Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, this story would be published, not on a fanfiction site!
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Chapter Three
The Wizarding World
The moon was rising when Molly decided it was high time for her to bring Ginny home. It was getting dark out, for heavens' sakes! What did the girl think she was doing?
Pulling on her boots, Molly trudged through the dirt, following the two sets of footprints that would logically be Ginny's and Harry's. Both footprints were small, though one set was bigger than the other, and the smaller set of footprints was heavier. That made perfect sense – the footprints of a nine- and ten-year-old would be small, but Harry as the elder boy would have bigger feet, yet Ginny walked rather heavily, so her footprints would be deeper. Molly knew the last part because whenever Ginny got up during the night, her footprints could be heard from all the way up in the attic.
Molly was resigned to following these footprints due to the fact that she had no idea where in the forest the duo could be. However, she was glad she hadn't known, because otherwise she would have gone straight there and therefore missed seeing the…
The unconscious bodies of her daughter and Harry Potter.
Molly ran back to the Burrow at top speed. As soon as she got there, the first thing she did was look straight up at the family clock.
"Oh, thank goodness!" she said, relieved (though only momentarily). Arthur's hand pointed to 'Home.' At the moment, Molly Weasley, the woman who rarely lost her cool, was losing it… and fast. She didn't know what to do. Her baby was unconscious!
"Molly! What's wrong?" asked Arthur worriedly. He had been told about Ginny and her new friend, Harry Potter. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for what his wife was telling him now.
"She's what?!" Arthur roared.
"Un-unconscious," Molly repeated, sniffling. "I d-don't know wh-what to do!"
"Get Albus," said Arthur tersely.
And 'get Albus' they did.
Harry and Ginny stood in some kind of peaceful, serene grove. The air was perfumed with the scent of wildberries, and lush, glossy ferns permeated the gleaming golden sunlight.
"Where are we?" gasped Harry. "What is this?"
Ginny, however, looked worried. She had a feeling that she knew where they were, and if she was right…
She would have to tell Harry about wizards.
Sighing, Ginny realized that she was resigned to the Fate of telling Harry. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to say anything about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"Who must not be named?" asked Harry, confused.
She was right, then. They really were inside each others' minds. A small part of her had still been hoping that she was wrong.
"I didn't say anything," Ginny sighed.
Harry turned to her. "You know something I don't," he said, half-accusing, half-curious. "What is it?"
Sighing for what felt like the thirtieth time in their minds, Ginny answered, "Yes. We are in each others' minds."
Harry gasped. "That's not possible," he said.
"It is," Ginny answered. "There's something I've been keeping from you." It tore her up inside to see the look of hurt on Harry's face right then. "I had no choice but to keep it from you. You see, Harry… you and me, and all my family, and your mum and dad, and others as well… we're wizards. Witches and wizards."
"What?!" gasped Harry. "That really is impossible!"
"No it's not," Ginny sighed. "We really are… I wouldn't lie to you… you know that, don't you." It was a statement, not a question.
Harry looked at her, considering her. Finally, he said, "You're telling the truth…" He looked shocked. "How do I know that? How do I know you're telling the truth?" Their eyes met.
Slowly, resignedly, Ginny began to explain the real story of how Harry's parents died. She finished up with, "I still don't know how we're doing this, though." They were silent for a moment.
"We're dreaming," said Harry finally. "But it's real. We're talking to each other in our dreams." Ginny nodded in confirmation.
They were silent for a while, staring at the mysterious grove. Then, suddenly, everything started to fade away… except each other. "We're waking up!" yelled Harry. And then…
Colour flooded back into everything.
Harry and Ginny woke up on the biggest lounge at Ginny's house, surprisingly intertwined in a position rather unsuitable for a nine- and a ten-year-old - Harry's arms were wrapped around Ginny's stomach. Harry tried to unravel himself, only to find that his muscles were too slack to move without a stabbing pain.
"Wh-wha'ss goin'on," Ginny mumbled, her voice slurred slightly.
Harry glanced up to see, much to his shock, a strange man with a long silver beard and hair to match. The man had twinkling blue eyes that peered down at Ginny and he curiously through half-moon spectacles. Who the hell is he? thought Harry sleepily.
That's Albus Dumbledore, a soft female voice answered.
Ginny? Harry gasped, suddenly wide awake.
Don't you remember our conversation? asked Ginny, sounding somewhat amused.
Harry thought back quickly and suddenly remembered the strange dream he had had. Oh my God, he thought. I'm a wizard! And you and me have this weird mind connection thing! He was delighted.
"Harry Potter," said the silver-bearded man whose name was apparently Albus Dumbledore. "I suppose you're wondering who I am, why I am here, and what is going on… amongst other things." The man's voice was piercing and sharp, but kind.
Harry was about to say that he wasn't actually wondering about any of these things when Ginny's voice in his head said, No, don't. If you say what you're about to say, they will want to find out about this mind-link thing. I want it to be our secret, okay? Please? Harry shut his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, I'm… I'm wondering," he said quickly.
Albus Dumbledore's way of describing Voldemort (He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) was very different to Ginny's explanation. He was a lot blunter about some details and seemed to want to avoid others. After an hour of pretending to listen to things he had heard before, Harry said, "It's almost sunrise. The Dursleys will go nuts when I get back." He was reluctant to say 'home', because now he didn't feel that the new, strange house was 'home'. 'Home' was wherever Ginny was.
"Don't worry," said Dumbledore. "I'm not a wizard for nothing." His eyes twinkled. "The Dursleys are under the impression that you have already returned home. Now, off you trot."
And off he trotted.