The Thunderbird's Egg

by jenorama

An anxious mother needs Ginny's help.

"Huh, that's unusual," Will the river guide said, pointing behind them.

Curious, Ginny turned around to see what he was pointing at and saw a bird high up in the sky. It looked like it was floating in place, coasting on thermal updrafts. "What's unusual?" she asked.

"That bird has been following us for the last couple of hours. You don't usually see that out here," he said, turning his attention back to the raft's oars.

"Where? Where's the bird? I don't see it," Teddy said, turning his body all around and trying to look in several directions at once.

Harry took the boy's head in both hands and pointed his face to where the bird hung seemingly motionless in the air. "There. Up by the edge of the canyon. See it?"

"Oh, I see it! That's brilliant!" Teddy shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the canyon. "What kind of bird is it?"

"It's a big one. Maybe a golden eagle?" Will guessed as he continued to guide the raft downstream.

"Do you think it's really following us?"

"Probably not. It's most likely hunting, looking for some fish or a little boy," Will said, tapping Teddy on the shoulder and laughing when he jumped in surprise. Ginny smiled, watching the river guide and the boy. Today was only their second day on the river and the two were already fast friends, Will possessing the endless patience to answer Teddy's never-ending litany of questions.

She glanced over at Harry where he sat next to Teddy in the raft. He had a bandanna tied around his head and another one around his neck, looking like he was having the time of his life. Never in a million years would she have guessed that one day she would be floating on a raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, but here they were.

They had had an action-packed summer since Teddy's arrival, starting with a week down in Los Angeles, dominated by Disneyland with Ben who insisted on being their personal guide to all things Disney. Teddy had immediately attached himself to Ben, sensing a kindred spirit in his love for all things Mickey Mouse. This proved to be very useful when Harry and Ginny had wanted an evening to themselves.

Days on the beach, touring the City (including, at last, Alcatraz) and trips up into the mountains followed, Harry thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. "All right, Teddy," he said one early August evening, "it's almost time to take you back to your gran. We have enough time for one more thing. What do you want to do?"

Teddy pursed his lips in thought as he worked at solving a Rubik's Cube puzzle. He'd gotten three sides and was determined to solve it before he had to leave. He was working on getting the orange side completed and consequently, his hair was bright orange as well. Finally, he looked up at Harry. "I want to go on an adventure. Like with camping and stuff."

"An adventure, you say?" Harry said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And it has to include camping?"

"Yes," Teddy said, nodding emphatically.

"Have you been camping before?"

"No."

"How do you know if you'll like it?"

Teddy shrugged, tongue sticking out in concentration. "If I don't like it, we can do something else."

"I see," Harry chuckled, glancing at Ginny. The next morning at breakfast, he'd announced that they were going on a river raft camping adventure through the Grand Canyon. He'd shown her the website the night before after Teddy went to bed and she thought it looked like a lot of fun.

"Oh my goodness. A plane and a helicopter? Horseback riding? Three nights camping, whitewater rapids, hiking…what's a jet boat?"

Harry shrugged, a maniacal grin on his face. "I'm not sure but it sounds amazing, doesn't it?" He took the laptop from her and typed in another website, handing it back to her once it had finished loading. "And that's your reward when we're done."

Ginny looked at the website showing a beautiful, tranquil room in a high-end Las Vegas hotel. She immediately clicked on the words "Spa Services" and perused the list. "Hm, maybe I should stay here while you boys have your adventure," she said, leaning over to kiss Harry.

"Do you not want to go? Should I look into something else?"

"No, love, I was just joking. This looks like it'll be absolutely grand. Teddy will love every minute of it." And so far, he had. Neither he nor Ginny had cared overmuch for the flying, first in a small airplane and then in a helicopter, but everything else had been positively exhilarating.

Shortly after meeting Will and the other guides and guests on the expedition, they were on the water and in the middle of their first whitewater rapids. Ginny kept a death grip on Teddy's lifejacket, convinced the boy was going to fly off into the water and thought about putting a Sticking Charm on his bottom. After the first nervous moments, she found the experience thrilling, shouting and yelling exuberantly along with Harry and Teddy as they all got absolutely soaked. That evening, after all day on the river, Teddy nearly fell asleep before he had finished dessert and Harry had to carry him to their tent.

Ginny found she was nearly as tired as she relaxed in a camp chair beside the small campfire with the other guests and guides. She looked up at the stars, picking out the constellations she still remembered from Astronomy as she listened to the quiet conversations going on around her. "Having a good time?" Harry murmured in her ear when he came back from putting Teddy to bed.

"I'm having a wonderful time," she said, kissing him gently. "This was a great idea."

"Wasn't my idea. Teddy's the one wanted an adventure." He settled into the chair next to her, groaning as he stretched his legs out toward the fire.

"Sore?"

"A little. How are you holding up?"

"No too bad. I can give you a massage," she offered, taking his hand in hers.

"Too bad we're sharing the tent with Teddy." Harry's grin in the firelight was almost enough to outshine the stars themselves and Ginny kissed him again, squeezing his hand tight.

And now today they had a bird following them. Ginny looked again, but it didn't seem to have come any closer and she tried to push aside the niggling feeling about it and focus on what Will was saying about the next set of rapids they were approaching. "We'll have three today," he said, gently steering them around a rock.

"Are they like the one yesterday?" Teddy asked eagerly. "That was so much fun!"

"Oh, these are better! If you liked the one yesterday, you'll love today."

"Will, what makes the rapids?" Teddy asked, scooting toward the guide.

"Well, under the water there are a lot of rocks," Will began as he went into a lengthy response as to the formation of rapids, the various categories and which ones were his favorites. Ginny half-listened as she turned around to look at the bird again. She couldn't be fully certain, but it looked like it had come a little closer to them. The other guides in their group of rafts had noticed it too.

Harry noticed her looking at it and he raised an eyebrow, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. Ginny shook her head and looked forward again, making sure her floppy hat was secure on her head for the rapids that were coming into view. "Here we go!" Will shouted, standing up to man the oars as they shot through.

"That was the best rapid ever!" Teddy declared as he hopped out of the raft, splashing into the shallow water of the river when they reached their stopping point for the afternoon.

"You've said that about all of them! They can't all be the best," Ginny said, splashing into the river next to him. Teddy just shrugged and splashed up onto the dry beach.

"Stay close, Teddy. It looks like we might get some rain this afternoon," Harry warned as he helped Will pull the raft up on the beach.

"Monsoon season is definitely upon us. I was surprised we didn't get one yesterday," Will commented, passing a dry bag to Harry.

"Do we need to worry about any flash floods?" Ginny asked, helping to unload the raft.

"Nah. As long as you don't get stuck in one of the small side canyons when it starts raining, you'll be fine. We'll get unloaded and head out on a hike to a really pretty little waterfall. How does that sound, Sport?" Will asked, tousling Teddy's hair.

"Can we go swimming in it?" he asked, looking for interesting pebbles in the sand.

"Teddy, you just got dry and you want to go swimming?" Harry asked as he walked past with their tent.

"Well, it wasn't swimming earlier, was it? That was getting splashed and doesn't count," he insisted. He'd found a stick now and Ginny smiled as he practiced wand movements, recognizing the swish and flick of Wingardium Leviosa.

Raft unpacked, they headed off with Will and a couple of other guides and guests for the hike to the waterfall. Most of the group had elected to stay behind and relax after conquering three sets of rapids, so there were only about a dozen of them all together, including another boy. Darren was twelve and Teddy had a little bit of hero worship going on with him, constantly trying to engage him in conversation and show him his progress with the Rubik's Cube.

Ginny sighed and took Harry's hand, looking around at the beautiful scenery. Red rock walls surrounded them and there was a surprising amount of greenery. They walked along the gravel next to a small stream that wound on toward the Colorado. It was much hotter away from the river and Ginny took off her floppy hat, wishing she'd tied a bandanna around her head like Harry and Teddy had.

"Oh, you probably want to keep that on. Even with the clouds, you can still burn out here and with your coloring, you don't want to chance it," one of the female guides said.

"I'll be fine. Got loads of sunblock on," Ginny said. A good part of each morning was devoted to the liberal application of her tried and true sunblock potion and none of them had burned yet, even though they'd been soaked to the skin several times.

"Okay," the guide said doubtfully as she walked past them on the path.

Harry and Ginny hung back a little behind the group and she glanced behind them, looking for the bird. "Looking for something?" Harry asked quietly.

"That bird. I think it is following us. I don't see it right now, though."

"Are you worried about it?"

"Well, not exactly worried. More like curious given recent events," she said, thinking of Marella and Rònan.

"Fair enough. Want me to tell it to bugger off?"

"No. Let's see what it wants first. And then I might have you tell it to shove off," she said, smiling up at him.

"Harry! Ginny! You have to see this! It's so awesome!" Teddy's voice echoed off the canyon walls as he came pelting back toward them, gravel flying everywhere. "It's a waterfall!"

"Is it now? I think that's what Will said we were coming to see, yeah?" Harry said teasingly.

Teddy gave an exasperated huff. "That's not what I meant! Well, I meant it's a waterfall, but…argh! Just hurry up you slowpokes!" Giving up, he spun around and ran back, shouting to Will that Harry and Ginny were coming, but they were being very slow.

"Guess we'd better get a move on," Ginny said with a laugh, only slightly increasing her ambling pace.

"That waterfall's not going anywhere and Teddy really needs to learn some patience," Harry grumbled good-naturedly. Eventually they rounded a bend in the trail and saw the group clustered around a surprisingly large waterfall, several of them wading around in the pool at the bottom. Ginny saw Teddy standing directly underneath the falls, arms spread wide as the water pounded down on him, laughing like a loon.

As she watched, she saw his hair was starting to turn towards blue and she pointed it out to Harry. "You might want to get over there," she said quietly.

"Bugger," he said, handing his sunglasses to Ginny as he jogged off to join Teddy under the fall. She saw Teddy's hair go back to its regular nondescript brown when Harry put his hand on his shoulder and the two of them got into an immediate splash fight.

Shaking her head, she found a good rock and sat down, dangling her legs and feet into the cool water, thankful for the respite from the unrelenting heat. Tired of holding Harry's sunglasses, she put them on for a moment. God, how does he see out of these things? she thought as her vision immediately went crazy and put them on top of her head instead.

"Is that your son?" one of the other ladies on the expedition, a very fit-looking grandmother with short iron-gray hair. She'd introduced herself as Delores and she was there with her granddaughter, Maria.

"No, he's Harry's godson. We have him for the summer and he has to go back home soon, so this is our last summer adventure," Ginny said, watching as Harry collapsed dramatically backwards in the pool when Teddy pointed his finger at him, waving his arm in what she recognized as the Full Body-Bind Charm.

"He's adorable," she said as she sat down next to Ginny, sighing as she put her own feet in the water. "They grow up so fast." She nodded her head at her granddaughter, flirting with one of the teenage boys in the group. "Seems like it was just yesterday that she was in diapers and she's off to college in a couple of weeks."

"I know what you mean." Ginny knew that Teddy would get his Hogwarts letter next year and that he was practically counting the days, impatient to begin learning magic. When they'd picked him up at the beginning of the summer, Harry had put down a few hints that it would be a great opportunity for Teddy to study magic at St Ambrose's and she was looking forward to seeing if those seeds had taken root with Andromeda when they brought Teddy back. "Where is she going?"

"Stanford. Full scholarship," Delores said proudly. "This trip is my graduation gift to her. She's going to be a rocket scientist one of these days."

"Impressive," Ginny said, genuinely impressed. She'd looked at Stanford, but the cost had given her pause even though her bequest from Sirius would have covered it.

"Ginny! Come and look at what we found!" Teddy shouted and she nodded to Delores.

"It seems I'm being summoned. Talk to you later," she said, slipping off the rock and into the water, wading over to Harry and Teddy. Teddy was crouched down, bottom in the water as he peered underneath a shelf of rock. "What is it you've found?" she asked, crouching down next to him.

"Look in there," Teddy whispered, pointing to the small cave. Ginny looked in, surprised to see a small group of salamanders piled on top of each other, all glowing a warm orange color.

"Oh, well done! I wouldn't have expected to find those here! They usually like fire, don't they?"

"Gran says that salamanders like both, but they especially like it in places that are really hot but have water nearby," Teddy said, reaching out a finger to poke one and subsiding when Harry shook his head.

"I guess this is the perfect place for them, isn't it?" she said, standing up straight.

"Can I show Darren?" he asked Harry, who nodded.

"Sure. You might have finally found something he'd be interested in," he said, looking over where Darren was trying to integrate himself into the group of slightly older teenagers.

"He won't see…?"

"No, he'll just see the salamanders themselves."

Teddy shook his head sadly. "It must be awful boring to be a Muggle," he said, making Harry laugh.

"I think they do all right. Go on, we're going to head back soon," he said, casting an eye upwards at the increasing clouds overhead.

Ginny handed Harry his sunglasses and they walked back to the rock Ginny had been sitting on earlier, introducing him to Delores. She half-listened to the two of them chat about the expedition so far, letting her eyes wander around the small canyon. A flicker of movement in a nearby palo verde tree caught her eye and she stared at the spot for several moments, but didn't see anything else. Well, if that bird wants to talk to me, it knows where I am.

All too soon, it was time to hike out of the canyon and back to the campsite. Teddy's salamanders had indeed made an impression on Darren and the two walked together, trading stories about things they'd found, each trying to outdo the other. Ginny looked at Harry walking next to her. The hot desert air had dried his swim trunks and tee shirt and he'd found a stick to chew on, looking perfectly at home.

"What?" he asked, noticing her gaze.

"Nothing. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, looking only mildly confused. Back at the camp, Ginny let Harry and Teddy change in the tent first. She saw that the guides had put up shelters in anticipation of rain and she smiled, thinking that it would be so much easier to use a straightforward Rain Deflection Charm rather than go through all of the manual labor to put up and then take down the portable shelters.

Teddy shot out of the tent, clad in jeans and a light zip up jumper, running over to join Darren by the campfire. A moment later, Harry emerged also in jeans and jumper, stick still hanging from his mouth. "All yours," he said, bowing her into the tent.

Inside, she was glad to get out of her damp swimsuit and swim capris, changing into a long-sleeved shirt and knee-length skirt, putting her sandals back on. Running her fingers through her hair, she did a quick Freshening Charm. Not as good as a shower, but it'll do in a pinch, she thought, consoling herself with thoughts of all of the spa services she would treat herself to in Las Vegas.

Back outside, she nodded to Harry, indicating that she was going to use what passed for the loo out here and headed toward the designated area. Looking around to make certain she was alone, she was about to conduct business when she heard a rustling sound and froze, remembering the talk about rattlesnakes they'd gotten at the beginning of the expedition.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Um…occupied?" she called, standing up straight and pulling out her wand. She heard the rustling again and turned, pointing her wand directly at the source of the noise, stuffing down a yelp when a brown bird head poked out from the branches of a feathery palo verde tree.

"Ginny Weasley?" the bird asked in a deep voice.

God bless it! Another one? I can't even get out of town for a few days? "Yes? Who are you?" she said, lowering her wand and taking a closer look at the bird as it hopped awkwardly out onto the branch, bringing more of its large body into view. As she looked at it, she saw that while its overall color was brown, it was more of a bronzy, shimmery brown with flecks of gray and white on the head and breast and larger patches of white on the wings. The wickedly sharp, hooked beak shone almost gold and the black claws on its feet looked like obsidian.

"I am Hehewuti," she said, seeming almost nervous as her talons flexed and relaxed on the tree branch.

"Pleased to meet you, Hehewuti," Ginny said with a nod.

"It is I who am pleased to meet you," the bird said, bobbing her head quickly. "I am in need of your assistance."

How surprising. "What do you need help with? I will not be in this area very long."

"I need you to find my egg. It has been taken from my nest and hidden from me by the trickster, Coyote. If I do not return the egg to my nest before the next monsoon, it will not hatch," she said, a note of desperation creeping into her voice.

"Do you know where it is? Is it nearby? Maybe I can go get it for you right now. It's supposed to rain soon, I think," she said, looking up at the sky.

"It is nearby, but my nest is not close and today is not the kind of monsoon my egg needs."

"Well, I could get your egg and give it to you, then."

Hehewuti flexed her impressive talons. "I do not have the right sort of equipment to transport my egg. I must ask you to return it to my nest." She looked hopefully at Ginny, golden eyes glinting.

Ginny sighed. "All right. Listen, it's going to seem odd if I'm seen talking to a bird. I will meet you at the waterfall at midnight tonight, all right?" The bird cocked her head as if she didn't quite understand. "Moonrise? When the moon is above the rim of the canyon?"

"Yes, I will meet you at the waterfall when the moon is above the canyon," Hehewuti said, spreading her wings in relief. Ginny could see little flashes of what looked like lightning in between the long pinion feathers.

"Hehewuti, what are you?" she asked.

"Have you never seen a thunderbird before, Ginny Weasley?" she asked, preening her breast with her hooked beak.

"No, I haven't," she said faintly, watching that beak flash.

"Thank you very much for helping me. I will see you when the moon rises above the canyon," Hehewuti said, launching herself from the tree branch with a small boom of thunder.

I might very well have seen it all, Ginny thought as she watched the thunderbird fly off into the cloud-filled sky.

The smells of dinner cooking greeted her when she returned to the camp, reminding her that lunch had been a long time ago. She saw Harry in one of the camp chairs, chatting with Darren's father and she looked for the two boys. They were sitting on the ground nearby, heads together over Darren's portable video game. Ginny had heard him complaining last night that there wasn't anywhere to charge it.

"Well, I guess you'd better decide if you want to try and make it last for the whole trip or if you want to blow all of your battery in one night, then," his dad had said, causing Darren to gripe about how unfair the world was being to him.

Seeing the two boys together, Ginny smiled to herself and thought that Darren might find the battery lasting a bit longer than expected. Grabbing a soft drink, she walked over to the boys and listened to Darren explain to Teddy about something called Pokémon and how one had to catch them all to be successful. Peering at the tiny screen, she gave up on trying to figure out what was going on and smoothed Teddy's hair, earning an irritated "Ugh, Ginny!" from him.

"All right?" Harry asked when she sat in the vacant camp chair next to him.

"Yes," she said, leaning in to kiss him. "I met the bird," she whispered.

"Oh? I wondered. You were, uh, gone for a while." He glanced back at Darren's dad who was now talking to Delores. "Everything okay?"

"Fine. I have another task."

"This is getting to be a habit with you," Harry remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me about it."

That night, after Teddy was fast asleep, Ginny told Harry all about her encounter with Hehewuti the thunderbird. "So there I was, about to pee, when I hear this noise and I immediately think, 'snake!'," she said quietly. They were in their tent, sitting cross-legged on their sleeping bags, Teddy snoring softly beside them.

"Oh dear," Harry murmured. Ginny could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"So I stand up and this bird pokes her head out of these tree branches and asks if I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Let me get the scene right. You're there, knickers around your ankles—"

"No! I pulled them up! Honestly," she said, whacking him on the shoulder when he laughed softly. "Anyway, she introduced herself and said she needed my help getting her egg back."

"What happened to it?"

"She said Coyote had hidden it from her."

"Wait, Coyote?" Harry asked, holding up his hand.

"Yes. Who is he?"

"Hm, that's interesting. Hermione told me he's a trickster deity in the Native American tradition. Loads of tales of him playing tricks on humans, usually to teach a lesson, but he's done a fair bit of just messing about."

"Is he Dark?"

"Mmmm," Harry said, waving his hand back and forth. "Generally not. Most of the stories I've run across about him don't seem to indicate actual malice on his part, but he's definitely on his own side in most cases, you know?"

"Sounds like someone I'd do well to steer clear of, then."

"Indeed. So why did Coyote hide her egg?"

"She didn't say. Just that she needed to get it back to her nest by the next monsoon or else it wouldn't hatch."

"Where's her nest?"

"I don't know yet. I told her I'd meet her at the waterfall at moonrise and we'd talk more then. I didn't want anyone from the camp to run into me talking to a bird. I already get enough stares being a pale, British ginger on this river," she grinned, poking Harry in the arm.

"What's that for?" he asked, grabbing her finger and biting down on the tip.

"I saw young Maria making eyes at you during dinner."

"Was she? I didn't notice."

"I know. She was very disappointed." She leaned forward to kiss him, his scruffy beard tickling her lips. "How long until moonrise?"

"I dunno, an hour or so?"

Ginny glanced at Teddy's sleeping form and back to Harry, raising an eyebrow. "We haven't had a good make out session in two whole days," she said, leaning toward him.

"Two whole days? Your strength is legendary," he whispered, eyes alight with mischief.

"I know. It's exhausting being so strong for the both of us." She met his lips with hers, slowly pressing harder.

"I see. Why don't you lie back and relax, then?" Wrapping his arms around her, he lowered her down to her sleeping bag, laid on top of an extra-strength Cushioning Charm, making it feel like a luxurious featherbed.

Sometime later, Harry woke Teddy. "Not time to get up yet," he mumbled, turning over to get away from Harry's shakes.

"It's not morning yet," Harry said quietly.

"Then why are you waking me up?" Teddy asked querulously, rubbing his eyes.

"We're going to go for a walk. Want to come?"

"But it's night," he pointed out judiciously, sitting up.

"Yes. We're going to go talk to a bird Ginny met earlier."

Teddy's eyes got very big in his face. "Is it that bird that was following us earlier?"

"Yes. Come on, get your sandals and jumper on," Harry said, zipping his own up. Ginny smiled as she watched Teddy scramble to get ready.

"But I still have on my pajamas," he said as he pulled on his hoodie.

"I don't think she's going to care," Ginny said, holding open the tent flap and peeking outside. All of the other tents were dark and no one was outside. "Okay. Quiet as a mouse now."

Teddy nodded and soon they were walking down the small canyon toward the waterfall. After a short but intense rain before dinner, the clouds had all cleared away. The black velvet sky sparkled with stars and the night air was almost chilly. The moon was just starting to clear the rim of the canyon, almost making their lighted wands unnecessary. They kept them lit anyway and pointed toward the ground, alert for any obstacles. Teddy had on the headlight Harry had gotten him as a first-time camping gift.

They followed the path they had used earlier, their sandals crunching on the gravel sounding loud in the silent canyon. Teddy held on to Ginny's hand tightly, eyes darting everywhere. Soon, they approached the waterfall and stopped by the rock she had sat on earlier. "Hehewuti," Ginny called softly.

Another small boom sounded from a tree near the waterfall as Hehewuti soared down to land neatly on the rock, her wings flaring wide as she slowed. In the dim moonlight, the little traces of lightning all through her feathers were even more apparent. "Cool," Teddy breathed in amazement.

Hehewuti cocked her head first at Harry and then at Teddy, giving a birdish bob of her head. "You have brought your mate and your young one," she said, preening a wing.

"Um," Ginny started, only to be interrupted by the thunderbird.

"My egg is near. Coyote is sly, but even he doesn't know everything about us and I was able to locate it this afternoon before the rain." She cocked her head at Ginny. "Can you climb?"

"That depends. What needs to be climbed?" she asked, eyeing the skinny palo verde trees.

"My egg is there," Hehewuti said, pointing with her wing. Squinting, Ginny could barely make out a small hole in the cliff face to the side of the waterfall about fifty feet off the ground.

"Oh. Oh dear." Ginny looked up at the sheer cliff, searching for an obvious way up or handholds, finding none. She looked at Harry who was also scrutinizing the cliff. "We don't have our brooms," she said to him.

"No, we sure don't," he said, sounding lost in thought.

"Coyote has been quite devilish in his latest trick." Hehewuti paced back and forth on the rock, clearly becoming more agitated.

"I'm starting to get a picture of this Coyote fellow." Ginny walked toward the cliff face and ran her hand over the rough red sandstone. She saw a likely starting point about five feet above her head, but she couldn't make out a good way to reach the hole in the rock, nor something to stand on or hold on to while digging around the hole for an egg.

She looked back at Harry, still staring at the cliff with his arms crossed. Teddy was next to him, mimicking his stance and staring straight at the thunderbird. Inspiration struck and she smiled. "Harry, about how much do you think Teddy weighs?" she asked.

"Hmm, probably about 30 kilos or so. Why?"

Ginny grinned and gave a swish and flick of her wand, floating a nearby pebble. Teddy sucked in an excited breath. "No way! Yes! This is going to be so awesome!"

"Hold on. You want to float my godson up there to find an egg?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Maybe? If his godfather says it's okay?"

"It's okay! It's totally okay!" Teddy shouted, running toward the cliff and jumping up and down.

"I don't know, Gin. That hole is at least fifty feet up."

"I think we could do it with the both of us together. And we'll put down a huge Cushioning Charm," Ginny said coaxingly.

"Yeah! And if I fall, I'll be like that guy in the stunt show at the movie place and be all, PSSHHH!" Teddy demonstrated his falling skills, rolling around in the dirt.

"Let's at least try it and see if we can float him."

Teddy ran forward and grabbed his hand. "Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! This would be the coolest ever and I swear I'll never tell Gran!"

Harry sighed and shook his head, looking at Hehewuti. "Listen, we're going to try it, but if it doesn't work, we won't be able to help you. I'll not risk the life of my godson to satisfy Coyote, got it?"

"I understand, Harry Potter. I do not understand why Coyote has chosen me to play this trick on. Perhaps it is some sort of test," Hehewuti said, bowing her head.

"Yes! I'm going to fly!" Teddy had come completely unhinged and danced around like he was at a one-person rave party.

"Thank you," Ginny said, kissing Harry on the cheek.

"Hm, don't thank me yet." He let Teddy dance around for a few more moments while he prepared a Cushioning Charm at the base of the cliff, jumping around on it himself until he was satisfied. "All right, Teddy, settle down," he called. "Come on over here."

Ginny and Teddy went over to Harry who lifted the boy up. "Yeah, I think it's going to need both of us," he said, putting him back down.

"All right. Shall we give it a try?" Ginny asked, readying her wand.

"Yeah. Teddy, go stand over there," he said, pointing to the center of the Cushioning Charm. Teddy went, exclaiming at the squishiness and turned to them, a silly grin plastered across his face. He looked so much like Tonks in that moment and Ginny felt a sharp stab of loss for her. "Ready?" Harry asked, own wand out.

"Yes."

"Count of three. One, two, three." Moving their wands in perfect synchronization, Teddy gave a shout as he began to rise from the Cushioning Charm. Ginny focused her will, concentrating on keeping her wand in perfect alignment with Harry's as they floated Teddy about five feet into the air. "And down," Harry said, lowering his wand until the boy was back on the cushion.

"That was awesome! Let's go the whole way! I'm ready!"

"Are you all right with this?" Ginny asked Harry.

"I think so. If he falls, we can catch him and there's the Cushioning Charm as a backup." Harry took a deep breath and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm going to float my godson up in the air to get an egg. Ready?" Teddy nodded vigorously, the little lamp strapped to his head painting the canyon walls with a beam of light. "On three," he said, counting to three.

Moving carefully in sync, Ginny held her breath as Teddy started floating slowly up to the hole in the side of the cliff. As he rose, Hehewuti fretted. "That Coyote," she said in irritation, hopping awkwardly on the ground, "he thinks it's all well and good to play a trick like this on me, but what about my chick who is still in the egg? He hasn't bothered anyone." She spread her wings, little forks of lightning sizzling along the elegant feathers and took off with another sonic boom, flying past Teddy.

"Okay, I'm at the hole," Teddy called down, peering into it.

"Can you see the egg?" Ginny asked. Her arm was starting to ache a little from keeping her wand pointed upwards.

"Yes! It's in there!"

"Can you reach it?"

"I need to be closer," Teddy said, wriggling around as if he could scoot himself closer to the cliff. Harry and Ginny slowly moved their wands until he was right up against the sandstone. "Okay!"

"Make sure there isn't anything else in there before you go sticking your hand in, yeah?" Harry called, sounding just a little anxious.

"There isn't. Just the egg. I'm going in!" Ginny watched as Teddy put his whole arm in up to the shoulder. "I can't reach it! It's too far back!"

"Well are you a Metamorphmagus or not?"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Ginny chuckled as Teddy screwed up his face in concentration and then smiled victoriously. "I got it!"

"Be careful! It's very delicate!" she called up to him as he slowly drew the egg out of its prison and cradled it against his chest.

"All right. Coming down slow," Harry murmured, lowering his wand and bringing Teddy down to the Cushioning Charm.

"I did it!" he crowed, jumping up and down. Hehewuti landed on the Cushioning Charm next to him, talons fighting for purchase on the squishy surface. He carefully put the egg down for her to see.

Hehewuti crowded close, stroking the egg with her beak, making an odd sort of crooning sound. Teddy squatted down next to it, watching the mother bird with her egg and Ginny felt a pang of sadness for him. She knelt down onto the cushion and put her arm around him, hugging him tight. "Good job getting the egg, sweetheart," she said, kissing the top of his head. He tolerated her grip for a few scant heartbeats before wriggling away to go poke at some other bushes and she watched him as he surreptitiously wiped at his eyes. She glanced at Harry and he nodded, joining Teddy in his hunt for lizards.

"All right. We have your egg, now where is your nest?" Ginny asked the bird, still stroking the egg with her beak.

"My nest is downriver. I have watched the human travelers stop near it many times."

"So we should reach it tomorrow, then?"

"Yes. You will keep my egg safe until you can return it to my nest, Ginny Weasley," Hehewuti said with the utmost confidence.

Ginny bent and picked up the egg. It felt curiously warm and heavier than she expected. It was larger than a chicken egg but not outrageously so. As she looked at it in the moonlight, she saw a sort of iridescent sheen to the shell, giving it an otherworldly quality. "I will keep it safe," she said, tucking it in the pocket of her hooded jumper. Somehow, while on a raft in the middle of the Grand Canyon.

"Thank you, Ginny Weasley," Hehewuti said solemnly before stretching her lightning-laced wings and taking off, the wind of her launch blowing Ginny's hair back.

She felt Harry's hand on her shoulder and she turned toward him, kissing him gently. "I guess we head back now. How's Teddy?"

"He's all right. He misses not having a mum every now and then. Where's the egg?"

"In my pocket. Her nest is apparently near tomorrow's camp, so we just have to figure out how to keep the egg intact while shooting through more whitewater rapids tomorrow."

"Simple!" Harry chuckled. "Teddy, come on. Time to head back." He dispelled the Cushioning Charm at the bottom of the cliff and took Ginny's hand as they walked back to the camp, Teddy and his headlamp leading the way.

"Unbreakable Charm?" she asked.

"Hmm, I don't think so. I don't know what it would do to a living object and I don't want to cut off the chick's air supply accidentally. I bet it would be fine if you put it in the middle of your clothes in your dry bag."

"That's a good idea. I'll make a nest for it in the morning," Ginny said with a huge yawn. "Speaking of morning, it's going to be here sooner than I'd like."

Back in their tent, Ginny left the egg in the pocket of her jumper and used a Sticking Charm to hang the jumper from the ceiling. "How come I can't sleep with it?" Teddy asked as he slid into his sleeping bag.

"You might roll over on it and it might break and then where would we be?" Harry said, zipping up the bag.

"We would be in a lot of trouble. Did you see that bird's claws?" Teddy said, his eyes big and solemn. Spreading her fingers out like claws, Ginny pounced on him and tickled him, sending him into gales of laughter. "Ginny, that's enough. We have a very early morning," he said seriously, sounding just like his father settling down an unruly class.

Ginny woke the next morning to find the tent already empty and she lay still for a few moments, enjoying the luxury of being totally alone. She was going to miss Teddy when they took him back to Andromeda, but having a spirited youngster around constantly took a lot of energy. Hearing the sounds of the guides getting breakfast together drove her out of her sleeping bag and she pulled on her hoodie, making sure the egg was still in the pocket.

Sticking her head out of the tent, she was greeted by the sight of Harry going through his preferred sun salutation routine, Teddy doing his best to go along with him. He was clad only in his swim trunks and Ginny watched as he moved through the poses, feather tattoo shining brightly on his shoulder and back. She noticed she wasn't the only one watching as she spied Delores's granddaughter Maria watching as well. Get it while you can, girlie. You've got one more day, she thought, exiting the tent.

"Ginny! Look! I can do Downward Dog!" Teddy said when he saw her, performing the pose perfectly.

"Very good! How's your Warrior pose coming?" she asked, kissing Harry on the cheek.

"It's still hard. My arms get tired," he said, standing with his feet wide apart and his arms up over his head.

"Widen your stance," Harry said, "you're cheating." Teddy grumbled, but did as he said, grinning at Ginny when she clapped in appreciation.

"How's your practice coming?" Harry asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm on vacation." She kissed him on the cheek again, making sure Maria saw her squeeze his bum as she walked away to take care of business. Back at the campsite, she saw Teddy shoveling in eggs and toast as he talked a mile a minute to Darren, hair still damp from his morning swim in the river with Harry.

Ducking back into the tent, she put on her swimsuit and swim capris again, rearranging the things in her dry bag, making sure there was a generous amount of padding on the bottom before nestling the thunderbird egg down into it and piling more soft things around and on top of it. "I hope that does the trick," she murmured as she rolled the top closed and secured the clips.

Back outside, she joined the breakfast buffet line, loading her plate with bacon, eggs and toast, grabbing a banana from the pile. She saw that Harry was chatting with both Delores and her granddaughter and as she approached, Maria giggled and put her hand on Harry's arm.

"Good morning," Ginny said brightly as she sat down in the camp chair next to Harry, "what are we chatting about?"

"Delores is a high school Maths teacher and we were trading stories," Harry said, handing her a mug of tea he'd been steeping for her and kissing her on the cheek. "Sleep well?"

"When you finally let me sleep," she said coyly, peeling her banana.

"Indeed," Harry said, raising an eyebrow as she smiled sweetly at him and ate her banana. "What were you playing at, earlier?" he asked later as they took down their tent.

"When?" Ginny asked innocently.

"You know when."

"Oh, that. Well, it was very late when you let me sleep."

"Because we were off getting an egg for your daft bird," Harry snorted, shoving the folded-up tent into the storage bag.

"Better not let her hear you say that," she said, spreading her fingers out into claws and doing a passable imitation of an eagle's scream.

"Have you seen her this morning?"

"No, too many people around. I've got the egg in my dry bag. I hope it'll be all right."

"It should be fine."

Soon, they were back in the raft, Ginny feeling a little sad that it was going to be their last day on the river. As they left the little beach, she looked up in the sky to see if she could spot Hehewuti, expecting to see her following them again. She thought she saw a small speck in the sky, but couldn't be sure if it was her or not.

"Are there going to be more rapids today?" Teddy asked Will as the river guide steered them out into the middle of the river.

"Only one, but it's a good one. One of my favorites," he said, launching into a detailed explanation of the rapids and his method for taking them on in the raft. Taking advantage of the quiet current, Ginny scooted back and relaxed against Harry, holding his hand and enjoying the magnificent scenery.

"She asked about my tattoo," Harry whispered in her ear.

"Oh? Which one?"

"The feather. I don't think she wanted to admit to having noticed the stag in front of her gran."

"I see she has at least a bit of discretion," Ginny said, turning her face towards Harry and moving in for a kiss.

"Harry! Will says someone always falls out of one of the rafts at the next rapid! Want to bet on who it'll be?" Teddy said excitedly, turning to look at them. "What are you doing?"

"We're talking about what we're going to do in Las Vegas for our birthdays," Harry said, squeezing Ginny's shoulder.

"Oh! Darren was saying that they have a show with tigers and stuff! Can we go see that?"

"We'll see," Harry said, leaning forward. "Now, who do you think is most likely to fall out of the raft?"

Despite Will's prediction, no one fell out of any of the rafts on the next rapid, though it was touch and go for several nervous moments. Ginny kept a close eye on her dry bag as the raft rose and plunged on the current, praying that the next bump wouldn't send it tumbling out of the raft and into the turbulent current.

"That was so awesome!" Teddy shouted over the roar of the current, completely soaked from head to toe. "Can we do it again?"

"We'd have to get out of the raft and carry it back upstream. You think you could handle that?" Will asked as he maneuvered the raft to join the others.

"Well, maybe not by myself," he said with a sidelong look at Harry.

"Maybe we'll have to make this an annual sort of thing, yeah?" Harry said, smiling at his godson. He untied the bandanna from around his head and wrung it out, tying it back on securely, doing the same for Teddy.

"Yeah!"

Ginny glanced up at the sky, looking for Hehewuti again and still didn't see her, frowning at the gathering clouds. "Looks like another rain today."

"Oh yeah. Going to get a light show along with it," Will said, glancing upwards.

"How can you tell?"

"When you've been out on this river as long as I have, you develop a sense for this sort of thing. Can't you feel it? A sort of heaviness in the air?" Ginny nodded and Will smiled at her. "Me, I feel that heaviness and a sort of crawly feeling on my skin." Hm, probably a weather adept somewhere in his lineage, she thought, remembering an old witch that used to come around and visit her mother talking about this very same thing.

The roaring of the rapids far behind them, Will steered them into what looked like a little cove and they jumped out of the raft to drag it up on the beach. Quickly unloading it, they had their tent up in what seemed like no time, fully accustomed to working together. Ginny had thought about asking Harry if this was sort of what it was like when he was living rough with Ron and Hermione, but ultimately thought better of it.

As soon as she could, she ducked into the tent and opened her dry bag, digging through the clothing until she felt the firm hardness of the egg. Pulling it out, she examined if for any cracks, relieved to find none. "Is it all right?" Teddy asked anxiously, holding his hands out for it.

"Seems to be," she said, handing it over to him and smiling as he checked it himself. "You and Harry get changed and I'm going to see if I can find Hehewuti and talk to her about where her nest is, all right?" She took the egg back and put it back into the dry bag.

Exiting the tent, she smiled at Harry, going up on her tiptoes for a long kiss. "I'm going to see if I can find Hehewuti. Teddy's getting changed."

"Egg all right?"

"Yeah, came through just fine." Ginny stepped away and turned when Harry caught her arm, looking at him questioningly.

"Watch out for snakes, all right?" he said with an impish grin. Ginny just shook her head, flushing with embarrassment.

She headed away from the campsite, following the signs to the designated area, making sure she wasn't being followed. A few minutes' walk found her in another small side canyon surrounded by low trees and bushes. "Hehewuti," she called softly, turning all around, taking off her floppy hat to see above her better.

"I am here. Is my egg safe?" Hehewuti alighted onto a nearby branch, the lightning through her feathers looking stronger today.

"It's safe," Ginny said, watching as the thunderbird made an almost human sound of relief. "Is your nest close by?"

"It is not far, but it is high up. You will be able to make the young one fly again?"

"Yes, we should be able to," Ginny said, thinking that Teddy would be absolutely thrilled at the prospect of being levitated again.

"That is good, Ginny Weasley. We must act soon. The time for my egg's hatching is very near." She bobbed her head emphatically and Ginny found herself nodding with her.

"All right. Where shall we meet you?"

"Downriver from your camp there is a canyon. My nest is at the end, high up on the wall. I will meet you as soon as you can come by the entrance and guide you." Hehewuti spread her wings and launched her large body into the sky with another boom.

Ginny looked up at the sky and saw the clouds had taken on a decidedly purplish tinge as a cool wind blew through the canyon, making her wish she had on her hoodie. Guess I'd better get a move on. Not wanting to draw attention, she kept her pace steady as she came back into camp, nodding at Harry's questioning look. He'd changed into jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt, bandanna still tied firmly around his head.

In the tent, Ginny quickly changed into a pair of shorts and tee shirt, zipping her hoodie up and putting the egg in the pocket. Now how are we going to get out of the camp unnoticed? she thought as she came out of the tent. Since this was the last night of camping, it was acknowledged as an afternoon of rest and relaxation after all of the excitement of the past few days, so there weren't any hikes planned.

Looking for Teddy, she spotted him perusing the pre-dinner cookies, his face a mask of concentration. She glanced at Harry, raising her eyebrows and he cocked his head at one of the camp chairs on the edge of the campsite. She went over to it and sat down, casually crossing one leg over the other, trying to look utterly relaxed.

Soon, Harry and Teddy joined her with a small paper plate of cookies she was nearly too anxious to enjoy. She watched Harry watching the campsite without seeming to, listening to the buzz of conversation of the group clustered underneath the rain shelters in anticipation of the imminent downpour. Will was fully engaged in setting up the grill for the night and finally Harry nodded. "Now," he said quietly, standing up and taking Teddy's hand. "Where to?"

"Downriver," Ginny said, nodding toward the beach as they walked casually in that direction. "There's a canyon and Hehewuti is going to guide us to her nest." She looked at Teddy and grinned. "You get to float again."

"Yes!" he said, pumping his fist excitedly.

They rounded a bend, putting a cliff wall between them and the camp and they quickened their pace, spying Hehewuti waiting for them. "Come quickly, time grows very short," she said, flying in front of them, forcing them to jog, a brisk breeze following them down the canyon. Before too long, they came to a cliff wall, the striped red sandstone looking completely sheer. Craning her neck up, Ginny saw a protrusion of rock and what looked like a nest about seventy-five feet up.

"This is up higher than the hole was in the other cliff," she said, looking at Harry.

He had his arms crossed, frowning at the nest and he sighed. "Well, there's nothing for it," he said, casting a Cushioning Charm on the ground. A gust of wind blew past them, rattling the branches of the palo verde trees and Ginny heard a distant grumble of thunder. Up in her nest, Hehewuti let out a sharp scream.

"Okay, sweetheart, up you go," Ginny said, giving Teddy the egg. He held it carefully in both hands up against his small chest, standing in the middle of the Cushioning Charm.

"Ready?" Harry asked, wand out and pointed at his godson. Ginny nodded, pointing her own wand, casting Levicorpus in perfect sync with him. Teddy hooted excitedly as he began to rise from the Cushion, looking up toward the nest and the anxiously waiting thunderbird.

"How are you doing that? What is going on?" Ginny turned and groaned at the sight of Maria standing twenty feet behind them, mouth open in amazement.

"Shit," Harry said under his breath, keeping his eyes on Teddy. "Gin, can you hold him still?" Ginny nodded, focusing on keeping the boy in place about thirty feet off the ground, trembling with the effort of holding him on her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry turn to face Maria, wand extended and she heard the girl grunt in surprise.

"What happened? Maria fell down!" Teddy called, sounding mildly distressed.

"I had to Stun her," Harry said. "Never do that to a Muggle!" He pointed his wand at Teddy again and Ginny felt some of the strain ease as he started rising again.

"That's enough!" he shouted a moment later, coming even with the nest. "A little closer, please!"

"Quickly, young one! Into the nest and then you must get down!" Hehewuti flapped her wings in agitation as Teddy carefully put the egg in the nest, giving it a little pat.

"Okay! Hehewuti says I have to get down fast!"

Working together, they quickly lowered him, letting him fall the last five feet to the Cushioning Charm in a cascade of giggles. As he landed, Ginny felt the first splatters of rain and cast a quick Rain Deflection Charm as Teddy joined them.

"I'm going to check on Maria, all right?" she said, hoping that Maria had fallen well and not hit her head on the way down. Casting another Rain Deflecting Charm above her, Ginny checked for any head injuries, glad to find none. Stunners on Muggles are so unpredictable. Pupil response and pulse are fine. Enjoy your little nap, she thought as she went back to join Harry and Teddy.

"Now what?" Teddy asked, squinting up at the nest. Rain was falling harder now and the thunder was no longer distant as it echoed off the canyon walls. Hehewuti fluttered down from her nest to join them.

"So will your egg hatch now?" Ginny asked the bird, noticing that the lightning in her feathers was the brightest she'd seen, giving off a faint whiff of ozone.

"When the lightning comes," Hehewuti said, preening the rainwater from her breast feathers.

"Are we safe?" Ginny asked, alarmed at the prospect of being anywhere near a lightning strike.

"My egg will draw the lightning to it. You are safe enough."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, taking a firm grip of Teddy's shoulder, making the boy squirm. Ginny took his other hand and held on tight. She felt a buildup of energy in the air, like walking across a thick carpet in wool socks, but a hundred times stronger and she held her breath, closing her eyes in anticipation.

Even through her closed eyelids, she saw a searing flash of light and the boom of thunder rattled her bones, the force of it nearly driving her to her knees. Hehewuti's triumphant scream sounded immediately after as she took off for her nest. The rain was coming down in earnest now, pounding hard against the Rain Deflection Charm as she knelt down, checking Teddy for any injuries. The boy was fine as evidenced by his impatience with her examination and he pointed up at the nest. "Look!"

Ginny looked up, seeing the large form of Hehewuti, body now positively limned in lightning against the dark rain clouds. As she watched, she heard another scream from the thunderbird and she gasped to see what looked like her tiny double stick its head over the nest. "It hatched!" she exclaimed, hugging Teddy tight.

"We did it! We saved the baby!" he cheered, jumping up and down. They watched as Hehewuti rubbed her beak lovingly along her chick's head, Harry putting his arm around Ginny's shoulders, his warmth counteracting the sudden coolness brought by the monsoon.

The thunderbird nudged her chick and they all gasped as it tumbled out of the nest, falling for a moment before spreading its already fully-feathered wings and catching itself, swooping over their heads before settling on a branch in a nearby palo verde tree. Ginny saw that the chick's plumage leaned more toward bronze than Hehewuti's but otherwise was an almost perfect copy.

Hehewuti herself swooped down a moment later, landing on the same branch and shielding her chick from the rain with an enormous wing. Everything about her posture proclaimed her a proud mother and Ginny could have sworn she saw a smile on that wickedly sharp beak. "Meet my son, Niyol," she said, her son letting out his own little scream at the sound of his name.

Teddy edged closer, sticking out his finger and stroking the chick's wing before Harry or Ginny could stop him. "He's so soft! He can fly already? I thought birds were born without feathers?"

"Thunderbirds must be ready to ride the winds as soon as they come into the world," Hehewuti said, preening Niyol's wing where he'd touched it. Little jags of lightning raced along it. Niyol eyed Teddy and quick as a flash darted his head forward, catching his finger in his beak. Ginny gasped and Harry lurched forward half a step, brought up short by Teddy's laugh.

"He didn't hurt me! See?" he said, holding up his uninjured finger. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her brow.

"He has taken your measure. Now you are known to Niyol and may call on him if you have need of him in the future."

"Cool," Teddy breathed, eyes wide with amazement.

"Ginny Weasley, it is time we must depart. My chick has hatched despite Coyote's best efforts thanks to your help. What would you ask of me?" Hehewuti drew herself up straight and Ginny realized just how large of a bird she was.

Glancing at Harry, she smiled. "May I have one of your beautiful feathers?" she asked, captivated by the shimmering brown-bronze feathers. Little crackles of lightning continued to play across them, not as bright now as they had been at the height of the storm.

"Of course. I give this to you freely, balancing my debt to you," she said, giving a little shake of her wing. A single feather detached itself and floated down. Ginny caught it in her hand, marveling at the softness of it.

"Can I have one, too?" Teddy asked hesitantly. Hehewuti looked at him, cocking her head to the side before giving a birdlike bob. Another feather, a white one shimmering silver, came loose and he dove forward, catching it before it could touch the ground.

Reaching out with her massive wing, Hehewuti stroked Teddy's cheek tenderly. "You lost your mother when you were scarcely more than a chick yourself, but I sense her inside of you still. You carry her magic. Use it well, young one." Eyes filling with tears, he buried his face in Ginny's shoulder, clutching the feather tightly.

"Thank you, Hehewuti," Ginny said quietly, kissing the top of Teddy's head.

"Thank you, Ginny Weasley." The thunderbird settled her wings back around her body and looked up at the sky. "The storm is passing. It is time for us to go. I must teach my son to ride the winds as a proper thunderbird should." She looked at Harry, gold eyes flashing. "You carry your mother with you as well, Harry Potter. Continue to use her magic well."

"I will," he said, voice sounding rough.

Hehewuti gave them one more nod and took off, her chick following her with a very tiny sonic boom. They watched as the pair flew up into the cloud-filled sky, higher and higher until they were tiny specks. The rain ceased abruptly in the way it did out here in the desert and Ginny dispelled the Rain Deflection Charm while Harry dispelled his Cushioning Charm.

Reaching Maria, Harry looked down at her with a frown. "I didn't see her following us and I really should have," he said.

"You had other things on your mind," Ginny said, dispelling the Rain Deflection Charm above her.

Harry shrugged, not satisfied with her excuse and turned to Teddy. "I had to Stun her because of the Statute, you understand? I'm going to wake her and then Obliviate her," he said, looking at him seriously. "You must never, ever do this to a Muggle unless the Secrecy Statute or your life are in danger, do you understand?"

Teddy nodded seriously, still clutching his feather, watching intently as Harry cast Innervate on Maria. She squirmed and sat up, rubbing her forehead. "Harry? What happened? I saw Teddy floating up in the air…"

"Do you feel all right? Any nausea or pain?" Ginny asked, checking the back of her head again for any bleeding.

"I'm fine…why was Teddy floating in the air? How—" she stopped talking mid-sentence as Harry pointed his wand at her again, her eyes going momentarily blank before she shook her head again. "Harry? What happened?"

"We were hiking through this canyon and lightning hit really close by and you passed out," Harry said easily, helping her stand back up. "Ginny checked you out and it looks like you avoided a concussion."

"Oh, okay. Did anyone get hurt by the lightning?"

"No, but it was so loud! I thought it was going to knock me over! Look at this feather I found!" Teddy said proudly, thrusting it into her face, neatly taking over the conversation as they started back to the camp. Ginny held Harry's hand as they walked through the canyon, the air markedly cooler, listening to Teddy chatter nonstop, telling Maria all about his summer.

Back at camp, they found they hadn't really even been missed. Ginny took Teddy's feather, promising to keep it safe in her dry bag as he ran off to put his head together with Darren over Pokémon again. She saw Maria cast another look at Harry as he talked with Will and Darren's father before going over to join the group of teenagers.

That night, snug in their tent, Ginny curled up against Harry, glad for his warmth in the cool night. They'd zipped their sleeping bags together, making one big one and she sighed at the feeling of his arm over her waist. "Looking forward to a real bed?" he asked, voice pitched low so as not to wake Teddy.

"Mm, more looking forward to our own room again," she answered quietly, running her hand up and down his bare arm.

"Thank you for coming." Harry kissed the nape of her neck, causing a flood of warmth through her body.

"As if I'd let you two have a river rafting adventure without me. Besides," she said, turning around to face him, "it would have been a lot more boring without me."

"True," Harry chuckled. "You do have a habit of finding magical creatures in need."

Ginny frowned, remembering something Hehewuti had said. "I wonder what she meant when she said Coyote was playing this trick as a test? Who was being tested?" She felt a small shiver go through her at the thought that Coyote might have been testing her.

"Coyote always plays his cards close to his chest, love. I doubt you've attracted his attention, though," Harry said, kissing her along her jaw.

"I hope you're right," she sighed, sneaking her hand underneath his tee shirt to run her fingers along the soft skin over his ribs. The temperature in the tent had definitely risen and she closed her eyes, meeting his soft lips with hers. She felt his hand on her bum, pulling her into him and she gave a quiet groan. Just then, Teddy let out a loud snore as he turned over onto his back, crowding up against her.

Body shaking with suppressed laughter, Ginny laid her head against Harry's chest as he heaved a sigh. "No wonder parents always look so depressed," he whispered, making her laugh even harder.

"Oh, poor you," she said, stroking her hand though his shaggy hair. "Tomorrow night we'll have our own proper room and you can do unspeakable things to me then."

"What if I want to have unspeakable things done to me?"

"We can be unspeakable to each other, all right?" she said giggling at his smile in the dim light of the tent.

"I'm going to hold you to that, love." He gave her another long, slow kiss and she turned around, nestling her back against his chest. Eyes closed, she was just relaxing into sleep when she heard what sounded like a coyote, yipping at the moon.