A/n I don't own Harry Pottert I just play in JK Rowlings universe
He buried his hands in her long red hair. The sunlight made it glow like a barley-banked coals. He loved the feel and the smell of her. She tasted like strawberries when he kissed her. She plunged her hands in his hair and-pulled hard!
"OW Ginny!" He yelped. "What the bloody hell!"
His eyes popped open and he screamed upon seeing the short red hair... and brown eyes above his face.
"Come on mate, get up." It was Ron yanking his hair.
"Merlin Ron, is it necessary to yank my hair out by the roots. Most people just poke you, or pour cold water on your head," Harry groused as he sat up and reached for his glasses.
"It's necessary when you ignore my shouting, and then I hear you muttering my sister's name in a distinctly -"
"Alright Ron...I'm up" he interrupted before his friend could lecture him about Ginny, after all...a bloke's not responsible for his dreams.
"Hang on...since when do you get out of bed before me?" He inquired as he dressed hoping Ron would forget about Ginny.
"Er, I never went to bed." He flushed scarlet to the tips of his ears. Harry was about to question this new development, when Molly hollered up to them
"Boys breakfast...now!!"
"We better go mate, before she works up a head of steam." Ron was relieved that, for now at least, he didn't have to explain his nocturnal activities to Harry.
Harry was not fooled and hissed on his way down stairs, "You'll tell me after we finish at the Ministry, or I'll ask Hermione."
He laughed at the look of horror that crossed his best friends face. "Hmm," he thought, "maybe I'll ask Ginny instead, she's sure to have interrogated Hermione by now."
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Entering the Burrow's kitchen every morning, was Harry's favorite thing about staying with the Weasley's. Molly, or Mum as she had insisted he call her, would be at the stove. Ginny would be the first on at the table, talking to Hermione and eating toast or sausages. He and Ron would stroll in last, earning a stern look and comment from Mum. When Harry came in that morning, the scene was the same. Ginny was turned toward Hermione talking in hushed tones and giggling, which didn't bode well for Ron. His ears were still pink when he sat down next to Hermione. Ginny turned to greet Harry, and he laughed as her elbow came down in the butter dish.
"I'd like to know what you think is so bloody funny Harry. I'll have to go around with a greasy elbow for the rest of the morning." She grabbed a towel to wipe off the butter.
"Language," Molly said, absently conducting Harry's plate to his chair next to Ginny.
"You don't remember do you?" He said still laughing. "When you were eleven and I stayed here before your first year, you were always dropping dishes. On one of those mornings, you put your elbow in the butter when I spoke to you."
"Oh, Merlin...I'd forgotten what a silly little girl I was." she grinned and leaned into kiss him.
"Oy, do you have to do that at the table...some of us are trying to eat?" Ron said, earning him an elbow to the side from Hermione.
"Good morning Harry." Hermione greeted him with a smile, and there was something in her eyes that made him even more anxious to hear the details of last night.
"Are you ready for our "appointment" Harry?" Hermione asked. She hoped this was it, that they could finally destroy the last Horcrux, and then Harry could finally face and defeat Riddle.
"Yeah...as soon as Luna and Neville arrive, we'll go."
When breakfast was finished, they helped Molly clean up. This took less time than usual, seeing that they were all free to use magic. As they were finishing up, a knock came at the door and Ginny opened it with a greeting for Luna and Neville. They were engaged to be married as soon as the war was over.
"Hi everybody." Neville greeted the room
"Hello," Luna said in her usual dreamy voice.
Harry had long ago stopped being fooled by her voice and her expression. She was a fierce and clever fighter, and she had saved their butts more than once during the last year. She and Neville had insisted on helping them find the Horcruxes. Harry had at first been reluctant and then grateful, especially to Neville. He no longer was the chubby awkward boy who couldn't remember where he'd left his socks. His fighting skills were incredible and his knowledge of rare and exotic herbs had helped them brew a particularly complicated potion to melt down and destroy Helga Hufflepuff's cup.
"Right then...lets go or we'll be late," Harry said as they reached for their traveling cloaks
"Now Ginny, remember what I told you, and you'll do fine." Molly said with a smile. She thought Ginny was off to take her Apparation test.
"Be careful all of you - there's still danger out there."
"Yes mum, we'll be careful," Ron said in a placating tone one uses for elderly grandmothers and small children.
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All of them could Apparate except for Ginny, so Harry held on to her for a side-along trip. He was used to the feeling of being sucked through a straw, but he still like flying better as form of transportation.
Upon their arrival at the Ministry, they were required to present their wands. A wizard name Eric was at the Security Post. He had been there when Harry had had to defend himself against an under-age use of magic charge in the summer before his fifth year. He was still badly shaven and looked the same as he had three years before. He knew who Harry was and why he was there. After Harry, Hermione and Ron presented their wands; he waved them onto the lift to the minister's office.
Ginny had taken out Harry's invisibility cloak and was hiding underneath it. Neville was using a Disillusionment Charm and would blend in perfectly with the surroundings. Their purpose was two fold; if Harry couldn't convince the Minister to direct them to the Horcrux, then they would set off a distraction to get them to the Department of Mysteries. If they were told where it was, the six of them would use their combined magic to destroy it.
Merlin watched his cauldron as the young ones made their way through the Ministry. He had to pick the exact time to take the youngest one and bring her to him. He had prepared the necessary potion and had drawn the proper runes for opening the time portal. She would be brought directly to his small cabin in the Avalon woods. He didn't want her pulled back in time and then lost in the woods. There were dangers even in Avalon, and she wouldn't be prepared to face them. He watched the events unfold at the ministry and at the proper moment, he drank the vial of potion and raised a hand palm facing outward and shouted, "Open portals of time bring the soul mate of the Chosen One to me!"
A stream of golden light shot from his hand as his entire being glowed. A magical wind began to howl and a brilliant white light, spinning like a contained tornado, burst open in the room. After several seconds, there were several flashes of golden light in its heart that would've overwhelmed his corneas, had he not been prepared and shielded his eyes. A human form materialized out of the light, and the portal vanished as quickly as it came.
Ginny Weasley looked around her in utter shock, unable to understand why she wasn't dead. Her gaze turned to Merlin. He bowed and said, "Welcome to Avalon, I am Merlin."
Ginny, hearing this, dropped to the floor in a dead faint. "Oh dear," Merlin said. "This isn't going as well as I hoped."
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Earlier...in the Department of Mysteries
Harry's stag patronus had found Ginny and the others, and it was then they knew that Harry had been unsuccessful with the Minister. They ran for the lift. Ginny jabbed the number nine and they began to descend. Stepping out of the lift, they were greeted by the black door they hadn't seen in three years. Ginny and Luna appeared from under the Invisibility Cloak, and Luna rapped Neville on the head with her wand. He instantly reappeared and grinned at her, just as three loud cracks could be heard, signalling the arrival of the others.
"Perfect timing," Ron said with a grin.
"Come on," Harry said, opening the black door, we haven't got much time.
Hermione had used a full body-bind on the Minister and his secretary and locked the doors before they Apparated out, but someone would find them soon they had to hurry.
"So the minister is working for Voldemort?" Ginny asked, not needing an answer. Harry merley nodded his head.
"We'll have the Aurors deal with him later." Hermione said.
"Which door this time?" Harry asked. They looked around the round black room with its blue flames candles.
Hermione pulled out the parchment she had found in the Minister's office with the help of some Veritaserum she had brewed. Whoever found the Minister, was going to get an earful.
"The third door to the left," she pointed, and they moved toward it. Opening the door, they were amazed to see the endless lines of file cabinets stretching up as far as they could crane their necks and as far as they could see into the distance.
"How are we going to find it in this lot?" Ginny asked in an amazed voice.
"We have detailed instructions from the Minister. It should be over there to your left." Hermione said. When they turned in that direction a voice said from behind them
"He was right, you did come back."
They turned and several black robed figures appeared. One removed his mask.
"Malfoy!" Harry spat.
"When are you going to learn you don't belong here Potter?" Malfoy said with a laugh, his wand pointed at Ginny. The others had their wands out and for a moment no one moved.
"Hand over the blood traitor at your side, and you'll leave here alive, Potter." Malfoy commanded.
"Have you gone completely mental, Malfoy. I'm not a scared young boy anymore. and you'll have to kill me to get to her." He looked at Ginny and inclined his head.
She nodded in response and said, "Well, come on then lets you and I have a go, we'll see who takes whom." Ginny said her wand steady and her eyes blazing.
Lucius Malfoy threw back his head and laughed. "You are a cheeky one-"
Ginny waved her wand, "Stupefy," she cried.
But Malfoy was quick and counter spelled with "Protego." Ginny's spell was turned away as the others scattered using the cabinets as cover.
Ginny tried a full-body bind on Malfoy, only to have him dodge that as well. She ducked for cover when he flung a spell at her. Everywhere there were bursts of magic and then it happened. She watched in horror as Bellatrix Lestrange turned her wand on Harry, who was just a few feet away from Ginny. He was duelling Malfoy, trying to distract him and didn't see the Death Eater draw her wand on him. Ginny leaped from cover as Bellatrix shouted.
"Avada Kedavra!" Neville leaped at her, pushing her aside so the curse streaked toward Ginny and not Harry.
"NO!" She screamed, running to tackle him. She didn't see the curse moving directly at her as she reached for Harry, and suddenly a powerful magical wind blew as a brilliant white light began to spin around her, whipping her long hair up and away from her face.
A voice echoed out of the light "Open portals of time - bring the soul mate of the chosen one to me."
She felt a sensation, not unlike Apparation, and then she was in another place. The light vanished, and she stood in a tiny stone cabin in front of one of the oldest humans she had ever seen. He was older even than Dumbledore had been when he was killed.
"Welcome to Avalon, I am Merlin." He said.
"Merlin?" No, this wasn't possible was it." The world around her went black and she fainted.
