Chapter 6

The next thing Harry knew, he was in a soft bed. Groaning, Harry tried to sit up but found a hand against his chest, making him lie back down.

"Careful Harry," he heard a familiar voice say. "You've been out for a few hours."

"Sirius?" he asked, recognizing the voice.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Where is everyone?" he questioned, looking around and quickly realized that he was in his bed in the tower.

"Getting some dinner. We missed lunch with all the drama of leaving Grimmuald Place, so I offered to stay behind in case you woke up," he explained. Sirius smiled. "You feel up to heading on down?"

Harry tested his various body parts for control, and he found that his limbs were responding, so he said, "Sure, I'll try," sitting up. He tried to stand but his knees buckled below him and Sirius was quick to catch him before he fell.

"Careful there, kiddo, don't hurt yourself," Sirius said, taking some of the weight off of Harry.

"What's wrong with me?" he said, not expecting an answer.

"There's nothing wrong with you," a voice said from the doorway.

Harry and Sirius looked at to the door and saw Professor Dumbledore standing right outside the doorway. He walked inside and told Harry to sit down. "Harry, you have a special link with Voldemort that no one else has. It is both a blessing and a curse. You were able to see when Arthur Weasley was in trouble and save him. But also, at the same time, you have to endure great pain and suffering for your link with Voldemort," Dumbledore looked to Sirius.

Harry looked down at the ground, he knew the unspoken words that the Headmaster was not willing, or able to say, that the curse is also that Voldemort had allowed Harry to see where Sirius was 'being tortured' and had him running at full speed to get to him; and in turn, helped get Sirius killed.

"Harry?"

He sighed, he knew what the elder wizard wanted, but how could he even look him in the eyes after what he did to Sirius? It had been a month or so ago, yes, but the fact was that it still bothered him.

"Harry, if you would please tell me what happened a few hours ago?" Dumbledore asked the teen.

Harry was surprised that Dumbledore wasn't going to continue on the previous topic, so he was glad for the change of topic. "Well, we were talking and then all of a sudden my head exploded. I saw Voldemort enter Grimmuald Place and found the house as it was before we got there. He sent his Death Eaters out to see if we were hiding anywhere, but when they all came back empty handed, he turned to Kreacher and killed him because he led them to the wrong place, or so he thought."

Dumbledore nodded. "So we won't have to worry about him going to Grimmuald Place anymore, Harry?" he asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "No, I don't believe so. After being humiliated like that, I don't think he'll be keen to go back if someone else goes to him and tells him again," he thought for a second, then smiled, "He'd probably kill the guy who told him without even listening to him."

"That would probably happen, but I'm afraid I will have to tighten security in the Order anyways, so as not to have the same occurrence." Standing, he said, "I believe you need some food, Harry. And I'm sure you're friends are waiting to see you, so why don't we all go down to the Great Hall for some dinner?"

Sirius helped Harry stand and they walked down to the Great Hall.

Once they went inside, the smells of the food made Harry walk a bit faster toward his group of friends and to the food.

"Harry!" Ginny yelled, running to him and throwing her arms around him.

Harry found his face heating up slightly, but he was confused until she said, "Don't ever do that to us again! You scared the living daylights out of us!" she held on to him tight until Hermione said, "Ok, Ginny, I think he got the message," he could hear the laughter in her voice.

Ginny pulled away and gave Harry a serious look. "What happened?" she asked, bringing him to the table.

Harry smirked, she started putting food onto his plate for him. "I'm fine, Ginny, really. Voldemort just was angry, that's all," he told his friends. He looked around and saw the confusion on their faces, he explained further. "Voldemort went to Grimmuald Place and found out that we weren't there, that it looked like no one had been there for ages," he sighed. "But at least we don't have to worry about Kreacher, Voldemort was so angry that he killed him on the spot."

Harry looked up and saw happiness mixed with sadness reflected in Hermione's eyes, and he saw the others mirroring the same emotions, except with less sadness. "Well, at least he can't give any more information out on the Order," Ron said.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. But seeing the look on Hermione's face, went over to her friend, "I know you feel bad, Hermione. But think about all the information he could have given You-Know-Who."

Hermione nodded. "I know, but if he was treated properly before, this wouldn't have happened,"

"But there's nothing we could have done about that, Hermione," Harry told her reasonably. "There wasn't anything anyone could have done. Sirius' mum was as mean a witch as you can get. You've heard Sirius talk about her, you know what she was like. Do you think she would have taken time out of her day to make sure that Kreacher was having a good time? No, because she didn't even care about her own son, why would she care about a house elf that wasn't very nice anyways?"

Hermione nodded. "I know, but still," she said quietly.

"How about we go do some flying before we turn in?" Ginny suggested, changing the topic.

Everyone, minus Hermione, jumped up and said "Yes!" They all got up and went outside. Walking out the sun was setting, giving the grounds a red glow, each summoned their brooms. Harry summoned a broom for Hermione once his got there. "Here you go, Hermione," he said, giving her the summoned broom.

"But, I'm no good at flying," she told them.

"It's all right, we're just having fun!" Ron told her, laughing while watching her get on the broom, for she was having a bit of trouble getting mounted.

Harry took pity on her and went over to help, after showing her how to get on properly, he mounted his broom and as one they all shot into the sky. Looking back, he saw Hermione trying her best to stay on the broom. She looked close to screaming for dear life, but before he could go help her, Ron came up and calmed her down. Sharing a look with Ginny, he smiled, how those two didn't know that the other was interested in them was beyond him.

He looked at Ginny and he thought to himself, Merlin, she's beautiful, but he mentally shook his head, She's Ron's sister! I can't like Ron's sister! He'd kill me number one and two, he'd kill me! But looking into Ginny's laughing eyes he thought, But maybe he wouldn't care? He wouldn't want just anyone dating his sister. I guess I'll just have to take a chance and ask him.

"Let's go join the lovebirds," Ginny said, flying in the direction of the two talking teens.

Harry looked after her, she was very beautiful, even in flight. Realizing he was the only one there, he flew over to the rest of his friends and was just in time to hear, "Just kiss her already, Ron!" from Ginny.

He quickly looked over to his best friend and saw his face redden. Then looking to his other friend he saw her look at Ron as if to find an answer to the validity of Ginny's statement. Then, apparently finding the answer, she smiled and reached over and kissed Ron. Ron looked stunned, and Ginny looked at Harry who looked just as stunned as Ron did. He saw Hermione open one eye and give Ginny a look, he couldn't define the look, but he looked at Ginny and saw a look of apprehension cross her face, but it was quickly gone replaced with a smile. He looked at her, confused, but she just shook her head and put a finger to her lips and motioned to the ground.

Getting the picture he nodded and they raced to the ground, leaving their snogging friends in the air. Once out of ground and out of earshot of their friends, they started laughing hysterically.

"It took them long enough!" they both said. Looking up, they erupted into another fresh fit of laughter. Finally controlling themselves, they looked up at the other and just looked deeply into the other's eyes. "Ginny,-" Harry started, but stopped.

Ginny smiled, looked up at the still snogging couple in the air, then back at Harry. She took a step forward, and Harry did the same, looking into the other's eyes as if hypnotized. Harry didn't even think twice, looking into her sparkling brown eyes, glistening with the last rays of sunlight coming over the horizon, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, as if she was made of priceless porcelain.

Pulling away from each other, they smiled, Harry blushing slightly. "Took us long enough too, I guess," Ginny said, chuckling.

Harry nodded. "What happened?" he asked her.

Ginny closed her eyes and laughed. "Hermione," she stated simply. "She knew I liked you, and wanted me to take some action but I was afraid that you didn't like me that way, and just as a little sister. But Hermione tried to tell me to ask you, or do something." She shrugged. "But I was doing the same with her, and she also didn't know if Ron liked her that way, even though I told her he did. Guess it took till now for her to realize that."

Harry smiled, and looked behind him to see Ron and Hermione just now flying toward the ground, eyes wide he said, "How they stayed up there that long is beyond me/"

Hermione and Ron came over, flushed. "Hey guys, I love flying don't you?" Hermione asked.

Harry smirked and laughed. "Yeah, I do, but not for the same reason you do."

"So, how is everything?" Hermione asked Ginny.

Ginny smiled secretively, and Hermione screamed, then ran to her friend and gave her a hug.

Harry looked over at Ron and he had a questioning look on his face, until Hermione said, "It's about time!" Then Ron looked at Ginny, then back at Harry a few times. Seeing the look on Harry's face that said, 'Please don't kill me,' and Ron smiled and jumped in the air, "Yahoo! Finally, mate, what took you so long?"

After getting over his shock Harry said, "I could ask the same of you."

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but I mean, you guys were meant to be together!" Ron told him. Ron stopped, his smile gone, he looked like he was thinking about something, then all of a sudden he laughed then said, "Wait till mum finds out! She'll have kittens!"

Hermione laughed. "Let's go find everyone, Ron."

"No, come on guys, not now," Harry begged.

But Ron and Hermione exchanged evil glances and then ran towards the entrance hall, laughing. Ginny and Harry exchanged horrified glances, thinking of Ron and Hermione bursting into the Great Hall and screaming, 'Harry and Ginny are together!', made the two run after them, screaming their names.

Ron and Hermione got to the door before Harry and Ginny and were inside quickly. Ginny and Harry sped up, and quickly entered the castle. Once inside, they saw the door to the Great Hall close and they ran to it, opened the doors, and screamed, "Don't!"

But the sight they ran in on, made Harry and Ginny blush crimson.

"Don't what, Ginny, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, curious.

Harry and Ginny gave each other horrified glances, then looked to find Hermione and Ron, and they were no where to be found. "Uh, nothing, Mrs. Weasley. Where are Ron and Hermione? We thought we saw them run in here."

"And why would you run in after them screaming 'don't' on the top of your lungs?" Sirius asked his embarrassed godson.

"Uh," Harry started. Harry shared a look with Ginny, saying what they couldn't aloud. "Well, you see," he said, backing up slightly. "Ron and Hermione decided that they wanted to spill some very valuable information to you," he continued, still backing up. "But, now that we see Hermione and Ron aren't here-" By that time they were close enough to the door that Harry and Ginny turned around and bolted out the door.

Harry led the way, and Ginny followed him. Harry led the way down corridor after corridor, after making another turn, Ginny realized where they were going and picked up speed. After making the last turn, they saw the tapestries in sight. Ginny stopped short of Harry and let him walk past three times and watch the door appear. Harry motioned her inside, and once inside he quickly closed the door.

Sighing with relief, Harry pointed to the armchairs that were in the room decorated to look like the Gryffindor common room. Sitting down in front of the fire, he looked at Ginny and smiled. "So, how exactly are we going to tell everyone?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm sure Ron and Hermione will take care of it," she said. "After, of course, they indulge in their new found relationship as well."