy's
life, that he had ever been accused of being as brave as his auror parents.

"i don't think i've ever thanked all of you, for what you did last year," harry
said, squeezing ginny's hand. "i know when the time comes, it has to be
me against voldemort, but it's good to know i have such great friends to help
until then."
"we'll never be far away," ginny promised, kissing harry's cheek.

"you should know by now mate," ron began. "you'll never get away from us. we're
your shadows."

"and with the d.a., you'll have even more support when the time comes," hermione
promised.

"thanks, all of you," harry said again.

the rest of the trip to the school was uneventful, and nearly silent, with only
the soft rustling of the wind to keep them from drifting too far into their
own thoughts. once the carriages stopped in front of the large stone steps of the
main entrance, the excitement of being back to school filtered into them,
and they jumped to the rain soaked grass. they gathered their trunks, animals and
pulled their cloaks around them tighter, hurrying up the steps to the
large doors. once inside, the trunks were put aside, pig's and hedwig's cages sat
on top along with crookshanks, as the six of them hurried into the great
hall.

the ceiling was magically transformed to resemble the outside sky, and harry
looked up to see the lightening streak above his head. the large house tables
were lined with golden plates and goblets, with the promise of a large feast to
come. ron's stomach growled loudly next to him, and harry smiled while
ron blushed. they hurried to their table, saying good-bye to luna and sat down;
harry and ginny on one side, ron and hermione and neville on the other.
the massive head table stood empty, the chairs where the many teachers sat
remained unfilled. the sounds of the weather outside crackled through the excited
chatter of the students, bringing a momentary halt to the endless conversations.

"i wish they'd hurry up," ron grumbled, his hand on his stomach. "i'm starving."

"i wonder who our new defense against the dark arts teacher is going to be this
year?" neville asked, watching as the other four exchanged looks.

"i'm sure it will be someone very interesting," hermione told him, nudging ron who
was tapping his fork restlessly on the plate in front of him.

the students continued to fill the great hall, noise and laughter bouncing off the
stonewalls. dean thomas, seamus finnigan, the creevy brothers; colin
and dennis, parvati patil and lavender brown soon joined the rest of the
gryffindors, and greetings were exchanged. harry smiled and waved as each joined
them. he was amazed at how many had returned to school, and delighted that the
mood was very happy and joyous.

it wasn't long before the doors behind the teacher's table opened, and professors
of all shapes and sizes began to filter through. snape was among the first,
much to neville's displeasure. professor flitwick was there, so was madame hooch,
madame pomfrey, professor sprout (who neville smiled at brightly when
she glanced his way), sibyll trelawney, and professor vector. hagrid's seat
remained empty, as they all knew he was crossing the lake with the first years,
as was professor mcgonagall who was waiting to greet the first years, and
professor dumbledore. harry smiled, as tonks walked past the group of teachers
to her seat, her hair a lavender mass of curls, pulled on top of her head, her
robes were bright orange and her finger nails could be seen across the room,
with their blood red paint.

"who is that?" lavender asked, leaning closer to ginny.

"she's weirder than professor trelawney," seamus added, receiving an evil glare
from lavender and parvati. harry tried to turn a deaf ear to the argument
that erupted between the three, the girls insisting that professor trelawney was a
"sophisticated, well educated woman, with talents well beyond the imagination
of a simpleton such as himself," while seamus argued that she was a "royal nutter,
with half a bushel short of a full brain." ron looked like he was eager
to join in the conversation, when he saw the look on hermione's face, stopping any
comment he may have had to contribute.

the door opened again, and harry watched as professor dumbledore stepped to his
chair. he seemed tired and somewhat older then he had a couple of days ago,
making harry wonder about his health. dumbledore was a very old wizard, how old
could only be suspected, but lately he had seemed to age before their eyes.
dumbledore looked about the table of teachers, smiling and chatting briefly with
many, as he took his seat, looking out at the students. harry looked across
the great hall to where the old wizard's eyes had been drawn, seeing the pale
blond image of draco malfoy sitting between crabbe and goyle. his eyes were
cast down, his hands folded above his plate. he looked solemn, openly ignoring the
conversation around him. harry frowned at the image of slytherin's prize
student. he didn't seem his usual, snide, evil self. harry imagined how difficult
his life currently was, not knowing where or how his mother was, or what
to think about his father.

"what's wrong?" ginny asked, seeing the expression on his face.

"i was just thinking about malfoy," he told her, watching as she turned her eyes
to the table across the hall, looking at the image of the school's worse
terror.

"he doesn't look good, does he?" she asked. harry shook his head. "i almost feel
sorry for him."

"yeah, so do i. i can't help but wonder what's happening with his family. it must
be awful not knowing where your mother is or what trouble your father's
up to." harry narrowed his eyes, thinking back on the premonition he had several
weeks ago, concerning lucius malfoy.

"what is it?" ginny asked again. harry turned to her, not really seeing her but
seeing the woman in his vision.

"i was thinking about voldemort," he told her. "i wonder what he's up to. i know
malfoy and the other death eaters went back to him, but i can't help feeling
he's about to do something."

"is it your scar?" ginny asked, looking at his forehead, where the lightening bolt
scar was hiding beneath hair that needed trimming.

"no. it's more like a gut instinct."

"relax harry," ron told him, having heard the conversation. "our new quiddich
captain can't be worrying about such trivial things as death and evil. it
may distract you from your main goal of keeping your star keeper happy." harry
smiled at his friend's attempt to make light the situation that always seemed
to linger just over his shoulder.

"what exactly would you suggest i do, to keep my star keeper happy?" harry asked
with a smile.
"you could start by handing over the chocolate frog in your pocket," ron said with
an eager grin.

"but that's my last one," harry complained, already knowing he would give his best
friend the treat he'd stuffed in his pocket, before leaving the train.

"come on, mate. i'll trade you for it."

"you don't have anything i want."

"i have one thing you want," he said with an evil grin. harry frowned, glancing at
hermione and ginny, who were both watching them.

"what?" harry watched the smile grow across his friend's freckled face.

"my sister," ron answered, watching the blush creep up ginny's face, as she
narrowed her eyes on her brother. "come on, i have to be responsible for her
all year. for your frog, i'll trade you an entire year of my sister's life."

"thanks a lot, ron," ginny grumbled, then turned in time to see harry retrieve not
just the chocolate frog from his pocket, but a small box of bertie botts.
he handed both over to ron with a smile.

"it's a deal," harry said with a wink to the girl on his side. "but you have to
promise, to let me have her during the holidays too."

"that will cost more," ron said, stuffing the chocolate in his mouth, and opening
the box. ginny reached into her own pocket, pulling out two frogs and
a small strawberry tart, handing them over to ron whose smile brightened.

"will that pay your extortion?" she asked, slipping her hand inside harry's under
the table. ron snickered under his breath.

"sure," he said, looking up under long lashes to his friend across from him. "but
i think i'm getting the better end of the deal."

"i doubt that," harry said, smiling back to ginny, who blushed deeply, causing her
brother to roll his eyes.

"get a grip," he told them, stuffing both chocolate frogs into his mouth at once.
harry couldn't help but laugh.

"i have one. a firm one, on your sister." harry's smile extended across his young,
handsome features. this may just prove to be a good year, after all.

read? review!

author notes: thank you everyone for continuing to r/r/. for misty, who wrote me
and mentioned that i had yet to have h/g actually confirm their relationship,
i hope this will help. please continue to r/r.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter fifteen

the doors to the great hall opened, and professor mcgonagall entered, followed
behind by thirty very small witches and wizards, all in black robes and looking
terrified. harry's mind shifted to that fateful day, six years ago, when he stood
there with hermione, ron and malfoy; when the sorting hat had placed
him in gryffindor, and when his life began for the first real time. he felt like
he was born on that day, beneath that same enchanted ceiling. he had found
his home at last, the one true place where he belonged.

harry watched the young children approach the sorting hat, hearing mcgonagall
telling them what was about to happen to them as she stepped into the center
of the room, carrying the stool and sorting hat. after finishing her lecture, she
stepped aside to allow the old, patched and tattered hat to say its piece.

"words of wisdom have i now,

for those of faith and those of doubt,

four have joined and one will soon,

before the battle beneath the moon.

secrets yet have been untold,

the future for us still unfolds.

so listen now, my rhyme's near spent,

the houses four, wisdom meant,

one will stand affront the five,

to live he must, fight or die.

so guard them well the five who've joined,

anger and fear, the future points,

the walls of hogwart's stand strong and sure,

for darkness there's one true cure,

when evil bangs upon the door,

lend thee faith, to dumbledore."

"i think that hat needs replacing," ron grumbled as an awkward applause politely
sounded.

"when i call your name, you will come forward," mcgonagall was saying, and the
sorting process began. nine were chosen among the children for ravenclaw,
seven for hufflepuff, three for slytherin and eleven for gryffindor. harry looked
down the table, seeing the many new faces that joined them glancing or
outright staring at him. he knew they were looking at his scar, and eagerly
talking about being in the same house as the famous harry potter. it was enough
to make his skin crawl.

"for those new students, i would like to point out several school rules that must
be obeyed," professor dumbledore said, as the room came to a reverent
silence. he began issuing the usual orders, "the forbidden forrest is off limits
to all students," and so on. the newer students looked on in interest
and fascination as the old wizard gave his orders, while the older students
fidgeted, having heard the same lecture every year since they were first given
them.

"now, i know you're all hungry, but before we begin the feast," dumbledore said,
looking over the rim of his glasses to where ron sat, causing the young
man to blush. "i would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new defense
against the dark arts teacher, nymphadora tonks. professor tonks comes
to us from the ministry of magic, where she has served several years as an auror.
i'm sure we will all learn a great deal from our newest faculty member."
the students applauded the woman, who blushed vividly, while ron, harry and
neville whistled loudly for her.

"without further adieu," professor dumbledore said waiving his hand. "let the
feast begin." the newest students gasped as the tables and plates filled with
a large amount of food, all different types and verities, the older students
simply began eating, while the castle's ghosts appeared, making their usual
first of the term rounds. the first years were fascinated with the bloody barren,
the fat friar and the gray lady, but it was the appearance of nearly
headless nick that caused the most anxiety. one little gryffindor, a little girl
by the name of sabrina wagtail, became so overcome when nick's head fell
to his shoulder she passed out in her rice pudding.

"students," professor dumbledore said, interrupting the many voices happily

chatting around full stomachs and growing fatigue. "your house prefects will
lead the first years to their dormitories, while the rest of you turn in. tomorrow
starts a new set of classes. good-night."

hermione nudged ron's arm, shortly after his third helping of mashed potatoes,
fried chicken, kippers, jammie dodgers and scones. he looked up at her, his
mouth wrapped around the rim of a golden goblet filled with pumpkin juice. he had
finally had enough to make him feel content, at least until breakfast.

"come on," hermione insisted. "we have to lead the first years to the
dormitories." ron stood up, but leaned down when harry called his name.

"when you're finished, we have to get started on that potion for neville," he
whispered. "meet us in myrtle's bathroom." ron nodded, hurrying behind hermione
who was already calling to the first years to follow her. harry waited with ginny
until the great hall had cleared of new students, then stood and headed
out the door. he looked across the main hall and saw draco malfoy walking silently
with crabbe and goyle, who were snickering and pointing at the group
of new slytherins. harry knew there was trouble brewing, no doubt a dirty trick to
be had on the innocent children. he was about to head their way and
put a stop to whatever it was the mammoth two were planning, when malfoy
intervened. he grabbed goyle by the robes, his face merely inches from the larger
boy. his face was angry and distorted, as he grabbed the small package hidden
under his companion's robes. harry could hear only a portion of what malfoy
was saying, but from the look on crabbe and goyle's face, he knew what he didn't
hear was far worse then what he did.

"i have had enough of your foolish, thick headed antics," malfoy was saying. "if
you pull so much as one trick on any of those kids, you'll have me to answer
to. you're just like your fathers, big, stupid and worthless. get out of my way
both of you, before i curse you straight to hell where the whole lot of
you belong." malfoy stormed off toward the slytherin dungeons; leaving behind him
two very stunned boys to stare after him.
"that didn't sound much like the malfoy we've all grown to hate and despise,"
ginny said, as she and harry headed up to the gryffindor common room.

"i'm just glad someone finally put a stop to those two's tricks, especially on
first years," harry told her, leading her to the fat lady's portrait, giving
the password pickled toad livers and stepped inside. he could hear hermione giving
the first years the long list of rules, in her usual bookish tone, as
he hurried up the stairs.

"i'll get the book, you get the ingredients. i'll meet you in the common room in a
few minutes," he told her, heading toward the sixth year dorms. he opened
the door to find neville, seamus and dean all inside, pajamas already on and
sitting on their beds exchanging stories of their summer.

"what's up harry?" seamus asked, watching harry scavenge through his trunk for the
spell book and his invisibility cloak.

"i have to take something to ginny," he told them absently, wrapping his
invisibility cloak around the book, and retrieving the marauder's map, his back
to the room's occupants.

"we were just talking harry," neville said, stopping him from leaving the room.
"are you going to start up the d.a. lessons again, this year?"

"i don't know," he answered. "dumbledore's back, and i'm not sure if there's a
need for it."

"dumbledore may be back, but vol...vol...you-know-who is still alive," dean told

him boldly. "we have to have all our senses and skills for when we confront
him and his type."

"you can't give up, harry," seamus told him. "we need the d.a., and that weird
looking defense teacher doesn't look like she doesn't know much more about
the dark arts, than trelawney does about predictions."

"don't worry about tonks," harry told them with a smile. "she's much better than
she looks."

"you know her?" seamus asked in surprise.

"we both do," neville told his roommates proudly. "she helped us at the ministry
and she's great."

"that doesn't stop us from needing the d.a. back," dean told them. "harry, you
have to start it back up, i learned more about dark arts in one year from
you, than i have in five years here. with the exception of the fake moody in
fourth year."

"third year was really good," neville added, remembering how lupin had taught him
to stand up to the bogart snape.

"yeah, well i'll think about it," harry said remembering why he was in a hurry. "i
have to talk to ginny. see you later." harry hurried out of the room
and down the stairs to find the red haired girl waiting for him, caldron in one
hand and her potions kit in the other.

"what took you so long?" she asked him.

"i'll tell you later. got everything?" ginny raised her kit to him.

"it was easier to sneak out of my room with this, rather than a handful of loose
potion ingredients. easier to explain too."

"great, then lets go." he unwrapped the book, tossing the cloak over his head,
hiding the two of them from sight. they stepped to the portrait hole and
pushed it open, then slipped quietly out the door. harry unfolded the map and
touched it with his wand saying, "i solemnly swear that i am up to no good."
images of the school's halls and occupants immediately appeared on the blank sheet
of paper, revealing the little dots of harry and ginny in the hall outside
their dorm, filch and snape together in the potions classroom, dumbledore on the
stairs to his office, (which stopped then slowly continued up), mcgonagall
was in the transfigurations classroom, madame pomfrey was in the hospital wing,
and in a small room marked main hall closet, were the two very small, very
close dots of ron and hermione. harry smiled at ginny, folding his map again and
walking quickly beside the red head, to the second floor girl's bathroom.

inside, they set up the cauldron and opened the book, as moaning myrtle's spirit
appeared from the u-bend of the toilet. her cries echoed through the stone
and porcelain room, and harry glanced to the sink that led to the chamber of
secrets, before turning back to see myrtle emerging from her stall. she stopped
with a gasp, and then giggled when she saw them.

"oh, hello harry," she said in a little girl's voice. "how are you?"

"i'm good myrtle," harry said, hoping his voice didn't sound as uncaring as he
knew it had. "how are you?"

"dreadful," she moaned. "you haven't been to see me, in ages. i thought you'd
forgotten about me."

"never," harry lied. "you've been a friend too long, to just forget." this caused
the ghost to giggle until she saw ginny sitting on the floor.

"who's that?" myrtle asked bitterly.

"this is ginny weasley, she's my...very good friend," harry told her, smiling at
ginny who blushed in response.

"friend, huh? you mean girlfriend?" myrtle said, sounding worse then she had. "i
should have known you'd find a girlfriend. forget about myrtle, she's dead,
why would anyone want to have myrtle as a girlfriend? what fun would miserable,
ugly, moaning myrtle be?" with this said, myrtle began wailing, turning
and disappearing back into her stall.

"she's a little sensitive," harry told ginny, then set out to create the potion.
he began reading off the ingredients, as ginny carefully measured and mixed
each one.

"in one liter of dragon's blood, add a pinch of graphorn, mixed with the juice of
the hellebore plant. stir together six times, with the feather of jobberknoll.
add seven tubeworms and a pint of bubotuber pus," harry grimaced. "it's a good
thing ron isn't here yet, he'd be joining myrtle in her toilet. next add
two peeled abyssinian shrivelfigs, a tablespoon of ginger for taste, and bring to
a boil, then reduce the flames beneath the caldron to simmer. once the
potion has thickened, approximately ten hours, it will turn to a clear brown
liquid. at this point add a piece of whatever the person is afraid of, mix
until dissolved and return to a boil. allow to cook two hours, before
administering. when properly stored, this potion will last up to twenty-four
months.
well that should do it," harry concluded, as he watched ginny add the ginger,
using her wand ignited a fire beneath the cauldron. they leaned back and
watched the mixture as it began steaming. the smell was nauseating, causing even
myrtle to complain, splashing her way back down to the u-bend of the toilet.

harry moved with ginny to the sidewall, wrapping his arms around her, as she took
the book and began flipping through the many pages. harry watched her
scan across page after page, knowing what it was she was truly looking for. he
sighed deeply, leaning in and kissing her neck. he had to make her understand
his feelings, but he was afraid of hurting her, of chasing her away.

"don't rush it, okay?" he whispered into her ear, as he teased the tender lobe
with the tip of his tongue. ginny sighed, leaning her head back against the
wall, giving him better access to her throat, which he quickly took full advantage
of.

"how can you ask me to go slow, when you kiss me like this?" she asked, his arms
wrapping around her waist.

"do you want me to stop?" he whispered against her ear as he came back from
planting hot kisses along her throat and collarbone.

"that's my point harry," she told him. "i don't want you to ever stop."

"but i'm not ready for the full extent of this. this part is fun, really fun, and
i don't mind going further, but not all the way, not yet."

"usually it's the girl who says this, not the guy," ginny smiled, sensing his
sudden tension. harry laughed, hugging her to him.

"please understand ginny," he told her a few moments later, looking into her eye,
his hand cupping her cheek. "you have grown up in a wonderful, loving
family. you've known what it's like to be happy and laugh, and know that you're
wanted and loved. i have never known any of that until i met your family."

"you're a part of that family now, harry."

"it's not the same thing. years of pain and despair can't be washed away with only
a few hugs and kisses, no matter how marvelous they are. i just need
time to get used to these feelings."

"are you afraid of loosing me?" ginny pushed back, looking into his deep green
eyes, seeing the passion and confusion echoing in their depths.

"every day i wake up, i'm terrified i'll find out it was all a dream, or you've
fallen out of love with me."

"it won't happen, harry potter." ginny leaned into him, kissing him so hard, he
fell back on the cold stone floor, his arms still wrapped around her waist,
her arms securely around his neck. her kiss was hard, passionate, and as she lay
on top of him, she could feel his response pressing against her thigh.
when she realized that she was bruising his lips, she eased up slightly, feeling
the tip of his tongue easing between her teeth, teasing and tasting the
dark recesses beyond. he moaned deep in her mouth, as she shifted against him,
allowing him to press against her tighter. rolling her to her back, he found
an even more convenient position, as she spread her legs for him to lie between,
her heels entwining around his knees. he could feel the heat radiating
from her lower torso, as he pressed against her. within him was a full raging
battle, his mind was telling him to stop, slow down, back off, while his
heart was telling him to love her, take her, make her his. he couldn't believe how
much he loved her, and yet how afraid he was all in one instant. it
wasn't until he felt her hands pulling his jumper up, exposing the tight skin of
his back to her delicate fingers, that he could no longer hear the voices
in his head. with very little persuasion, he was able to duplicate her actions,
his hands slipping beneath her jumper, feeling the slight protrusion of
her ribs against her sides. he was amazed at how his fingers actually itched,
forcing him to move them upwards to rest beneath her breasts.

"harry," ginny whispered, when he released her lips to kiss his way down her
throat. "i love you." harry found his way back to her lips, kissing them
thoroughly
before placing his mouth next to her ear, whispering, "i love you, ginny, with all
my heart."

"please harry," she whispered again as his fingers began to caress the under band
of her lacy bra. "please." harry couldn't bare her pleads, his hands pulled
at the lacy material, pushing it out of his way and gently cupping her firm
breasts in his hands. he was amazed at how she felt as though she had been
made just for him, how she fit perfectly in his hands, her legs and arms matching
him, easily fitting against every one of his own curves. he couldn't
believe it would be possible for him to want her more, or to become any more
aroused, but when his hips began to push against her, he realized how wrong
he was.

with actions that seemed out of his control, harry kissed his way down her neck,
moving down to her flat tummy, kissing every inch of it, his hands caressing
her warm breasts, his fingers playing with the hardened nipples. his tongue licked
around her tiny navel, making a hot, moist path up and across her ribs
to the dip between her breasts. he pushed her jumper over her breasts, relishing
in the sight of her exposed body. he loved the moan she offered as he
again began to kiss her delicate skin, smiling at the sensations her body gave him
in the form of goose bumps. he couldn't believe he was actually feeling
her beneath him, or in his hands. she was beautiful, soft, delicate, her skin felt
like satin beneath his touch. slowly he led his lips and tongue across
the few inches to her firm breast. he kissed the swollen globe, licking his way
around the underside, up the front to the pebble hard nipple. he paused
for a moment leaning up and looking into her eyes, wondering if the gasp she had
just offered was one of pain. she smiled at him, her eyes a dark chocolate
brown, as passion consumed them. with a smile, he leaned back down, resuming his
tender assault against her delicate flesh.

his tongue gently caressed the hardened peak, feeling her arch against his lips.
he felt eager, brave, and slowly played with the delicate nub, nipping
it gently, licking and kissing until her hips were pressing harder against his
loins. he could barely stand it; he had never known such a deep, carnal
feeling. he wanted more, needed to feel more. he moved his mouth to the other
breast, paying it the same homage, as his right hand slowly moved to her
hips, pulling them closer to him, pressing against them savagely. he reached the
hem of her skirt and was about to pull it up, when he heard an audible
gasp from the other side of the room.

"what the...bloody hell!" ron exclaimed, as harry's head popped up, moving quickly
off ginny, blocking her near nakedness from her brother's view. harry
felt momentarily stunned. he couldn't remember or think of anything, other than
the feelings still raging inside him. all he could do was stare blankly
at ron and hermione standing by the entrance of the bathroom.

"ronald weasley," ginny snapped, adjusting her clothes. "next time, give a person
some warning before you barge in on them."

"from the looks of what i saw, you wouldn't have paid attention to anything i
said, regardless of warnings. now, care to explain yourself potter?" harry
swallowed hard, trying to get his throat to work, but no sound would come out.

"do you want to explain what the two of you were doing in the main hall closet,
first?" ginny demanded, standing up and confronting her brother, watching
the blushed expression cross his face and the girl's next to him.

"we sure as hell wasn't doing what i saw you two doing?" ron exclaimed bitterly.

"enough," harry said, finally reclaiming his voice. "i won't apologize for what
happened...or nearly happened, all i can do is explain that it was totally
unexpected and unplanned. now, if we can get this potion finished, we can get back
to our dorms, or we'll all end up in detention before the term officially
begins."

"it had better not happen again, or i'll..." ron tried to threaten his friend, who
stood and confronted him, but was interrupted with the slender frame
of his little sister pushing between them.

"back off ronald," she ordered. "i will do what i want and when i want, and you
will not stop us. i love harry, get it through your head, and just for the
record i was the one who started that whole thing, and if you hadn't interrupted,
harry would have..."

"ginny!" harry snapped, as ron gasped. the girl stared a warning glare at her
brother for a moment, and then turned back to the very frustrated young man
behind her.

"do you regret what happened?" she asked him, watching the blush creep up his
cheeks. "do you, harry?" she asked when he didn't answer.

"i don't regret it, ginny," he told her honestly. "but i still mean what i said
before. regardless of how wonderful it was, and how much i wanted it, or
still want it, i'm not ready."

"but harry, we almost..."

"and i would have regretted it." harry reached out, caressing her cheek. "i love
you, but it has to be when we both want it. please, ginny? just give it
time."

"do i have to stop trying all together?" harry chuckled, wrapping her in his arms
tightly, his mind still felt her body beneath him, and the sensation of
heat and passion coursing through his veins.

"i won't object to a little persuasion," he told her, as she kissed him briefly.

"let's get finished," hermione told them, a slight frown on her delicate features.
"what do we have to do now?" harry retrieved the book, rereading the
potion's instructions.

"all we have to do now is reduce the flame, and let it cook for ten hours, that
should make it just about breakfast time. then we have to add the hair and
cook it for two more hours."

"lets just hope potions isn't first on the schedule tomorrow," hermione told them,
leaning down and issuing the proper spell, watching with the eye of an
expert to make certain the flames were just the right height.

"lets get out of here," ron said, still glaring at harry as he turned and led the
way through the door.

"you two can't be out after curfew," hermione told them, watching as harry
received the invisibility cloak, picking up the book of spells and wrapping the
cloak around himself and ginny. "good, now be quiet." harry and ginny walked
behind hermione and ron, until they reached the portrait of the fat lady.
they waited until ron issued the password, stepping in behind them. he slipped the
cloak off and held ginny's hand.

"i'll see you tomorrow," he told her, kissing her tenderly.

"sleep well," she whispered, as ron snorted his disapproval, heading straight up
the stairs without saying a word to any of them. "good luck," ginny told
her boyfriend, as they separated on the top of the stairs. "just remember, he's
weird."

"he loves you, ginny, and he's worried about you. you should feel proud he cares
so much," harry felt like he was scolding her, but knew she had to try
and at least understand ron's side.

"i know it, but i can take care of myself, and i don't need protecting against
you," ginny told him.

"i think harry needs protecting against you, ginny," hermione told her, pulling
her by the arm away from harry. "now both of you, get to bed or i'll have
to report you for being up past curfew." harry chuckled, turning and walking to
his own dorm.

inside harry found the room silent; the soft snores from seamus, dean and neville
alerted him to the fact that they had long since fallen asleep. ron had
already changed, his clothes lying scattered across the floor near his bed, the
drapes to his bed pulled shut. harry sighed, replacing his cloak and book
to his trunk, pointing his wand at the map and saying, "mischief managed," before
returning it to his trunk as well. he quietly undressed, pulling on his
pajamas he'd bought in diagon alley a few weeks ago, then crawled into bed,
glancing across the room to where he knew his best friend lay awake. he
desperately
needed to talk to him, to explain things to him, to get his advice, but didn't'
know how to separate his friend from the brother of the girl he loved.

with a heavy sigh, he pulled the drapes shut and closed his eyes, rolling to his
side. he knew things were going too fast, he had only been dating ginny
for a few weeks, but he couldn't help it, he loved her. the first time their lips
met he felt reborn, he knew they were meant for each other. he felt as
though they had known each other their whole lives. the first time he held her,
she was his, and they both knew it. if only he could make ron understand
how he felt, if only he could get her to slow down until he felt emotionally ready
for the next step. pulling the blankets over his head, harry sighed
again, feeling the pain beginning to pound behind his eyes as he slipped his
glasses off and tucked them under his pillow. forget voldemort, he thought.
this love thing was going to kill him long before the dark lord ever got a chance.

read? review!

author notes: thank you so much, everyone, for continuing to read and review. for
those who want more passion between h/g, here it is...sort of. for those
who think it's going too fast, i hope this is satisfactory for you as well. please
continue to r/r. things will hopefully get more suspensful in the next
few chapters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter sixteen

harry yawned, stretching his long arms above his head. even with his curtains shut
around his bed, he could tell it was morning. the sounds of the room's
occupants were stirring, shoes being slid across the carpet, zippers being raised
and tired yawns echoing from one bed to the other. harry sighed, reaching
up and pulling the curtains to his bed back, squinting at the sunlight flooding
the room.

"good morning harry," neville said, tossing a wet towel on his messy dark hair.
"you'd better get showered, if you're planning on having breakfast before
ron eats it all. he left over half an hour ago."

"yeah, sure," harry said, tossing the wet towel back to neville and crawling out
of bed. he gathered his clothes, and stepped into the bathroom, closing
the door behind him. fifteen minutes later, he was wide awake, clean and still
fighting an endless battle with his uncontrollable hair. he stepped back
into his dorm, sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling on his socks and shoes, and
retrieving his glasses from under his pillow. with his cloak in hand,
he went down to the common room, to find ginny sitting on the sofa, reading
witchcraft among the ages. he stepped up quietly behind her, placing a warm
kiss on her neck.

"about time you got up," she scolded, turning a happy smile to him. "ron's
probably eaten half the food in the castle by now."

"so i've heard," harry told her with a chuckle, taking her hand and walking with
her to the portrait hole. "is he still angry?"

"it's hard to tell. he wasn't exactly happy about last night, but he had hold of
hermione's hand when they left, so he can't be too biffed."

"he has a right to upset, ginny," harry told her, walking down the stairs to the
great hall. "he's worried about you."

"he doesn't have to be, i'm with you after all. he knows nothing will happen."
harry stopped her at the bottom of the stairs, pulling her out of the line
of traffic, when a group of first years came bounding down behind them.

"something almost did happen last night, ginny," he told her seriously. "if ron
hadn't stopped us, we would have made love. he has a right to be concerned.
what do you think your other brothers, or your parents would say if you owled them
to say, 'guess what? i'm pregnant and it's harry's baby.' they'd kill
us both, and then they'd go after ron for not watching you closer."

"you're taking this too serious, harry," ginny said, wrapping her arms around his
neck. "i won't get pregnant, we'll find a spell or a potion or something.
you said once we found a way, that nothing would stop us. have you changed your
mind?"

"no, but i think we're rushing things a bit. why can't we just slow down a little,
enjoy being with each other, without anything too physical?"

"you don't want me, do you?" harry sighed deeply, pulling her into a tight
embrace.

"i love you ginny, and i do want you, but i need time. please try and understand
that. i can't deal with all these feelings at once. i have to go slower
than you do, maybe it's because i'm thick, but i need to learn how to do this love
thing, one step at a time."

"it's not easy, harry," she told him, kissing his cheek and his neck. "i want you
so badly, i can barely stand it. i love you and i want to show you."

"then show me in another way," he told her capturing her lips with his, kissing
her deeply and thoroughly. his tongue caressed hers, teasing and tasting
her until she moaned deeply into his mouth.

"if you keep kissing me like that," she warned him, "i can't be blamed for my
actions." harry chuckled softly.

"i think we need to get to breakfast," he told her, his tone slightly shaky.

inside the great hall, the students of all four houses were eagerly reviewing
their schedules for the upcoming term. harry and ginny sat at the table, each
picking up their envelopes and scanning through the list of classes.

"we have double potions this afternoon, with the slytherins," hermione whispered.
"will the potion be ready by then?"

"it only takes two hours once the hairs have been added," harry told her softly,
leaning across the table.

"how do we know if it will work?" ginny asked.

"we'll find out once we give it to neville, i suppose," harry said again, glancing
down the table to his friend.

"shouldn't we try it out first?" ron asked, glancing to hermione.

"how? none of us are afraid of snape, so it won't work," hermione told him.

"lets go check on the potion," harry told them. "maybe we can figure something out
on the way." the four of them left the great hall, ron grabbing a large
handful of toast as he left, and hurried to the second floor bathroom. inside they
found myrtle sitting above her stall, crying and moaning in her typical
low voice. she glanced down from her perch, looking at the four who quietly
slipped in.
"come back for your potion?" she asked. "the only time i see you, harry, is when
you need to use my bathroom for something against the rules. and now you
come here with her," she pointed at ginny, who stood next to harry, her hand
tucked inside his. "why should you care about how i feel? pitiful, poor, ugly,
moaning myrtle, she doesn't have any feelings at all, she's just dead. why would
anyone want to love her?" with that said, or rather screamed, myrtle disappeared
back down the toilet, splashing water all over the floors and walls.

"i think she's a bit more sensitive than she used to be," hermione said.

"she's a nutter," ron added with a snarl as he tried to sidestep the water flowing
out of the stall where the ghost had just been.

"come on," harry said. "we haven't much time." they went to the caldron, looking
in. it was a thick liquid of pale yellow; steam the smell of rotting eggs
emanating from within. ron plugged his nose backing away slightly. harry slipped
the spell book from his bag, turning to the marked page, and reading the
notations.

"the book says in its purest form, one drop of the potion will make the barer
brave beyond imagination, but will return them to their original state in
thirty minutes. one tablespoon however, will last for seven moons."

"so neville will have to take a dose once a week, isn't that dangerous? couldn't
he become addicted to it?" ginny asked.

"maybe, once he gets used to the effects the real potion has on him, we can
substitute a fake one later on. kind of a placebo effect," harry told her.

"but how do we know it's even going to work?" ron asked bitterly, still holding
his nose. "maybe you messed up on it, you were after all preoccupied last
night." harry glared at the red head, opening his mouth to speak when he was
interrupted.

"i'll test it," hermione said. "if one drop of the purest form will last half an
hour, that should give us just enough time to get this over with and get
to care of magical creatures."

"the book says it will make the barer brave beyond imagination," harry told her.
"you're already brave, so what good will it do to test it out on you?"

"it also says it will take away the inhibitions of the coward," ginny said,
reading the rest of the page. "do you have any inhibitions, hermione?"

"we'll find out," she answered, dipping her finger into the smelly liquid and
letting one drop fall to her tongue. she looked at the three standing and
watching her. "nothing's happening," she said. "i don't feel any different, other
than a slight tingling." with a gasp, she closed her eyes, the tingling
sensation spreading through her lower limbs, up her torso, into her arms and face,
bringing with it a flush of heat. she opened her eyes, focusing on each
person individually, then locked gazes with ron.

"what? why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, backing up slowly as she
began to pace her way toward him. "hermione, you're scaring me," he told
her, backing up into a wall.

"why should i scare you?" hermione said, reaching forward, grabbing the front of
his robes and pulling him toward her and locking her lips to his. ron froze,
his lips pressed soundly against hers, until she began pulling at his jumper. "i
want you, ronald weasley," she told him, pulling his jumper up his torso.

"hermione, wait!" ron gasped, when he felt her biting the buttons off his shirt,
one by one. her right hand reached down to his belt, unfastening it all
the while her free hand was roaming across his buttocks.

"harry, do something!" ron shouted, looking to his friend pleadingly, holding

hermione by the shoulders.

"like what? if i get in the way, she may bite me thinking i'm a button."

"what do i do?" ron asked, as she ripped his shirt open, trailing her tongue along
his chest.

"are you kidding?" ginny asked, with a snicker.

"what do you want to do?" harry asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"are you kidding!" ron snapped, as hermione slipped her robes off, capturing his
lips again, this time getting a very firm reaction from her red haired
captive, as he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her jumper up her slender body.
harry grabbed ginny by the arm, pulling her out of the bathroom door and
away from sight of what was happening. he leaned against the opposite wall from
the bathroom, bending over at the waist laughing uncontrollably.

"i can't believe hermione had inhibitions like that?" ginny said between giggles
and snickers.

"i can't believe ron didn't know what to do with her," harry gasped, as ginny came
closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"i wonder what would have happened if you'd have taken that potion, instead of
hermione?" ginny asked with a wide smile.

"your brother would now be displaying my head to all of hogwart's, that's what
would have happened."

the soft moans from inside the bathroom echoed through the hallway, causing both
harry and ginny to blush openly, still giggling with thoughts of poor ron's
predicament. they listened without trying to listen, hearing the sounds of the two
lovers inside, as they slid down the wall, sitting on the cold stone
floor to wait the time allotted. the moans continued, echoing off the walls around
the hallway and lavatory. minutes seemed to stretch into hours, as harry
and ginny tried to ignore the sounds and images flickering in her mind. hermione
suddenly cried out in pain, bringing a deeper blush to harry's face and
causing ginny to frown. harry cleared his throat, trying to ignore the confused
expression on the girl's face next to him. moments later, the moaning began
again, this time louder and more urgent, followed shortly by a primal growl from
ron. ginny looked at harry, studying the look in his eyes.

"it sound disgusting," she whispered, "and painful."

"you do know about...i mean the first time is supposed to be..." harry stammered,
wondering if what he'd always heard about a girl's first sexual encounter,
would be the same with every girl or just a few.

"i know, but i guess i just wasn't really thinking about it before." harry was
silent for several moments, trying to think of the right thing to say, but
couldn't form more than a few mismatched words together in his head.

"have you ever seen anyone do it before?" ginny asked, breaking the tension. harry
shrugged his shoulders.

"the only time i've ever come close, was once when i was about five, and my aunt
petunia and uncle vernon came home from a dinner party, drunk. they didn't
remember or care that i was in the cupboard under the stairs, and they ended up
doing it in the doorway to the kitchen. it's definitely not the sort of
thing a boy wants to remember."

"gross! what did they do when they remembered you were there?"

"they didn't. it was really quite disturbing." harry shivered at the memory,
realizing the sounds within the bathroom had ceased.

"do you think it's safe to go in?" ginny asked.

"we don't have much of a choice," he said. "if we don't get this over with, we'll
be late for class."

"you go first," ginny told him, as they stepped cautiously to the doorway. he
poked his head around the corner, not hearing anything, then slowly paced
his way back into the room. ron was struggling to dress around missing buttons and
ripped fabric, and hermione was nowhere to be found.

"where's hermione?" ginny asked, causing a deep blush to creep up her brother's
face.

"she's using the lavatory," he said, glancing back down to the stones where he had
just made love to her, seeing the slight tint of blood soaking into the
cracks.

"is she all right?" ginny asked again, as the door to the stall opened and the
bushy haired, red-faced girl stepped out.

"i'm fine," she told them. she looked to ron, her cheeks turning a deeper red, as
she pulled her wand from her robes and pointed it at him. "repairo" she
said, watching as the buttons were replaced, and the rips disappeared on ron's
shirt. he smiled at her, briefly saying thanks, before she turned her back
and walked over to the potion, slipping the hairs stolen from snape inside the
yellow liquid. ron stepped around to the side of harry, who smiled at him
and whispered low so the girls couldn't hear.

"i suppose that means the potion works?" harry asked.

"bugger off harry," ron blushed again.

"that should about do it," hermione told them, turning back around. "we'll have to
check on it after class, but it should be ready by lunch."

"how are you going to get neville to use it?" ginny asked.

"as nervous as neville always gets around snape, it won't be that difficult to
convince him," ron said, avoiding looking at the bushy haired girl, who was
also trying to avoid his eyes.
"well, i have to get to divinations," ginny said, leaning up and kissing harry's
lips. "i'll see you at lunch," she whispered, before turning to the other
two. "i hope the rest of your day goes as pleasantly as it started," she said with
a snicker, then left the room and the blushing couple behind.

harry walked silently between the two, who had refused to look at each other or
speak to each other since their encounter in myrtle's bathroom. as they
approached hagrid's hut, they saw him talking to the familiar red haired man,
while a large ugly vulture looking bird roamed nearby.

"what's charlie doing here?" ron asked, as they neared the hut.

"hey your three," charlie said, waving a hand to them as they approached. "how's
the first day of classes?"

"don't know," harry said. "this is our first one."

"what are you doing here?" ron asked his older brother.

"hello to you too, little brother," he chuckled, patting the boy on the shoulder.
"i had to come collect buckbeak from hagrid. i'm going to take him back
with me to transylvania. sirius asked me to take care of him, if anything should
happen." charlie glanced to harry and saw him shift his eyes downward.

"i was wondering what happened to buckbeak," hermione said. "he wasn't at the
house all summer."

"yeah, dumbledore brought him back here to hagrid, after getting his death
sentence overturned." charlie smiled at the three, before patting his brother's
shoulder again and reaching a hand out to harry, shaking it. "well, i've got to
get a move on. we've got a new peruvian vipertooth that's just hatched,
and i've got to get him trained up." he reached forward, kissing hermione's cheek,
and then smiled at the three again. "keep in touch, and have a great
year." they watched as the slightly stalky built man headed back into the
forbidden forest to collect the hippogriff, then flew overhead and out of sight.

hagrid was his usual cheerful self, waving and greeting them as he instructed the
class to join him, where he stood by the large bird. he spent a great
deal of the hour discussing their lesson of augurey.

"the augurey," hagrid began, "is also called the irish phoenix. its cries used ta
be thought of as death omens, but modern wizardry has taught us that it's
actually a prediction of rain. normally this little lady remains hidden in its
nest in brambles and thorns, flying only in heavy rain, but i found her
a while back with a broken talon. after i mended her up, she decided ta stay close
by. i guess she'll be wantin' a mate soon, so i'll have ta find her
one or send her ta ireland to a magical creature reserve. now, all of ya come
forward, but be careful. inside her wings are ink, and it's our job ta milk
that ink out of her wings, but she's not just gonna let you grab at her ya know.
ya have ta earn her respect. ta do this, you have ta bring her a treat,
so i have some chocolate here for each of you. now remember this is for the
augurey, not ta be eatin'. if she smells it on yer breath, she'll attack, wanting
ta have a taste. when ya've finished, offer her another piece of chocolate as
thanks. now, who wants ta be first?" there was a rustle of movement and low
whispers from the students, as they decided who would be first to approach the
thin, mournful-looking bird that resembled a vulture. harry drew a deep
breath, stepping forward, as everyone stopped talking. he took two pieces of
chocolate and an empty vial, before stepping up to the bird. her greenish-black
color made her appear deadly and threatening, and yet as she took the chocolate
harry handed to her, she seemed to almost purr. he reached forward, taking
her wind and milking the black ink from one of her large feathers. when his bottle
was full, he slowly backed away, offering her the second piece of chocolate
as thanks.

"excellent, 'arry," hagrid said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "next, who's
next?" ron stepped up and repeated harry's actions, grimacing at the creature
as he handed her some chocolate. by the time he had filled his bottle, he looked
nearly as green as the bird. one by one the students advanced, picking
up their chocolates and feeding the bird, while filling their bottles with ink.
malfoy was as successful, though not as cheerful as the other students,
yet when his robust friend goyle approached the bird, she flapped her wings
violently, her long beak reaching out and trying to peck at the boy's round,
fear filled face.

"have ya been eatin' the chocolate goyle?" hagrid said, securing the tethers
around the bird's neck, and tying her to the post nearby.

"i got hungry," goyle grunted, over a mouth full of chocolate covered teeth.

"well, thanks ta yer classmate here," hagrid said with an angry glare, "we will
have ta finish up with the rest of the class on wednesday. once the augurey
gets her feathers all ruffled, there's nothing ta do but let her rest. class is
dismissed." harry turned with ron and hermione and was walking behind goyle,
crabbe and malfoy. the two larger of the three were snickering and making fun of
hagrid and his 'bird brain ideas of mating outside his species...whatever
that may be,' when malfoy stopped, pulling his fist back and let it go in goyle's
face, knocking the larger boy to the ground. blood began rushing from
his broken nose, as he laid there staring with obvious shock at the tall blond
standing over him.

"i am so sick of the two of you and your stupid jokes," malfoy snarled. "you are
both a disgrace to the house of slytherin and should be black balled from
ever wearing the robes." with that said, the attacker turned and stormed off,
leaving an entire class full of both slytherin and gryffindor to look after
him in shock.

"what's gotten into malfoy?" neville asked softly.

"he's been like that since we arrived at school," answered the weedy looking
theodore nott, from behind them. he was a tall, dark haired, thin slytherin,
who appeared more like a black snake than a boy.

"he wasn't on the hogwart's train with the rest of the students," hermione said.
"we heard he was staying with is godfather."

"yeah, he came here with professor snape a few weeks before school started. rumor
has it, his mum is missing, and his dad's in hiding, no thanks to potter,"
the boy said, staring an angry eye at harry, who happily returned the look.

"hold on," ron began. "you mean snape is malfoy's godfather?"

"you mean professor snape, and yes he is, not that it's any business of yours,
weasley." ron, harry and hermione watched as the boy stepped around them,
heading toward to the castle entrance. once he was out of earshot, and the other
students were far enough ahead of them, ron turned to harry and hermione.
"if snape is malfoy's godfather, that means he is a death eater," ron told them.

"no, it means he was a death eater," hermione corrected him, speaking to him for
the first time in over an hour. "he's been loyal to our side for years."

"that's what he wants us to think, hermione," ron said, biting back at her. "how
else would he have known to collect malfoy when his mum turned up missing,
if he wasn't a part of the group?"

"i'm not going to argue with you about this, ronald," hermione snapped. "at least
we know where malfoy's been this summer."

"come on you two," harry said, pulling on the two by the arms of their robes,
heading them toward the castle steps. "let's get to charms class before it's
over." he walked quickly between the two again, trying to ignore the tension that
built up around them.

"if this is what sex does to two people," he told them abruptly, "i think ginny's
going to be very disappointed."

"what's that supposed to mean?" ron snarled, stopping to look at his friend.

"you figure it out," harry told him. "this morning you were friends, probably a
lot more, but after that incident in moaning myrtle's bathroom, you're acting
like you can't stand the idea you're on the same planet. if that's what making
love does to two people who care for each other, i don't want anything to
do with. i'd rather keep ginny in my life, then have her in my bed." harry turned
and continued on his path, leaving the two alone.

"do you wish i wasn't on the same planet?" ron asked, looking at the girl next to
him.

"no, of course not."

"then why haven't you spoken to me, since we...since this morning?"

"you haven't exactly spoken to me either."

"i was in shock. i had no idea you could do that. i mean, when i've tried to go
further, you've stopped me because you weren't ready, and then this morning...i
didn't know how to react. i mean it was great and all, but still it was a huge
shock."

"i didn't think i had inhibitions like that," hermione whispered. "it's
embarrassing."

"so you do wish i wasn't on the planet?" ron felt miserable, and turned to walk
away when hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"do not put words into my mouth, ronald weasley," she snarled. "i happen to like
the idea that you're on this planet, and with me, i'm just embarrassed
that i could be so...slutty!"

"you were not slutty, hermione," ron told her, reaching forward and pulling her
into his embrace. "it was wonderful, maybe a little more impetuous than
i'd expect from you, but i don't regret it. do you?"

"not really," she whispered with a blush. "but it would have been nicer in a
warmer, softer place." ron laughed, pulling her tightly against his chest,
remembering how she had felt in his arms earlier when he made love to her for the
first...and hopefully not the last time.

"what if i promise a better place next time," he asked, kissing her cheek. "will
you consider repeating this morning?" hermione leaned back and smiled at
him.

"it would depend on how much better," she told him. "and hopefully not with harry
and ginny standing outside the door." ron smiled at her, leaning in to
kiss her, when her hand reached up and stopped him.

"ron, you have to promise me something," her tone was very serious and it caused
him to frown. "ginny and harry really love each other. you have to give
them space, and quit being the big brother. harry needs his friend, more than he
needs ginny's protector."

"it's hard 'mione," ron told her. "she's my kid sister, and i've always had to
protect her. i don't know how to just back off and let someone else do it
for me."

"but she really loves him, ron. and with luck you'll be too busy to get in their
way." with that hermione leaned in to him, kissing his lips passionately,
promising silently all the things he wanted and more.

harry slipped silently into the castle, having stood by the doors watching his two
best friends talk. he didn't know what was being said, but he did know
that they had ended their conversation the right way. with a smile he headed to
professor flitwick's charms class, feeling a little more secure about hermione
and ron and a little less secure about him and ginny. maybe he should have tried
the potion himself, he thought. at least ginny would have finally gotten
what she wanted most, and he would have lost his own inhibitions.

"i'm never going to get a hang of this relationship stuff," he thought. "i think
i'd be better off looking for voldemort. at least i know what to expect."

read? review!

author notes: i want to thank everyone for continuing to read/review. for those
who wanted more of ron/hermione, i hope this is enough to keep you happy,
and for those who criticize that i have left canon, please remember what i said at
the beginning of this story; i am not jk rowling, and even though the
characters are hers, i am writing this from my own head. i hope this doesn't
offend anyone. please keep r/r

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter seventeen

"where have you been?" ginny said as the three entered the bathroom. harry shook
his head in disgust, as he hurried to the caldron. "i thought i was going
to have to send a search party to look for you."

"it's not our fault," ron said, glaring at hermione. "someone had to cast a charm
on the chandelier and make it dance across the room, blocking the door
and shooting hot wax everywhere." ron picked off the dried wax from his cloak as
he spoke.
"professor flitwick told me to demonstrate the musical blocking charm. it's not my
fault neville knocked my arm and sent the spell into the chandelier."
hermione's tone was furious as she turned an angry face on ron.

"what's the musical blocking charm?" ginny asked harry, softly.

"it's supposed to be more of a distracting charm, and hermione was supposed to

cast it on a lizard professor flitwick had there," harry explained, glancing
back to the two still arguing. "neville got so excited and wanted to get a closer
look, and in doing so, knocked hermione's arm when she was casting the
spell. it ricocheted off the chandelier, causing it to jump down from the ceiling
and dance and whistle, while it blocked the door. nobody could leave,
and it sprayed wax everywhere."

"poor neville," ginny said.

"poor neville?" ron barked, peeling wax from his cheek and hair. "what about us? i
have blisters all over my arms from trying to block the flying wax. i
could be scared for life!"

"stop being such a baby, ron," hermione told him. "madame pomfrey can heal your
burns in a second."

"i'm not being a baby, hermione," ron growled again. "i just happen to like my
skin in one piece, and not burned and scorched."

"let's just get this potion bottled, and get down to lunch," harry told them,
unpacking several empty vials from his bag, and uncorking them. "once we get
neville settled we can get you looked at."

"it's nice to know somebody cares about how i feel," ron complained.

"oh for heaven's sake," hermione sighed. "i said i was sorry, what more do you
want?"

"a little sympathy wouldn't be too much to ask for."

"would you like me to kiss it and make it better?"

"that would be a nice start," ron said with a frown. hermione sighed, reaching up
to his cheek, planting a kiss on a large red mark, where wax had been.
he eyed her briefly, holding up his forearm, for her to kiss another burned spot.

"oh, for heaven's sake," ginny grumbled looking back to harry, who shrugged his
shoulders. "have they been like this all day?"

"pretty much," he told them, filling the bottles with the liquid that was now
odorless and clear. "if they aren't yelling at each other, they're snogging.
at least this way, they aren't fighting."

"i'm glad now, we didn't try that stuff," she told him, glancing at the potion he
was repacking in his bag. harry smiled, looking up at her under his long
lashes.

"it wouldn't have worked on us," he told her softly, looking over his shoulder and
watching as ron continued pointing out spots for hermione to kiss. "we
don't have those inhibitions."
"well, at least i don't," ginny said. harry narrowed his eyes, and smiled
wickedly, tucking the small single dose vial inside his cloak.

"watch out, miss weasley, you may be surprised one of these days."

"promise?" she asked. harry chuckled, turning to leave the room, rolling his eyes
as they passed the other two, now wrapped in each other's embrace, lips
locked together.

harry and ginny entered the great hall, looking at the gryffindor table to where
neville was sitting alone, nibbling at his meal. harry glanced up at the
professors table, seeing snape in deep conversation with professor flitwick, who
was pointing out several spots on his arms and face, no doubt relaying
the story of the day's events with the chandelier. harry felt sorry for neville.
he meant well, even if he was clumsy. he couldn't imagine what would have
happened at the ministry last year, if neville hadn't been there. he showed great
courage and put his own fears aside, to join them. now, it was time for
him to overcome the dreaded professor severus snape.

"hey neville, how's lunch?" harry asked, as he and ginny took a seat across from
him.

"all right i guess," neville said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"you still thinking about what happened in charms class?" harry asked, knowing the
answer before he even gave it.

"i didn't mean to cause trouble," the boy said, his eyes cast down to his plate.
"i guess i'm just a born klutz."

"well, mr. longbottom," snape said as he stepped up behind him. "it would appear
my class is not the only one you're destined to destroy. i wondered how
long it would take, for you to bring the walls of hogwart's crumbling down around
you." snape looked to harry and ginny, smirking. "do try and arrive on
time to class. i'd hate to deduct points from gryffindor for tardiness."

"don't listen to him, neville," ginny told him, as snape walked away. "he's just a
prat."

"he's right," neville said sadly. "i am destined to destroy everything i touch."

"maybe this will help," harry told him, passing the small vial across the table to
him.

"what is it?" neville took the clear liquid vial with a frown.

"liquid courage," harry smiled back at him. "we found a potion to help you
overcome snape and all his torment."

"do you think it will work?" harry glanced to ginny and smiled.

"it'll work, trust us. all you have to do is take it and enjoy an snape-free
potions class."

"i'll do anything, to make it through one day without a mistake." harry and ginny
watched as he opened the vial, drinking the potion in one swallow.
"how do you feel?" ginny asked, seeing the slight flush of color rising on his
cheeks.

"tingly, but otherwise no different. how do i know if it works?"

"we'll know when we get to the dungeons," harry told him with a smile. "and
speaking of which, we'd better get going before we get house points deducted
for being late." harry kissed ginny's cheek, before standing to leave. "i'll see
you after class."

"i wish i could be there," she told them with a sigh.

"don't worry, we'll tell you all about it later." neville and harry hurried out of
the great hall, meeting up with ron and hermione on their way down to
the dungeons. they walked together down the stairs to the potions class, arriving
just as snape unlocked the door. harry and neville sat together at one
desk, while ron and hermione took the one behind them. they quickly unpacked their
caldrons and potions kits, while snape wrote the day's lesson on the
blackboard.

"i was going to start class with a review of last year's lessons, but after what
occurred this morning in your charms class i have changed our itinerary,"
he said, looking at neville, who simply blinked innocently, while the slytherins
snickered and laughed. "i have decided to start with a burn healing pulp.
since this is double potions, you have exactly two hours in which to finish this
potion. for most of you, that will be more than sufficient time to complete
the task, but for a certain few, we will be lucky if it's completed by the end of
the week. i have an antidote for those who have difficulties following
instructions. if it is made improperly, it can create burns, rather than heal
them. now begin." the room's occupants silently began assembling the ingredients
necessary, uncorking bottles and gathering together scales and measuring
instruments.

bubotuber was measured and diluted in a beaker, then placed in the caldron along
with crushed nettle, the fur of a puffskein, the scales of a plimpy and
a silver occamy egg. this was stirred with a wooden skimmer until clear purple,
and then strained and the pulp remnants rolled into balls. snape walked
around the room, inspecting the different caldrons, complimenting malfoy on his
superior technique, scolding lavender for not diluting the bubotuber before
adding it to the crushed nettle, and insulting ron for the way he scaled his
plimpy. it wasn't until he reached neville, that his smirk was replaced with
a frown.

"who helped you with this potion, longbottom?" he demanded, looking at harry's
potion and eyeing the two with an evil snarl. "i would expect granger to
be your accomplice, but since she is not next to you to whisper the correct
potion, i can only assume you've been conspiring with potter."

"hardly," neville commented.

"i beg your pardon?" snape growled, watching as neville leveled his gaze with the
greasy haired man in front of him. the room became deadly silent, with
all eyes turning to stare at the suddenly brave young man.

"i said, 'hardly'. harry did his own potion, and i did mine."

"is that a fact? perhaps we should try it out." neville stood, picking up a ball
of the healing pulp with the silver tongs, and held it up for snape to
inspect, who took it from the boy. neville raised the sleeve of his robes without
hesitation, exposing a spot on his arm where he had been burned earlier
that day in charms class. snape smiled wickedly, placing the pulp on the wound,
pressing it down with the back of the utensil. neville stared at the man
standing before him, his eyes narrowing slightly. snape frowned, expecting
neville's arm to begin boiling, anticipating the screams of agony, but when
this didn't happen he reached for the hem of his robes, savagely wiping away the
concoction. beneath it was perfectly repaired skin, no boils, no peeling
skin, no odor of charred flesh, just a smooth, slightly pink arm. snape narrowed
his eyes again.

"how did you make this potion?" he demanded.

"i followed your instructions, professor," neville smiled.

"i expect there is more behind this then your sickening sweet smile reveals,"
snape growled again, eyeing him and harry suspiciously before making his way
back around the desks.

"hey, harry," ron whispered, poking him in the back once snape's attention was on
lavender's potion, cursing her again for not preparing the potion as written.
"do you still have that bag fred and george gave you?"

"yeah, why?"

"let me have one of them, will you?" harry silently reached into his school bag,
retrieving one of the items the twins had given him, before leaving king's
cross. he handed it to ron, keeping an eye on snape who had turned his attention
to parvati. ron unwrapped the elastic band holding the box of tubeworms
closed inside his potions kit. he slipped the round green ball inside it, ignoring
the disapproving look on hermione's stern face, then aiming it, flinged
it toward pansy parkinson's caldron. it splashed once, causing the pug-faced girl
to look at the liquid next to her briefly. the room continued as normal,
while neville, harry, ron and hermione watched the caldron change slowly from a
purple liquid to a deep shade of green.

"hand in your potions, and clean your mess," snape ordered. harry quickly wrapped
up two balls of the burn healing pulp, labeling both, and then hurrying
to snape's desk to turn in his work. he placed one wrapped ball in the pile, only
to watch as snape 'accidentally' knocked it off the pile and into blaise
zabini's caldron, where it sank to the bottom of the purple liquid.

"very clumsy of you potter," snape said with an evil sneer, as the other students
turned to see what had happened. "i have no choice but to give you a zero
for today's assignment, since you have nothing to turn in."

"then it's a good thing i have another sample, isn't it professor?" harry said,
carefully setting it on the desk in front of him. harry returned to his
seat smiling at neville, as they used a scouring spell to clean out the caldron
and desk. they were repacking their potions kits and bags, when a loud
whistle erupted form pansy's caldron, followed by an array of sparks and a
bubbling explosion of dark green goop. the room instantly filled with a loud
melody and a putrid gaseous cloud, while everyone ducked the chunks of burn
healing pulp that began to shoot out of the caldron, hitting the walls and
desks. millicent bulstrode was hit in the head with a large ball of pulp, knocking
her to the floor, while goyle was hit in the stomach and malfoy was
plummeted with a number of smaller pieces, messing up his robes and tangling in
his pale blond hair.
"get out!" snape shouted, as the students ran to the door. harry looked back in
time to see snape get hit in the eye with a piece of flying pulp, laughing
as the class quickly emptied. heading up the stairs, neville, harry, ron and
hermione all snickering and making light of the joke, stopped short at the
sound of malfoy's angry voice.

"i am so sick of your antics," he snarled at pansy, who was standing near the
wall, her eyes cast down to the floor. "you have embarrassed the slytherin
house one too many times. consider yourself under house arrest until i can clear
this mess up with professor snape." pansy walked silently out of the hall,
followed by a solemn crabbe and goyle, while malfoy turned and strode back to the
dungeons.

"what is up with malfoy?" seamus asked, joining the group.

"he's been acting really weird all day," dean said. "i heard he put goyle on
report for eating hagrid's chocolate and disobeying him in class this morning."

"what do you expect, living with snape all summer," ron said. "that's enough to
make anyone go mental."

"speaking of mental, what's gotten into you neville?" seamus asked with a smile.

"yeah," lavender said walking up behind the boys. "i can't believe you stood up to
snape."

"i can't believe you got that spell right," parvati added.

"so, what's your secret?" dean asked. neville glanced to harry and smiled.

"i guess i just found some courage," he told them.

"i think it's really wonderful," lavender said.

"i think it's very sexy," parvati commented, with a wink.

"um...thanks," neville said with a blush.

"if you need help with that charms spell, i'll be happy to meet you in the library
after dinner," parvati said.

"okay, sure," he answered, swallowing hard when she smiled before turning and
walking with lavender up the stairs toward their common room.

"no way!" seamus said once they were alone again. "first you stand up to snape,
and now you have a date with parvati patil. how lucky can you get?"

"please," hermione added. "neville doesn't need those two airheads. he can get a
decent girl, without even looking hard."

"i can?" neville asked in surprise.

"sure. what about lisa turpin of ravenclaw, or hannah abbot or even susan bones of
hufflepuff? there's also luna lovegood, she's a friend and she's quite
attractive."

"loony luna?" ron asked, looking at the girl next to him. "are you mad? she's a
nutter."

"she's also a very good friend, ron. she'd be perfect for neville."

"i do sort of like her," neville said with a warm blush. "i mean, we rode together
on the hogwart's express. but i think she's got a thing for harry, i
doubt i'd stand a chance."

"she what?" harry asked with a blush of his own.

"haven't you noticed?" seamus asked. "everyone else has. she's always looking at
you, always following you around. i'm surprised she hasn't asked to switch
houses, just so she can be closer to you."

"but i'm with ginny," harry said. "i like luna, but not that way."

"have you told her that?" dean said.

"well, no, but..."

"luna isn't interested in harry," hermione commented. "she's just..."

"a nutter," ron added, supplying the word for her.

"either way," hermione continued, glaring at ron. "i'm sure we can get neville a
date with her. our first hogsmeade visit is coming up in a few weeks, we
can arrange for them to go together."

"how? i can't ask her," neville insisted, feeling much like his old self, nervous,
shy and awkward. "i get too tongue tied to talk about anything serious
around her."

"then we'll ask her for you," hermione insisted.

"oh brother," ron said, turning to harry. "lets just go to our dorm, before
hermione starts matching up everyone in school."

"ronald weasley, what's that supposed to mean?" hermione scolded.

"nothing, not one little thing." ron left with hermione still nagging at him,
climbing the stairs and disappearing down the hallway.

"has everyone gone crazy this year? what's up with those two?" seamus asked, once
they were out of sight. harry looked at them, shrugging his shoulders.

"they fell in love," he told them, as they followed the path the other two had
just gone in.

"oh," seamus said. "that would explain it. you never really know a person, until
you start dating them."

"boy, that's for sure," harry said, shaking his head as they passed the two who
were now hiding in the shadows behind a large suit of armor kissing. you
just really never knew.

read? review!

author notes: thank you again and again for r/r. i love reading what you have to
say and your suggestions. for those who are enjoying my fic, i hope this
was a good chapter for you because it?s leading up to something soon, and for
those who seem to be reading mine and all the other stories just to critique
them, please ease up. it's just a story and i'm having too much fun writing it to
take too many suggestions to heart. please be patient though. i am a
college student and i have a lot of finals coming up, so the chapters may not be
as frequent as before, but i promise to finish it. i love reading what
you have to say, so please keep r/r.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter eighteen

the following few weeks were as uneventful as any could be. harry had set up
quiddich tryouts for the second week of school, and was busy nearly every evening
arranging for interested students to give those harry had already assigned to the
team, a chance to see what they had. ron was appointed as this year's
keeper, since he had such an outstanding record from last year. ginny was given
the position of chaser along with colin creevey, who was actually an excellent
tryout. natalie macdonald tried out for keeper, but showed excellent skills as
beater, and was given that position along with dean thomas, much to everyone's
surprise. dean was thought of more as an academic striver and artist, then
athlete, and much to ron's objections the last position of second keeper was
given to geoffrey hooper, who had tried out last year but was rejected by then
captain angelina johnson, because he was a real whiner. this year, he appeared
to be an improved version of his former self, however when he was told that he
would be second keeper after ron who would be helping teach him the finer
points of the game, he showed his true colors and complained for nearly fifteen
minutes.

harry felt secure with his new team, after practicing and training every night and
twice on saturday for three weeks. he was a hard coach, pushing his team
to near exhaustion night after night. he found himself plotting maneuvers and game
strategies while sitting in binns class and during breakfast and lunch,
and again after practice. he was becoming obsessed with the sport, putting his
homework off even more than usual, having to finish it up in the wee hours
of the morning, or just before class. he had even found himself asking hermione if
she still had her time turner from third year, so he could fit in enough
time for everything else he still hadn't found time for, like sleep.

ron and hermione continued in much the same manner as usual, with the exception of
being seen snogging while on their prefect rounds. they argued and complained
on a regular basis, but surprised everyone by smiling and passing love notes to
each other during transfigurations, which mcgonagall had once intercepted,
reading to the entire class. they had somehow found an easy pattern to fall into,
much to the irritation of ginny and harry, who hadn't found enough time
to hold hands, much less be alone.

summer was quickly dissolving into autumn, bringing with it the early bite of cold
air. practice was becoming increasingly difficult for the entire team,
as rain began early in october and didn't seem to let up for weeks. the mood
inside the castle was nearly as dismal as the weather itself, with everyone
snapping and arguing at the slightest word. even the ghosts seemed to be
temperamental, and peeves had stopped tormenting students, keeping himself
strictly
on reserve for filch alone. it wasn't until the week of halloween, that the
memories of what lie outside hogwart's walls came back to the minds of those
inside, with a vengeance.

as the morning mail was being delivered, the moods seemed to pick up slightly, as
it had everyday around this time. harry was delighted to get a letter
from lupin, who told him of plans to get him and the weasleys together for
christmas. harry breathed a sigh of relief. he hadn't spent more than ten minutes
with ginny in weeks, maybe he'd be able to make up for lost time during the
holidays. he mentally began to make plans to look for a special gift to make
up his lack of attention, when he noticed his copy of the daily prophet. he
reached for it, unrolling it absent-mindedly when the great hall became deathly
quiet. he looked around, following the eyes that seemed glued to the slytherin
table.

"what's going on?" he whispered to ginny next to him, as she nodded toward malfoy,
who abruptly stood up, hurrying out of the room, followed by snape and
professor dumbledore. "what was that all about?" he asked again.

"read this," hermione told him, reaching for the paper and showing him the front
page. harry read the headline;

"body of narcissa malfoy found on ministry of magic steps"

"oh god," harry said softly, scanning the article. his eye caught a sentence and
was unable to move forward, reading and re-reading it.

"a note attached to the lifeless body of mrs. malfoy said simply, 'a gift from the
dark lord. a traitor returned to her own kind.'"

"i can't believe it," ginny said softly. "how horrible. how could he just kill
her, as if she meant nothing at all?" harry looked up from the paper to the
red haired girl next to him, his face pale. "what's wrong harry?"

"my vision," he told her, glancing back across the ron and hermione. "it was her,
she's the one lucius malfoy killed." they sat staring at him, wide eyed
with disbelief.

"are you sure?" hermione asked.

"positive. i saw a woman with long pale blond hair," he told them, pointing to the
old picture of a happy narcissa malfoy smiling back at them from the
front page. "it was her, i know it was."

"poor malfoy," ginny said sadly. "how do you deal with the thought of your father,
killing your mother?"

"maybe he doesn't know," ron said.

"he was reading a letter when he left," hermione said. "he wasn't looking a the
paper."

"i feel sick," ginny said, pushing her plate aside.

"students," mcgonagall said, interrupting the outburst of conversations in the

hall. "professor dumbledore has canceled all classes for the day. prefects
are to lead their houses back to their dormitories. further orders will be relayed
to you from your house prefects." the students stood up and walked quietly
back to their houses. the only sounds in the halls were the shuffling of feet on
the stairs and the rustle of cloaks as students walked along.
"i wonder what's going to happen to malfoy now," hermione said, as they quietly
sat at the corner table.

"do you think he's going to stay in school?" ginny asked.

"i can't imagine what he must be going through," hermione said again. harry and
ron remained silent. neither cared much for draco malfoy, in fact the three
were happier hating each other, but they couldn't imagine how something like this
could happen, or wouldn't have wished it on their worst enemy, which
just happened to be draco malfoy.

"i'm going upstairs," harry said, standing up and walking up the stairs to the
sixth year boy's dormitories. he couldn't think anymore, he could only stare.
he lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. in a way he felt like he could
understand how draco felt, having lost both of his parents, but in another
larger way, he couldn't even begin to fathom how the slytherin's pride and joy
must be feeling. harry closed his eyes, trying to shut out the image of
his premonition, seeing again and again, how lucius malfoy just walked forward and
spoke the words that took the woman's life - his own wife.

"i know what you're thinking," a soft voice said, bringing harry's eyes open to
see ginny leaning against the post of his bed. "it's not your fault."

"if only i could have seen who it was," harry said, a sick feeling in his stomach.
"maybe i could have warned her, or done something to help."

"you couldn't have stopped it, harry."

"what good is seeing the future, if i can't stop what's going to happen?"

"you can stop it, if you know what it is you're seeing. you didn't know who the
woman was, or where they were. you just need time to refine your visions,
to control them."

"i can't help it, ginny," harry said, sitting up on his bed, pulling his legs up
to his chin. "i don't want this thing anymore. i don't know how to do it.
i can't be the hero everyone expects me to be."

"nobody expects you to be a hero, harry," ginny said, sitting on the bed and
laying her hand on his knee. "they just want you to be you. if this is a gift,
then you have to try and look for the reason behind your having it. things happen
for a reason. you know that."

"my parents' being murdered was for a reason?" harry said, his tone rising, his
temper growing hot. "malfoy's mother being murdered was for a reason? sirius,
cedric, neville's parents, they were all for a reason? tell me ginny, what
possible reason could there be for cold blooded murder and torture, because
frankly, i can't see it."

"maybe i should leave you alone," she said, aware that there was no way of trying
to make him feel better right now, and there was very little she could
say that would make him understand he wasn't at fault.

ginny stood to leave, when he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling
her back down to the mattress. he sat there staring at her, unable to say
anything more, but unwilling to let her leave. ginny understood what he needed,
and crawled up on the bed, leaning against the headboard next to him. they
just sat there together. no words were necessary; nothing could be said that would
help make sense of what was happening around them. but the one thing
they definitely knew was that things had changed for all of them. there would
never be any going back. the future had just reached them, and it was demanding
attention.

halloween this year was less then the joyous occasion it usually was. nearly
headless nick had arranged his deathday celebration, but knew it wouldn't be
the same either. the headless hunt had been canceled, and even the hogwart's
ghosts were feeling the despair and tension of the times. harry had started
feeling the urge to run, and began getting up at dawn, running laps around the
lake five times every morning, before returning to the castle, showering
and going down for breakfast. his activity wasn't as rewarding as it had been over
the summer, and he found it difficult to think of anything else but
death and voldemort. he spent many long nights sitting alone by the fireplace in
the gryffindor common room, practicing his occlumency lessons, hoping
to focus his mind and prepare for the next time he had a vision of voldemort.

it was the eve of halloween, and harry found himself focusing his mind on the
flames leaping from the fire. the other students had turned in hours ago,
leaving him alone in the room. the thoughts of the impending celebration scheduled
for the following evening did little to aid in the improvement of the
castle's mood, especially with harry. he didn't want to think about celebrating;
instead he tried to focus on his occlumency lessons, with a great deal
of difficulty. he couldn't stop thinking about the events of the past week. the
more he thought, the more tired he became. all he wanted to do was sleep,
knowing eventually he would have to wake up and face reality. with a reluctant
sigh, harry stood, leaving the warmth of the common room and climbed the
stairs to his dormitory. he didn't bother changing into his pajamas, instead lying
on his bed fully clothed.

he closed his eyes, trying to block out the images that had been plaguing his
thoughts for the last several days. he could feel himself drifting into a
state of slumber, when he suddenly found himself standing on a dark sidewalk. he
knew instantly what was happening, and looked around for any signs of
death eaters or voldemort, but there was nothing. the sound of the night whispered
around him, the street lamp above his head was dim; the ashbins lining
the curb were abuzz with flies. nearby a dog barked emphatically, then was
silenced with a yelp. harry could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching and
had the instant urge to hide. the night seemed to suddenly cool, as a rustle in a
nearby alleyway caught his attention.

harry looked hard, straining to see through the shadows. the footsteps continued
to echo up the street, coming closer with every second. the urge to run
was pounding in his ears, but instead he found himself walking forward. he glanced
down to the sidewalk as he stepped, his shoes silent on the pavement,
the light above him from the street lamps could not detect him to cast a shadow.
he edged closer to the alley, hearing a rattling breath and feeling the
air around him turn to ice. the footsteps were coming closer, and harry felt the
need to cry out, to stop the owner from coming closer. then he saw them,
two dark figures moving slowly from the alley as if floating on air; dementors.
they were moving forward, past him. harry hurried to follow, a slight sense
of pleasure at not being affected by the hooded creatures as he always had been.
he heard the footsteps falter in the night, then stop altogether. the
gasp and scream of misery echoed in the night and he knew what had happened. the
dementors had found their prey. he rushed past them, seeing them leaning
over a shadowed figure. as he neared he could see the red hair of the man lying on
his back, his eyes opened to the sights before him, his mouth in a silent
scream. the hooded creatures straightened up and glided away, leaving the man
soulless and worse than dead. they returned to where they had once come,
and harry heard a man's voice.

"that should stop him from conspiring against me," the man said as the two hooded
figures joined him in the alley. "leave now, before anyone else should
come by." harry heard the rattling figures and the swish of cloaks as they
disappeared into the night, and then stared at the lone figure standing near
the alley's entrance. he glanced back to the figure lying on the ground, laughing
as a loud pop sounded and he disappeared into thin air. harry turned
back to the lifeless body, stepping closer to him and looking down.

percy weasley lay in the shadows of the night. his soul kissed by the dementors,
his eyes open to the horrors of what had happened. in his hand was a bouquet
of roses wrapped with a pink ribbon that read:

"to daddy's little girl, with love."

read? review!

author notes: thank you again for everyone who r/r. sorry this is a shorter
chapter, but i was anxious to get it out. lots happening in the chapters to
come. and one more thing; for all who expect the fifth point of the start to be
draco i'd like to ask a question. are you sure?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter nineteen

harry awoke to an odd sensation, staring into the concerned eyes of his best
friend. ron frowned at him, the dim light of dawn shining around him. he sat
up with a groan, feeling more exhausted then he had when he went to bed, his mind
trying to search what it was that had just happened to him.

"are you all right?" ron asked, sitting back on the foot of harry's bed, staring
at him.

"yeah, i think so," harry answered, reaching for his glasses lying on the table
near his bed. "why did you wake me?"

"you were having a nightmare or something," ron told him softy, trying not to wake
the rest of the room's sleeping occupants.

"i was?"

"you were calling out percy's name." harry frowned thinking back on the night
before. he was so tired, it was hard to focus his mind, but he thought hard
remembering sitting in the common room practicing his occlumency lessons, then
finally giving up and going to bed. he remembered the strange sensation
of walking along a quiet street and the cold air. then it hit him with the full
force of what had happened.

"percy," harry said, fear and concern etching his face and voice. "i've got to get
to dumbledore. percy's in trouble."

"what do you mean in trouble? from what?"

"ron, i had a vision. dementors attacked percy, they kissed him. someone sent them
after him."

"who? why would anyone want to set dementors after percy? was it you-know-who?"

"no, but he's in trouble. we have to warn him." harry jumped from his bed, running
down the stairs and out the portrait hole, followed by his barefooted,
pajama clad, red haired friend. they ran all the way to the statue guarding
dumbledore's office, stopping short. they didn't know the password. harry began
pacing the area in front of the statue, thinking. he knew dumbledore had odd
passwords like lemon sherbet, but what was it now? every year it changed.

"hello harry, mr. weasley," sir nicholas said, coming around the corner of the
hallway. "up early aren't you? not exactly dressed for running."

"nick, please. we're busy," harry said shortly, still pacing the floor.

"i can see that. anything i can help with?"

"not unless you know the password for dumbledore's office," ron said in an
irritated tone.

"i'm a ghost, mr. weasley," nick said, adjusting his head as it bobbed to the
side. "i do not need passwords."

"that's right," harry said stopping his pacing. "you don't need passwords."

"that's what i said."

"can you get into dumbledore's office and tell him we have to speak with him?"
nick looked at the boys, eying them with a frown.

"i suppose, but it is against the rules, even for a ghost to disturb the
headmaster. what's the problem?"

"please nick," harry pleaded. "tell dumbledore i have to see him. tell him i had
another vision, he'll understand." nick floated in the same place for a
few moments, considering what the young man said, before nodding his head,
adjusting it back to his shoulders and disappearing through the wall.

"i don't understand any of this harry," ron said once they were alone again. "who
would want to kill percy?"

"i don't know, but i know we have to help him."

"but how? your premonitions aren't exactly dated. how do we know when this is
going to happen? for all we know, it's already happened."

"no it hasn't, i can feel it. and i do know when."

"how?" ron asked, as the statue in front of them jumped aside, revealing the white
haired man on the other side. dumbledore looked concerned, stepping aside
for the boys.

"come with me," he ordered, allowing them to follow him up the stairs. harry
glanced back to see nick gliding down the stairs from the upper office.

"thank you nick," harry said softly, watching the ghost nod briefly, and then
disappearing through the sidewall.

once inside dumbledore's office, the man motioned for the two to sit, taking his
own seat behind the desk. they watched him wave his wand, a tray of biscuits
and tea appeared in front of them. the teapot took up its own accord, pouring the
hot liquid into the three small cups that floated to the recipients.

"now harry," dumbledore began, taking his teacup and sipping its contents. "sir
nicholas tells me you've had another vision."

"yes sir," harry answered, sitting his cup on the edge of the desk and glanced to
ron. "i saw the dementors attacking percy weasley. they kissed him on
a street, late at night."

"do you know who sent them?" the older man asked with a deep furrow of his white
brows. harry shook his head, and then looked to ron again before speaking
again.

"i know something about what's going on," he told the headmaster, watching as he
leaned back in his seat, his fingertips meeting as he placed his hands
near his mouth. he eyed harry and ron for a moment, inspecting each expression
closely.

"do you know when this attack takes place?" harry nodded.

"it's on the night of his daughter's birth." ron gasped, looking at dumbledore
with wide eyes.

"daughter? percy's got a daughter?"

"he will have mr. weasley," dumbledore answered, reaching for a quill and
parchment. he jotted down a note, rolling it and taking it to fawkes. "take this
to grimmauld place," he ordered, watching as fawkes spread his wings, flying out
the window. dumbledore sat back down, looking at ron.

"your brother has been working in secret for the order, since bartemius crouch's
death," he explained. "he has been keeping an eye on things at the ministry.
it was our intention for him to make public his disapproval of harry and your
parents, and his disbelief of voldemort's return."

"bloody hell," ron said. "do my mum and dad know about this?"

"only your father knows. it was best to keep as few people aware of his actions as
possible."

"why was he spying on the ministry of magic?" harry asked, taking up the
conversation.

"we have reason to believe that there is at least one supporter to the death
eaters, in the ministry's head office. with mr. weasley's help, we have narrowed
it down to two people."

"i can't believe percy was a spy," ron said in stunned silence, and then
remembered what harry had said. "how does he have a child?"

"your brother married penelope clearwater early last year. your father was the
only one who knew he had married and that they are now expecting their first
child. even his wife does not know about his mission. she is under the belief that
your brother had a falling out with your family and has since refused
to make contact with them. it has been very difficult on him to keep his word, and
his distance. you see mr. weasley, i am aware of what you and your brothers
think, but he is not a traitor to your family. he is working for the order, in
hopes of helping bring a quick end to this war."

"do you know when the baby is due?" harry asked, thinking back on what he had seen
in his vision. dumbledore frowned.

"she is expected any day now. even i can not determine the exact date."

"what happens if we can't stop the dementors?" ron asked, fear in his voice.

"i think you know the answer to that," the old wizard assured him. ron's face
turned suddenly pale. "we will take it from here. the two of you need to get
back to your dormitory. i believe you have the pitch reserved for your team's
practice today. you don't want to miss out on your training."

"i can't concentrate on quiddich at a time like this," ron insisted, standing up
beside harry.

"you must," dumbledore argued softly. "it is important for you to keep your mind
occupied on other things. we will let you know what we find out."

"professor," harry said, starting to walk to the door. "it wasn't voldemort who
sent the dementors after percy. my scar didn't hurt when i woke up, and
the person in the alley wasn't him. but i felt like i knew him, or had seen him
somewhere before."

"thank you harry," dumbledore told him, patting his shoulder. "that narrows it
down considerably."

harry and ron left dumbledore's office in silence, walking back to their
dormitory. they entered through the fat lady's portrait, and went straight to
their
room. inside was nearly engulfed in the light of morning, yet as any other
saturday, all was quiet as the students remained in their beds. nobody was eager
to wake early on the weekends, and harry and ron found themselves crawling beneath
their covers, staring at the ceiling while listening to the soft snores
of the dean, seamus and neville. harry felt miserable. he knew exactly what and
when percy was going to be attacked, and yet he didn't know. at least dumbledore
knew, and that was the largest task taken care of.

"hey, harry," ron said softly, so not to disturb the others. "how did you know
percy was working for the order?"

"i heard him and your dad talking one night over the summer, when i snuck down to
the kitchen to get something to eat. i didn't know how to tell you, or
even if i should. your dad was pretty insistent that he continue to keep his
mission secret, so i figured it was best to keep it that way."

"i don't want percy to die," ron said again after some time. harry sighed. he felt
helpless and it was the most irritating feeling he had ever experienced.

"he won't, ron. dumbledore will see to it."

"it'll kill mum," ron said again, his voice breaking with emotion.
"dumbledore will save him, ron. you have to trust in that." ron turned over in his
bed, hiding his face in his pillow. he wasn't willing to let his friend
see him cry, but he couldn't stop his tears either. as much as he had always
complained and argued with percy, the truth was he loved him and missed him.
he couldn't imagine what life would be like without him, even if he was a royal
prat at times, he was still his brother.

"ron?" harry said softly, tossing the covers aside and standing up out of his bed.
"i can't sleep. do you want to go running with me?" ron sniffed, wiping
his eyes, nodding. he kicked his covers off and reaching for his clothes, quickly
dressing. he pulled on his shoes and joined harry who left their dorm
and the castle. they walked in silence toward the lake. the air was crisp and the
slight autumn wind sent chills racing through their sweats and jumpers.
they began jogging slowly to warm up, harry keeping things at a steady pace.
within fifteen minutes the two were running laps around the lake, their minds
consumed on what had happened in dumbledore's office. ron grew tired much quicker
than his athletic friend, breathing hard after another twenty minutes
and slowing his pace, falling to the grass beneath a tree. harry ran one more lap,
and then joined his friend under the tree, stretching out on the moist
grass. they remained silent, unable to talk at first due to their heavy breathing
and then later, due to the renewed thoughts.

"harry, isn't that malfoy?" ron asked, after several minutes. harry leaned up on
his elbows, looking out across the field to where a lone figure sat. it
was difficult not to recognize the pale blond, even at this distance. they watched
him just sitting in the middle of the dying grasses, his arms wrapped
around his knees, his hair blowing freely in the morning breeze. harry sighed
before he stood, brushing the loose blades of grass from his pants and jumper.
he knew he had to talk to the slytherin boy, he'd been putting it off for days,
but it had been easy since malfoy had not been in class since hearing about
his mother.

"lets go," harry told ron, watching as he followed suit. they walked toward
malfoy, seeing his state of disarray as they neared him. the normally refined,
well groomed young man they had spent the past five years hating, looked toward
the open field with red rimmed eyes, unshaven chin and hair free of the
expensive gels and holding sprays that usually kept it restrained.

"he looks like hell," ron said softly. they slowed their pace as they neared the
blond. he didn't look at them, but his posture told them he knew they were
there.

"malfoy," harry said softly, then cleared his throat. "i know you don't give a
damn what i have to say, but i wanted to tell you how sorry i am. i never
knew your mother, but i'm sure she was a great lady. this shouldn't have happened
to her."

"she was a death eater, potter," malfoy said softly, his tone reflecting nothing
of the boy they had always known. "my father is a death eater, and i'm
being trained to be one. what more is there to say?" they were silent for several
nervous, stressful moments, wondering if they should turn and leave or
say something.

"why was she working against voldemort if she was a death eater?" ron asked, using
the dark lord's name for the first time without concern, a frown etching
his brow. malfoy looked up at them, his eyes revealing his fatigue and grief.

"she was scared, weasley. she didn't want me to turn out like my father, so she
turned sides and contacted dumbledore. the dark lord found out and sent
two men to bring her to him, in the middle of the night."

"crabbe and goyle," harry said softly, suspecting who the two men were. malfoy
nodded once, looking back to the open space.

"so that's why you've been so hard on them this year?" ron clarified.

"i can't stand the idea of being in the same house with the sons who murdered my
mother. i want them dead for what their fathers have done."

"now you know how the rest of us, who have had to deal with the dark side, feels,"
harry said again. malfoy glanced up, locking eyes with him.

"how do you do this every day?" malfoy asked him.

"do what?" harry asked with a frown.

"know every day that you will probably die, but still face the threat? how do you
go on knowing how your parents were killed, and not demand revenge?"

"what makes you think i don't want revenge? i live with the nightmares of their
deaths. i hear my mother's screams every time i close my eyes. the only
thing that keeps me going, is knowing that i will gladly sacrifice my life in
order to make that bastard pay for what he's done to them."

"so i suppose it's not that abnormal for me to want all of them dead."

"no."

malfoy stood, wiping the loose grass from his wrinkled pants, then turned to study
the faces of the two staring at him. he looked like he wanted to say
something, but couldn't form the words correctly. he nodded at the two, leaving
them in his wake as he returned to the castle.

"what just happened?" ron asked, frowning at harry, who in turn watched the blond
walk into the castle, disappearing inside the protective walls.

"i think the grinch just grew a heart."

read? review!

author notes: this was shorter than i had originally wanted, but i really wanted
to get it out. hope you enjoy it, and please continue to r/r.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twenty

the weekend passed by in a tense state of silence. the boys told hermione and
ginny about the premonition, and they found themselves staring out the window,
waiting for any sign or word from home. they dreaded the idea of what the news
would bring, and feared knowing but had no other choice but to worry. it
wasn't until late sunday night as the four sat alone in the common room, unwilling
to go to bed and unwanting to face another day of wondering, that the
anticipation confronted them full forced. the clock had just struck midnight, when
a soft rapping noise echoed from the window. harry looked up to find
hedwig sitting on the window ledge, her snow white feathers shining like moonbeams
in the darkness. he had sent her late friday to grimmauld place, asking
to be notified the minute any word was known about percy. harry and ron were first
to the window, pulling it open and allowing the bird to enter. he pulled
the letter from her foot, offered her a treat, and then eagerly ripped open the
letter addressed to him and ron in lupin's hand.

"dear harry and ron," he began reading aloud, sitting back at the table they had
been trying to study at. "this is to tell you that all is well. the advance
guard has been watching percy every second of the day and night, since dumbledore
notified us. your premonition came to light early this morning. we were
there to ward off the dementors, but the person responsible got away. molly wanted
all of you to know, percy had a baby girl at two fourteen this morning,
naming her molly ann weasley, and their brother has never been prouder. i'll write
later. r.l."

"there's another letter," ginny said, picking up the envelope harry had sat on the
table. she pulled it out, smiling as she recognized the perfect penmanship.

"dear harry," she began reading. "i can not thank you enough for all you have done
for me, especially after the way i acted last year. i am very sorry for
ever doubting you. penelope hasn't stopped crying since hearing how you saved my
life, and i will never be able to repay you for allowing me the chance
to be a father to my baby girl. ron was right to bring you into the family, and i
am thrilled you are with ginny. she couldn't be in better hands, and
you have my blessings. you have been a great addition to the family, and i welcome
you as a brother. i look forward to seeing all of you soon. forever
your brother, percy."

"you did it mate," ron said, patting harry on the back, as ginny jumped up,
hugging his neck.

"thank god, they got there in time to stop him," hermione said, as ron wrapped his
arms around her waist.

"but he got away," harry complained, accepting and returning the hug from the
attractive girl in his arms. "what's to stop him from trying again?"

"don't worry about that, harry," said dumbledore, who had quietly stepped into the
room unseen "percy and penelope are safe with the weasleys, and molly
is having the time of her life doting over the baby. since knowledge of his
mission with the order has come to light, he will no longer be working at the
ministry. he has joined the order full time."

"wicked," ron said with a smile.

"but what about the man who sent the dementors?" hermione asked. "will he still be
after percy?"

"it is possible, miss granger," mcgonagall added, joining the small group. "but we
believe we know who it was that set them after him. it is only a matter
of time, before we prove it."

"who was it?" harry asked, his arm around ginny's slender waist as she sat on his
lap.

"we can not say at the moment, mr. potter," mcgonagall added. "but we do believe
we can catch him before he tries anything further."
"mr. weasley will not be without a companion," commented dumbledore with a smile.
"he has sacrificed enough, for the order."

"i can't believe it," ginny said with an almost whimsical smile. "percy and
penelope married and with a baby. how wonderful."

"you'll be seeing them soon enough," mcgonagall said with a warm smile. "you are
to spend christmas holiday at the order with your family."

"what about harry?" ginny demanded. "he's coming with us isn't he?"

"of course," dumbledore said.

"don't be mental, ginny," ron demanded. "he's a part of the family isn't he?"

harry smiled at the thought. it had only taken sixteen years, to get a family of
his own. a family he was very happy to be a part of, especially since the
very attractive red haired girl was in it with him. he thought again, just how
happy he was, he wasn't her brother.

winter brought with it an unusual amount of snow, arriving the last week in
november and not letting up until two days before the christmas holidays. the
feelings of despair had worn off and were replaced with the excitement of the
season. the great hall had been decorated with live fairies, massive twenty-foot
tall trees and mounds of food. the suits of armor shinned and were decorated with
mistletoe, garland and holly. presents were exchanged among friends,
songs sang between classes, giggles from girls who had been given presents and
sweets from boys, and blushes from boys rewarded by kisses.

harry sat next to ron in the great hall, with hermione and ginny on the other side
of the table. he felt miserable. he had intended to get a special gift
for ginny during their first hogsmeade visit in october, but was unable to find
anything he really wanted to get her, spending most of his time and money
at honeydukes and the weasley's joke shop. about the best he could do, was get her
a new pair of mittens she desperately needed. some christmas this was
going to be, he thought. their first one together, and he had nothing to show for
it.

ron looked up at hermione and blushed. things between them had become much more
serious, yet ron swore they had not become physical since the day in myrtle's
bathroom. he couldn't find the right way to approach the girl about a repeat
experience, and was actually having fun just being with her, getting to know
her better as a girl rather than a friend. they had agreed not to push things too
fast, after enduring three weeks of fear following their first encounter.
they had a very real awakening about the consequences to their actions. hermione
had missed her monthly menses, and the two of them had spent many sleepless
nights wondering, fearing until she learned it was a false alarm. since then, they
had been extremely distant in that area, yet growing closer in every
other way.

ginny however, had felt anything but content. harry had been so consumed with
extra lessons from tonks and snape, that he had literally ignored her. they
hadn't spent more than ten minutes alone together, outside of studying and
quidditch, in over a month. the gryffindor house team had won their first game
against slytherin, and the excitement of it still rang in everyone's memories.
malfoy had devoted himself to studying in the library most of his evenings,
leaving only for classes, meals, sleeping or his prefect duties, though nobody had
the nerve to approach him and ask what it was he was doing. everything
seemed a little odd, and yet really right at the same time. everything except
harry and ginny, who both sighed at the same instant.

the morning owls arrived with the mail, dropping letters, packages and presents
all over the house tables. harry picked up the small package from his aunt
petunia and uncle vernon. he reluctantly unwrapped it, then looked inside,
surprised at the contents. he remembered what arthur weasley had told them before
taking harry away for the summer, warning them to send a real present to their
nephew this christmas. but he never would have expected to see this. inside
was a new watch, a thick black leather band wrapped around a piece of parchment,
which simply read, "happy holidays."

harry slipped the watch on, and then looked down to the letter that lay in his
plate of eggs, kippers and toast, reading the handwriting. lupin had been
writing to him weekly, taking up where sirius had left off. harry smiled. it was
nice to have an adult in his life, who was just a friend. it made loosing
his godfather seem less painful somehow. harry opened the letter, glancing up to
see ginny reading one from her parents. he read the words and smiled.
lupin assured him that the weasley family would be joining them at grimmauld place
during the christmas holidays. he also said he had something serious
he wanted harry to help him with, when he got 'home'. harry was excited to see the
whole weasley family together again, hoping they could all understand
and forgive percy for his absence.

"hey mate," ron said, nudging his elbow. "can i talk to you for a minute, before
we go to dada class?" harry frowned, then nodded. he glanced to ginny who
had been staring at them, then lowered her eyes when he smiled. things between the
two of them had become extremely tense and distant lately. harry only
hoped the holidays would help mend the rift between them.

"i have to show you something," ron said once they were out of the great hall and
on their way to their dormitory. he hurried inside, leading harry to their
shared room. harry sat on his unmade bed, watching as ron pulled out the small
package that arrived for him in the morning mail. he smiled brightly, holding
it up for harry who took it and unwrapped the brown paper package. inside was a
small velvet box. harry glanced to ron, watching as he suddenly began pacing
the room. harry opened it, revealing the small golden band inside, adorned with
three small rubies.

"it's not my type, so i would assume it's for hermione?" harry teased, picking the
ring up from the inside.

"smart arse," ron growled. stopping in front of him. "what do you think?"

"what's it for?"

"i'm going to ask hermione to be mine," he said. "it's a promise ring. i want to
give it to her over the holidays. think she'll like it?"

"i'm sure she will, but i thought the two of you were already together?"

"well, i've never asked her like you asked ginny. i never really had the courage
until i found that ring at hogsmeade. it's taken me over two months to
get the money together for it."

"how did you get the money? it looks really expensive."

"it is," ron said, taking the box and ring back from harry and slipping it into
his robe pocket. "i made a deal with fred and george. i agreed to sell their
stuff to the students, if i got ten percent commission."

"i wish i could find something that nice for ginny," harry said sadly. "i haven't
been able to get anything for her for christmas. things between us have
been a little stressful, and i just wanted something really nice to tell her i
still love her."

"she knows you love her," ron said, as the two of them left the room and headed
for tonks' classroom.

"maybe, but we haven't exactly spent any time together in weeks. i just want to
give her something she'll remember and cherish forever."

"there's only one thing she wants from you, and you know it." harry sighed.

"i know, and i've been thinking a lot about it, especially since we haven't spent
even an hour together lately. i mean, it's always been her idea and i
told her she would have to wait, which i meant once, but now i'm just not so sure.
i don't know how to give her what she wants, or when. i want it to be
special for her."

"you mean you don't want it in myrtle's bathroom, with your best friend listening
outside in the hall?" ron blushed as he smiled his acknowledgement of
what it was they were discussing. harry smiled, shaking his head.

"i want it to be some place warm and soft. somehow i just can't get excited about
taking her on a cold stone floor."

"what about grimmauld place?" ron asked suddenly. "there's plenty of rooms there,
and it's like a second home to her."

"but there will also be plenty of people there too. and a lot of them will be her
brothers. remember how you acted when i kissed her? think about how all
five of your brothers will act, when they catch me making love to her, right under
their noses. no, ron. it has to be something really great, something
we'll both cherish forever. until then, i'll just have to try and find the best
present i can, in the time i have left."

"well we aren't leaving until christmas eve," ron told him, stepping into the dada
classroom, and looking to find hermione sitting alone, waiting him. "maybe
you can think of something by then."

"that's two days, ron. i can't imagine something coming up in that short of time."

"why don't you owl fred and george and ask them to pick you up something at
hogsmeade for her? maybe they can find her a nice necklace or something."

"sure, and have it explode when she puts it on? no thanks. i'll figure something
out on my own."

"what's wrong harry?" tonks asked, walking up behind him. harry turned shrugging
his shoulders.

"just trying to think of something for ginny for christmas."

"i know something she really wants," tonks told him. "see me after class and we'll
talk." harry sat down next to neville frowning. how did tonks know what
ginny really wanted? the only thing he could think of was the one thing she kept
bugging him for. she wanted him to make love to her, but that couldn't
be what tonks meant, could it? he blushed thinking about how he was going to
discuss this with the older, currently red and green haired woman.

class was over before he knew it, and he suddenly regretted it. since tonks began
teaching the defense against the dark arts class, it had been an exciting
experience. she had taught them to block spells and hexes, reviewing the past five
years of training, then started teaching more of the defenses against
spells and curses voldemort would likely use. she had spent an entire week
discussing the unforgivable curses, and the reasons they were called unforgivable.
but more than just the lessons, it was her entire outlook and personality. she was
always cheerful, upbeat and happy and made everyone a part of the class,
bringing them into subject and involving them in the discussions. the students
loved her, loved the way she taught, and even loved her constantly changing
styles.

harry started to pack his bag, when tonks stepped to his side, holding a small box
for him. he looked up and frowned at the smile she offered.

"ginny has always loved this," she clarified. "i was going to give it to her for
her birthday next month, but i think you could use it now." harry opened
it up, revealing the cherry oak wood of a small jewelry box. the engraved top had
the emblem of hogwart's on it, and inside was lined in velvet, in the
gryffindor colors of gold and orange. he smiled as he slipped the box into his
bag.

"you may have just saved my relationship," he told her, as ron and hermione joined
them. "thanks tonks."

"glad to be of help. i'll see you guys on the train home," she told them, leaving
the three to talk among themselves.

"now all i need is something to put in it," harry said softly as they walked out
of the room and headed toward their history of magic class.

"ginny and i saw a charm bracelet in diagon alley, when we went there for our
school supplies," hermione told him. "she really liked it, but it was sort
of expensive. you could send an owl to the jewelers and see if they still have
it."

"that's actually a great idea, but i can't have it delivered where we're going to
be for the holidays."

"i can owl my mum and see if she will pick it up," hermione suggested again. "she
really loves diagon alley, and i'm sure she'll do it for you."

"that would be great if she would. i can arrange to have the money waiting for her
at gringott's."

"i'll owl her right after class," hermione told him with a smile.

"hermione, you're the best. thanks so much," harry said, hugging his friend before
they entered the class. he felt suddenly elevated and eager for christmas.

"hey, that's enough of that," ron said, slipping his arm around hermione's waist.
"get your own girl harry, this one's mine."
"sorry ron," harry said, then turned and went into the class, taking a seat next
to his two best friends. he was so excited about ginny's present that he
actually stayed awake during binns class. he had already penned out the note to
gringott's and once class was over, he hurried to the owlery to find hedwig.
hermione used one of the school owls to send a letter to her mum, while harry sent
hedwig to diagon alley.

"this is going to be a great christmas, after all," harry told hermione and ron as
they went into the great hall for lunch. they found ginny and neville
sitting at the far end of the gryffindor table.

"hey guys," ron said, sitting across from ginny and next to neville. "what's going
on?"

"we were just talking about malfoy," ginny said. "rumor has it, he's spending the
holidays here at hogwart's, with snape."

"that has to be horrible," hermione said, reaching for the plate of fried chicken.

"can you imagine spending christmas with old sour puss?" ron asked.

"even malfoy doesn't deserve that," harry said, glancing back to ginny.

"i can't imagine what it must be like, not to have your family around for the
holidays," ginny said, absently. "i don't know if i could face christmas without
mum and dad, and the rest of the family. no presents, no laughter, no love, no
presents. it must be horrible."

"you get used to it," harry said softly, looking to the girl sitting next to him.
ginny looked up, her eyes wide as she saw the distant look on his emotionless
face.

"oh harry," she said, touching his shoulder gently. "i didn't mean that to sound
the way it did. i would never have insinuated...you know i would never
deliberately...i'm so sorry." harry smiled at her, not quite as bright as he
normally did.

"don't worry about it," he told her. "i haven't really thought much about those
days, since i came to hogwart's."

"and it doesn't matter anymore, any how," ron said around a mouth full of
potatoes. "harry's a part of our family now, thanks to you, and that's enough
to make him wish he could have just one day alone. just wait until everyone starts
laying into us about these two," he motioned to hermione and ginny.
"you'll wish you could go back down to the chamber of secrets again. anything
rather than dealing with five older brothers all at once."

"i can't wait to see them all together again," ginny said with a warm smile. "i'm
so glad percy is back, and i can hardly wait to see little molly. i love
babies."

"watch out harry," ron said softly, seeing the blush creep up across his friend's
face. "mum's always said that once a girl starts playing with a baby,
they want one of their own."

"don't be a prat ronald," ginny scolded. "i may like babies, but i am far too
young to consider having one of my own. besides, harry has his auror training
to do while i finish my last year of school. we couldn't possibly think about
children for at least five years."

"have it all planned out, do you?" harry asked, eyeing the young girl next to him.

"of course," she smiled. "one of us has to think about the future, since you
won't."

"and what do you want to do after school?" neville asked her.

"i don't know right now. i may want to be an auror as well, it would give harry
and i more time together, but then again i may decide to go into teaching.
i'd love to be a professor like tonks, she's wonderful. what about you? any plans
yet?"

"i definitely want to study herbology," neville said with a smile. "i love plants.
i can see myself traveling the world, studying exotic plants and herbs."

"not me," ron said, gulping down his juice. "i plan on being an auror with harry,
and once the world is safe from evil, i'm going to be the greatest quidditch
player the wizarding world has ever seen."

"what about you, hermione?" ginny asked, looking at the girl across from her.
"what do you plan on doing with your life?"

"i don't know right now. i may decide to be an auror as well, it's been suggested
i'd make a good one, but then again i love learning so i may go on to
college. america has a marvelous university in salem that i may consider."

"college in america?" ron asked in surprise. "why would you want to go there?"

"what's wrong with america, might i ask? they have witches there, just as here."

"it's not that," ron argued. "it's just that i'd never see you. it's a little
difficult to have a relationship with a person, when you have an ocean separating
you."

"you're assuming a great deal, ron," hermione said, staring at him. "what makes
you think we'll have any kind of relationship once school is over?" ron's
mouth fell open and his eyes grew as large as saucers, while he tried to make
sensible words escape his throat. after several moments the most he could
accomplish were a few muted grunts. "you can't keep taking me for granted, you
know?" she told him after a moment. "i have a life and i have goals, and
maybe you should think if they include you or not."

"are you saying you don't want me to be a part of your life, once school is over?"

"no that's not what i'm saying at all. all i'm saying is you need to make a few
choices of your own, and then try and figure out where i fit in to them.
i'm not just going to stand by and wait while you take your sweet time deciding
whether or not you want me to be a part of them. i won't wait forever ronald
weasley."

"i'm not asking you to wait forever," ron snapped. "and i do not take you for
granted."

"really? who do you turn to, expecting answers with homework assignments? who do
you expect to bail you out, every time you need help, or when you don't
understand something? who do you turn to when you want to snog in the closets,
assuming that i'll just say yes?"

"that's not how i look at you," ron tried to explain, only to have hermione stand
up from the table and look down at him, her eyes filled with a mixture
of hurt and anger. "and i don't exactly hear you complaining very much, when we
find that empty closet."

"rubbish. i think it's time you decide what you want from me, because i have plans
of my own and maybe they include you and maybe they don't, but its only
fair you think about where you want me in your life." with that said, hermione
turned and walked straight for the great hall door, leaving a very stunned
gryffindor table to look after her.

"what did i do?" ron asked after a moment.

"you fell in love with her, and forgot to tell her," ginny said with a sigh.
sometimes it was hard to imagine that she could possibly be related to him.

read? review!

author notes: i felt it was time for ron/hermione to come to light, as well as a
little harry/ginny. who knows what the christmas presents might be, once
the four are left alone without school books and lessons. please continue to r/r,
i love hearing from everyone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twenty-one

christmas eve was a blur of anticipation. the castle was buzzing with happy
chatter, songs and eager packing. harry had packed earlier that morning, trying
to find a few minutes of sanity before boarding the train in hogsmeade. mrs.
granger owled harry late yesterday to tell him she had the bracelet for ginny
and was bringing it to king's cross when she met hermione. he was so excited about
giving it to her, that he could barely sleep. then this morning he awoke
before dawn, packed his trunk and showered before the first rays of light even
broke over the horizon. breakfast was eaten in a hurry as many students
awoke late, and the train would leave on time, regardless of who was packed and
who wasn't. harry helped ron finish his last minute packing, assuring him
for the countless time that hermione was going to love his gift. he had planned to
give it to her last night, but they were still arguing when they went
to bed, so his plans were now to give it to her on the train, before they arrived
in london.

the train eased out of hogsmeade around ten o'clock, taking with it a load of
anxious students. the year had proven less than what everyone had expected
it to be, and much calmer. everyone was eager to go home, yet already talking
about coming back. harry had agreed to start up the d.a. club again, when
they returned from holiday, which made the members eager for christmas to be over
with. dumbledore had agreed to allow the d.a. to continue, but insisted
they continue to keep it a secret. the last thing they needed was for the dark
lord to find out what lessons were being taught. he liked the idea of keeping
voldemort off guard when the time came.

hermione and ron had prefect duties to perform, and were gone during most of the
morning, leaving ginny and harry alone to talk or just snog. they were
making up for lost time, and wasn't all that pleased when neville asked to join
them. he seemed a little less than eager to join in the conversation, making
harry and ginny feel awkward. ron and hermione returned shortly after noon, and
just in time for the lunch lady to stop by. they bought nearly everything
on the cart, and settled back to eat. neville ate a little and talked about
nonsense things, then fell back into silence.

"what's with longbottom?" ron asked harry quietly, as the girls chatted happily
about the upcoming week.

"i don't know. he came in a while ago, and hasn't spoken more than a few sentences
since then."

"i tried to ask luna out," neville clarified, hearing the boy's talking about him.
he looked miserable and his eyes actually clouded up with tears.

"that's great, neville," hermione told him, watching the boy look back out the
window.

"what did she say?" ginny asked softly.

"i made a fool of myself, and couldn't get the question out. i stepped on her robe
and ribbed the hem, and then i sat on her bag and broke her quill and
spilled her ink all over her books. i'm such an idiot. she hates me, and now
there's no way she'll ever agree to go out with me."

"oh, neville," ginny said, moving to the seat next to him and placing her arm
around his shoulders. "i'm so sorry, but maybe she's not all that upset. what
did she say to you?"

"she told me i was a clumsy buffoon and so i left."

"i'm sure she was just upset. she'll calm down."

"no she won't. she'll hate me forever."

"maybe we could talk to her," hermione suggested. "ron and i can stop by and talk
to her when we go on our next rounds. i'm sure she's not as upset as you
think."

"she said i was a clumsy buffoon," neville repeated. "that can't be a good thing."

"hey, don't take it so hard," ron told him, stuffing a cherry tart in his mouth.
"she's a nutter. you're probably better off. i mean if she can't see what
a great guy you are, then she's just not worth the time."

"ronald weasley," hermione began, catching the young man off guard, causing him to
stare blankly at her. "every time i think it's impossible for you to
say another stupid thing, you prove me wrong. luna is a wonderful girl, she's
attractive and smart and she's very brave. she stayed with us at the ministry
last year, despite the threat to all of us. and what's more, neville really likes
her, so bugger off! i can't believe you sometimes." hermione stood from
her seat, scolding the red head, the turned and stormed out of the compartment.

"what'd i do?" ron asked, causing harry to roll his eyes. those three words were
becoming redundant.

"i think now might be a good time to go after her, and give her your present,"
harry suggested. "maybe it will calm her down, and keep your neck under your
head."

ron gathered his discarded robes, pulled the small package from his trunk and
hurried out the door, following the girl in the direction she had left. harry
glanced to ginny who raised her eyebrows.

"he bought her a promise ring," he told the girl and neville. "he hasn't bothered
to ask her if she'd be his girl, and finally realized it."

"i think the twins dropped him once too often on his head," ginny commented with a
slight smile.

"he's a great guy, he's just thick," harry told her with a warm smile.

"at least he has a girl," neville said sadly. ginny couldn't resist, she hugged
the boy against her shoulder, patting his back and ignoring the narrowed
eyes that stared at her from the other seat.

"everything will work out, neville. you'll see. hermione will talk with luna and
straighten it all out." neville wrapped his arms around the girl's waist
and harry could have sworn he saw a smile cross his lips briefly.

"thanks ginny," he said, still hugging her. "i hope you're right."

"why don't we go and see if we can help," harry said abruptly, standing and
grabbing ginny's arm, pulling her out of the other boy's grip. "let's go find
hermione." ginny frowned as harry practically dragged her out of the small
compartment and into the passageway, closing the door behind him.

"harry potter, that was very rude," ginny scolded once they were out of earshot.
harry rounded on her, his eyes a dark green as he stared at her, anger
etching his features.

"do you have to hug him every time he whines?" harry demanded. "i think he did
that, just so you would hug him."

"don't be ridiculous. he was upset, what was i supposed to? offer him a chocolate
frog and tell him everything would be all right tomorrow."

"he smiled ginny," harry grumbled. "he was enjoying your sympathy. i wouldn't be a
bit surprised if he planned the whole thing, just so he could get in
your arms. if he does it again, i'm liable to hex him into next year."

"you're jealous," she finally realized. "how very sweet."

"i have a right to be jealous," he snapped. "he enjoyed you hugging him. damned it
ginny, you're my girl. can you possibly remember that, the next time
you have the urge to hug another guy?"

"i didn't mean anything by it, and i am very much aware that i'm your girlfriend.
it's you who seems to have forgotten it the last few weeks. if i didn't
know better, i'd swear you would rather make love to your broomstick than me."

"that's absurd. i happen to be in love with you, and it's not my fault i've been
busy with extra lessons. if you want someone to blame, then blame dumbledore.
these extra lessons were his idea, not mine. it's not like i asked to be the-boy-
who-lived."
"this is ridiculous," ginny growled. "let's just see if we can find hermione and
ron, and straighten things out between luna and neville." harry frowned,
but didn't comment, following the girl down the hall. they passed by several
compartments, looking in on the students inside. they passed one passageway,
after another, before spotting the mystical looking blond, sitting alone. harry
glanced to ginny, and then opened the door, forcing a smile on his lips.

"hey luna," harry said stepping in the compartment. "mind if we join you?"

"not at all," she answered whimsically. harry and ginny closed the door, sitting
opposite her.

"we just saw neville," harry began seeing the slight blush creep up the young
girl's cheeks. "he's pretty upset about what happened."

"he should be. do you know he broke my favorite quill, and ruined three books with
ink? he's a clumsy buffoon."

"yeah, so we've heard," ginny said softly. "but luna, neville really likes you.
he's miserable about what happened."

"good," she answered, returning to her book about mystical creatures of the
caribbean. "besides, he doesn't like me he likes you."

"what?" ginny croaked, glancing to harry who gave her that 'i told you so' look.
"but that's ridiculous. i mean he's a friend, but that's all."

"tell him that," luna said, her eyes focused on the book she was reading. harry
cleared his throat softly.

"what if we can explain things to him," he asked her. "would you consider giving
him another chance? he really does like you luna, he's just not very good
at expressing himself, without stepping on something. he wants to ask you out, but
he gets nervous really easily."

"well, i suppose if he wants to meet me in diagon alley during the holidays, i

wouldn't object. but he has to promise not to break anything."

"i'll talk to him," harry said with a smile. luna looked up as if she wanted to
say something to him, but glanced to ginny and closed her mouth, returning
her attention to the book in her hands.

"maybe i should go talk to him," the red head said, picking up on the idea that
the other girl wanted to speak to harry alone. she stood up, walking cautiously
to the door, and opened it. she glanced back to harry before shutting it and
disappearing down the passage.

harry sat silently for a few moments, sensing the tension bouncing around the
walls. he remembered what dean thomas told him a few months ago, about her
having a crush on him. he felt like he should say something to her, to clear up
the fact that he wasn't interested, but at the same time he didn't know
how to approach it. fortunately for him, he didn't have to.

"are you really in love with her, or is this just a teenage infatuation?" harry
cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice under control.

"i am really in love with her," he replied after a moment. "i can't imagine what
my life would be like without her."

"do you think you could ever love anyone else?" harry felt a twinge of panic, when
she looked at him. the emotion shining in her eyes was as vivid as the
book in her hand.

"ginny is more to me than just a girlfriend. she's my soul mate. she knows what
i'm thinking even before i can form the words. she knows my heart. love
is too simple a word to describe what i feel for her. i don't think i started
living, until i kissed her." he paused looking at her, and thought he saw
a tear in her eye. "i know you fancy me, or at least that's what i've been told.
but you need to understand, i think of you as a very good friend, luna.
i don't want to loose that, but i'm with ginny."

"i know i could never compete with her," luna said sadly. "but i could try."

"ginny is the only girl for me, luna. i'll never want anyone else." harry thought
hard for a moment, trying to figure out what it was he could say to make
her understand. "do you like neville at all?" luna blushed softly, making her
lower her eyes.

"i suppose so. he is rather attractive, when he's not trying to ripe my robes
apart or sitting on my ink."

"give him a chance luna. he really likes you, and i can see some great things for
the two of you. you're the kind of girl he needs," harry told her, thinking
quickly about his words. "you're level headed, intelligent, very pretty and a
sweet girl. neville needs you to keep in on track. he's a great guy, he's
just shy and rather self conscious."

"i do sort of like him. he's not you, but he is rather nice."

"then you'll give him another chance?" luna smiled, her cheeks turning a shade
darker as she nodded. "great. i'll go get him. but you may want to try and
hide everything he can break, before he gets here. just in case." luna smiled
again, and harry stood up, reaching for her hand. he squeezed it gently,
looking into her misty eyes. "we're still friends, right?" again luna nodded,
causing harry to smile brightly.

"i'll always be your friend, harry. even if you don't want me as anything else."

"i'm glad we got that cleared up," he told her heading toward the door. he opened
it and glanced back to her. "you won't regret this. neville is really
a great guy. just be patient and give him a chance to get to know you." he left
the compartment, closing the door behind him and sighing deeply. he couldn't
believe he just had to practically beg a girl to go out with his friend. being a
teenager was much more complicated than he ever thought possible.

harry was nearly back to the compartment he was sharing with ginny, when he caught
sight of ron and hermione. they didn't notice him walking toward them,
and probably wouldn't have given much thought even if they had. ron had the bushy
haired girl wrapped in his arms, their lips locked tightly together,
as he leaned against her, pushing her into the wall. harry felt extremely
uncomfortable, but there was no other way out of the corridor. he was about to
try and squeeze past them, when ron's hand reached up capturing one of hermione's
round, firm breasts. harry was so embarrassed; he didn't know what to
do. he even thought about turning around and gong back to luna's compartment, when
the two broke apart smiling at each other. harry cleared his throat,
gaining the attention he wasn't too eager to have in the first place.

"you two made up then, i guess?" he teased them, watching the blush creep up both
of his best friends.

"you could say that," hermione said with a smile.

"then, would you mind if i come through? i'd like to find ginny."

"no problem," ron told him, leaning against hermione tighter, pushing her harder
against the wall. harry smiled as he squeezed past, glancing back to his
friends once again locked in a deep snog.

harry found ginny alone in their compartment, her legs folded up beneath her, her
head leaning against the windowpane. she had her eyes closed and looked
almost angelic, as she dozed in the warmth and silence. harry stepped into the
small confines, smiling as he sat down next to her. she was just as beautiful
asleep as she was awake. he couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch her
cheek, causing her to open her eyes slowly. she smiled back at him, a yawn
escaping her delicate lips.

"you get everything with luna straightened out?" she asked.

"i hope so," he answered, reaching out and pulling her into his embrace. "how
about you? neville all right?"

"yeah, i think so. i told him that you and i were in love, and that he couldn't
keep whining every time he wanted a hug. i guess you were right about that,
i'm sorry." harry smiled at her, kissing the top of her red head. "did you tell
luna that you're mine?"

"sort of. but i promised to give her a chance, once i got tired of you." ginny
rose up out of his arms, looking at the smirking grin on his face before
slugging him hard in the arm. "ouch," he said, chuckling at the expression on her
face.

"i should really hurt you for that," she told him, falling back into his arms.

"but it's more fun to kiss and make up."

"that could be true. how would you suggest we go about this making up bit?" harry
chuckled against her ear as he kissed the delicate skin beneath it.

"well, i've sort of been thinking about that for a while. are you still interested
in taking things to a higher level?" ginny pulled out of his embrace,
looking at the expression on his face.

"are you talking about shagging?" she asked him, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"i prefer the term love making. it doesn't sound so cheap."

"whatever you want to call it, if you're asking me if i still want to do it, the
answer is yes."

"even after knowing how it's going to feel the first time? you do remember what we
heard between ron and hermione." ginny blushed, lowering her eyes briefly
before looking into his bright green eyes.
"i know what to expect, and i know it won't be easy at first, but the second time
will be great. when do you want to do it? tonight?" harry smiled at the
eager expression on the girl's face.

"give me a little more time, all right? i want our first time to be really great.
once i have everything planned, i'll let you know."

"i hope so. i'd hate to think you'd start without me." harry smiled wickedly,
pulling her into his embrace, kissing her soundly. a few minutes later, he
pulled back from her, his breathing short and in the form of pants, his tone deep
and husky with emotion.

"you realize, if you want out of this relationship, you'd better go now. because
once i've made you mine, there's no chance i'll ever let you go." ginny
stood abruptly, walking toward the door and looking back at the astonished
expression on harry's face. she pulled the blind down across the door's glass,
whispering a locking charm, and then went back to him, straddling his knees like a
horse.

"i will never leave you, and i will never regret having you as mine. i love you
and you'd better get used to the idea, that you're stuck with me." harry
reached up around her waist, easing her closer to the main part of his desire,
feeling the warmth radiating from her.

"i will never regret loving you, and i will never let you go." harry leaned
forward and kissed her neck before trailing his mouth across her jumper to her
breast. the warmth of his mouth caused the flesh to tingle across her slender
frame, as his hands made contact with the skin beneath her jumper. ginny
sighed deeply, her head falling back as he continued his assault on her. she
wanted nothing more than to pull her clothes off, and allow him to explore
her freely, but his hands restrained her when she tried. he wasn't ready to go all
the way yet, but he promised her with his lips, the time would come.
she wouldn't have to wait much longer, before he made her, his. and when that time
came, there would be no power in the world that would ever separate
him. in this life and the next, he would always love her.

read? review!

author notes: okay everyone, here's a lead in to a serious h/g consumation. just a
little teaser for now. also, i've been trying to find out when ginny's
birthday is. does anyone know? i can't find it in any of the books or in the
lexicon site. if you know please email me. in the meantime, please continue
to r/r. i love hearing from everyone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twenty-two

the hogwart's express pulled into king's cross shortly after dark, and was met by
a very happy molly and arthur weasley, who hugged ron, ginny, hermione
and harry in turn. lupin and moody were also there, to add support and protection,
and harry noticed how eager lupin was to greet tonks. bill, charlie
and percy weasley were also there, and they all insisted the twins would be
meeting them back at the house. percy made his way through the group, reaching
harry and smiling brightly, shaking his hand firmly.

"i don't know how i'm ever going to thank you, harry," he told him, his eyes
misting over. "i promise, whatever it takes, i will prove how grateful i am."

"it's not necessary," harry answered with a blush, as ginny wrapped her arm around
his waist. "i'm just glad we were able to stop whoever it was. have you
heard anything more about it?"

"nothing," percy said shaking his head.

"but this really isn't the place to discuss such matters," moody insisted, taking
a stance beside them.

"we have to be going anyway. the night bus should be waiting for us," lupin said,
his hand safely surrounding tonks.

"we're going by the night bus?" ginny exclaimed. "i've never been on it before.
where is it?"

"it should be here soon, so we have to get outside," bill added, patting percy's
back and looking to his parents. mrs. weasley was thrilled to have her
whole family together for the holidays, and made certain everyone knew it. the
smile on her face never faded far away, even when ron kissed hermione passionately
before allowing her to join her parents. hermione insisted that ron become more
acquainted with the grangers, and was able to drag him over to them. ron
was a vision of scarlet as he shook hands with both her parents, talking to them
silently. hermione had already informed them of hers and ron's relationship
- leaving out their encounter in myrtle's bathroom of course - so his holding her
hand, or kissing her good-bye wasn't all that surprising to them.

ron joined the group again, a small package in one hand, a larger one in the
other, his face a picture of crimson. percy looked slightly taken aback, but
bill and charlie, who had seen their brother and hermione together over the
summer, were eager to tease him without relenting. ron offered each a bitter
look, before handing the small package to harry.

"mrs. granger said this was for you," he told his friend. "she said she wasn't
sure how you wanted it wrapped, so she just had the store do it." harry took
the package, ignoring ginny's curious look and slipped it into his jacket pocket,
thanking his friend. the group left platform 9 ?, heading out to the
main platform. moody looked around, making certain there were no muggles around
before sticking his wand hand out. instantly the triple-decker bus swerved
to the curb, as the young pimple faced stan shunpike opened the door, smiling at
tonks andharry.

"'arry potter," he said boldly. "good to see you again. me and ernie were just
talking about you yesterday, weren't we ernie? we were wondering how you
were doing. come home for the holidays, did you?"

"yeah, thanks." harry smiled awkwardly, as he was pushed inside the bus by moody,
who caused stan to grimace at the disfigured face. the rest of the group
followed behind the two, climbing the stairs of the empty bus to the third deck.

"i thought hermione would be spending some of the holiday with us," ginny said as
they climbed the steps.

"she will, but she has to spend christmas and new years day with her family.
she'll be over the day after christmas," ron clarified, taking up a bed next
to the one harry plopped down on. ginny smiled, seeing the slightly sadder
expression on her brother's face, as she climbed on the bed next to harry. percy
lost his balance as he tried to sit, nearly falling before he was able to gain his
backside in the chair. seeing the two sitting comfortably together,
caused a serious shock to race through him, as he turned to bill and charlie
exchanging glances. harry felt the urge to ignore them, which wasn't easy
considering ginny chose that exact moment to lean close to him, kissing his
suddenly dry lips.

"get a grip, will you?" ron grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

"don't worry ron," ginny teased. "you'll have your girl back in a few days."

"it's not soon enough," the red head mumbled under his breath.

"why didn't penelope and the baby come with you?" ginny asked percy, who had
regained his composure enough to sit down, but was still issuing a curious
stare to harry.

"they're at the house," he answered, clearing his throat softly. "the baby's had
the sniffles, and penny didn't think it wise to take her out."

"i can't wait to see them. i can't believe you're a father."

"i never thought anyone would be that thick, to want to marry him," ron commented.
"did you win her over with your caldron bottoms research?"

"no, it was his manly charms," charlie said, chuckling at the soft blush that
crept up his little brother's face.

"haven't you seen how masculine he is, ron?" bill asked, gripping his brother's
stubble covered chin. "he's finally old enough to shave, but forgot how
in the years since dad showed him."

"bugger off, you two," percy argued.

"why don't you have to shave, harry?" ginny asked, realizing she had never once
seen the young man with razor stubble. harry blushed, looking down at his
hand folded inside hers.

"i found a spell to control it," he told her softly.

"why don't you just use that razor you got for your birthday?" ron asked, leaning
on his elbow and looking at his friend.

"i tried to shave once," harry explained. "i used my uncle's razor and nearly cut
off my chin. i decided after that to either try a spell or never shave
again. i was a mess when i finally got the bleeding to stop. i thought i'd bleed
to death, not that the dursleys would have noticed."

"well i for one like the idea you didn't bleed to death," ginny said, again
kissing his cheek. "i'd hate to think i'd have to snog by myself."

"ginny weasley," percy snapped. "that is not how a young lady is supposed to act
in public."

"please, after catching you and penelope snogging in the dungeons in my first
year, and you dare tell me how i should be acting? isn't that a little
hypocritical?"
percy blushed brightly, remembering the time in which she spoke of.
"that was different, and we were older. besides, i married her."

"well good for you, but in case you haven't noticed, we're the same age you were.
at least harry is and i will be in four months."

"the fact is, you're still too young for this and shouldn't be acting this way in
public."

"apparently you're too old to remember what young love feels like," ginny scolded,
her temper rising as she continued to confront her brother head on.

"i happen to remember exactly what it was like to be sixteen," percy stopped
suddenly, his face turning ashen as he glanced back to bill and charlie. he
indeed remembered what sixteen was like, and just how emotions had a way of taking
control of rational thinking, as did his two older brothers.

"is there something we should know about?" bill added, barely allowing his brother
to finish scolding the girl, before turning his attention to harry, who
suddenly looked horrified.

"no, i swear it," harry said, a little louder than he had originally anticipated.
his tone caused the eyes of lupin and tonks to turn toward them, as well
as the elderly weasleys. ron shook his head at the expression on harry's horrified
face.

"lay off harry, you guys," ron defended. "if anything were to happen, it would be
ginny's fault. she's spent the entire year, practically begging him to
shag her."

"ronald weasley!" his mother snapped, causing the color to rise in the boy's
cheeks.

"well it's true, mum," ron explained. "you've raised a bloody nymphomaniac. i'm
surprised harry's been able to hold her off this long."

"ginny, is this true?" mrs. weasley narrowed her eyes at the young girl, who
blushed profusely.

"so, what's wrong with it? it's not like none of you have ever done it. even
ron..." she began boldly then stopped suddenly, realizing just how far she
had gone. the eyes turned to ron who sat up on his bed suddenly, his face a deep
shade of scarlet again. "harry is my soul mate, mum," ginny continued,
bringing all the eyes back to her and a very horrified harry, who couldn't believe
the girl was still talking. "i determined how much i loved harry, and
how far our destinies joined after seeing it in divinations class. harry and i are
fated to be together, and no one can stop it, not even voldemort."

"don't say his name," percy scolded again.

"why? he's nothing to fear, not with harry around, and you know it. harry saved
your worthless butt, or have you forgotten."

"of course i haven't forgotten. i still have nightmares about that night. if it
hadn't been for harry, my daughter would be without a father. i owe him
my life, but not my sister's virtue."

"enough," mrs. weasley argued, putting a halt to the conversation, thankful they
were the only ones on the bus. "we'll discuss this further, at the house.
in the meantime, young lady, you had best be thinking about your actions. i intend
to have a very long talk with you."

"gees mum," ron grumbled. "it's not like they've done anything. and even if they
did, they are old enough to make that choice on their own. bloody hell,
nearly every student in our year has already shagged someone. the patil sisters
and lavender brown has shagged just about every boy from the sixth year.
by now they're probably starting on the seventh year."

"i said that was enough," mrs. weasley insisted. "and your father is going to have
a very long discussion with you, as well." ron turned an angry glare
back to ginny, who bit her bottom lip, lowering her eyes. she hadn't intended to
get her brother in trouble, she just didn't realize what she was saying
until it was too late. harry sensed her frustration and embarrassment, squeezing
her hand, smiling at her softly when she looked up at him. he wouldn't
let her take the fall alone. it was his idea this last time to take things between
them further, so why would he let her get in solitary trouble. still,
the thought that he would have to confront a very angry molly weasley was enough
to make him want to hunt down voldemort and surrender.

dinner that evening was joyful and happy, the tension that had developed on the
night bus was gone and all thought of what the young red head had said,
was now long forgotten. ron had been forced to go into the library with mr.
weasley, the minute they walked through the front door - of course at mrs.
weasley's insistence, and when they emerged twenty minutes later both father and
son were beat red, and avoided looking anyone in the eye.

ginny had taken control of little molly practically the instant she laid eyes on
her, holding her and cuddling her, talking and playing with her, making
her squirm and giggle. she was delightful, and harry felt a sudden longing for a
future he was certain he would never have. for a long time, all he could
do was watch her. she was absolutely beautiful and he knew she would someday make
a wonderful mother. he was feeling the sorrow of not being the father
of her children, when she sat down next to him, the baby still cradled against her
shoulder. he looked into her eyes and tried to smile, but could barely
muster much more than a soft grin. ginny nudged his knee with her own, a look of
knowledge on her face. it was amazing how easy it was for her to read
his mind, and at times it really bothered him. but this was not one of those
times. he was glad she knew what he was thinking, because it saved him having
to speak the painful words aloud.

"here," ginny said, edging the little baby closer to him. "you hold her." harry
shifted suddenly in the seat, backing away from her as if she had just burned
him.

"no, that's all right," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep
her at a distance.

"come on harry. she won't bite."

"i don't know anything about babies, other than they cry a lot and smell. i'll
just let you continue to play with her."

"are you afraid of her?"

"maybe," he told her, still keeping his distance.

"i don't believe it. you've bravely faced voldemort more times and in more ways
than anyone could ever imagine, and you're afraid to hold a little baby?"

"you're not going to bully me into taking her," harry insisted, this time reading
the intentions on her mind. "i'll read her stories and tuck her into bed
at night, but i will not hold her. she's just too...tiny."

"she won't break, harry. she's really quite adorable, and she smells wonderful,
just like a new broomstick." harry frowned at the girl.

"babies do not smell like broomsticks, even when they stink," he argued with a
grin.

"well, i didn't think you'd believe me if i said she smells like a soft summer's
breeze."

"i think you're wonderful, and i love you, but you're a nutter." harry stood up,
walking to the stove to pour a cup of tea, and to get away from the girl
he suddenly wanted to give a baby of her own to. ginny sighed. mrs. weasley, who
had been listening, smiled at her daughter while penelope and percy exchanged
glances with bill, charlie, mr. weasley, tonks and lupin. they couldn't believe
the young man was actually avoiding a small baby. granted, babies did seem
to intimidate some people, but they would never have guessed the famous harry
potter would be one of those people.

ginny stood up, taking the baby back to penelope then walked to harry, slipping
her arms around his waist. harry smiled, looking down at her as he sat his
cup on the counter next to him.

"i'm sorry if i made you feel uncomfortable," she told him, when conversation
began at the table again. "i didn't mean to."

"you didn't," he lied, and then smiled at her, pulling her in his arms and kissing
the top of her head. "well, maybe a little, but it's not anything i can't
handle."

"i wish you'd try and relax a little. nothing is going to happen, and you're going
to be stuck with me for at least a hundred years."

"i wish i had your confidence," he told her softly, aware that the conversation of
the room had ceased again.

"how about this," ginny asked, leaning up to him, and capturing his lips with
hers. the room and time seemed to fade away, as he wrapped his arms around
her slender waist, falling into the kiss. she was wonderful, simply perfect. she
always had a way of making him feel alive and full of hope. he just couldn't
believe how fortunate he was to have her in his life.

"get a grip," ron said, entering the room. "i swear, you two have more snogging
fests than anyone i've ever met." ginny and harry pulled away from each
other's lips, looking to the red head.

"even more than you and hermione?" harry asked with a smile, watching the blush
creep up his cheeks.

"bugger off potter," he growled, taking a cup of tea and sitting down at the
table. "can we open presents now?"
"not until morning, ron," mr. weasley told him. "you know the rules. no presents
before breakfast."

"i can't wait that long," ron grumbled, as harry and ginny joined the group at the
table.

"since it's nearly midnight, i'd say you don't have long to wait," fred said, as
he and george joined them.

"a lot of help you two are," ron complained.

"sorry little brother," george said, ruffling his hair as he passed to take a seat
next to their father.

"hey harry," fred began, smiling at the dark haired young man. "did this worthless
git thank you for saving his arse?" he pointed to percy, who glared at
his younger brother.

"yes he did, and i told him it wasn't necessary. i was just doing what needed
done."

"still, it was a gift we'll never be able to thank you enough for," penelope said,
cradling her now sleeping baby to her chest, her eyes misting over with
unshed tears.

"i'm just glad to help," harry said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"harry's not one for flattery," ginny explained. "he's a shy hero."

"i'm not a hero, ginny," harry grumbled softly.

"sure you are harry," george said with a smile. "you've rescued all of us from
ginny. that has to be the greatest sacrifice a man can give." harry turned,
chuckling at the look the girl gave her brother.

"it's a sacrifice i was willing to make," harry said smiled boldly. ginny narrowed
her eyes to harry, punching him in the arm.

"see what i mean?" george said laughing. "she's lethal." harry continued to smile,
rubbing his shoulder where she had just slugged him.

"that's enough," mrs. weasley said. "morning is going to be here before we know
it. now then, off to bed all of you. ginny, i'd like you to stay a few minutes."
ginny glanced to harry, feeling the escape she had been hoping for was long past.
she remained seated, as ron patted harry on the shoulder. the two walked
together out the door, and started up the stairs when harry stopped and leaned
against the wall, allowing the others to pass by.

"what is it harry?" ron asked, once his brothers had disappeared.

"i can't let her take the blame herself," he told his friend. "i'm the one who
told ginny i wanted to go further. i can't let your mum scold her for what
i want too."

"harry, you don't want to hear what she's telling her. trust me, i thought i'd die
when my dad told me about contraception spells. at least i know it's
safe for hermione and i to be together."
"keep that thought in mind," harry told him, walking back down the stairs. "i'll
want to know what he said later." harry stepped cautiously back into the
room, seeing penelope and mrs. weasley sitting across from the girl he loved. her
face was bright red and she looked like she could easily turn into a
snitch and fly away.

"mrs. weasley, ginny isn't to blame for this alone," he told the woman, laying a
warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "i'll admit at first, our getting together
was her idea and i told her i wasn't ready, but as we've grown closer my feelings
for her have grown as well. i love her, mrs. weasley, and i want this
as much as she does."

"thank you harry," mrs. weasley said after a few moments. "i appreciate your
telling me this, but i have to admit, i'm not happy about it. ginny is my little
girl, my last child and only daughter. it's only natural i would be more
protective with her than the boys."

"yes ma'am. and we will consider your feelings. but i've never felt like this
before, and to be honest, i never thought i'd want to. i don't really understand
all these feelings, but i know i would never do anything to hurt ginny, or you.
your family has been extremely kind to me, and i don't want anything to
change that."

"i don't think anything will ever change that, harry," mrs. weasley said with a
warm, motherly smile. "ginny just needs to control her feelings a little
more."

"but mum, i can't," ginny complained. "i don't know how. i have never felt this
obsessed about anything. i feel like i'm going to go mad if harry and i
don't..."

"i don't need to know any more, thank you. do you two know what you're getting
yourselves into? do you know how serious this? there are consequences you
need to consider. ginny, you have two years of school left and harry has one. you
can't throw all of that away for a night of passion."

"i won't throw it away mum," ginny confirmed. "and it will never be for a single
night. harry and i have discussed the consequences. we've chosen to take
precautions, and neither of us is ready for the results of our...togetherness.
harry still thinks he's going to die when he confronts voldemort again,
and he has to overcome those feelings, before we can be truly happy and start a
family. but once he's defeated him, harry and i will be together for all
eternity. i know that's why we found each other. he's my soul mate mum, i love
him."

"i know you do, and i have hoped the two of you would get together since your
first year," mrs. weasley said, looking at ginny. "but you have to allow me
the right to be concerned."

"we understand how you feel mrs. weasley," harry commented, taking a seat next to
ginny, suddenly feeling his knees go weak on him. "i will never hurt ginny,
and i will never take advantage of her. since we first got together, i've felt
like i found a missing part of myself. i know what ginny's thinking, and
she knows what i'm thinking. i've never felt like this before, even my connection
with voldemort can't compare to what ginny and i have. it's as if we're
an extension of each other."

"you are, harry," dumbledore said, joining the four of them silently. he stepped
further into the room, followed by mr. weasley, bill, charlie, percy and
the twins. the only one left out was ron and baby molly. lupin, tonks and moody
had gone out on watch, leaving the house shortly after harry joined the
girls in the kitchen.

"i think it's time you know something about your life, that i've been holding
back." harry looked at the old man, as the table became crowded with weasleys.
dumbledore sat at the head of the table, where he always sat, folding his hands
around a cup of tea bill poured for him, and staring into the dark liquid.

"you know about the premonition professor trelawney had regarding you and lord
voldemort. there was more to it than what i've told you." dumbledore drew
a deep breath, remembering what happened the last time he told harry he'd kept
secrets from him. "the premonition told of five points to the star. a star
that would prove the ultimate end of the dark lord. the chosen one would join to
one with the fire of a dragon and heart of a goddess. she would be known
by the mark of a star upon her right shoulder." dumbledore looked to ginny and
smiled, as she gasped, lowering the neckline of her blouse to reveal to
harry the star shaped birthmark. harry frowned, staring at the girl as the aged
wizard continued.

"it went further to say the soul of the two would be as one, while two others
would be. the one would be a brother to the first, who would join with the
strength of the one whose knowledge would outshine all others. together they would
bring in the last, the fifth point of the star, one whom the dark lord
was eager to gain power over. if unconvinced, the dark lord would gain control and
the four would perish beneath the full moon. the world of the wizard
would be no more." the room was silent as they stared at harry and dumbledore.
ginny reached out and touched the boy's arm next to her, slipping against
his chest as his arm wrapped around her.

"who is the fifth point of the star?" harry asked softly. dumbledore frowned as he
focused on the boy's question.

"the prophecy said the fifth one would suffer great tragedy with the loss of a
mother's arms, and in two would he be torn, while sharing a bond of common
depth with the chosen one."

"he?" ginny said. "the fifth point is a boy?" dumbledore nodded his head.

"you mean malfoy, don't you?" harry asked, realizing the tragedy the slytherin had
just endured. again dumbledore frowned.

"i don't know. a few weeks ago, i would have said yes, but after what i've learned
tonight i can't honestly say."

"what do you mean? what happened?"

"neville longbottom's grandmother owled me shortly after the hogwart's express

left hogsmeade. his mother died last night, from complications of her treatment
caused by the death eaters."

"oh no," ginny whispered, hugging closer to harry.

"alice longbottom was a very good friend, and a loyal member of the order. she'll
be missed greatly," dumbledore added. silence fell around the room, as
they all sat considering the news.
"how will we know who the fifth point is?" harry asked. dumbledore studied his tea
for several moments before looking back up.

"i don't know. but we have two choices to work with." harry looked to ginny, and
then to those gathered around the table.

"and if we don't find out in time, the wizarding world is lost?" dumbledore didn't
need to answer; they all knew what it meant. if it were neville, there
wouldn't be a problem convincing him, but if it were draco, they may as well
prepare to surrender the world to voldemort now. nobody could possibly convince
the slytherin's pride and joy that he should join their side against the dark
lord. especially if he were told he would have to join with harry potter,
the weasleys and a mudblood.

read? review!

author notes: for everyone whose been writing and reviewing i just want to say
thank you. i love hearing from everyone. the upcoming chapters are going
to be interesting, so stay tuned. i already have the story completed, just
tweeking it a little. also, thank you everyone who emailed me with suggestions
on ginny's birthdate. it helped a lot. please keep r/r.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twenty-three

harry lay in bed, in the room his shared with ron, staring at the ceiling. it was
nearly dawn, and he had yet to find a way to sleep. he couldn't help but
think about all dumbledore had said to him. he knew he and ginny were meant to be
together; he just had no idea that it was predicted before either of
them was even born. he also knew others would join in their fight, most of the
students of hogwart's were already preparing for the new d.a. club, but
he couldn't comprehend that there was one among them, prophecized to join their
side in the battle, or that the other one could possibly be draco malfoy.
how was he to ever convince the one person they had spent the past six years
thinking of as their worst enemy, into turning sides against his very own
father? harry sighed and rolled over to his stomach, burying his head beneath his
pillow. his head hurt, his eyes burned with fatigue and his jaw throbbed
in pain from where he'd been clenching it. then a thought came to his mind. maybe
it wasn't malfoy at all; maybe it was neville who was destined to join
them. he had just lost his mother, as malfoy had, and although harry felt very
sympathetic for the boy, he knew it would be much easier to convince him
to fight against voldemort than ferret-face malfoy, as ron would call him.

as if on cue, the bed next to him creaked and the boy in it stirred. harry knew it
was christmas, and just as every holiday for the past six years, ron
was eager to see what presents awaited him. he fought back a yawn, as he heard his
name whispered in the stillness. harry contemplated for several minutes
whether or not to answer, but knew from previous experience; ron weasley wouldn't
give up that easily. harry sat up, tossing his pillow aside.

"happy christmas," ron said softly glancing down to the foot of their bed, where a
stack of presents sat.

"happy christmas," harry answered sluggishly, following ron's lead and reaching
for the presents and tearing at the wrapping. there were the usual books
from hermione, berttie botts every flavor beans from seamus, drawings of each of
them with their girls from dean and socks from dobby. misty had managed
to make them a stack of small fruit tarts, while hagrid sent along a large supply
of his homemade fudge (which neither were eager to eat) and mrs. weasley
had once again knitted them their matching jumpers.

"you look awful mate," ron said, stuffing his mouth full of fruit tarts.

"i didn't sleep much," harry said, picking at the crust of his own fruit tart.

"what happened with mum? you were gone so long, i fell asleep. did she really give
you grief?" harry frowned.

"not really. she was pretty cool about ginny and i, but dumbledore joined us and
told us about more of the prophecy, he neglected to tell me last year."
harry spent the next several minutes telling his friend what was said the night
before, watching the shocked expression cross his face when he told him
about the fifth point of the star, and who it may mean.

"malfoy! are you mental? there's no way that...ferret-face would ever turn tail
against his father. it has to be neville."

"let's hope so, because dumbledore said all would be lost if he was persuaded by
voldemort."

"i wonder how neville is holding up," ron said after a moment. "it can't be easy
for him. remember how he acted last year, when his mum gave him the gum
wrapper? i can't imagine how it must be having your parents like that, but then to
loose one. it has to be horrible."

"sometimes i think i'm lucky, to never have known my parents. at least i was too
young to grieve their deaths."

"who are you trying to kid? you grieve your parents' loss every day. i think the
only time you don't mourn them is when you're snogging with ginny."

"my parents aren't exactly the first thought that comes to mind, when i've got
your sister in my arms."

"bloody hell, i should hope not. that would be really sick."

"you're really okay about me and ginny now, aren't you?" harry asked after a few
moments. ron blushed, as he stuffed another tart in his mouth.

"once i stopped thinking of you as a suitor who wanted to date my sister, and saw
how happy you guys were together, i guess i just stopped worrying. i know
you won't hurt her. besides, now she's your problem, that gives me more time with
hermione."

"speaking of which," harry said with a sly smile. "what happened on the train? i
take it from the way you were kissing her on the platform, things are better
with you two."

"yeah they are," ron said blushing deeper than before. "you should have seen how
she acted when i gave her the ring. you'd think i just gave her a new copy
of hogwart's a history, or something."

"so you asked her to be your girl?" ron blushed deeper than harry had ever seen.
"not exactly," he said softly, looking up from beneath his long pale lashes. "i
asked her to marry me."

"you did what? are you mental? you're only sixteen."

"i know, but it just sort of happened. i mean, i went to find her after she yelled
at me, just to give her the ring and ask her to be mine, but once she
opened it the words just sort of jumped out of my mouth. i didn't even know for
sure what i was saying; it was like my tongue had a mind of its own. but
once i asked her, it just felt so right, i didn't try to take it back or even
explain why i asked her. but we're not going to do it, or tell anyone about
it until next year. we've decided to wait until after graduation to make it
official. i mean, i've never really heard of hogwart's allowing married students
to go to classes, or share the same dormatory. but if it means getting out of
potions, i may consider eloping."

"i can't believe it," harry said in a stunned tone. "it's one thing to get around
the fact that you two fight just to have an excuse to make up, but to
be getting married? it's unreal. there are times i could swear you can't stand
each other, and then i find you hiding in a corner or a closet somewhere
snogging. there's even been bets going around, of which one of you will do the
other off first. dean and seamus insist you fight, just because you enjoy
seeing how angry the other one gets. are you sure about this? it's a really big
step you know?"

"have you ever wanted something so badly, that once you have it you realize you
don't ever want to let it go?" ron asked, a serious mature look on his freckled
face. harry thought for barely a second, when the image of a beautiful read head
filtered before his eyes. he nodded silently, allowing his friend to continue.
"that's how it was when hermione first agreed to go out with me. then when she let
me kiss her the first time, it was like a door to heaven had opened
up. and even though it was unplanned and completely unexpected, the first time i
made love to her, it was surreal. i can still feel her beneath me, when
i close my eyes. i know it sounds weird, harry, but i really love her, and not the
same way you do, not as a friend or even a girl, but i'm truly in love
with her. i have a hard time breathing if i'm not with her, and when i am, i can't
stop looking at her. i can't imagine life without her."

"i know you love her, ron. and i'm really happy for you."

"when the time comes, would you consider standing as my witness? i mean, you're
closer to me than any of my own brothers are and i could use a little support
to make it that far."

"i'd be honored, ron. but let's wait and see what happens by that time. you never
know what life has in store for you. i mean, look at the prophecy about
the fifth point to the star. who would imagine malfoy would be willing to change
sides?"

"i still don't believe it. there's no way that pale faced snake is ever going to
turn against his father. he's just too evil and black hearted."

"maybe. we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"don't you ever get tired of this?" ron asked, leaning back against the wall and
pulling his legs up to his chin.

"tired of what?" harry asked.

"every year, something else happens and every year, we end up having to battle
someone evil and sinister. is it too much to ask, for just one normal year?"
harry smiled. it could only take the illogical mind of ronald weasley to make the
obvious seem so simple.

breakfast was a flurry of utensils, while everyone ate at a hasty pace. presents
weren't allowed until everyone ate, which meant whether you were hungry
or not, you had to clean your plate and wait patiently for the others. not an easy
task for ron, who finished first and spent the next half hour shifting
in his seat or tapping his fingers on the table. mrs. weasley became so irritated
with her son's noise that she threatened to put a tear proof charm on
all of the wrappings if he didn't sit still.

harry sat next to ginny, fighting the urge to tell her about her gift. he was
anxious for her to see the bracelet hermione insisted that she had fallen
in love with, over the summer holidays. the excitement of christmas was a new and
overwhelming experience for him. never had he imagined growing up, that
one day he would be a part of a family that loved him, or that he would have
presents with his name on them, under the tree.

"now can we open presents?" ron grumbled, as his father - the last to finish
eating, pushed his plate aside and reached for his coffee mug. mr. weasley
looked from his son to his wife, who began to gather the empty dishes.

"very well," mrs. weasley agreed, then had to stand aside as the table's occupants
suddenly seemed to explode out of their seats and hurry into the next
room. ron was first to the door, but it was the twins who made it into the sitting
room first, having tripped their younger brother in the hallway, sending
him spiraling into the closet across the hall. harry and ginny took a slower pace
of walking, yet were anxiously among those who found seats on the old
worn carpet around the massive tree, lupin had brought home the night before.

ron opened his presents with the zest of a child, smiling at the new wizard chess
set from lupin and tonks, a package of wizard treats from the twins (which
he carefully put aside, afraid of them blowing up in his face), and a book of
quiddich plays from harry that actually had miniature players who zoomed
around a replica of a quiddich pitch while each play was explained in detail.
charlie had bought him a new school bag with his initials embossed in gold
letters, while bill had given him a new white shirt and navy blue tie. percy and
penelope smiled at the look on his face when he opened up a penknife they
had given to him; similar to the one sirius had given harry the year before.
hermione's parents had given him a tan leather jacket, embossed with the chudley
cannons logo, two black cs and a speeding cannonball. he was so excited about the
jacket, he began penning a thank you note for pig to take to the grangers,
immediately.

harry opened his gifts, with a renewed excitement he hadn't felt in months. lupin
had given him a new set of dress robes, while tonks gave him a book on
the dark arts; a gift he promised mentally to read before the first d.a. meeting.
the twins favored him with a matching box of wizard treats - which he
too carefully put aside. charlie gave him a replica of a hippogriff that
remarkably resembled buckbeak. bill gave him a dragon skin wallet, and percy and
penelope gave him a gift that made his throat become dry and his eyes sting.
inside a small cherry wood box was nestled a small golden spoon shaped hand
for mrs. weasley's magical clock, that told where her family was at all times. on
the spoon face was a picture of him, and on the thin handle were the
words. 'our brother'. harry tried to speak, but couldn't find words that would
form around the tightening in his throat. instead he gently placed the spoon
back into the box, nodding to the couple and wrapping his arms around the girl who
was suddenly hanging around his neck.

conversation continued as the rest of the group opened their presents. harry got
bill a dragon skin belt and charlie a new pair of boots, since his had
burns and bite marks taken out of them. percy and penelope received a book for new
magical parents, and harry teased them about it being an owner's manual,
while he gave mr. and mrs. weasley two tickets to the wizard's new year's eve
ball. the twins were given a package of assorted muggle candies, which they
had been nagging him for so they could duplicate them as wizard treats. harry was
about to give ginny her gift when misty suddenly appeared with drinks
and cakes. she quietly sat a tray of eggnog on a nearby table, and smiled at the
young man. harry reached beneath the tree, retrieving a small red package
and handing it to her. reluctantly the little elf took the package and quietly
unwrapped it. inside was a small picture of harry and his parents; a duplicate
one from his photo album hagrid had given him after his first year at hogwart's.
misty smiled, her eyes clouded over with tears and she happily hugged
harry before disappearing from the room with a snap of her fingers.

"that was very nice, harry," ginny whispered to him, kissing his cheek gently.
harry smiled. now was the time for her to have her present. he pulled the
last box out from under the tree, handing the gold wrapped package to her and
smiled as she looked at him.

"happy christmas," he told her, awkwardly aware of the lag in conversation and the
eyes that watched the girl, while she quickly and carefully removed the
wrapping to reveal tonks' old jewelry box. with large wide eyes, she looked to
harry and then to the green and red haired woman sitting next to lupin.

"but, this belongs to tonks," she said.

"i knew how much you loved it, and harry wanted something special for you. i
decided a new muff and scarf were better for me to give to you anyway," tonks
explained.

"the box is still from tonks," harry insisted, watching the woman frown as he
turned back to ginny. "but what's inside is from me." ginny opened the lid
and looked at the small package, with its matching gold wrapping. she slowly
removed it, setting the jewelry box aside. with hands that shook slightly,
she unwrapped the package and pulled the cherry wood lid off the small box. inside
was a glistening silver bracelet with several tiny charms dangling from
the delicate chain. ginny gasped, looking to harry with wide eyes.

"hermione told me how much you loved it," he said in answer to her unasked
question. "i wanted to give you something you really wanted." harry frowned as
tears began to slip from the girl's eyes. "i thought you'd be happy?" he was
devastated. he had hoped she would like the gift, he'd planned it for days
and envisioned her reaction in a hundred ways, but never had he anticipated that
she would cry.

"i do like it," ginny sniffed, smiling at him. "oh, harry, i love it. it's just
like you, to take my breath away and give me something so precious." ginny
wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the eyes that followed their actions,
as she kissed his lips passionately. several silent moments passed before
they pulled apart, this time harry could see the pleasure on her face.

"so you really like it?" he asked skeptically.

"i love it, and i love you. thank you harry."

"anything for you my love," he whispered against her cheek when he leaned in to
kiss it. mr. weasley passed out the mugs of eggnog and lifted his in the
air.

"a toast," the elder man said, watching as everyone followed suit. "to the love of
christmas, and of family. we are once again, all together."

"to family," they cheered, sipping the sweet liquid. harry sat his mug aside and
helped ginny slip the bracelet on her wrist. there were a number of charms
dangling against her tender flesh, one was a tiny heart that perfectly matched the
necklace he had given her last summer, there was a tiny silver wand,
a hat much like the sorting hat, a cat and a deep blue tear drop shaped stone of
azurite, much like the one dumbledore had given harry of his mother's.
there was also a tiny lightening bolt-shaped charm, which ginny lifted on her
finger and caressed with her thumb.

"this is just like your scar," she told him. harry frowned, seeing the identical
shape of the tiny silver charm everyday in the mirror. "it makes me feel
like you're with me, no matter what." harry lifted her chin and kissed her
forehead gently.

"i am with you always, you know that."

"but this is proof, not just knowledge or a feeling. i have real proof now, that
we belong together." harry gently lifted the star shaped charm next to
the one she played with, caressing it in a similar fashion.

"the one you were born with that matches this, is all the proof you need," he told
her, then smiled and gently kissed the shoulder of her jumper, where
he knew the birthmark was hidden.

"i think i am the luckiest girl alive," she told him, wrapping her arms around his
neck.

"it would match me, i suppose. because i'm the luckiest guy alive." harry smiled
at ginny, pulling her tighter in his arms, leaning his forehead against
hers and whispering so only she could hear him. "do you remember my birthday
present?" he asked her, watching the color creep up her cheeks. she nodded
silently, allowing him to smile seductively as he continued in hushed tones.
"maybe we can repeat the gift later, in private?"

"maybe we can go further than just the one gift?" she asked hopefully, watching
the color of his eyes darkened slightly. harry smiled, leaning closer to
her, his lips a breath away from hers.

"i can't think of a better christmas gift for us to give each other," he told her,
kissing her lips with a promise and a secret, they alone shared.

christmas for harry potter and ginny weasley was definitely promising to be an
unforgettable experience. with the luck of the stars and the blessings of
the gods, ginny knew she would soon find her way into harry's arms and his bed.
soon, she would not only be harry potter's girl, but his woman.

read? review!
author notes: thank you everyone who has been reading and reviewing. i have
recently learned that my fic has been plagerized, and i am unsure if i want
to submit any more chapters. please let me know what you think, and if i should
continue submitting. this has been very upsetting to me, and i am extremely
distressed about my story being stolen, and used word for word. i love writing and
have had a lot of fun with this story, but not if it's going to be used
for other people's gain.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter twenty-four

harry's stomach felt like it was in knots. he had decided the moment he gave ginny
her christmas present, that tonight would be the night they had waited
for. tonight, he would make love to the girl he knew was his destiny, the girl who
had saved him from a life of depression and solitude. still, he couldn't
help the feeling of nervousness. so many things could happen; so many things could
go wrong. what if he made a fool of himself? what if he couldn't please
her? what if he couldn't wait for her to find her pleasure? he'd heard that sort
of thing could happen, and if it happened tonight, he'd be devastated.

the door to sirius's bedroom was a jar, causing harry's curiosity to build. he
stepped to the opening and peered in, seeing ginny standing at the foot of
the large four-poster bed. he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her
waist and pulling her back to his chest.

"what are you doing in here?" he asked softly, the feel of her and the
anticipation of what the night would bring caused his already overactive libido to
respond, as he found pressing against her inviting and difficult to resist.

"i was thinking about tonight," she told him, leaning her head back against his
shoulder, allowing him to kiss her neck and ear, which he did eagerly.

"what about it?"

"i want it to be here," she told him quietly, turning her face to his, seeing the
curiosity etched his handsome features. "we first spent the night together
here, and you gave me my necklace here. this room holds some wonderful feelings
for us, and i can't imagine any place better for our first time, then in
here." harry thought for a few moments. he had always said their first time would
be something special and something wonderful. he wanted it to be magical,
and he couldn't agree with her more. sirius's bedroom was a warm, loving place
where they had spent most of their summer nights together. she helped him
confront his grief of losing his godfather in this room, they had argued and made
up here, this was the first place he had realized he loved her.

"i don't think sirius would mind," harry said with a smile. "after all, i suppose
it is actually my room now. he left me the house, and since this is the
master bedroom..."

"then where else for the master to take his woman?" harry chuckled at her
overplayed emphasis on the term "master".

"we'll have to wait though," harry said, hearing mrs. weasley calling her from the
kitchen.

"for how long?" ginny sounded disappointed, and frowned at the words she had heard
repeatedly over the past months.

"i'll meet you back here, when everyone's asleep," he promised her, turning her in
his arms and kissing her lips passionately. ginny sighed, leaning into
his lips and expressing her eagerness with her tongue. time was of no essence, as
usual whenever they were together, until the sound of mrs. weasley calling
her echoed from the bottom of the stairs. with a reluctant moan, harry pulled out
of her embrace, smiling at the look of disappointment and frustration
in her honey brown eyes.

"until later," he whispered, turning her toward the door. he followed her out into
the hallway when ron came hurrying up the stairs.

"hey, harry," he said anxiously. "come with me. i have to show you something."
harry turned back to ginny, squeezing her hand and left her to join her mother.
the boys went into the room they shared, shutting the door securely behind them.
ron pulled a magazine out from his back pocket, sitting on the bed next
to the dark haired young man.

"george dropped this from his cloak when he left," ron explained. "look at it."
harry glanced across ron's shoulder, looking at the picture of a naked couple
on the front cover. "wild wizard's wicked weekend edition," ron read, opening the
pages and showing him the many magical pictures of young couples engaged
in..."they're shagging!" ron exclaimed.

"bloody hell," harry said, echoing his friend's favorite phrase. the two of them
looked at the pages in silence for several moments, turning page after
page, watching the expressions on the witches and wizards faces.

"i wonder if hermione would do that?" ron said pointing to one picture that had
caught his attention.

"she'd probably slap you for suggesting it," harry assured him. "if she didn't
bite it off first. i can't imagine this being possible," he continued, pointing
at another picture of an unusual position that made the woman look like she was
practically standing on her head.

"look here," ron told him, turning the page and seeing a particularly interesting
picture. "she looks like she's enjoying this. i'll bet i could do this,
if hermione doesn't try and strangle me first." harry didn't answer, his attention
was on a particularly interesting article on the next page.

"a witch's first love," it said. harry
and began reading about a girl's first
were charms on how to reduce the pain,
heighten her responses and how to ease
pleasure
and passion.
pulled the magazine out his friend's hand
experiences at lovemaking. there
suggestions on how to stimulate and
her into womanhood with memories of

"i could have used that," ron told him, reading over his shoulder.

"you still can," harry assured him. "just because you and hermione shagged once,
doesn't mean you can't try and please her the next time." harry turned
and looked at the red haired, red-faced boy next to him. "how many times have you
done it?"

"just once," ron told him. "we almost did it on the train coming home, but we
couldn't find an empty compartment. i can't remember feeling so frustrated
in all my life."

"maybe it's a good thing you didn't do it. if you read enough of this thing, you
may have several ideas on how to really make her feel good when you get
back together."

"which is tomorrow afternoon," ron said with a smile. "i can't wait. i feel like i
haven't seen her in months."

"think you two will...you know? during the holidays i mean?" ron's blush became a
neon sign of embarrassment, lighting the room.

"i hope so." silence fell between the two, as they continued reading the article,
and getting ideas of their own, as they quietly looked at each picture
that accompanied the words.

"i wonder why george had this?" ron asked after a moment. "you don't think he and
katie bell are doing any of this stuff, do you?"

"if you and hermione are, what's to stop them?"

"that would mean fred and angelina are probably doing it too."

"hey ron, what did your dad tell you about those protection spells?" ron blushed
again, remembering the conversation he had with his father the night before.

"he told me of a spell that would work once, or that can be extended for a couple
of weeks, depending on the need of it," he reported. "but it was bloody
embarrassing. have you ever had to have that talk with a grown man? blimey, i
can't believe he was telling me all that stuff."

"do you think the spells work?"

"beats me. i'm eager to try though."

"but ron, not to be rude or anything, your parents have a lot of kids. if he knew
of the spells, why didn't he use them?" ron's blush deepened still.

"i asked him that, and he asked me which one of us i would suggest they used it
with."

"so how do we check it out, to see if it really works? i mean, i'm willing and
all, but what if it doesn't work and we end up in trouble?" ron was really
quiet for a long time, and then took the magazine harry still held and began
flipping through the pages.

"i thought i saw something in the index about protection charms," he told him.
finding the page, he quickly opened it wide so they could both read it. "here's
the one dad told me about," ron exclaimed, pointing to the list of about five
charms, spells and potions. the two of them read it together; the idea of
trying them out was extremely intriguing and peeked their interest to great
lengths.

"i'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult, providing we remember to use them before
anything happens," ron said. "i don't want to go through another three
weeks, like last time. i thought i'd go mental worrying about it."

"listen, ron," harry began softly, closing the book and handing it back to him.
"if i'm not here tonight, don't go setting off any kind of alarm, all right?"
ron frowned at his friend.

"what do you mean? where else would you be?" it was harry's turn to blush as he
stood and paced to the window and looked out.

"ginny and i were thinking about spending some time together tonight," he said.
"we haven't really had much time to be alone, and since we've got the next
two weeks, we were thinking about making up for lost time, you know..."

"bloody hell, harry! are you saying you want to shag my sister?" harry turned,
placing his finger up against his lips to hush his friend's loud words.

"you don't have to announce it to the whole house," he scolded.

"i can't believe you're saying this. i am her brother you know, and somehow i
don't think it's the sort thing you're supposed to be telling me."

"ron, you're also my best friend, and i was hoping i could talk to you about this.
i mean, you and hermione have already done this, and maybe you could
answer a few questions."

"yeah, all right, but just try not to say any names. maybe i won't have images in
my head i don't want." the next hour was spent with the two boys discussing
concerns, rumors and worries they both had. they found using the magazine a great
help for answering questions, although neither of them were exactly willing
to try everything that was listed on the pages, they were willing to try out a
few. by the time dinner that night was over, harry didn't feel quite so
unsure and uncomfortable. maybe he'd be able to do this after all, and still hold
out for her to find her "climax" as the magazine called it. somehow he
would prove she hadn't made a mistake, and was happy to love him as much as he
loved her. tonight, he would prove to her just how deep that word went.

the house seemed to remain alive with useless chatter and activity, until late in
the night. harry stayed up for quite a while, and then eventually went
up to bed. he had hoped that by going upstairs, it would give the rest of the
group the idea that it was getting late, but it didn't' seem to have worked.
harry lay awake in his bed, tapping his fingers together and anxiously shifting
from one position to another. he was far from tired himself, and anxious
to sneak away with ginny into the room down the hall. ron had come to bed over an
hour ago, and was now softly snoring in the bed next to him. the sounds
of voices continued to echo up the stairs, although not as many as before.

fred and george had returned from seeing their girlfriends shortly before dinner,
and george seemed to be distracted looking for something he thought he'd
lost at the house. ron and harry continued to concentrate on their meals, refusing
to acknowledge that they not only knew what he was looking for, but
where it was. the twins had retired to bed just after ron had come upstairs,
stopping by long enough to ask if they had found anything that day. both boys
refused to give in, and played dumb, making george wonder if their mother had
picked up the magazine and was now in possession of the "smut" as she called
it.

ginny had stopped by to say goodnight to the boys, kissing harry and whispering in
his ear that she would be waiting for him to get her, across the hall.
moody had gone on watch shortly after the table had been cleared of the left over
dinner, leaving lupin and tonks to discuss a secret rendezvous in hushed
tones, that harry had overheard. they were planning on meeting up in the sitting
room, once everyone was asleep, which meant that harry and ginny would
have to be very quite in order to not be heard from the occupants in the room
directly below sirius's bedroom.

eventually the house became quiet. harry pretended to be asleep, when mrs. weasley
poked her head through the door to check on them. he listened with baited
breath as she walked across the hall, then heard her footsteps heading up the
stairs to the room she and mr. weasley slept in when they were at grimmauld
place.

it was past midnight before harry felt confident enough to attempt leaving his
bed. he slipped as silent as a mouse, out the door and down the hall to the
room he would be spending the night with ginny in. he still had work to do, and
wanted to make certain everything was perfect for when he brought her here.

twenty minutes later, harry smiled at the work he'd accomplished, slowly opening
the door. he stepped back inside when lupin and tonks snuck past on their
way downstairs, waiting until he heard the soft click of the sitting room door
close behind them. he softly padded his way back down the hall to ginny's
room, and turned the handle. inside was dark, the slowly deminishing moon, no
longer full yet not quite half, shinned in past the opened curtains, bathing
the red haired girl in a soft romantic glow. harry didn't move for several
moments, all he could do was stare at her. she was absolutely gorgeous. he had
never imagined, seeing her like this would make him fall so much deeper in love
with her, and yet it had. with a soft moan and a shift of her slender body
beneath the blankets, harry was brought out of his trance. he realized with a
great deal of disappointment that she had fallen asleep. a part of him wanted
to wake her up and take her to the room he had prepared to make love to her in,
yet another part of him said to let her sleep. there would be other nights.

reluctantly harry turned away, opening the door again to leave. ginny stirred
awake, calling out his name gently in the night shadows. harry turned to see
her leaning up on her elbow, her hand rubbing the sleep from her honey brown eyes.
he smiled, watching the thin old nightgown she wore slip from her shoulder,
exposing the star birthmark that prophesized them as one.

"is everyone asleep?" she asked him softly. harry shut the door again, then
stepped over to sit on the foot of her bed.

"everyone except tonks and moony," he told her, holding his arms out for her to
slip into. "i overheard them making plans to get together in the sitting
room, so we'll have to be really quiet."

"i know a silencing spell," she told him, kissing his cheek. "we won't be heard,
even a whisper." harry leaned back and looked at her through very serious
eyes.

"we don't have to do this," he reassured her, watching the smile creep across her
delicate lips.

"i have never wanted anything more," she assured him, kissing his lips tenderly.
"i just can't believe the time has finally come. i've dreamt about it for
months, years even, and now it's here, i can hardly stand it."

"shall we go then," he asked her, standing from the bed and reaching out for her
hand. ginny took his fingers with hers and smiled brightly as he lead her
to the doorway. he turned the handle cautiously, peering out into the darkness to
make certain the coast was clear, before turning back and pulling her
along behind him. they walked as quietly as possible to the room down the hall,
forgetting about the certain floorboard that creaked when touched. they
froze in the hall, hoping that nobody had heard it. several anxious seconds ticked
by before they felt confident enough to continue their journey. harry
opened the door to the room, and then reached for ginny, lifting her in his arms
and carrying her across the threshold. he pushed the feeling that this
would be his only chance to do so, that someday he would be dead and another man
would be carrying her across their marriage door. tonight was their night,
and he would not allow such thoughts to distract him.

ginny gasped, when harry softly pushed the door shut behind them, setting her back
down on her feet. he had spent twenty minutes magically decorating the
room, transforming the once dark and dreary decor into a light, welcoming place of
romance and fluff. the bed had been made with crisp white sheets, and
a thick warm comforter of pastel blue, while a dozen pillows of all sizes lined
the top near the headboard. pale sheer curtains hung from the tops of the
four posters, etching them in a definite aura of romance. the room was lit up with
hundreds of softly glowing candles, and scented oils. the fireplace
was lit and a warm glow cascaded into the stillness, inventing them to come in. in
front of the fireplace hearth laid a soft white fur rug, and next to
the bed sat a silver ice bucket, and a chilled bottle of butter beer, the one
thing they both could drink and both liked. harry walked to the end of the
massive four-poster bed, picking up the soft sheer gown he had placed there. he
turned around and handed it to her, smiling as she gingerly took it in
her hands.

"i bought this for you, from a mail order catalogue," he told her with a blush.
"the first time i saw it, i thought of how you would look in it. you don't
have to wear it, i just wanted you to have it." ginny smiled, touching the soft
material to her cheek. "it's satin," he told her in answer to her questioning
eyes. "i want only the best for you. you deserve it."

"you shouldn't have spent so much money on me," she told him with a blush that lit
up her entire face. harry stepped to her, capturing her hands in his
and kissing each finger gently. he had his money his parents had given him, which
was a great deal, and now he had sirius's money. he was richer than he
could have once imagined, and yet it didn't seem to mean that much to him. he
didn't care about fortunes, or wealth, so long as he had her.

"ginny," he began after several moments. "i have more than i will ever need, but
nothing i possess could compare to you. you mean more to me than all the
gold in the world." he leaned down and kissed her lips, tasting the tears that had
slid down her cheeks unchecked. "i love you," he told her softly as
he pulled away. "we don't have to do this."

"yes we do," she insisted. "i love you and i have wanted this for so long. now
that it's here, i can't believe how lucky i am. give me a minute," she told
him with a blush. "i'll be right back." quietly she slipped out the door, leaving
harry to himself.

harry sighed. he wanted this more with each passing moment, and he found himself
praying for patience. he had to please her, he wanted nothing more than
to bring her the pleasure she had envisioned and dreamt of for so long. he only
hoped the restraining spell he's found in george's magazine would last
long enough for him to accomplish his goals.

he quickly removed his jumper and pants, slipping into a terry bathrobe, feeling
the softness against his body. he was totally naked beneath the robe, and
the sight of his arousal was evident, as he forced himself to concentrate on the
restraining spell he'd used. the magazine said it would last for one hour,
and his time was shortly coming to an end, but he still had to refrain from losing
control. he opened the bottle of butter beer, pouring two glasses of
the sweet cold liquid, and turned in time to see the girl of his dreams walk
through the door.

she wore the gown he had bought her, looking like an angel come to life. it was a
creamy white satin, low cut on the neckline to reveal the cleavage between
her round firm breasts. it hugged her figure just as the magazine he had purchased
it from had promised. the molding spell made the gown move with her,
as she stepped closer to him, never once revealing more than it was supposed to.
the long skirt hung to the floor, finishing in a soft lace hem. there
were no sleeves, only two very thin straps holding the top up, and when harry
looked at her, he could see the star on her shoulder, reminding him that
she was indeed his.

"you're so beautiful," he whispered, watching the blush creep up her chest to her
hairline. "i would never have imagined how wonderful my life could be,
until you entered it. now, i can't imagine living without you. every day i realize
i love you more than the day before."

"i am yours harry potter," she whispered, reaching out and touching his cheek with
her delicate fingers. "i love you and will do anything to make you understand
that."

"make certain this is what you want, ginny," he ordered her gently. "once we
start, i can't promise i'll be able to stop. you may need to remember that
threat of using a bucket of ice, if i can't"

"harry," she told him, stepping to his and leaning into his lips, her mouth barely
a breath away. "shut up and make love to me."

read? review!

author notes: thanks for r/r. sorry but i couldn't resist a little teaser. don't
worry, the passion is next and ginny and harry will finally take a walk
on the wild side. please continue to r/r.

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chapter twenty-five

handing her his wand, harry stepped back and allowed her to use it. "circumago,"
she whispered, causing a pale blue light to stream out of her wand and
encase the room in a soft shimmer for a few moments. harry turned back to her, a
questioning look in his eyes. she smiled softly, a blush hinting her otherwise
creamy complexion.

"how did you learn that spell?" he asked her suspiciously.

"i heard george use it back at hogwart's when he wanted to be alone with katie
bell," she told him. "it's just a basic distraction spell, mixed with a silencer.
now nobody will think twice to come in and disturb us."

"you're a very cleaver witch, aren't you virginia?" ginny frowned softly.
"you've never used my real name before," she told him shyly. "i've only heard it
when mum or dad is really angry with me."

"i could never be angry with you, my princess. i love your name, and i love you."
harry pulled her back into his arms, kissing her lips until she was quite
breathless. he slipped the wand out of her tiny hand, allowing his fingers to
linger for a few precious moments, as they caressed each one of her slender
digits. he placed the tip of his wand to her lower abdomen, watching the curious
expression cross her delicate features.

"tempero partus," he whispered, watching as her eyes widened.

"it tingles," she gasped, seeing the seductive smile creep across his lips, the
question lingering in her honey eyes.

"for protection," he told her, watching the acknowledgement cross her face with
another blush. "you are so beautiful," he told her, tossing his wand to
the end of the bed, and pulling her back into his arms, kissing her cheek and her
neck, then leading his lips to the soft spot beneath her ear. harry knew
exactly how to excite her, and was thankful for all those months of kissing and
petting that had led him to know how she would respond to his touch.

"i'm not beautiful," she argued with a gasp, as his tongue began to trace a moist
hot path along her jaw line. "i've got too many freckles, and my hair
is too thick and stringy." harry chuckled, kissing her cheek, moving her hair away
from her shoulders so he could kiss them. he slowly began walking forward,
stepping her backwards toward the fur rug, then gently pushed her down to lie on
top of it. the roaring fire was warm against their thin clothing, and
harry felt the restraining spell he'd cast on himself wearing off quicker than he
had anticipated.

"for your information, i happen to love every single freckle, and i love how your
hair hangs down your back. it's soft and smells like spring, and feels
like satin in my hands. and for future reference, miss weasley, i would greatly
appreciate your not insulting my one true love. i'll have to get very angry
with you."

"what would you do to stop me, mr. potter?" she teased, seeing the darkening of
his green eyes when he looked up into her face. harry leaned down, pressing
his lips to hers, nipping at her lower lip gently with his teeth. ginny gasped,
listening to his soft chuckle.

"i'll do what i have to, in order to silence you," he told her, an evil grin
crossing his moist lips.

"show me," she whispered, watching the intent look cross his face. harry leaned
over, slowly, as if time itself had no meaning. they watched the other's
eyes, as their lips neared, the softness of that kiss was soul wrenching. harry
felt like shouting his love for her, from the very top of the astronomy
tower at hogwart's. their kiss deepened, their tongues meeting and mingling like
dueling swords, tasting and teasing the other. his hands slid up to the
straps of her gown, and he looped his fingers around one. slowly and deliberately
he slid it down, until it nearly pulled the top of her bodice off her
chest. his lips broke free from hers, kissing their way down her neck and across
her shoulder. ginny gasped as he led his tongue across the exposed skin
of her chest, up the other arm as he pulled the strap away from her skin. he
slowly traced the star pattern of her birthmark with his tongue, causing chills
to travel across her delicate flesh.
"harry, i love you," she whispered, feeling the warmth of his breath as he came
back to her neck and up to her ear.

"one last time," he warned her. "make sure this is what you want. once we're done,
there will be no turning back. you'll be mine for all eternity."

"i'm sure," she whispered, gasping again as he sucked the delicate lobe of her ear
into his mouth, his tongue teasing the tender flesh.

harry slowly positioned himself to lay part way across her, leaning down he
captured her lips in a searing kiss, his tongue touching hers, challenging it
in a daring caress. he slid the tip of his tongue along her teeth, tasting and
exploring the contours of her mouth. when breathing became an urgent demand,
he left her mouth, his breath coming in deep pants. he kissed her cheek, up to her
ear and the delicate spot beneath her earlobe. his hand, which he had
forced to remain stationary on her waist, slid its way up her ribs to rest just
below her breast. he remembered exactly how she had felt from their last
encounter in myrtle's bathroom, he remembered the feel of her breast against his
tongue and felt his mouth watering for another taste.

his mouth slowly kissed a path down her neck to her chest, as his fingers made
their way back up to the strap of her gown. with cautious fingers, he gently
tugged the material, until her breast was exposed to the warm tingling of the
night air. harry continued to play with her desires, slowly licking his way
down to the deep cleavage between her breasts, as his other hand repeated his
actions and exposed both breasts to his eager touch. his hands, large and
warm covered the delicate mounds, holding them safely in his grasp. harry found
refraining from going faster, from taking her with all his effort and power,
difficult to resist. the spell he had cast on himself was wearing off so fast, he
was having a very difficult time going slow.

ginny moaned as his fingers began to caress the delicate flesh of her breasts,
pinching gently until the small pebble like nipples hardened beneath his
touch. he led his mouth, moist and eager to explore, across her chest to engulf
one of her breasts. slowly he teased the delicate nipple with his tongue,
then gently suckled it, nipping at it with his teeth until she nearly screamed
with penned up frustration. harry smiled to himself. knowing what he was
doing to her and how much she was enjoying it. it was just what he needed to hang
on to the remnants of the restraining spell he'd cast. as long as she
was finding pleasure in his touch, he could somehow find the strength to resist
going faster.

"harry please," she pleaded softly, glancing down as he looked up into her eyes,
smiling brightly.

"do you like that?" he asked her knowingly.

"please, i need you," she begged, her eyes filled with deep emotion and desire.
harry shook his head.

"no," he told her in a hushed, husky tone. "you haven't felt what need is yet. be
patient, my love. i promise you'll have what you want soon." harry reached
beneath her, pulling the material of her gown down her back, penning her arms to
her sides with the satin. he gingerly positioned himself fully between
her legs, leaning down he trailed his tongue down her breasts again as he suckled
slightly harder, causing her to moan louder and her back to arch toward
his mouth.
harry reluctantly left the warmth of her inviting breasts, continuing to move his
lips down her flat stomach, his tongue dipping into her navel, teasing
and testing her depths of desire. he envisioned the pictures he had seen in
george's magazine, remembering how the girl had looked when the wizard she
was with spread her legs and settled his lips between them. he wanted ginny to
feel like that, to feel a passion and need as she had never imagined, and
would never grow tired of. he pulled the gown further down her hips, staring with
delight at the sight of her creamy skin, free of knickers. the soft mound
of tiny red curls called out to him, and he answered them, his lips kissing a warm
path toward the spot he would soon fill with his own desires.

"no," ginny argued. "you mustn't do that." harry glanced up, his hands continuing
to tug her gown down her body, across her long slender legs and tossing
it across the room.

"why not?" he demanded in a teasing tone.

"it's just not proper." harry chuckled, his eyes twinkling a deep green to her.

"we're in a room beneath your sleeping parents, and above two very powerful
aurors, preparing to make love for the first time and daring anyone to stop
us. now what's so proper about any of that?"

"that's different," ginny argued, squirming slightly as he laid his weight on top
of her, penning her to the soft fur of the rug.

"do you trust me?" he asked gently, capturing her eyes with his.

"with my life," she whispered.

"then trust me to please you. it's what i want to do, ginny, it's what i've
dreamed of. please don't deny me this, don't deny yourself the chance to feel
true passion." ginny bit her lip in fear and apprehension, but nodded wordlessly.
if harry said she would enjoy this, then how could it be wrong? he was
never wrong, and she had willingly put herself in his hands. harry smiled, leaning
down and kissing her inner thigh, as he pushed himself down to settle
comfortably on his objective. his hand slid beneath her hips while his free hand
gently caressed its way across her tummy, testing her responses. he played
with the soft curls, as he kissed her tummy. he slid a finger between the moist
folds of skin, as he kissed his way down her inner thighs, spreading them
apart further. he caressed the tender bud of her desire, as his tongue licked
moist hot circles around the back of her knee. slowly he slipped a finger
inside the wet portal of her desires, hearing her gasp with a mixture of
anticipation and shock. he gently pulled his hand out from beneath her, no longer
fearing her escape, laying it across her tummy and held her down to the rug as she
squirmed passionately beneath him. his tongue continued to lick a path
toward his goal, as his fingers played and tormented her desires to dangerous
heights. he smiled as he slowly and nervously slipped his tongue gingerly
between the folds of skin his fingers had explored and now held open for him.

ginny quickly gasped at the sensation, her hips attempting to move away and her
hands reaching his shoulders in an attempt to push him away, but her actions
were restrained by his arm across her abdomen, his strength too much for her to
dislodge. harry ignored her objections as he explored the hot recesses
of her passion, and he smiled to himself as she eased into acceptance, moaning at
his tongue tormented and teased her ruthlessly. he continued to slowly
move his finger in and out of her, stretching the tightness of her virginity,
imitating the strokes his body would show her in a very short time. his tongue
licked, his teeth nipped and his fingers caused a throbbing to erupt from the
deepest depths of her womanhood. ginny arched her back upwards while her
hands grasped his head, holding him to her. she called out his name, her head
tossing from side to side, and harry couldn't believe what was happening.
his little ginny was climaxing beneath his touch, he was experiencing a true piece
of her that nobody ever had, or ever would.

harry felt a power burn to life within him, he had never known. he felt
invincible, eager to fill her with his own desires. he just had one thing left to
do, before he could proceed. he rose above her, his lips quickly kissing their way
back to her neck, his fingers continuing to tease her, allowing her
to experience every moment of her first orgasm. he reached his free hand out
toward the bed, glancing to her passion filled eyes.

"accio wand," he commanded, watching as his wand flew into his hand. ginny slowed
the deep grinding of her hips against him, as he reluctantly removed his
fingers. she looked up into his eyes, seeing the seriousness of his expression. he
pointed the tip of his wand to her lower regions again.

"what are you doing?" she whispered in a deep, husky tone.

"i know a spell to prevent you feeling the pain," he told he. ginny wrapped her
fingers around the slender shaft of wood, holding it a few inches away from
her, shaking her head.

"i don't want you to stop the pain," she told him. "i want to feel it. i have to
know it's real."

"it is real, my darling, but i don't want you to feel this. i don't want to hurt
you. please, let me do this. i promise you'll only feel the pleasure."

"no harry. you can't deny me this. i've dreamt of having you inside me for so
long, i won't let you deprive me of experiencing this. i'm not a fool, i know
it will hurt, but i want to feel it. please, don't deny me this." harry looked
devastated. he loved her so much, all he wanted to do was spare her the
pain he knew he would cause, yet she was denying him helping her. ginny eased the
wand out of his grip, tossing it across the room to slide under the bed.

"make me yours," she demanded, arching her hips upward until he felt like he was
about to explode. he gently eased the tip of his arousal against the moist
portal of her body, and stopped. he looked at her pleadingly, but all she did was
smile, nodding her approval. slowly he slid inside her tight body, watching
the expression that began to cross through her eyes.

"it's not too late," he whispered, seeing the tears spring to her eyes. again she
shook her head no, refusing him the use of his wand. slowly he pushed
forward, feeling the barrier that stopped him from entering her warm body. he
continued to watch the pain shine in her eyes, it was gut wrenching as he
pressed firmly against it, feeling the stretching of her flesh, watching the tears
slide down her cheeks. he hated what was happening to her, he wanted
to stop but his body demanded he continue. he had to press onward, he had to
complete his descent into her warm body, his own desires demanded him not
to stop. the need was too great, and yet he felt horrible for causing her so much
grief. he drew a deep breath, and pushed into her delicate body, with
one swift sure stroke. once he was sheathed completely, he found a small degree of
patience, and leaned down, kissing her neck, allowing her to become
accustomed to the feel of his manhood inside her.
"i'm so sorry," he whispered against her ear, kissing her neck passionately, his
tongue licking a warm path to the other side. "forgive me," he begged.

ginny shook her head. she couldn't speak at that moment, all she could do was
reign in her pain, allow her body to consume it and force it to be absorbed.
harry leaned up on his elbows, watching her face slowly relax as her body began to
grow accustomed to his size. gently he began to pull out, feeling the
urgent demand for his own release building behind his movements. he forced himself
to remain under control, while he slipped nearly all the way out of
her, and then slowly pushed his way back in. ginny's eyes widened at the
sensations of his movements, the pain no longer demanding attention, but was
rather
a dull throb in the back of her mind. she felt him continue to move in and out of
her, just as his fingers had done a few short minutes before, but this
was no finger, this was him, and she was quickly becoming aroused with the
sensations he was causing. she loved the feel of him, and carefully lifted her
legs around his hips, feeling him slide further into her.

harry groaned deeply, laying his head against her neck and kissing the delicate
flesh there. he was losing all thought, all he could do was feel and feeling
right now was the most incredible sensation he'd ever experienced. he loved the
hot wet portal that beckoned him forward, and he soon began to pick up
speed. he had an urgent demand building inside him, he had to know more, he had to
feel more, to experience a release so primal the world itself would
explode with him. harry leaned down, pressing his weight against her, wrapping his
arms beneath her and cradling her tightly against him. he could feel
her need building along with him, and within a few breaths she was arching against
him again, her fingernails digging into his shoulders as she called
out his name. instantly harry felt the primal demand of his release, burying
himself fully inside her, the loud growl of release evidence of his first
orgasm as a man.

moments ticked by as harry lay down against her shoulder, resting on top of the
panting, sweaty form of the only girl he would ever experience this with.
he felt completely out of breath and absolutely full of love. he couldn't be sure
how she felt, though he could guess easily enough, but he knew he hadn't
just succeeded in making a woman out of her, but she had made a man out of him.
she had made him ginny weasley's man, and he never wanted to be anything
else.

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who wrote me and told me to continue writing.
especially to r.h. who made me realize that my work is good enough to
plagorize. i should be honored that they found it worth stealing. i suppose i felt
like my baby was being abused, which i reacted to without thinking.
i love writing and i promise, i will not stop! there are more chapters to come and
a seventh year story as well, with ideas for an after hogwart's fic.
so please, keep r/r. i love hearing from everyone, even the ones who do my spell
checking and structuring for me. thanks again, for all your kindness and
support.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thank you, thank you, thank you!!! to everyone who wrote me and
asked me to keep writing, i wanted to thank you. i will not allow anyone
to take my passion of writing from me. please keep reading, and if you decide to
steal my work again, why not just ask? i'm not that hard nosed, i can
give you suggestions or even help you write your own!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter twenty-six

ginny smiled, allowing the man above her to kiss her wherever he desired. she felt
alive and happier than she had ever known. harry had made her feel that
way, and she had spent the last hour trying to find the right words to tell him.
she thought she could express it a little while ago, but when he suggested
they go to the bed and get more comfortable, she forgot what she was going to tell
him. they had no sooner climbed beneath the warm comforter, when he
had pulled her back into his arms, smothering her with kisses. it was barely a few
minutes later and she found herself lying beneath him again, his arousal
pressing against the moist entrance he had visited just a short time before. harry
looked down into her eyes questioningly, unsure if he should follow
his desires and try to make love to her again so soon, but felt the sensation of
relief flood over him when she reached beneath the covers. her slender
fingers wrapped around the object of his arousal, caressing and squeezing gently,
before she pressed the tip of him against her.

they had made love three times in the past four hours, and as the dawn was
beginning to break, ginny felt certain they could easily do it again.
unfortunately,
she was beginning to feel the consequences of their passion, and was very tender
to the touch. this hadn't passed harry's keen attention to every detail
of her perfect body. he eased off hery, laying next to her on the pillows and
pulling her into his arms.

"too much, too soon?" he asked her, kissing her forehead.

"are you angry?" harry chuckled, kissing her cheek for the millionth time that
night.

"i sure am. what guy could possibly survive with only three turns of making love
to his recently virginal woman? you should be utterly ashamed for expecting
me to wait."

"you're such a prat," she teased, snuggling closer to his side.

"you need some sleep, darling," he whispered, aware that he had kept her up and
active, literally all night. ginny yawned, trying to fight the fatigue from
creeping up on her.

"would i be presumptuous to ask if we could keep this room for ourselves?" she
asked. "i love being in here with you, and i love how you decorated it for
me. i don't want to ever leave it."

"i don't know how your parents would feel, and your brothers may string me up when
they learn where you slept last night," he teased her. "but as long as
you wish it, this will be our room, and i won't change a single detail. except for
a little cleansing spell." ginny glanced to the bloodstained rug by
the fireplace and blushed.

"i did sort of ruin the rug," she whispered. harry tipped her chin up, kissing her
delicate, swollen lips.
"as i remember, you weren't alone in the ruining of it. besides, it can be
replaced. i may just keep it in the condition it is, as a reminder of how
wonderful
tonight has been."

"you wouldn't dare? this isn't medieval times when a husband had to prove his
wife's virginity by hanging the sheets from his bedroom window, you know."

"i know, but i can still be proud of the gift you gave me, can't i? it's a gift we
gave each other, and one i will never regret for as long as i live."

"i love you harry potter," she whispered again.

"i love you virginia weasley." ginny tipped her head up wanting to say something,
but changed her mind quickly, laying her face against his chest. harry
knew her too well, he knew what she wanted to say and he prayed more than anything
that the future would prove in his favor. with a deep sigh he rolled
her to her side, and kissed her passionately before looking at her with the most
sincere, serious expression he had ever worn.

"if i survive my battle with voldemort," he began gently. "i want you to be my
wife. i want to make a life with you, and give you at least a dozen little
red haired babies to yell at."

"you will survive, and i will be your wife. and for your information, our babies
will all have dark messy hair, all two dozen of them." harry chuckled,
laying his head against the pillow and pulling her back into his arms.

"why do i have a feeling you've been planning our lives, all along?"

"i have. and i've even planned our wedding. it will be the day i graduate from
hogwart's. you'll have to take a leave of absence from your auror training,
for at least two weeks. dumbledore will marry us, hermione will be my witness and
ron will be yours. my whole family will be there, and we'll send an announcement
to those horrid relatives of yours. i'll make certain it's by the largest owl i
can find and i may even invite them into our world, just to scare them
and give them whatfor. we'll honeymoon on a deserted island where we can sunbath
and make love all day and night. and in a year, we'll have little james
arthur potter, and a year after that, a little girl named lily hermione, or should
it be lily minerva? anyway, we'll keep having them until we're too old,
or too poor to care."

"you're impossible," harry whispered with a yawn. "impossible and delightful." the
two of them fell into a restful slumber, each dreaming of the life she
had predicted. a life harry prayed would come true, with his last waking breath.

harry stirred awake some time after noon, feeling an odd sense of emptiness. he
rolled over in the bed he'd shared with ginny and rubbed the sleep from
his eyes. he looked up to see a very naked ginny, at the foot of the bed, two sets
of clothes in her hands. she had used his terry bathrobe and snuck out
to gather them something appropriate to wear, and had tossed the robe to the back
of the chair, revealing herself in all her glory for him to admire.

"you are absolutely beautiful," he told her, catching her eye as she smiled.

"i am not beautiful. my hair's too scraggly, and i swear i'm going to hack it off,
my legs are scrawny, my neck is long and thin and my breasts are too
small and i'm covered in freckles." ginny walked toward the dark haired young man
who pulled himself up to a sitting positon in the bed, reaching down
to hold his hands.

"i thought we cleared this up last night?" he scolded her, pulling her abruptly
back down to the mattress, covering her naked frame with his larger one.
"i happen to love your freckles, and if you dare try and cut that hair i'll turn
you over my knee - which doesn't sound all that bad, after all," he teased
her as he reached down and gently caressed the backside he had just threatened.
"your legs are not scrawny, they are very sexy, your neck is absolutely
delightful and i love kissing every inch of it, and your breasts are perfect. see?
they fit perfectly in my hand and that's all that counts." harry leaned
down and began kissing every object she had just critizised, paying particular
attention to the breasts he delighted in exploring over and over again.

"i wish i could see myself thorough your eyes," she sighed, lacing her fingers in
his hair and arching upwards for him to have a better angle at the firm
warm mounds.

"i'm glad you can't," he told her with a wicked smile. "or you might fall in love
with yourself and then you wouldn't have any need for me."

"i'll always have a need for you mr. potter."

"so i'm good to have around for at least one thing, is that it?" ginny used all
her weight to push him to his back, straddling his hips with hers, pressing
her tender, moist desire against his arousal.

"after last night, i'd have to say you're good to have around for several things."

"you are going to be in a lot of trouble, if you keep talking like that."

"maybe later, right now i have to get downstairs before mum goes ballistic and i
want to find a healing charm so we can have a repeat of last night." harry
watched as she deliberately slid her body down the full length of his, pressing
his hardened desire into the cleavage of her breasts. he groaned his reluctance
and sat up, tossing the covers aside, taking the clothes she handed him and
slipped them on.

"i need a shower," he told her, taking notice for the first time her damp hair and
fresh scent.

"you go ahead," she told him. "i'll go help mum with dinner. ron went with moony
and tonks to collect hermione and the twins promised they'd be here soon.
harry," she said soflty, catching him around the waist as they headed to the door.
"i never really thanked you for saving percy. i think it would have
killed mum if anything happened to him." harry was getting tired of everyone
thanking him for something he felt he had to do, but in this case, he was
eager for payment.

"you are more than welcome, darling. i would never do anything to deliberately
hurt your mum, i love her like my own. but if you are eager to make payment,"
he teased her, backing her against the door as she turned the handle. "i will
gladly accept whatever it is you care to offer. say tonight, same place,
same time?"

"i hate to be the one to interrupt," said penelope, smiling as the two lovers
jumped apart. "but mum asked me to come fetch you two."
"oh, um, penny," ginny began as harry slid his arms around her waist protectively.

"relax. i won't tell anyone, besides, i'm thrilled you two are together at last.
and harry, i know you're worried about the boys, but don't be. they wouldn't
dare do anything to upset ginny or their parents." penelope smiled as she turned
to leave, then turned back to look at the two smiling at her. "why do
i have the sudden sensation to have a cup of tea?" ginny shrugged her shoulders.

"it seemed like a common thought for the distraction spell," she told harry when
penelope had gone downstairs. harry chuckled, kissing her cheek.

"i'll see you in a little while," he told her. "i have to get a shower."

ginny watched with admiration as he walked into the bathroom, before going down to
the kitchen. if there were any emotion deeper than love, she knew she
was experiencing it now.

ginny stood by the stove, helping mrs. weasley with dinner. the room was active
with the laughter of bill and charlie, who were relentlessly teasing percy
about his encounter with trying to change his daughter's nappy for the first time.
harry swung the door opened, and smiled at the bright red face of the
young man's face, searching the room until he found the object of his desires.

"something in here smells wonderful," he said, stepping up behind ginny and

wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her slender neck. ginny giggled
softly, trying to keep her tone under control.

"it's mum's fried chicken," she assured him, turning her head to look up at him.
harry turned to see the pans of chicken, pots of potatoes and corn, loaves
of homemade bread and the large cheesecake sitting around the stove.

"huh? oh yeah, that smells good too," he told her, listening to mrs. weasley's
soft chuckle as she walked away from where she stood at the sink.

"you're incorrigible," ginny scolded, turning around and wrapping her arms around
the boy's neck. harry eagerly kissed her, accepting the promise her lips
offered, giving her one of his own.

"get a grip, harry, will you?" ron complained as he, hermione, lupin and tonks
joined the group.

"looks like he has one, ron," bill chuckled stepping up to the stove and pouring a
cup of coffee.

"yeah, on our sister," percy grumbled.

"wonderful, isn't it?" penelope added, punching her husband's shoulder.

"how has your holidays been hermione?" mrs. weasley asked, waving her wand and
watching as plates and utensils began flying out of the cupboards and drawers
to land in place on the table.

"i had a wonderful time, thank you mrs. weasley," hermione said with a large
smile. "my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins were all there. it
was a very large event."

"does your family know you're a witch?" harry asked, sitting at the table next to
her, pulling ginny onto his lap, regardless of the looks percy continued
to give him.

"no, i think they'd probably be worse than yours if they knew. as far as they
know, i've been going to boarding school in france. my parents wanted to tell
my grandmother granger, because she's more open minded, but my grandfather would
absolutely go berserk if he knew. maybe someday our two worlds will live
as one."

"what do you think they'll say when they meet this guy?" ginny said, pointing a
thumb across her shoulder to ron.

"thanks a lot little sister," ron grumbled.

"i think it'll be fine," hermione said with a soft blush. "they are really great
people, but it's not them he has to impress."

"then who?" ron asked with a look of terror. hermione smiled at the expression on
his freckled face.

"just me, ron. nobody else really matters."

"what about your dad? i thought he was going to murder me when i kissed you good-
bye at the station."

"no he wasn't," hermione argued.

"'mione, he was looking at me like i had just transfigured into aragog."

"oh, ron, don't be ridiculous. my dad really likes you. in fact, he wanted me to
ask you to come to our house for new years. he wants to get to know you
better."

"bloody hell, he wants to murder me!" ron exclaimed, receiving a room full of
laughter at his expression.

dinner was an event like any other, filled with good food; lots of laughter and a
full hour of teasing ron about what mr. granger had planned for his new
year. moody arrived shortly before dessert, and dumbledore appeared shortly
thereafter. the house was a joyous place to be in, and harry and ginny found
it easy to laugh and converse, even though their minds kept traveling upstairs to
the room that awaited them.

dumbledore kept looking at the young couple suspiciously, causing both to blush on
several occasions. they continued talking as they all retired together
in the sitting room, the boys gathered around ron's new chess set, taking up odds
who would be the first team, and the girls took up residence around baby
molly. harry and ron were first up to play, but neither really had their minds set
on the game. harry kept staring at ginny who played and cuddled percy's
baby, while ron continually watched hermione, licking his lips and blushing. the
game concluded after nearly forty minutes, and only by pure luck did harry
notice the fatal move ron made, setting himself up into a perfect checkmate. when
percy insisted on playing against harry next, the younger boy felt it
was to prove a point, or to make a statement about harry not being good enough for
his little sister.

harry and percy played a ruthless game, with harry winning by three moves. next
was bill's turn, but harry bowed out, insisting he had a headache and needed
to practice his occlumency lessons. he glanced to ginny and smiled, then left the
room, heading up to the room he shared with ron. he quickly gathered
together a change of clothing and was about to take it across the hall, when the
door opened and percy stepped in. he looked at harry and frowned, or maybe
it was the same frown he'd been wearing since he first saw him and ginny together,
harry wasn't sure.

"may i speak with you?" he asked, glancing to the change of clothes harry had in
his hand. harry cleared his throat softly, tossing the clothes back on
his bed.

"sure. i was just going to take a shower. what's up?"

"i want to know what's going on between you and my sister," he said, standing as
harry sat on the edge of his bed.

"what would you like to know percy? how many times i've kissed her, what we've
said to each other when we're alone, the plans we've made for our future,
or how many times i've shagged her?" percy narrowed his eyes on the boy, a
definite warning etched on his face.

"i am not as naive as my parents seem to be," percy insisted. "i know what's going
on between you two and i think it's inappropriate and it needs to stop."

"what are you talking about?" harry felt his pulse begin to race. he felt like
their secret was out, but then he remembered how sneaky percy could be at
hogwart's. he always had the idea that he could trap someone into making a
commitment or admitting to guilt by using reverse psychology, but he really
wasn't very good at it.

"don't play coy with me harry, i know you. i've seen how you look at my sister.
you want her don't you?"

"yes," harry said boldly, watching the expression of shock on the other man's
face. "i want to make her happy, i want to see her smile and i want to hear
her laugh. i love your sister, and i believe dumbledore, she is my destiny, my
soul mate if you will. i know what she's thinking and i know how she's feeling,
even if i'm not near her. i would do everything in power to protect her and keep
her safe. now, if you're asking me if i want to make love to ginny, then
i'll have to decline answering. that is something for her and i to discuss, not
for you to know about. i will not dishonor your sister, if that's what's
bothering you, and i will never hurt her. but other than that, the rest is none of
your business. ginny is a young lady of her own design, she does as
she wishes and her will is something that cannot be stopped. i appreciate your
being worried about her, but you don't have to worry about me. i will never
do anything she isn't ready for, or doesn't want." percy stood as if frozen in
place. his arms were folded across his chest, and the look of surprise etched
boldly on his freckled face.

"she's my sister," he told harry, who looked down at his hands folded in his lap.

"i know that, "harry answered, then stood up and faced the other man. "do you want
to curse me for loving her? do you want to jinx me for trying to make
her happy? or would you rather just punch me in the nose, because she's in love
with me too?" percy didn't know what to say or exactly how to react. he
wanted to do all those things and more, but it just occurred to him, harry was
right. he would never hurt ginny and she was in love with him. if anyone
could protect her, it would be harry potter. without a word, he turned and walked
out of the room, leaving harry to stare after him.

"that was some speech," phineas said from his painting. "did you mean it?"

"every word of it," harry said, turning back and gathering up his clothes again.

"why didn't you tell him you've already shagged the girl?" harry froze, then
turned and looked back to the painting.

"how do you know what we've done?" phineas laughed openly from where he stood
against the frame.

"haven't you noticed the painting above sirius's bed? it's mine, or rather one of
mine. i must admit, you definitely know how to please the young lady.
she seemed quite content when you finally went to sleep. i'll be honest, i am a
bit jealous. even in my prime, i was never able to make love to a woman
more than twice in a single night."

"i do not appreciate your spying on us," harry snapped angrily. "you have no right
watching us."

"calm yourself potter," the painting said. "it wasn't as if i were spying on you.
i was merely curious about who was in sirius's bedroom, and when i saw
how you had decorated it, i was intrigued. you should feel proud. you made that
little girl's first love experience memorable, but i can't help wondering
if you've created a monster. i heard her telling that bushy haired friend of
yours, that she couldn't wait until you made love to her again."

"she told hermione?"

"girls do that sort of thing, you know? they can never keep their mouths shut when
it comes to anything of importance, especially love." just then the door
to the room opened and ron walked in, followed behind by the two girls they were
just discussing. harry turned an angry glare to the little red haired
girl who stepped to his side.

"you told hermione?" he growled bitterly. ginny flinched momentarily, and then
looked into his eyes boldly.

"hermione is like a sister to me," she told him. "i had to speak to someone who
could help me find a healing spell. would you rather i had told my mum?"

"i could have helped you find the bloody spell, you didn't have to go blabbing it
all over the house."

"i didn't blab it to anyone except hermione, and she wouldn't tell anyone."

"except for me," ron said with a bright red blush. harry turned an angry glare on
both of his friends. "easy there mate, you and i were just talking about
it last night before anything happened. what's the difference between that and the
girls talking?"

"because we weren't talking in front of nosy painting, who is eager to make sure
everyone knows it."

"now see here, potter," phineas argued. "i am not nosy, and might i remind you, i
saw the two of you last night. shall i describe exactly what you were
doing, or how many times you pleasured your little girlfriend?"
"shut up," harry snapped. "i can't believe this. i might as well go tell the rest
of the family how i shagged their sister. just let me get the rope for
them, first. i'm sure none of them would have thought to bring their own."

"harry don't be ridiculous," hermione insisted. "you're reacting over nothing.

nobody knew about it except for us, and we've never hidden anything from
each other. hell, you were even out in the hall when ron and i did it the first
time."

"that's different hermione," harry bitterly snapped. "your encounter wasn't

planned."

"harry please," ginny began, and then cowered slightly at the look in his angry
eyes.

"phineas, get out. and don't try going back into the other room; i'm destroying
that painting. and as for you," he told ginny stepping very close to her.
"i hope you found the spell you were looking for, because you're going to need it
for another part of your anatomy."

"what do you mean?" she asked shyly.

"remember what i promised if you threatened to cut your hair? think hard about it,
ginny, because the way i feel right now, punishment for your hair is
going to seem like a picnic." with that said, harry left the room, his hand
grabbing hold of ginny's wrist and pulling her behind him. ron was about to
follow, when hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"leave them to work this out," she ordered him.

"but 'mione, he's going to hurt her. didn't you see that look on his face?"

"ron, it's harry we're talking about. if it were malfoy he was confronting, he'd
probably challenge him or beat him to a bloody pulp without a second thought,
but it's ginny that's with him. he won't hurt her."

"how can you be so sure?"

"because i know what love can do to two people, and we both know harry. he would
never raise a hand to the only person in life, he truly loves." ron returned
the hug hermione offered him, smelling the sweet aroma of springtime in her soft
curly hair. he only hoped she was right. harry could be very dangerous
when needed, and it was his little sister that was with him and his temper. if
anything happened to her...

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author notes: please r/r, i love hearing from everyone. thank you again for all
your support and encouragement.

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chapter twenty-seven

harry paced the room, back and forth, over and over. he was furious. he wanted to
scream at ginny, he wanted to yell and cuss, he wanted to punch something
really hard. but he couldn't. he loved her, and right now that was the only thing
that was holding his temper in check. ginny sensed this, and relaxed,
sitting in the middle of the bed, having witnessed harry's temper as he used his
wand to set phineas' painting on fire, moments before it vanished into
thin air, leaving only the shadow of where it had once been above the bed. she
watched him torment himself for ten minutes, occasionally punching the chair
as he passed or kicking the bed's posts. ginny understood his frustration; harry
was a very private person. it wasn't so much that he didn't want ron and
hermione to know, in fact she was certain he would have told them personally when
the time was right, it was more the idea that they had been watched by
phineas. it was the fact that their perfect night had been sullied by an unseen
set of eyes.

ginny was tired and watching harry pace the floor was making her feel worse. it
had been a long day and it was nearly midnight again. everyone had gone
to bed ages ago, and the house was still and quiet. misty had cleaned the room
earlier that day, so there was nothing for her to do while harry tried to
reign in his emotions. they had managed only a few short hours of sleep last
night, and even though she would like nothing more right now than to repeat
their night, especially after having already used the healing spell hermione
helped her find, she was growing tired of waiting for harry to say something
or do something.

without hesitation, ginny stood, retrieved his wand from under the bed, and cast
the distraction spell on the room. harry barely noticed what she had done,
as she went to the door, locking it just to be safe. she then stepped back around
him, slowly unfastening her shirt and slipping it off her shoulders.
it wasn't until she had removed her skirt, that she noticed harry had stopped
pacing and was watching her. a part of her felt embarrassed, while another
part of her was intrigued and wanted to torment and tease him into a good mood.
she turned her back to him, slipping her knickers off slowly, before reaching
around to the back for the fastenings of her bra. she didn't have a chance to
unhook them, when a hand came up, stopping her. harry wrapped his free hand
around her waist, as his other hand easily unfastened the elastic strap at her
back. his breath was warm and tickled her neck, as he bent over her, slipping
her bra down her slender arms and tossing it to the floor.

harry's hands reached out and cupped her delicate breasts, warming them and
caressing them into responding. he leaned over her, licking a path from her
shoulder to her ear with his tongue, before tracing the contours of her tiny lobe.
she could feel his arousal pushing gently into her backside. she leaned
backwards pushing against him, resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to
caress her breasts with one hand, his other slowly making a path down
to the soft mound of curls between her legs. ginny knew his anger had been burned
away, the sight of her body, the body he craved now more than breath,
had made him forget everything else, but having her.

"i'm still new at this whole love thing," she whispered as his teeth began to
graze her neck, his fingers toying with her hardened nipple. "should i deny
you pleasure since you've been horribly mean to me, or should i forgive and
forget?"

"you should definitely forgive and forget," he whispered into her ear. his fingers
began to part the fold of skin between her legs, making her feel suddenly
weak as he found the bud of her desire and began to stroke it.

"that's not what my mum would do," she warned him. "she would make my dad sleep on
the sofa until he promised to behave himself."
"there's no sofa around here," he told her, amusement etching his words as he felt
her restraints weakening.

"there is in the sitting room."

"all right," he told her taking a quick step backwards. "i'll go sleep there."
ginny stumbled at the sudden loss of the human wall behind her, and was caught
inches above the floor by a pair of strong arms. harry chuckled as she gasped in
surprise lifting her up and cradling her as she had done downstairs with
baby molly.

"you are such a prat," she scolded him, leaning her head against his shoulder as
he carried her to the bed and laid her gently to the covers.

"i was only doing as you suggested. it's not my fault you don't know how to stand
on your own two feet."

"why should i stand, when i have such warm, strong arms to support me?"

"now who's being the prat? you know what your problem is, miss weasley? you're
spoiled rotten."

"so you're saying i even taste spoiled?" harry narrowed his eyes as he crawled
onto the bed, instead of lying next to her, he quickly covered her naked
body with his own, still fully clothed.

"are you hinting at something, ginny?" the blush that crept up her face, started
at her breasts and harry found himself inspecting every pink inch of her
delicate body.

"i think you know what i want, harry. please?" harry leaned down into her arms,
kissing her neck and whispering in her ear.

"tell me," he challenged her, knowing she would never ask him directly.

"no," she told him, her pink flesh turning red. "i can't, it isn't proper."

"i don't want proper in my bed, ginny. i want you, every beautiful, desirable,
delicious inch of you. tell me, or i won't do it."

"i can't," she whispered shyly. harry chuckled, sensing her desire to tell him
what she wanted him to do, but knowing the newness of their relationship
wouldn't permit it just yet, no matter how much he pleaded with her.

"shall i guess at what you want me to do for you?" he teased, looking at her as
she nodded her red head. harry sat up slowly, inspecting her slender, sexy
frame with great interest.

"let's see," he began, as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his muscular
shoulders. "would you like me to kiss your neck?" ginny nodded, and harry
pulled off one shoe. "what about your ears? i know you like it when i lick them,
shall i do that as well?" again she nodded, her cheeks a fire red as he
pulled off his other shoe. "would you like me to kiss you here?" he asked her,
gently caressing the dip of her neck, feeling the pulse beneath his fingers
pick up speed. he bent over and kissed her, his tongue darting out to taste the
pulse that pounded beneath his touch.
"do you want to know where i would like to kiss?" he asked her, reaching for his
belt and tugging it free from the loops of his jeans. ginny nodded frantically,
as he bent over her, taking one of her hardened nipples in his mouth and suckling
it deeply. he delighted in the gasp he offered him, and then relished
the deep moan that escaped her throat. this new game of theirs was making him
extremely excited, just the idea of teasing her this way, it was new and
intriguing and he was actually quite enjoying it. who would ever have thought that
trying to get a girl to ask you to kiss her, could be so much fun?

"would you like me to touch you, too?" he asked, standing up from the bed, and
pulling his jeans off his well defined and definitely aroused body. ginny
blushed deeper than he had ever seen before as he knelt on the bed next to her. "i
don't think i will touch you," he told her, watching her eyes dart up
to him in surprise. "i think you should do a little exploring of your own. after
all, i spent the better part of last night getting to know your beautiful
body. maybe it's time you got to know mine." ginny smiled a wicked grin and sat up
on the bed next to him, pulling her legs under her. harry saw the glint
in her eyes as she leaned forward and kissed his neck.

slowly and silently, she trailed hot kisses down his neck, across his shoulder and
over his chest. harry knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer,
especially when her tongue began to trace circles around his small hardened
nipples.

"lay down," she ordered him, moving aside so he could stretch out on the mattress.
harry obeyed, and lay on his back, his hands caressing her shoulders,
playing in her hair and cupping her cheek as she continued kissing him. he
couldn't believe she was doing this, her lips traveling to his ribs, her fingers
caressing and tracing each bone that protruded beneath his taunt skin. her lips
were hot and sensuous as she kissed her way down his stomach, her hands
reaching further down to caress the soft hair of his thighs. he was nearly spent,
and knew there would be little restraint left in him, if she continued
on the path she was heading. but the idea of stopping her never entered his mind.
instead, he remembered a picture from george's magazine, and recalled
how intrigued he and ron had been when they watched the girl in the photo doing
what they both wanted their girls to try.

ginny's hand traveled up his inner thigh, as her lips traveled down, her tongue
caressing his smooth flesh. her fingers found their target and cupped the
soft, tender flesh between his legs. he flinched slightly, placing his hand over
hers and smiling.

"easy there," he whispered. "they're attached." ginny smiled as her free hand
began to stroke the length of his desire and her tongue darted out to caress
where her fingers were playing. harry closed his eyes. this couldn't be happening,
it was too wonderful for words, too delightful to be real. but it was
and when she opened her mouth to take him in, he felt like he had died and went to
heaven. she was such a surprise and such a delight that he couldn't
move for what seemed like hours, but as he felt his passion mounting, he knew this
was not where he wanted to be when he found his release. he eased her
away from him, smiling as he gently pulled her back up to the pillows, laying her
on her back and covering her with his warm body. he kissed her passionately,
knowing there would be no way at the moment for him to repeat her exploration of
his body, with hers. he had to be inside her, he didn't have much time
and nearly exploded as he touched the tip of his engorged arousal to her moist,
hot portal. without thought, passion controlling his actions, harry pushed
inside her savagely, listening to her gasp of desire as he began rocking against
her. his hips picked up a rhythm that she quickly matched, and within
moments they were clinging to each other, their cries of release echoed in unison,
desire too overwhelming, too consuming for either of them to speak.

"i take it you're not that upset with me anymore," ginny asked after a few minutes
to regain her composure. harry rolled off her, pulling her into his arms
next to him, their legs wrapped around each other.

"i suppose i overreacted. i'm just not used to being the center of attention, i
mean i really don't like people knowing that much about my life. i am sorry
if i scared you."

"you didn't. i knew you wouldn't hurt me, you were just angry. i don't think
phineas will ever want to cross you again though."

"i can't believe he watched the entire night," harry said, a deep blush creeping
up his cheeks. "it's just like when myrtle watched me take a bath in the
prefects bathroom."

"when did that happen?" ginny asked with a smile, leaning up on her elbow next to
him.

"when i was trying to figure out the second clue in the triwizard tournament. i
don't know how long she was there, but i'm sure she saw more than she should
have."

"that's why she's so intent on you, harry," ginny teased. "who wouldn't want you
after seeing your magnificent body."

"it was two years ago, i was barely fourteen, and there wasn't much to see. you're
such a prat." he pulled her back down to lie next to him on the mattress,
kissing the top of her head. it was a whole new experience for him, to laugh and
joke with a girl, to feel so many emotions within a single span of time.
it was a new world for him, and he was happy to be in it. as long as he had his
ginny, there was nothing that could go wrong, and nothing that they couldn't
face.

ron rolled over, lighting the candle on the bedside table. he rubbed his eyes with
his palms and looked at the young woman who was lying asleep next to
him. the smile he offered her was warm and genuine. he never imagined he could
love this nosy, book-smart, know-it-all, that just a few years ago he could
barely sit in the same room with, without poking fun of her or making her angry.
still, her anger was one of the things he found intriguing, weird to him
as that sounded.

"what time is it?" hermione asked, stirring awake next to him. ron glanced at the
bedside clock.

"half past two," he told her, then lay down and gathered her in his arms.

"why are you up so early?"

"i couldn't sleep. i was thinking about meeting your parents. 'mione, i'm really
scared. i know your dad isn't going to accept me, the way you think. he's
going to murder me, when he finds out i've taken your...that is when he learns
we're...oh, hell."

"ron relax," hermione chuckled. "my mum knows and she's all right with it."
"she what? you told her? are you mental?" ron sat up in bed, staring at the girl
as if she had three heads.

"relax. i had to talk to someone, and i needed some questions answered. i told her
what happened, and about the potion, and how it was all my idea. she
wasn't angry, in fact she found the whole thing amusing. she actually laughed at
me, when i told her bit the buttons off your shirt."

"that was pretty funny, if you think about it," ron smiled, receiving a punch in
the arm from the girl lying naked beside him. "sorry, but you have to admit,
looking back on it, it wasn't exactly the most romantic setting for our first
time."

"well, you made up for that last night," hermione said with a blush, watching the
color creep up ron's neck. "where did you learn all those things you did?"
ron's color deepened as he smiled at her.

"i actually read them in a book." hermione stared at the boy with wide eyes, a
look of shock on her creamy features.

"i don't believe it. you were reading, during the holidays, and you weren't told
you had to?"

"it's not that big of a deal," ron said, leaning on his elbow next to her,
brushing her hair out of her face. "harry and i had questions too, and we weren't
about to ask my dad, so we had to do something."

"so what kind of a book was it?" ron cleared his throat softly, then reluctantly
reached beneath his bed, and pulled out the magazine of george's.

"you were reading a smut magazine?" hermione said in surprise.

"don't knock it, 'mione. i got a lot of ideas from that smut, and as i recall it,
you weren't all that upset last night when i tried them out on you." hermione
blushed, opening the book and looking at the pictures, finding the ones that ron
had mentioned.

"this isn't really considered a book, you know? there are very few words."

"there are some really interesting articles, though," ron told her, turning the
pages to the article harry found most interesting. hermione read the words
and smiled.

"so this is where most of your ideas came from, huh?"

"harry said it wasn't too late to make up for our first time. i figured, you
deserved something better to remember." hermione's eyes began to fill with
tears as she reached up and hugged the boy next to her.

"i love you ronald weasley," she said with a sniff.

"if you love me, then why are you crying? what did i do this time?" hermione
chuckled, shaking her head.

"you are so funny sometimes. i'm not upset, i just think it's wonderful that you
were so concerned about making me feel better about what happened. last
night was marvelous, and i absolutely love what you did."
"would you like a repeat performance?" ron asked, kissing her neck.

"are you sure that protection spell will last?" ron eased her beneath him,
spreading her legs so he could find the right position.

"it was an extended spell," he told her leaning down and gently kissing her
breasts. "it will last for two weeks, before we have to repeat it." hermione
gasped gently, as he sucked her pebble hard nipple into his mouth.

"two weeks will take us through the rest of the holidays," she whispered, as he
began kissing his way down her flat stomach. ron chuckled, remembering how
she had insisted a short time ago, that this was not proper and he proved to her,
proper or not it was very pleasurable.

"it may be enough to last, but we'll have to remember to renew it when we get back
to school."

"are you thinking we'll need it?"

"yeah," he said in a patronizing tone. "we'll probably use every closet in

hogwart's more than my brothers ever did."

"i will not make love with you in the closets," hermione argued, and then gasped
when his fingers found their target. ron smiled, knowing it wouldn't take
much to convince her to being with him wherever and whenever he wanted. he now
knew what it took to turn this library-loving girl, into a puddle of molted
lava.

"what about the astronomy tower," he asked, as he kissed the tender skin of her
inner thighs.

"no," she whispered, a little less sternly than before.

"what about the mcgonagall's classroom?" he asked, his lips kissing the soft mound
of curly brown hair.

"no," she whispered softly, no longer really listening to what was being asked of
her.

"how about anywhere i ask you to?" he said, the tip of his tongue sliding between
the folds of skin, touching the bud of her desires.

"yes," she moaned, and ron smiled brightly. he knew how to close this girl's books
and make her think of other things. he knew it wouldn't take much to
convince this girl, this girl who would one day be his wife, into letting him
please her. and pleasing her was what he desperately wanted to do and never
stop.

"have you figured out the rest of the prophecy yet?" the image of dippet asked
from his painting, looking down to dumbledore. the old wizard glanced up
to his former headmaster. he had been trying to figure out the prophecy for
months, but had yet to understand the last of it.

"i know it should be simple, but i can't put my finger on it."

"it has something to do with lily's sacrifice," the aged, fat witch said from her
perch above the current headmaster.
"'the mother's blood would prove strong, and through the son, the fall of darkness
will be,'" said dumbledore, more to himself than to the others.

"'the light is green and so a flame will grow,'" stated phineas, repeating part of
the prophecy he had heard over the past sixteen years.

"'the flames of passion will be the undoing,'" dumbledore muttered softly. "what
green flame could it be referring to? i have found no writings about a
green flame. lily's sacrifice has given harry unique gifts, more than we have ever
anticipated. now that he's joined with his soul mate, the powers they
possess together will only grow. it won't be long before the connection is tested.
if it is meant to be, they will soon have the mind of one."

"do you think potter will be strong enough to deal with all that has been
prophesized?" phineas asked, watching from his painting as dumbledore leaned back
in his chair.

"he is only a boy, but he is powerful and more mature than we could ever have
hoped for. the time is coming, and all we can do is hope that he will be ready,"
dumbledore leaned his head back against his chair and closed his eyes. "if only we
could understand the last of the prophecy. if only i could find the
green flame, maybe we could help harry so he won't feel so alone."

"he's not alone, remember?" the old witch said again. "he has the girl and the
other three points of the star to help him."

"but that puts another damper on the moment," phineas complained. "is the last
point malfoy or longbottom?"

"i wish i knew. both could be the missing link, and then again there is another to
consider."

"who? there are only the two, who have lost their mothers. they both have reason
to join the fight against the dark side."

"there is another, though she has not lost her mother in the same manner, she
could easily be the missing point."

"she? who?" asked the old witch with a frown. dumbledore looked up from where he
sat, a frown to match hers creased his brow, his head pounding with the
thoughts and confusion he'd been dealing with for the past sixteen years began to
make themselves known, in a painful manner. he closed his eyes again,
the images of the three who could be the last to join the fight filtered in front
of his closed eyes, as he told the old headmasters the name of whom he
had been considering, "miss luna lovegood."

read? review!

author notes: thank you everyone for continuing to r/r. to p.l. who privately
emailed me with concerns about those who are bitterly commenting on different
parts of my story. i tried to email you back, but your address was not responding.
please don't be upset. i don't mind it. in fact, i think i'd be upset
if everyone loved my story. the fact that they read it proves it captures their
attention, and their comments are appreciated. maybe it's things i considered;
maybe it's things i've over looked. i take some of them to heart, others i just
pass off. either way, i continue to write this my way, regardless of the
criticism. it is my story, nobody else's. please continue to r/r i love hearing
from everyone, good or bad.
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chapter twenty-eight

the skies were cloudy and gray; the thunder of a storm echoed the stillness. ginny
looked out the window, seeing the first drops of rain begin to fall.
she had to go, it was getting late and she had to get home. she stepped out of the
shop, pulling her hood over her head and gathering her bag closer to
her. she began walking down the street, the chill from the winter's storm beating
against her in angry pelts. the rain was cold, and the threat of it turning
to snow was imminent. she could feel the chill already soaking into her slender
flesh, as she hurried to the shop down at the end of the street. there
would be warmth there. she'd be able to get home and back to harry through their
fireplace. if only she had thought more rationally before leaving, she
would have considered the weather, she would have thought about wearing something
warmer than this little tee shirt and jeans.

she reached the store, just as the rain began to pour harder. the clock at the
other end of the street chimed three, as she pulled her cloak tighter around
her, reaching for the door handle. the idea of a warm fire, and a mug of hot
chocolate weighed heavily on her mind. at first she didn't see the shadowed
figure standing between the buildings next to her. but as she turned the handle to
open the door, the shadow moved and she saw it with a start.

"miss weasley?" the raspy voice said, barely above a whisper. "miss ginny
weasley?"

"yes," ginny answered, narrowing her eyes to see the face behind the cloak.

"i have a message for you to give to albus dumbledore," the cloaked figure said.
ginny relaxed, her hand on the door's handle fell to her side, as she reached
forward. instead of handing an envelope over to the girl as she expected, the
figure raised his wand. ginny's eyes widened, her mouth opened to scream,
but she was silenced instantly.

"avada kedavra," the voice said, as a stream of green light flashed from the end
of the wand. ginny fell backward, her bag being tossed from her arm, her
slender frame hitting the stones in an eerie crash of death.

"maybe dumbledore will know better than to steal what is mine," the voice said,
then turned and walked back into the shadows.

"no! ginny!" harry sat straight up in bed, sweat streaming from his face, his
heart pounding violently in his chest. a warm hand touched his shoulder, causing
him to jump in alarm. he turned to see the girl sitting next to him, his eyes
trying to focus on the image, trying to distinguish if it was real or not.

"harry, it's all right," ginny said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "it was
just a dream."

"no, it wasn't," he told her, wrapping his arms around her so tightly, she could
barely breath. "it wasn't a dream. oh, god, ginny. it was a premonition.
you're going to be killed. oh, god, please don't let this happen."

"harry it won't happen," ginny assured him. "i'm here, it was just a really bad
dream."
"no, it wasn't. it was real; it's going to happen and i'm not going to be there to
stop it."

"but you already have, harry. you've seen it, and you know what's going to happen.
that means it can be changed. remember percy? you stopped him from being
killed, you'll stop this too."

"i can't live without you, ginny," he began to sob, holding her tighter. "everyone
i've ever loved is gone, i won't lose you too."

"you won't, harry, i promise." ginny struggled out of his grip, to hold his head
in her hands, watching the tears streak down his face. "i love you, and
i will never leave you." she kissed his lips gently, then pulled away again.
"maybe we should contact dumbledore. do you remember the dream?" harry nodded,
as ginny slowly crawled off the bed, looking at the clock. it was ten after nine;
everyone was up or soon would be. "we can send an owl to hogwart's. he
should be here by dinner time."

"ginny," harry began, as she gathered her clothes together, and began to dress.
"please, you have to stay close to me. i wasn't there in the dream. i have
to be there, i can't let this happen." ginny sat on the edge of the bed, holding
him again. "without you, i'll die. there's nothing for me to live for."

"nothing is going to happen to me, harry. i am with you, i'll always be with you."
ginny held him close, cradling him in her embrace. fear was beginning
to filter its way into her, but she knew that there was a way to stop it, percy
had been saved and she would be too. she just had to convince harry to
not worry, but it was a task above anything she had ever done.

downstairs was a kitchen full of weasleys, along with lupin, tonks, moody, and
dumbledore. ron and hermione had joined them a short time ago, and were currently
being teased again about what mr. granger had planned for their visit next week.
harry and ginny joined them, both looking a little paler than usual, harry
walked on weak legs, finding a chair and sitting into it quickly. he held ginny's
hand, and refused to release it, pulling her down on his lap. the room
became deathly quiet as the two joined them. harry looked physically sick, his
skin ashen and his hands trembled.

"harry had a bad dream," ginny told them, watching the expression on dumbledore's
face turn quite serious. harry shook his head, looking up at the aging
wizard.

"it wasn't a dream," he whispered. "i saw ginny...a man came out of the shadows
and...i wasn't there to stop it. i can't let it happen."

"oh, dear god," mrs. weasley gasped, sitting in the chair next to her husband.

"what did you see harry?" dumbledore asked, breaking the tense silence.

"ginny was in a shop, i think it was in diagon alley. it was cloudy and it began
to rain. she left the shop and walked to a store at the end of the street,
but i couldn't see which one, when she reached for the handle...he came out of the
shadows. he said he had a message for you," he glanced up to the headmaster,
his voice shaking as he spoke. "he used the killing curse. he said you would
understand to not steal what was his. we can't let this happen, professor.
i won't let ginny die."
"she won't," lupin said, although not as reassuringly as he had hoped.

"we'll be there for her," tonks said, making certain harry understood the greatest
aurors would protect her. it helped relieve a bit of his anxieties, but
not much.

"can you tell us anything else?" moody asked. "do you know who it was, or what day
it was?" harry shook his head.

"it was cold and rainy, and the streets were deserted. the clock struck three when
she reached the store at the end of the street. that's when he came up
to her. he knew her by name, so he must know her, or know of her."

"he said i would know not to steal what was his?" dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"do you know who it may be?" ron asked, his face nearly as pale as his friend's.

"perhaps. can you think of anything else, harry?" harry thought for a minute and
frowned.

"there was something," he said focusing on the dream. "he had a ring on his left
hand, it was the hand that held his wand. it was a blood red stone, with
a golden m in the center."

"what is it professor?" hermione asked, seeing the look of acknowledgement on his

aged face.

"nothing." he stood and walked toward the door. "i don't want you leaving this
house," he told ginny as he passed. "stay close to harry, and don't worry.
i'll take care of this." mr. weasley followed dumbledore out of the house, as did
lupin, tonks, moody and three elder weasley boys. harry sat with ginny
on his lap, holding her tightly to him. he wouldn't let go, even when she tried to
get a cup of tea.

"i'll just be a moment," she told him softly. "i'm not going anywhere." harry
smiled. he knew he was being stupid, and released his grip on her, but watched
every move she made. he was never letting her go, he would never stop watching
her.

ginny fixed the tea, then turned her attention to the eggs and pancakes sitting in
the pans on the stove. she quickly fixed two plates and took them to
the table, setting one in front of harry. he smiled at her, as she handed him the
fork, remembering the first time she had ordered him to eat. it didn't
seem that long ago when she was just ron's little sister to him. he would do
anything to protect her then, but now he would die to do it. he would not
allow anyone to take her from him.

"harry," ron said after a few minutes of watching him eat. "do you think it was
malfoy, or one of you-know-who's death eaters?"

"no. it was just like my premonition of percy. my scar didn't hurt, so it couldn't
have been voldemort, but i think it was the same person. the voice was
the same."

"who would want to hurt ginny, in order to get a message to dumbledore?" hermione
asked with a frown. "it doesn't make sense."

"it doesn't matter," ginny said. "it isn't going to come true, since i'm not going
anywhere alone."

"please don't make light of this," harry said quietly. "i don't know how, but this
premonition is going to come to life, and i'm not going to be there for
you."

"harry, it's not going to happen," ginny insisted. "your telling dumbledore about
this, is enough to stop it from coming true."

"dumbledore did seem to know more about this then he was letting on, didn't he?"
hermione said, sipping her tea.

"now no more talk of this," mrs. weasley said, her tone slightly shaky. "professor
dumbledore will take care of everything, and there will be no need to
worry." harry glanced up at her, seeing the concern and worry in her eyes as she
looked at ginny. he wasn't the only one who would suffer from her death,
she was the only girl in the weasley family, and her loss would be great to
everyone around her.

the next few days was spent in much the usual way, housework was done with the
routine grumbles and complaints, games were played and homework was completed,
but one thing stood out among the norm. ginny was being watched every step she
took. if she went to the kitchen, someone would follow her, if she went
to study, someone was there. even harry made a point of going to her room after
mrs. weasley checked to make sure she was asleep, to see if she needed
anything, or to invite her into their room for the night. at first, ginny found
harry inviting her down the hall fun and exciting, knowing they would spend
the night making love, but the last night or two she began saying no. with
everyone watching her every move, she was frustrated and angry and refused any
time alone with the man she loved. she knew it wasn't his fault, he cared about
her and after all the losses he had endured in his short life, he was worried
about losing her too, but she couldn't stand being watched like this. she felt
that her time with harry was just another excuse to make certain she wasn't
alone, where she could sneak out or be coerced into leaving the safety of
grimmauld place.

the morning before ron and hermione were supposed to go to the grangers for new
years, found ginny's mood worse than ever. she had taken a shower earlier
than usual, and left the room only to find bill actually sitting in a chair across
the hall from the bathroom. he claimed to be looking for somewhere quiet
to sit for a few minutes, but ginny didn't fall for it. she lit into him, ranting
and raving like a banshee, until everyone in the entire house was on
the second floor. she didn't care who heard what, she didn't care whose feelings
she hurt, just so long as she could scream. when she turned to go back
into the room she shared with hermione, she saw harry standing in the doorway of
the room he shared with ron.

"and don't go thinking i'm going to let you tell me i'm being irrational," she
screamed at him. "i am sick to death of everyone staring at me, and watching
me. especially you! you're supposed to be on my side, not theirs. you're supposed
to be helping me find a way to get away from their gawking at me, but
you're in it with them. i hate everyone. just stay away from me!" with that said -
or rather yelled, ginny slammed the door to her bedroom so hard the
picture of a desert scene fell from the wall, and shattered on the floor. harry
stared at the other occupants gathered in the hall, then turned slowly
and returned to his room, closing the door behind him.

and so the day went. nothing seemed to go right after that. mrs. weasley argued
with the twins about their constant pranks, even though they had not set
a single one all holiday, mr. weasley fought with percy about his wanting to
return to the ministry to work, and even penelope found fighting with hermione
and tonks about their lack of effort in cleaning house a temporary release of
frustration. eventually lunch was served, and the entire household found
speaking unnecessary. ron and hermione had argued about what kind of clothes he
wanted to take with him, and ginny and harry hadn't spoken since her screaming
match that morning.

it was after twelve noon, by the time the half eaten plates of cabbage stew was
pushed aside, and everyone found somewhere else to be. harry had retired
to the room he shared with ginny, sitting in the middle of the bed, his arms
folded across his chest as he just thought about his life, the direction it
had taken and where he was today. ginny had gone into the study, slamming the door
on ron who tried to join her, while hermione went up to her room. everyone
was pretty much frustrated and worried, no word had come about the perpetrator who
had attacked percy or the threat on ginny, and no news was definitely
not good news.

it wasn't until two thirty that harry felt a sudden twisting in his stomach, like
a knife being driven into the pit of his soul. the hair on the back of
his neck stood on end and he jumped from the bed, running down the stairs.
something was wrong, and he knew it without even seeing it. he ran into the
kitchen where mr. and mrs. weasley sat with percy, bill and charlie. he flung the
door open so hard, it hit into the wall, causing the room's occupants
to jump and spill tea across the table.

"where is she?" he demanded, looking around the room.

"where's who?" percy asked angrily, wiping the hot tea from his new pants.

"ginny, where is she?"

"last we saw, she locked herself in the study," bill said, as he and charlie took
note of the look on harry's face.

"why? what's wrong?" charlie asked, as ron, hermione and tonks joined them, having
heard the door slamming.

"she's gone," he said, turning and pushing his way out the door. the study door
was locked, and instead of using his wand, harry's panic forced him to kick
it open. he found the room much as he expected it to be, empty. the old
grandfather clock struck two thirty, and harry looked at the fireplace. floo
powder
lay on the floor in front of the brick opening, indicating the recent use of it.

"i'll send word to the advanced guard," tonks said, turning and rushing out of the
room.

"oh, my god," mrs. weasley gasped. "where could she have gone?"

"she went to diagon alley," harry said. "and it's going on three o'clock. we've
got to get to her." he ran out of the room and up the stairs, reappearing
a few moments later with his cloak and wand in hand. he was met by lupin, tonks,
and the weasleys in the study, where they had gathered, all with wands
in hand.

"we sent word to moody, he'll meet us at diagon alley," lupin told him, walking to
his side and placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "don't worry harry,
we'll find her."

"we have to go now, time's running out," harry insisted, stepping to the fireplace
and reaching for the floo powder.

"maybe you should stay here," mr. weasley suggested. harry looked at him, a stern
expression on his young face, making him look years older than he truly
was.

"no," harry said, turning and retrieving the floo powder. "diagon alley," he said,
clearly and plainly. he felt the usual rush surrounding him, and closed
his eyes, keeping his arms tucked close to his side. he focused only on the girl
he had to try and protect, but he knew they were running short on time.
the old clock chimed two forty five when he stepped into the fireplace, which
meant there was less than fifteen minutes to search all of diagon alley.

harry emerged from a fireplace in the magical menagerie's shop. he ignored the
shocked look on the shopkeeper's face, as mr. weasley and lupin emerged right
behind him, followed by bill and charlie, ron and hermione, tonks and percy.

"i beg your pardon sir," mr. weasley said. "but did you happen to see a young lady
today, long read hair about this high?" he asked holding his hand up
to where he thought ginny would stand.

"yes, as a matter of fact i did," the dark haired man said, adjusting his glasses
on his nose and looking past mr. weasley to harry. "she seemed in rather
a snit."

"where did she go?" harry asked, ignoring the look from the other man, who
suddenly recognized the scar on harry's forehead.

"down the street, mr. potter," he said in a shaky voice. "i'm sorry, if i'd known
you were looking for her, i would have stopped you. i don't want any troubles
with you, sir." harry ignored the man and hurried out the door, looking in the
direction the shopkeeper had indicated. the streets were deserted, just
as they were in his dream. the clouds were thick and gray and the clap of thunder
echoed like a giant's growl in the stillness. harry's heart began to
pound violently. he had to find her, time was running out. he didn't wait for the
others to catch up to him; he took off running as hard as he could, his
wand in his hand, rain beginning to splatter across his face. he didn't know where
he was going, or what direction he was heading, but he knew his heart
was leading him, he would find her, but when was the problem and fear that kept
his legs moving. visions of his dream came hauntingly back into his mind,
filtering before his eyes. he was living the worst nightmare of his life, and he
was powerless to stop it.

the clock at the end of the street behind him chimed three and harry nearly
screamed her name, seeing her standing by the entrance to the twins shop. she
was trying to get home; she was going to be attacked on her own brothers'
doorstep. harry ran harder than he ever had, his heart pounding, his side aching,
his breath in heavy painful pants. then he saw him, through the sheet of rain
pelting him. a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows a wand in his hand.
harry was closer to her, but not close enough to protect her. he raised his hand,
the only thought in his head was saving ginny, he couldn't allow his
dream to come true.

he pointed his wand in the man's direction, barely twenty yards from him. without
thought, he began to whisper the words "avada..."

"no!" ron shouted, grabbing at harry's arm.

"expelliarmus," hermione shouted and watched as the robed figure flew through the
air, landing a few feet away, in a crumpled mass of dark robes. ginny
nearly fell to the ground, as the door was jerked open and her brothers emerged,
wands in hand. harry ignored everyone around them, and ran straight to
the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her hard.

"what do you think you're doing?" he demanded angrily. "i warned you not to leave,
didn't i tell you not to leave the house? why didn't you listen?" ginny
began to sob, shaking uncontrollably.

"i'm sorry," she said weakly, as harry wrapped his arms around her, holding her to
him as tightly as he could. his breath was coming in hard pants, his
heart beating harder than it ever had. he couldn't tell if he was more angry or
scared at the moment. but one thing he did feel was relief. ginny was still
alive, though not by her careless acts.

harry closed his eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to escape. he glanced
across her shoulder, seeing bill and charlie rushing to the unconscious
figure's side, wands raised and angry stares etched on their faces. bill pulled
the cloak back to reveal the face of the man who attacked not one, but
two of his siblings. he looked back to charlie then turned to where mr. weasley
stood guard.

"it's fudge," he said.

"it can't be," percy said in astonishment, stepping around his brothers. lying in
a crumpled heap was indeed the pudgy figure of cornelius fudge, the minister
of magic himself.

read? review!

author notes: thank you and please keep r/r. i love it. there's more excitement to
come, so stay tuned. hope you like how it plays out.

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author's notes: sorry about so much fluff and smut, but once i get started, it's
hard to stop. hope this will make up for lost time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter twenty-nine

"go to your room," harry snapped, the moment they entered grimmauld place. ginny
turned and saw the angry glare in his eyes, and for the first real time
since knowing him, she felt afraid of what he might do.

"but harry, please," she began, hoping to dissipate some of his anger.

"now, virginia," he ordered in a soft growl. "i don't want you near me right now.
go to your room, and stay there." ginny turned and ran up the stairs,
tears streaking down her cheeks and anguished sobs echoing down the hall. harry
ignored the eyes that stared at him, as he pushed past them, going into
the kitchen. mrs. weasley was there making dinner, and looked up as he entered.
the expression on his face made even her cringe, and she remained silent
until the others joined them. mr. weasley went to his wife, placing a reassuring
arm around her shoulders.

"ginny's fine," he assured her. "she's upstairs."

"did you catch him?" she asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"yes," mr. weasley began, glancing to harry as he took a cup of tea and sat down
at the table.

"who was it?" she asked, staring from one face to the other.

"it was cornelius fudge," bill said, his voice was still filled with shock.

"the minister?" mrs. weasley asked, sitting at the table.

"i still can't believe it," percy said. "i knew he had it out against dumbledore,
but i would never have imagined he would do something like this."

"it makes sense," charlie said. "you were investigating the ministry, so he
figured you were investigating him. in order to stop you, he decided to sick
the dementors on you. who better than the minister of magic himself to order a
dementor to attack someone."

"i thought the dementors were with voldemort?" ron asked, from where he sat next
to harry and speaking the dark lord's name openly without hesitation.

"there's no proof of that," lupin said. "but it's likely they are, or at least
most of them."

"the ministry has their own dementors," percy said. "there is always a need for
additional support for the prison, so when needed, the ministry calls in
reinforcements. i can only assume that's where the two who tried to attack me came
from."

"bloody hell," ron said softly.

"you should have let me kill him," harry said softly, causing the room to become
silent.

"i couldn't," ron told him. "you would have gone to prison if you'd have used an
unforgivable curse, especially on the minister himself."

"it wouldn't have mattered," harry said in words barely audible. "if i'd have lost
ginny..."

"you didn't mate," ron said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "you saved her, just
like you saved percy."

"why did she leave the house?" he whispered again.

"because she's stubborn, just like the rest of us," bill said, drinking his tea.
"she hates to be told what to do, especially by the people she loves."
just then the door to the kitchen opened and professor dumbledore walked in,
followed by moody, tonks and lupin. dumbledore sat in his usual seat and accepted
the tea mrs. weasley offered him, before turning his attention to the room.
"what's happened with fudge?" charlie asked.

"he's been placed under arrest, and will be transferred to our allies in russia."

"did he say why he did it?" mr. weasley asked.

"he thought i was after his job, and when he found percy snooping around his
files, he figured i was trying to find something on him to force his resignation.
he's been extremely paranoid since learning of lord voldemort's return. his
popularity has slipped, and he's lost a great deal of supporters after learning
that he was warned of this two years ago."

"i should have been more careful," percy said, running his hand through his hair.

"there wasn't anything you could have done," dumbledore insisted. "he placed
charms around every corner of the ministry, in order to locate the spies against
him. what he didn't count on was his spells helping us filter out voldemort's
spies."

"you caught them?" bill asked in astonishment.

"no, but at least we now know who they are. it's only a matter of time."

"but that leaves us with the problem of no minister," percy commented. "without a
minister of magic, the death eaters will be able to get back into the
ministry and find the secrets to hogwart's defenses as well as gringott's
security."

"we have a temporary minister, but a permanent one will need to be in place before
the end of next month. i've placed additional charms on the ministry,
but they will only last for sixty days. we'll have to have a new minister by
then."

"any ideas who will be elected?" bill asked.

"no, but i have made my suggestions. time will only tell." dumbledore turned his
attention to the young man at the end of the table, who was sitting silently,
his own attention on the cup of tea in front of him. "how did you know she had
left the house, harry?" dumbledore asked, the tone of his voice indicating
that he already knew without hearing the answer.

"i don't know for sure," harry said honestly, his tone still slightly shaky. "i
was upstairs and i just...felt it. i knew something was wrong."

"your connection with her has grown, much deeper than i would have anticipated.
that is a good thing."

"how is it a good thing?" harry asked, his tone bitter but his voice soft. "she
was nearly killed today, and i wasn't there."

"but you were there, harry," dumbledore clarified. "she was never in any real
danger, you knew where she was and you stopped her from being injured. your
powers are growing much faster than i would ever have predicted."

"i don't want them," harry said, placing the heels of his palms against his eyes,
to stop the tears that threatened to flow freely. "i'm only sixteen, i
don't want all these powers. i want the dreams to stop, and i just want to be a
normal teenager. i didn't ask for any of this. i just want to be normal."

"i'm sorry harry," dumbledore said, sympathy etching his voice. "i wish i could
take all of this away and give you back everything that has been taken from
you. but you can't run away from who you are. you can't run from your destiny."

"i can't do this," harry said, his voice shaking with his grief. "i can't lose
anyone else. i can't lose her, she's my whole life."

"harry," a soft voice said from the doorway, causing harry to look up, his eyes
red with unshed tears. ginny stood like a little girl, her delicate face
streaked with tears, her nose and eyes swollen and red. she held her hands
together, a tissue twisted between her fingers, her shoulders shaking with the
sobs that raked her insides.

"harry, please don't hate me. i'm sorry i made you mad." harry couldn't bare the
sight of her grief, and went to her, pulling her into his embrace. he couldn't
stay angry with her, he loved her so much, and having her in his arms was the
greatest form of medicine he could ever have asked for.

"i can't lose you, ginny," he whispered in her hair, as he held her tight.
"without you, i have no reason to go on. you're the only thing in my life that
makes sense."

"i'm so sorry," she sobbed. "i didn't mean to disobey you, i was just so angry and
i couldn't bare another minute of being watched. i thought i could get
there and back before three o'clock. i figured the twins were there, i'd be all
right."

"ginny, don't ever do anything like that again, please. you have to listen to me.
i know things you'll never understand."

"why don't you two go upstairs," mrs. weasley said, blowing her nose in her
handkerchief. "we'll let you know when supper is ready." harry turned and walked
out the door, his arms wrapped around ginny. the door closed behind them, leaving
the others to wipe away their tears.

"why does all this have to happen to harry?" mrs. weasley grumbled, wiping her
eyes on the old cloth in her hands.

"we have no choice, molly," dumbledore said. "voldemort chose harry, and because
of that he has to be the one to face him. we'll all be there to support
him and back him up, but the final battle has to be between harry and lord
voldemort." silence fell across the room for several moments; the only sound
was that from the pots on the stove and ticking of the clock.

"has voldemort learned of the rest of the prophecy?" bill asked, breaking the
silence.

"not yet, but there is the threat he will discover it," dumbledore said. "he is
still very interested in knowing the meaning of it. i only hope i can figure
it out by the time he does learn of it."

"why do so many people know of the prophecy, professor?" hermione asked. she knew
of it, because ron told her everything, and she knew ginny knew about
it, because harry told her, who in turn also told her best friend. but she
couldn't understand how so many others knew. "isn't it dangerous for so many
to know about it?"
"only those who are closest to harry know of the prophecy," dumbledore explained.
"select members of the order have been chosen, in order to help prepare
him and protect him, but there are things that have yet to be revealed. things
that still need exploring. lord voldemort will never know of the fullest
meaning of the prophecy."

"will harry?" the girl asked again, aware that the old wizard had still not
relayed the entire prophecy to the one it was meant for.

"perhaps when the time is right," the headmaster said softly.

"how long has potter and the girl been lovers?" moody asked boldly, his magical
eye staring at the ceiling above him, where sirius's old bedroom stood.

"what?" percy snapped, glaring at the old deformed man.

"well, from what i can tell, it's not their first time."

"i knew he couldn't be trusted," percy said, heading toward the door, followed
close behind by bill and charlie.

"sit down all of you," dumbledore said gently, catching the three from leaving the
room.

"but albus," bill began. "he's upstairs with our sister."

"do you know what he's doing to her?" percy growled angrily.

"i'm very much aware of what they are doing. i am very much aware of what all my
students do, and where they do it," dumbledore said, glancing briefly to
ron and hermione, causing both to blush openly. "now come sit down and have a nice
cup of tea."

the three boys reluctantly returned to their seats, as silence fell around the
room again. it took several moments before percy felt eager enough to clear
his throat and speak.

"what did you mean, you know everything your students do?" he asked, shifting
slightly in his seat. dumbledore laughed, making his features seem a lot younger
than he truly was.

"i have known everything my students do, for many years. the stories i could tell
you."

"can you tell us any about harry and our sister?" bill argued.

"nothing you'd care to hear."

"i can't believe we're just sitting down here, while they're doing...god knows
what upstairs!" charlie barked.

"they look like they know what they're doing," moody answered, his magical eye
still trained on the ceiling.

"alastar moody, take that eye off that ceiling, this instant," mrs. weasley
snapped, watching as the man jumped in his seat, looking at the woman with both
eyes.
"i think it's disgusting, that we're down here allowing this to take place, in
this very house." percy was beginning to get angry again, forgetting the
concern of his former headmaster knowing what his students did while in school.

"it's harry's house," ron said, issuing the only thing that came to mind in
support of his friend and sister.

"what difference does that make?" percy snapped.

"percy weasley, you are a hypocrite," penelope snapped, slapping her husband's
shoulder.

"penny, please, this isn't the time for that."

"time for what? as i recall, you and i were about their age when we first..."

"penelope clearwater weasley, do hold your tongue," percy commanded, his face
turning nearly as red as the apples sitting on the table.

"let me tell you something, percy ignatius weasley, if the walls of the astronomy
tower could speak, they'd have many tales to tell," penelope said, her
anger matching that of her husband's. "every young couple who goes there, since
the beginning of time, has carved their names among the rafters and stones.
and what stories do you think they would tell, william, or charles? what about you
arthur? not to mention stories i'm sure george and fred would be eager
to hear?" the room was silent, the occupant's faces red and their eyes cast down.
dumbledore hid his smile at the astonished look on ron's face as he inspected
each of his siblings - and parents.

"yes, well," the headmaster said. "as much as i would love to stay, i do have work
to do. there's a lot that must be done, in order to arrange a new minister
of magic."

"but professor," percy said, glancing to his wife. "what about harry and our
sister?"

"why do you think their bond is so strong, mr. weasley?" dumbledore asked, rising
from his seat. "why do you think harry knew she was missing, and in which
direction to look for her? why do you think he has put his own life on the line
for her, since she was held in the chamber of secrets? they are destined
for each other. their souls are one. since their...union, shall we say, that bond
has grown deeper than any i've ever seen. you do not have to worry about
either of them. harry will never hurt her, no matter how angry she makes him, and
she will never lead him astray. they complete each other. i know you
love your sister and you care for her, but there is no need. harry will never let
harm come to her, i know that. especially after today." dumbledore stepped
to the door and glanced back, looking over his shoulder.

"if you love your sister, you will give her this chance. she and harry are
destined to be together, but if you continually interfere, you will drive them
apart. is that really what you want for your sister? for her to be unhappy the
rest of her life? together they are strong, apart they will never survive."
with that said, the old wizard left the room, and left the occupants to consider
what he had said. as much as they loved and wanted the best for their
sister, they all had to admit, it could never compare to what harry felt for her,
or how much harry was willing to sacrifice to keep her safe. in his arms,
ginny was whole, and together there may be a chance for a future for both of them,
as well as for the wizarding world.

the next morning was less tense than the past few days had been, with the
exception of ron's emotions. he had spent the past two hours pleading with
hermione
not to make him go to her house, to get to know her parents better. he was
convinced her father was going to want to murder him the minute he looked at
hermione wrong.

breakfast was eaten with amused smiles, as ron continued to complain about what
mr. granger would do to him over the next twenty-four hours. if he lived
long enough to go back to school, he promised to be nicer to snape and do all of
his homework faithfully, before it was due. nobody believed him of course,
but it lent way to quite a bit of ribbing on his brothers' side. harry and ginny
sat quietly listening to the argument, smiling occasionally to each other.
they felt sympathetically for the boy, but couldn't help laughing at the jokes
being thrown at him.

harry was about to wish his friend good luck, when hedwig came soaring through the
window, from her daily hunt for winter rodents. attached to her leg was
a rolled parchment, with surprisingly familiar penmanship. he took the note and
unrolled it, offering the owl a piece of sausage. he began reading it with
a frown.

"what is it harry?" ron asked, watching the expression cross his friend's face.

"it's from st. mungo's hospital," he said. "professor lockhart has asked to speak
with me. he said he has something of importance to tell me."

"yeah, he's misplaced his mirror and wants to report it as stolen," ron grumbled,
receiving an angry glare from the girl at his side.

"i wander what he wants with you?" percy said with a frown.

"i guess i'll find out this afternoon. he's arranged for me to visit him at two
o'clock."

"that's very odd," mrs. weasley said. "from the last i heard, gilderoy lockhart
could barely spell his name, much less remember individual people."

"wasn't he a resident with neville's parents?" ginny asked, remembering what ron
had told her last year about seeing the longbottoms in the same ward as
the former dada professor.

"yeah, he is."

"very odd," mr. weasley said, echoing his wife's concern.

"i don't think you should go alone, harry," lupin said.

"i agree," tonks chimed in. "i'll arrange for a member of the guard to go with
you."

"is that really necessary? it's just gilderoy lockhart. what harm could he do?"

"we can't take any chances harry," lupin said. "i can go with you if you'd like?"

"i really think it's unnecessary."

"harry please," ginny said suddenly. "i don't have a good feeling about this. you
can't go alone." harry stared at her with a frown, then nodded, seeing
the concern on her young face.

"all right. i'll take moony with me. it'll be all right, i promise," harry said,
leaning closer to her and kissing her cheek, then fell into her hug as
she wrapped her arms around his neck. "ginny take it easy, nothing's going to
happen to me. i'd know if it were."

"i can't help it. i'm scared."

"i'll be careful, i promise. besides, i'll have moony with me. who better than a
werewolf to protect me."

"we'll take ron and hermione to the station, and go to hospital from there," lupin
said with a smile, proud his young friend wanted him as a protector.

"i'm contacting dumbledore," mrs. weasley said quickly. "if there's any problem, i
think he should know about it."

"this is all silly," harry said, and then saw the tears in ginny's eyes. "all
right. you can use hedwig, she's the fastest owl alive and the most reliable."

"we'd better get ready, if we're going to make the train," hermione told ron,
nudging his arm. the two left the room, followed by harry who had to change
and wash up before leaving. once they were out of the room, ginny turned to tonks
and lupin, the tears she had forced to remain in her eyes, rolled down
her cheeks.

"he's in danger," she warned them. "i know it. you have to protect him."

"don't worry, gin, we will," tonks promised, stepping over to her and placing a
warm hand on her shoulder. "he'll be all right, i promise."

ginny smiled as she watched lupin and tonks leave the room. she couldn't help it,
but she knew something was brewing, and she had a horrible feeling in
the pit of her stomach, a feeling she didn't like and wanted to stop. harry was
walking into danger, and somehow she knew it. if only she could be with
him, maybe she wouldn't have this feeling that he was about to...die.

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chapter thirty

st. mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries was filled with visitors
for the holidays, injuries occurred during the holidays and accidents caused
because of presents from the holidays. the welcoming witch who sat behind her desk
frowned as harry and lupin stepped toward her. she looked ragged and
tired and eager to a cup of tea and a headache tonic.

"i believe we are expected by professor gilderoy lockhart," lupin said, watching
the woman flip through her page book.
"he's on the fourth floor," she snapped bitterly, handing them each a visitor
pass. "leave your wands with the guard and be sure to stay no longer than
twenty minutes. visitors on the fourth floor should not become overly excited."
harry and lupin took their passes and headed toward the stairs, climbing
them in silence. ginny's fears were weighing heavy on harry's mind, and he
insisted the twinge of fear and warning that played out in his mind was a result
of her concerns. they were in a hospital, nothing could happen to them here. there
were too many guards and people around to risk causing a scene of some
kind.

the guard that sat at the far end of the fourth floor passage, looked up as lupin
and harry approached him. they smiled politely, stepping up to the man
who raised an eyebrow at them.

"may i help you?" asked the man, his voice deep and gruff, his rugged jaw set at a
stern angle.

"we have an appointment to see professor gilderoy lockhart," lupin said, watching
as the man scanned the list of permitted visitors.

"i don't have you on the list. who invited you?"

"the professor did, just this morning," harry said, watching as the man flipped
page after page. he stopped on the back page, reading a note and looked
up at harry, scanning the boy's forehead obviously curious to see the scar hidden
beneath the hair that needed cutting.

"i only have one visitor listed here," the guard said. "who are you?" he asked,
looking to lupin.

"i am remus lupin, from the ministry of magic. i am harry potter's personal
guard."

"harry potter needs a guard?"

"no, but those who confront him may," lupin said with a warning smile. the man
sneered at the comment, then held out a basket.

"place your wands in this and sign in," ordered the gruff man, then stepped aside
and pulled out his keys. harry and lupin did as ordered, following the
man to the door and waited patiently as he unlocked it.

"you have twenty minutes," the man growled. "do not make the patients upset, do
not give them gifts and do not over excite them." lupin looked up at the
man, nearly a foot taller and two feet wider than he and nodded, edging harry
through the door. harry looked around seeing the familiar setting from last
year. mr. longbottom was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, and the bed
next to him, once belonging to his wife, was vacant of occupant, bedding
and warmth. a sad feeling suddenly struck harry, making him feel nauseated, as he
looked down the row of beds to find lockhart staring out the window.

"professor lockhart?" harry said, stepping to his side. the man turned around, his
eyes focusing on harry and for a few moments he merely blinked. then
as recognition began to filter through, he smiled and reached a hand out to the
boy.

"professor gilderoy lockhart, nice to meet you young man."

"yes sir," harry said, shaking his hand. "do you remember me?"

"i do indeed," he said with a smile. "you're the reporter from the praying
dolphin." harry looked to lupin with a frown. "you're here to interview me on
my misadventures of the dragon's lair."

"um, okay," harry said, glancing around for a medi-witch to assist them. "do you
remember sending me an owl today, professor?" he asked.

"an owl, filthy rodents, good thing we have rats to hunt them down, wouldn't you
say?" lockhart said, sitting down on his bed and crossing his legs. "biscuits?"
he asked, pouring tea into the saucer beneath his cup and slurping it up.

"what's going on here?" asked the heavy set medi-witch who stepped up behind them.

"i'm remus lupin from the ministry of magic," the man said, turning to inspect the
woman's gruff exterior, wondering briefly if she were related to the
guard. "the professor sent an owl this morning, requesting to speak with us."

"i'm not surprised. there are times when he seems nearly normal, and then there
are times like now, when he couldn't tell you the difference between a slipper
and a broom."

"what's happened to him?" harry said. "we were here last year, and he seemed on
the road to recovery."

"he was, until the longbottom woman died. strange, they were both making
remarkable improvements too."

"alice longbottom was improving?" lupin asked her, glancing back to lockhart who
was currently holding down a conversation with the teapot.

"indeed, she was actually able to recall several events from before her attack,"
the medi-witch said, sounding much less the gruff nurse and more the motherly
caregiver. "she had just recalled her son's birth, and was asking to see her baby.
a few days later, she was dead."

"we heard that she died from results of her attack, is that right?" harry asked.

"heavens no. her death is still a mystery. she and the professor there were
talking about their time at hogwart's, and the next thing we know she's dead
and the professor can barely recall his own name."

"was there anything odd that happened to either of them, that could have caused
this?" lupin asked. the medi-witch looked thoughtful for a moment, and then
shrugged her shoulders.

"the only thing out of the ordinary was a visit from mrs. longbottom's brother the
day before she died. he brought her a box of lemon tarts, her favorite."

"her brother?" lupin asked in surprise. "she didn't have a brother."

"are you sure? i'm certain he said he was her brother, maybe it was her brother-
in-law. he came with his wife, a rather rude woman if you ask me, foul tempered
and nasty."

"could you describe them for us?" lupin asked.

"there was nothing out of the ordinary," the woman said, taking the book lockhart
was trying to comb his hair with away. "rather distinguished looking man,
sophisticated, well mannered, blond hair very polite and well refined. his wife
left much to be desired though. she was dressed quite smutty with a tight
skirt and barely half a blouse covering her. she was tall and slender, black hair
and heavy eyelids. she was very arrogant and was anything but kind to
mrs. longbottom. strange, now that i think about it, mrs. longbottom seemed afraid
of her for some reason. when she kissed her good-bye, mrs. longbottom
was white as a sheet. quite strange." harry and lupin exchanged glances,
acknowledgement dawning on them both.

"did mrs. longbottom eat any of the tarts they brought her?" harry asked.

"why yes she did. she offered one to professor lockhart, but i don't think he ate
any. he was quite intrigued with the teas mrs. longbottom's brother brought
her. there's one of them," the medi-witch said, retrieving a small can of tea and
handing it to them. "quite expensive selection, if you ask me."

"did they sign in, like we had to?" lupin asked, taking the tea and smelling it.

"why of course. everyone must sign in when they visit and when they leave. it's
the rules."

"can i see the logs for that day?" the medi-witch looked at the man for a moment,
and then shrugged her shoulders.

"i don't see what good it will do, but you are welcome to look." lupin glanced to
harry as the witch walked away.

"stay with lockhart," he instructed. "see if you can't get something out of him.
i'll be right back." harry nodded, looking back at his former professor.

"professor, do you remember mrs. longbottom?" harry asked, sitting down next to
the man.

"yes, nice lady. she liked lemon tarts," he answered.

"yes, that's right. do you remember the people who visited her before she died?"
lockhart looked up at harry and frowned.

"died?" he asked. "she died, i didn't even know she was seeing anyone. who's the
mother?" harry frowned.

"what?"

"you must have a mother in order to have a baby, don't you? maybe it's a bottle
you need, or nuts, i can't recall when it rains." harry's frown deepened.
the man's mind had gone from a state of obliviation to a completely crossed wired
circuit board. he stood and prepared to leave, when a hand reached out
and caught him by the arm. lockhart was looking at harry with a frown of his own,
his eyes trying to focus on the boy as if he was trying to recall where
he had seen him before.

"harry weasley, right?" he asked in a soft tone.

"harry potter," harry corrected.

"yes, harry potter, yes that's right. i have something here," he said scavenging
through his many books and papers sitting on his bedside table. "very important.
i remembered something, i must tell you. my mind you see, not what it once was,
had to ride it down."

"write it down," harry corrected, watching as the professor found a rolled up

parchment and smiled.

"take it, but don't read it until you're gone. it's not very safe here, you know.
the woman, she should have been at the quiddich game with us, remember?
when i repaired your broken arm. yes, she would have seen her brother there. he
was there, you know. watching with professor snipes. too bad she wasn't
there; she could have had a nice visit with him. didn't like him much though, and
that cat he had with him. she wasn't very nice. kept hissing at her."
harry frowned, taking the parchment and slipping into his muggle coat he wore.
lockhart seemed intent on him knowing something, but couldn't bring his
thoughts together to form a full memory.

"harry, let's go," lupin said abruptly as he rejoined him from an inner office. "i
have to get to the ministry."

"what is it?" harry asked.

"i'll tell you on the way out." they left the room, glancing back to lockhart who
was currently holding down a conversation with his pillow. they signed
the log, retrieved their wands and left the fourth floor, harry following close
behind lupin.

"moony, what is it?" harry demanded.

"i believe i know who it was that visited mrs. longbottom the day before she
died."

"who?"

"think, harry," lupin said, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "distinguished
blond male, well mannered, sophisticated." harry frowned thinking, and
then gasped as he looked at the man next to him.

"lucius malfoy," he whispered. lupin nodded.

"and if i'm not mistaken, the woman who was with him was..."

"bellatrix lestrange," harry finished with an angry look.

"we've got to get to dumbledore. if malfoy visited alice longbottom, then her
death wasn't an accident."

"but why would he want her dead?" harry asked. "she was of no use to him. she
could barely remember to blink, much less be of any harm to voldemort or his
followers."

"don't you remember what the medi-witch said? she was beginning to recall certain
things about her past. the new therapy they were trying, was starting
to work. she was getting her memory back. she must have remembered something they
didn't want anyone else to know about."

"like what?"
"i don't know, but i'm sure dumbledore will. he would know what their last mission
was, before bellatrix tortured them into the state they have been in
for the past sixteen years." harry opened the door, walking into the now deserted
waiting room. his thoughts were on the parchment that was rolled up in
his coat, and as he was about to tell lupin about it, the hair on the back of his
neck stood up on end and he froze in mid step.

"something's wrong," harry told him, causing lupin to retrieve his wand and look
around quickly.

"are you sure?" he asked.

"yes. someone is here, i can feel it."

"dumbledore said your occlumency lessons had advanced to levels he couldn't

explain. try using them, reach your mind out and see if you can locate them."

"how?" harry was astonished that the man had asked him to do something so bizarre
as to search with his mind for someone.

"remember what you did to severus at the house? you used your mind against him,
you can do it again. concentrate harry, you can find out where they are."
harry closed his eyes, practicing his lessons and quickly cleared his mind.
visions of a cloaked figure came into view behind his closed lids.

"he's behind a statue, no a water fountain. he's waiting for us."

"there's a water fountain in the lobby," lupin said, edging harry back towards the
stairs they had just left. "can you still see him?"

"yes, he's still there, waiting."

"come on, we'll go down to the basement and leave that way."

"but we can't let him get away," harry insisted.

"we won't. we can circle around and come up behind him. come on, let's go. keep
your mind on him, harry." harry continued to concentrate, but stopped on
the stairs.

"there are two more down here," he said in a hushed whisper. "it's a trap. they're
trying to get us to go down to the basement." lupin thought for a moment,
trying to figure out which way was best.

"can we go back up to the main lobby?" he asked harry in a hushed tone.

"yes, there's only one up there."

"that's our best bet." the two of them slowly and quietly returned the way they
had come, as to not attract attention from those waiting below. they opened
the door again, looking around the hallway. there were a number of rooms lining
the passage, but nothing that would help them find their way out.

"here, in here," harry said, looking into the window of a room across from him. he
picked up the healer's cloak hanging on a hook and slipped it around
his shoulders. "i can use this to distract him, while you circle around behind."
"no, harry it's too dangerous."

"we don't have much of a choice," harry insisted. "it's either this or we just
walk out with our hands up. either way, we're in for a fight."

"all right, but be careful. dumbledore will kill me if i let anything happen to
you."

"just keep me covered. i'm not all that anxious to prove ginny right." harry
stepped out of the office, pulling the hood of the healer's cloak over his
head and walking forward, his wand held tightly in his hand beneath the cloak. he
could still see the figure in his mind, crouching behind the water fountain
and as he neared the front desk, harry paused, taking up a chart that was left
lying on the counter. he pretended to be reading it, keeping the image in
his mind. he stood there for several seconds, seeing lupin sneak around the side
of the room, but he was blocked. all that lay ahead of him was open space.
there was no way for him to get around, without being seen. harry knew he had to
do something. without thinking, harry began banging on the counter top.

"where is everyone?" he shouted, causing the cloaked figure to edge a little way
out of his hiding place, allowing lupin a chance to duck behind a row of
seats. "come on, where is everyone?" harry shouted louder, seeing the legs of the
greeting witch from behind the wall of the office behind the desk. "isn't
anyone working here?" harry continued to shout, as the cloaked figure grew bolder,
sneaking a few steps further out from behind the fountain. instantly
harry turned, wand in hand, and without a second thought, a stream of rope escaped
the end of his wand, wrapping securely around the cloaked figure. lupin
jumped out from his hiding place, walking up to the side of the struggling figure.

"stupefy," lupin said, silencing the man's noise. "have the others been tipped
off?" harry concentrated for a moment, and then shouted. "duck," as a stream
of light flew out and struck the plant near where they stood.

"i take that as a yes?" lupin said. harry frowned, edging around the back of a row
of seats.

"now what?" harry asked. lupin looked at the boy, locking eyes with him. without
words, they knew what they had to do. "go left, i've got the right," harry
said. instantly the two rolled out from their hiding place, wands raised and
curses issued. sparks flew around the room, as one shouted a spell over the
other. they were in the heat of battle, when harry saw something flash in his
mind. "moony, head toward me," he shouted, hearing the sound of a body falling
nearby. he tried to reach out his mind, but had to fire a counter spell in order
to protect himself. a moment later, a hand landed on his shoulder, as
tonks pushed him aside in time to prevent having his head blown off by another
spell.

"where did you come from?" he asked her, seeing the smile cross her face.

"don't think i'd let my two favorite men walk into danger without me, do you?" she
asked, ducking a spray of green light.

"where's moony?" harry asked, rising up from behind his hiding place and firing
his own spell.

"i'm all right," he heard lupin shout from across the room.

"we could really use some help," harry said, ducking a rather nasty red flame.
"that's what you have potter," mad-eye moody said, shouting from behind a support
pillar to his left. the battle continued for several minutes, until the
scream of a man echoed through the room, and a door slammed shut.

"he's getting away," dedalus diggle shouted, jumping over the figure lying on the
floor, his purple hat falling from his head as he ran toward the stairs.
mundungus fletcher and kingsley shacklebolt leaned over harry and tonks checking
on their welfare, before looking up, following diggle into the stairwell.

harry stood up and brushed off the dust and upholstry that had covered him from
the many attacks. moody was at his side in a flat second, his magical eye
scanning the area as he placed a reassuring hand on harry's shoulder.

"you all right potter?" he asked, his good eye inspecting harry.

"yeah, but how's moony?" harry turned and saw lupin slide back towards the wall,
his hand supporting his leg.

"it's just a break," lupin assured him as he and tonks rushed to his side. "what a
better place to get hurt, than in the waiting room of a hospital?" tonks
looked frightened, but quickly recovered, slapping the man's arm.

"what a mess," emmeline vance said walking through the rubble of the once sterile
hospital lobby. "anyone check on the staff?" harry looked at the woman,
then to tonks. "don't worry, i'll check on them," emmeline said, turning and
ordering two other men to follow her.

"lets see if we can get you looked at," tonks said, as she and harry helped lupin
stand on his leg. she used her wand to bind his leg, giving him the support
he needed to walk to a chair.

"looks like you owe ginny an apology," lupin told harry with a wicked smile. harry
rolled his eyes.

"do you have any idea what this is going to do to her? i yelled bloody murder at
her just yesterday for walking into danger, and here i ignore what she
tells me and i do the very same thing."

"so, how you going to make it up to her?" tonks said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"the same way she made it up to me i guess. i'll let her yell at me, and then i'll
let her make love to me," he finished his comment with a smile and a
blush, as the two with him chuckled happily.

"just tell me one thing?" harry said after a moment. "how much longer before
school starts again?"

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chapter thirty-one

harry handed the parchment lockhart gave him, to dumbledore, watching as the
wizard unrolled it and began reading its contents. the kitchen at grimmauld
place was becoming the common meeting place of any and all information concerning
voldemort, or his followers. harry felt pleased that he, ron, hermione
and ginny were finally being accepted into the fold, to a point at least, but on
the other hand, he felt overwhelmed that so much was happening in such
a short time.

"i also got this from the head healer," lupin said, handing the old wizard a
tattered old book. dumbledore took it and flipped through the pages. there
were many at first, written years before when alice and frank longbottom were
active members of the order of the phoenix, and then nothing but a few drawings
and scribbled words after their attack. the old wizard sighed, setting the book
aside.

"harry, what did professor lockhart say to you?" he asked, looking much older and
more tired than ever.

"he said it wasn't safe there, and that she should have been at the quiddich game
with professor snipes, and that she would have had a nice visit with her
brother, because he was there."

"professor snipes?" bill asked.

"do you think he means professor snape?" charlie asked.

"it would have to be," percy said. "the only year lockhart was at hogwart's was
the year draco malfoy made the slytherin team. if it was lucius malfoy who
visited alice longbottom, then it would make sense that he would make the
connection, since he was there to see his son's performances."

"but what about the parchment?" harry asked, looking to the old wizard at the
other end of the table. "professor lockhart wrote that alice longbottom had
remembered her last mission for the order and spoke about something green."

"the green flame torch," dumbledore said softly.

"what is that?" harry asked. dumbledore sighed.

"i should have figured it out before," he said as if speaking to himself. "i'm
getting too old for this."

"professor?" harry said again, capturing the man's attention. again dumbledore
sighed. "the prophecy said the light is green and so a flame will grow. i'm
sure it means the green flame torch. i should have realized it earlier."

"but what is it?"

"there is a legend of a group of witches, wiser and more powerful than any since
or any before, who traveled to the east and disappeared into the vastness
of time. they are said to have marked their path with a green flame torch, and
only the purest of hearts can find it. it's written that the seeker, who
searches in truth and light, will find the path and control the flame's powers,
and there will the two forces confront each other. the seeker who wins
the flame's power will win the hearts of the wizarding world."

"i'm not a scholar," harry said with a frown. "what exactly does all that mean?"

"it means harry, that only a person who is pure, true and selfless can find the
flame and use its powers to defeat their enemy."

"so if i want to defeat voldemort, i have to find this green flame?"

"i'm not sure, but it would make sense. unfortunately, i don't know where it is,
and unless there's something in her notes, alice longbottom took her secrets
to the grave with her. i'll have to study these very closely, as for now all we
can do is continue as we have. you must complete your lessons harry, and
i think it is still a good idea to continue with the d.a. we will need all the
skilled wizards and witches we can find." dumbledore rose from his seat
and prepared to leave, when harry stopped him.

"what about the death eaters, we caught at st. mungo's? have they said anything
about why they were there, or where voldemort is?" dumbledore shook his
head gently.

"i'm afraid not, harry. they will need a great deal of questioning and very
powerful truth potions in order to get anything out of them. unfortunately,
lord voldemort has conditioned his followers with multiple doses of anti truth
serums, so it will be quite some time before we can get any information
from them." the old wizard walked around the table, stopping and placing a warm
hand on harry's shoulder.

"your skills are remarkable, harry. keep working at them. they will serve you well
when the time comes." harry smiled up at the man, knowing he meant well
but feeling anything but appreciative right now. "your parents would be very proud
of you, harry. you have lived past their expectations." harry watched
the old man leave the room, before turning back to the table's occupants. ginny
wrapped a warm arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"well, it's new year's eve," mr. weasley said, trying to bring a sense of
happiness back into the house. "what say we pull out the twins' gift packs and
bring in the new year with a real weasley bang?"

"i've already made toffee apples, popcorn, and we have butter beer and we can
roast chestnuts," mrs. weasley said in a cheerful tone. "it's little molly's
first new years eve, so we'll have to make an especially happy one for her."

"i don't think molly is old enough or even awake to care, mum," percy said with a
frown.

"nonsense," mrs. weasley said. "she's a part of this family, and it's time she
understood the traditions. why, your first new years eve was celebrated with
you throwing up all over your father's beard."

"good think i don't have one, anymore," mr. weasley said with a grimace. "i
wouldn't want to walk around the rest of the night smelling like a new born's
just thrown up on me."

"again?" bill teased, nudging his father's arm.

"why don't we all go into the sitting room, and pull out the games and see if you
can beat me at gobstones," charlie told the others, as they all gathered
into the sitting room, building a fire in the large fireplace and began eating,
talking and playing games.

harry thought back on the past year, all he had lost and all he had gained. he
wasn't sure, but somehow he felt that he had gained so much more than he
had lost. he loved sirius and he missed him, less every day since ginny came into
his life, but still there was a void. he thought about the months and
the events that had lead him up to this point in his life, and the events that had
yet to unfold. if he were asked tonight, he would have to say that his
life was better, even with everything that was still ahead of him. he had ginny,
he had a family with the weasley's, and he had great friends. in his mind,
he was the luckiest guy alive.

"i'm glad to be going back to school," ginny said packing the last of her
belongings in her trunk. "don't get me wrong," she told harry with a smile. "i've
absolutely loved the holidays, most of them anyway, but i'm glad the chaos will
soon end and we'll get back to a regular routine."

"by regular, you mean studying all hours, not having any time together, eventually
getting frustrated and start yelling at each other?" he asked, with a
frown.

"no, i mean classes, and yes homework, but that's a given. then there are the d.a.
meetings to start up with and of course we have study breaks to look
forward to."

"we didn't get very many study breaks before the holidays, what makes you think
we'll get any after?"

"well it wasn't my idea not to take breaks. if our quiddich captain would be a
little more considerate and let up on the training, maybe i'd have time to
spend with you. but no, he's ruthless and controlling and i have no time between
practices, games and studying for my o.w.l.s. so i guess finding time
for us, will have to be up to you."

"you're a real smart arse this morning, aren't you?" harry asked her, walking up
behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her against
him.

"honestly harry, when are we going to find time together?" harry kissed her neck,
turning back to his own packing.

"i'm not sure, but we will. it may not be as much time as it has been here, but we
will find time. we have easter break coming up in a few months, so we
can make up for lost time then."

"and after that the summer holidays, and you'll be going back to those horrid
relatives of yours and i won't see you until dumbledore feels its time. i
swear, when we're out of school, i'm going to demand every evening and every
weekend be reserved just for us."

"it's a deal." harry smiled as he snapped his trunk shut and went to help her
close the lid on her own.

"hey, you guys ready?" ron asked, pushing the door to their room open.

"almost," harry grumbled pushing the top of ginny's trunk down. "what have you got
in here, the entire bloody bedroom?"

"for your information, i happen to have only what i brought, and my christmas
gifts."

"well i know i didn't give you anything big enough to stop your trunk from
closing." harry flung the top of the trunk open and reached inside, pulling out
the bed pillows and comforter that he had conjured up for their room. he looked at
ginny with raised eyebrows.

"i wanted to remember our holidays," she said with a blush

"i'm surprised you left the curtains," he said, closing the lid again and latching
the lock.

"what's wrong with my wanting to take something from home with us?"

"if you take everything from here, what's left for when we come back?"

"i just wanted to keep the memory alive, is that so bad?" harry reached out and
took her in his arms, kissing her forehead gently.

"ginny, you'll have lots of memories from our holidays, but you can not pack up
all of grimmauld place and take it with you. we'll be back, i promise and
when we do, we'll need this stuff here. you don't need it at school."

"i guess. but i love it."

"then leave it for when we come home," he told her, kissing her lips with the
promise they would indeed come back here.

"if you two don't knock it off, we're never going to get back to school," ron
grumbled. harry and ginny followed the boy out of the room, shaking their
heads. he had been in a sour mood since he returned from the granger's yesterday,
and refused to discuss anything that had happened while he was there.
all he would do was blush and say everything was fine.

downstairs, the noise and hustle of last minute packing and preparations were
under way, as usual. mrs. weasley was busy preparing snacks for the trip,
while mr. weasley and the twins were busy loading the trunks into the cars secured
from the ministry of magic. the day was proving to be the same as any
last day, and harry smiled. it was just the sort of hustle and bustle he loved; it
made him feel like a member of a real family. the dursley's never had
last minute rushing, everything was prepared the night before and a tight schedule
was made and kept for leaving wherever they went. it was utterly boring.

"ginny did you get everything?" mrs. weasley began coming out of the kitchen. "oh,
ronald, tie your shoes, and harry dear, do straighten your hair."

"it doesn't straighten," harry grumbled reaching up and trying his best to flatten
his hair down.

"yes, well, do your best dear," mrs. weasley said again, as george came down the
stairs carrying ginny's trunk. fred smiled at harry ruffling his already
messy hair and snickering.

"much better, harry dear," he teased, as harry batted his hands away, turning and
frowning at ginny.

"what? they're your problem."

"they're your brothers," he grumbled.

"not by choice. i didn't ask for them."

"are we going or not?" moody asked rushing back into the house. "we'll not be able
to keep these muggles distracted for much longer."

"yes, yes, we're ready. come on you three, we haven't much time." mrs. weasley
ushered the rest out of the house and paused to make certain everything was
taken, and then hurried to the cars with the rest of them.

"do you think we'll ever have a calm exit when it comes to leaving for the train?"
ron asked bitterly.

"i highly doubt it," harry said, taking a seat between brother and sister.

the cars pulled up at kings cross at fifteen minutes to eleven, and everyone felt
the rush of making it through the portal in time. ron and harry secured
carts, loading the trunks on them and hurrying toward wall between platforms nine
and ten. ron had nearly reached it, when he heard his name called out,
turning to see hermione rushing toward him followed by her parents.

"oh, this is just great," he whispered loud enough so harry and ginny caught it.
they turned to see ron pause, and force a smile on his face in greeting.
he shook mr. granger's hand and harry could tell there was a great deal of tension
between the two. ron helped load hermione's trunk on his cart and quickly
bid the two farewell, hurrying toward the wall. harry and ginny passed through it
first, followed by a very silent hermione and ron. they loaded their
trunks on the train and exchanged hugs with the weasley's in time to hear the
whistle blow. they had barely found an empty compartment, when the train
pulled away from the station and they were on their way back to school.

harry sat beside ginny and sighed. as much as he enjoyed the holidays, he was glad
they were over. too much happened in such a short time, that he couldn't
even comprehend there being enough time in the day to accommodate it all. he
reached out and held ginny's hand then glanced across to the opposite seat,
seeing ron sitting close to the window and hermione nearly falling off the end of
the seat.

"so, how was your holiday?" harry asked hermione, who glanced sideways to ron.

"it was fine, thanks," she said rather stiffly, ignoring ron's snort of
disapproval.

"and what about you ron?" ginny asked. "did you enjoy the holidays?"

"just lovely thanks."

"all right, out with it," harry said boldly. "everything was going fine, until you
came back from hermione's. what happened?" ron glared at hermione, then
turned back to the window.

"well don't blame me," she snapped at him.

"it was your bloody idea, and i'm the one who paid for it," ron growled in return.

"what happened?" ginny asked.

"your brother decided he wanted to see everything muggle, so we stayed went to the
mall and he got stuck on the escalators."
"my pants, which i might add you made me wear, were too long and the got caught in
the little steps. i nearly lost my pants right there in front of every
teenage muggle in london."

"after that, we went home and stayed up watching television after my parents went
to bed. he was so fascinated with making popcorn in the microwave, that
he just kept popping it, until it caught on fire and set off the smoke detector.
then when my father came down to see what was going on, he sprayed water
all over him with the sink hose."

"i was trying to put the fire out. if i could have used my wand, i would have just
extinguished it like a normal person."

"my father was so furious, he started shouting at ron and the neighbors thought we
were being burgled so they called the police. my dad had to make up an
excuse about ron being a distant cousin from the outbacks of australia and didn't
understand about modern living, or they were going to arrest both of
them for disturbing the peace."

"it's not my fault," ron exclaimed. "you should have seen her house. it had more
ekltricity and doodads than anything i've ever seen."

"then to top everything else off," hermione continued with a bitter look at ron.
"i finally calm my dad down and my mum gets him to go back to bed, but
ron insists he couldn't sleep if he was given double classes with binns, so we put
on a movie and he starts getting...physical, and my dad comes back downstairs
to tell us to go to bed."

"i told you he wanted to murder me!" ron exclaimed in frustration.

"he wouldn't have, if he hadn't caught us doing...things," hermione shouted back.

"it was bloody late, he shouldn't have been up. and besides, you were the one that
was...i couldn't have done that to myself you know!"

"i honestly thought my dad was going to have a stroke," hermione said in
exasperation. "it took my mum dragging him out of the room and ron locking his
bedroom door to save his neck."

"i thought i was going to have to send for the advanced guard to get me out of
there," ron said, folding his arms across his chest. the compartment was
silent for all of thirty seconds, until harry and ginny exploded laughing. ron and
hermione looked at them as though they had gone quite mad.

"don't you see how funny it all is?" ginny asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"i could just see you spraying water all over hermione's dad," harry said, holding
his sides.

"and being caught like that," ginny laughed.

"and i thought i was going to get strung up by your brothers," harry said in an
array of fits.

"quit it," ron shouted.

"it wasn't funny," hermione exclaimed.

"yes it is," harry said.

"oh, think about it from a different point of view," ginny said after forcing
herself under control. "what if it were harry and i telling you that story?
you'd be rolling on the floor."

"think about it ron," harry said, wiping the tears from his face. "can you imagine
if your dad caught ginny and i doing those things, what he would say?"

"he'd curse you into next week," ron said, and then smiled slightly. "i guess it
was sort of funny," he said, glancing across to hermione.

"you should have seen your face, when you sprayed my dad," she said chuckling
softly.

"yeah, well you should have seen your mum's face when she saw you on your
knees..."

"ronald!" hermione shouted, a deep blush creeping up her cheeks. "i can't believe
they caught us practically shagging on the sofa," she said after a few
minutes of enduring laughter from harry and ginny.

"god, i'm glad to be going back to school," ron said with a smile. "i need a
break."

read? review!

author notes: please keep r/r. the chapters are going to slow down for a while.
hope you're more patient than i am.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter thirty-two

with the holidays behind them, the foursome were able to settle into a somewhat
normal routine. quiddich practices began on schedule and classes were as
always, loaded down with assignments and homework. ron and hermione had managed to
somehow salvage their relationship, and in the three weeks since restarting
school, they had been caught twice in a deserted classroom snogging - or worse,
which earned them two full weeks of detention with filch and mcgonagall.

the weather had proven to be anything other than friendly, and harry had been
forced to call off practice once already this week, which didn't help much
with his dark mood. he had so far managed to earn demerits from snape as well as
trelawney, and had even gotten his face slapped by ginny when he told
her to "bugger off" after she offered to help him with his divinations assignment,
and it was only thursday.

the common room was quiet with the majority of the students already in bed. harry
was sitting alone at the table in the corner of the room, trying to work
out a schedule so he could fit in d.a. lessons. he had managed to cut his sleeping
down to an hour and a half, and work out extra dark arts lessons with
tonks, deadly potions and antidotes lessons with snape, advanced transfigurations
with mcgonagall, the d.a. meetings twice a week and quiddich practice
every evening. he was sure he could manage to a nap in between classes with hagrid
and history lesson with binns, which would leave enough time to eat.
now, if he could only manage to figure out when to get his homework done, he may
actually survive this year.

"want some help?" ginny asked looking over his shoulder. harry instantly felt the
sting in his cheek return, and a warning in his head telling him not to
turn her offer down again.

"i don't know what you can help with," he said softly, pushing the papers aside
and rubbing his eyes. "i'm trying to work out a schedule to accommodate
everything i have to do."

"can i look?" she asked, and he pushed the papers closer to her. an hour later she
had managed to work out a schedule that not only accommodated everything
he had to do, but worked in and hour for quiddich practices five nights a week and
two lessons for the d.a. a week, and still got him a full nights sleep.

"i don't know how you just did that, but i thank you," he told her examining the
papers she handed back to him.

"sometimes it just takes another mind to see things clearly," she told him with a
warm smile. harry frowned, looking at the space she allotted from seven
to seven thirty every night, which was marked with a big red s.b.

"what's this?" he asked, trying to figure out what class he had that started with
s.b.

"you don't have to keep it, if you don't want to," she said with a sad expression.

"what is it?"

"it stands for study break. i thought maybe we could manage a few minutes together
between everything else you have planned." harry rolled up the parchment
and placed it in his pack, then reached for her hand, pulling her onto his lap.

"i wouldn't dare change such a well thought out itinerary," he told her, kissing
her neck.

"i just wanted some time with you, i've missed you harry."

"i've missed you too, gin. i'm sorry; i know i've been short tempered lately. i
shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"it's all right i guess," she smiled wickedly, touching the cheek she had slapped.
"i know how to catch your attention."

"no kidding," he grimaced, and then smiled when she leaned in and kissed his
cheek. "at least i know better than to get you angry with me again."

"yeah right. i have a feeling you're comfortable enough with our relationship that
you'll say what you want, when you want. and it's all right with me,
provided you don't mind the consequences."

"that means i'm going to need to get my face toughened up, if we're going to
continue dating."

"are you saying you want out?" she asked, sitting up straight on his lap. harry
chuckled, standing up and gathering her in his arms, carrying her to the
sofa.
"there's only one way i'll want out," he told her laying her on the sofa and
covering her slender frame with his longer one, any thought of where they were
or the possibility of getting caught never entering his mind. "when the earth
splits open and falls out of space, i may consider leaving you. until then
you're stuck with me baby, so get used to the idea."

"baby?" she snickered softly, as he bent down and started kissing her neck. "you
have a lot of interesting names for me, you know that?"

"which ones do you like the most?"

"so far you've called me darling, angel, my love and now baby. oh, and don't
forget my least favorite, virginia."

"so, which one do you want me to call you by?"

"how about ginny, i like how it sounds coming from you."

"you don't want any endearing words of love and tenderness?" he teased, slipping
his hand beneath the hem of her nightgown, pulling it slowly up her legs.

"sometimes it might be nice, but not all the times. i just want to make sure you
know who it is in your arms."

"trust me, i know who is in my arms. there's only one girl who will ever be in my
arms, and that's...what's her name."

"i'm going to hurt you for that," she growled, turning in his arms so he could
work his hands up higher on her body.

"if this is any indication of the torture you're capable of, i think i'd like to
go the limits."

"harry we can't do this, we're in the common room," ginny argued, trying with very
little effort to stop him from slipping his hand beneath her knickers.

"would you like to try the astronomy tower," he asked, kissing his way down her
neck toward her chest.

"no, but we can't do this here. anyone could come in and catch us."

"then suggest something fast, because i'm not letting you go tonight." ginny's
mind was racing, but nothing was coming to her. she couldn't think clearly
with his hands and lips doing such wonderful things to her.

"i have an idea," he whispered, rising up from the sofa. "stay here. i'll be right
back." he hurried up the stairs to his dormitory, reappearing a few minutes
later with his invisibility cloak in one hand and the marauder's map in the other.

"come with me," he told her, tapping the end of his wand to the map and saying, "i
solemnly swear that i am up to no good." the map revealed the entire
layout of the school, with the dots of every person on the grounds. he watched the
dots marked mrs. norris and filch who were on the ground floor, and
dumbledore who was in his office. other than that, there were no moving dots
anywhere to be found. harry slipped his cloak across his shoulders and pulled
ginny beneath it. they stepped through the portrait hole and into the corridor,
walking slowly and cautiously down the hall. a few moments later and they
stopped in front of their destination on the seventh floor. harry checked his map
once more before slipping out from beneath the cloak, pacing back and
forth three times, thinking of the place he had imagined. suddenly a door appeared
and harry turned to where he knew ginny was standing still beneath the
invisibility cloak. he reached his hand out and took hers, opening the door and
leading her in. inside was a warm room, with a large fireplace, candles
lining the walls, glowing softly. in the center of the room stood a large four-
poster bed, with a large pale blue comforter and a dozen fluffy pillows.

"harry it's beautiful," she whispered, allowing him to lift her and carry her to
the middle of the bed.

"i should have thought about this a long time ago," he told her as he stretched
out beside her.

"i'm just glad you thought of it now," she giggled as he began undressing her.

"give me time, and i'll think of lots of things," he assured her, and for the rest
of the night he kept his promise, in many wonderful and exciting ways.

breakfast friday morning was a much calmer, more relaxed event for most of the
students. harry and ginny had managed to get back to their own rooms just
in time for the alarms to go off, to wake everyone up. they were tired, not having
gotten much sleep the night before, but somehow they really didn't mind
much.

with the storm ending during the night, the students were eagerly discussing plans
to got outside for a brief reprieve from the stuffy castle. the morning
owls were beginning to arrive, and harry glanced up just in time to see hedwig
bringing his daily prophet. he offered her a piece of toast and untied the
paper from her leg. the hall was beginning to come alive with excited chatter, as
all the students turned and stared at the gryffindor table.

"what's going on?" ron asked, seeing several students glance to him and whisper to
another sitting closer by.

"holy cow ron," harry said unrolling his paper. "your dad has been named as the
new minister of magic!"

"what!" ron snatched to paper from harry's hands and began reading the article,
looking at the picture of his father and mother, happily waving from the
front page.

"new minister of magic named," he read aloud. "late last night the governors named
a new minister of magic, appointing the long time member of the ministry,
arthur weasley as the new minister. mr. weasley, head of the misuse of muggle
artifacts department, has been known throughout the wizarding world as a
loyal member of the defense against he-who-must-not-be-named, and has proven
himself time and again as a worthy and noble friend to albus dumbledore. mr.
weasley, as you may recall, is one of the few supporters to harry potter and
believed in his story that the dark lord had returned to power. it was this
paper that first printed the warning, that young mr. potter had battled and
escaped the treacherous clutches of the dark lord two years ago, during the
triwizard tournament, when young cedric diggory had been ruthlessly murdered by
he-who-must-not-be-named."

"first to report," snorted hermione. "it was luna's dad who first reported the
return of..."
"shh, hermione, let him finish," neville said, leaning closer to hear the news.

"mr. weasley is the proud father of a multitude of children, two of which are
currently attending hogwart's school of witchcraft and wizardry. another of
the many sons of mr. weasley's, percy, was assistant to the late head of the
department for international cooperation, mr. bartemius crouch sr. his only
daughter, jenny, is a chaser on the gryffindor house team at school, and his
youngest son, john is the team's star keeper."

"jenny," ginny scoffed, stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth.

"what about me, my name is john now," ron complained.

"ron, your dad has been named as the new minister of magic," hermione interrupted.
"surely you can overlook a few misprints, and focus on the good news."

"bloody hell," ron said, his mind finally registering the news. "my dad is the
minister of magic."

'congratulations," harry said, patting the boy on the back. "i guess this means a
lot will change for you now."

"don't worry, i'll still remember all the little people," ron said with a wicked
grin. "what was your name again?" harry slugged his friend in the arm,
and hermione hugged his neck.

"i don't believe it," ginny said. "why didn't mum tell us?"

"the paper said the decision was just made last night, maybe she didn't have a
chance," harry said, kissing her cheek. "i'm sure it wasn't a deliberate
oversight."

"here," ron said pulling out a letter addressed to them in his mother's
handwriting. he pulled the ties off the parchment and began reading it.

"dearest children, please forgive us for not writing sooner. by now you no doubt
have heard the good news. your father is the new minister of magic! i am
so proud of him. we will be meeting this saturday at hogsmeade for a family
celebration, and professor dumbledore has granted the four of you permission
to join us. please be at madame puddifoot's sharply at three o'clock, and dress in
your best robes. the press will be there to take pictures."

"bloody hell," ron said again.

"the four of us?" ginny said looking at harry and smiling. "isn't it wonderful.
you and hermione are now part of the 'multitude of children'."

"come on," hermione said, taking note of the time. "we have to get to class." the
four left the great hall much slower than normal, as so many students
had to stop and pat ron on the back and congratulate both he and ginny.

classes that morning was a mixture of excitement and questions. everyone wanted to
talk to ron, and for the first time since harry knew him, he was happy
his best friend was getting all the attention for a change. hermione and harry
watched the glow of pride on their friend's face, and stood behind him,
allowing him to gloat as teachers congratulated him and complimented his father.
even during lunch, the comments continued. harry noticed that dumbledore
sat with a proud smile on his face, watching as ron continued to get
congratulated. unfortunately, many girls also wanted to congratulate him, offering
him kisses and asking him if he would like to study with them sometime. this
naturally, did not sit well with hermione, who glared at the girls and punched
ron in the arm so hard, when he slipped and told parvati patil that he would think
about it, that his hand went numb for several moments.

potions class was its usual array of dimly lit candles, damp walls and musty
smells. harry sat next to neville, who had just finished taking another dose
of his potion; only this one was the first of the substitute potion. they had run
out of the real courage potion last week, and hermione had insisted that
it was too dangerous to keep him on the real stuff, so they recreated the taste,
in pure water. now was the moment of truth, whether neville had grown
accustomed to the courage he'd gained over the past few months, or whether snape
still had an effect on him.

ron and hermione were sitting behind harry and neville, and ron was trying his
best to contain his temper with the slytherin's constant jibbing him about
his father's appointment. hermione kept a warm hand on his leg and would squeeze
it whenever he looked like the teasing was getting to him. malfoy was
back to his usual sneer, though he kept his comments to himself. he listened to
the constant ridicule and comments offered by his fellow housemates, but
refused to say a word either pro or con.

"class will come to attention," snape said as he entered the room, gliding in his
usual black form to the front of the class. "i'm sure we're all overjoyed
with the news of weasley's appointment to the minister of magic, but one famous
student in the class is enough," he finished staring at harry. the slytherins
snickered happily at the comment, receiving only a dark look from harry, neville,
ron and hermione, along with the rest of the gryffindors.

"today we will continue studying the varieties of truth serums, with the
recreation of the veritaserum, the strongest most powerful of all truth serums.
three drops will have you spilling your inner most secrets. if it works correctly,
the taker will tell you anything you wish answered, if made incorrectly,
the mind of the taker will be a jumbled mess, neither knowing what is truth and
what isn't. for those of you who have difficulty recreating simple potions,"
snape said glancing down to neville and frowning, "i have an antidote. now get
busy, you only have an hour to complete this potion, and don't forget, this
will be a part of your n.e.w.t.s, so study it well."

the next hour was spent in silence, the only noise was that of clanking utensils
on the sides of the caldrons and chopping of knifes. harry and neville
worked separately, aware that snape was watching them closely. this would normally
have made neville a jumble of nerves, but with the courage potion, he
was settled and calm, working without fear and able to concentrate on the task at
hand. harry couldn't believe the placebo effect was working so well.
neville had no idea he wasn't under the spell of the real potion, and harry wasn't
about to tell him otherwise.

when snape stood up again, the students looked up at him, watching him pace the
room, inspecting the different caldrons. he looked at malfoy's, lifting
a spoon of the potion and smiling with wicked pleasure.

"perfect as usual mr. malfoy," he said, then glanced around at the gryffindors. he
had been confused over neville's reactions to him lately, and was eager
to learn the secret behind it. he stepped up to neville's caldron, and lifted the
spoon, frowning.
"well, lets see if longbottom's got what it takes to make a decent wizard," snape
said. "or are you afraid?" neville stood up, confronting the greasy haired
man face to face, then picked up the bottle of potion he had set aside for
grading. harry's heart began to beat furiously. there was nothing he could do
to help his friend this time, he didn't have any treats from the twins with him,
and nothing he could think of saying would cause a difference in snape.

"three drops will have you telling me your entire life's story, which i do not
care to listen to," snape said, an evil grin on his pasty face. "so one drop
should suffice for this class." he opened the stopper to the bottle and placed a
dropper into the dark liquid, lifting the drop up for his pupil.

neville took the dropper without concern, placing the liquid on his tongue. he
looked up at his professor, as harry waited with baited breath.

"now then mr. longbottom," snape said in a patronizing tone. "tell me, has anyone
been helping you these past weeks with your potions?"

"no," neville said firmly.

"and has anyone been substituting their potions for yours?"

"no."

"then how is it you've suddenly become so well skilled in the art of potions?"
snape growled bitterly.

"i followed your directions," neville said with a smile. snape sneered at him, as
several students began to snicker.

"tell me, mr. longbottom. how is it you have finally decided to follow
instructions properly? tell me, what made the difference in you?"

"you finally started writing legibly," neville said in a calm tone.

"you are above all the most irritating, irrational, worst excuse for a wizard as
i've ever seen," snape barked, turning to step back to his seat.

"and you are a greasy haired, beak nosed, pasty faced vampire with the worst
breath i've ever smelled," neville said in the most calm manner anyone had
ever heard. snape turned on his heel, staring at the boy through the silence of
the room. nobody spoke; it was as if everyone were holding their breaths,
waiting for the explosion.

"what did you just say?" snape asked.

"i said, you are a greasy haired, beak nosed..."

"i heard you the first time," snape growled. "one hundred points from gryffindor,
and you will serve a full week's detention."

"you can't do that," harry snapped, standing up for his friend. "he didn't do
anything wrong, he just answered your question."

"fifty more points for your audacity, potter," snape said. "and you can share in
your friend's detention. be here tonight at nine o'clock. class is dismissed."

'i can't believe he took a hundred points from gryffindor, just for doing what was
asked," dean grumbled, as the climbed the stairs out of the dungeons.

"bloody hell," ron complained. "i wonder if my dad can do anything to get him
fired."

"i'm sorry you got detention with me, harry," neville said.

"i'm just glad he didn't ask if you were taking any potions or spells," harry
commented.

"what about the d.a.?" seamus asked. "we have lessons tonight."

"hermione will have to lead it," harry told them. "i can catch neville up on the
lessons separately, and if we get finished with old beak-nose early enough,
we'll join you."

"i still can't believe an entire week and a hundred and fifty points," ron
grumbled.

this was going to be a really fun week, harry thought. an entire week with snape,
plus classes and secret potions lessons. he was sure to go mad before
the week was over.

read? review!

author notes: thank you everyone, and please continue to r/r. i love hearing from
everyone.

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chapter thirty-three

harry and neville climbed the steps to gryffindor tower, sore and exhausted. it
was past midnight, and they had spent the past three hours scouring out
cauldrons and scraping mildew off the dungeon walls. they were nearly to the fat
lady's portrait, when a sound echoed from a nearby room. harry rolled
his eyes. surely it was ron and hermione, but much to their surprise the door
opened and parvati patil exited, straightening her robes and running a hand
through her hair. neville and harry slid into the shadows, afraid of being seen
out this late. they watched as parvati stepped through the portrait and
were about to follow her when the door she had just exited opened again, and a
very flushed faced blond stepped out. harry nearly gasped when he saw malfoy
straighten his expensive robes and smooth back his hair from his face. they
watched as he hurried down the stairs and out of sight, then issued the password
to the fat lady and crawled through the portrait hole.

"where have you two been?" parvati asked, as she headed toward the stairs,
catching sight of the two boys.

"detention," neville said boldly.

"and you?" harry asked. "what have you been up to this late at night?" parvati
smiled a seductive smile.

"just a little last minute studying," she said.

"on a friday night?" harry asked again. "if i didn't know better, i'd say you were
fluttering around after curfew. have a secret rendezvous?" parvati frowned,
the smile leaving her petite features.

"what do you mean?"

"just a question, parvati. you looked like you just came from a serious snogging
fest. i mean, you're all flushed and your makeup is smeared."

"yes, well," she stammered. "i'm tired, good-night." she turned and hurried up the
stairs, disappearing into the sixth year girl's dormitory.

"that was really weird," neville said, following harry up the stairs. "i wonder
what she was doing with malfoy?"

"surely, even you can figure that out," harry said, watching the color creep up
neville's face.

"what i meant was, i wonder what she was doing with him, apart from the obvious.
she's a gryffindor and he's a slytherin. i didn't think he mingled outside
his house."

"when it comes to parvati patil, i don't think there's a man alive that's safe,
slytherin or otherwise."

saturday afternoon arrived before they knew it and ron was still having a problem
keeping his shoes tied. he'd used two spells already but somehow managed
to mess both of them up and instead of tying them separately, either tied them
together or tied them to his legs. it took hermione issuing the counter
spells to get him loose and get the laces to tie properly. harry had spent over an
hour tying to get his hair to stay down, then finally gave up completely
and grabbed his cloak, joining the others in the common room.

mr. weasley had arranged for one of hogwart's carriages to meet them, taking them
to hogsmeade in style. they arrived at madame puddifoot's shortly before
three o'clock, much to the surprise of mrs. weasley. ron nearly choked on his
laughter, having seen fred and george in pressed new dress robes, their hair
slicked back nearly as bad as malfoy's. it wasn't until he saw bill, charlie and
percy, each looking as uncomfortable as the others, that his laughter
had gotten the best of him. hermione tried to shush ron's laughter and prevent
attracting attention from the caf? staff and reporters, but finally had
to resort to stepping on his foot - hard - to get him to settle down. the result
was ron complaining of his sore foot and limping the remainder of the
day.

bill stepped up to harry, smiling and pulling on the tie he was sure had a
strangulation spell on. he had his hair pulled back, and much to mrs. weasley's
disappointment, refused to remove his earring. he looked rather dignified, in a
trapped sort of way.

"so harry," he said, pulling on his tie again. "how's it feel to be an official
weasley?" harry blushed as he looked up and saw mr. weasley smiling proudly
at him.

"i guess it's all right," harry said, and then smiled brightly when ginny wrapped
her arm through his. "maybe a little better than all right," he said again.

"well, if it's any consolation it's driving percy nuts. he claims he's glad you
and ginny are together, but it's still driving him crazy that neither of
you are asking his opinion. the fact that percy doesn't like, just makes the rest
of us like it more."

"thanks," harry said with a frown.

"don't worry about it harry," charlie said, trying to smooth the wrinkles from his
dress robe. "we liked you even before you started sha...seeing our sister,"
he said, correcting his mistake quickly. bill looked around to make certain the
reporters were not listening, and then glared at his younger sibling.

"maybe you should learn to not speak unless absolutely necessary," bill scolded.
"i swear, you and ron should be the twins, you both speak without thinking."

"it was a slip, so bugger off," charlie said in a soft hush, glancing back to
their mother.

"maybe we should go congratulate dad," ginny said, pulling on harry's arm.

mr. weasley was standing near the back of the caf?allowing mrs. weasley to primp
over him. she straightened his hair - what there was of it, and smoothed
his tie as she brushed the imaginary lint from his new official cloak.

"oh harry, dear," mrs. weasley said, hugging him in a fierce hug. "i'm so glad you
decided to come. i can't imagine what it would be like, without you."

"i'm happy to be here," he told her, returning her hug briefly with a deep blush.
he turned to mr. weasley and smiled, shaking his hand. "congratulations
minister weasley," he said with a cheerful tone in his voice. mr. weasley seemed
to stand a little taller, and his smile seemed a little brighter, as he
shook harry's hand.

"thank you harry," he said. "i hope the governors haven't made a mistake. i don't
know what i'm doing."

"you'll learn," ginny told him, kissing his cheek. "i can't think of anyone better
than you to be minister of magic."

"i can," he grumbled softly. "what about mafalda hopkirk from the improper use of
magic, or amelia bones she's head of the department of law enforcement,
she'd be perfect for the position. then there's..."

"honestly arthur," mrs. weasley grumbled. "mafalda hopkirk hasn't the seniority
you have, and amelia bones is busy with...well, she's just busy."

"then what about croaker?" mr. weasley insisted. "he has the seniority, he's been
with the unspeakable mysteries for years, and he's well thought of. he'd
have made an excellent minister."

"croaker, father please," percy snapped, stepping to his parents side and
listening in on their conversation. "he's a doddering old fool, and he's jinxed.
everywhere he goes, he ends up causing chaos. once, he went into the cauldron shop
in diagon alley because he was told there was a shipment of enchanted
cauldrons from norway, and ended up knocking shelves over filled with very
expensive wilda's golden cauldrons, broke two windows and cost the ministry
over fourteen thousand galleons worth of damage."

"he is not a jinx," mr. weasley insisted. "he's just a little...clumsy."

"regardless of that, you are the minister now, and that's all there is to it,"
mrs. weasley insisted. "it's because of your loyalty and your respectable
reputation for doing the right thing, that convinced the governors that you were
the right man for the job."

"well, i still say there must have been somebody better for the job," mr. weasley
complained.

"i thought dumbledore would take over," ron said, limping over to his parents.

"that was just fudge's delusional ideas," hermione corrected, curling her lip when
ron tried to limp over to a chair. "he was always convinced professor
dumbledore wanted his position, but he doesn't want to leave hogwart's. fudge has
always been jealous of dumbledore's powers and his group of supporters.
that's probably what sent him over the edge to begin with."

"i'm just happy, it all worked out the way it did," ginny said, then lowered her
eyes at the dark look harry gave her. "i mean with dad's promotion and
fudge's imprisonment."

"why did he get sent to russia, instead of azkaban?" ron asked his father.

"azkaban is no longer safe. our aurors have been able to recapture five of the
dark lord's followers, but the most deadly are still loose. we have the ministry's
dementors guarding the prison, but even that is no guarantee."

"so russia has a stronger prison?" ron asked again.

"honestly ron, don't' you ever listen in history of magic?" hermione asked with a
disgusted tone. "russia was the first to develop the wizard's prison system.
their defenses are nearly as invincible as hogwart's. there, fudge will not be
able to try and influence anyone or risk having you-know-who get at him.
he's actually safer in a russian prison than in england."

"oh," ron said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"all right now, that's enough of all this," mrs. weasley scolded. "we're going to
have a very lovely day, and a wonderful celebration has been planned for
all of us, so let's just relax and enjoy it. ron, you and hermione come over
here," she continued, issuing people into position for the publicity photos.

harry walked past rita skeeter, who had appeared some time after they had, and saw
her scribbling with her magical quill. her jeweled spectacles sat on
the end of her nose, her heavily penciled brows rising as she took in the sights
of the new minister and his family. she looked rather dignified, her blond
hair tightly rolled back on her head, unlike last year when hermione forced her to
interview harry for the quibbler. then she looked rather unkept, but
now she actually looked much as she had two years ago, when she continually
harassed harry, misquoting him and writing about his so-called love life.

"i hope you're planning on writing the truth," harry said softly, as he stepped to
her side. rita jumped, startled by his appearance, and found her actually
sizing him up.

"you've grown up quite a bit in the past year, harry," she said, trying to make
herself sound calm.
"yes i have, and i'm a little wiser as well. if you cause any problems, or write
any gossip, i'll see to it hermione's information gets into the right hands
this time. understand?"

"i would never consider writing anything but the truth," rita said, sounding as if
she had just been insulted horribly. "i am a professional."

"yes, we both know what kind of professional. just watch yourself. i don't want
anything to tarnish mr. weasley's appointment, and that includes anything
you may feel 'bugs' you. if you know what i mean."

"yes, well, can i quote you on that, harry?"

"quote all you want, so long as it's the truth. and keep your gossiping to a
minimum." harry turned and walked back to where mrs. weasley was calling him,
standing between ginny and ron. he wrapped his arm around the little red head's
waist, and turned back to issue one last warning glare to rita, who actually
looked embarrassed.

"what did you say to her?" ron asked softly.

"i just warned her to keep her nose clean," he told him, glancing back to the
woman, watching as she returned her magic quill to her handbag, and removed
a genuine one.

"she looks like she took you serious," hermione said, leaning closer to the two.

"she better had, or the new minister will have a very interesting tale to hear."

the pictures were taken and after nearly an hour, the reporters had their stories
and left, leaving the family to celebrate on their own. madame puddifoot's
staff had prepared a variety of delicacies, ranging from lobster bisque, tripe
soup, roast lamb, salmon with creamy arran mustard sauce, blood sausage,
haggis broth, glenfiddich whisky cake, cock-a-leekie cake, hasty pudding,
syllabub, scones, and moet champagne for the adults, and butter beer for the
younger ones. ron ate as if he had died and gone to heaven, with hermione serving
up a plate of hasty pudding and blood sausage, while ginny found a definite
liking to the syllabub and scones, and harry enjoyed seconds of the salmon and
haggis broth. by late afternoon, every bit of food had been eaten, everyone
was full and nobody was complaining about a single thing. harry however, was
beginning to wonder how the weasley's were ever going to afford such a feast.
he knew their financial situation wouldn't stand for such an extravagance, and
felt the need to at least pay his and ginny's share. he caught george's
eye, and motioned for him to follow, and the two stepped out of the caf?leaning
against the side of the building, out of sight.

"what's up harry?" george asked, with his usual smile. "come to ask for ginny's
hand? shouldn't you be asking the minister about that? i'm sure he can bend
the rules and allow under aged wizards to marry, if you need to."

"it'snothing like that," harry said with a blush. "i was just worrying about how
your parents were going to...i mean, i know they aren't wealthy, and if
i can help...see i have some money on me, and if they need help..."

"you're quite a gentleman, there harry potter," george snickered. "but don't
worry, the whole thing is being picked up by the ministry. it's typical for
the new minister to throw a celebration party, and mum and dad wanted it to be a
very private affair, family only, you know."
"so, your dad is doing all right then?"

"sure is. he's got a huge raise with this promotion and an expense account. i
think things are definitely going to change for the weasleys."

"i hope so, i mean your parents deserve the best. they are really great people,
and i'm glad things have turned out so well for them."

"yeah, so am i. fred and i were trying to figure a way of telling them we're
moving out. we've built a flat here above our shop in hogsmeade, and well,
you just can't take girls back to your parents' place, if you know what i mean.
this way we can be close to hogwart's, just in case, and still have our
freedom."

"i'm sure it will be disappointing to your mum, but i know she'll understand so
long as you don't mention the girl part."

"yeah, you should have seen me trying to hide katie the other night, when mum
walked in on us. i thought i'd have to turn katie into a frog in order to
keep mum from finding her."

"i can just see it," harry said laughing, glancing up as the sound of footsteps
neared them. he looked across the street to see the familiar blond walking
into the post office.

"wasn't that ferret-face, malfoy?" george asked with a frown.

"yeah, it was. i wonder what he's doing in hogsmeade?" harry said.

"what's he doing in the post office? there are more owls then you can count at
hogwart's. why would he need a private one?"

"lets find out," harry suggested as the two hurried across the street, quietly
following the boy who had stepped into the post office. they watched him
through a side window, as the blond hired a large bird, obviously for long
distance travel. he paid the postal clerk for the service, tied a parchment
to the leg of the owl and watched as it quickly soared out the window and headed
north, before malfoy left the interior, pulling his hood up over his head
and hurrying down the street toward hogwart's.

"why would he want to hire a long distance bird?" george asked, watching the bird
soar away.

"i don't know. he's been acting really weird at school lately, and neville and i
saw him and parvati patil in a closet together last night."

"it's not a surprise with parvati patil, or draco malfoy for that matter. i know
he was always being caught by filch last year, snogging pansy parkinson,
or some other girl in a closet or deserted classroom. it's only because of his
favoritism with umbridge that kept him from earning demerits or detentions."

"but pansy parkinson is a slytherin, parvati patil is gryffindor. i thought he

never went outside his house?"

"he never has before, he's always stuck with the slytherin whores to satisfy his
desires. but then again it is parvati patil. she is a real looker. just
don't tell katie i told you that. she'd have my balls in a noose." harry chuckled;
as they turned and walked away from the post office, back down to the
caf?

"don't worry, i won't tell a soul. but i still want to know what malfoy was
doing."

"see if you can't dig up something at school, i'll see if fred and i can get some
information from burt. he's the kid that was on duty today, maybe we can
bribe him. he's been wanting a few canary creams to use on his wife's mother. she
moved in with them last month, after he and his bride came back from
their honeymoon."

harry and george hurried back to madame puddifoot's and returned to the table,
before anyone missed them. they were both eager to learn more about malfoy
and their thoughts were distracted most of the afternoon. by the time they
returned to hogwart's, the students had all retired to their houses. harry told
ron, hermione and ginny about malfoy, and they all decided to keep a closer eye on
him. for harry at least, it wouldn't be that difficult. he and neville
had detention in snape's classroom all next week, and since becoming the ward of
his godfather, malfoy had been spending a great deal of time in the potions
dungeons practicing extra lessons, or so snape had stated bitterly when harry
asked about his presence last night. it didn't seem much like draco malfoy,
star pupil of severus snape having to take any extra lessons, but nonetheless,
that was the excuse and all it did was increase harry's curiosity. especially
after the way malfoy had been treating his fellow students. he seemed to somehow
be turning back into the old ferret-face they had grown to know and hate,
but he was still different. he didn't spend much time with his friends, or wasted
any extra time on his quidditch, instead he spent a great deal of time
in the library. and until now, it didn't really seem to faze harry. now he began
to wonder exactly what it was he was up to. his mood was growing as bitter
as the february winds, but harry knew there was something else brewing in the
dungeons. something he couldn't put his finger on, but something he was determined
to find out about.

they had a legitimate reason to be out. perhaps they were nosey, perhaps they
didn't want to embarrass parvati? instead of saying afraid of being see; just
have: " ...slid into the shadows, not wanting to be seen."

why would he frown? i could see teased, or nudged...we know harry doesn't think
neville is stupid...

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who's been reviewing and writing to me,
especially to my new beta reader, "d". please continue to r/r, but be aware,
i am extremely stessed right now, so the next chapters may take a few days, but i
promise it will be out no later than next week.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter thirty-four

"i found it," hermione said, returning to the table she had been sharing for the
past two hours with ron, harry and ginny. they had spent nearly three weeks
searching every book in the library for any information on the green flame torch,
but until now had been unsuccessful. hermione sat the large old book
on the table, turning the pages. the light from the setting sun cast shadows
across the table, giving the group an eerie sense of foreboding "i knew it
was here, i remember reading this in fourth year."

" 'mione, you really need to get some different interests," ron complained,
looking at the size of the book she began flipping pages in.

"it was because of harry and the triwizard tournament that i even found this
book," she snapped back. "i was trying to help my best friend prepare for a
very challenging event, when his other best friend decided to act all jealous and
turn his back on him."

"all right, take it easy," ron answered with a blush. "just tell us what you found
out?"

"according to legend, there were three witches, mutgeb, otherwise known in ancient
times as the 'mother of all earth', frynani, legend to be a winged troll,
and sharane, famed to be the 'serpent's mother'. these witches became disgusted
with the evilness of the world, so they traveled east into the vastness
of time to the isle of morahana, where time and space have no meaning. there they
created the green flame torch, a flame so powerful, that no evil could
bear to speak of it. according to this, these three great witches had the power to
travel through time, turn the oceans to sand and cause the moon to bleed.
their magical powers were so great that all who dared to speak their names did so
in reverence and praise, for fear that they would be struck down otherwise.
the legend of the green flame torch states that it is only power that can stop the
hands of time, to bring back those once gone and defeat the 'king of
darkness'. only the purest of hearts will find the flame, and thereby control its
powers."

"bloody hell," ron exclaimed.

"does it say how to find it?" harry asked, looking across the table to hermione,
trying to read from the upside-down book.

"it says that the seeker who searches in truth and light, will find the path and
thus force the greatest powers known to man - good and evil - to confront
in battle. the green flame torch will protect only those who are pure and noble,
allowing the two forces to face each other at the isle of morahana, which
the flame will bring out of hiding."

"so if we want to defeat voldemort," ginny said, her tone quiet and soft, "then we
have to find this isle of morahana?"

"that's what it says. but only the one who searches in truth and light will find
it."

"what does that mean, truth and light?" ron asked with a frown.

"it means that you would have to be honest and look for the flame unselfishly. you
can't want to find it for greedy purposes, or for profit." hermione removed
a piece of parchment as she spoke, writing down the details of the legend.

"i wonder what kind of powers a flame would have?" ginny asked.

"according to the legend, it will protect the one who finds it, stop the hands of
time and bring back those once gone."

"do you think that would mean the dead?" harry asked, a sense of hopefulness in
his voice.

"i would assume as much. but that is, if the legend is real. these witches lived
thousands of years ago, possibly as long ago as the beginning of time.
history has a way of distorting the truth and altering facts."

"maybe the possessor of the flame has the power to take lives, rather than bring
them back," ron surmised.

"it's impossible to say. i'll have to study this more closely. the legend is long,
and there are nearly twenty pages of information about it. maybe i can
figure out where this isle is."

"have you ever heard of the isle of morahana?" ginny asked, aware that if anyone
had heard of such a place, it would be hermione granger.

"i've hear tales of it," she answered. "its supposed to have creatures never seen
or heard of, and plants that could bring about life just by wishing on
them."

"a place like that wouldn't possibly exist, would it?" ron asked with a frown.

"there are a lot of things in the wizarding world, that even dumbledore doesn't
know about. why wouldn't a magical island with trees that speak, and caves
that travel to every corner of the universe exist?"

"so if alice longbottom told lockhart about this green flame torch, would that
mean that she found the isle of morahana?" harry asked.

"if she did, then it would give reason that her torture was for more than just her
knowledge of voldemort's whereabouts," hermione surmised.

"that might explain why their torture was so severe, and why lucius malfoy and
bellatrix lastrange visited her and wanted her dead," ginny said. "i wonder
if alice longbottom remembered anything and told them?"

"i doubt it," hermione answered. "according to the mediwitch who spoke with harry,
mrs. longbottom was on the road to regaining her memories. if she recognized
bellatrix lastrange enough to feel uneasy with her, then its logical she wouldn't
have felt comfortable enough to tell them anything serious."

"lets hope so," harry said, sitting back in his chair and running his hands
through his hair.

"it wouldn't matter anyway, harry," hermione said softly. "the legend says only
the pure of heart would find it. i can't imagine any death eater as being
pure of heart, especially their leader." harry leaned back in his seat, stretching
his arms over his head. they had been there so long, his muscles were
starting to bunch up on him.

"why don't we go get ready for d.a.?" ginny suggested.

"why's he here again?" ron asked, looking across the library as draco malfoy laid
a stack of books on the table in a far corner.

"he's really been spending a lot of time here since school started," hermione
said, looking in the direction of the blond boy.
"i wonder what he's up to?" ginny asked, watching as parvati patil stepped into
the library, glancing to malfoy.

"did you ever find out who he owled in hogsmeade?" hermione asked in a soft
whisper.

"george said the postal worker didn't know anything," harry said. "he paid four
galleons for him to not ask questions."

"weird, just like ferret-face," ron said. the four watched as the blond stood up,
and walked down the isle of books parvati had just disappeared down. "come
on," ron said with a wicked smirk. he stood up and stepped cautiously to the isle
of books, followed by a very curious harry, but receiving only a disapproving
glare from hermione and a disgusted shake of ginny's head. harry and ron looked
around the corner of the books, jaws dropping at the sight of malfoy and
parvati wrapped in each other's arms, lips locked and hands groping. harry reached
for ron's arm, pulling him out of the isle and back to the table.

"that was disturbing," ron grimaced.

"why would malfoy and parvati patil be together?" harry asked. "i can understand
an occasional tryst, but this makes twice i've seen them together."

"lavender brown said she caught them together after transfigurations last week,"
hermione said quietly.

"and michael corner told me he saw them going into the forbidden forrest shortly
after christmas holidays," ginny said.

"you mean they're an item?" ron asked in surprise. "that's just...gross."

"i just wonder why they're hiding?" ginny asked.

"are you mental?" ron snapped. "if the slytherin pride and joy were caught
snogging a gryffindor, he'd be disowned."

"they don't seem to be doing a very good job at hiding," hermione said, watching
as the two walked out of the isle of books, malfoy returning to his table
and parvati leaving the library.

"well, come on," harry said standing up from his seat. "we have to get ready for
d.a."

"aren't you curious what old ferret-face is up to?" ron asked as they left the
library.

"yeah, but there isn't anything to do about it, except ask him. and i doubt he'd
tell us the truth, so why waste our time?"

"i still wonder what he's up to," ron grumbled as they hurried to the room of
requirements.

harry paced the floor three times, thinking of what he needed and watched as a
door appeared before him. he opened it and walked in, followed by hermione,
ron and ginny. the room was large, well stocked with pillows and shelves of spell
books. harry went to the large stack of pillows, glancing back to ginny
and smiling as ron and hermione edged their way toward the bookcases. harry and
ginny both blushed, remembering how their lesson last week had ended. after
everyone left, harry and ginny remained behind to secure the room, returning books
and gathering the pillows, when ginny tossed a rather large red one
at harry, hitting him on the head. within a very short time, the pillows were
strung all over the floors again, with two very exhausted young people laying
among them, panting from their excursion and eager to begin a new game only two
can join.

hermione returned to where the two were standing, and frowned. the expression on
their faces indicated something else was happening and hermione wasn't
all that eager to discover what it was.

"what spells do you want to practice tonight?" hermione asked, ignoring the looks
she received.

"we can practice the shielding spells some more," harry suggested.

"we've already practiced all of them," ron complained. "even i have them
memorized."

"what about appleby arrows?" ginny asked.

"that is outlawed," hermione said. "if the ministry finds out..."

"you mean if my dad finds out?" ron asked with a smirk.

"even your dad can't prevent you from going to prison for performing spells that
have been outlawed, ronald."

"that makes it all the more important to practice them," ginny argued. "i thought
we'd already agreed, voldemort isn't going to follow by the rules or obey
the laws. if he pulls out one of the forbidden spells, we have to know how to
protect ourselves from them."

"i agree," harry said. "but i don't see where he'll use the appleby arrows. all it
does is shoot arrows from your wand. what kind of weapon would that be?"

"it would make a good distraction," ron said.

"but it's against the law," hermione insisted.

"all right, we'll practice it for awhile but i want to spend more time on the
patronus spell," harry insisted, putting a halt to the argument. "we did fairly
well last year, but most everyone needs more practice. i think if the dementors
are helping voldemort, we should all know how to protect themselves against
them."

"that's a pretty advanced spell for most of these students," hermione complained.
"we had a lot of problems last year, remember?"

"i know but we need to work on it. do you think the dark lord won't have advanced
spells at his disposal?" harry asked, receiving a silent response.

the next two hours was spent in the most intense training. harry had asked tonks
to help him get a bogart, which she did and brought it to the lessons,
secured inside a sealed basket. harry instructed everyone to concentrate on a
dementor, and to find the happiest thought they could muster. he remembered
his happy thought from years ago, but a new one filtered through his mind and with
a smile, he nodded to tonks who released the bogart. instantly the room
became cold and a dark robed figure appeared, looming above the occupants. it
looked menacing as it approached harry, who raised his wand confidently and
issued the spell, 'expecto patronus,' he said, his tone firm and strong.
immediately the silvery image of a great stag emerged from the tip of his wand,
forcing the bogart to back away. tonks collected the creature, placing it back
into the basket.

"just hold on to your happiest thought, and it can't harm you," he instructed,
allowing each to step forward. hermione was her usual master at the spell,
stating the words and watching with pride as a replica of an otter appeared.

ginny was next, who took a couple of tries to get her patronus large enough. after
a few minutes, she had managed to perfect a large owl, about the size
of horse. it screeched angrily at the bogart, and tonks once again collected the
creature. ron's turn was next, and with a great deal of nervous clearing
of his throat he raised his wand, closing his eyes tightly and nodded to tonks,
who released the bogart. ron looked up and watched with wide eyes as the
large dark robed creature stretched out its scabbed hand toward him. much to
everyone's surprise, he set his jaw and issued the spell, 'expecto patronus,"
and immediately the image of a hippogriff appeared in front of him.

once the bogart had been returned, he turned on shaky legs toward hermione, who
hugged him tightly. the smile on his face was enough to inspire the rest
of the class, who stepped forward eagerly. even neville had managed to perform the
spell, conjuring up a devils snare.

when everyone had at least tried the spell, harry allowed the bogart to rest, as
tonks secured it inside the basket again. he then turned to the class,
and told them they were going to try the appleby arrow's spell, glancing to tonks
who surprisingly nodded her head.

"now you have to remember," harry told them looking at the disapproval on
hermione's young face. "this spell has been outlawed, so there is a risk of
ministry
involvement, so i strongly suggest you practice this only here and keep the
knowledge of it secret."

by ten o'clock that night, the students were exhausted but invigorated at the same
time. they had reviewed and mastered two very powerful spells in one
night. it was enough to encourage them and inspire them to continue their lessons.
there was even talk among seamus, dean, lavender and susan bones, about
being ready and anxious to meet the dark lord, who most were no longer fearing
calling him by his name, voldemort.

harry was very tired as he cleaned the room, insisting that the others head back
to the dormitories. he even told ginny to go to bed, kissing her tenderly
before she left. he had a headache from the noise and felt he needed a few minutes
alone to re-focus his thoughts.

he had just cleaned the room, putting everything back where it belonged, when a
soft voice behind him caught his attention. harry looked up from where he
was busy rearranging the books back on the shelves. behind him stood cho chang,
the one person he had seen very little of since school began last september.
harry smiled as he straightened up, taking notice of how much taller he was than
her. somehow the old tingling he'd felt every time he saw her was no longer
present. in fact, he didn't even find himself nervous being in the same room with
her.
"you were very good tonight, harry," she whispered softly.

"thank you," he told her. "i've been doing quite a bit of practicing myself."

"it shows," she said, walking closer to him. "i felt it was time we spoke about
last year," she told him after a few silent, tense moments. "i owe you an
apology for the way i acted, and an explanation."

"no you don't," harry told her honestly.

"i do. see, i really hadn't confronted my emotions over losing cedric, when you
and i started dating, and i sort of took it out on you. i wanted to talk
about it, but i wasn't ready to let go. i guess grief can do strange things to a
person."

"i know," harry said looking down to the floor. "i spent the summer running and
nearly drove myself mental exercising. once i was able to confront my grief
over my own loses, i was able to focus on other things. i actually found myself
moving forward again, probably for the first time in my life. i had something
to live for."

"i'm jealous," she said with a smile. "i'm still trying to find that something to
live for. i suppose it just takes time. my dad said that time will heal
all wounds, but i can't help wondering how much time."

harry paused a moment, thinking about his response. "be patient, cho. it will
happen, but you can't rush it. sometimes you just need to sit down and think
about what it is you've lost and how much you still have to look forward to.
that's what i did, with the help of someone very special. i was able to confront
my grief and let go of it. there's still times, when i feel alone, or sad, but it
is getting better."

"ginny is a very lucky girl," she said, watching the blush creep up his cheeks. "i
just can't find anything right now, to look forward to. this is my last
year at hogwart's and then what? i still don't know what i'm going to do with my
life. cedric and i spoke about going on and trying out for a professional
quidditch team, possibly sharing more of our lives together, but now that's never
to be."

"you'll find someone cho, someone who will love you and give you what you need.
you're a very beautiful girl; you're smart and kind. you have a lot to look
forward to, a husband, children, whatever you want." cho stepped closer to harry,
looking up into his bright green eyes and smiling.

"and what if that something i want is you?" she asked, leaning in to him and
placing her lips against his. harry froze briefly. i was just like the day
ginny kissed him, but this time there were no emotions, no feelings to explore, no
desires to confront. harry eased cho away from him, holding her at arm's
distance and tried to smile politely.

"it won't work cho," he told her sternly, hoping his voice was calm. "i'm
flattered, but i'm in love with ginny weasley. i won't do anything to hurt her."
cho looked put down and a sad expression crossed her delicate features.

"she's very lucky," she told him softly, turning to leave the room. harry sighed,
then turned back to his cleaning when he heard another noise behind him,
and spun around in defense. he found himself staring blankly into the aging eyes
of professor dumbledore, who smiled as he stepped further into the room,
closing the door behind him.

"i'm sorry professor," harry said with a sigh. "i didn't hear you come in."

"that's quite all right, harry," the older wizard stated. "it's been quite a night
for you, hasn't it?" he asked with a smile, watching the blush creep
up the younger man's cheeks.

"yes sir, it has."

"i wanted to speak with you about tonight's d.a. lessons," dumbledore said, taking
a seat in a large armchair that had appeared without harry noticing.
he waved his wand and conjured up another chair, along with a tray of teas and
biscuits, then motioned for harry to join him.

"what about tonight's lessons?" harry asked, afraid he was about to get another
week's detention for teaching the students the appleby arrow spell.

"you're doing very well, and so are your students," the old man said with a warm
smile. "i'm quite impressed with your progress."

"the students are doing really well," harry said sipping a cup of hot tea. "i've
been surprised at how well they're doing."

"you're a remarkable teacher. perhaps you should consider it as a profession, one

day."

"i don't think so. i really want to be an auror. i want to put a stop to the evil,
and prevent anyone losing their parents, the way i did."

"you'll make a fine auror harry, but don't give up on the idea of teaching. some
of the greatest headmasters of hogwart's has been more than just professors
in their lives."

"what have you been, professor?" harry asked, watching the smile creep up his
aging face. dumbledore sat his teacup back down on his saucer and looked at
the young man.

"many, many years ago, i was once like you. my brother and i were the only
children to my parents, who were both teachers. they wanted us to follow in their
footsteps, but i wanted to fight evil and discover the world. my brother,
aberforth however, was quite a different fellow. he felt as i did, on quite a
few points, but he was a man of his own design."

"where is your brother now, professor?"

"oh, he's around," dumbledore said with a smile. "he has his own mission."

"so you and your brother were both members of the order?"

"yes we were. unlike my brother however, i have decided to remain in the forefront
and protect the school and the wizarding world to the best of my ability.
aberforth has decided to take a defense near the rear."

"what does that mean?"

"it's not important," dumbledore said with a frown.

"so are you saying, you were once an auror?" harry said after a few moments,
remembering what the old wizard had said earlier.

"not exactly, but i have had my share of battles."

"why did my parents join the order?" dumbledore looked over his half moon glasses
perched on his crooked nose.

"your parents were unique people, harry. they chose to fight, in order to make the
world a safer place for their baby to grow up in. they were very powerful,
and your mother was unique for being muggle born. she had powers that even she
didn't recognize at first."

"like what?"

"besides her being a very talented seer, she was also an expert at spells and
potions. she spoke four languages, and had the ability to look into the soul
of another person. she loved your father so deeply, that i believe they are
together even in death."

"why couldn't she see wormtail's deception?"

"she trusted him, because he was a friend of your father's, and i believe once he
knew how powerful her magic was, he avoided her. i don't think he ever
wanted to give her the chance to see into his mind."

"my mother was telepathic?"

"yes, among other things. she used to say it didn't matter with your father, she
knew what he was thinking even without seeing his thoughts." dumbledore
smiled, thinking back over the years.

"tell me about my father. what kind of family did he come from? no one has ever
told me about them."

dumbledore sighed. "he was an only child, his parents died shortly after he
graduated. they were quite wealthy; in fact he inherited a castle not far from
here. he never lived there though, he always said it reminded him too much of his
parents, and how much he missed them. whenever you would like, i will
be happy to take you to your family estates. they do after all, belong to you."

"how did they die?" harry asked, ignoring the conversation of wealth and castles.

"they were on a skiing holiday when they were caught in an avalanche. your father
was supposed to go with them, but changed his mind when your mother invited
him to meet her parents. she had a bad feeling about his going away. it proved to
be her first true premonition."

"so, aunt petunia truly is my only living relative," harry said sadly.

"you do realize, you only have one more summer with them, don't you? you will be
of legal age next year, and once you've graduated hogwart's you'll be on
your own."

"that's not a bad thing," harry said with a frown. several long moments passed by
with the old wizard staring at the younger one. he knew there was something
else on his mind.
"i know there is more to the prophecy than what you've told me," harry said at
last. "are you ever going to tell me all of it?"

"you have to understand harry, i don't feel the time is right for you to
understand all of it."

"you still don't think i'm capable of handling it, do you?" dumbledore shook his
head, chuckling softly.

"harry, i have never known another man, more capable of handling so much, so fast
at even twice your age. i trust you and i know you are capable of accepting
the information. the reason i don't think you're ready to understand all of it, is
because i myself do not understand all of it. there are things associated
with you that i have never anticipated and would never presumed you capable of.
the premonitions, for one thing. i've always known your mother had the
power, but until now you've never demonstrated even an inkling of them."

"i only have a year left, professor," harry reminded him. "i think i have a right
to know what was predicted about my life, before i have to face it unprepared."

"you will not be facing anything unprepared, harry, i promise you that. i also
promise, i will reveal the prophecy to you in entirety before you graduate."

"hopefully, i'll still be alive by then," harry said under his breath, but still
loud enough for the old man to hear.

"well, harry, it's getting late. i think we could both do with a little sleep."

"professor," harry began feeling slightly guilty. "i have to be honest. i've been
teaching the d.a. some spells that are sort of...illegal."

"yes, harry i know that. i was quite impressed with mr. weasley's talent with the
appleby arrows. he's a natural." harry looked at the man and smiled.

"is there anything you don't know?" dumbledore chuckled softly, placing a hand on
harry's shoulder as they walked toward the door.

"not when it comes to this school or my students. unfortunately, there are times
when it becomes a burden. i feel like a peeping tom at times, especially
when two of my favorite students engage in a pillow fight. interesting way it was
ended, i must say." harry blushed brightly. "ah to be young again. come
to think of it, i don't think i had that much energy when i was younger either.
there are times when i wonder whether you and miss weasley aren't rabbits."

read? review!

author notes: i'm sorry it's taken so long to get this out. life hasn't been
working out for me lately. please continue to r/r, and i promise, the next
chapter is almost ready.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thank you so much to "d" for all your editing, help, suggestions
and friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
chapter thirty-five

harry stood by the door to the locker rooms, waiting impatiently for ron to
arrive. he was supposed to be there ten minutes ago. after quidditch practice,
he disappeared, instructing harry to wait for him. it was important he told him.
so here harry stood, tapping his toe on the stone path that surrounded
the locker rooms, alone, waiting for his friend and brother to the girl he was
late meeting for their scheduled date.

"hey, harry," ron shouted from across the quidditch pitch. he ran to his friend's
side, out of breath and very flushed. "thanks for waiting," he gasped,
holding onto the stitch in his side.

"you're lucky i'm still here," harry snapped. "i was about to leave. i have a date
with ginny, and you're making me late."

"sorry, but i had to talk to you before you spoke with ginny. what are you two
doing for valentine's day next week?"

"that's what was so important? we haven't made any definite plans. we were going
to discuss it tonight, until you made me late."

"how about spending the evening in hogsmeade?" ron asked, ignoring his friend's
irritation.

"that would propably be one idea, why?"

"george and fred are having a valentine's party this saturday, and invited us.
it's a real party, harry, with food and music and dancing. they've already
invited over a dozen couples, and oliver wood will be there, along with angelina
and katie. it's a party for couples only. think about it, a real adult
party for lovers. great idea, huh!"

"are you sure they want us to come? it may be another of their tricks."

"i promise. even bill and charlie will be there, they have dates and everything."

"i don't know ron. it sounds a little weird coming from fred and george, if you
ask me."

"come on harry, it's all on the up and up. it'll be fun. i've never been to a real
party before, at least not since the triwizard ball."

"but you hated the triwizard ball, remember?"

"that was because i wasn't with hermione. how would you feel, seeing your girl
with a famous quidditch player?"

"but she wasn't your girl, ron. you had the chance to ask her out, and you kept
dragging your feet until it was too late."

"i didn't know how to ask her. you remember what she was like that year, bossy and
all."

"she's always bossy, ron. that's what makes her hermione."

"yeah, well i guess i was just scared. don't you remember how beautiful she was?"
"your girlfriend, mate, not mine. anyway, i'm still not sure about this party. i
mean, it's your brothers, the world's most notorious pranksters."

"what could happen? we'll be together; and bill and charlie will be there, they
won't let anything happen."

"well..."

ron looked serious as he stared at harry. "come on harry. we can talk it over with
the girls, and let them decide."

"do you really think hermione would rather go to a party at fred and george's, or
have a quiet romantic dinner with her future husband?" ron blushed with
the term his best friend used.

"she'll love the idea."

"this is hermione granger we're talking about, ron. she has never really approved
of the twins' antics."

"trust me, she'll love the idea." with that said, the two hurried back to the
castle, ron practically bubbling over with excitement. he was positive the
girls would love the idea of going to hogsmeade for valentine's day.

"have you lost your mind?" hermione snapped some fifteen minutes later.

"but 'mione, it'll be fun," ron pleaded as harry and ginny looked on silently.
"it's a real party, couples only. you said the other day you wished the school
would have another ball, so we could go dancing. this is even better, it's for
adults only. no snickering little kids hanging around."

"but ron, it's your brothers," hermione echoed harry's words from earlier.

"i promise everything will be okay," ron pleaded. "we have spend some time there,
and if you're not having a good time, we can leave and i'll buy you the
best dinner in town. what do you say?"

"i don't know," hermione said, glancing across the table to where harry and ginny
sat listening. "what about you two? are you going?"

"ginny said with bill and charlie there, fred and george would have to behave
themselves," harry told her. "so i guess we're going, but we aren't staying
if they pull any pranks."

"come on 'mione, what do you say?" ron pleaded again.

"oh, all right, but if i'm not having a good time, we're leaving."

"straight away, i promise," ron said hugging his girlfriend. "this is going to be
so much fun. i can't wait." with that said, ron kissed hermione's cheek
and headed for the stairs. "i have to make sure my dress robes look good, wouldn't
want to look like a slob.

"i don't know why he's so excited," hermione grumbled watching the tall red head
bound up the stairs to his dormitory. "with fred and george planning this
whole thing, merlin only knows what's going to happen."

"it's more angelina and katie who are planning it," ginny said with a warm smile.
"i think they are anxious to show the boys what good hostesses they can
be."

"it's hard to imagine fred and george having girlfriends," hermione said bitterly.
"i'm amazed angelina and katie would even associate with them, after
all the pranks they pulled in school."

"that's just it," ginny said with a wicked smile. "i think they pulled so many, in
order to get the girls' attention."

"and they say ron's mental," the bushy haired girl said, folding her arms across
her chest.

saturday evening found ron standing in front of the full length mirror, combing
his hair flat against his head. he had used so much sleekeasy's hair potion,
his hair was plastered against his head tighter than malfoy ever hoped to have
his.

"capillus reparo," hermione said, having seen the conditon of ron's hair.

"why'd you do that?" he grumbled, though thankful to know his hair no longer
looked like it had been painted on his head, but angry that she felt it necessary
to rescue him.

"i like your hair like this," she told him, ruffling the top with her fingers.
"besides, you looked like you had a red tortoise shell sitting on your shoulders
instead of a head."

"thanks a lot," ron grumbled, then smiled when she leaned up on her tip toes and
kissed his cheek. "it's nice to know you care so much."

"i do care, and you've been up here far too long. i was beginning to feel like an
old maid, waiting on you."

"if this is what an old maid looks like, i think an awful lot of blokes are going
to be in trouble." ron smiled as he pulled the beautiful girl in his arms,
taking notice of her own appearance. "how did you get that stuff to work?" he
asked, looking at the sleek, smooth hair that cascaded down her back and
across her shoulders like a satin sheet.

"i've used it before," she told him. "i know what to expect. it takes a long time,
but i suppose for special occasions it's worth it."

"i think i knew i loved you, the first time you used it. remember, at the ball in
fourth year? i never thought anyone could be so beautiful."

"then you approve?" she teased, watching the wicked gleam cross his eyes.

"i'll show you how much i approve later," he promised, kissing her briefly before
turning and heading back down stairs to the common room.

harry and ginny were already waiting for them, when they arrived. they were
dressed in their new dress robes that harry had purchased at the end of summer.
the aroma of lavender was eminating from ginny's hair, which harry was currently
running his hands through.

"ready?" ron asked, holding hermione's hand.

"are you sure you want to do this?" harry said, looking at ginny longingly.

"come on, it'll be fun," ron said, ignoring the whistles seamus and dean offered
as they stepped through the portrait hole.

"whoa, weasley look at you," seamus said with a smirk. "i guess being the minister
of magic's son, has really paid off."

"don't be an arse, finnigan," ron said with an evil frown.

"just calling it as we see it," dean said, stepping to ron and smoothing out his
lapel on his robes. "you look like a million bucks, or did you get a raise
in your spending money?"

"bugger off, you two," ron growled, pushing away the boy's hands, smoothing his
robes and walking with hermione to the portrait hole. harry smiled at the
teasing expression of the boys, as he and ginny followed his two best friends.

the party was much as ron had hoped. oliver wood was there, along with his wife of
three weeks, margorie wagtail who stated that her little sister was a
first year at hogwart's, and was in gryffindor. harry frowned. he remembered
hearing the name at first night back to school, but hadn't paid much attention
to the little blond haired girl, though he had seen her often enough in the common
room.

"margie's dad is someone you'll probably be interested in knowing," oliver said

with a warm smile to the attractive blond next to him. "he's part of the
weird sisters."

"bloody hell!" ron exclaimed. "your dad is myron wagtail."

"i know that," margorie smiled.

"he's the lead singer," ron said again.

"yes, he is. do you like my father's music?"

"are you mental...i mean yes, yes i do," ron said again, slightly embarrassed.

"well, perhaps you'd like an autograph?" margorie asked.

"are you kidding? i'd love one."

"then may i ask you to do me a small favor?" ron frowned at the attractive girl,
feeling his face redden. "sabrina isn't a very forward child, she's really
shy and she hasn't been doing very well socially at school. she's homesick and she
says she hasn't any friends, except those who know whose daughter she
is and wants to cash in on it. if you would help her fit in, i'd be most
grateful."

"poor thing," hermione gasped.

"we'll all help her," ginny assured the girl's sister.

"i appreciate it. i'm going to stop by the school and see her tomorrow before i go
back to london. perhaps we can all have lunch."

"that would be great," ron said.

"hey harry," oliver said, eager to change the subject. "congratulations on making
team captain. i knew you'd do it, i always knew the job was suited for
you."

"it's been hard, but i'm trying to make it work."

"harry, you're too modest," ginny said in a soft whimsical tone that surprised
harry, he'd never heard her act so...girlish. he loved how forward and forthright
she was, and this was a side of her he didn't know if cared much for.

"yeah wood," ron said. "he's a great captain. we've won every game so far, and it
looks like the house cup will stay with gryffindor."

"i'm proud of all of you," oliver said. "it's so good to know how well you've kept
up the team, dispite that horrid umbridge last year. she's a real cretin.
i had to deal with her a couple years ago, when the puddlemere united had to get
ministry approval to go overseas. i didn't think she was going to let
us have the authorization. if it wasn't for ludo bagman's interference, i doubt
we'd have ever been approved."

"well, she got hers," ron said with a smirk, clicking his tongue to sound much
like horse hooves, causing an eruption of laughter from those gathered around.

harry and ginny smiled, turning and mingling among the other guests. harry felt a
little guilty for having doubted the twins' sincerity. they had been there
nearly three hours and were having a wonderful time. angelina and katie had
managed a wonderful dinner, complete with games and music. harry and ginny
danced so much their legs felt like lead and they were forced to take time out, to
relax a bit. ron and hermione had spent a great deal of the evening
with oliver wood and his new bride or dancing themselves.

ron and hermione left the center of the dance floor angelina and katie had
conjured up for the evening. they stepped to the table of refreshments, looking
over the assortment of cakes, cookies, pastries, fire whiskey, champaigne and
butter beer. ron desperately wanted to try his first fire whiskey, but knew
it wouldn't pass his brothers, who seemed to be watching him intently. he reached
across the large platter of chocolate covered strawberries and retrieved
two bottles of butter beer. he popped the caps off and handed one to hermione,
feeling awkward at the way the twins continued to watch him.

hermione smiled at ron, the two of them having already made plans to meet up later
that night in the room of requirements. harry told them just how helpful
of a place it was - away from classes and d.a. meetings. emotions were running
high between the two, and ron was actually considering making their escape,
regardless of how desperately he wanted to be there in the first place. they took
a drink of their butter beers, their eyes meeting as they swallowed,
immediately finding the others lips, pressing into a very deep, passion kiss.

harry stepped to their side, shaking his head as he reached for two bottles of
butter beer for himself and ginny. perhaps it was the idea of the party,
but he had never seen ron kiss hermione so openly before, especially in front of
his brothers.

"you two need to get a grip," harry teased, glancing to the shocked look on their
faces, a muffled grunt echoing from their sealed lips, as their eyes searched
harry's expression. ron's face was a bright red, his ears flaming and hermione
wasn't much better. they stared at harry, their lips still tightly pressed,
a look of horror in their eyes. harry frowned as he looked at the two.

"are you all right?" he asked, watching as they tried to shake their heads, still
grunting. "what's wrong?" he asked again, touching hermione's shoulder
and hearing an outburst of laughter echoing from behind him. he turned to see
angelina and katie staring blankly at the hysterical antics of fred and george,
who were laughing so hard, they were doubled over, gasping for breath.

"what did you do?" ginny snapped at her brothers, looking at a horrified ron and
hermione, still connected at the lips.

"pep...pep..." fred tried to say around his laughter.

"sticking...peppermint..." george tried to add, but was unable to sound much more
than his twin.

"bloody hell," bill said, setting his glass on the table and grabbing george by
the arm. "did you two spike the drinks?"

"just theirs," his brother exploded again in laughter.

"an attraction spell on the bottles," fred said with a gasp of air, still trying
to regain control. "they had to chose them."

"what did you do?" charlie insisted.

"peppermint sticking charms," bill answered, shoving george into a chair so hard
it tipped backward, hitting into a wall.

"you two promised you wouldn't play any pranks tonight," katie snapped at her
boyfriend.

"we couldn't resist," george said, ignoring his younger brother, hoping to stop
laughing long enough to sooth his girlfriend.

"it's a new line of drinks for the reluctant lovers," fred said with a bright
grin.

"we'll deal with you two later," charlie said, hurrying behind bill who was
already at ron and hermione's side.

"we'd better get the basic antidote potion from the medical kit," bill said with
disgust. "hold on you two, we'll have you apart in a minute." five minutes
later, ron was rubbing his lips, trying to get feeling back into them, as hermione
was trying her best to hide her embarrassment.

"it would have worn off after ten minutes," george told katie, who was so angry he
thought she'd spit fire.

"it was just a joke," fred told angelina through a locked bedroom door. "honest,
honey, it wouldn't have done any harm, just a little quality time."

"we had to try it out on someone," george was telling katie. "who better than our
little brother?" ron heard this, and found his face flaming red again,
this time more from anger than embarrassment. he stepped up to his brother's side,
pulling his fist back and letting it hit the older boy with full force
in the face. a sickening crack resounded from george's nose, as blood began
dripping from between the fingers that quickly covered the throbbing pain in
the middle of his face. without a word, ron turned and left the flat where they
lived above the joke shop. he was so angry, he didn't hear hermione calling
to him, or see harry and ginny running after them.

"ron, wait!" hermione said, grabbing the young man's arm and pulling him to a halt
in the street out front of the store.

"i am so sick of being the arse of those two's jokes," ron growled, his fists
rolled tightly by his side.

"ron, relax," ginny said as she and harry neared him.

"relax? what would you know about it? they never pulled stupid jokes on you.
you're the sweet little sister, so cute and nice, they wouldn't dare do anything
to you. but no, let's just terrorize ron, he's a patsy, he'll fall for anything."

"i've had my fair share of their attacks," ginny said angrily. "i've spent more
time looking under my bed, and sprinkling a basic antidote potion in my
food and drinks, since i was three. look at how many times, they've placed charms
and hexes on my stuffed toys."

"stuffed toys, do not compare to what i've had to put up with," ron snapped,
matching weasley anger to weasley anger. "would you consider an enchanted toy
dragon, with being lip-locked to your girl in front of a room full of people, a
fair comparison?"

"calm down, ron," hermione told him. "let's go to the hog's head and get a drink,
that isn't enchanted."

"we'll spend the rest of the evening together, celebrating valentine's day as
friends," harry suggested, tucking his hand inside the angry girl's hand next
to him.

"sure, we still have a few hours left," hermione said hoping her calm voice would
help sooth things with the boy who was fuming beside her. "we can share
a nice drink and go back to the school, and finish our evening the way we
planned." ron ground his teeth, looking at the attractive girl. he couldn't speak,
but he did nod, and the four of them walked silently down the small narrow road to
the hog's head. they would have normally gone to the three broomsticks,
but considering how late it was, they knew it had closed over an hour ago. the
hog's head however, was open until the wee hours of the night.

they stepped into the tavern, looking around at the nearly deserted surroundings.
there was an old witch in one corner, her hat filthy and torn, her clothes
soiled and tattered. in a booth not far from her were a pair of gruff looking
wizards playing a game of cards, and the shadows of a young couple in a dark
corner far from the door. harry indicated a finger toward a booth near the front,
and sat down next to ginny. the old man behind the counter stared at
the four, watchng them extremely close as they sat down and discussed what they
were going to drink. ron still wanted fire whiskey, but decided to settle
on an un-enchanted bottle of butter beer. harry cautiously stepped up to the
counter, and ordered four bottles of chilled butter beer.

the barman was a grumpy-looking old man with long gray hair and a beard. he
reminded harry of professor dumbledore, in many ways. he was tall and thin and
as harry continued to watch him prepare their drinks, he couldn't help but feeling
again, that the old man looked familiar. he remembered feeling this
way during fifth year, when he first met the old man, but he couldn't put his
finger on where he knew him from. harry took the drinks and paid the old
man, who continued to stare at him, making him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

back at the table, harry found the tension as thick if not more so, than it had
been when he left them. the three sat in silence, refusing to look at each
other, as they took their drinks from harry.

"this is ridiculous," harry said. "all right, so the twins turned what was a
really nice evening into an excuse for a bad practical joke. it's over, forget
about it and let's have a nice night. and anyway, i think angelina and katie will
make them pay, for ruining their party, don't you?" ron glanced up at
harry and gave a small smile, thinking about the revenge his brothers' girlfriends
would no doubt have in mind.

"harry's right," hermione said, leaning closer to ron. "we're going to have a
great ending to a very nice day. i have something for you," she told him,
pulling a small package from her inside robes.

"what is it?" ron asked quietly.

"well, open it," she told him, watching as the boy unwrapped the brown paper and
pulled out a small vial of wizard's delight, the newest men's cologne.
ron smiled at the girl, uncorking the bottle and sniffing the spicy scent.

"thank you," he said softly. "i really like it."

"i have something for you, too," harry said, reaching inside his robes and pulling
out red velvet wrapped package for ginny. she smiled awkwardly, accepting
the gift as she retrieved a rolled up parchment from her own robes.

"it isn't much and it isn't expensive, but i hope you like it," she said with a
warm blush. harry smiled back, slipping the string off the parchment. it
was a handmade greeting card, complete with small cupids that flew around the
page, flinging little arrows at the photo of the two of them that she had
gotten from colin creevey. along the top were the words, our first valentine's day
together. harry smiled, reaching out and hugging the girl to him tightly.

"it's the best gift i've ever gotten," he told her, kissing her passionately. a
few minutes later, harry released her, allowing her to open her own gift.
inside was a small silver box containing a small skeleton key. ginny frowned at
the gift, looking at the strange expression on harry's face.

"thank you," she said politely, causing harry to laugh out loud.

"it's the key to a very special place," he told her softly. "i'll show you later."
ginny blushed, looking across the table at the lip-locked couple again.
harry followed her eyes, seeing the bottles open in front of them and fearing the
worst.

"hey, not again," he said. "you guys all right?" hermione and ron pulled apart
reluctantly, looking to their friend.

"yeah, why?" ron asked with a wicked smirk. harry glared at the two of them,
shaking his head.

"what a night," he said quietly. ron smiled brightly, leaning into hermione and
kissing her neck.
"what do you say we finish up here, and head back to school?" ron asked quietly,
glancing across to see harry and ginny also engaged in a little snogging
of their own. hermione smiled with a blush to her creamy complexion, and looked up
as the young lovers in the corner stood and began to walk past them.

"malfoy?" she said, much louder then she had intended. the young blond stopped and
looked at the four who were staring openly as he walked hand in hand
toward the door with parvati patil.

"what are you doing here?" the blond asked, a little shocked, a blush of
embarrassment crossing his face.

"celebrating the holiday," ron said. "what are you doing here, with one of us?"

"that is really none of your business, weasle," he snapped. "just because the
governors mistakenly chose your father as the minister of magic, does not
give you the right to question my goings on."

"we're just curious," hermione said, putting a strong hand on her boyfriend's arm.
"we weren't aware a slytherin would associate with a gryffindor outside
of school."

"there's more to life than petty house rivalries, granger," malfoy told her, less
bitter than he normally would have, neglecting to call her his favorite
nickname.

"i couldn't agree more," hermione added with a polite smile.

"so you sneak around, hiring postal owls to deliver your mail instead of using the
school's birds, you hide in closets snogging and heaven knows what else,
and now you're hiding out in the hog's head," ron said, summing up the boy's
activities. "i wonder, what evil plans are you concocting now?"

"unless it has to do with the disposal of the likes of you, then it's none of your
business. i suggest you four return to school soon, before you get detention
again. you are breaking curfew, you know?"

"we have permission to be out," harry said. "what about the two of you? any
problems sneaking off school grounds?"

"we weren't sneaking potter, and it's none of your business either. keep your nose
where it belongs, or you may get it burned." malfoy and parvati turned,
completing their path and left the tavern, and the four other gryffindor's to
watch their departure.

"what the bloody hell is he up to?" ron asked.

"he's starting to really get on my nerves," ginny said. "why is he sneaking around
so much, and why with parvati patil? it just doesn't make sense."

"let's not worry about it," hermione said. "we have to be going, or we will get in
trouble. we have rounds to make in an hour, anyway." ron glanced up at
her and frowned. it wasn't their night for castle rounds, but seeing the look in
her eyes, he understood why she wanted to leave. there was a room waiting,
with their name on it.

"you're right," harry said, reaching out and squeezing ginny's tiny hand. "we'd
better get going." they stood and started to the door, when an odd feeling
came over him. harry felt the prickling of hair on the back of his neck, as if he
was being watched, deliberately. he looked back but couldn't see anything
out of the ordinary. the only thing that seemed to stand out, was the way the bar
keeper continually wiped the same spot on the counter.

"what is it harry?" ginny asked, slipping her arm inside his. harry frowned,
looking down to her delicate features.

"nothing," he told her, taking one last glance around the tavern, and forcing a
smile on his face. "let's go." harry and ginny left the hog's head, followed
by a pair of eyes that looked out from beneath a dark, worn cloak.

harry potter, the boy-who-lived, even when he shouldn't have. there was something
the boy had to know, but the secret keeper was frozen to his seat in fear.
harry potter was very powerful, more so than anyone had anticipated. there may be
hope for the future, the cloaked figure thought, reaching an unsteady
hand toward the glass of fire whiskey, lifting it to his lips with trembling
fingers. he had to know what was happening, but the last time they had met
was not exactly on very pleasant terms. but there was a debt to pay, and it was
wizard custom. a custom that would have to fulfilled, regardless of the
fears that held the figure firmly in his seat. perhaps tomorrow, when the day was
fresh and the fear of shadows did not matter, the debt would be rectified.
perhaps tomorrow, a new day would really begin, for them both.

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who continues to r/r. i appreciate and love
hearing from everyone.

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chapter thirty-six

harry and ginny laid together on a couch in the common room. they had arrived some
time ago, allowing ron and hermione to use the room of requirement. neither
of them wanted to go to bed and weren't ready to say good night. harry nuzzled his
nose in the soft fragrant hair of the girl wrapped securely in his arms.
he sighed contently. he hadn't realized just how comfortable or relaxed he felt
when he was with her until recently. it just felt right holding her and
no matter how bad or strenuous the day had been, even with extra lessons with
snape, he could always count on feeling at home in her arms.

"harry," she said softly, tingling as he leaned down kissing her neck. "what was
the key for?" harry chuckled in her ear.

"do you really want to see?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"please?" she asked, turning in his arms.

"give me a minute," he told her with a smile, kissing her briefly as he hurried up
to his room. ginny laid there on the couch, smiling. she couldn't remember
ever feeling so happy. this simple, somewhat shy young man, was the only thing she
needed in life to make her feel complete. in her mind, nothing could
ever go wrong and nothing would ever change her heart. ginny stretched deeply, her
arms above her head and her eyes shut tightly. she was about to sit
up when she felt something warm against her breast, like a tender caress. she
opened her eyes, but didn't see anything. the pressure continued and she
smiled, knowing exactly what or rather who, it was.

"do you really think you can hide from me, under that thing?" she asked, moaning
at the tender massaging motion against her thin blouse.

"i can try," harry's voice replied, as the hood to his invisibility cloak was
pushed away.

"you're impossible, harry potter. irresistible, but impossible." harry chuckled,

reaching from beneath his cloak and pulling her up by the hand.

"ready to see what your valentine's present opens?" ginny nodded with a smile,
slipping beneath the cloak with him. they stepped quietly out the portrait
hole and down the stairs, harry led her toward the whomping willow.

"where are we going?" she asked, huffing slightly from having to keep pace with
his longer stride.

"you'll see," he smiled and then pulled her down to the cold grass. they crawled
together toward the knot in the tree and pushed it, just as the tree began
to sense a presence, its branches swinging in the night air. harry raised his
wand, whispering the word "lumos" and watching as the end lit in a soft light.
he led ginny through the opening in the trunk, removing the cloak and then stood
up - to a crouching position below the small confines - and walked for
several long minutes in silence. the air inside the cavern was filled with stirred
up dust, cobwebs clinging to their faces and hair and their strained
to see around the dimly lit surroundings. harry stepped up to a sealed door and
turned to the girl beside him.

"do you have the key?" he asked, holding his hand up and taking the golden object
she handed him. he raised the key to his wand and touched it with the
glowing tip. "ave regnare" he said, watching as it began to glow amber, then
slipped it into the metal lock. the door immediately unlocked and he stepped
aside to allow the young woman to enter. ginny smiled as he slipped the key back
into her hand and walked with her into the dusty room beyond. harry led
her through the deserted, broken furnishings of the many small rooms and up the
stairs to another closed door. he smiled wickedly to her as he pushed it
open, allowing her to enter first.

inside was a room very unlike the rest of the house. the walls were a crisp, clean
white, with elegant gold colored wallpaper halfway up them. along the
top of the walls were delicately etched moldings and along one entire wall stood a
massive stone fireplace, already glowing with warm inviting flames.
in the center of the room was a large four-poster bed, complete with a warm
comforter of red and gold and matching drapes hung from all four ends. several
large overstuffed pillows lined the headboard and were strung out in front of the
fire. several candles lined the walls and mantle, illuminating the room
in a soft glow. a small table sat on either side of the bed, draped with matching
cloths of gold and red and covering the deeply varnished floor was a
large, gold braided rug. ginny gasped when she saw this. even their hiding place
in the room of requirements didn't look this elegant.

"how did you do all of this?" she asked him, walking to the bed and sitting on the
side with a bounce.

"i have a confession to make," he told her, stepping up and taking her hand. "i'm
a wizard. i believe in magic and have the ability to cast many unusual
spells."
"really?" ginny asked with a raised eyebrow. "then you might as well know, i'm a
witch and if you don't stop being such a smart arse, i'll hex you into
next week." harry smiled, kissing her hands.

"you do realize that's impossible even magically?"

"that won't stop me from trying," she smiled back, a little too sweetly to be
sincere. "so where are we, anyway?"

"we're in the shrieking shack. remus used it while he was in school and ron,
hermione and i discovered it in our third year, when sirius escaped prison.
dumbledore had it sealed shortly after that and i stumbled across the key when i
was practicing my occlumency lessons with snape. he's not as good at hiding
his thoughts as he would like to pretend. he didn't even know i'd seen his
memories of him helping dumbledore seal the shack, or hiding the key in his
desk drawer."

"how'd you get it without his knowing?" harry sat on the bed next to her, his face
taking on a very serious expression.

"something strange happened one night, when i was practicing with him," he began
in a quiet tone. "i saw his thoughts, i saw things he apparently didn't
think i'd be able to see, so he didn't bother using the pensive to remove them. i
saw him as a teenager and i saw him when he was a death eater. i saw
the woman he loved. she was really beautiful. when dumbledore told me he had lost
his one true love, a part of me thought it was my mum, especially since
she helped him study so much. but this girl was extraordinary. she had long dark
hair and large blue eyes and she was tall and slender. not anything i'd
expect to fall for the old greasy git. anyway, after i saw the memory, i was
afraid i'd get cursed three times over and thought about my escaping the dungeons,
when i noticed snape wasn't moving. it was as if he was frozen or something he
didn't blink or breathe. it only lasted a couple of minutes, but he didn't
remember anything, not my seeing the memory, not his lack of movement, nothing. i
tried it again a couple more times and each time it was the same thing
but his freezing lasted longer. that was when i saw his memory of helping
dumbledore seal the shack and hide the key, so i took it without his knowing
about it."

"harry, do you know what you did?" ginny asked in a surprised tone. "you used the
'lapis gelu' spell."

"the what?"

"the 'lapis gelu' spell. it's a very powerful and very difficult protection spell,
where one uses their mind in which to freeze their subject as hard as
stone. it's never exactly been outlawed, but it is on the list of dangerous
spells, hexes and curses and it's among the ministry's most guarded spells.
it can freeze a person indefinitely if done correctly. how long did you say it
lasted?"

"just a couple of minutes the first time but the last time i used it, it lasted
over ten minutes. that's how i was able to look for the key without getting
caught."

"harry, this is incredible but where did you learn it? it's very dark magic."

"i don't know, it just happened. why would i know it, ginny?"
"i don't know, but you really need to tell dumbledore." harry stood and paced to
the fireplace, looking into the flames. right now he wished he could speak
with sirius, he would be able to explain what happened and how he knew such an
advanced, complicated spell. ginny sensed his feelings and walked up behind
him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"i don't know how i did it, ginny," he said softly. "it just happened."

"we'll tell hermione tomorrow. i'm sure she'll have an answer." harry turned and
looked at the concern in the honey brown eyes that stared at him.

"do you think i'm evil?" he asked, watching the shocked expression encase her
delicate features.

"i would never think you were evil, harry. there has to be a simple explanation,
like maybe...i know, snape used to be a death eater, right? he must have
known the spell and when you were reading his mind, you picked it out without
knowing. you must have used it against him, without any knowledge of it."

"it's possible, i suppose," he said unconvinced.

harry look, i know you are anything but evil. you may have wicked thoughts
sometimes, like setting aside a room in a forbidden shack so we can be alone,
but other than that, you're perfectly wonderful. now relax and show me what it is
you planned for the rest of our holiday." harry smiled, taking her in
his arms. he did love her and as long as he had her support and confidence, he was
sure he could never do anything wrong.

without thinking about it further, harry lifted ginny in his arms, carried her to
the bed and laid her on the covers. he kissed her lips in an act so tender,
she could feel herself becoming hot and tingly all over. as he slid his tongue
into her mouth to deepen their contact, his hands found their way down the
front of her robes, which he quickly removed. he reached beneath the hem of her
dress she had worn since her brothers' party, pulling it up her thighs
as he trailed his fingers gently along the tender flesh, feeling the goose bumps
rise beneath his touch. ginny shivered in anticipation and moaned as he
broke his lips away, kissing a hot path down her neck. within minutes, he had her
out of her clothing and lying beneath his eager explorations. he knew
what it took to excite her and found his own desires raising to heights that
matched hers. as his lips trailed down to the spot he knew would be her undoing,
he managed to unfasten his pants and kick them off and pulling his shirt across
his head, leaving them laying in a heap on the floor. this was how he had
planned this night for over a week, ever since he discovered the spell dumbledore
had placed on the shack. he had imagined making love to her in a room
so distant from the school, that she wouldn't consider anything but him. and
somehow the thought that dumbledore always knew what his students did and
where, made him less than anxious to be in the castle right now. he didn't want to
think about being watched, or even know that anyone was aware of what
they were doing. he wanted to be completely free to explore and tease her as they
had done back at grimmauld place and maybe allow her to vocalize her
own desires as loudly as she wished, make the towns people of hogsmeade think the
shrieking shack was once again haunted.

ginny stirred against the warmth that surrounded her. she loved waking up in
harry's arms and smiled as she snuggled closer to him, then further beneath
the warm blankets. harry's chest rumbled slightly as he chuckled, sensing her
waking up.
"about time," he said softly. "i thought i'd have to carry you back to the castle
like this." he gently ran a hand down her naked back to her hips, where
he slowly caressed them.

"i don't want to wake up," she complained, tossing a long slender leg across his.
"can't we stay here forever?"

"that's fine by me, but what happens when the whole wizarding world comes looking
for us? you don't think anyone is going to let the new minister of magic's
daughter go missing without a full fledged search party, do you? not to mention
what you brothers will do when they find us like this. percy still wants
to send me to the gallows."

"don't be silly, percy would never lift a finger to harm you. he's not that strong
and besides he'd have to go through me and i know he's not that brave."

"you are absolutely wonderful, do you know that?" he whispered as he began kissing
her cheek, rolling her onto her back again.

"i know it," she answered with a smirk. "i know you'd never accept anything but
the best. after all, look at this elegant room it's obvious you're used
to being spoiled."

"oh really? and just whom would you accuse of spoiling me? surely not any of my
relatives."

"nope, just me," she whispered, wrapping her arms and legs around him. harry
chuckled, kissing her neck and ear. he didn't really seem to care right now
that it was dawn outside, or that they had to return to hogwart's before
breakfast. all he cared about was having her in his arms, feeling the soft beat
of her heart beneath his lips, hearing the scraping at the door. harry sat up
instantly, his hand reaching for his wand he had tucked under his pillow
as he retrieved his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. ginny looked
alarmed by his actions and followed suit recovering her wand from the
inside of her robes lying on the floor beside her.

harry slowly slid out of bed, grabbing his pants and pulling them over his legs as
he made his way silently to the door, where the soft scratching continued.
he glanced back to ginny, seeing her already wrapped in her robes and standing
beside the bed ready for whatever was outside that door. he reached for
the handle and taking a deep breath, pulled it open with a hard jerk. there was
nothing there, but then harry noticed the object close to the ground scurrying
inside the room. he pointed his wand at it and shouted, "stupefy", then bent down
and picked up the unconscious object by the tail. he looked at the skinny
rat with narrowed eyes, his jaw set as he saw the silver front paw. angrily, harry
tossed the rodent across the room, to land hard on the floor by the
fireplace, his wand raised again and watched as ropes flew from the end, binding
the rat tightly.

"harry, what is it?" ginny asked, stepping to his side.

"wormtail," harry answered, anger tinting every word. "he's the one who betrayed
my parents to voldemort, sent sirius to prison for a crime he didn't commit
and killed cedric diggory the night he helped his master regain his power."

"why's he here?"
"probably trying to sneak into the castle, to help his lord and master find a way
in." the rat began to regain consciousness as harry spoke, struggling
against the ropes that bound him. harry stepped over to him, picking him up once
again by the tail.

"if you weren't a wizard, i'd throw you into the fire and let you burn in hell,"
harry said as the rat tried to squirm free.

"harry, let him loose," ginny told him. "he can't go anywhere, we've got him
covered, but we need to find out what he's doing here." harry reluctantly unbound
the rat, dropping him roughly to the floor and watched as it transformed from
ron's once beloved pet to the sniveling form of his parents once trusted
friend. the silver arm voldemort had conjured for him, after severing his own to
make the potion that brought him back, glistened in the candlelight. he
looked much older than harry remembered and much thinner. his head was bald,
except for a few stray hairs that didn't know any better. his eyes were sunken
into his skull and his skin hugged his bones tightly, revealing the thin bones of
his real hand, arm, neck and face.

"what are you doing here, traitor?" harry snarled, his wand rose to the man's
chest.

"i've come to speak with you," the man squeaked in an almost rat like voice. "i've
come to warn you."

"liar," harry snapped, his wand rising to the man's head. "why would you want to
warn me? you helped bring voldemort back to power, you betrayed your own
kind, you killed my parents."

"you have to listen to me," wormtail insisted. "i know you have no reason to trust
me, but i am in your debt harry. you saved my life and regardless of
all that i've done, i must repay that debt."

"then make it quick, before i call for dumbledore and have you arrested."

"the dark lord is not happy about weasley's appointment," wormtail began. "he
knows the ministry is under heavy guard, but he is determined to learn the
secrets."

"what secrets?"

"he wants the charms and spells that protect hogwart's. he wants dumbledore. he
has a very loyal spy inside the ministry, who has been trying to find the
spells used to protect the castle."

"why does he want the school?"

"there is a secret hidden within, a secret that he knows will bring an end to the
war and bring him back to full power."

"what kind of secret?"

"only he and dumbledore know, but it is something that the dark lord fears above
all else. it is said to contain great powers and secrets among the ages."

"what is that supposed to mean?"

"all i know is that he's been concentrating all his energy on getting the counter
spells for the school. if he gets them, there will be no end to the horrors
he can release. this secret he seeks is said to be more powerful than even
dumbledore and he is insanely obsessed to find it." wormtail cringed at the
thought of how his master had been acting the last few weeks.

"he doesn't sleep, he barely eats and he stays alive out of hatred and the venom
of his pet snake. narissa malfoy was believed to know what the secret was,
but took it to the grave with her, if she did. now he demands satisfaction. he
demands the knowledge hidden within the castle walls." harry stared at the
man for a moment, disgust and anger biting into his soul as he tried to contain
them.

"he won't get in," harry said. "who is this spy of his at the ministry?"

"i only know that is someone trusted and thought highly of. there is one more
thing, harry, something that could bring about a deadly complication."

"more than you've already told me?"

"bellatrix lastrange is with child."

"so? what do i care?"

"the child belongs to the dark lord." wormtail paused, watching as the knowledge
began to sink in with the young man. he could still remember how thrilled
his master had been when he learned that the spell he had used to inseminate her
had worked. "it will not be normal. the dark lord is kept alive by nagini's
venom and her blood runs through his veins. he used that blood to create the
embryo implanted in bellatrix. he has predicted the child will be his heir
in both the slytherin kingdom as well as the wizarding world. it cannot be born.
it will be the downfall of all wizards everywhere."

"why are you telling me? what am i supposed to do? walk into his lair and ask
bellatrix to abort it?"

"no, but be warned, harry. it will come to birth and when it does, even the dark
lord will not be its match. its powers will be greater than any seen before.
it must be stopped from being born."

"tell me where he is," demanded harry, watching the little man shrivel back in
fear. "where's he hiding?"

"he is at the one place his father always found refuge...that is all i can tell
you. a spell was placed on all of us so that if we dare tell anyone of his
location, our tongues would swell up and strangle us. i cannot say directly, you
will just have to search the records harry. you will find him."

"you know we can't let you go?" ginny told the little man who smiled bitterly. "we
have to turn you over to the ministry."

"that will never happen, miss weasley," he said. "my life is already worthless,
but i will not die in the ministry of magic or any prison known to wizard
kind. i will be back, harry," the man said, turning to look at harry. "when the
time comes, you will need all the supporters you can find. i will be ready
to help you then." harry frowned, his eyes narrowing on the little man who
vanished with a loud pop before they could react.

harry looked at the spot where wormtail had stood. he had to get to dumbledore and
tell him what he had been told, but more than anything, he wanted to
find voldemort, to stop bellatrix from bearing his child and stop him from getting
to hogwart's. he had already lost his parents and his godfather to the
acts of that creature, he wasn't going to loose his home as well.

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author notes: thank you again to "d" for all your hard work, support and listening
to a rambling, bumbling idiot! for everyone else, please continue to
r/r. i love hearing what you have to say.

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chapter thirty-seven

harry and ginny sat in the common room, patiently waiting for hermione return from
the prefects bathroom. ron had arrived shortly after they returned that
morning, smiling contently with wet hair and a cleanly shaven chin. he started
telling them all about his night with hermione, revealing certain information
that neither of them really cared to hear. he was revealing how they had spent
nearly an hour investigating the more interesting segments of the tattered
magazine they still hid from george, when the once again bushy-haired hermione
stepped through the portrait hole. harry felt a sudden surge of relief,
as the girl joined them, smiling brightly.

"how was your evening?" she asked, reaching across the table to the bowl of crisps
from the house valentine's party the night before.

"great," harry said, glancing to ginny and offering a very soft smile. "until this
morning."

"what happened this morning?" ron asked absent mindedly, reaching toward hermione
and tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"wormtail decided to make an unannounced visit," harry said, watching the looks
his friends gave him, immediately gaining both of their attention.

"what?" hermione asked.

"why was he here?" ron said over hermione.

"he wasn't here, he was at the shrieking shack," ginny said. "we spent a wonderful
night there, and when we woke up we found him sneaking around."

"what did he want?" hermione asked.

"he told us a very interesting story," harry said, relaying what was exchanged
between the animagus and themselves. half an hour later, harry, ginny and
ron sat silently looking at the serious expression on hermione's face.

"what do you think?" harry asked, watching the frown creasing her brows deepen.

"he did owe you his life, harry, a wizard's debt. but why would he be running from
voldemort now? why not before malfoy's mother was killed, or after the
prison was emptied? why not last year, or two years ago? why now?"

"he didn't say, but i can only imagine if it's true, there isn't going to be a
single wizard not looking for him."

"he said you could find voldemort where his father found refuge?" hermione asked.
"who was his father? it can't be that easy to find, if we don't know who
he was."

"voldemort's real name is tom marvolo riddle," harry said. "surely we can find
information based on that."

"didn't you tell us, his father was a muggle?" ron asked. "my dad told me about
this thing called a felly-tone book. maybe we can find something in that."

"it's a telephone book, ron," hermione clarified. "and it only has the names of
live people, not dead ones. harry told us he used a bone from his father
to create the potion that brought him back to life. that would mean his father was
dead."

"i've been in the graveyard before," harry told them. "i've also seen the house
and been in it in my dreams. i'll recognize it again, if i see it."

"we'll have to check out the vital records and see if there's a birth certificate.
in the meantime, we need to see if we can find out anything about this
thing he wants. surely dumbledore knows about it."

"but dumbledore will never tell us," ron said. "he still hasn't told harry
everything about the prophecy."

"what about this spy at the ministry?" ginny asked. "wormtail said he was a loyal
and trusted member. dumbledore said they had someone in mind, they just
had to get the proof."

"we need to speak with professor dumbledore," hermione said, standing up from her
seat. "lets see if we can speak with him after breakfast. i'm sure he'll
know what to do."

"i still don't think he'll tell us anything," ron said, as they filed out the
portrait hole.

breakfast was the usual sunday morning array of students talking, laughing and
making plans for hours ahead. harry sat next to ginny talking quietly while
making plans to get in a few extra hours of quidditch practice. ron and hermione
were sitting across from them, with hermione insisting they should all
go to the library and see what they could find out about tom riddle. she had
already talked ron into sending an owl to his father, alerting him to what
they found out regarding the spy at the ministry, and according to ron, that was
enough of being serious for one day. it was a beautiful february day,
unusually warm and sunny, and he wanted to play quidditch with harry and ginny.
before an argument erupted however, professor dumbledore stood from his
seat at the head table, and glanced toward harry with a slight frown. harry and
ginny glanced up at him, preparing to follow him, when the old wizard stopped
by the gryffindor table, his steady hand on harry's shoulder.

"i'd like to speak with the four of you please," he said, indicating to the two
couples. harry glanced to ron, who stood as they all followed the headmaster
out of the great hall. dumbledore lead the way up the stairs to the second floor
with harry, ginny, ron and hermione behind him, silently and obediently
following him. they stopped in front of the gargoyle statue, which leapt quickly
out of the way when its master whispered the password. they stepped onto
the circular staircase, and
headmaster's tower. once in
waving his wand and waiting
behind them. he sat staring
their throat, pretending to
waited patiently as it began moving up to the
his office, dumbledore took a seat behind his desk,
as his four visitors took the seats that materialized
at the four until one of the paintings cleared
be asleep.

"i know you are very resourceful young people," dumbledore said at last. "but
there is a reason why certain places are out of bounds to students, and sealed
shut." harry and ginny glanced to each other, blushing softly. "you never cease to
amaze me, nor am i surprised how easily you manage to get in and out
of trouble."

"professor," harry began, clearing his throat. "i'm sorry for disobeying your
rules, but ginny and i wanted to spend valentine's day together and..." dumbledore
raised his hand, stopping the young man in mid sentence.

"i understand, harry. please don't explain further. i was young once myself you
know." the old man smiled whimsically; glancing to ron and hermione, before
turning his attention back to harry. "i've had a feeling throughout breakfast,
that you wanted to speak with me. what can i do for you?"

"we had a visit this morning, professor," he began. "wormtail...peter pettigrew

that is, came to the shrieking shack. he said voldemort is not happy about
mr. weasley's appointment to the minister of magic. he said he knows the ministry
is under heavy guard, but he is determined to learn the charms and spells
that protect hogwart's. he also said voldemort wants you."

"that really is not much of surprise," the professor said leaning back in his
chair, his fingers closing in front of his crooked nose.

"wormtail also said voldemort has a very loyal spy inside the ministry, who has
been trying to find the spells used to protect the castle. he said that
there is something hidden here and that it holds a secret that he knows will bring
an end to the war and bring him back to full power." dumbledore was
silent for several moments, thinking about what harry had just said.

"do you understand what he meant, professor?" hermione asked, watching the
expression cross the old man's face.

"i do," he answered. "what else did he tell you?"

"he said this secret is something that the dark lord fears above all else. he said
it contains great powers and secrets among the ages. wormtail said voldemort
has been concentrating all his energy on getting the counter spells for the
school. he said the secret is more powerful than even you are and that the
dark lord is obsessed to find it. he doesn't sleep or eat, and he stays alive with
the venom of his pet snake. he thinks narissa malfoy knew about the
secret, but took the knowledge of it to her grave."

"he won't get in will he professor?" ginny asked softly. dumbledore stared at the
young girl for a few moments.

"not as long as i am head of this school, miss weasley. did he happen to mention
who the ministry's insider was?"

"no sir, he didn't know. but he did say it was someone trusted and highly thought
of. there was something else, sir," harry said, glancing to ginny. "he
said bellatrix lastrange is pregnant with voldemort's child. he said it would not
be a normal baby. voldemort is being kept alive by the venom of the snake,
and that he is more reptile than human. he has predicted the child will be his
heir in both the slytherin kingdom, as well as the wizarding world."

"he said that when it's born, that even voldemort will not be its match," ginny
picked up. "he said its powers would be greater than any seen before."

"that may very well be," dumbledore said, his tone quiet and methodical.

"he wouldn't tell us where he was, although he did say he was hiding in the one
place where his father always found refuge, but he was bound by a spell
that prevented him from telling us more." ginny drew a deep breath, feeling as if
the words were suffocating to get out of her lungs.

"wormtail said his life was worthless, but that he owed me a debt and that i would
need all the supporters i could get when the time came. he claimed he'd
be back to support our side."

"he owed you a wizard's debt, harry. i knew he would repay it someday." dumbledore
leaned back in his chair again; unaware that he had unconsciously moved
forward in his seat.

"i don't know how much i can trust him," harry said in hushed tones. "he killed my
parents and caused sirius to go to prison for their deaths. i can't believe
that he's turned tail and is willing to work on our side."

"fate has strange ideas, harry. never judge a spell by the wand which casts it."

"professor," hermione began. "what did he mean about voldemort being in a place
his father found refuge?"

"i'm not sure miss granger, but i intend to find out."

"professor, there is one more thing," harry said clearing his throat again. "i
found out about the sealing charms of the shrieking shack because..." harry
looked to ginny.

"he used a spell on professor snape that i believe may have been the 'lapis
gelu'," ginny explained on her boyfriend's behalf. dumbledore stared at harry
with a frown.

"are you sure about this, harry?" he asked.

"no sir, i'm not. i've never heard of the spell until ginny told me about it. i
don't even know how i made it work. i was just practicing my occlumency
lessons, when snape...froze. it happened just a few times, but it went from a
couple of minutes to about ten minutes. i honestly don't know how i did it,
sir."

"that spell is very advanced, even for you. i wouldn't have expected a wizard of
university standing to get that spell correct so easily. did you discuss
this with professor snape?"

"no...i mean no sir," harry said with disgust. "it's hard enough having him for
extra lessons, i don't want him to know i've learned something new."

"i will have to investigate this further," dumbledore said seriously. "i would
like to sit in on your next lesson with professor snape, harry."
"yes sir," harry said.

"what about the things scabbers....or wormtail told harry?" ron asked.

"there are many things that will need investigating, mr. weasley. but i am sure
the order and your father will handle the information with the utmost
seriousness."

"professor, what is the secret voldemort is after?" hermione asked. dumbledore

looked from one young face, to the other, taking time to consider the situation.

"there is a device in this school, that maintains harmony in the world. it is an

ancient device, and in the wrong hands...such as lord voldemort's, the
world would be thrown into pure hell."

"what kind of device is it?" harry asked. dumbledore stood up and glanced to the
portraits of his predecessors. phineas and the old witch both looked down
at him, sternly objecting to what he was about to do. he started toward the stairs
that lead to the upper floor of his office, then looked back to the
four raising an eyebrow. harry stood first, followed by ron and ginny and a lastly
a very reluctant hermione. they stepped toward the old wizard, following
him up the circular staircase to the top floor. there standing in the middle of
the floor was a large golden globe with a massive telescope pointing out
the window. it was sitting on a pedestal that was bolted to the floor, and among
the base was a large wheel and crank, which moved the telescope from one
location to the next.

"this is called the terra auxilium ducere," dumbledore explained. "it is the
single greatest device on the planet. without this machine, the world would
fall into complete chaos. you use this dial," he stepped over to the golden
machine and began cranking the wheel. "you set the location cooridance of the
area most chaotic and set the density, say a two and engage it's magic." the
machine began to whir softly, then clunked several times before it rattled
violently and hissed. dumbledore kicked the base of the machine, and it again
began whirring, a pale blue light shooting from the glass end and traveling
to its destination.

"how exactly does it work?" hermione asked, leaning over to investigate every
detail of the machine.

"when the four great witches and wizards built this school, they did it on the
single greatest source of magic on the planet," dumbledore continued. "this
device utilizes that magic and transports it to a location otherwise out of sync.
it then cascades a sphere of magic and harmony across the land where
it is needed most. there it is absorbed in the land and by all living creatures.
depending on the severity of the trouble, it may take several weeks or
in the most extreme cases, years to create a euphoria, but eventually it takes
effect. the machine is old and is in need of repair, but since the rise
of voldemort we have had to put it on hold for now. all the resources have to go
to fighting the battle, and training new aurors."

"so if voldemort gets his hands on it, it could cause total chaos worldwide, for
muggles and wizards alike," hermione said in astonishment.

"exactly," dumbledore said with a nod.

"bloody hell," ron said.

"voldemort doesn't know exactly what it is, he just knows there's something here
that's more powerful than any wizard alive," harry said. "maybe we can
use it to our benefit."

"that is a very good idea, harry. we'll have to discuss that further when the time
comes. right now, you four need should go enjoy your sunday. it's going
to be a beautiful day. professor trelawney is predicting an early spring."

"great," ron said in disgust. "we're in for another six months of winter."
dumbledore smiled at the young man's expression, walking toward the stairs again.

"professor," harry said, interrupting his progress. "what about the baby bellatrix
is having?"

"that is another problem, in itself."

"would it really be more powerful than even the dark lord?" ginny asked.

"i don't know. but i can guess. that is something i will have to spend time
thinking about."

"what about the spy at the ministry?" ron asked, stepping down the stairs behind
the professor.

"that really isn't anything to be concerned about," dumbledore said. "i believe i
know who it is. i'll have the order take care of it. by the way, mr. weasley,
how was your brothers' party last night?" ron blushed openly as he thought back on
the events of the evening.

"for the most part it was very nice," harry answered, causing dumbledore to
chuckle freely, his aged features looking a lot less wrinkled.

"i expect the young mr. weasleys outdid themselves."

"you can say that again," ron snorted under his breath. harry was about to leave
the office, when he suddenly turned and looked at the headmaster.

"what is it harry?" the old wizard asked.

"your brother, you mentioned he thought it best to take defense at the rear?"

"yes, that's right," dumbledore, said with a soft twinkle in his eyes.

"are you sure he's not working at the head instead? perhaps one that resembles a
hog?" dumbledore's smile widened, as he nodded.

"perhaps that is one way to look at it." harry nodded in return, smiling at the
expression on the aging wizard's face.

"what was that all about?" hermione asked after they had left the office, and were
safely on their way back to their dormitory.

"just something between the professor and myself," he told her with a smile.

"anything you care to tell your friends about?" ron asked

"no, not right now."

"what about your girlfriend?" ginny asked kissing his cheek.

"nope, not even you."

"what's going on?" hermione asked with a frown.

"i think we need to check out the library and see what we can find out about tom
riddle," harry said, ignoring the question and heading in the direction
of the library, his hand tucked inside ginny's.

"and just think, i was worried about this being an ordinary sunday," ron grumbled.

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author notes: as always, thanks to "d" and for everyone who continues to r/r,
thank you. please keep r/r, because it's almost over!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chapter thirty-eight

the weeks flew past, and still hermione found herself sitting in the library,
reviewing nearly every book she got her hands on. she felt certain she could
find the information harry needed to locate the green flame torch, as well as some
sort of information on tom riddle's heritage, if she just looked hard
enough and long enough. ron, harry and ginny were currently battling it out with
ravenclaw, before the last game of the quidditch season. gryffindor was
leading the season, and once they defeated ravenclaw, they would only have the
final game with slytherin left and the house cup would once again belong
to them. this meant she was left alone a great deal of time to investigate, since
harry had increased their practice sessions to two hours every night.
he was actually quite good as team captain and made oliver wood seem less
obsessive about winning every game.

the group had come to a silent agreement over the past few weeks, that hermione
was to be the one researching information and locating anything that would
help the d.a. but she didn't really mind. she loved learning, she loved reading
and she would do anything to help her best friend succeed against voldemort.
there were times though, when she would rather be more like ginny, athletic,
outgoing and just 'one of the guys'. in some ways, hermione felt jealous of
the relationship ginny had with ron and harry, in other ways she just accepted it.
hermione closed her eyes, thinking back on the first time she had met
her best friends. at that time in her life, she was actually quite attracted to
harry and found herself daydreaming about him nearly as much as ginny had
done in her first year. but as time passed, she discovered the more she was with
him, the more she felt like his sister, allowing her more time to argue
herself into falling in love with ron.

funny how fate had its own agenda. who would have thought that the one person she
felt herself most irritated by, would now be her future husband? she was
still amazed that ron had the courage to ask her to marry him. she had thought he
would ask her to be his girl, and after giving her the ring he had worked
so hard for, she was convinced without a doubt that he loved her. but when he fell
to one knee, there in the passageway of the hogwart's express and asked
her to spend her life with him, she had lost all rational thought. her heart
reacted and she answered before she knew her mouth even knew the words to
speak. not that she regretted it of course, but there were times when she was
certain they were too young to be considering such things as marriage. at
least they had agreed to postpone telling anyone, outside of harry of course,
until later next year. she only hoped she was able to find the information
she needed to help harry before that, or it was going to be one hell of a final
year.

with a heavy sigh, hermione closed another book, tossing it to the stack along
with the other dozen books she had been searching. her eyes hurt, her head
throbbed and she had the distinct feeling she was being watched. hermione closed
her eyes, her palms pressing against them as she rubbed the fatigue throbbing
behind the closed lids. she stood to return to the shelves, when she saw a lone
figure watching her. she suddenly felt very self-conscious and quite irritated.
she could only imagine what he was doing, or how long he had been watching her.

"what exactly are you looking for granger?" malfoy asked his arms folded across
his chest as he leaned into the side of a large bookcase.

"it's none of your business, malfoy," she answered, gathering the stack of book
and returning them to the cart for resorting.

"why aren't you out watching your little boyfriend defeat ravenclaw?"

"because i have work to do, now if you'll excuse me?"

"what are you searching for in all of these?" malfoy picked up one of the books
she had been looking through, flipping open the dark green cover with its
black letter, which read 'legends and other tales of wizardry'. "reading fantasies
and fairy tales? aren't you a little old for such nonsense?"

"and i suppose you know every legend of the wizarding world?"

"only the real ones not rubbish such as these."

"then i suppose i'm one up on you, because i enjoy reading all types of books,
even those termed as rubbish."

"suit yourself, but i think you're wasting your time."

"it's my time to waste then isn't it?" hermione began down an isle of books, when
malfoy stepped up behind her, trapping her in a corner between shelf and
wall, unable to escape.

"i'm not sure what's going on with you and your little friends, and frankly i
could care less, but if you're looking for genealogy, you're in the wrong
section."

"how would you know what i was looking for?"

" 'pedigrees of famous wizards'," he read holding up a book she had placed on the
stand to be returned to the shelves. "not exactly your typical weekend
reading, is it, even for you? if you're interested in finding out if you're from
magical blood, you'll need to search the top racks of section nine. that's
where the more complete books of family trees are kept."

"thanks, but why would you want to help me?"

"this has been a rather interesting year for me," he said honestly, tossing the
book back to the stack. "i've had to spend a great deal of time reevaluating
my ideas and morals. i'm not as well adjusted as you might think, especially after
this past summer."

"i am sorry about your mother," hermione said with a soft blush. malfoy didn't
answer this, he only nodded.

"just don't go getting all girly on me," he said, offering her the famous malfoy
smirk. "i'm not really all that anxious to help anyone from the famous
potter party, but i wouldn't be object to learning that you're less mud-blood than
originally thought."

"if i didn't know better, malfoy, i'd swear you just gave me a compliment."

"don't take it to heart, granger. i promise it won't happen again." malfoy turned
and left her standing in the same spot she was certain she had sprouted
roots in. she watched him leave the side door to the library, heading up the
stairs that were visible beyond the open wall. it seemed almost impossible
that the young man, who was just standing there actually talking civil with her,
was the same hateful slytherin, draco malfoy. he seemed almost...if she
dared use the expression...pleasant.

hermione went to section nine and looked up. there on the top two shelves were
over fifty books of famous wizard families throughout he ages. she retrieved
her wand from her robes, and summonsed several of the old dusty books, taking them
to the table and flipping through the pages. holy cricket, he was telling
the truth! perhaps in time, she thought to herself, she would finally be able to
understand boys. one moment she was arguing with her best friend, the
next she was planning on marrying him. then she was placed in a very awkward
position of conversing with a person she had spent the past six years feeling
was her worst enemy and then actually finding herself un-repulsed by it. bloody
hell, she thought again, it's a good thing ron wasn't here. he'd have called
her mental a long time ago.

"so what was he doing in the library again?" ron asked, when hermione joined them
for the celebration of gryffindor's win.

"i don't know, but he did point me in the right direction," hermione said, lifting
the book she had checked out of the library. "the riddle family is pretty
dominant, or rather the black family is."

"black?" harry asked in surprise.

"yeah, black. he's a cousin to sirius. his line goes all the way back to slytherin
himself. he's related back to phineas nigellus who was his great grandfather
three times removed," hermione said, opening the book and reading off the
information she had found. "from phineas and his wife artemis dorcus black, it
goes to their daughter, nipheria gertrude nigellus and her husband - actually a
second cousin to artemis - horace baxter black."

"horace baxter black?" ron asked with a frown. "that name sounds familiar."

"that's because our great grandmother was his sister, marianne eris black," ginny
commented. "she married hyperion andrew weasley."

"you mean we're related to the dark lord?" ron asked, his voice cracking in
surprise.
"so it would seem," hermione said with a frown. "remember what sirius said? all
pure-bloods are related in one way or another? there aren't enough of them
left, so there would have to be inbreeding along the lines. maybe that's why you
get such evil ideas." ron narrowed his eyes on the young woman, but kept
quiet as she continued her lecture on genealogy. "from horace and nipheria, it's
their daughter mathilda hestia black, who married julius draco marvolo."

"draco?" ron asked again. "like malfoy?"

"it would reason, since julius was a great uncle to lucius malfoy." hermione
glanced up from her book as she answered.

"you mean, not only am i related to voldemort, now i'm related to malfoy? this
just keeps getting better and better," ron grumbled, sitting back in his
seat and folding his arms across his chest.

"the marvolos had a daughter, their only child, anna felicia marvolo, who was 16
when she met tom riddle and they married in a muggle ceremony. according
to this notation i found, tom riddle did not know anna was a witch, but learned
the truth when she became pregnant. he was confused, but eventually accepted
the idea, until her parents learned that he was not a wizard, and threatened his
life if he didn't leave their daughter."

"but voldemort thought his father left his mother, because he learned she was a
witch," harry said with a frown.

"according to this book, which was written shortly after anna and tom learned she
was pregnant, he didn't leave her willingly. he wanted to run away with
anna, but she was having serious complications with her pregnancy and they decided
it was best for her to remain where she could get help from a medi-witch.
there was a notation that tom riddle had planned on returning to his wife and
child after it was delivered, but when anna died shortly after giving birth,
it was her parents, mathilda and julius who placed the baby in a muggle orphanage,
and told him that the baby had died with his mother. he never knew his
son survived. i did however, find two other books written after this one, which
stated that tom riddle left his wife, as voldemort said, because he learned
of her magical heritage. i tend to believe this first book however, because the
notation was written and signed by a very trustworthy wizard. you'll never
guess who signed it."

"who?" ron asked, as harry narrowed his eyes.

"albus dumbledore," harry said, watching as hermione nodded her head.

"apparently, he was there as a witness to the birth, when tom marvolo riddle was
born, but learned of mathilda and julius's actions only when it was time
to send out letters to invite the boy to hogwart's, which his mother had already
arranged for and paid for before his birth."

"so all these years of voldemort hating muggles, it was because he was told his
father left his mother because she was a witch?" ginny asked.

"his anger caused him to become the man he is today, but it was a misled and
misplaced anger," hermione surmised in her usual lecture-tone. "i guess he
was determined to become the greatest wizard alive in order to make his father pay
for leaving his mother and putting him in an orphanage."

"bloody hell," ron said. "if his grandparents hadn't put him there, he would never
have become the dark lord."

"that may not be necessarily true, but it does seem to reason, at least
psycologically anyway," hermione answered.

"but if dumbledore knew about this all along, why didn't he say something?" ginny
asked.

"that's a question we'll have to ask him," hermione said.

"at any rate, this information may be exactly what we need to use against him,"
harry said. "when he possessed me in the ministry, i thought about all of
you and how i felt about sirius, and dumbledore said it was compassion and love
that he couldn't bear. that was the reason he let me go. if he knew his
father didn't hate him, he may not be able to adjust to that information and it
will give us enough time to use the green flame torch against him."

"providing we can find it," hermione said, shutting the large, old book. "i still
have not been able to locate any maps or charts or anything that can help
us find where the witches traveled."

"then we'll have to reexamine the information we already have," ginny said with
confidence. "come on hermione, nobody thinks as rationally or as logically
as you do. i'm sure you'll be able to find the right course. you'll just have to
keep looking and we'll all help."

"you still have the final game to practice for," hermione said a little
disappointed at the idea of spending more time alone in the library.

"but that doesn't mean we can't all look," ron told her, sensing her emotions and
picking up on her expression.

"we can make it part of the d.a.," ginny suggested, looking at harry.

"sure, why not?" he answered. "the more of us looking, the quicker we can find
it."

"are we ever going to have a normal year, at this school?" ron grumbled.

"what makes you think this isn't a normal year?" harry asked with a smile. "so
far, something has happened every year we've been here. that would make this
just another year, in our books."

"what i wouldn't give for a few weeks without incident, chaos, evil spells, or
threats of death." harry chuckled at his friend's reaction, while he stood
from his chair and smoothed his robes.

"i have lessons with snape," he said, suddenly feeling a lot less eager to leave
the celebration happening around them.

"harry, why are you doing so many weird spells?" ron asked, looking at his friend.
"you've never read about this 'lapis gelu' thing, but you know how to
do it. don't you think that's a little odd?"

"i think it's very odd, but i have no way to explain it. even dumbledore was
surprised by that one. i guess i'll find out soon enough though. professor
dumbledore's going to sit in on my lesson tonight. maybe he can tell me how i'm
doing these things and not know about them." harry leaned down and kissed
ginny briefly before leaving the three of them and headed down to the dungeons. he
was passing the closet on the main floor when a strange sound, like
a strangled muffle escaped from behind the closed door. he slowly retrieved his
wand from his cloak, thinking that wormtail had found a way into the castle
after all and stepped to the door, jerking it open. inside were two very
surprised, nearly naked young people, staring blankly at harry and his wand.

"neville?" harry said in a shocked tone.

"harry...i'm sorry...i mean..." neville stammered trying to pull his jumper back
across his exposed chest, his pants missing its belt and the zipper undone
exposing a little more of his anatomy than harry would have cared to see. standing
behind him, trying to cover herself, was a very red faced blonde. luna
turned her back on the two, struggling to return her undergarments to where they
should be.

"i am so sorry," harry said at last, a little more amused than he should have
been. "i just heard a noise and i thought...i'm sorry, never mind, just forget
i was here." he shut the door quickly and hurried down the stairs, a much lighter
mood accompanying him on his final staircase. he was glad neville and
luna were getting on so well, he just didn't want to know how well and he
certainly didn't care much to see it first hand.

inside snape's classroom, harry found professor dumbledore wearing a pale blue
robe, with planets magically circling around the material. on top of his
head was a tall pointed hat, much like his robes, and beneath it was the friendly
face of the man harry most admired. his long gray hair and beard looked
as if they had just been brushed, and as he smiled, harry noticed the twinkle of
contentment in his eyes. he couldn't remember ever seeing the old man
look quite so relaxed or pleased.

"good afternoon harry," dumbledore said, stepping to his side and placing a warm
hand on his shoulder. "congratulations on your victory today."

"thank you sir," harry said with a smile in return, then glanced to the dark
expression on snape's pasty face. "i just hope we do as well against slytherin,
in the finals."

"yes, let's hope so potter," snape said with a tone of bitterness in his voice.

"well now, shall we get started?" dumbledore said, stepping up to the front row of
desks and taking a seat. "i told professor snape i was going to sit in
on tonight's lesson. i am very eager to see how well you're progressing."

"yes sir," harry said, feeling suddenly much more relaxed, knowing the old wizard
did not let on the real reason he was here.

"potter, come here and prepare yourself," snape told him, turning his back and
taking the pensive from his desk, placing it on the top shelf of potions.
"i suppose it is best if we just start at the beginning. remember to try and block
me from your mind." with that said, snape stared in harry's eyes, concentrating
on the spell. "protect yourself against me," snape said in a mocking tone, as
harry narrowed his eyes, focusing his mind. he could see snape's actions
from that day, sitting in the bleachers watching the game, jeering as ginny made a
goal, snarling when ron blocked a shot from ravenclaw, and cursing when
harry returned from beneath the bleachers with the golden snitch. then he saw him
earlier, in his room. he was sitting at the desk behind a stack of homework
parchments. he opened the drawer and pulled out the framed picture of the woman
harry had seen in his mind during an earlier lesson.

"potter! stay out of my..." snape shouted, and without thinking harry imagined the
greasy haired git frozen as solid as a statue. he blinked his eyes, realizing
snape had done exactly that, he was frozen in place, the shocked expression on his
face revealing his reaction to harry seeing him that morning, his wand
gripped hard in his hand. harry turned to dumbledore who rose from his seat and
stepped toward his potion's master.

"it is indeed the 'lapis gelu' spell," the old wizard said with a frown.

"but i didn't do anything, i swear it."

"what were you thinking just before this happened?" harry thought for a moment.

"i thought about him turning to stone," harry said. "is that how the spell is
performed?"

"not usually, but then you aren't exactly a usual wizard."

"but how did i do it?"

"there is another branch of magic, harry, a much more serious and very advanced
branch. it borders on the line where magic and evil is divided. it can be
crossed over very easily, but once crossed it is difficult to come back. it's
known as 'imago- figura'. it's the art of spell casting through thought,
using one's mind as the weapon. i suspected you may posses the talent over the
summer holidays when you confronted professor snape, but until now i could
not be positive."

"how did i learn it? we've never had lessons on it, and i've never known of anyone
who could do anything even similar."

"there are two people i've known capable of doing such magic, but it has been some
time since i've seen it preformed so well."

"who are the two people?" harry asked, certain he knew of at least one person who
could do it. dumbledore looked at harry and smiled.

"no harry, one of them was not voldemort," he said, as if reading his mind. "i
know he tried to master such magic while here at hogwart's, but to my knowledge
he never succeeded."

"then who are the two people?

"one was your father, he developed the talent shortly before discovering he could
perform transfigurations, before he became an animagus. the other one
is someone a little closer to you. you consider him much as a brother."

"who? you mean one of the weasleys?" harry asked, thinking about whom he
considered a brother. dumbledore smiled, placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

"who is the one person in the weasley clan who seems in control, calm, comfortable
with his surroundings? the one person able to keep his temper under control
and always seems content." harry thought for a moment, considering each weasley in
turn. it was obviously not ginny, since he would never consider her
a brother, and it couldn't be ron because he rarely had control over his temper.
percy was never comfortable with his surroundings, and the twins were
too high strung to be content. there was mr. weasley, but he was less scatter
brained than ron and more a father than a brother, and mrs. weasley was neither
a brother, nor in control of her temper. the only ones left were charlie and bill.
he thought hard on both, but he couldn't determine which one it may
be, until he recalled the way bill had reacted at the valentine's day party at his
brothers' house.

"you mean charlie?" harry asked with a frown. "but how?"

"charlie was a very quiet and very talented student," dumbledore explained. "at
school he was rather popular, especially with the girls, though maybe not
as much as his elder brother. he was in transfigurations when he transformed a
teakettle into a baby dragon. it surprised him so much as it began puffing
fire and smoke that he made it freeze like a stone. professor mcgonagall was so
amazed, she brought him straight to me. that's when he admitted that he
had been able to perform such magic during certain classes, when he was having
difficulty and it gave him a few extra minutes to complete his tests or
assignments. his powers grew quickly, and it was only with serious dedication,
that he was able to use his talent for good. he didn't use it on his teachers
again - at least not that he would admit to - but he was able to use it to help
him with his dragon training. occasionally he needs it when one of his
creatures gets out of hand, and normal magic is not effective."

"i never knew," harry said softly, thinking about how he had been able to keep the
dragons under control during the first task at the triwizard tournament.

"only his father knows, and now you. he had strict supervision and very detailed
lessons, in order to master it as well as he has. your father was much
the same. he discovered his talent during a rather heated argument with professor
snape, over lily's attentions to tutoring. your father felt she was spending
too much time with the one person james felt the least affection for. it's not
surprising that you were able to perform it on him as well. it seems to
run in the potter blood."

"i didn't intentionally mean to do it professor, i swear."

"i know you didn't harry, but nevertheless, you know how and now your lessons on
the subject must be specific. the art of 'imago-figura' is very strong
and powerful. you must be trained to use it properly."

"that doesn't mean more lessons with snape, does it?" harry asked with a sorrowful
expression. dumbledore chuckled softly.

"no harry, i'm afraid not. professor snape does not possess the ability, therefore
he cannot teach you to use it properly. it will have to be mr. weasley,
if he feels he can spare the time to teach you. if not, i will take over your
lessons myself."

"you professor? but i thought you said there were only two that could do it, my
dad and charlie?"

"that's true harry, there are only two i knew of - outside of myself. i have many
secrets that are not found in books or legend."

"does anyone know everything about you, sir?" harry asked with a smile.

"only one person came close, and she has been gone for many years. now, we need to
release professor snape, before he sticks that way permanently."
"do we have to?" harry asked with a smirk. dumbledore raised an eyebrow at harry,
who smiled in return. "you can't blame a guy for asking."

"you'll have plenty of time, to understand fate and destiny, harry. until then,
patience is a lesson well learned, and well rewarded. i'm sure you learned
that with miss weasley?" harry blushed openly, remembering exactly how much the
old wizard knew of his students. "now, harry, you need to return to your
position in front of professor snape. it would be best if he didn't know about
this. he would very angry if he knew you froze him for the past fifteen
minutes. stand there," he said, issuing harry back to where he once was, taking
his own seat at the front of the class. "all you have to do harry, is think
about him as he normally is and reverse the thought you had. you may need to
concentrate a little harder." harry looked at snape and curled his lip. it
would be so nice to keep him this way, he thought. imagine him as a statue in the
owlery.

"harry," dumbledore scolded, having sensed his thoughts. harry blushed softly,
then focused his mind on the beak-nosed man in front of him. he concentrated
as hard as he could, his eyes focused on the dark eyes of his professor, and he
thought about him as a living, breathing person. his head was beginning
to pound at the temples as he thought harder and harder.

"...thoughts!" snape growled. "this lesson is over." harry blinked, jumping in

surprise. he hadn't expected him to return to his usual state of shouting,
or to pick up his conversation where he left off. snape turned back to dumbledore
who was rising from his seat.

"i can not teach him further, if he is unwilling to cooperate," snape told the old
wizard.

"yes, i understand severus," dumbledore said. "i am expect harry's training in the
art of occlumency is complete, anyway. i will take over from here on
out."

"good luck headmaster," snape said, turning back to harry. "he is not a very
studious pupil."

"yes, well, good night then severus. come harry, i'll walk with you to the second
floor." harry left the room in front of dumbledore, glancing back to snape
who was running his hand through his hair, glancing at the clock on his desk. he
smiled, knowing the old greasy git was wondering what happened to so much
time.

"harry you must promise me something," dumbledore said as they stepped up to the
main floor. "the art of imago-figura is very powerful. you must promise
me to listen to all instructions and follow them explicitly. this is not to be
taken lightly. if lord voldemort were to discover you could do this, he
would stop at nothing to persuade you into joining his side. he would have reason
to keep you alive, and that can not happen." harry's eyes widened.

"excuse me?" dumbledore shook his head, a gentle smile creeping across his thin
old lips.

"that is not what i meant harry. i simply mean, we cannot allow him to persuade
you into joining him. you must learn these lessons with the most serious
mind. you must promise me, harry. you must do as you are told, there can be no
diverting from the lessons."
"i promise professor," harry told him.

"this can not be like it was with occlumency, harry. you must not promise and not
do it."

"i will do as i'm told sir, you have my word. i won't lie about this, or take
short cuts."

"good lad," dumbledore said, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "i'll contact
mr. weasley and see if he is available to teach you. if not, i will meet
you in the room of requirements for your first lesson, this friday at this same
time?"

"yes sir," harry said, and watched as the gargoyle statue jumped aside and the old
wizard stepped onto the moving staircase. harry frowned as he disappeared
from sight. he was starting to look old again, old and weathered, and more fragile
than ever. harry turned and headed back to his common room. he didn't
know how he was going to do it, or how he was going to fit more lessons into his
schedule, but he made a promise to the one man he admired most, and this
time he would keep it. no matter how hard it would be.

read? review!

author notes: thanks again and as always, to everyone who r/r, but a very special
thanks to "d" for all your hard work and wonderful suggestions. i am so
glad i met you. please continue to r/r, and don't worry there are plans for a book
seven and eight.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: as always, a very special thanks to "d" for all your great help
and hard work. you're the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter thirty-nine

harry and ron hurried up the stairs to their dormitory, out of breath and late for
history of magic. they had forgotten their homework assignments, after
staying up for most of the night working on their essays on the witches of the
first millennium. harry swung the door open and ran through, stopping so
suddenly that ron actually smacked into the back of him.

"bloody hell, harry!" ron exclaimed, feeling the pain in his chest from where
harry's school bag had hit him. harry didn't answer - he didn't have to. a
sudden scream echoed from the bed across the room, as a loud thud hit the floor.
ron looked around his friend, seeing a very naked neville scrambling to
find his clothes, lying scattered around him. in the bed, hiding beneath the
covers was a figure, small and shaking slightly. lying exposed was a long
thin leg tangled in the blankets.

"h...harry...r...ron," neville stuttered, as he finally found his shirt and

wrapped it around his waist, while sitting on the floor.

"neville?" ron asked, the shocked expression on his face echoed his feelings as he
stared at the young man.
"i thought you weren't feeling well?" harry couldn't believe he just said that,
but the words were spoken regardless.

"i...i was...i mean i wasn't...i mean i was just...that is..."

"who's that with you?" ron asked, as harry turned and stared at the red face of
his best friend. quietly, the blankets lowered and an equally red face peeked
out from beneath the covers.

"loony luna?" ron said, his tone a loud croak.

"don't call her that," neville said, standing from the floor suddenly, the shirt
dropping from his hand.

"bloody hell, neville, get some clothes on," harry said, diverting his eyes, as
neville bent quickly and picked the shirt back up, wrapping it around his
waist. "lets just get our homework and get to class," harry said, hurrying to his
bedside table and retrieving the parchment he'd been working on the night
before. he turned back to ron, rolling his eyes at his friend, who remained frozen
in the same spot staring at the two in front of him.

"ron, come on," harry said, grabbing the parchment on ron's bed and pulling him by
the back of the robes, out the door. they walked together down to the
common room with ron looking behind him as though he were expecting the two
upstairs to come bounding down behind them.

"what the hell did he bring her in to our dormitory for?" ron asked, as they
stepped through the portrait hole.

"you aren't that thick, ron," harry said in an angry tone. "you saw what we
interrupted. you've been there yourself enough times."

"you know what i mean. she's a ravenclaw, she shouldn't be in our house or even
know our password."

"we'll have to talk to him later," harry said.

"what's happening with him?" ron asked seriously, turning to look at harry. "i can
handle him having a girl, even if it is loony luna, but now he's lying
to get out of class, sneaking her into our house and into our dormitory and then
getting caught shagging her."

"i don't know. it's really not like the neville we've always known."

"harry, do you remember how you were after...sirius...you know?" ron asked him,
stopping close to binns classroom. "do you think he's reacting to his mum's
death? maybe he's like you were, you know with all the exercising and stuff. maybe
he's using her to kind of feel alive."

"i think i can understand how he must be feeling," harry said. "i think maybe
that's why i didn't want ginny and i to...you know. i was afraid i'd be using
her to feel something other than my own grief."

"i've never lost anyone like that, but i think i could probably relate. i know how
i felt when my dad was in the hospital last year. if hermione and i were
together back then, maybe i would have been acting like neville is."
"i doubt hermione would have let you keep your neck, if you'd tried."

"i'm really worried about him, harry. if he is the fifth point of the stars, we
need to get his head back together before we need him."

"even if he's not the fifth point, we still need to be there for him. we've never
even spoken to him about his mother, since we returned from christmas
holidays. friends need to be there for each other and we haven't been."

"so now we have to get all mushy and start talking about feelings?" ron asked with
a disgusted look on his face. "that's worse then when hermione wants
to talk."

"he's our friend, ron. we need to talk to him. at the very least, we need to make
sure he doesn't bring anyone else into our dormitory."

"okay, but there better not be any crying," ron grumbled.

"why, hermione complain when you start?" harry asked with a snicker, as he walked
into history of magic and took his seat.

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

ron and harry had told the girls about neville and it was decided that they should
indeed speak with him. hermione was near hysterics when she learned he
had brought an outsider into their house and it took all three of them to calm her
down and keep her from going straight to mcgonagall. they now sat at
the corner table in the common room long after most of the other students retired,
waiting for neville to return from his date with luna. the only one
left in the common room, was the tiny little first year girl, sitting alone by the
fireplace. harry glanced to her, recognizing her from their first night
back to hogwart's. with a sigh, he walked over to where she sat reading the same
book she'd been looking at for the past twenty minutes, without turning
the page. he sat down next to her, smiling as she turned to look at him.

"hello. i'm harry," he said smiling at her.

"i know, everyone knows you," she said, forcing a smile across her tiny face. "i'm
sabrina wagtail."

"it's very nice to meet you, sabrina. what are you reading?" the little girl
looked at harry in surprise.

"don't you want to know about my father?" she asked him. harry shrugged.

"why? is he a student here?"

"no. he's myron wagtail. he's the lead singer for the wicked sisters."

"my dad was james potter. he was a chaser for gryffindor. at least we got that out
of the way."

"aren't you going to ask me for my dad's autograph, or something?" sabrina asked
with a frown.

"why should i? it's you i'm talking to."

"but everyone else just wants to be my friend, because of who my dad is."
"i understand," harry said with a warm smile. "when i first started here, most
people wanted to be my friend because of my name too, or they were afraid
because they thought i had some awesome power, so they avoided me. it was really
annoying. fortunately, i met ron and hermione and they didn't really care
what i was, they just liked me for me. then ginny came the next year. i guess
there're still people who look at me weird and everyone wants to see my scar."

"i don't," sabrina said with a soft blush.

"good, because i really hate showing it. now, what are you reading?" sabrina
smiled happily, showing him her first year potions book. "ugh. i hated potions,
in fact i still do. but if you need help, hermione is a great tutor and i know she
won't ask for your dad's autograph either."

"i don't like potions," she said honestly. "professor snape really scares me."

"don't let him get to you. he just likes to make people think he's big and mean.
he's really just a greasy haired git." sabrina laughed, lowering her eyes
and blushing. "if you need help with any of your subjects, just let us know. we'll
be happy to help."

"thank you harry. i'm glad i have at least one friend here."

"you have more than that," ginny said, as she hermione and ron sat down on the
chairs surrounding harry and the girl.

"we were all new here once too," hermione said, glancing a warning to ron to not
open his mouth about the girl's parentage. "and we don't care who your
father is. it's you that's important."

"yeah, if we cared about people's families, we'd all go mental," ron said with a
genuine smile, surprising hermione with his reactions. "i think ferret-face
is the only one who really cares about family blood lines."

"ferret-face?" sabrina asked, watching as hermione punched the red head's arm.

"that's just ron's name for draco malfoy," harry said in defense of his friend.

"he's that blond boy from slytherin, isn't he?"

"yeah, that's him. the sludge of hogwart's," ron added, rubbing his shoulder.

"i've seen him on the quidditch pitch at night, when i've sat in my window. he's
always sitting in the bleachers staring at the skies."

"are you sure?" hermione asked.

"yeah, he's always there. he goes out there late at night and just sits there,
like he's waiting for something." harry exchanged glances with hermione,
as ron and ginny turned in time to see neville return from his date. they stared
at the rumpled appearance of the young man's clothing, his hair less than
smooth, his cloak buttoned crookedly.

"hey guys," neville said as he entered the room.

"hey neville," harry said.

"we've been waiting for you," hermione added, a little less than friendly.

"sabrina, would you mind if we continue our conversation later?" harry asked with
a smile. "what about over breakfast?"

"i'd love to," she said with a blush and a smile, as she stood up taking her book
with her.

"great, then we'll see you first thing tomorrow." harry looked shocked when
sabrina suddenly reached out and hugged his neck, before hurrying up the stairs
to her room.

"looks like i may have something to be jealous of," ginny said in a soft tone,
receiving a smile from her boyfriend.

"well, i'm going to bed," neville said quickly. "night."

"not so fast," hermione said again, standing and walking to the young man, her
arms folded across her chest. "do you realize how much trouble you could
get into for having another student in our house?" she asked him. neville looked
from one set of eyes to the other, swallowing hard.

"she didn't hear the password," he told them quickly. "i put a deafening spell on
her, before i said it. i promise, she didn't see anything or hear anything
and she was never out of my sight."

"it's not just that neville," harry said. "we've all been really worried about
you, since we heard about your mum. we're really sorry about your loss."

"my mum's death wasn't all that unexpected," he said softly. "the physicians
warned us a long time ago, that my parents wouldn't live a long life."

"but that doesn't make it any easier," ginny said, placing her hand on his
shoulder.

"look, neville, we don't really care that you're shagging loo...luna," ron said
abruptly. "she's an all right girl. but we don't want you getting into trouble."

"we also don't want you failing any of your classes," ginny told him.

"we're your friends neville and we only want to make sure nothing happens." harry
couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as he watched his girlfriend practically
hugging the young man's shoulder.

"i promise, it was our first time...i mean, it was her first time...i mean, i've
never brought her here before. it won't happen again." neville's face a
brilliant red by the time he had finished trying to get his sentence out.

"we've all had our share of trying to find places to...be alone," ginny said
glancing to harry and smiling. "but you really can't bring her here. you'll
be in so much trouble if anyone else finds out."

"i won't do it again," her said in a soft voice.

"listen neville," harry said, stepping to ginny's side and wrapping his arms
around her waist, as if to make certain his friend understood she was his.
"if you need a place to...be alone, we can give you some hints and ideas. we've
had to find out about places the hard way."
"thanks," neville said softly. "i think we've already found a place."

"where?" ron asked, a little more eager than intended and he realized it
immediately when hermione turned her disapproving stare to him.

"well, it's just that we started thinking and figured the room of requirements
seemed like a pretty good place. that is, when we're not in d.a."

"i've heard the room is rather convenient," harry said with a smirk, as he
exchanged glances with his other friends.

"well, if that's it, i'm really tired and i still have my homework from today to
catch up on," neville said, leaving the others alone as he went to his
room.

"if this keeps up, we're going to have to set up a schedule of who gets the room
on what days," ron grumbled again, receiving another punch from hermione
and a round of laughter from harry and ginny. it did seem as if all of hogwart's
sixth years, were starting to find a use for the room, other than their
extra lessons and studies, harry thought with a smile as they climbed the stairs
to their separate rooms. it should be called the room of recreation, rather
than the room of requirements. nobody really had requirements, just a whole lot of
desires.

sabrina came bounding down the stairs with more enthusiasm than usual. harry
looked up as she took the last step and smiled as he stood up to greet her.
she looked very pretty with her long blonde hair hanging across her shoulder and
her bright blue eyes shining like sapphires in a creamy complexion. harry
wondered why it was none of the boys noticed the little girl, or how those a year
or two older hadn't started paying attention to her. she had looks that
promised to be extraordinary when she grew up.

"good morning," harry told her, holding his arm out for her to take. it wasn't
until that moment that harry noticed the three younger male students standing
by the corner table. it seemed that none of them really cared much for the two of
them being together, which made harry rethink his last assumption.

"hello harry," sabrina answered, taking his arm with a soft blush.

"ready for breakfast? the others are already down in the great hall."

"even your girlfriend?" harry chuckled at the obvious darkening of the young
girl's blush.

"you're not jealous are you?" he teased, watching as she lowered her eyes and
smiled, causing him to chuckle again. "ginny knows she has no competition,
but you never know. in a year or two, she may have something to worry about."
harry nodded to the boys, as they started toward the portrait hole, stepping
out into the passageway. harry escorted the young girl down the stairs, taking
particular note of the way several younger students noticed them. he felt
awkward at first, until he realized how many were looking at sabrina in complete
awe. they stepped into the great hall and harry led his new friend toward
the elder students sitting near the head of the table. those from the young girl's
own year watched as he held her arm, helping her sit down at the table
between himself and neville, before sitting next to ginny.

"good morning sabrina," ginny said, holding harry's hand under the table.
"we've been talking," hermione began, looking across the table to the girl. "we
met your sister at ron's brothers' valentine's day part. her husband oliver
is a friend of ours and we were thinking about getting together over easter break
and maybe visiting hogsmeade. if you can get permission from your parents,
maybe you'd like to join us?"

"i'd love to," sabrina said, her face lighting up with excitement. "i can ask my
mum and dad. i'm sure they'd agree if i were with harry and if margie joined
us."

"we took the liberty of owling oliver this morning," hermione added.

"this is so cool," sabrina said again. "i've never been to hogsmeade before."

"you'll love it," ginny told her. "it's a blast, especially honeyduke's. they have
the best candy. well, except for my brothers, but honeyduke's candy won't
explode in your face, or turn you purple."

"your brothers turn you purple?"

"just their candy sometimes. they have a joke shop and they love playing pranks,
especially on family."

"how awful," sabrina said with a frown.

"it's not that bad. it's never permanent and they've made a lot of money with
their stupid jokes."

"they won't turn me purple will they?" harry looked at the little girl next to
him, suddenly feeling what it must be like for ron to have ginny as a little
sister. compassion welled up in him and he put an arm around her shoulder without
thought.

"we'll protect you," he promised her. "they wouldn't dare do anything to you, with
the four of us there, or with oliver. he was their quidditch captain
for several years you know."

"i didn't know that. was oliver any good?" harry smiled at the little girl again.

"he was great. a little fanatic and a slave driver, but otherwise he wasn't bad.
we won the house cup two years ago because of oliver's dedication to the
game."

"so he's always been a little weird?" ron snickered from across the table.

"yeah, you could say that," the red head said. "he's a little too serious for my
taste." the group continued talking about their decision to go to hogsmeade,
when a warm hand fell on harry's shoulder. he looked up into the smiling round
face of the red haired man.

"charlie!" ginny asked, standing up suddenly and hugging her older brother. "what
are you doing here?"

"since when does a guy need an excuse to visit his brother and sister?" charlie
answered, hugging his sister.

"i don't remember you ever visiting hogwart's before," ron said. "except for
fourth year and then for buckbeak."

"things change little brother," charlie said, sitting on the other side of ginny.
"gees, it doesn't seem like that long ago, when i was sitting here with
my own class." charlie picked up the food that appeared on the plate in front of
him, tasting the eggs and sausage. "the food hasn't changed much. it's
still great."

"how long are you staying?" ginny asked, watching as he turned his head to her,
looking directly at harry.

"i'm not sure," charlie answered, returning his attention to the food in front of
him.

"what about your job?" ron asked, with a frown. "don't you need to be back to
work?"

"i've taken a leave. i decided i needed some more time with the family."

"what's going on?" hermione asked in a soft tone.

"nothing to worry about. don't you guys have a class soon, or have they changed
the class times since i was here?"

"no, you're right," hermione said, standing up from her seat. "we have to get
going."

"i'll see you guys at lunch," charlie said, looking at harry again, his eyes
focusing on those of the younger man's. "i need to speak to dumbledore, but
we should be finished by then." harry watched as ron and hermione started down the
isle to the door and then turned to ginny.

"i'll see you later," he told her, kissing her cheek. ginny looked at him with a
frown, but nodded and left. "did professor dumbledore tell you why he sent
for you?" harry asked, once they were alone.

"he said he needed to see me regarding something about you. want to explain it?"

"why don't we discuss this in private." harry and charlie turned to see the old
wizard, wearing robes of green and yellow step up behind them. "we can use
my office. professor mcgonagall, would you care to join us?" the old man turned to
the aged witch behind him and smiled.

"what about class, sir?" harry asked.

"i'm quite sure hagrid will understand if you're not there." harry nodded
awkwardly and then followed the others out of the great hall and up to the second
floor, where dumbledore spoke the password to the gargoyle, who quickly leapt
aside.

once in his office in the top of the tower that overlooked the open grounds, he
took his seat behind the desk, waiting as professor mcgonagall summoned
three large wing back chairs and a tea tray.

"so, what's all this about?" charlie asked, accepting the tea that poured itself
in the china cup. "all your owl said was that you needed my help with harry.
has something happened between him and ginny i should contact my parents for?"
harry blushed openly, choking on the tea he had just sipped.
"no mr. weasley, it isn't anything of the sort," dumbledore said, smiling at
harry's reaction. "harry's powers seem to have taken a growth spurt. he's
discovered
the art imago- figura. he's been able to use the lapis gelu spell against
professor snape."

"mr. potter is this true?" professor mcgonagall asked and then realized she had
practically called the headmaster a liar. "forgive me albus," she said,
smiling at the expression of amusement on the older man's face.

"i guess it's true," harry answered.

"how did you learn imago-figura?" charlie asked, a deep frown creasing his brow.

"i don't know. it just sort of happened."

"sound familiar, mr. weasley?" dumbledore asked with a smile, as he looked over
the rim of his half moon glasses.

"professor dumbledore said you know how to do this lapis gelu thing too," harry
said looking at the man who so closely resembled ron.

"i do. it's been very helpful to me with my dragons. when did you first discover
you could do it?"

"when i was working on occlumency with snape, even though i didn't need any more
lessons. i remember getting angry with him because i didn't feel there
was anything more he could teach me about occlumency and it just happened. i saw
one of his memories and thought he'd be furious with me, then the next
thing i know he froze. it only lasted a couple of minutes, but each time it got
longer."

"have you been practicing the lapis gelu spell at all?"

"no. until i told ginny about it, i didn't even know what i was doing. professor
dumbledore saw me do it and suggested you should teach me how to control
it."

"i'd be happy to harry. but i'm not sure if i'm the right person. i don't know how
it happened the first time i did it, either. it came in handy though
for getting a few extra minutes to finish my assignments."

"mr. weasley," professor mcgonagall snapped. "i do not think that is the sort of
example you need to be setting for mr. potter."

"professor, this is harry potter we're talking about here. if it hasn't already
been done, i'm sure he'll find a way to do it." harry blushed and charlie
laughed, causing the frown to deepen on professor mcgonagall's face and the smile
to widen on dumbledore's.

"i have already arranged for mr. potter to skip his magical creatures and
herbology lessons, so you may spend time with him," the headmaster said. "he is
already quite proficient in both, so his dropping those classes for the time being
should not affect his o.w.l.s in the least."

"if you wish, i'll arrange guest quarters for you mr. weasley," professor
mcgonagall said. charlie smiled at the idea of having vip status at his old
school.

"i would appreciate it, since using the floo network would be too obvious at the
moment. when would you like to start your training, harry?"

"the sooner the better," harry said.

"i will arrange for you to take the rest of the day to practice," dumbledore said,
as he stood from his seat and stepped around the desk. "you may use the
room of requirements. i believe you have a d.a. class this evening as well.
perhaps mr. weasley would care to assist you."

"what's the d.a.?" charlie asked.

"it's a special dada class we started last year," harry said, glancing to
professor mcgonagall watching the curious expression on her face. "we felt it
was necessary since umbridge wasn't teaching us anything about the dark arts, to
practice what we knew and try some new spells."

"i'm impressed," charlie said, patting the boy's shoulder with a warm chuckle.
"like i said, it's harry potter we're talking about."

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who continues to r/r. i hope you enjoy the
next few chapters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: to "d", thanks as always. i couldn't have done this without you!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty

harry spent an exhausting day training under charlie weasley. he had no idea the
brother of the girl he loved, was so intent on perfection. they had spent
nearly four full hours going over the lapis gelu, turning the bogart harry had
gotten from tonks for the patronus spell, to stone. over and over he turned
it to stone and back again. by the time lunch rolled around, his head was aching
worse than it ever had with any of his occlumency lessons. he wanted to
return to his dormitory and rest, but he promised ginny and sabrina he'd have
lunch with her. reluctantly, harry joined charlie on his walk down to the
great hall, where most of the students were already enjoying their meal. harry sat
next to ginny while charlie joined tonks at the teacher's head table.
the longer harry spent in the noisy room, the worse his head felt.

"you look awful mate," ron said with a frown.

"where have you been all day?" hermione asked, using her usual 'you're going to
get in trouble' tone.

"i've been with charlie in the room of requirements," he answered absently.

"why were you there?" ginny asked, watching as harry leaned his head against his
hand, covering his eyes with his palms.
"i've been practicing that stupid lapis gelu spell," he said softly, his head
aching even beyond his own voice could tolerate.

"you should go see madame pomfrey," ginny said with a concerned frown. "you look
really pale."

"i just need to lie down for awhile."

"what about afternoon classes?" hermione asked.

"dumbledore gave me the day off, so i could work with charlie." the four remained
silent for a few minutes, with harry fighting the pain throbbing behind
his eyes. he hadn't realized he had said so much about what had happened that
morning, and at this rate he was certain he would tell voldemort himself
the secrets he wished to know, if he had them. with a sigh of pain, exhaustion and
grief, harry stood up from the table.

"i'm going to my room," he said, squeezing ginny's shoulder. "i'll see you guys
later." harry left the noise of the great hall and quietly walked up to
the gryffindor common room. he offered the fat lady the password, then stepped
through the exposed hole and went straight to the sixth year boy's dormitory.
he kicked his shoes off, pulled off his glasses and climbed onto the made covers
of his bed, pulling the drapes closed around him. the curtain clad bed
made the light of the exposed spring sun less painful, as he tried to focus his
mind on relaxing. his head ached so fiercely that he felt like it was splitting
in two. he couldn't concentrate on clearing his mind. it was as if something was
taking over his thoughts.

he moaned in confusion as images of his common room echoed through his mind, and
he felt as though he were climbing the stairs all over. he saw himself
standing outside his own dormitory, staring at the sign that indicated the sixth
year boys. he felt the warmth of the spring air as it drifted in through
the open window from the common room, and frowned. the window was never open when
students were in class. a house elf must have opened it to allow the
musty, closed smell to clear and forgot to shut it again. he sighed heavily,
trying to refocus his mind, but he could feel himself standing outside the
door, reaching for the handle, but he couldn't feel it, he couldn't make it turn.
it was as though there were a spell blocking him from entering.

"harry potter," he heard the wind whisper, as it blew across the empty room.
"harry potter." harry didn't want to be disturbed; he didn't want to talk to
anyone right now, so he rolled to his side, issuing his back to the room.

"you are very powerful, harry," the wind said again, and harry moaned against the
words. "very powerful. you could rule the world, if you only had the courage.
i can help you, harry. i can give you the answers you seek."

"what answers," he thought, his head beginning to pound again.

"you want to know about your godfather. you want to know what lies beyond the
veil. he's still alive harry, but he's trapped. i can help you bring him back.
together we can bring back those you love. your power and mine, together we will
be invincible, even dumbledore won't be able to stop us."

"no," harry thought. "sirius is dead, he'll never come back. i know that now.
there's nothing i can do to bring him back, to bring any of them back."

"there is a way harry. go to the mirror of erised. there you will find the answer.
follow the path to the forbidden forrest. he's waiting for you harry.
you must save him."

"it's not possible," harry thought. "he's dead and i don't know where the mirror
is."

"use your mother's azurite, it will lead the way. once you are there, you must ask
the mirror specifically to show you the way to your godfather. there
you will find him. do as i say harry and the world can be ours."

harry saw the door of his dormitory disappear as he quietly descended the stairs
back down to the common room. he felt his head exploding in pain, as flames
burst into life within the fireplace and he stepped in feeling the heat, hearing a
voice echoing in his head. "riddle estates," it said and harry could
feel himself being pulled back into the common room, back up to his bed where he
lay moaning loudly.

"harry? you all right mate?" a voice called out to him, as a warm hand touched his
shoulder. harry opened his eyes, and then closed them again with a loud
moan. his head was exploding in a very familiar way.

"no," harry whispered. "voldemort...it was him..."

"what? harry snap out of it, what's going on?" the voice said and harry struggled
to sit up, fighting to regain control. what had happened? why was he so
determined to see find the mirror of erised?

"harry, come on, sit up and talk to me. what's going on?" harry opened his eyes
again, seeing the blurry red hair trying to come into focus. he felt himself
being pulled upright, but the pain in his head was nearly unbearable. he moaned
again, as he forced his eyes open. what had happened? why was he feeling
like he'd just stood in the same room as voldemort? why had he used the floo
network? where did he go? why was he still here?

"harry, answer me," ron said, as harry focused his eyes on his best friend.
"what's going on?" harry blinked, the pain subsided slowly and he was able to
focus. he remembered coming up the stairs and lying on his bed. then he remembered
coming back through the common room and up the stairs, but he was already
upstairs. he saw the closed door in front of him, but was unable to open it, but
he was already inside. then it hit him with all the force of reality.

"he was here," harry said in alarm, pulling his wand from his cloak and standing
up, forcing his legs to support him.

"who was here?" ron asked, staring blankly at his best friend.

"voldemort. i saw him, i heard him. he was here, in hogwart's, here in our house.
i saw him ron. he told me to go find the mirror of erised. he said sirius
was still alive, but he was trapped. he said the mirror would show me the way to
get him back."

"but that's impossible, harry. there's no way he could have gotten in. dumbledore
said so himself."

"i'm telling you ron, he was here. i heard him. i've got to tell dumbledore. i can
save sirius." harry headed out the door and down the stairs, taking them
two at a time. he had to hurry, sirius needed him. he had to find a way; he had to
find the mirror.
harry passed by several students on their way back to their dormitories, as he
rushed down to the second floor. he stood there unaware he had been followed.
he issued the password dumbledore had said earlier that day, then stepped through
to the staircase the gargoyle exposed. he nearly ran up the winding stairs,
ignoring the fact that they were moving, and began pounding on the closed door.
instantly it opened, revealing a very shocked expression from an aging
wizard.

"he was here, professor," harry gasped as he stepped into the room, followed by
ron, hermione and ginny. he turned and glanced to charlie who was sitting
in a chair in front of dumbledore's desk and professor mcgonagall who sat next to
him.

"who was here harry?" dumbledore asked stepping around to stand in front of the
young man.

"voldemort, he was here. i heard him, i saw him in gryffindor tower. he was there,
i swear it. i heard him, i saw him come up the stairs, but he couldn't
get into the room. he said sirius was still alive, that i had to get to the mirror
of erised and that it would show me the way to bring him back. he said
he wasn't dead, he was trapped. i have to save him, he needs me."

"harry calm down," dumbledore said with a frown. "i know you want to find a way to
save sirius, but there is no way back from the veil."

"there is, i know there is. voldemort told me i was powerful, he said i could
rescue him. i have to try."

"where would you go harry?" dumbledore asked, placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

"what?" harry frowned at the old man, unable to believe what he was being asked.

"harry, sit down," dumbledore conjured up a chair for each of them, and leaned
against his desk as he examined the confused expression on the young man's
face. "since the veil was first discovered, the greatest scholars and wizards of
the world has spent exhausting hours and years trying to figure a way
of bringing back those who have passed through. there is no way back, harry. i'm
sorry."

"but he said...he told me i could use the mirror of erised to find him. he said
the mirror would show me the way."

"harry i've already told you, the mirror of erised only shows us what we want to
see. you want sirius back, and that is exactly what it will show you. i'm
sorry harry, but there is nothing you can do."

"is it possible he was really in gryffindor tower?" hermione asked, as ginny

wrapped her arms around harry, who was suddenly grief stricken beyond words.

"i can not believe he was here himself," dumbledore said, looking at the
expression on harry's angry face. "harry you said he couldn't get into your room?"
harry shook his head, pushing away from ginny.

"it was like there was something blocking him, like the door was locked or
something."

"very interesting," the headmaster said softly.

"what is it albus?" professor mcgonagall asked.

"if i am not mistaken, the reason he could not enter was because harry was
inside."

"but i thought you said he would never be able to get into hogwart's as long as
you were here?" ginny asked.

"lord voldemort is unable to get into hogwart's, but there may be another way. he
may have used a medium in order to make contact."

"like he used harry last year?" hermione asked. "is that also how he was able to
make contact with harry today?"

"i believe so. harry, you've been under a great deal of stress lately because of
the new powers you've developed. even if you don't feel it, you're weakened
due to the strain of the sudden development of the imago- figura. it is possible
that in that momentary weakness, he was able to make contact as he did
last year. did you see him in any form, as you did before?" harry shook his head.

"i felt myself walking up the stairs and trying to reach for the door, but was
unable to open it. then i heard him calling me, telling me about sirius and
then he left."

"how?"

"through the fireplace...the floo network."

"you didn't see him even then? no impressions like last time, no image of a great
snake?"

"no sir."

"very interesting." dumbledore walked around his desk and sat down in the large
chair, his fingers tapping together as he thought.

"what could it have been?" hermione asked.

"if i am not mistake, miss granger, harry has experienced what is known as 'locus
vehere'."

"spirit travel," hermione whispered.

"what?" ron asked.

"it's called locus vehere," dumbledore said again. "in simpler terms it's known as
spirit travel or what muggles call astral-projection. it's when a wizard
can travel outside his body and into a distant host. voldemort mastered this
ability when he was very young, and still at the orphanage. we learned about
it when he arrived here at school. he tried possessing the teachers in order to
learn the answers of tests. i should have expected this. he would be able
to possess anything and send it through the floo network."

"anything?" ron asked.

"yes, any form of mammal, reptile, insect, anything capable of moving on it's own
accord."
"but the wards surrounding the castle, wouldn't they protect against such things?"
hermione asked.

"yes, to a point. if he were able to possess something small enough, it would be

simple to send it in without detection. the floo network is the least guarded
and most massive form of communication in the wizarding world. it is nearly
impossible to ward against every location."

"so what do we do now?" ginny asked, holding harry's hand tightly in her own.

"there are spells i can use to protect the fireplaces of the castle, but it will
still be difficult. professor mcgonagall will help set up wards in your
common room. did voldemort say anything else to you, harry?" he thought for a few
minutes, going over everything in his head.

"he said i was very powerful and together we could rule the world."

"as i suspected," dumbledore said.

"what professor?" charlie asked.

"the powers harry has recently discovered has made him a threat to voldemort. if
he cannot kill him, then he will try and coerce him into joining him. harry,
you have to do everything you can to resist him especially now. i told you before,
there is a very thin line between imago- figura an evil. if it is crossed,
it is extremely difficult to return."

"but sirius," harry said in a soft tone. "are you sure there's no way? maybe
voldemort found a way to save him." dumbledore stood up and walked back around
the desk, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"i wish there were harry. sirius was a good friend and i miss him too. but there
is nothing we can do. he's gone." harry looked defeated as he stood up
and walked out the door, leaving the others to watch him go.

"professor, are you sure?" ginny asked, her tone cracking with the emotion she
felt inside harry's heart.

"there is no way, miss weasley. i'm sorry. go with harry now and stay close to
him. he needs you more now than he ever has." ginny nodded and followed the
young man who had just left.

"what's going to happen now professor?" charlie asked, feeling the sadness of the
situation himself.

"i can't honestly say. we will have to do everything possible to help harry with
his training and help him work through this. if voldemort convinces him
into turning sides, there will be no hope left for any of us."

ginny found harry in his dormitory, searching his trunk. she sat on the end of the
bed, watching as he pulled nearly all the contents out.

"what are you looking for?" she asked him.

"voldemort said i could find the mirror of erised with my mother's azurite. i have
to try."
"but dumbledore said there was no way to bring sirius back," ginny said. the hair
on the back of her neck began to prick and she knew there was danger ahead.

"i have to try ginny," he told her, lifting the small box he kept his parents
rings and his mother's necklace in. he lifted it and held it up to the light.
the deep blue immediately began to glow, casting a prism of blue rainbows around
the room. harry stood up and walked toward the window, as the glowing
slowly disappeared. he walked back into the middle of the room, watching the blue
begin to glow brighter.

harry grabbed his father's old cloak and headed out of the room, the necklace
glowing with each step. ginny knew what he was doing and hurried after him.
she had to talk him out of this; she had to convince him to listen to what
dumbledore said.

"please, harry, wait." harry stopped and looked back at her. he could see the fear
shining in her eyes.

"stay here ginny. i'll be back."

"no, please. harry you have to listen..."

"ginny, sirius is the only family i've ever known. if i can help him, i'm going
to. i have to try."

"then i'm going with you," she told him.

"no you're not. i have to do this alone."

"the hell you will," ginny snatched the cloak from his hand and swinging it around
to land across her shoulders. harry frowned as she disappeared from sight.

"ginny, please. you have to stay. i can't worry about you right now."

"don't you dare assume you have to protect me," she demanded from beneath the
cloak. "i'm quite capable of taking care of myself. now if you're fool enough
to go against dumbledore's orders, than you're going to have to accept my going
with you."

"fine, but if things get dangerous, you're staying behind even if i have to
petrify you to do it." harry reached out and felt where ginny was standing,
stepping beneath the invisibility cloak with her. together they left the common
room, following the glowing of the azurite.

they wound around the castle so many times, harry lost track of where they were.
it seemed like hours, but they finally found a door to what he assumed
was on the fifth floor. he pushed on it, but it wouldn't budge. the necklace was
glowing with brilliancy, convincing him that he was within reach of where
he was destined to be. he raised his wand, whispering the 'alohomora' spell, and
then pushed the door open. the room beyond was empty with the exception
of another door opposite the first one. they stepped to it, whispering the
unlocking spell and walked through. again the room was empty and again there
was another door. three empty rooms later, harry found his patience thinning. he
pushed yet another door open, but his one led into a dark room. as they
progressed toward the middle of the room, candles burst into flame on the walls,
reflecting off the tall mirror that sat in the center of the room. harry
slipped the cloak off his shoulders, walking up to stand in front of it.
"this is the mirror of erised?" ginny asked in a soft whisper. harry nodded
silently. "what do we do now?" harry stood in front of the mirror, remembering
what voldemort had told him.

"show me how to find sirius black," he said, watching as clouds began to swirl
around the glass. within moments, harry saw the image of the forbidden forrest.
the image continued to move between the dark trees until it came to a halt at a
clearing. there stood a large glowing orb and then the image disappeared.

"i know where we have to go," he told ginny. "it's near grawp." harry picked up
the cloak again and slipped it over their heads, returning the way they
had come, not seeing the final image that floated in the mirror. the image of a
thin pale face, with glowing red eyes that smiled out from the darkness
of the forest. the image of lord voldemort.

read? review!

author notes: for everyone who faithfully r/r, thank you. i love hearing from all
of you, good or bad, so please continue to r/r. i'm sorry though, the
story is coming close to ending. but that just leaves us ready for book 7, and
movie 3! don't forget, june 4!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thank you to "d" for everything; editing, support, friendship,
wise words and the shoulder. i couldn't have finished this chapter without
you. i would also like to dedicate this chapter to my sister-in-law jessie (1956-
2004). i'll miss you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty-one

the night was dark and the clouds rolling in promised an evening of rain and cold.
harry and ginny hugged each other for warmth, as they stepped further
into the forbidden forest. hagrid's hut was long since behind them. harry was
certain they were near the edge of the forest, and feeling quite frustrated.
he was positive he knew where he was going back at the school, but once he got out
here in the dark he couldn't make heads or tails out of what he was
looking at.

loud snorting from grawp could be heard through the night's stillness, making
harry feel a mixture of warning and excitement. he knew he had to be close.
he looked through the darkness, afraid of lighting his wand because of the
centaurs. he wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting up with them again.

"what's that?" ginny asked, seeing a soft glow coming from among the trees. harry
narrowed his eyes, his heart pounding and his palms beginning to sweat
from nerves.

"i think that's it," he told her in a hushed tone. they walked further into the
woods, until a clearing came into view. the shimmering image of a portal
lay in the center of the clearing, and ginny instantly felt the pricking of hair
on the back of her neck again. this all looked so familiar to her, but
she couldn't remember where she had seen it.

"i don't like this," she told harry, who was looking through the cloak at the
portal.

"maybe you should stay here," he told her, turning to see the trance-like
expression in her honey brown eyes. "ginny, what is it? what's wrong?" he asked
as she began walking toward the portal, the cloak falling from her head.

ginny felt an odd sense of calm as she walked toward the glowing light. harry was
beside her calling her name and trying to pull her back, but she couldn't
stay, she didn't want to. she could hear voices calling to her from the other side
of the portal, beckoning her toward them.

"ginny, no," harry began pleading with her. "ginny snap out of it. don't leave me,
please don't go." ginny turned to look at him slowly saw the sadness
in his eyes. she did want to stay; she wanted to stay with him forever.

slowly she turned back to the glowing orb, watching as the images of people began
stepping out from the center of the portal. she recognized one of the
images as cedric diggory, but she knew that was impossible, he was dead. and then
the image of a man stepped from the shimmer. he looked like harry but
slightly older, the same messy black hair, the same glasses. he was holding onto
the hand of a woman with reddish hair. she was beautiful and ginny saw
the eyes she had grown to love; they were harry's eyes. she turned to harry and
saw him transfixed on the people, his feet moving him slowly toward them.
ginny's heart began to race. what was happening? a sense of fear echoed in her
mind. she tightened her grip on his hand and tried to stop him, but he kept
walking. she could still hear the voices calling, but they had changed and were
now calling to him. she turned back to the shimmering object, watching
as it faded away in the darkness of the night and in its replace was a black
curtain, blowing violently in the wind of the impending storm.

the images of cedric, the man and the woman had vanished as well, leaving harry to
stare at the image of sirius. he had stepped out from the curtain and
was calling to harry. ginny recognized this place now, remembering a time months
ago when she had laid in harry's arms, dreaming of this same scene, the
horror of losing harry and she couldn't stop it from happening again.

ginny pulled at harry's arm, panic rising inside her. she was going to lose him
and she couldn't allow it to happen. she tried desperately to stop him,
but he continued to step forward, as though he had no control over his feet. she
was absolutely horrified, how could she stop him? how could she get leave
him and get help? harry continued to walk forward and ginny found herself yelling
at him.

"harry no!" she shouted, trying to break through the dense clouds that opened up
around them, raining he bitter cold of an early spring shower on their
faces and heads. "harry listen to me you have to stay away. it's not safe, please,
harry listen to me." still he continued to walk forward as she tightened
her grip on his hand, feeling the pulse from her grip pounding beneath her
fingertips. "please, harry, please." the tears began streaming down her cheeks
as she tried pulling him back. he was now barely two yards away from the curtain
and the image of sirius.

"i love you," she continued to plead. "please don't leave me, please harry. i love
you." harry blinked, turning his attention briefly to the girl next to
him. she was getting his attention; she was breaking through his hypnotic state.
"i love you," she said again. "please don't leave me, please stay with
me. think about our dreams, think about our plans. we're going to get married and
live happily ever after, remember? please don't leave me. i need you."
harry stopped walking, staring at ginny's tear streaked face, his attention coming
back into focus. he frowned as a bright stream of light echoed from
the woods behind him, the sound of a hissing laughter echoed around them. harry
felt the hair on his neck stand up as the flame passed by him, barely missing
his head. he ducked quickly, turning to see dumbledore, charlie, mcgonagall,
snape, kingsley and arthur weasley rushing through the woods.

"deletrius," shouted dumbledore and again a light streamed from his wand, striking
the curtain, revealing the images of two dementors standing where sirius
had just been. the began to progress toward harry and ginny at a quick pace,
turning the area as cold as ice, sucking the happiness from around them.
immediately
harry and ginny both retrieved their wands, pointing them toward the dark cloaked
figures.

"expecto patronum," they shouted together, watching as the silver clouds burst
from their wands. harry's took on the image of a large stag, as ginny's took
on the image of a large owl. harry's stag raged back on it's hind legs, as it took
off after one of the dementors, while ginny's owl screeched toward the
second. the night became deathly quiet; the only sound was that of the rain
bouncing off the rocks on the ground and the leaves in the trees. harry looked
back to ginny, wrapping his arms around her tightly, kissing her hair.

"you saved my life," he whispered. "i heard you crying for me and suddenly nothing
else mattered but being with you."

"are you two all right?" charlie asked, hurrying up to them.

"we're fine," ginny said, her arms still tightly wrapped around harry's waist as
her head remained on his shoulder.

"i'm sorry," harry said, sensing dumbledore behind him. he slowly turned to see
the concern echoing in his eyes. "i was so certain. i had to try."

"love has a tendency to alter perception and make things seem what we want them to
be." dumbledore said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"that's how he did this," harry said, looking down to ginny. "he knew how much i
loved sirius and he used it against me. but he almost had you."

"but you saved me," she told him, ignoring those gathered around them. "i heard
you calling me and i didn't want to be anywhere but with you."

"i am so sorry, my love," he told her, as he gathered her in his arms. "i should
never have allowed you to come with me. i should never have come myself.
i should have listened to dumbledore."

"your love makes you the person you are," she told him, holding him as tightly as
he held her. "voldemort knows that's what separates you from all the other
wizards. you would give your own life for those you love. sirius was one of
those."

"i guess he truly is gone. i'll never see him again," harry said with a croak.
ginny looked into his eyes and saw the pain in his eyes and hugged him closely.

"we'd better get you two back to school," mr. weasley said. "i'll send a team out
to investigate the area, but i doubt they'll find anything."
"i'm sorry i got ginny involved in this, mr. weasley," harry said, seeing the
stern look on the older man's face.

"we'll discuss this later, harry," mr. weasley said, his face set at a determined
angle, his eyes glancing to ginny with a silent warning. harry took the
hint and lead ginny out of the clearing, gathering up his cloak as he passed.

ginny and harry sat silently in the large wingback chairs in dumbledore's office.
they knew the consequences of what they had done, and the guilt weighed
heavy on harry's shoulders. he should have known better than to get ginny involved
in this, he should have made her stay behind. because of his trust in
the one person he knew better than to believe, he nearly lost the only person who
meant more to him than life itself.

harry sat in a dark mood, cursing himself over and over for what nearly happened.
he couldn't believe he had allowed a creature such as voldemort, to convince
him he could save someone he knew in his heart was gone forever. he considered all
that had happened and all that could have happened and in his heart,
he felt there was only one sure way of keeping the events of the evening from
reoccurring.

dumbledore entered the office, followed close behind by mr. weasley, charlie,
snape and mcgonagall. the elderly wizard took his seat behind his desk as
the others conjured up chairs and sat. he looked at harry seriously, studying the
aged face.

"i know what you're thinking, professor," harry said abruptly. "i should never
have listened to voldemort, i should never have believed him."

"why did you?" dumbledore asked, leaning back in his chair.

"i just wanted sirius back. if there were a chance i could save him, i would have
done it. it sounded reasonable at the time. i had to try. but because
of me, ginny could have been killed." harry looked at the girl next to him,
fighting back the grief tearing at his heart. "i have come to the decision
though, that it is best for ginny, if i stop seeing her." ginny gasped, as the
others looked on in surprise. "i know voldemort will stop at nothing to
get to me. he knows about her, he knows how i feel and she's in danger. he will
continue to use her as a means to get to me, and i know that it will only
cause her pain."

"you're bloody mental, if you think i'm going to step back and allow you to just
walk out of my life!" ginny exclaimed angrily. "how dare you assume that
i would even allow you to consider such a thing?"

"ginny, it's for the best," harry said, ignoring the others that gaped at the two.

"you are not going to break up with me on the eve of my birthday, so get the idea
out of your head right now."

"i'm sorry for the timing, it wasn't my choice," harry snapped back, standing and
pacing his way to the table near the door.

"but breaking up with me is," ginny growled, following him and standing across the
table to confront him.

"it's for your own good, virginia."

"don't call me that and don't tell me what's best for me. i'll be the one to
decide that."

"you could have been killed tonight, doesn't that mean anything to you? it was my
fault you were there and my fault that voldemort knows about you."

"he would have found out eventually, so stop feeling sorry for yourself. besides,
as i recall, it was i who insisted on going along. you told me to stay
behind, but i didn't listen. and just for the record, you were the one voldemort
wanted, not me. you were the one he set the trap for, not me."

"but the dementors wouldn't have cared less, who they were supposed to kiss. you
would have been killed, right along beside me and i will not stand by and
allow him to take the only person in my life, that i would gladly die for."
harry's face was red as he shouted angrily at the girl standing across him.

"you are not going to die, you bloody nutter," she shouted back. "i won't let
you."

"how are you going to stop it? you may be a talented witch, but you can't beat
voldemort and his death eaters."

"so help me harry potter, i'm going to hex you into next week if you don't stop
acting like my self appointed savior."

"i keep telling you, that's physically and magically impossible!"

"give me a chance, potter. i'll make it possible!"

"you can't break up with miss weasley, harry," dumbledore said in a quiet tone
that put an instant halt to the shouting. harry turned a frown toward the
old wizard sitting patiently behind his desk.

"why can't i?" the younger man asked.

"voldemort knows your heart, harry. even if you stop seeing miss weasley
personally, there is no way of protecting her separate, then there is if you were
together."

"you can't allow him to stop you from living, harry," charlie said.

"if you stop living your life, if you stop loving and laughing, he's already won,"
mr. weasley added. "i may not like the idea that ginny was in danger
again, but it was her own design. she is stubborn like her mother. she does what
she chooses. you may as well get used to it." harry was silent for several
long moments, as he stared across to the young woman he'd been arguing with. his
heart felt like it was in a vice. he couldn't bear to leave her, but he
knew he would never be able to live if she died. in his mind, it was for her best
interest to fall out of love with her - if that was humanly possible.

"if you won't listen to professor dumbledore and the minister, potter, then listen
to me," snape said, his tone soft but stern, his eyes filled with dark
emotion. harry narrowed his eyes to the man. he couldn't imagine anything he said
being of interest to him.

"i was young once too," snape continued, standing from his seat and walking a
little closer to harry and ginny. "i was not much older than you are now when
i met a young, beautiful witch, a new transfer student from australia. her name
was amanda sharp. she was a pureblood naturally and a very talented young
woman. she was in slytherin with me. we began our seventh year by bickering and
teasing each other, but by the time we graduated we were engaged to be
married. six months later we were. by that time, i was already a death eater. i
was determined to be one of the dark lord's greatest supporters. amanda
hated it, she was afraid for me, but as the months and years passed by i became
more valuable than any of the others. i had succeeded. amanda discovered
she was pregnant and her fears grew. she didn't want our child to be born under an
evil ruler, so she went to your parents. by then, lily was pregnant
with you. amanda begged them to hide her, to protect our baby and to convince me
the way of life i chose was wrong.

"james potter, i hated him in school and that never ended in adulthood. the famous
trio managed to capture me, much to my disgrace. i spent two weeks as
their prisoner, being told over and over how wrong the dark lord was, but i
refused to listen. because i had disappeared, the thought that i had turned
sides made my fellow death eaters nervous. they went to my home and found amanda
there alone. they took her to the dark lord, who ordered her torture.
two weeks i was held by your father before i managed to escape and went back to my
home. i wanted to find amanda, to take her into hiding before potter
and the others found her. but i was too late. i returned to my master and found my
young wife - or what was left of her - minutes before she died. i held
her in my arms trying to think of a spell or a charm, anything to save her, but
she was beyond help," he paused, shaking. "her last words to me, even after
all she had endured, was to plead with me to leave the dark side. she begged me to
go to dumbledore, to surrender to him and join his side and fight to
save the world.

"i lost her and my child, because of what i was. it didn't matter that i wasn't
there with her; he knew how i felt and struck out at the one thing in life
that would destroy me. he'll do the same thing to you." snape stopped and stared
at the young couple, drawing a deep breath to steady the memories ripping
his heart apart. "you can't protect her by leaving her, potter. and if you allow
him to break you up, then he has succeeded in destroying a part of you
that he desperately wants gone; your compassion and love." harry listened silently
for a few moments, before glancing back to ginny. his heart swelled
with love every time he looked at her, but right now he was certain it was going
to explode.

"i don't know what to do," he whispered. "i can't lose you. i love you too much."
ginny went to the young man, falling into his arms and hugging him close.

"i won't leave you," she assured him. "i love you and together is where we
belong."

"listen to her potter," snape said again. "she may very well be the one link you
have that saves your bloody life. it's your love that the dark lord can't
compete against. if you lose her, you lose your stance against him."

"why are you trying to help me?" harry asked, his eyes narrowing on the man again.
"you hate me." snape studied the young man closely, then with an expression
of pure honesty he sighed.

"i do not hate you, harry," he said, surprising all listening but dumbledore, who
smiled knowingly. "i...admire you...and your friends. i never had the
kind of friendship you do with weasley and granger, or the one your father had
with black and lupin. you are a very powerful wizard; you've proven it over
and over again. i have faith in you; i know you can defeat the dark lord. if i am
harder on you than most, it's only because i know you are better than
you let on. you have to try harder, potter. you have to be stronger than you're
willing to be. if i'm hard on you, it's because i know the dark lord's
powers and i know first hand what he is capable of."

"what about draco malfoy? i thought he was your favorite little playmate."

"draco is a very powerful wizard, but a very troubled boy. he is facing a

difficult time in his life and he has to choose his direction. you have direction,
you know what you have to do; draco doesn't."

"so you're saying, you've been hard on me all these years because you like me?"
harry asked, grimacing at the idea.

"i wouldn't got that far," snape said with his usual sneer. "i hated your father,
i won't deny that, but when you arrived i was...mislead to think you wanted
the fame he always sought. i may have been wrong about that, but i was not wrong
to push you. you cannot be weak and you cannot show vulnerability. there's
too much at stake."

"severus is right harry," mr. weasley said, stepping to the young man's side. "we
are all worried about you, but you have to stop hiding from yourself and
face the fact that you are much stronger then you give yourself credit for.
severus can not allow voldemort to know he cares about you," mr. weasley glanced
to snape who rolled his eyes at the man's use of words. "if he ever found out,
there could be serious consequences. he can not show compassion or concern
for you, it would be too dangerous."

"somehow i can't imagine the words snape and compassion being in the same
sentence," harry said staring at the man, who sneered his usual evil smile.

"voldemort knows your powers have grown," dumbledore said. "there will be no
running this time. i believe tonight was more a test than an actual trap. he
wanted to know your limitations and he found them out. but beyond that, he's made
it as far as the forbidden forest. the castle's charms are weakening."

"how is that possible?" ginny asked her arm looped around harry's waist.
dumbledore shook his head.

"i don't know, but i have my suspicions. now the two of you should return to your
dormitory. you've had a busy night and i'm sure you both need your rest."
dumbledore led the two younger people to the door and watched as they descended
the stairs before turning back to his guests.

"what are we going to do about the castle, professor?" mcgonagall asked as the old
wizard took his seat again.

"there's only one thing to do. we have to remove the terra auxilium ducere from
hogwart's."

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author notes: thank you to everyone who continues to r/r. please be aware, the
next chapters may take awhile. i have had a death in the family and dealing
with that is taking more out of me than i have. please be patient. i will finish
this soon. thanks again.

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chapter forty-two

harry and ginny walked down the corridors in silence. he knew she was still angry
with him, but he still believed his intentions were good. he braved a
glance sideways to her, seeing her set jaw and knew the time had come to distract
her thoughts before she exploded all over the castle walls, and took
him with her.

"do you think snape meant what he said?" he asked softly, watching as she shrugged
her shoulders wordlessly. "it's hard to imagine him married. can you
imagine him as a father? what a horrible thought." ginny again did not answer. she
just continued to walk along beside him, her hands tucked into her robe
pockets.

"ginny, this is ridiculous," he told her with a sigh. "i know you're angry with
me, but my reasons seemed logical at the time." without warning ginny turned
to him, her hand striking his cheek in a bitter, painful slap. harry stumbled
backwards against the stonewalls, his hand holding his stinging face.

"what was that for?" he asked in a loud croaking voice.

"how dare you try and break up with me?" she snapped back. "do you think i'm some
sort of wimpy little girl who can't protect myself? is that what you think?"

"no, but you have to admit, i know voldemort better than you do. i know what he's
capable of."

"yeah, he's capable of causing you misery and pain every time he turns around. and
you, i cannot believe you listened to him over dumbledore. you are not
that thick."

"you weren't there, you didn't hear him. what he said made sense. i thought i
could rescue sirius."

"i know you love him, but he's gone and you know that. you have to learn to trust
dumbledore. he's the greatest wizard alive, don't you know that?"

"of course i know that, virginia. but i thought i could rescue sirius."

"do you have any idea how angry i am with you? if i didn't love you so much,
i'd..."

"hex me into next week, i know." ginny turned an angry glare to the young man, her
hands on her hips.

"don't be a smart arse," she warned him.

"why? you're already ticked off with me, you've hit me and you're yelling at me.
what more could happen?"

"don't tempt me harry potter, or you may just find out." harry stood there
confronting her, the realization of just how beautiful she was suddenly struck
him. even angry she was more gorgeous than anyone he'd ever seen, with the
exception of his mother.

"what are you staring at?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she saw the far off
expression on his face. harry smiled wickedly as he took a step forward,
causing her to back up until she was pressed against the wall. "what are you
doing?" she asked, her tone filled with a mixture of anger and curiosity.
harry continued to smile wordlessly. he reached out and took her by the shoulders,
holding her prisoner against the wall. he leaned into her, capturing
her eyes with his. ginny gasped at the amused expression dancing in the emerald
depths.

"i suppose since you're already mad at me, it wouldn't hurt to get you really
pissed off, would it?" he asked as he leaned closer, his lips barely a breath
away.

"what are you talking about?" harry chuckled as he reached down, his hand cupping
her breast through the jumper. she gasped again; frightened she looked
around her for any onlookers.

"harry potter, don't you dare," she warned as he leaned down and began kissing her
neck. "my brother or my father can come along at any moment." harry didn't
answer, he just continued his assault on her senses. "what about snape, or
mcgonagall? they could show up any second." her objections were weakening as
his tongue slipped out and began licking a hot path along her jaw. "harry, we
can't."

"wanna bet?" he asked, pulling her into the empty classroom beyond and locking the
door with a sealing charm. ginny smiled as he advanced toward her again,
backing up until her legs hit the back of a chair, causing her to nearly fall.

"we'll get caught," she warned him as he began to disrobe, pulling his jumper over
his head and unfastening his belt. harry shrugged his shoulders uncaring.

"haven't you ever wanted to be wicked, for just a little while?" he asked her,
grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to him.

"i will never again think rationally when i'm with you, do you know that?" harry
chuckled, kissing her neck again as his hands began to pull at her jumper.
"wait!" she exclaimed when he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her skirt and
began pulling it up.

"why?"

"we can't do this, not here."

"why not? it's empty, we're alone."

"but its binns class," ginny said taking note of their surroundings. "he doesn't
sleep, remember? he's a ghost. he can interrupt us any second." harry looked
around him and frowned. he hadn't thought about where he had taken them, only that
it was an empty room.

"well i'm not going to let you get away from me," he told her determinedly.

"the room of requirements isn't far from here," she whispered. "we can sneak in
there, but we can't stay here. we'll get caught for sure." harry narrowed
his eyes at her as she pushed his hands away.

"i won't let you back out of this," he told her.

"when have i ever backed out of making love with you?" she snapped, watching as he
quickly dressed again.

"you're still angry with me. i don't want to give you an excuse to run away."

"you were the one who wanted to run away from me, remember?" harry blushed at the
memory of his telling her they should break up. he knew now, he would
never be able to leave her even if she asked him to.

harry reached out his hand to her, allowing her the opportunity to refuse it, but
smiled brightly when she took it and they slipped back out into the corridor.
within minutes they were once again securely locked behind a door, this time ginny
raised her wand to the closed barrier and whispered, "schola opus circumago."

"what was that?" he asked.

"just a distraction spell," she smiled. harry narrowed his eyes.

"you've used distraction spells before and that was not one of them. what did you
do?"

"i added a little suggestion, is all. anyone who comes near the door will have a
sudden desire to do their homework." harry smiled as he reached out for
her, pulling her into his embrace. he lifted her in his arms and carried her to
the bed that awaited them.

"you are a very wicked witch, miss weasley," he told her as he laid her on the
thick blankets.

"you asked if i ever felt wicked, remember? i guess i have an evil streak
occasionally."

"what else do you feel?" he asked, his hand slipping beneath the hem of her skirt
and slowly moving up the inside of her thigh. ginny gasped, raising her
arms to him and holding him close as he leaned down across her.

"give me a chance and i'll show you."

outside in the corridor, ron and hermione were making their nightly rounds. they
were worried about harry and ginny, but were reassured when dobby arrived
with a tray of sweets for them, as he often did, reassuring them both that he had
seen them leaving dumbledore's office. now they were relaxed enough to
concentrate on other things. hermione was eager to learn what happened and where
they had gone, while ron was eager to just be alone with hermione. they
neared the room of requirements and ron smiled. he knew by now that they would
make use of the room's secrets and slipped his hand in hermione's, winking
at her. hermione blushed, but smiled at the thought of how easy it was for the
young man to predict her inner thoughts.

they reached the wall where the door to the room of requirements stood and ron
reached for the knob, pausing momentarily. he glanced to hermione with a
frown, his stomach feeling tight as guilt began to rise within him.

"um, 'mione," he began. "would you mind if we did this later? i have a report for
potions that i still need to finish and mcgonagall will murder me if i
don't practice those transfigurations."

"that's fine, ron," hermione smiled. "i have to finish my own report for
arithmancy." ron and hermione walked back toward their dormitory, a frown on each
of their faces. ron couldn't believe he actually wanted to finish his homework,
rather than being with the girl he loved, while hermione recognized the
spell on the room's door, wondering who was using it. there had to be a better way
to distract people from interrupting, than to force them to do their
homework. especially on a friday night.

harry's head was beginning to pound again, his eyes throbbing in pain. he saw the
familiar graveyard and found himself walking through the rows of headstones
toward the concrete path that led to a large, weather beaten porch. the paint on
the banisters was peeling, the wood beneath dry and rotten. he stepped
up the three wooden steps to the front door and pushed it open. the door creaked
softly, revealing the dark surroundings of the house's interior. he cautiously
walked through the threshold, his feet silent on the worn carpet. to his left was
a narrow hall and harry could hear voices echoing from somewhere down
it. he looked around as he slowly made his way toward the sound. a high-pitched
voice echoed off the dirty walls with the peeling wallpaper and harry knew
immediately who it was.

"he was almost mine," voldemort said as harry poked his head around the corner of
the open door. the thin, pale figure was draped in dark robes, pacing
the floor back and forth. "i nearly had him this time, but that girl...that
weasley bitch stopped him. she has a strong hold over him. i'll have to dispose
of her first. what do you know of their relationship?"

"all we can determine at this point is that they are dating," lucius malfoy said
from the side of the room. "i have not been able to make contact with my
son to learn more. i fear he has turned traitor as his mother did."

"for his sake, you had better hope he has not changed sides malfoy," voldemort
hissed at the tall blond man.

"if he has master, he will die as his mother did. no son of mine will ever betray
you my lord. but i do know this much about potter...things between him
and the weasley girl are new, only since the summer."

"she is the new minister's daughter," the large bolder shaped image of the elder
goyle said.

"i know that you blundering idiot!" hissed voldemort. "i'm not stupid!"

"she was rescued by potter in her first year," bellatrix started. "she was lead
into the chamber of secrets by an old diary of tom riddle's. he saved her
from the basilisk, since then they have had a deep connection that neither of them
recognized until late july. our spy at the ministry of magic tells us
that weasley has bragged about how proud he is of his daughter and how happy he is
that she is with potter. whimple said weasley claims the two are soul
mates."

"let us hope that is not the case," voldemort hissed again.

"why?" asked the stocky image of the elder crabbe.

"because," voldemort began, a sigh of irritation escaping his thin lips as he sat
in the old leather chair, scratching the head of his enormous snake, nagini.
"if they are soul mates, it makes her hold on him stronger than anyone predicted.
he will not be easy to get hold of."

"have we managed to get the secrets of hogwart's yet?" walden macnair asked.
"only one of over a hundred," avery answered.

"it was enough to allow us to lure potter into the forbidden forest," malfoy said.

"but it is not enough!" hissed voldemort. "i want them all. i am tired of
waiting."

"please master," bellatrix said, leaning down on the floor next to his chair. "do
not upset yourself so. we will get the charms and spells that protect
the school and dumbledore will have no choice but to bow to your greatness."

"i no longer care about the old man," voldemort said, his hand smoothing the dark
hair of his mistress. "it's potter i want. i must join with him. together
we will rule the world."

"but if he does not comply, my lord?" asked macnair.

"then he will die, but not before his little whore does. she is our key to him.
she will bring him to me and he will watch as she is destroyed before his
eyes. only then will he know of my power and he will know he is on the wrong
side."

"but how do we get her to bring him here, master?" bellatrix asked.

"by taking her from under dumbledore's very nose," hissed voldemort as he began to
laugh. harry could feel himself being pulled back through the darkness
and tried to fight it. they were planning on capturing ginny and he had to know
how, he had to know their plans, but he couldn't stop from feeling himself
being pulled away. his head began pounding violently, his stomach jerking in
nauseous spasms. he groaned at the pain, his hand reaching up to his scar
instinctively. he knew this pain all too well, but he could never seem to get used
to it. it was searing, making him feel as if his head were splitting
in two. he was wet with sweat; his heart beating so fiercely within his chest, he
felt certain it would explode. the pain didn't want to ease and his head
wouldn't stop screaming for mercy.

"harry?" a voice called to him, but he couldn't answer. he tried to open his eyes,
but moaned in the effort, closing them again. "harry, try and wake up,"
the voice said again, this time harry could determine it was somewhere close.

"ginny," he whispered, his throat hoarse with the effort.

"harry, try and focus." the woman's voice was familiar to him, forcing harry to
struggle to regain control. he fought to focus his gaze on the tall yellow
and pink haired woman standing next to him.

"tonks?" he asked again, the pain easily a very small degree.

"it's me harry," tonks said, stroking his hair gently. "wake up harry and talk to
us."

"where am i?" he asked, his surroundings becoming clearer to him. he felt the
mattress beneath him, the covers tightly holding him to it. the room was cool
and dark, sounds echoing off the stonewalls. this wasn't where he had fallen
asleep, he thought briefly. one moment he was in the warm embrace of ginny
and the next he was...
"you're in the hospital wing." he heard ginny's voice and immediately turning his
head to see her standing on the other side of him. there were other people
around him as well. dumbledore stood next to tonks, mr. weasley and charlie at the
foot of the bed, ron and hermione next to ginny and mcgonagall and snape
near the elder weasleys.

"what am i doing here?" he asked, the pain nearly gone, his eyes focusing on the
faces that stared at him.

"you were having a nightmare and i couldn't wake you," ginny said, her tone filled
with fear.

"nightmare?" he asked with a frown creasing his dark brows. he tried to

concentrate on what he had dreamed, then realization began filtering through and
he remembered what he had heard and saw.

"voldemort," he whispered. "it wasn't a dream. i was there. it was voldemort. he

was talking with bellatrix and malfoy, crabbe and goyle were there, so
were macnair and avery. he was planning on capturing ginny. he wants me; he wants
me to join him, but in order to do it he needs ginny to lure me to him.
ginny, you're in danger. you have to hide, you can't let him find you."

"calm yourself harry," dumbledore said. "she is safe here. he won't be able to get
in."

"but he will, i saw it. he said he was going to steal her right under your nose.
he wants me and he'll stop at nothing to get me. she's in danger, professor.
she has to go into hiding, please."

"harry i'm not leaving hogwart's," ginny insisted, soothing his creased brows with
a gentle finger. "he won't get me. i'm safer here than anywhere on the
planet."

"but ginny..."

"no," she insisted. "you're not getting rid of me, i've already told you that."

"i'll arrange for security to surround the school grounds," mr. weasley said.
"tonks, you need to work on those new charms. we'll need to reinforce the
spells already in place."

"but voldemort said he already had one of the charms," harry said, struggling to
sit up. "that was how he was able to get me into the forbidden forest.
bellatrix said that someone named whimple told him about ginny and i."

"gilbert whimple?" charlie asked, turning to his father who didn't look very
surprised.

"are you sure of that name harry?" mr. weasley asked. harry nodded, noticing how
mr. weasley and dumbledore exchanged glances.

"what is it? who is this whimple anyway?" ron asked.

"he's in charge of experimental charms," mr. weasley said.

"he's part of the ministry?" hermione asked in alarm.

"he is indeed miss granger," dumbledore said, turning to look to snape and
mcgonagall. snape looked at the headmaster then nodded, leaving the room.

"where's he going?" harry asked suspiciously.

"it's nothing to concern you about harry," the old wizard said. "i think you've
been through enough for one night. you need your sleep."

"i won't let him get her," harry told the old man. "i won't let them hurt ginny."

"of course you won't," dumbledore smiled, laying a warm hand on the young man's
shoulder. "but you can't do anything to protect her, if you don't get enough
sleep."

mr. weasley patted harry's shoulder, charlie smiled, mcgonagall nodded and finally
all the adults left, allowing harry, ginny, ron and hermione to speak
in private.

"do you think it wise to allow the others to remain with him, albus?" mcgonagall
asked, once they were all in the corridor.

"they are part of the five that will save our world," the old wizard said. "they
need to be together. they will be fine."

"harry, what happened?" ron asked once the others were gone. he leaned up on the
end of the bed, pulling his leg to a bent position in front of him.

"i had another premonition," he answered, reaching for ginny's hand and holding it
tightly. "i saw voldemort, i heard him. he said he nearly had me, but
ginny stopped me. he said she was powerful and that in order to get to me, they
would first take ginny. i can't let that happen."

"you won't," ginny said confidently. "you would never allow anyone to get close
enough to harm me."

"don't make fun, ginny," he scolded. "he knows about us. you're not safe."

"of course i am. i'm at hogwart's, it's the safest place in the world and i have
you. i am not worried."

"look harry," hermione interrupted. "so far, you've been able to save percy and
ginny because you've recognized your premonitions. this will be no different.
because you have warned dumbledore and the others, you've changed the outcome of
the premonitions."

"i hope so hermione," he said, pulling ginny onto the bed with him and wrapping
his arms around her.

"did you see my dad and dumbledore's faces when you told them about gilbert
whimple?" ron asked, a frown creasing his forehead. "they didn't look all that
surprised, did they?"

"they said they thought they knew who voldemort's spy was at the ministry,"
hermione said. "its only logical that they recognized the name, once harry gave
it to them."

"how do you think they got the charm for the forbidden forest?" ginny asked,
reclining next to harry on the bed.
"i thought dumbledore said there were no written records of the charms and spells
that protected the school?" ron asked.

"there has to be somewhere," hermione commented. "what if he died or was injured?

who would know what to do to protect the school and the students?"

"but how did he get hold of them?" ginny asked again. "something like that would
have to be locked up under heavy guard and very complicated spells."

"i don't care how he got it, the point is he's coming after ginny," harry said
angrily. "its up to us to protect her, since obviously the others don't think
she needs it."

"it would help if we could find out who the fifth point of this star thing was,"
ron grumbled. "maybe we could join forces and defeat voldemort before anything
happens."

"who do you think it is harry?" ginny asked, looking at the serious expression on
his face.

"i was hoping it would be neville, or even luna," he said absently. "but after
hearing malfoy say he hadn't heard from his son and that he feared he had
turned traitor like his mother, i know who it is."

"harry, please don't tell me it's
disgusted look on his face. harry
at him square in the eye. he knew
there was no denying it now as he
draco malfoy."
who i think you're thinking," ron pleaded with a
turned to his best friend, staring
his friend's feelings, he too felt similar, but
told the others, "the fifth point is

read? review!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thank you to "d" for all the great work, advice and friendship.
you're the best beta reader in the world and i couldn't do this without
you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty-three

the shadows dancing across the ceiling played out in an array of intricate
patterns. harry had lay there in his hospital bed for the past hour staring at
them, watching and waiting for what he knew would come to pass. ginny was in
danger and there was nothing he could do to protect her. she was at hogwart's,
the safest place in the entire world and yet the most evil wizard of the century
had managed to get as far as the boundaries. harry knew it was only a
matter of time and voldemort would get the counter spells that would allow him to
advance on the school.

he sighed deeply, turning over in his bed. he felt helpless. he knew what was
about to happen, he knew what the outcome would be, but he didn't know how
it was to be done. if only he could make his premonitions work for him, instead of
keeping him a silent spectator. again harry sighed, this time catching
the shadow that moved in the corner of the room. instantly he felt his instincts
kick in, but he didn't have his wand with him; he had nothing to protect
him. he sat up cautiously in the bed, leaning on his elbow. at least he could put
forth the image of calm, even though his insides were exploding in a
variety of sparks.

"why are you hiding in the shadows?" he asked, proud that his voice was steady and
strong. a familiar snicker echoed from near the door as the tall blond
figure stepped closer to him. harry shifted his position to lean against the head
of the small bed, his mind racing to find something he could do to protect
himself. he knew the summonsing spell, but would it work to bring his wand to him
from the cupboard where he knew madame pomfrey always kept her patients
clothing in?

"nervous potter?" malfoy asked as he paced his way to the foot of the bed.

"should i be?" harry asked, forcing his eyes to reflect a false calm.

"i would be if i were you. your friends aren't around to protect you; your little
girlfriend is nowhere to be found. even dumbledore is asleep. you're defenseless
and at my complete mercy should i choose to take advantage of your current
situation," he smirked.

"you sound a little perverted, malfoy."

"don't flatter yourself, potter. i don't seduce anyone with hideous deformities
like that scar you're so proud of."

"then why are you here? as far as i can tell, your friends and girlfriend aren't
exactly around either, so there's nobody for you to gloat to. what possible
reason would you have to come slithering in here in the middle of the night?
aren't you breaking curfew?"

"i'm a prefect remember? i can come and go as i wish. but don't worry; i'm not
here to attack you or anything. i just wanted to talk."

"really? why?"

"look potter, i don't like you and i know you don't like me. it's been an
interesting year for me, one that i've had to spend trying to make sense of
certain
aspects of my life and reevaluate what i want out of it."

"and since your father has come to such low depths in life, you've found yourself
having to consider other means to making ends meet, is that it? what do
you want malfoy, a loan?"

"don't get flipped potter. i still have the malfoy fortune; it's just tied up in
ministry red tape. besides, i have my own money, more than you'll ever
dream of and its available to me at my command."

"so what do you want?" malfoy began pacing trying to decide to sit or stand,
looking at the empty beds around the room and then back to harry. the serious
expression on the young blond's face made harry's brows crease in a deep frown. he
actually looked like he did want to talk.

"do you remember the day the news of my mother's death reached the papers?" malfoy
began softly, his voice slightly choked when he spoke of his mother.

"yeah, i remember. it was really hard to believe she could have been considered a
traitor."

"she was, at least she was according to the dark lord." malfoy finally decided to
sit on the corner of harry's bed, looking down at the floor. "i remember
the night she disappeared. i heard voices coming from the drawing room and by the
time i got down there, she was gone. at first i thought perhaps my father
had made it home somehow, but then i saw the tray of cakes and teas she always
snacked on at night. everything had been tasted and her tea had been poured
from her cup into the saucer. there are very few people i know of who could have
made it through my father's protection spells, and only two that have
such poor manners. i've grown up taught to think of their sons as friends."

"crabbe and goyle," harry said, suddenly aware of the reason behind malfoy's
treatment of his cohorts over the past several months. malfoy nodded silently.

"do you know i've come to detest my birthday?" harry frowned again, watching as
malfoy continued to stare at his feet. "my father promised me to the dark
lord the day i was born. i was to join them on my sixteenth birthday. i've been
trained in the darkest of all magic since i was old enough to walk. i've
been told how i would someday rule by my father's side, that he was the chosen one
to take over when the dark lord was defeated. i've grown up hearing
about the greatness that lay ahead of me. of how i would one day help bring order
to the wizarding world and rule over all muggles." he paused, looking
at harry's impassive face. "but after last year my mother became frightened for
me. she went to my godfather and told him that she didn't want me to follow
my father's path in life. he convinced her to seek council from dumbledore. she
was acting as an informer for the ministry, but the dark lord's spies learned
of her loyalty to dumbledore and reported her to the death eaters."

"so that was why she was killed?" harry said, reluctant to let him know that he
had seen how she died and who had done it. he still didn't trust malfoy,
regardless of how sincere he seemed. he was still draco malfoy, arch enemy and
slytherin.

"i didn't read the daily prophet's version of her death. i was too busy reading a
letter from my father. he decided it was best to owl me anonymously and
tell me how my mother died. he said her death was necessary in order to assure
that others who decided to follow her lead and turn against the dark lord,
understood what awaited them." malfoy snorted in a disgusted sort of laugh. "my
mother's death was necessary, that's what he said."

"who have you been sending secret owls to?" harry thought now might be a good time
to learn all he could about the blond. after all, if he were the fifth
point of the star as prophecy dictated, and then now was as good a time as any to
try and persuade him to joining their side in the battle against voldemort.
malfoy looked at harry from the corner of his eye, turning his head slightly but
not completely. he sneered his usual malfoy smile.

"i should have known you would know what i was up to," he said in a soft voice.
"you've always had a way of knowing things others didn't. well, if you must
know, i've been in contact with my family's lawyer. he believes that i can get my
property and fortune back from the ministry. i am the only heir to the
malfoy estates and as such, i am entitled to all that my father owned."

"but your father isn't dead. isn't there some sort of law that prevents you from
getting anything until he dies?"

"that is really only a matter of time, don't you think?" malfoy turned his
expression serious once again as he looked at harry. "my lawyer believes that
i can file a petition against the estate, based on my father's background and
current circumstances. it's all up to the new minster of magic now. i suppose
if weasel has anything to say about it, i'll never see a single galleon of what is
rightfully mine."

"don't judge mr. weasley so harshly," harry snarled. "he's a good man, an honest
man. he'll be fair."

"well, we'll see won't we?" malfoy stood and turned back to harry who lay in the
bed, his eyes locking with his enemy's. "don't take this to heart potter,
but i'm rethinking my opinion on your actions from last year. perhaps what
happened was for the best."

"you said your father promised you to voldemort on your sixteenth birthday," harry
asked, aware of the slight cringe the blond offered in response to the
dark lord's name. "wasn't your birthday last october?"

"it was."

"how did your father explain your not joining him then?" malfoy's jaw clenched as
he focused his gaze on the emerald eyes staring at him.

"he put a warrant out on my head," malfoy whispered. "anyone who turns me over to
the dark lord receives ten thousand gold galleons."

"what are you going to do now?" harry saw the sorrow in the slytherin's eyes and
something else...fear. it was a side of him he had never seen before. malfoy
covered his emotions with a shrug of his shoulders.

"i suppose i'll finish out my schooling here and then think about what comes next
when the time comes."

"you have another option," harry said. "you can join us. voldemort's terror has
just begun. we could use all the wizards we can find. you're a very powerful
wizard, malfoy, we could benefit from your skills."

"so it's either join the dark lord and my father, or join potty, weasel and the
mudblood? thanks, but i think i'll take my chances alone. it's better than
claiming to be associated with anything the famous trio is involved in."

"think about it malfoy. you'll have to choose eventually. whose side will you
fight on then? the side your mother tried to protect you from, or the one
she tried to protect you with." malfoy frowned at harry's words, but turned and
walked out of the room in silence. harry watched him leave, thinking that
perhaps he had been wrong, that malfoy wasn't the fifth point as he was so certain
of a few hours ago. but then there was the fact that he had a bounty
on his head. with such a high price, someone was bound to lure him away or figure
out a way of capturing him. and then what? what would voldemort do to
him once he had him? would he convince him to join the death eaters or would he
follow in his mother's demise? and what about all of this tonight? was
malfoy honest in what he had said, or was it a trick to worm his way into harry's
good graces? there seemed to be more questions than answers and at the
moment harry's head was pounding again. it was difficult to say, but he had a
feeling things were going to move from bad to worse.

spring break came and went with little if any eventful outcome. harry, ginny, ron
and hermione had gone back to grimmauld place and spent the week with
lupin, tonks and the weasleys. the four younger members of the house spent a great
deal of time discussing the prophecy, or at least the part they knew,
as well as all that had transpired between malfoy and harry that night in the
hospital wing. they were all confused and amazed that the pompous slytherin
would be so open with anyone, much less the one person he blamed for everything
that happened in life. ron was still unconvinced that he was sincere and
tried to warn the others repeatedly, not to trust him. harry knew there were a
extenuating circumstances that led to his friend's mistrust, as there were
with him, but something in the way malfoy had spoken and acted, made harry trust
his sincerity. he was more convinced than ever that malfoy was the fifth
point of the prophesized star, dumbledore continually spoke of.

may brought with it the usual excitement of the quidditch final game between the
two leaders, gryffindor and slytherin. harry, ron and ginny were busy practicing
for the big game, while hermione was left to research in the library. she was
determined to find everything she could about both tom riddle and the green
flame torch. over the past few weeks, her research had become an obsession. she
spent every waking moment away from classes and homework, in the library.
so far she had found little, if anything that would benefit their quest.

ron was growing frustrated with the added work while they prepared for the
quidditch match, as well as their upcoming final exams. he was irritated about
the amount of homework and growing angry at the lack of attention from his
girlfriend. his attitude was beginning to rub off on everyone around them. even
seamus and dean were snapping at each other as the hours grew into frustrating
days.

harry was trying to keep his head about him, but it wasn't easy. he was spending
more time looking out for ginny, watching everything she did and sending
dobby to spy on her when she was out of his sight. this of course, didn't set well
with the little red head. she was feeling the frustration of her o.w.l.s
as well as the irritability of being spied on. this time however, she was
determined to listen to harry when he warned her to watch out for herself. she
wasn't all that anxious to repeat the close encounter she had experienced in
diagon alley over christmas holidays.

by the time the final game arrived, the frustration had grown into some violent
outbursts. ron and hermione had set it off with a full-blown fight, complete
with hermione punching ron in the face, breaking his nose and sending him to
madame pomfrey. harry and ginny weren't much better. they had stopped speaking
personally two days prior, ever since ginny caught dobby spying on her and was
informed it was by harry's orders that he was there. seamus had stopped
speaking to dean, neville and luna were on the outs with each other over being
caught by snape, shagging by the lake's edge and even the teachers seemed
to be fighting.

harry had managed to bring about a great deal of practice sessions and when they
mounted their brooms for the final game, they knew exactly how to read
the actions of the other members of their team. they were in perfect sync with
each other, passing the quaffle with ease and skill, while harry kept an
eye open for the golden snitch. malfoy seemed back to his old self, sneering at
ron and ginny, teasing and tormenting harry and throwing insults to the
rest of the team at every chance. harry was about to call a time out after forty
five minutes of playing, when he caught sight of the little fluttering
sphere near the rings at the gryffindor end of the pitch. he was irritated from
having to listen to malfoy's constant jeering and decided to lure the blond
away from their target. malfoy had yet to see the snitch, which allowed harry to
pretend. he stirred his broom away from the gryffindor end of the pitch,
glancing across his shoulder to see the trick working, as the slytherin seeker
headed off right behind him. he dodged and twisted around the support posts
of the house bleachers, leading malfoy into a head on buzz toward the ground.
instantly harry pulled back on his broom, taking his firebolt into a straight
up pitch, and then maneuvered the sleek broom toward the gryffindor end of the
field. malfoy saw the trick a little late, reaching the ground and twisting
his ankle as he tried to pull up in time to avoid a full-blown crash. with pain
throbbing up his leg, the blond headed after harry, but was too late. harry's
long fingers stretched out and wrapped around the golden object just as malfoy
reached his shoulder.

immediately, the slytherin knocked his shoulder against harry's tipping him off
his broom. harry scrambled to retain control of his broom with one hand,
while the other continued to hold tightly to the winged ball. harry was mad, his
anger growing to heights he hadn't felt in a very long time. he regained
his composure and headed after malfoy who was half way across the field. he raced
up behind him, his leg reaching out and kicking the back of the young
man's broom, tipping him backwards until he led his broom into a three hundred and
sixty degree circle. the crowd was screaming because harry had caught
the snitch, then because the two seekers were about to take on each other, fists
balled and looks of hatred on their faces. ron and ginny saw the expressions
and headed as quickly as possible toward the two, but by the time they reached
each other they were too late. harry and malfoy had hold of each other's
robes, harry had a received a particularly nasty blow from malfoy and was forcing
himself to see through a very swollen eye, while his opponent was trying
to regain composure from receiving a fist in his own face, a fat lip and a crooked
nose to show evidence of the angry blow he had received.

madam hooch was at their sides in no time flat, blowing her whistle violently.
harry and malfoy were too angry to hear, each throwing punches while holding
onto their brooms. it wasn't until two very firm sets of hands held them back, did
they realize what was going on. snape had mounted a broom - the first
anyone had ever seen him on - while ginny had used a rope spell to control harry.
both young men were surprised and angry; now with those holding them
back then with each other.

"detention for both of you," madame hooch growled. "one week starting tonight.
this game is over." harry had no choice but to follow after ginny to the
locker room, still in ropes, while a violently angry snape was leading malfoy off
the field, his arm-twisted in the long claw-like fingers of the potions
master.

"let me go!" he snapped as she dragged him into the locker room ahead of the rest
of the team.

"you have to be the thickest wizard in all of hogwart's," ginny insisted, waving
her wand and releasing him from her spell. "why the hell did you attack
malfoy and right in front of the entire faculty?"

"he started it. what was i supposed to do, just walk away and pretend nothing
happened?"

"geez ginny lay off," ron insisted. "it was ferret-face's fault and you know it.
give that snake a chance and he'll bite his own mum in the arse."

"that's not funny ronald," ginny growled. "besides, harry's temper just cost him
an entire week of detention, with malfoy no less. and now we've gone back
to square one where the fifth point is concerned." ginny glanced around to make
certain the other team members had headed to the showers.

"well, maybe we were wrong about that," harry said with clenched fists. "there is
no way i will ever ask that...slytherin to join us in the fight against
his dark lord."

"regardless, we'll never have the opportunity to ask him after the way you behaved
today."

"lay off him, virginia," ron growled. "it wasn't his fault."

"hey you guys," dean said heading out of the showers, a towel around his waist,
his hair dripping to his shoulders. "are you going to stand here fighting
all day, or are you going to join us for the victory celebration?"

"yeah, we're coming," ron said, glaring at his sister.

"great, because it starts in five minutes."

"we'll be there," harry told him, turning back to ginny. "that is if it's all
right with you?"

"don't be a smart arse, harry potter," ginny said softly. "i'll let you have the
worst hex you could ever dream of."

"i think i already got that," he growled in an equally soft tone. "when you tied
me up in front of the whole school."

"if you're not careful, i'll do worse than that next time." ginny turned and left
the locker room, ignoring the need to shower. right now the more space
she put between the two of them the better. there were times, she thought as she
stormed back to her dormitory, that this love thing was for the birds.

the evening meal that night was eaten with a great deal of excitement. everyone
except for the slytherin house was eagerly reliving the final game. there
was a great deal of talk about the fight between harry and malfoy, which did
little to relieve ginny's anger. she was so furious with harry, that they
both had forgotten it was her birthday. they had been planning to spend the
evening together for weeks and harry had even managed to get permission from
dumbledore to take her to hogsmeade for a special evening alone. all of that was
now forgotten.

harry glanced across the hall to the slytherin table, noticing that their pride
and joy wasn't with them. he smiled with a sick sense of pleasure, thinking
that malfoy hadn't had the courage to stand up and face the fact that he had lost
the house cup yet again. he glanced back to ginny and was about to apologize
for his actions, having calmed down over the past half hour. he opened his mouth
to speak, when he caught sight of snape who had just joined the teachers,
ignoring his seat and leaning over dumbledore to whisper in his ear. ginny, ron
and hermione saw the direction harry's attention had be drawn and followed
suite, looking at the aged wizard. dumbledore looked angrier than any of them had
seen, with the exception of harry. last year he saw how mad the headmaster
could get, when he confronted voldemort in the ministry. this time however, he
looked even angrier.

"students, may i have your attention," dumbledore said, standing beside snape. "i
need each house prefect to lead their houses back to their dormitories
and remain there until further notice." the students all began talking at once and
harry noticed that the slytherin table looked the worst for wear.

"i am afraid to say, we've had a student disappear from hogwart's," dumbledore
continued, realizing the students were not leaving without an explanation.
"until we can sort this out, it is best that all students remain in their proper
dormitories until further notice."

"who's disappeared?" a student from ravenclaw asked above the chatter. dumbledore
looked to snape and then to mcgonagall before glancing back to harry,
ginny, ron and hermione. he drew a deep breath then answered without further
hesitation.

"i'm afraid it's draco malfoy."

read? review!

author notes: thank you to everyone who has been patient with my delay in
submitting new chapters. your kind words and understanding is greatly appreciated.
please continue to r/r, as always, i love hearing from everyone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: as always, thanks to "d" for reviewing, editing and supporting a
crazy person during some pretty rough days. i wouldn't have made it this
far without you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty-four

the mood inside the castle was solemn and dark in the days that followed malfoy's
disappearance. harry was excused from detention considering the circumstances,
while many students looked at him suspiciously. rumors that he had caused the
disappearance echoed in whispers around the classrooms and the great hall.
the daily prophet had caught hold of the fight between malfoy and harry,
displaying their usual array of speculations and accusations directed to harry.
new stories appeared daily, each one worse than the first. by the following
friday, the daily prophet had once again accused harry of being an outlandish
liar and cheat in order to secure the house cup, while in the next sentence
assuring the readers that malfoy's disappearance could easily have been an
act of his father, still in exile. stories of the reward placed on malfoy's head
began casting shadows across the gryffindor table and once again harry
found himself isolated from the other students. at least this time he had ron,
hermione, ginny, neville and luna to support him. most of the d.a. was backing
him up, while many of the professors threatened detention for anyone caught
spreading rumors.

saturday morning came with an unusual rainstorm, bringing a cold wind and a deeper
sense of dread to the school. harry found himself sitting absent-mindedly
in a chair in the gryffindor common room, staring at the fire. he had spent the
past week regretting a great deal of things that had happened. he felt
bad for the fight he had with malfoy, especially after being convinced that he was
the fifth point of the star - which he still believed. he regretted
the argument he had with ginny, who was still angry with him to a small degree,
but most of all, he felt horrible about forgetting the young woman's birthday.
he had planed on spending her birthday - the same day as the final quidditch game,
alone in hogsmeade with her. he still worried about the premonition
he had, but knew that hogsmeade was currently being patrolled by aurors. he had
planned on making her sixteenth birthday a memorable occasion. in a bizarre
way, he guessed he had done just that.

hermione and ron sat across from him on a couch, aimlessly reliving the
information surrounding malfoy's disappearance. it had been determined that he had
been taken by portkey. a student from hufflepuff remembered seeing him receive a
letter from his personal owl. that was the last anyone saw him, or the
letter. it was speculated that the news of his secret owls to his lawyer and his
sitting alone on the quidditch pitch at night, had made its back to the
dark lord, who took advantage of the news. people were looking at crabbe and goyle
suspiciously, who were rather pleased with themselves since their leader's
disappearance. even the slytherin house was trying to avoid the robust dual.

"i don't care," ron was saying, his temper rising in the quiet room. "i will never
accept malfoy as a defender of our side. he's an evil little rodent."

"but harry believes he's the missing part," hermione said, her tone softer than
ron's as not to attract any further attention from the first years sitting
in the corner. "you have to trust in that. even dumbledore believes he's in the
running."

"well you'll never convince me he could possibly turn good. he's a creepy little
worm and you can't trust him."

"chances are he isn't even alive," harry said softly, receiving a look of
disbelief and concern from hermione and an almost hopeful expression from ron.

"don't think like that," hermione scolded. "we'll find him."

"how?" harry snapped a little louder than he'd have preferred, receiving
frightened looks from sabrina and her new friends sitting at the corner table.
harry lowered his gaze, his tone following suit. "we don't even know where he is,
or where voldemort is hiding out."

"there has to be some record, somewhere," hermione said.

"i'm open for suggestions," harry said, tossing himself against the back of the
chair, unconscious he had even sat forward.

"you know, i'm the last person who wants to find him," ron began, ignoring the
expression from the girl next to him. "but has either of you considered checking
with the orphanage where he grew up? granted, they wouldn't give information on
children currently under their jurisdiction, but i heard my dad once say
that it was easy for muggles to get information on ancestors through the wide
world cobweb."

"you mean the world wide web," hermione corrected patiently. "that may be an idea
harry. i can owl my mum and dad and see if they can research it for us.
we have the internet at home. at least it's worth a try."

"at this point i'll do anything," harry said in frustration.

"i'm surprised ron," hermione said in total awe of the young man's aid. "you
actually came up with a good idea."

"don't worry, i won't let it go to my head."

"can i use pig to send the owl?"

"sure, he's up in the owlery. i'll go with you." ron and hermione hurried out of
the common room via the portrait hole, leaving harry to continue sitting
in frustrated silence.

"you don't look very happy," sabrina said, as she stepped up beside him. harry
glanced up at her and forced a smile across his lips.

"i'm just irritated with everything going on," he told her as she sat on the couch
hermione and ron had just vacated.

"i don't believe what everyone's saying about you being involved in malfoy's
disappearance," she told him with a soft blush.

"thanks sabrina. that really means a lot coming from you. i'd hate it if i lost
your friendship."

"you won't. there are others who feel the same as i do. we're all supporting you."

"you're not alone," ginny said from behind him, causing harry to look across the
back of the chair to where she stood listening. "there's a lot more supporting
you than accusing you."

"thanks," harry said in an awkward whisper. they were still arguing and the
tension between them was still thick, though now they were able to talk without
biting each other's head off.

"i've got homework to finish," sabrina said with a smile. "don't give up harry. it
will all work out eventually. you'll see."

"with friends like you, i'll never have a need to worry," harry told her, watching
the blush creep up her neck, tinting her cheeks and nose. he watched
as the young girl returned to the table with her friends, and then looked up as
ginny took her seat.

"what about the rest of us?" she asked him with a half smile. "are you worried you
don't have enough followers?"

"i don't want followers, ginny. it makes me sound like voldemort."

"no, you're too cute to be compared to him." harry smiled, his turn to blush.

"i didn't think you still thought of me like that," he said softly.

"why shouldn't i? just because you've been acting like a prat, doesn't mean i
don't still love you. nothing will ever change that."

"you're sure?" ginny leaned forward, placing her hand on his and smiling sweetly.

"positive."

"i owe you an apology," harry said after a few moments of staring at her. "with
everything that's happened lately, i forgot about your birthday."

"it's all right," ginny smiled, her eyes lowered to the ground. "i know how weird
things have been around here."
"that doesn't give me an excuse. i had plans for a really nice evening in
hogsmeade. i'm sorry i never got a chance to show you."

"when things settle down, you can show me then."

"that doesn't change the fact that i forgot it."

"hey you two," ron interrupted as he and hermione rejoined them. "you finally
talking again?"

"we never stopped, ronald," ginny snapped as her brother sat next to her, pushing
her into the arm of the couch.

"you could have fooled me."

"did you get the letter sent already?" harry asked, watching as ginny tried to
struggle free from her prison in the corner of the now, very uncomfortable
couch.

"yeah. they should get it in a few hours. hopefully they can find the information
we need before summer holidays." hermione sat close to ron, her hand tucked
inside his assuring harry silently that they spent a little more time in the
owlery than actually necessary.

"what are you talking about?" ginny asked finally standing up from the penned
corner she was trapped in. harry reached out a hand to her, and then pulled
her onto his lap when she took it. it had been several days since they had been
this close and right now, harry was content to just be holding her again.

"hermione owled her parents to see if they could get information on tom riddle
from the orphanage he grew up in," harry told her with a smile.

"do you think there will be anything of use there?"

"hopefully. all we can do is try."

"i just hope we can find malfoy before anything bad happens to him."

"another bleeding heart," ron grumbled under his breath.

"did you know malfoy's father promised him to voldemort when he turned 16?" harry
said in an absent tone.

"bloody hell," ron said with wide eyes. "you mean like a sacrifice?"

"no, like in servitude. he was born to be a death eater. that's why his mum turned
against the dark side. she was afraid for him."

"are you feeling sorry for him?"

"no, i'm just starting to understand him a little better."

"harry, have you forgotten the bloody bastard tried to kill you during quidditch?"

"no, ron, i haven't forgotten, but that doesn't mean i have to ignore everything
else around me. there's more to life than quidditch you know?"

"bite your tongue!" ron exclaimed in surprise.

"look, ron, we have to start thinking about our futures. i can't keep hiding
behind these walls hoping to find a way to defeat voldemort. he's already proven
hogwart's isn't as safe as we had always thought. he made it into the forbidden
forest and now he's managed to snatch malfoy. we can't ignore what's happening
around us."

"we're not ignoring them, we're just ignoring ferret-face disappearing." ron
looked at harry and sighed, rolling his eyes. "all right, so we're not as safe
as we had always thought. that doesn't mean we have to run right out and find
him."

"he has a warrant on his head, ron," hermione said angrily. "every dark follower
in the wizarding world, would surrender their own mother in order to get
it. if voldemort doesn't have him, then it's only a matter of time until he gets
hold of him."

"and then what?" ron snapped at her. "do we rush in and save his worthless arse
and pat him on the back when he insults us?"

"why do i bother talking to you?" hermione asked aggravated. "i'm going to the
library. there has to be something there i've missed." she left the room,
ignoring the pleading look on ron's face as stepped through the portrait hole.

"that's just bloody great," he grumbled. "we were going to take advantage of the
room of requirements, but instead she's run off to the library again. i
swear, if i had my wish i'd burn every book in the place, just so she wouldn't
have an excuse to hide behind them."

"well if you weren't acting like such a bloody git, she wouldn't have a reason to
hide." ginny watched her brother's expression narrow as he considered
her words.

"look, why don't we all go help her," harry suggested, hoping to put an end to any
argument that may develop. "with all of us looking, i'm sure we can find
something."

"fine. i doubt i'll get anything beyond a paper cut this weekend anyway." ron
stood and followed the other two out the door, grumbling his way to the library.
reading and researching was not exactly how he planned on spending his time.

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

harry and ginny walked silently to the great hall. news of malfoy's disappearance
still echoed through the castle walls, even after three long weeks. those
who spoke his name did so in a soft reverent voice, as though news of his death
had already reached them. the mood had taken on a tense air of anticipation.
every student in every house, was reacting to the tension. classes and activities
had become less a chore and more a necessity; something to help occupy
the minds and souls of those living within the massive stonewalls.

ginny walked with her hand securely inside harry's, squeezing it on occasion to
reassure him that she was still there. his concern for her had grown worse
over the past three weeks, making him seem paranoid and nervous. he knew it was
only a matter of time before voldemort struck again, but knowing that and
wondering when were two different things entirely. he turned and smiled at the
girl next to him, his heart welling with emotions. the feeling was bittersweet.
he knew on the one hand that fate had a way of showing its head, changing the
outcome of a situation when it felt bored or temperamental. on the other
hand, it wouldn't take much to cause this beautiful girl to stand and fight, just
as he knew he would do.

they walked behind a small group of ravenclaws, through the massive doors to the
great hall. sitting at the gryffindor table was ron, along with seamus,
dean and neville. the creevey boys were close by as usual, reviewing notes from
the last d.a. meeting. harry nodded at them, smiling to sabrina as they
passed, taking up the seats next to ron. harry reached for a plate of sausages,
but didn't feel much like eating. he couldn't believe he was not hungry,
especially since he hadn't eaten more than a few morsels since yesterday's
breakfast. he sat the plate next to ginny, and then reached for her hand, kissing
the back of it. he couldn't help but remember the premonition again. he couldn't
seem to let her go, he couldn't be more than a few feet from her without
sensing a rise of panic close around his heart.

harry looked up as hermione came hurrying toward them, her face flushed; her hair
seemed bushier than normal. she sat between ron and harry, gasping for
breath as she waved the letter she had received from her parents.

"my mum has a patient who works in the muggle department of child services," she
said excitedly. "there was no record of tom riddle at the orphanage, because
of the length of time since he was there, so my mum called her patient who went
through the achieves and found this." she opened the letter and held it
out for them to read.

"'tom marvolo riddle, born to anna felicia marvolo riddle, died due to
complications associated with child birth. father, tom riddle of little hangleton,
deceased. no living relatives. child placed in custody of stockwell orphanage.'"

"little hangleton?" harry asked in a mixture of surprise and excitement. "that

must be where he's hiding. wormtail said he was staying at the one place
his father sought refuge and the bones of the father was used in the potion that
restored voldemort to human form. it makes sense. he's still there, i
know it."

"we have to tell dumbledore," hermione whispered.

"after breakfast," ron insisted. "if we get up and bombard him now, there's going
to be a lot of people listening. what if there's a spy here, like everyone's
been saying?"

"good point," harry said, glancing toward the headmaster, who, as usual was
watching them with interest.

they continued eating their breakfasts, each feigning interest in the sausages and
eggs, pancakes, french toast, hash browns, ham, juice and milk. harry
sat next to ginny, as they listened to something ron and hermione were saying
about malfoy, but didn't really hear any of it. he raised the girl's hand,
kissing the back of it, then smiled, allowing her to finish her meal. he knew he
had to ease up on her, but it was difficult to let go. his love for her
was intoxicating and he couldn't find the strength within him to let her go. at
least with the news of riddle's hiding place, he had a brief glimpse of
hope. harry glanced to the attractive young red head next to him, smiling, as she
shifted in her seat, her wand slipping from the inside pocket and falling
to the floor. ginny sighed as she retrieved it, setting it on the table next to
her plate.
"i really need to get a case for this thing," she complained.

"why don't you order one from ollivander's?"

"because i don't have the money for one thing. my mum would complain about it
being an extravagance i can do without."

"what if i bought it for you? i never got you a birthday present, we could order
you one to make up for my negligence."

"i did get an advertisement in the mail yesterday that had several really nice
ones in it."

"then pick one out and i'll get it for you."

"i think i brought it with me," ginny said softly rummaging through her bag. "it
was a really nice flyer. it had a lot of wand supplies in it besides the
cases."

within the span of a blink of the eye, harry watched her vanish in front of him.
her bag fell from the seat she had been in, a flickering light the only
reminder of the girl's presence. harry jumped up from is seat, staring blankly at
the spot she had just occupied, her wand still sitting on the table.
the room became deathly quiet, as every student looked on. ron and hermione were
at harry's elbow in a split second. there was nothing to do, she was gone
and his premonition had come true. a horrible feeling enveloped inside harry's
stomach, twisting like a knife in the knots that had just formed. the scraping
of chair legs across stone echoed like thunder in the room as dumbledore stood
followed by mcgonagall, snape and tonks.

"all prefects are to escort their students back to their houses. you are to remain
there until otherwise notified. mr. potter, come with me," harry glanced
up toward the headmaster, his face displaying the misery and shock he felt raging
inside his soul, while dumbledore laid a reassuring hand on the young
man's shoulder. harry followed the aged wizard to the room behind the head table,
being joined by mcgonagall, snape and tonks. ron and hermione reluctantly
turned to their tasks of taking the students back to gryffindor tower.

halfway up the stairs, seamus, dean and neville stopped the two prefects. they
looked around as other students from all houses joined them.

"we're not going back to our houses," seamus told them. "harry needs our help and
it's time we put our skills to use." hermione opened her mouth as if to
speak, but ron beat her to it.

"meet us in the room of requirements," he told them. "we'll be there as soon as we

get the younger years settled." seamus turned and led the rest of the
d.a. members to the room indicated, while ron and hermione continued on their way.
they escorted the students inside, ordering them to remain there until
mcgonagall sent word that they could leave and then left the portrait hole again.
hermione instructed the fat lady to refuse any student entrance or exit
until either dumbledore or mcgonagall told her otherwise, then hurried down to the
room of requirements.

the d.a. members were already assembled, each had their wands out and each knew
what was expected of them. they became silent when ron and hermione joined
them, unsure what to ask or how much to say.
"we don't even know where she is," hermione complained. "i think we should wait
until dumbledore tells us what's going on."

"he's taken her, you know that. we have to go to little hangleton, that's where
he's hiding. besides hermione, you know about harry's second premonition,"
ron snapped. "she's been taken to voldemort and he's going to kill her in order to
get to harry. i won't stand by and let that happen."

"neither will i," a voice said from behind them. they turned to see harry standing
there, a look of determination etching his face.

"what did professor dumbledore say?" hermione asked quickly.

"he ordered me not to do anything foolish. he said i'd be walking into a trap, but
i know where she is and i know how to get there. he wants me and i'm
going."

"you're not going alone, mate," ron told him, as the members gathered around.

"he's expecting me, but he's not expecting all of you. i'm gong to use the floo
network, but i'm pretty sure i'll be directed straight to him. all of you
can go to the house next to the riddle house."

"what house?" hermione asked, fear etching her delicate features.

"i've seen it in my dreams. there's a small house like a caretakers cottage next
to the main house. i'm sure you can get them there hermione. i'll go by
way of the main house."

"how do we get there?" dean asked, as harry reached into his pocket, pulling out a
small canvas bag of floo powder.

"someone will have to distract filch, once he's out of his office, we can use his
fireplace to floo there. dumbledore said i shouldn't go, but he's the
one who gave me the floo powder, he knows i'll go after her, just as voldemort
knows," he explained, seeing the questions in hermione's eyes. "it's dangerous,
you should all know that. i have to go, but the rest of you don't."

"she's my sister and i'm going," ron said sternly. "i won't stand by hoping for
the best."

"she's our friend and we won't stand around waiting to hear that she's gone,"
neville said. "we were together in the ministry last year and we'll be together
now."

"we won't walk away," luna added in an unusually strong tone.

"then lets go. we need someone to distract filch," harry told them.

"dobby will do it, sir." harry heard the small voice from the open door, turning
to see the house elf standing with his mix matched clothes and a determined
look on his face. "dobby will help harry potter save his ginny."

"thanks dobby," harry told him. "you can get in my trunk and take all the socks
you want."

"no sir, dobby doesn't do this for harry potter. he does it to end the evil in our
world."
"lets go," harry said, smiling back to dobby. they walked out into the hall,
watching as dobby signaled for them to stay behind. he hurried up the stairs
and out of sight. a few moments later they heard an earth shattering crash, seeing
pieces of a chandelier bounce down the stairs toward them. immediately
the sound of filch's angry voice could be heard screeching through the castle.
dobby came bouncing back down the stairs with a huge smile on his little
face.

"harry potter must hurry," he told them.

"come on," harry said, leading the way to the dark dismal office of the castle
caretaker. they stepped to the fireplace and harry handed them the bag. "you
have to give the order to take you to the riddle caretaker's cottage. wait for a
signal. if you don't hear from me within twenty minutes, get word back
to dumbledore. don't' do anything rash," he told them looking to ron. "i can't
save ginny and you too. just be careful, and remember what we've learned."

"we're right behind you harry," seamus said with a stern, proud tone in his voice.

"so are we," a voice said from the open door. harry turned quickly, his wand in
his hand pointed directly at blaise zabini who stood in front of a group
of slytherins.

"what are you doing here?" ron snapped, his wand pointing at the group, as did
those of the other members of the d.a.

"not all of us believe in what he-who-must-not-be-named is doing," blaise said.

"we want to save malfoy as much as you want to save weasley. not all of
us dream of being death eaters you know."

"fine, but stay out of trouble. if you cross us..." harry began, watching as
blaise stepped forward, his head raised proudly, his hand reaching outward.
harry stared at him for a moment, then reached forward and shook his hand.

"we're on your side potter."

"then lets go. you have your orders," harry glanced to ron. "remember to wait for
a signal."

"what kind of signal?"

"i don't know, but i'll figure something out." with a final glance back to the
group, he stepped inside the fireplace, taking a handful of floo powder from
the bag ron held out to him. he drew a deep breath, and then spoke in a clear
strong voice.

"riddle estate in little hangleton," he said, dropping the powder and

disappearing. ron turned back to hermione and the others, determination shining on
his face.

"this is what we've been working for," he said boldly. "now's the time to back out
if you're scared." there was no noise and no sense of retreat and ron
smiled back at them.

"then let's do this." he stepped into the fireplace, taking a handful of powder
and looked back to hermione.
"to our destiny," she told him. ron smiled back to her then spoke again, just as
clear and strong as harry had.

"riddle caretaker cottage in little hangleton." hermione watched as he

disappeared, then drew a deep breath.

"destiny, here we come," she said as each one followed suit and disappeared into
the vast darkness of the floo network.

read? review!

author notes: this fic is almost finished, so please stay tuned. i hope to have it
ready for reviewing by the end of the week. keep your fingers crossed
for me, and please keep r/r. i love hearing from everyone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thanks as always to "d" for your inspiration, support and editing.
i don't think i could have made it this far without your help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty-five

the swirling sensation kept harry's head spinning, until a light began to appear
in front of him, growing in clarity and dimension. his heart was beating,
his pulse was racing and he gripped his wand tightly. he knew the moment of truth
had come and he was ready. his anger and concern for the young woman
he had promised his love and heart to was the driving force that brought his feet
out of the fireplace to confront a room dark and stuffy. crowded around
were the black hooded figures of voldemort's death eaters, each pointing a wand
toward him. harry returned his wand to the pocket of his robes, forcing
the image of calm and confidence across his emotionless face. the high pitched
laughter echoed from behind the black robed figures and as they moved aside
to form a path to him, harry saw the pasty face of the one man in the world he
despised more than uncle vernon and dudley put together.

"you are so predictable potter," voldemort cackled from his high backed chair, his
red eyes glaring with amusement as harry paced his way toward him.

"so are you old man," harry answered calmly. "where is she?"

"safe, for now."

"i want to see her...now."

"bring her," voldemort hissed and harry saw two large cloaked figures drag ginny
into the room from the hallway.

"you all right?" harry asked in a gentle tone, glaring at the two figures he
assumed were crabbe and goyle.

"yeah, i'm okay," ginny said, struggling against the strong hands holding her
tightly. "i'm just going to kick these two if they don't let go of me." harry
smiled at the spunk of his girlfriend. she was stronger than he assumed, which
made him proud to have her on his side.
"tell me potter, why would you be interested in such a scrawny thing like her?
she's not much to look at if you ask me."

"i didn't ask you," harry said with a sneer turning a narrowed eye toward the
swollen bellied bellatrix by his side. "but then you haven't much taste in
the first place, do you?"

"such a tongue harry," bellatrix hissed with a wicked smile. "don't think your
parents would approve of such an attitude."

"since they aren't around i suppose that's not something i need to worry about,
now is it?"

"enough of this," voldemort hissed. "i brought you here for a reason."

"which is?"

"you want me dead and the feeling is mutual. however, recently i have discovered
that you are much more powerful than i've ever predicted."

"even more so than you?" harry tempted fate as the thin man stood, secure in
ginny's safety for now. the death eaters moved aside, allowing more room for
their master to confront his enemy one on one.

"you will never be as powerful as i am, but you can try."

"and try i do. so what is it you want from me? obviously it's not for decorating
hints," harry said looking around the peeling wallpaper, cracked walls
covered in cobwebs and broken windows. "you've done so many wonderful things
already with this place."

"think yourself clever do you, potter?" a voice asked from the side, a voice very
familiar to harry, who turned to see the tall slender figure take a step
further from the crowd.

"i was wondering whatever happened to you malfoy," harry said as draco tipped the
hood to his black robe off, revealing his pale blond head and flour-white
complexion.

"miss me, potty?" he sneered.

"you wish. just enjoying the peaceful serenity of hogwart's without you. so,
voldie, what do you want?" harry asked, turning back to the snake-like man
standing a few feet from him.

"there is no way you will ever win against me, you understand that don't you?"

"no, actually i've never thought of my defeating you as not winning."

"clever, but delusional. you are a very powerful wizard, potter and those skills
are growing rapidly. join me and together we can rule the entire world."

"join you? you're madder than even i had imagined."

"you have a choice potter. join me and live, rule by my side as my second in
command and your friends will live. you can even keep your little girlfriend
as your whore, for all i care, though i'll never understand why you would want
her."
"don't listen to him harry," ginny growled, as a hand from one of her restrainers
clamped over her mouth.

"why would i ever want to join you? you have nothing to offer me. if i'm as
powerful as you suggest, that must mean i can stand on my own, perhaps even
rule against you. ever think of that?" voldemort laughed his usual high-pitched
hiss as he and harry slowly began to pace around each other in a circle.

"you are as idealistic as your parents were. your mother was very strong, but even
she couldn't compete against me, though she did try. have i ever told
you how she died? you would have been very proud of her, potter. she didn't beg me
for mercy for herself, only for you. noble don't you think?"

"much more than you deserved," harry said softly, fighting back the anger that
threatened his composure.

"you won't defeat me. unless you join me, you and your precious school will be
destroyed."

"you can try, but with dumbledore still in control you'll never get further than
the front gates." again voldemort laughed, causing harry's temper to rise.

"albus dumbledore is a pathetic old man, who's weak and worthless. he'll never
stand against me. i have been and always will be the greatest wizard that
ever lived."

"you may try to be the greatest wizard alive, but you'll never be more than a
second rate, half breed, trying to be a success."

"i am heir to the great salazar slytherin. it is you who will never reach
success."

"you may be heir to slytherin, but you are also the son of a muggle."

"watch your tongue potter, or i'll be happy to remove it for you," bellatrix
hissed in defense of her master.

"hasn't he told you about his wonderful, proud heritage?" harry asked, watching
the anger grow in his enemy's red eyes. "a heritage that will run through
the veins of your bastard child. his mother was actually your cousin, bellatrix,
anna felicia marvolo daughter to mathilda hestia black and julius draco
marvolo. his father however, was a muggle by the name of tom riddle."

"shut up potter," voldemort hissed.

"why? are you afraid to hear the truth? are you afraid for them to hear the truth?
are you afraid to know that your father didn't hate you, like you always
thought? it's true, your great dark lord's name is tom marvolo riddle and he's
half muggle," harry said turning to look at the death eaters surrounding
them, then turned back to voldemort. "your father was told you died in birth with
your mother. he loved you and he loved your mother, he only allowed her
to stay in the wizarding world after she became pregnant, because she needed the
care of a medi-wizard. he had plans of taking you and her to his world
once you were born and she was well enough to be moved. but your perfect,
pureblood grandparents had other ideas. they were the ones who were ashamed of
you. they were the ones who didn't want the wizarding world to know about you.
dumbledore was there when you were born, but your grandparents took you
to the orphanage as a baby before he could contact your father. even he couldn't
find you until you were able to enter hogwart's. by then the damage had
been done."

"you're a liar," hissed the pasty-faced man. "i killed the riddles and destroyed
any trace of them from my life."

"you may have killed them, but you could never erase them from your life. your
father is a part of you, a part of your blood. you used his bones for the
potion that gave you back your human form, because of that you made him an even
larger part of your life. you owe him for your very existence."

"i'm warning you potter. shut up or you'll pay for your insolence."

"i've been paying, every day of my life since you killed my parents. have you told
draco malfoy the truth about his mother's death yet?" harry asked, turning
to look at the tall blond standing, listening to every word the two enemies said
to each other. his eyes narrowed at harry as he glanced briefly to the
dark lord.

"what is he talking about?" malfoy asked.

"don't listen to him, son," the dark hooded figure next to him said, placing a
hand on his shoulder. "he's trying to confuse you, just as dumbledore tried."

"your father never told you how he killed your mother, by order of his lord and
master?" harry asked, still pacing around voldemort. "he never told you
how she begged for mercy, how she tried to save you from the life he had promised
you to? he never told you how he simply raised his wand and issued the
killing curse, without so much as single regret?" the younger malfoy glanced to
his the man beside him, edging further out of his grip.

"how do you know that?" the older malfoy asked.

"remember, i have powers even your master didn't realize."

"you told me my mother was a traitor and died as a result," the younger malfoy
said with an angry tone. "tell me the truth, father. tell me how she died."

"her death was necessary," the older malfoy's voice said from beneath his cloak.
"she betrayed our dark lord and had to die."

"answer me father. did you kill my mother?"

"yes and it was my pleasure to serve her body up to our lord."

"how could you lie to me like that? how could you kill her? she was your wife."

"she was a traitor. i would kill you too, if you hadn't joined us. i will kill
anyone for the dark lord."

"some love your father has for you, huh malfoy?" harry asked, feeling the leverage
growing. at last he was convinced who was to be the fifth point of the
star. malfoy was tempted, but was turning, seeing the truth of the world he was
promised to.

"shut up potter," the elder malfoy growled, his wand rising toward him. "i'll kill
you for what you've done here."
"you can try, but you'll never succeed," harry said proudly, his voice showing a
slight hint of amusement. "do you remember that prophecy you wanted to
get your hands on to, so badly last year? do you really want to know what it
said?"

"there is no way you could possibly know what it contained," bellatrix said from
her perch near voldemort's chair. "it was destroyed before anyone could
hear it."

"not exactly anyone. i heard it," harry lied, unwilling to reveal dumbledore was
the only one who knew the whole prophecy. "it said that voldemort would
mark his equal, which he did," harry said, raising his hair with his hand to
reveal the lightening bolt scar. "it also said that neither of us can live,
while the other survives. it means that that one of us has to kill the
other...kill or be killed. nothing you can do to me, will work."

"we'll see about that," voldemort hissed as the large image of his pet snake
entered his conscious mind. harry saw it immediately, turning toward around
to see the massive reptile slithering toward him, tongue flicking and eyes
hungrily set on harry.

"serpens annihilare," he said, pointing his wand to the snake.

"no, nagini!" voldemort cried as his beloved serpent glowed a bright red, hissing
in pain as it melted away into oblivion. "you'll pay for that potter."
the dark lord raised his wand, but harry was too quick already anticipating his
response. using the lessons he'd learned from charlie, he focused his whole
mind toward the man, freezing in him in time. the death eaters gasped in shock as
their master became as a statue, but the effects were only momentary.
within the span of a few seconds voldemort was unfrozen, staring at harry in
disbelief.

"my powers are not only strong," harry said, locking his green eyes with those of
blood red ones. "they are equal to yours." harry seized the moment, reaching
out his mind and creating a shield around the two of them, his wand rising
simultaneously toward the dark lord. the action took the death eaters by surprise,
forcing them to raise their own wand to the dome covering their master and his
enemy. they began issuing spells, creating a variety of sparks that lit
up the room in an array of colors. without thought, the doors surrounding the room
were blown open, as the members of the d.a. burst through, followed
by a number of aurors.

harry kept his attention to voldemort, ignoring those outside the dome. they
continued to pace around each other, circling, as a wild animal would stalk
its prey. each had their wand raised to the other, confronting and holding off
their opponent.

"think you're as strong as i, do you?" voldemort hissed.

"you know i am, or you would never have asked me to join you. you're afraid of me,
riddle, afraid of the truth, afraid of the power i've developed."

"you are overly confident potter. you will never defeat me."

"perhaps not, but i will certainly try. i have run from you for too long, i'm
tired of it. it's time to end this."
"no it's not, not yet," voldemort hissed in laughter. "you think this simple
child's spell will hold me? you are naive boy. i'll not destroy you this time,
but the day will come when you will beg me for mercy, just as your parents did.
were you aware of how beautiful your mother was as she knelt before me?
she was exceptionally beautiful, too beautiful for the likes of your father. i did
not kill her right away, as you have been told. she would do anything
to save the life of her infant son, anything i asked. she made a pleasing effort
in the end. quite the lover, your mother was. no wonder your father enjoyed
her so much."

"what are you saying?" harry demanded, his anger growing bitterly deep. voldemort
laughed again, the hissing echoed about the inner walls of the dome.

"can't you figure it out? she made every attempt to save your life, even to the
point of offering herself to me."

"you're a liar!" harry snapped, the hand holding his wand shook with anger.

"am i?" the evil tone echoed in his voice.

"my mother would never do that, never. she was..."

"my whore, to the very end. your father was killed early, but your mother survived
for hours before i tired of her. pity too, she was quite an interesting
woman. if it weren't for the fact she was a mudblood, i would have quite enjoyed
keeping her at my disposal for a while longer. perhaps if i had known
of her talents sooner, you would have been mine rather than james potter's."

"i'll kill you for what you've done," harry warned, but before he could issue the
spell the hissing laughter echoed again, then vanished from the dome without
warning. harry was left within, fuming in anger, shaking with fury. he couldn't
believe what he'd heard, he couldn't believe what his mother could have
endured or surrendered in that way.

the sound of spells being cast against the dome brought harry back to reality, as
he dissolved his barrier, joining in the battle against the death eaters.
bellatrix had disappeared, as had lucius malfoy, leaving the rest to battle for
them. ginny lay on the floor next to voldemort's chair, while crabbe and
goyle cowered in nearby corners. harry made his way to her, touching her shoulder.
a soft moan escaped her throat and harry released the breath he had
subconsciously been holding. a split second passed before he sensed another person
by his side. he turned quickly to see malfoy lean down across ginny,
his hand on her forehead, tipping it back to look into her face.

"she's alive," he said, looking at harry. "we've got to get her out of here."

"what do you care?" harry asked, testing the waters of their relationship. malfoy
frowned.

"i'm not like my father. i want to help." harry smiled briefly, then turned to the
battle between d.a. members and death eaters.

"we can't leave like this," he said. "we have to help."

"go," ginny said in a soft voice.

"ginny, are you all right?" harry asked lifting her up to a sitting position, her
arm in an awkward position. she moaned in pain, reaching for her shoulder.
"i think it's dislocated," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "leave me and
help the others."

"go on," malfoy told harry. "i'll stay with her." harry frowned, unsure if the
blond was sincere or if he should even be considering trusting him or not.
"they need you potter. the dark lord was right, you are a powerful wizard, you
have to help them. do you really think weasley will hold them off without
you?"

"if you're even thinking of double crossing me, malfoy," harry warned.

"i'm not." harry stared at the young man across from him, seeing something in his
eyes that told him he could trust him, then looked back to ginny.

"i'll be right back," he told her. "stay out of the way."

"i'll be fine, now go. they need you." harry smiled, glanced back to malfoy then
joined in the battle.

"you're a real surprise, malfoy," ginny said looking at the young man who reached
down to help her move further out of sight.

"don't rub it in, weasley," he said with his usual smirk, only his eyes revealed
genuine concern. "it wouldn't do for anyone to know i actually helped potter's
girlfriend." ginny leaned against the back of the chair voldemort had once
occupied. her eyes caught sight of the figure in the corner sneaking up behind
them, just as malfoy turned, his wand raised toward the man.

"avada kedavra," he shouted, watching as the dark image of the elder goyle
collapsed on the ground, dead. "at least one of my mother's tormentor's was
punished,"
he said sadly, glancing around the room. crabbe was gone, sneaking out of the line
of fire.

the battle was quickly coming to an end, as the aurors cast their spells along
side the d.a. members. within a few minutes most every death eater was unconscious
or secured, but before the fight was completed several dementors floated into the
room, bringing with them the icy cold of death and despair. harry turned
in time to see two advancing on him, he raised his wand and with the strength he
had grown over the length of practice and time he issued the spell, "expecto
patronum." the silver image of a large stag emerged from the end of his wand,
fighting back the dark images. several other members of the d.a. followed
suit, forcing the dementors back. harry went to ginny and malfoy, reaching for the
girl's arm.

"we've got to get her out of here," he told malfoy seeing the effects the
dementors had on the girl. he raised ginny carefully to her feet, wrapping his
arm around her waist as malfoy slipped her good arm around his shoulder. ron and
hermione joined them, and they quickly made their way out into the hallway.

"you guys get back to hogwart's," tonks shouted, ordering the rest of the students
out of the room. as each one quickly filed into the hallway, the doors
to the room closed and locked behind them, leaving them to floo back to the castle
via the caretaker's cottage. the battle may have been fought, but the
real war was yet to begin. harry frowned as he wrapped his arm around ginny a
little tighter. for the first real time since finding out about his prophecy,
since confronting voldemort for the first time when he fought for the
philosopher's stone, harry was confident he would win against him. his powers were
stronger than even he knew and today when he stood face to face with him, harry
felt in control and powerful. he was the-boy-who-lived and he would one
day be the-boy-who-succeeded.

read? review!

author notes: okay, i know i promised this would be the last chapter of book six,
but it was too long for one, so i had to split it up. i'll have the ending
soon and then book seven will be uploaded shortly after. please be patient, it is
coming. thank you to everyone who reads, reviews and continues to be
loyal followers. i love hearing from everyone. please continue.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

author's notes: thank you as always to "d" for your editing, support and
friendship. i could never have gone this far without you. also, thank you for
giving me the idea and permission to use your 'bubblehead' spell. as for everyone
else, i appologize. this is a very long chapter, but i didn't want to
break it up a second time. please bear with it and r/r, and as always, thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

chapter forty-six

harry sat silently watching ginny sleep. he and malfoy had taken her to the
infirmary the moment they emerged from filch's fireplace. madame pomfrey had
mended ginny's arm and restored her energy from the dementors with a healthy dose
of chocolate and an equally large amount of pepperup potion. now she
lay sleeping, her head resting against the soft pillow, her delicate frame tucked
beneath a heavy blanket. he couldn't stop reliving the events that had
occurred, the danger this beautiful young woman faced, or the bravery she
displayed. he would never again assume she couldn't hold her own.

a soft rustle brought harry out of his state of reminiscence, to see professor
dumbledore walking slowly toward him. he smiled as he stopped at the foot
of the bed, looking at the sleeping young woman. he could understand how easily
harry had fallen in love with her. in this very moment, she resembled his
beloved guinevere, now long gone. a sad sense of loss overcame him for a moment
and he found himself forced to refocus on the moment at hand.

"have you been here all night harry?" he asked the young man, knowing the answer
before he even offered it.

"i couldn't leave her professor," harry answered.

"i understand. madame pomfrey assures me that miss weasley will recover fully by
tomorrow."

"yes sir. how are all the others?" harry glanced around to the beds that
surrounded them. tonks had been hit hard, but was sleeping soundly across the
room,
as was kingsley shackelbolt who had nearly been kissed by a dementor, but was
rescued in time by charlie weasley. lupin had been wounded the worst. he
had been hit in the head and was currently undergoing a series of very complicated
spells combined with a variety of powerful potions mixed together by
snape. there were others in the room; emmeline vance had minor injuries about the
arms and torso, sturgis podmore had burns across his face and hands,
hestia jones had received the misdirected engorgement spell from neville who was
also in one of the beds, recovering from very minor injuries that had
him receiving quite a bit of comfort and sympathy from luna. elphias doge was
trying to breath around a collapsed lung, which madame pomfrey had used a
similar bubblehead spell, to re-inflate his lung and keep them oxygen rich while
mending, while dedalus diggle who was sporting and comforting a swollen
eye and broken nose, from where the senior goyle had kicked him in the face after
being bound by ropes.

"i suppose they will all recover in time," dumbledore said, smiling as he watched
luna feeding neville a spoon of custard.

"professor," harry began in a hushed tone. "draco malfoy is the final point of the
star, isn't he?"

"you can feel it too, can't you harry?"

"yes sir. i know ron is going to flip, but he was a huge help today. he stayed
with ginny and protected her from the dementors. if it wasn't for him, i
don't know what would have happened to her."

"the prophecy is coming to life," dumbledore whispered softly, more to himself

than to harry. "i think it best for you to explain things to mr. malfoy,
harry. there are things i believe you two need to work out. perhaps years of
aggression to sort through."

"i'll try professor, but i won't guarantee anything. he's not exactly the
cooperative type you know?" dumbledore chuckled softly.

"as i recall mr. potter, you haven't exactly followed by the rules either. perhaps
you two are more alike then you'd care to admit."

"i wouldn't go that far. but i will talk with him. it's the least i can do,
considering what he did for ginny." harry paused and looked back to the sleeping
girl, then looked up to dumbledore again. "malfoy used the unforgivable curse on
goyle."

"i know."

"what's going to happen to him?" dumbledore drew a deep breath before answering.

"he has been put on suspension for the remainder of the year and his wand has been
confiscated until the ministry passes judgment, but i do not believe
it was so much the use of the spell as it was his joining the death eaters. i
doubt, considering the circumstances, he will be arrested or expelled from
school. the ministry wants to keep a close eye on him for now, to assure that he
does not rejoin his father. he used the spell to protect the minister
of magic's daughter and to fight against a death eater. it's difficult to punish
the deeds when the outcome was so beneficial. he has however, lost his
prefect privileges."

"what about his father? he escaped again, along with voldemort and bellatrix."

"only time will tell on that point. my sources tell me, the bounty on young mr.
malfoy's head has been tripled. every dishonest wizard in the country will
be looking to collect on it. he's sacrificed a great deal in order to help you."
"i know. and the thought doesn't exactly sit well. it's hard to imagine someone
like malfoy doing anything honorably."

"there is a great deal about mr. malfoy you do not know."

"but i'm afraid i'm going to find out." harry sighed; leaning back against the
chair he was sitting in and closed his eyes.

"tell me harry," the headmaster said as he turned to leave. "how did you learn
about lord voldemort and his parents?"

"we found a book in the library with a note written by you in it. there were
others that told the story voldemort held to, that his father abandoned his
mother when he learned of her magical heritage. but this one told a different
story, one of love and lies. why didn't you ever tell him when he was in
school?"

"i should have, perhaps it would have saved us years of misery. but he was never
interested in knowing of his muggle father. he was bitter and hurt. i thought
that if he had time to adjust and work through his feelings of rejection, that he
would be willing to hear the truth. he left hogwart's before that time
ever came. by the time i saw him again, it was too late. he was already the evil
dark lord we know today."

"i don't know if he was really listening, but i had to tell him the truth. at
least he knows the story, rather he believes it or not is another subject.
professor," harry paused thinking back on some of what he had been told that
night. "voldemort told me a different version of my mother's death. he said...she
made an offer to him, in order to save my life. he said she didn't die as quickly
as my father. do you know anything about this?" dumbledore leaned against
the end of the bed, closing his eyes behind the half moon glasses. it was as if he
were fighting off the images threatening to overwhelm him. when he opened
his eyes again, there was deep regret and sadness.

"there was speculations at the time," he began with a heavy sigh. "your mother was
a great woman, harry. she loved you with every fiber of her being. i
doubt there was anything she wouldn't have done to protect you. if you're asking
me if i believe he...raped...her, i'd have to say no. she was a powerful
witch, but she would never betray your father's love like that. i heard the rumors
as well, but i will never believe them. i would rather think of lily
in the way i always knew her, full of laughter and hope."

"was there an autopsy done?"

"muggles do autopsies harry. we do mind retrievals. even after death, the memories
and dreams of the mind remain. i know there was a retrieval ordered,
but i never knew of the results. i chose not to know. perhaps i was wrong about
that, but i didn't want to know more than i did."

"i need to know," harry whispered softly.

"why?"

"if he did what he claimed..."

"will it change your impression of your mother? will it change the way you feel
about her? will it change how you feel about lord voldemort? she was your
mother, first and foremost. she died tragically, but her love for you was greater
than any magic known to wizard kind. you have to remain focused on your
mission in life harry. dwelling on what might have happened, or what claims were
made, won't change anything now."

"you think i should just let it go, is that it?" harry asked, bitterness in his
tone.

"i think you should look deep within your heart, find that memory of lily and hold
onto it. that is the woman she was. nothing else matters."

"who was guinevere?" harry asked abruptly, seeing the shocked expression on the
older wizard's face.

"how do you know of...you're very tricky harry. i didn't even realize you had seen
my thoughts."

"i can see thoughts clearly now, even when people don't know it. i saw voldemort's
thoughts about my mother. either he was thinking of what he had hoped
would have happened, or he did...then when you came in, i saw your thoughts when
you looked at ginny. who was she?"

"she was someone very special to me once, a very long time ago. but that time is
over and she is gone. it's best left that way."

"she was more than that to you, she still is."

"harry, i would ask you to stay out of my memories. what is there really has no
purpose for you."

"i'm sorry professor. i wasn't trying to pry. i just thought she was very
beautiful."

"yes, she was. well then harry. good night. i know it is useless to tell you to
get some sleep, but i think you should try. final exams start next week
and you need your concentration for them."

"yes sir. good night." harry watched the old man leave, feeling an odd sense of
loneliness following him. harry had seen more than just the image and memory
of his guinevere. he had seen more, a hint of something dealing with the present.
when he looked at ginny, he saw...what? a life forgotten. he saw dumbledore
with the woman, with two children, a boy and girl, both with brown-red hair. he
saw a brief image of them as adults with families of their own, gathered
around a bed like those of the infirmary. but more than that, he saw...what?
something familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. a brief glimpse into
something that made his heart stop and then skip a beat all within the span of a
single breath. but the more he concentrated on the image, the further
away it slipped until he could no longer remember what it was he had seen.

"potter? you awake?" harry started to the sound of a voice, raising his head from
the bed beside ginny. he didn't even realize he had laid it down, or that
he had drifted off to sleep. one moment he was thinking about dumbledore and the
next he was waking to his name being called.

"i'm awake," harry said in a groggy tone. next to him stood malfoy, blond hair
free from the styling potions he'd normally wore, his robes gone. he wore
only a pair of dark slacks and a light blue jumper. malfoy chuckled as he watched
harry fight for control over his fatigue.
"sure you are. why are you still here? i thought you'd be up in your common room,
relaying your heroic tales to the younger gryffindors."

"i wasn't the hero tonight, malfoy, you were. i suppose i owe you for protecting
ginny."

"don't worry about it. i won't make you pay...too badly at least."

"thanks. i feel much better about the debt i owe you." malfoy laughed this time,
not like he usually did, but a sincere laugh. it was a sound harry had
never heard from him.

"how's little weaslette?" he asked looking down at the still sleeping ginny.

"her name is ginny and she's doing well, just sleeping. madame pomfrey gave her a
sleeping draft."

"i suppose she would need it. she was quite brave, for a weasley that is. not much
like her brothers."

"all the weasleys are brave. there is nothing they wouldn't do for each other."

"i guess that's what separates families from housemates." harry stared at the
young man for a few silent moments, then turned back to ginny. he brushed
a stray hair from her forehead, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. as he
straightened, he saw sadness in malfoy's eyes that had never been there before.
he could only imagine how great his loss was.

"come walk with me malfoy," harry said quietly, so as not to disturb the others.
the two of them left the hospital wing together, walking down the hallway.
they silently made their way to the room of requirements, where harry paced three
times and opened the door. inside was a room unlike any he had ever seen
inside the walls before. sitting in the center were two large wingback chairs, a
small round table sitting between them. along the walls were lit candles,
illuminating the room in a soft glow. against the far end of the room was a large
fireplace, much like the one in the great hall. on the floor was a thick
covering of an oriental rug and on the table was a tray of steaming tea and cakes.

"cozy," malfoy sneered, looking much like the old malfoy. "not at all like the
last time i was here."

"when was that?" harry asked, walking to chairs and sitting in one.

"about a month ago," malfoy said with a chuckle as he followed suit and joined
harry at the table. "parvati and i were here. it's quite a useful room, you
know?"

"yes i know," harry chuckled at the surprised look on the blond's face. "i wonder
if this room has always been this useful, or if it's a new thing this
year?"

"from what i've overheard the past six years, it's a secret as old as hogwart's."
malfoy and harry drank from their teacups and snacked on the cakes in
silent for several moments.

"so potter, why did you bring me here? i'm sure it wasn't for a midnight snack."

"i needed to speak with you about a few things. like...what...are you going to do
now?"

"what do you mean?"

"you said you were trying to get your family's fortune back. have you done it
yet?" harry felt like a fool making small talk, but he was trying to figure
out a way to tell him about the prophecy and his being the fifth point of the
fabled star dumbledore spoke of.

"the petition my lawyers have filed is in the hands of the minister," malfoy said,
a disgusted look on his pale face. "after being suspended, having my
wand revoked, losing my prefect privileges, not to mention carrying the surname of
malfoy, i suppose we can both guess what weasley is going to say to
my request."

"don't judge mr. weasley so harshly, malfoy. he's a very fair man. and as long as
you're making a list you might want to add the fact that you fought against
voldemort and his followers, turned against your own father, protected ginny and
helped save her from goyle and the dementors. i'm sure if anything is
going to carry weight with the minister of magic, it will be the fact that his
only daughter is alive because of you."

"please don't say that. the idea of saving a weasley doesn't set well with my
upbringing."

"there comes a time, when a person has to decide his own destiny, regardless of
his past. look at me. if i chose my future based on the way i was raised,
i'd as worthless as my muggle relatives thinks i am."

"who says you aren't, potter?" malfoy smiled, more in a teasing manner than his
usual condescending one. harry narrowed his eyes without speaking, causing
the young man to chuckle. "what are you trying to get at?"

"there was another part of that prophecy, i didn't tell voldemort," harry began
softly. "it spoke of five points to a star...a star that would unite and
defeat the dark lord. dumbledore believes that ron and hermione are two sides of
the star and ginny and i are the other."

"that still leaves one part missing."

"the prophecy said that the fifth point would be identified by the loss of a
mother. that the dark lord would tempt the depths of the power, but that the
father would lose to the truth. i think the missing part of the star is you,
malfoy."

"you're joking, right?" malfoy stared at harry with a frown. "you honestly think
that i would stand by your side and help you defeat the dark lord? do you
have any idea what you're asking?"

"i understand completely," harry said boldly. "i'm asking you to forget the past
six years, to forget that you and i have always hated each other, that
ron and ginny are weasleys, that hermione is muggle born. i'm asking you to forget
all that your father has told you, all that he taught you. i'm asking
you to forget the anger and the bitterness and join us in the fight to save our
world. i'm asking you to remember the sacrifice your mother made for you,
the sacrifice so many parents have made for their children in order to give them a
future." harry stared at the young man across from him, seeing the conflict
that crossed his face as he listened. "we need you malfoy. we need your skills and
your power. i know we have never seen eye to eye on anything and we
probably never will. i'm not asking you change who you are, or to forget where you
come from. i'm just asking you to help us." malfoy stood slowly, staring
at harry through a deep frown. the confusion and disbelief shined on his face like
a beacon.

"you're crazy potter," he said as he walked toward the door.

"the time will come when you have to decide, malfoy," harry said softly as the
young man's hand reached for the knob of the door. "you will have to chose
then. do you fight with us, or do you fight on the side your mother died trying to
protect you from?" malfoy didn't turn around or look back. he opened
the door and stepped out into the hall, closing the wooden barrier behind him.
harry stared into the silent room, wondering what the future would bring
now. was there hope for them, or was destiny as cold as the night air?

the celebrations were running ramped among the different houses. final exams were
over; the o.w.l.s and n.e.w.t.s were taken and now forgotten until results
were sent out in august. hogwart's was safe, for now at least. the spells and
charms placed upon the school were reinforced and new ones added to protect
against simple things as portkeys. it was determined after an exhausting
investigation that the portkey in which ginny had been taken with was in actuality
the magazine she had received containing wands and accessories. it was also
discovered that ginny's robes had been jinxed to drop her wand whenever she
sat down. afterwards the magazine arrived and she began considering the purchase
of a new holster. the spell was charmed to activate only when she tried
to read the magazine in harry's presence. it was quite an ingenious spell, one
that surprised even dumbledore. it was determined that either crabbe or
goyle, or perhaps both, were responsible for jinxing ginny's robes. dobby told the
headmaster he had found ginny's robes in their dormitory while cleaning
and returned them to the laundry. he had neglected mentioning it earlier, not
considering any consequences of their being found where they had.

malfoy had been received back at hogwart's with a hero's welcome, with the
exception of his two main cohorts who had left the school the night after his
return. they had learned of the senior goyle's death and it was believed that they
had been summonsed by the dark lord to join him. the senior crabbe had
disappeared during the battle and had yet to be found, making all believe he had
rejoined his master in hiding. harry had not been able to convince malfoy
of his involvement in the prophecy and had actually found malfoy deliberately
avoiding him. even though he had been suspended for the rest of the school
year, he remained at hogwart's, having been relinquished into the custody of his
godfather, snape. his hearing with the ministry had been scheduled for
late august, which meant that a decision would be made as to whether he returned
to school for his final year, or was sent to azkaban for his use of the
unforgivable spell.

mr. weasley had considered the petition malfoy's lawyers had filed, choosing to
return the young man's fortune back to him. malfoy manor remained under
ministry control however, while the many aurors tried to break the spells, hexes,
jinxes and charms that protected it. there were still the threats that
malfoy or voldemort would return there, since it was virtually invisible to the
ministry's observations.

harry and ginny had long since made up, spending nearly every night either at the
shrieking shack or in the room of requirements. they were anxious to share
as much time as possible together, before harry would return to surrey and his
horrid relatives. at least it would be his last summer there, which was
the only thought that kept them looking forward to the end of summer holidays.

ron and hermione had let it slip during one of their many arguments that they were
engaged and news had reached the daily prophet, who were reporting their
many speculations on the subject, on a weekly basis. so far the rumor that
hermione was pregnant had been cast and squelched, yet remained in many students
minds, who continued to whisper and stare openly at the couple. then there was the
rumor that ron had inherited a million gold galleons and hermione was
with him in hopes of obtaining her share of it, and the most popular of all
rumors, that hermione was under a love spell cast on her by ron. the last rumor
the daily prophet had reported was that hermione was on the rebound from harry,
turning instead to her best friend for condolence. needless to say, by
the last day of classes ron was fit to be tied. he had spent his last night at
hogwart's in detention, scraping the many dung bombs bought from the weasley
twins and set by students, from the walls of the potions classroom.

hermione had grown quite upset and frustrated with both ron and his temper, as
well as not finding any further information on the green flame torch in the
library...the one single place she held in highest esteem, even more so than her
prized book, 'hogwart's; a history'. she had a renewed sense of hope after
learning about tom riddle's family home from her parents. she was certain she
would receive her answers by the end of school and was furious when she hadn't.

the farewell dinner was the usual feast, far surpassing even the welcoming back
feast. everyone was happy and filled with enthusiasm for the summer. plans
for holiday trips were discussed, as well as the many ideas of how summer would be
spent with loved ones, sweethearts and even homework (mainly from hermione).
ginny was telling harry all the things that her mother had planned for the
holiday, from shopping for 'suitable clothes' to spending a few weeks at the
seashore. she insisted of course, that he would be coming along and was eagerly
scheduling their days, making certain there was 'alone' time for them each
afternoon or evening - both in some cases.

that night, harry lay in the large oversized bed, beside ginny in the room of
requirements. the flames in the fireplace were dying down and harry found
himself being pulled gently into a deep slumber. he couldn't remember being this
content or this happy. it may have been his last night with his girlfriend
for what could be weeks, but he was also embarking on his last summer with the
dursleys. he didn't care about voldemort or facing another year of wondering
what would happen. he didn't worry about malfoy or the fifth point of the star, he
didn't even care about the many added lessons dumbledore, tonks, moody
and lupin insisted he undergo during his seventh year. all he cared about was the
hopeful, happy outlook he saw for his immediate future.

just as sleep began of to overtake him, harry could hear the whisper of his name
being called. he felt himself being lifted up out of bed, away from ginny's
inviting embrace and found himself standing on the beaches of a small island. all
around him were the sweet fragrances of flowers and fresh seawater. the
sounds of birds in the trees sang out to him, beckoning him forward. harry's feet
dug into the soft, warm sand as he moved inland. the massive trunks of
palm trees crowed the overgrown path of ivy as he pushed his way through. there
was a sense of peaceful solitude and foreboding as he made his way to the
center of the island. there stood a large, rickety looking house, very much like
the burrow. the paint of the outer walls and the wooden shingles of the
roof looked fairly new, as did the glistening windows that seemed to twinkle to
him in the bright sunlight.

harry walked up the steps of the front of the house, pushing open the large red
door. he walked into a bright, sunny room filled with vases of island flowers.
the furnishings were consistent to those of hogwart's with many large wingback
chairs, sofas and wooden tables. the curtains hanging across the windows
displayed a variety of stars and planets moving among the dark blue background.
the smell of tea brewing and the sweet aroma of berry filled crumpets met
him as he walked around the room. beyond was a closed door and as harry stared at
it, it began to open. he felt his heart skip a beat. was this another
premonition? it seemed different somehow, unlike any he had before. he felt happy
and content here, there was no hint of fear or death. as he watched the
door open, the figure of a stalky little witch with rather unkept gray hair and a
crooked nose entered carrying a silver tray with a teapot and four teacups.
she wore a black dress beneath a ragged old apron, her feet bare. she walked past
harry and sat it on the table in front of the sofa.

following shortly behind the first woman, was another this one much taller and
slimmer, her hair neatly braided at the nape of her neck, her slender frame
snuggly wrapped in a pale blue summer dress and like the first woman, her feet
were bare. she stepped toward the window and looked out. the two remained
silent for several moments as harry stood out of the way watching them. the older,
gray haired woman poured the tea and placed crumpets on four little
china saucers. the young, neater looking woman pulled the drapes shut across the
window, turning as the front door opened. in walked a rather nice looking,
middle-aged woman with dark blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. her skin was
tanned, much more so than the pale skin of the two other women. she smiled
at the sights of the room, and then turned to the direction harry was standing.

"please, come and sit. tea is ready." harry blinked his eyes, looking around him.
surely she didn't mean him, he was just a spectator in this dream. he
watched the three women sit down around the small table, picking up their teacups.
the darker skinned woman looked up again, cocking her head to the side
as she stared at harry.

"you're not dreaming dear boy," she said, causing harry to gasp aloud. "please,
come sit with us. i promise we won't bite."

"you...you can see me?" harry asked, edging closer to the three women looking at
him.

"of course we can see you. we've been waiting a long time for you. now come, join
us. have a cup of tea."

"who are you?" harry asked softly.

"i am mutgeb, this is frynani," the woman said, pointing at the stalky, gray
haired woman. "and this is sharane."

"the three witches of old," harry whispered reverently. mutgeb chuckled softly.

"i see you've been reading the books of legends," she answered. "please sit," she
indicated to one of the large chairs near the sofa.

"have one?" asked sharane, the thinner of the first two witches that had come from
the other room. "frynani makes the best wild berry cakes in the world."
harry took one of the sweet smelling cakes from the tray held out to him and
smiled, thanking her politely. he placed it to his lips and bit into it. he
could taste it, the rich fruit filling, the soft cake and crumbly topping. he
couldn't believe he was eating this and tasting it.
harry looked around at the three witches as he hungrily ate the cake and took
another. mutgeb was known by legend as the mother of all earth, while the
thinner woman, sharane was famed to be the serpent mother, though he couldn't tell
why. she didn't resemble any serpent he had ever seen. frynani, the
baker, was known through legend as a winged troll, but again he couldn't tell why.
harry blushed when she caught his eye, looking down at the cup of tea
before him. a soft laugh brought his eyes back to mutgeb.

"no harry, frynani does not have wings, nor does sharane have a fork tongue. they
are however, the first of their kind. frynani was called the winged troll
because she flew among a tribe of primal trolls and was treated with respect and
kindness."

"i was proud to be known as their friend," the stalky woman said, a tear in her
dim eyes.

"i was known as the serpent mother, because i raised serpents and learned to speak
with them. i believe they call it parseltongue now. you speak to snakes
as well, if i'm not mistaken, don't you?" harry gulped his tea, nearly choking on
the scalding liquid. he nodded wordlessly.

"i was called mother of all earth," mutgeb said, "because i created the many
varieties of plant life on this island. many species of these plants are seen
in other places around the world. i'm a herbologist. i love plants of all kinds,
much like your friend neville."

"how do you know about neville?" harry asked in a surprised tone. "how do you know
who i am, by that matter?"

"we know a great deal, mr. potter," frynani said with a warm smile that lit up her
otherwise dim eyes.

"we have watched you grow over the years," sharane said.

"as i said harry, we've been waiting a long time for you." harry frowned at
mutgeb's words.

"why?"

"the world is a very unstable place right now," she said seriously. "the dark
forces have taken over and the time has come to defeat the one called voldemort.
you are seeking the green flame torch, are you not? your friend hermione has been
trying to find writings about it, but she never will. even though she
has read about it many times, the knowledge of it will not retain with her. she is
a powerful witch, harry. she will be of use when the final battle comes,
as will your ginny. we are proud to see that witches survive in the wizarding
world. there was a time, when the three of us were younger, that witches
were feared and mankind tried to destroy all of us."

"muggles didn't care much for us back then," frynani said sadly.

"witches were feared and hated once," sharane said in turn.

"muggles still fear magical folks to a point, but they at least no longer hunt
them down like wild beasts," frynani said.

"how do you know this?" harry asked. mutgeb sighed.

"you never look beyond what is in front of you," she told harry. "you must learn
to look with your heart, with your soul and not your eyes. your mind is
a vast horizon. look past the obvious and into the possible."

"i'm not sure i know what you mean," harry said.

"no, you don't. but the time is not right for you to understand. just remember
what i said, someday it will make sense to you."

"but for now, you seek the green flame torch. it is here harry and you must find
it," sharane said.

"where is here? where am i?"

"you are on the island of morahana, where time and space have no meaning," frynani
replied. "here we can see into the future or relive the past. we have
been there with you harry. through all the horrible years with your hateful muggle
relatives, to the day you discovered you were a wizard."

"we knew you were the one to use the green flame wisely," sharane said. "you are
braver than any who have come before."

"we are the ones who gave the prophecy to sybil trelawney," mutgeb said. "we are
the ones who saw the evil rising and warned dumbledore of the future. in
you, even as a baby, we saw great things. your parents sacrificed all for you, as
we knew they would."

"their sacrifice was only in the physical form, harry," frynani told him. "their
spirits and souls never died. they transferred their own magic, all of
it, to you when they died. you have them within you, all you need do is look
within."

"i don't understand," harry said with a frown.

"and you don't have to right now," sharane said.

"just know this harry," mutgeb continued. "the time is coming. you must seek the
green flame torch. you will have three tasks that you must overcome to
prove your worthiness. the first one will be found in the east, where the sun is
cast out and the moon shines bright for a year's half. there you will
find an old woman by the name of gilda. you will identify her by the mark upon her
head."

"seek her and answer her this question," sharane added. "when a man seeks his path
upon four legs, how will he come?"

"once you have the answer, your next task will be revealed," frynani said.

"but what does it mean?" harry asked.

"that is what you must discover," mutgeb replied.

"the time has come for you to return," frynani said, looking out the window.

"remember what you have been told harry. your journey must begin and end within
the span of three moons. find the green flame torch and you will have the
powers you need to defeat the king of darkness. but be warned," mutgeb said. "he
who seeks the flame for glory or greed, will seek their death within the
span of time. but he who seeks the flame in truth and light will open the window
of time."

"how will i know if i am the right person?" harry asked.

"we will know. that is all that matters."

"can i ask you another question before i leave?" harry questioned as he stood.
mutgeb nodded. "can i turn back time with the green flame torch?"

"why would you want to?" frynani asked.

"if the flame can change time, perhaps i can stop voldemort from coming to power.
many lives will be saved if i can."

"including your parents and cedric?" sharane surmised.

"you must choose harry," mutgeb said. "do you seek the flame for yourself, or for
others? is the journey worth desire, or is desire worth the journey?"
harry frowned, but nodded all the same. he wasn't planning on having to answer so
many riddles.

"this is what we will grant you," sharane said as harry neared the door. "once you
have completed your goal, one wish will we grant you. but do not dwell
on it now, for time has it's own destiny. what you wish for today, may not be what
you wish for tomorrow."

harry found his feet back in the sands of the island, far from the house he had
just stood. he blinked hard, looking out into the open blue waters of the
ocean. he tried to think about all he was told, but right now he had to find his
way home. as he took a step into the cool waters, he felt a hand upon
his shoulder and he looked up into the sun, watching as it faded away to darkness.
he eyes began to focus on the pale face of the moon, seeing it take
shape before him. honey brown eyes shined down to him, the sweet smile of the girl
he loved leaned closer. he could feel her touch, taste her kiss and
felt at ease once again. as the moment lent way to reality, harry moved quietly
back into the realm of reality. he pulled away from the warm embrace and
smiled.

"what were you dreaming about?" ginny asked, laying her head back down to his bare
chest.

"i had a dream i was on the island of morahana," he told her, watching as she sat
up on her elbow. "i spoke with the three witches. they told me i had to
journey to the east."

"you had a premonition?" she asked him with a frown and as he sat up, he looked
down to his hand, where he held the remnants of a crumpet and handed it
to her.

"it was no premonition and it was no dream," he told her. "i have to seek the
green flame torch. my destiny is at hand."

"but how will you find it?" harry smoothed the hair from her face and smiled,
easing the concern from her brow with his thumb.

"they will lead me. i know they will."

"but..."

"the future is here ginny. and i'm ready for it."

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the train pulled into kings cross shortly after dark and harry found himself
standing at the entrance to platform 9 ? before he really wanted to. he held
ginny's hand tightly, watching as their luggage was unloaded from the baggage car.
lupin had arrived at hogwart's earlier that morning, as did moody who
insisted on riding the train home with tonks and the students. now the entire
weasley family surrounded them, each smiling and chatting eagerly to see
how the trip had gone. harry had made ginny swear to secrecy concerning his
enounter with the witches on the isle of morahana. he knew his trip east to
find the green flame torch had to remain silent. if voldemort learned what he was
doing, he would send out his dementors or his death eaters to stop him.
it was risk too great to ignore.

beyond the portal stood hermione's parents who waved eagerly to their daughter and
ron, and the dursleys who frowned openly. harry couldn't help but chuckle
at the sight of his three relatives. uncle vernon wore a wrinkled dress shirt,
once white now faded pink. dudley looked at least a size smaller and his
hair looked like it had been cut during an earthquake. aunt petunia looked thinner
and paler than normal and glared at harry with venom.

"i don't like the idea of your going back with those creatures," ginny told him.
harry smiled to her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and pulling
her into a tight embrace.

"we'll be together again soon, i promise," he whispered in her ear, catching the
sight of his relatives who stared at him with dropped jaws. he smiled again,
knowing he was making a spectacle of himself, but couldn't resist giving the
dursleys a more intensified show. he leaned down to ginny, looking deeply
into her honey brown eyes and slowly, seductively, kissed her tender lips. several
moments passed before he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. reluctantly
he pulled away from her, looking across his shoulder to see a very happy, smiling
mr. weasley standing patiently by.

"if you two are finished," he teased. "we'd like to have a word with your
relatives." harry chuckled again, remembering what it was like last year at this
time, when they spoke - or rather threatened uncle vernon.

"we're finished," harry said, then turned back to ginny and smiled again. "for
now," he promised softly, walking along with the weasley men, lupin and moody.
they stepped up to uncle vernon who actually seemed to cower slightly.

"you remember us don't you?" moody asked, watching the expression from aunt
petunia as he pulled his hat covering his deformed face slightly aside.

"what do you want?" vernon asked with as much dignity as possible. "we sent the
bloody boy a christmas present. didn't you tell them?"

"it's not about the watch," mr. weasley said, assuring him that harry had indeed
reported to them. "it's about the coming months."

"this is harry's last summer with you," lupin began boldly. "next year he will be
old enough to go about his life on his own. with the fortune he has inherited
from his parents as well as his godfather, he will not be in need of your services
further."

"fortune?" vernon asked with a frown.

"harry happens to be a very rich young man," charlie added, his arms folded across
his chest.

"and a very powerful wizard," bill added, assuring the muggle of his nephew's
standing.

"i'm quite certain, once school is over harry will be moving into his father's
castle," mr. weasley insisted, watching the shocked expression on dudley's
face.

"until that time, you will treat this boy with the respect you demand he treat you
with, is that understood?" moody demanded.

"he is to be fed properly, given clothes that fit him and treated with the dignity
he deserves," percy added, surprising even harry.

"i'm sure you remember what happened to chubby there, the last time we were at
your house," fred commented with a wicked smile.

"you don't want us to stop by for another visit, now do you?" george asked with a
smile to match his brother's.

"you will not threaten me again," vernon said in a louder than normal voice,
drawing attention from a few passers by.

"do you think we need to stoop to threats, you bloody idiot?" ron added, standing
a good foot taller than the chubby older man.

"if we do not hear from harry on a weekly basis," moody interrupted. "we will come
by for a visit and this time we won't be leaving quietly."

"once harry has graduated hogwart's, your protection will be gone. you'll be on
your own," mr. weasley said.

"that means, muggle," percy began to clarify in a hermione-like tone. "if harry
hasn't defeated voldemort by then, you're butt is open to an arse whooping.
the dark lord isn't all that happy about not knowing where harry's been all these
years when he's not at school. without harry, you're on your own."

"i'm not afraid of this voldie-wart," vernon said proudly.

"it's voldemort, you bloody bugger," ron said in disgust, no longer afraid to use
the dark lord's name.

"you had better be worried," bill told him in a dangerously low tone. "you'd
better be very worried."

"harry, take care of yourself and if you need us just send word," lupin told him,
patting his back with a fatherly affection.

"we'll be there in a heart beat mate," ron told him, shaking his hand.

"keep in touch," percy added. "i'd hate to listen to ginny if you don't write at
least once a day."
"tell mrs. weasley thanks," harry said, as mr. weasley handed him a package of
tarts.

"best be going," moody said, looking around the station. harry knew his magical
eye was going crazy scanning the area from under his hat. "an owl every
day, remember that."

"i will, don't worry." harry shook each hand in turn, and then looked across the
station to where ginny stood wiping her eyes. he smiled at her, winking
an eye of reassurance before turning back to see his relatives standing there
staring at him. he smiled again, lifting his trunk and walking toward the
entrance.

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author notes: i want to thank all of you who have faithfully r/r throughout this
long story. i have loved hearing from all of you, good and bad. book seven;
harry potter and the prophecy true will be starting soon, so please watch for it.
your loyalty, encouragement and support continue to amaze me. i will
never forget your kindness. this has been a fun and at times emotional book to
write and i thank you again for supporting me. your friend always, dee

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