Chapter 6 – Secrets
Harry trudged down Diagon Alley, his bag swinging at his side, still wondering why anything Hermione had said was relevant. Half of it he already knew. Ron and Hermione were whispering under their breath behind him but for once Harry didn't care. He knew it was about him and he knew he was in danger, none of which was new. Ginny lagged behind them all pretending to be interested in the shops, or the lack of them. Harry turned the corner to the Leaky Cauldron and stepped through the door as a man, who looked frighteningly like an ogre, held it open. Ginny took his offer when he held the door open for her but Harry saw her back slightly shudder as she walked past the ogre looking man. A small smile crossed her lips.
Harry had one foot in the door when he heard Ron say "Hermione, wait, come here." Ron and Hermione never talked about anything in private. Harry slipped the invisibility cloak out of his bag and over him hurriedly. He gently opened the door and heard Hermione protest. "Ron, what are we doing?"
"Listen, Hermione. Harry's in trouble. His dreams that I wrote you about have gotten worse. Sometimes in his sleep I hear him scream at Voldemort, threaten him and thrash around. Sometimes it's about the prophecy, or about his parents. He curses him over and over again. Other times he has conversations with Dumbledore. They always end in screaming. Something's not right."
Hermione loosely clutched Ron's forearm as he told her of Harry's dreams. Harry, from where he stood in the alley, could see her tears starting to build up in her eyes. "In your last letter, you said that Harry was talking about leaving the Burrow. You talked him out of it, didn't you?"
Ron slid his hand down to take hers and stared at the bricks that made up the road. "No. At the beginning of the summer I told him that none of us were going back to school but that's about it. He doesn't talk about Dumbledore or Hogwarts and he really doesn't talk about Ginny and him. They haven't spoken at all since their last incident I told you about."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows, how much had Hermione and Ron wrote about him? And since when did Ron write letters? He knew his nightmares had been getting worse and he knew they meant something. He had written letter after letter to Sirius and Dumbledore, each time, in mid letter, realizing there was no one to send it to. The danger was worse, more acute. Harry slowly backed up. He would just go inside and talk to Ginny. If he was going to leave then he needed to –"
There was a crash as Harry felt himself back into a garbage can. Hermione and Ron quickly turned toward the noise as Harry ran to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny was sitting at the bar drinking a butterbeer. He slid his invisibility cloak into his bag as he slid into the stool next to her. He ordered a butterbeer and turned towards her.
"Ginny, I – " She began to get up and Harry took her wrist. "Ginny, please, just listen." She looked at him and he could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
"No, Harry. I just can't," she whispered.
Harry was aware of all the eyes on him as Ginny brushed past several hags to a table next to the fireplace. He heard the door creak open to Ron and Hermione, Hermione clutching his hand. He couldn't face them. He took a pinch of floo powder from his pocket and ran to the fireplace without even thinking he yelled, "HOGWARTS!"