Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter
It was just after lunch when Mrs. Weasley entered Harry's bedroom to rouse Ginny. "Honey?"
"Mrph."
"Ginny, you should get up now or you won't sleep tonight."
Ginny rolled over. "Is there coffee?"
Her mother bent over her and brushed her hair out of her face to kiss her forehead. "I'll put on a fresh pot." And she left to let Ginny get dressed.
Ginny pulled on her clothes that she'd worn earlier. She couldn't re-size her rucksack outside of school and didn't feel like running around in a towel to find someone of age. She opened the door of the bedroom to find Harry about to knock.
"Hi" They said at the same time.
"I've come to get my things. Move them to Ron's room."
"Oh, sorry I'm uprooting you." She smiled tiredly. She waved him into the room.
"It's no bother. Sleep well?"
"I'm still not quite thinking straight, but it'll have to do for now."
He put a bag on the bed and was partway through loading it full of clothes. "You still look good." He said offhandedly. Then realized how it might have sounded and subconsciously kicked himself.
She felt a bit of a blush rising to her cheeks. "I have something of yours." She remembered and grabbed her cloak. Pulling out the mirror she handed it to him. "Your trunk at school may be in a bit of disarray." She chuckled lightly. He looked down at the mirror in confusion. "It was the only way I could think of contacting someone in the Order." She explained seeing his confusion. "With all of the Fidelus charms in place. Sirius told me about it last summer." She went on.
"What is it?"
Ginny stared at him. Did he really get special gifts like this all the time that he didn't even bother about opening this one? "It's a two-way mirror." She explained slowly "So you can talk to Sirius with-out Floo or a telephone."
His eyes widened and he took it from her like it was incredibly breakable and precious. Ginny chuckled again and shook her head at him. "I guess it's a good thing you never even bothered to open it, otherwise I may still be stuck in your dorm room with a thoroughly confused dorm mate of yours."
Harry looked back at her. "Who?"
"Um… I had remembered his name, now it's gone. Sean?"
"Seamus."
"Right" She nodded. "Well I didn't know which dorm room was yours and I saw him in the common room." She leaned back against the dresser. "He may have gotten the wrong impression when I asked him to take me to his room." She giggled now.
Harry's eyes glazed over, imagining what his reaction would be if she'd asked him that question.
She bit her lip. "Percy's letter" She began. "It implied that you saved my dad from his attack." Harry swallowed and gave a half nod. Ginny gave him a long look.
"I. I kind of saw what was happening in a nightmare." He began, looking at the floor. "I know it sounds weird, but… I saw the snake attack him and I woke up and alerted Dumbledore and the Order."
He didn't know what else to say. If there was anything more to say. There was no explanation that he had for it. He looked up from the floor to meet her eye. He couldn't describe what he saw there. Not a questioning or quizzical look, or one of fear. But it made his breath slow and his heart beat faster.
She closed the distance between them and kissed him.
Ginny was still very tired and disoriented, but in that moment he looked so good and inviting. His arms went around her and she snuck one hand into his hair as their lips danced against each other. She moaned as he dropped the possessions he'd been holding and turned her around so he could lay her on her back on the bed. Just as he had wanted to do four months previous.
They lost themselves in each other's kisses and touches, as her hands wandered from his hair and down his back, his cupped her cheek and ran down her sides. Harry lay on his side beside her and cupped her hip to bring it up closer to him. His thumb traced circles on the exposed skin there and she fought to stop herself from throwing her leg around his hip to bring herself even closer. Harry kissed his way down her neck. Not knowing how they even got to be doing this, but relishing in the feelings it was stirring up in him.
Ginny was much in the same boat. Twenty-four hours previously she had been happily chatting away with Ethan about their shared dis-interest in their current relationships, joking about the manner in which they were going to break them off.
Ginny's eyes shot open. "Stop." She managed shakily, and pushed back from Harry. "I shouldn't have done that." She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. Harry looked confused and a little hurt. Also disheveled. She bit her lip at the disheveled.
"Was it.. was I not." He couldn't find the words.
"Oh!" She realized he thought he'd done something wrong. "No!" She clarified. "It was, well, fabulous. Fantastic really." She smiled and blushed. Then chastised herself. "I just forgot that, I, um. Well I have a boyfriend." She cleared her throat and looked away from him. "We hadn't been connecting lately. Ever really. And I am planning to end it with him. I just forgot for a minute that I hadn't yet." She chanced a peak back at Harry's face. "You just… well you look really good too." She went on to explain lamely.
Harry blushed and the ghost of a smile came to his face.
God, she wanted to straddle him and keep going. She winced internally at the thought and stood up. Her mother was bound to come looking for her if she didn't get down to the kitchen soon. "I suppose I could tell Chris that I cheated on him. That might move the break-up along." She joked, and instantly regretted it.
They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. "I should go to the kitchen. We were probably very lucky not to have just gotten caught." She mumbled. Harry nodded at her and she sighed casting her gaze down before heading for the door. "Thank you, by the way."
Harry gave her a confused look. "Anytime?" He proffered. "Always happy to help you break-up with your boyfriends."
Ginny laughed. "I meant about my dad. But that's good to know."
"Oh!" Harry blushed and chucked a bit.
She gave him one last longing look. Why didn't I break-up with Chris before the holidays? She chastised herself. She closed the door and made her way to the kitchen.
()()()()()()()
It was just her parents, Remus and Sirius around the table.
There was a sandwich and coffee at an empty seat meant for her. She gave her mother an appreciative smile and sat down tucking into her meal. She could feel all the eyes regarding her as she ate and tried not to give in that it made her nervous.
The twins came in and sat on either side of her, both openly starring with beaming smiles. She ignored them, except for her smile that crept onto her face.
"Our sister sure is something isn't she?"
"Sure is! Battling aeroplanes."
"Trains"
"Automobiles."
"And Floo!"
Ginny finished her coffee and Ron came in with Harry and they both took the seats opposite her and the twins.
"Now then." Her mother said clearing her plate. "Where should we start?"
"With dad." Said Ginny plainly.
Her father nodded and gave an abridged version of the job he'd been assigned by the Order. Then Ron told the story from Harry's point of view. About his dream/premonition and how it had proved true about the snake. Ginny locked her eyes on Harry. He was looking down at the table.
Her thank-you earlier didn't seem quite enough.
"We are so sorry we didn't tell you Gin-Bug. But we didn't want you to worry." Her father said.
"I understand, but consider the situation in reverse. You were almost mortally injured dad. This wasn't a broken bone, a quick fix. If I'd been hurt this bad and didn't tell you all then you found out after the fact, you'd hop the pond and immediately finish me off!"
He brothers snickered. Everyone else smiled. Including Harry and Ginny.
Ginny's mother came up behind her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. "You are right. And next time we will be sure to tell you right away."
"Or better yet, not let there be a next time." Ginny offered.
Everyone sobered a bit at that, knowing it probably wouldn't be the case.
"Now then!" Sirius started. "I think we want to hear more about your journey here!"
Ginny chuckled again and rolled her eyes before regaling them with her tale starting with Percy's letter she received at Ethan's right through to her almost hugging Snape in the potions room when she saw him. Everyone laughed openly about that. She had left out the part about Draco Malfoy.
"You were quite industrious there Gin-Bug" her dad commented. Her brothers though it was all brilliant, but her mother looked concerned about potential hiccups that may have happened.
Remus had a curious expression. "If you don't mind my asking… how did you manage to get a last-minute plane ticket?"
Ginny looked at him in horror and felt all of the colour drain from her face and the bottom drop out of her stomach. She was thoroughly unprepared for that question.
It had cost about $2000 American dollars for the last-minute ticket. Now, while that had made a small dent in her savings, she could afford it. Only her friends and family didn't know that. With the exception of Charlie. It had been their well-guarded secret.
Until now.
"Ginny!" Her mother raised her voice. "You didn't use magic against Muggles did you?"
"No!" She assured her. "I paid for it I swear!"
"Did Ethan's parents help you out?" Her father asked.
Ginny shifted uncomfortably. "No…" She shook her head. That would have been a good explanation, but lead to too many loose ends to tie up. She nervously looked around the room. There was nothing left to do but tell the truth.
She sucked in a deep breath to ready herself and looked down at her nails. "I used my muggle credit card tied to my bank account at Gringotts."
She didn't look up from her hands. She could feel the confused stares. "What account at Gringotts?" Her mother asked angrily.
Ginny cleared her throat painfully and looked at her mother.
"The one I opened three years ago when Wonder Witch bought my Patent for a nail polish that can change any colour you want. The patent from which I keep getting a percentage of the profits from and use to pay for my Ilvermory tuition. See I don't actually have a scholarship. I've just been paying for school myself." She let it all tumble out.
Everyone was dumbfounded. Except Sirius who looked like a years supply of Prozac had just kicked in. "Marry me." He beamed at her.
She felt her nerves calm down enough to answer him. "How exactly does one go about marrying an escaped convict while she's still underage?"
He barked his laughter in response. "Is that a yes?"
"The underage part may give us a problem. Ask me again in two and a half years." She winked cheekily at him.
Her mother found her voice then. "You've been paying for your schooling?" She was furious. "You've been lying to us for three years?!"
Ginny winced and looked back down at her hands.
"How?" Remus asked.
She looked up at his tired face. "How did I get a Gringotts account? How did I lie for three years? Or how did I create a product that is so successful that it led to the other questions?"
From the looks she was given she figured she might as well launch into her whole story, beginning with Hestia's nail polish and leaving out anything to do with the Malfoy's and Tom Riddle. Half way through her story she came up with a reason for her departure to Ilvermory, knowing that they would want to know that next.
"So why leave Hogwarts?" her mother asked.
Ginny couldn't hold back her smile, she was proud that she'd prepared for this question. "Gilderoy Lockhart." She chuckled. The boys started laughing. Ginny continued. "I was sitting in his class watching him re-enact one of the passages from one of his crap books with Michael Corner and I remember thinking 'I have another six years of this blowhard?'" Then she shrugged. "Then I realized that I didn't have to stay there if I didn't want to. So, I came up with the scholarship idea. I was top of my year and got excellent recommendations from Flitwick and McGonagall, so it was believable."
"We were so proud." Her father sounded despondent. "But children should not pay for their own schooling."
Ginny's eyes widened at her father. "But Ilvermory is much more expensive than Hogwarts with the International Fee's! I can't ask you to pay for that!"
"Which is why you are going back to Hogwarts." Her mother stated
Ginny felt her stomach drop again. "But" She started.
"She shouldn't go there now!" Harry interjected. All eyes turned to him. He'd been sitting there listening in amazement at her story. She was truly incredible, but the thought of 'I must not tell lies' branded on her hand and suffering through the awfulness that was Umbridge was not something he would let happen if he could stop it. "Umbridge is making our lives hell. Hogwarts is not a good place to be right now."
"Yeah" added Ron. "Ginny's safer at Ilvermory."
Ginny started at that. 'Safer?' she thought. Lucius Malfoy was no longer a threat to her, but she remembered Draco saying he was choosing the hell that was Hogwarts over the hell that was his home. "I've already paid through to the end of the year." Ginny said quietly.
"Next year then. You will start your fifth year at Hogwarts." Her mother said before leaving the kitchen.
Ginny swallowed hard. There was nothing more she could say. "Ginny?" Her father said.
She clenched her jaw and looked at him. Being raised with boys, by boys essentially, meant she refused to cry. "I'll take my punishment, but I am not apologizing for anything." She said looking into his sad blue eyes. She rose from the table and left for her room.
()()()()()()()
The twins gave her an hour before they sought her out. She'd been sitting morosely on the bed. The life she'd worked so hard for was going away. She'd left to escape the Malfoys, and now they were no longer a threat. They had some kind of alliance. Tom Riddle was the threat. She had three pieces of him destroyed and when she was at school with Ethan and her other friends she didn't think about it. Now she had to go back to Hogwarts. 'Should I tell the Malfoy's?' She pondered before shaking her head. Tom was living at their place now and owls were being intercepted at Hogwarts. How would she tell them?
"Dearest sister"
"Favourite sister"
"Only sister" she said wryly.
"We have a business proposition for you."
"Yes, and may we say. We had no idea we weren't the only inventors in the family."
"Don't go getting too excited about that. Pretty sure that was a one off for me." Ginny told them.
"Well, we've been inventing for ages and want to know if you would like to invest in us?"
"We've nearly got enough for our shop, but with your help we would be all set."
Ginny eyed them speculatively "What exactly are you asking for?"
"What are you willing to give?"
"No, not doing it that way. You want me to invest, you give me a real business proposal. Show me you are truly serious about something and can handle a business and I'll help you out."
They looked at each other with grins. "Seriously, how much have you got?"
Ginny smiled "More than enough to cover what was to be my next three years at Ilvermory. And that's 3000 Galleons a year."
Their jaws dropped. She'd collected herself enough now. It wouldn't do well to dwell on an inevitable sad situation. At least she had one more term with Ethan, one more Easter at his family ranch. "Tell me about this monster of a DADA professor you have while I borrow an owl. I have a portkey to arrange. There's no way I am flying back to Montana."
They grimaced and began regaling her the 'Tales of the Toad' while they went to Harry and Ron's room.
The other two boys had been passing a ball back and forth.
"Can I borrow an owl?" she asked Ron.
"No" Ron sulked at her.
"You can use Hedwig." Harry said.
She nodded to him in thanks.
"And it sucks even more now that there's no more Quidditch for us." Fred continued.
"No more Quidditch?!" Ginny stopped in her tracks. "They don't have Quidditch at Hogwarts anymore?"
"Calm down." George said. "We just got kicked off the team for fighting the ferret."
"Oh!" Ginny relaxed. "Who's the ferret?"
"Malfoy" came four responses.
Ginny's breath hitched. Of course. There may be an understanding or something with her, but that didn't extend to her family. 'Guess they wouldn't pass a message for me' Ginny thought to herself and almost laughed under her breath.
She found a piece of parchment and wrote out a request for a Portkey and attached it to Hedwig's leg. She'd done the process several times before and knew it would take about three days. She didn't exactly have the Lucius Malfoy connection for this one.
Meanwhile Ron told her the tale of the imposter Moody transfiguring Draco for trying to hex Harry with his back turned. Ginny and Harry's eyes locked. She suddenly felt awkward being in his room with three of her brothers considering they had just snogged two hours ago. Truth be told she wanted to snog him again.
It was then that she realized that she'd be spending the next two school years with him. A small smile came upon her while she remembered all the stories of secluded corners of Hogwarts from the upper years when she was a first year. She sat on the desk and couldn't help but slightly appraise Harry while pretending to listen to her brothers' stories.
She couldn't help but picture him giving her a tour of these secluded spots. Maybe going back to Hogwarts wouldn't be the worst thing. "So, what are the odds that this Umbridge toad will be there again next year?" Ginny asked.
Ron seemed to have forgotten his sulky mood now. "Zero" he said "DADA professors only last one year."
"And we plan on leading a revolt at the end of the year." Fred said.
"Yeah, if it weren't for Harry here, pretty sure no one would be able to pass their finals." George said. Ginny observed Harry openly now. He was blushing, it looked good on him. "He's been teaching an underground defense class in the Room of Requirement.
"Yeah, Umbridge just has us reading the text and claims You-Know-Who isn't really back." Ron added.
"Professor Potter eh?" Ginny winked at Harry. He grinned back at her. "How many people are in your lessons Professor?" She hoped that her brothers would see this as teasing instead of flirting.
"What are we now?" Fred asked.
"Thirty maybe?" George answered. "Longbottom actually produced a patronus the other day!"
"Neville? That's great!" Ginny exclaimed. "Oh! Can you get a letter to him and Luna for me? Their owls keep showing up censored and full of gibberish."
They all turned to her with raised eyebrows. "You're friends with Neville?" Harry asked.
"Of course! He's … Oh right! You never did learn who my three best friends are." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Guess we still aren't friends are we Harry?" Inside she was kind of hurt. Sure, they were obviously attracted to each other, they'd proven that, and she didn't expect him to write her or anything. But how is it Draco Malfoy knew more about her than Harry? She'd spent time with him and knew loads about him. He just couldn't be bothered?
Harry stumbled over his words a bit before he took a deep breath and looked her steadily in the eye. "Ginevra Weasley. August 11th. Luna, Ethan, and Neville." They were both looking each other deep in the eyes and she felt tingles go up her arm.
"How are you friends with Neville?" Ron asked. "He never asks about you."
"Why would he ask you about me? He knows more about me than you do."
"How?"
"We owl each other regularly"
"Why are two of your best friends boys?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, aren't you supposed to have a bunch of female friends for us to hit on?" George picked up.
"Eh!" Ginny shrugged. "Hit on Hermione."
"No!" Ron almost shouted. Everyone smiled at Ron as he blushed.
They passed the rest of the afternoon ribbing on each other and laughing until they were called down for dinner. Ginny's mother pulled her aside after so they could have a thorough chat about how she'd lied to her parents for so long.
After a lot of back and forth and yelling it finally came down to her being proud of Ginny's accomplishments and it being time for her to come home and back to Hogwarts. She would have one last term at Ilvermory, that's it. Ginny let one tear fall as the sadness sunk in then retired to her room to write Luna and Neville long letters before going to bed.
()()()()()()
The next day Ginny received confirmation of her Portkey and spent time with her family, especially her dad. Harry and her were never alone together, and that was for the best considering their hormones.
All too soon it was the morning of everyone leaving for their perspective schools. There was a line up for the shower. Ginny, Harry and Ron were waiting for their turn in the hallway. "Bet you're looking forward to seeing Cho again eh Harry?" Ron asked.
Ginny caught Harry's eye and raised her eyebrows at him slightly. He had a girlfriend?
Harry shifted uncomfortably and shrugged.
The bathroom door opened and Fred stepped out. "Next!" he grinned and Ron ducked in. Leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the now quiet corridor as Fred went into his room.
Ginny smirked at him a bit. "Guess I'm not the only forgetful one." She tilted her head at him. "Cho? Chang? Ravenclaw." He nodded. "Right."
"It's not like that. She isn't my girlfriend. We just… before the break, we kind of just…"
Ginny put her hands up. "Hey, you don't owe me any explanation. I forgot about my boyfriend, you forgot about a girlfriend. No big deal right?" She clenched her jaw.
"Ginny. What is this? You and I? Because I have no idea"
Ginny relaxed and her eyes softened. "I have no idea either." She chuckled a bit. "We snogged. Twice. We're seeing different people. Chalk it up to hormones maybe?"
Harry smiled. "You are just so much better than she was."
Ginny's eyes darkened and she bit her lip as her gaze shifted to his lips. "You're much better at it then he is too."
Harry's studious gaze went from her eyes to her lips as well. He took two steps towards her and lowered his head to her. Her soft lips were so much more satisfying than he remembered, even after only a few days.
He cupped the back of her head and she responded eagerly. A small cough startled them and they jumped apart.
Sirius stood there just a few feet away. "Now what would have happened if it had been a Weasley standing here instead of me?" The two of them blushed and separated. He turned to Ginny "Guess we aren't getting married after all." He smiled and continued down the hall.
Once he was out of ear shot Ginny finally spoke. "Perhaps this is just our way of saying 'hello and goodbye'?" She joked.
Harry laughed. "It's as good an explanation as any."
"And I guess we're going to be going to school together next year." Harry's laughter died away. A look of lust came over his face and his eyes slowly racked down her form. She let him look. She enjoyed him looking. "We probably won't see each other for at least six months." She continued. His eyes snapped back up to hers. She worried her lip.
"Yeah." He waited for her to continue.
"So… no promises?" A smile slowly grew on his face, hers grew to match it. "I hear there are many darkened corners of the castle I've never seen."
Then Ron came out of the bathroom. "All yours mate!"
Harry ducked in there immediately. Ginny stood alone in the hallway for five minutes. Five agonizing minutes.
All of her brothers had finished up in their rooms in that time and headed back downstairs. The bathroom door finally opened again and she didn't let Harry exit. Instead she pushed him back into the steamy bathroom and closed the door before she turned to devour his mouth. He quickly pushed her back up against the door and pressed their whole bodies against each other returning her kisses feverously.
His hands ran down her sides and up her thighs as he lifted her legs so they wrapped around him. The smell and taste of him was all encompassing in her senses. The feel of his chapped lips on her soft ones made her groan and the position of their bodies was so erotic. He knew what he was doing when it came to her. Each tilt of his head and added pressure of his lips was perfect. She rocked against him and he moaned loudly.
Their lips separated and hungry eyes regarded each other with heavy breaths. "What were you saying about no promises?" He asked with difficulty.
"Six months, two continents, and clearly lots of hormones. Shouldn't have expectations." She managed between breaths. "But."
Harry smiled and captured her lips again quickly but deeply. "I like the sound of that 'but'."
"But if we can't control ourselves when we're at school together."
"Maybe the new can make some promises?" He finished hopefully.
She smiled and licked her lips. He let her legs back down to the floor and gave her one last sound kiss. "I am going to miss you… again."
She smiled and bit her lip. "I may start counting the days." He beamed brightly at her and left the bathroom.
()()()()()()()()
Ginny had the portkey return her to Ethan's, not Ilvermory. She landed in the stables. The horses were all out on the field. Ethan was leaning back against the wall waiting for her smiling. "All good?" he asked.
She smiled back at him, then it faltered. Her chin warbled and Ethan's happy expression turned to a concerned one. "What?" He stepped forward. He'd never seen Ginny get emotional like this before. She was a happy-go-lucky person. She wasn't a girlie girl. He hugged her. "I though your dad was going to be fine?"
"He is." She sniffed. "But this is my last term at Ilvermory. They're making me go back to Hogwarts for next year." She said into his shoulder.
"What!? Why?"
She pulled back and gave him a watery smile, wiping her nose she giggled her way through the explanation of her 'scholarship'. They were on the hay covered floor of the stable both laughing by the end.
"And they were so proud of their little genius?"
"Only when she was being rewarded for her school work!" Ginny sobered. "Not because I created something that earned me thousands of Galleons." She harrumphed. "Although they aren't happy about the twins creations either…"
The twins had actually gotten her a business proposal before she left. She hadn't even given it a proper looking over before agreeing. She just wanted proof that they were serious. The length of it and the fact that the parts that she had read were not a laugh proved it.
They got up from the floor. "So only a few more months together then." Ethan frowned.
"Yes, and first thing when we're back at school you have to remind me to break up with Chris!" She remembered.
"Because you want to spend all your free time with me?" He smiled cheekily at her.
She grinned widely. "No. Because I cheated on him with Harry Potter!"
Ethan stopped walking, dumbstruck. Even in America the boy was famous. Ginny giggled and ran back to the house.
Their last term together Ethan tried to help Ginny make the most of it. She'd expressed all of her worries over returning, particularly the shoddy teachers, and even more particularly in DADA. Ginny was sure the American way was much more advanced than what they had been doing back at Hogwarts.
"Maybe you can see about challenging the test and bumping up a year in that subject." Ethan had proffered. She immediately looked into it. With all she'd heard about Umbridge's methods how hard could it be to sit the OWL early for that subject?
As it turned out there was a way for her to sit that OWL early. And every other OWL if she was willing to pay the ten Galleon's it took for each OWL test. She could take them at the ministry as soon as she got back to England in June. Now that her money wasn't going to tuition, she shrugged at put it towards a different form of furthering her education.
Jason, her first boyfriend, was actually extremely helpful with her studies. When they weren't busy studying, she was busy helping her Quidditch team win the championship. Ginny had been the choice for one of the captains for the following year, which she was both elated and upset to hear, and the wrap up party was also a farewell party (Even though it happened a month and a half before the end of term.)
That night she'd gotten a little too much 'punch' and wound up in the arms of one of the Beaters. It didn't last past that night though. While she and Harry had said 'no promises' before she left it had still felt like cheating. More so than when she'd actually cheated on Chris with Harry. Plus, Harry had been the far superior snog than Geoff the Beater.
That same night Ethan lost his virginity to his on-again off-again girlfriend, and Ginny's dorm mate, Megan. Ginny was amazed at that discovery and had all sorts of questions for him that they both blushed through. She wondered idly about what sorts of contraceptives they used. His eyes went as big as saucers and Ginny dutifully ran back to Megan and asked her about it. Megan went into a rage about 'her private business' and then confirmed that she'd taken a potion from a seventh year.
Meanwhile back in England, that same night of her wrap up party Harry was using his two-way mirror to contact Sirius and tell him all about his vision in the Department of Mysteries. An Auror team locked down the Ministry and captured several Death Eaters before the first confirmed sighting of Voldemort. Through the power of the Pensive that sighting was the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Emboldened by the country's realization of Harry Potter and Dumbledore's statements being true this whole past year, all the students stepped forward who had been subjected to the blood quill torture by Umbridge. She was immediately cast out of the school at the outrage of the parents.
The Inquisitorial Squad was disbanded and Dumbledore was reinstated.
All was back to being good at Hogwarts, finally. But Harry still had to return home to the Dursleys. Sirius was still an escaped convict, and so it was decided that the day before his birthday he would be going to 'The Burrow'. But actually, he would be heading to Grimmauld Place to be with Sirius and Remus.
Ginny managed to convince her parents to let her work at Three W (Which is what she called Weasley Wizard Wheeze's) so long as she Floo'd there, and Floo'd back. Fred and George were willing to help her out when she told them about sitting her OWL's. They thought it was brilliant. She also got to visit with Luna and Neville on her days off, and played Quidditch with Ron if he wasn't being too annoying.
Draco Malfoy was experiencing a very different type of summer holiday.
His father was now in Azkaban, which was preferable to being dead. Draco was grateful for that. If Voldemort had gotten to him before the Auror's that would have been the case. But now it fell to Draco to try and please the Dark Lord he hated so much in order to keep his mother safe. It filled him with a never-ending feeling of hatred. Why couldn't they just have fled?
Now he had the Dark Mark branded on him forever, and an impossible mission. Two actually. Get Death Eaters into Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore.
Sure. Why didn't he just resurrect Merlin while he was at it? Maybe this was how Potter felt all the time. Like everything rested on him. At least Potter had friends he could trust and could rely on.
'Oh great.' He thought. His jealousy of Potter was rearing its ugly head.
No, he'd give anything to be in Potter's shoes right now over his own.
Draco pulled his cloak on and headed to the fireplace. He swallowed hard and steadied his shaking hand before throwing Floo powder in and stating 'Diagon Alley'.
It was really empty. There had been so much destruction and fear through-out this once vibrant street. Now the only light was from the new Weasley Wizard Wheeze's shop. He paused to stare at it a while from the shadows.
Students were bustling in and out. He wasn't really seeing it, he was seeing the alliances the different teenagers had. He longed for that. The waving statue at the crest of the shop door had the signature Weasley hair and the thought of her.
Lucius never did tell him why she was important, but she would have been a comfort to him. He could see an alliance with her this upcoming year bringing him some peace.
Her momentary embrace of him and chaste kiss to his cheek made him touch his cheek and warm now, so many months later. She had shocked him, restored emotions to him he had been void of until then. He'd sought out female companionship after that. A few Slytherin girls were easy, ready and willing. But he'd still felt rather dead inside with them. They hadn't been a comfort, but they had been a release of tension.
He saw the Golden Trio exit the shop. Granger arguing with the Weasel and Potter ignoring them and looking back at the shop window.
Draco pulled his hood tighter around him and made his way to Borgin and Burkes. He had a werewolf waiting for him.
