"You're clear," Neville whispered.
Ginny silently pulled her wand and wrote on the wall – Harry Potter lives!
The two of them had snuck down to the dungeons to release the fourth year Hufflepuff in detention. After seeing the scared girl back to her common room, Neville and Ginny left several messages on the walls before creeping silently back to the Gryffindor common room. Seamus was waiting for them.
"It's about time! I was starting to get worried about you," he exclaimed as they made their way over to the group sitting by the fireplace.
Parvati Patil looked up as they approached. Ginny gasped. "What happened?"
One side of Parvati's beautiful face was covered with a large purplish bruise. She winced. "I turned down Zabini's advances. He got a bit upset and then Carrow backhanded me for refusing a Pureblood."
Ginny ran up to her dorm room and came back with a vial of pain reliever. "Here, you look like you could use this."
Parvati downed it gratefully. Ginny looked around the common room. "Anyone else hurt?"
Seamus shook his head. "I don't think so. I think everyone is just hungry."
Ginny's stomach chose that moment to growl and she blushed as the others laughed. Someone had let a Niffler into Alecto's office. In retaliation, she had banned all houses except Slytherin from dinner.
Ginny sank down onto the couch next to Demelza. "I wish we could sneak down to the kitchens for food."
"I know," Seamus said. "I'm so hungry."
Ginny sat up and looked around at her friends.
"Neville, can we go up to your room?" she asked, gesturing at the group sitting by the fire.
Neville looked at her curiously. "Of course."
They all crowded into the seventh year boys dorm. Seamus and Neville were each on their own bed. Lavender and Parvati sat on the absent Dean's bed. Ginny and Demelza sat on Harry's bed. Once everyone sat down, Ginny looked around at the group. "Do you promise you won't tell anyone about what I'm about to do?"
Making eye contact with all of them, she secured their agreement to be silent. Taking a deep breath, Ginny called out, "Kreacher!"
A soft pop sounded in the silent dorm room. Kreacher bowed to Ginny. "Yes, Mistress Ginny. How can I serve you?"
Ginny hopped off the bed and knelt by the elf, ignoring the astonished gasps from her friends. "Can you bring some food and some pitchers of pumpkin juice up here without getting into trouble?"
"Professor Carrow demanded we throw out all of the food, but Kreacher does not work for Professor Carrow or for Hogwarts. Kreacher works for Master Harry and Master Harry wants me to help Mistress Ginny. I will be right back." Kreacher popped out of the room.
"What the bleeding hell was that, Ginny?" Seamus asked. "Master Harry. Is that Harry's elf?"
Ginny nodded. "That's why no one can say anything. If they knew that Harry's house elf was here, they would use that against him."
Kreacher popped back into the dorm room with several trays laden with food. "Is this enough, Mistress Ginny?"
"Thank you, Kreacher," Ginny said with a smile. She motioned the small elf over to one side of the room. "Have you heard from Harry?" she whispered.
"No, Mistress Ginny. Master Harry and his friends left for the Ministry one day, but they did not come back. Instead the bad men came. That is when Kreacher came to Hogwarts. Master wanted me to watch over Mistress Ginny, so I came where Mistress Ginny is," Kreacher replied anxiously.
"You did well, Kreacher," Ginny said with a sad smile. "I was just hoping you'd seen him."
Ginny looked over at the group now eating happily. "Kreacher, can you deliver food to the common room and the common rooms of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw without any trouble?"
Kreacher brightened up. "Yes, Mistress Ginny. Kreacher will be happy to feed the other students."
"Thank you, Kreacher. I know Harry would want you to help," Ginny said with a smile.
As Kreacher left, Ginny joined her friends. Reaching into the pile, Ginny grabbed a sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Ginny, this is great," Neville said after he finished his dinner. "I never knew that Harry had a house elf."
"He inherited him from his godfather," Ginny explained. "I told him to take some food to common room and the other houses as well."
Parvati looked at Ginny with interest. "So does that you mean that you and Harry aren't really broken up?"
Ginny blushed. "We are for now. It would be too dangerous if people thought we were together. He sent Kreacher to me on my birthday with my present and told me that if I needed anything, I could call for Kreacher and he would help me."
"He has his house elf answering to you?" Neville said in surprise. "Do you know what that usually means?"
"N-no, not really." Ginny looked up in surprise. "I've never been around house elves before."
"Usually house elves will answer to only their family or those they sense may become part of their family. It's tantamount to announcing that you are engaged," Neville explained.
Ginny's eyes widened. "Really? I…I don't think Harry would know that. He just wanted Kreacher to look out for me."
"So what did he send you for your birthday? Your bracelet?" Demelza asked with a smile.
Smiling, Ginny nodded as she fingered her bracelet. She hadn't taken it off since she'd gotten it.
"Wow." Lavender looked over at her bracelet. "Ginny, this is real. These are real rubies and diamonds. This has got to be worth probably 500 galleons."
"Really?" Ginny said in astonishment. "He just told me it was his mother's bracelet. I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me."
Harry fixed himself a jam sandwich and a pot of tea to go eat while reviewing his books. His days had fallen into an easy routine. He would read in the mornings and spend the afternoon practicing spells. To his surprise, after just a few weeks, he could feel the difference in his spell casting.
"Meow."
Harry looked down to see Sparkle sitting next to her food dish. "Hey, girl. Here's some more food. I guess I'm going to have to go shopping again soon."
Sitting back down at the table, Harry reviewed his checklist. The one thing he hadn't found out much about was magical healing. He frowned as he contemplated his options. He couldn't exactly go to Diagon Alley and purchase a book.
"That's it," he said. "Sparkle, do you want to go to the library with me? We'll go shopping afterwards."
He had discovered a series of spells that allowed him to disguise Sparkle so the Muggles couldn't see her, but at the same time kept her within a few feet of him. Harry had tested out the spells by taking Sparkle to the park in the evening.
After making quick work of his meager sandwich, Harry put Sparkle in one of Dudley's old school bags and the two of them headed out. Harry's first stop was the public library. Aunt Petunia had brought him and Dudley to story time there when he was younger. He had enjoyed listening to the stories and seeing other children. That came to an abrupt end when the librarian wanted to read the Wizard of Oz. Aunt Petunia pulled them from story time and never brought them back to the library.
Harry quietly entered the library and took his time looking around. He had just found the reference section when he heard a voice behind him.
"Can I help you, young man?"
Turning, Harry saw a rather stern looking older lady. She looked him over taking in his over large clothes and rather emaciated appearance. She was sure she had never seen him before.
"Yes, ma'am. I was looking for some information on first aid," Harry replied.
"First aid?"
"Yes, ma'am. I've recently moved out on my own and realized that I don't know anything about first aid," Harry lied easily.
The librarian searched his face for a moment before coming to a decision. There was something about him that brought out her motherly instincts. "Through here, young man."
She showed him to a table and provided him with several books on first aid. When she checked on him twenty minutes later, she was surprised to find him taking notes in a small notebook.
Harry glanced around at Sparkle who had run around the stacks when they first arrived, but had settled down on the table next to Dudley's school bag. He smiled at the kitten and reached out to pet her. "This is better than sitting at home, right? It's warmer, too."
"Excuse me, young man."
Harry looked up to find the older librarian watching him. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Harry."
She smiled. "Harry, my name is Jane. Did you realize we have tea and biscuits set up in the back room? You can't bring any food or tea back in the stacks, but we have a nice reading area where you can eat and read if you would like."
"Really? Thanks, that would be great," Harry replied with a smile.
"Harry, how long have you lived here?" Jane asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen you here before. I'm sure I would remember those eyes."
Blushing, Harry laughed. "I've lived in Little Whinging since I was a baby, but my aunt didn't like us coming to the library."
Harry chatted with Jane while he got his plate of biscuits. Looking around the back room, Harry was amazed at the changes that had taken place since he'd last been to the library. They had turned the back room into a nice reading area with scattered chairs and low set tables throughout the room. Harry could see the children's room on the other side with its bright colors and reading pit.
Harry chose to sit in a low set armchair that was near the window. The library was on the main street in Little Whinging. From his spot, he could see the main street with its shops. He sighed as he sipped his tea. He had never really imagined he would be back in Little Whinging. Looking around the room, he caught sight of a book sitting out on one of the tables. The title was in runes. His heart beating a little faster, Harry walked over and picked up the book. Flipping through it, he could see that the whole book was written in runes. At least he was pretty sure they were runes. He had never taken the class, but both Hermione and Ginny took Ancient Runes and he had seen their books. On the inside back cover was a sticker that read:
The London Library – Magical Collection
14 St James's Square
London
SW1Y 4LG
Harry's head was spinning. There was a magical collection at the London Library? How come he had never heard of this before? How come Hermione had never mentioned it before? It was times like this that he hated being raised in the Muggle world.
Jane noticed his interest in the book. She took a closer look. "Is that another Egyptian book? We get those in here from time to time. We're supposed to ship them back to the main branch in London."
'There must be a Confundus Charm on the book,' Harry thought. Handing the book over to Jane, Harry made his way back to his table. He finished reading the first aid book so as to not make Jane suspicious, but after another thirty minutes had passed, Harry scooped up Sparkle and put her back in his bag. He quickly ran into the store for more kitten food, bread and milk before heading home.
He let Sparkle out of the bag and hurried over to his aunt's desk. There on the corner where she always kept it was the timetable to the trains to London. He didn't feel comfortable Apparating to such a big city without really knowing where he was going so he planned to take the train to London. He searched the desk and with a cry of triumph, came up with his uncle's commuter rail card.
"Sparkle, we're going to London tomorrow," Harry said with a laugh.
Hermione slowly packed everything back into her beaded bag. She was tired of being the responsible and mature one. She was tired of sleeping in a tent and worrying over where her next meal was coming from. With a sigh, she turned and Apparated to the Burrow.
She almost cried when she saw the familiar house come into view. She slowly made her way to the house. She knocked on the door and within a few minutes she heard Mrs. Weasley's voice.
"Mrs. Weasley, it's me, Hermione. I've been coming to stay with you every summer since the summer before my fourth year when we went to the Quidditch World Cup. I was at Bill's wedding this summer. I was wearing a lilac dress and your Aunt Muriel said I had bad posture and skinny ankles," Hermione said in a rush, adding everything she thought might prove her identity.
"Oh, Hermione. Are the boys with you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No, they are okay, but we got separated," Hermione replied. "Mrs. Weasley, the summer before my third year, where did we stay the night before leaving for school? The morning we left for school, you were telling me and Ginny a story about your time in school. What was it about?"
Mrs. Weasley laughed softly. "We all stayed at the Leaky Cauldron. I was telling you girls about a love potion I'd tried to make."
Opening the door, Mrs. Weasley pulled Hermione into an embrace. At a noise behind them, the two witches pulled apart.
"Hermione?" Fred hugged her, but at the same time looked around behind her.
Hermione sank down at the kitchen table while Mrs. Weasley bustled around, preparing tea which she set in front of Hermione. With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley summoned a basket of scones with dishes of butter and jam.
"So what happened, dear? Where are the boys? Is everyone okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked as Hermione prepared a plate.
Taking her time in preparing her scone, Hermione tried to decide what to tell them. As angry as she was with Ron, she didn't want his family to think badly of him.
"Ron decided to go to Bill's house. W-we got into an argument this morning," Hermione said. "W-we…it's been a rough couple of months. We've been living in the tent and tempers have…I think he got jealous and…he thought Ron and I were…"
Hermione burst into tears at this point. Mrs. Weasley gathered her into a warm embrace and let her cry. When Hermione calmed down, Mrs. Weasley pressed a cup of tea laced with Calming Draught on her.
After helping Hermione upstairs to Ginny's room, Mrs. Weasley headed for the Floo.
"Bill!"
Bill answered his Floo quickly.
"Mum. Can I come over?"
Within moments, Bill arrived in his mother's kitchen. He kissed her on the cheek and joined his mother and brother at the kitchen table.
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Bill said to his mother.
"I take it Ron and Harry showed up at your house this morning," Mrs. Weasley said.
Bill nodded distractedly, not really hearing the whole question. "Ron wouldn't really say anything."
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Hermione showed up very upset. She said something about a fight. It sounded to me as though Harry got upset and jealous that Ron and Hermione were growing closer."
"It did sound that way," Fred said quietly.
"What does that mean?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Well, I've never seen any indication that Harry ever thought of Hermione like that," Fred replied.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "They were all alone in a tent alone for months at a time. It may have just been the close quarters, or maybe Harry is just really good at hiding his feelings."
"I don't know Harry very well, but I've never seen him with a girl," Bill said. "Has he ever even had a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, he dated Cho Chang two years ago," Fred said. "I haven't heard anything about him dating anyone since then."
Looking at his older brother, Fred asked, "What did Harry say?"
"Harry?" Bill repeated. "I haven't seen Harry. I thought he was here."
"No," Mrs. Weasley said with alarm. "I thought he was with Ron."
She looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sure that Hermione is asleep now. Bill, why don't you go ask Ron if he knows where Harry is?"
As much as Harry wanted to head right for London the next day, he realized that he needed to plan ahead.
"I need to be more careful this time, Sparkle," he said to his feline companion that night. "I don't really know anything about the library or the people who work there. I'd hate to get caught or bring someone back here."
Harry spent the evening and the next day, brushing up on his glamour charms. Late the next afternoon, he headed back to his local library. Jane was working once again and happy to help him get online. She even showed him how to conduct basic searches.
He discovered that the London Library was only open to members, but he managed to find a picture of what the membership cards looked like online. Grabbing a piece of paper, Harry started jotting down a plan.
As he walked back to his relatives' house, the early December wind cut through his thin jeans and jumper. He wished once again that Hermione had at least left his clothes behind.
It had started snowing the next morning when Harry and Sparkle boarded the train at the Little Whinging station. Harry had pulled on one of his cousin's ball caps, but as his glamour charms didn't hold for very long, he had decided to wait until he got to the library to cast one.
Harry entered St. James Square and gazed up at the three story building. It was an elegant building, the type of building in which Harry never really felt he belonged. Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled his fake membership card from his bag. After petting Sparkle, he silently cast a Disillusionment Spell on both the kitten and the bag.
Entering the building, Harry was stopped at the front desk.
"May I see your membership card, sir?" asked the elegant young lady behind the desk. Her tone of voice left no doubt that she thought that Harry didn't have a membership card. Harry nervously handed over his card. After scrutinizing the card carefully, the girl regretfully let him into the library.
Harry looked around the building. There was a red carpeted staircase leading up to the next floor. Walking around the main reading room, Harry passed several people sitting at the various tables or walking in the stacks. He circled the large open room twice, but did not detect any Magical signature. At the back of the library, he saw another staircase. This was much less ornate than the front staircase and it led downstairs.
Glancing around, Harry saw that no one was paying any attention to him. Pulling his ball cap down over his forehead, Harry headed down the stairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he could feel the magic emanating from the western side of the basement. He took a deep breath and made his way toward what he assumed was the Magical Library.
He paused in front of a solid appearing brick wall. Remembering what he'd read over the past weeks, Harry cast a sensing spell at the wall. To his astonishment, it worked. A door appeared in the centre of the wall.