(Fri 20 Dec)
Harry had a real dilemma. Should he meet Ginny at the station as Harry, or as James? Each was valid, and in some ways, either could be expected. Since he wanted to talk to all of his friends, and there was a good chance Mrs. Weasley would invite him for dinner, he decided to go as Harry. He and Ginny would just have to put on a good act as normal friends until they could find some private time, no matter how much each wanted to snog the other senseless.
As Ginny waited for the train to slow down as it neared the London station, Hermione asked the very question the other couple had been dancing around. "So, is James going to meet you at the station? That would give him a chance to meet your family."
"He wasn't sure," Ginny answered. "He said he had some family obligations that were hard to get out of, but he promised to come see me tomorrow."
"That's too bad," Hermione commiserated with her.
"Yeah, we'll both be without our boyfriends," Ginny said with a straight face. She had not stopped teasing them about that, and when Ron objected, she merely told him that she would stop when he stopped being a chicken by hiding and told others that he and Hermione were dating.
The train finally came to a stop. Everyone grabbed their belongings and exited. Mrs. Weasley was easy to find. Ginny was amazed to see Harry standing right beside her, looking as sexy as ever in his long hair that was pulled back, along with his dragon hide coat peeking out from under his cloak. He also had a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead, so he had apparently got that Glamour working.
Harry made sure to hug everyone, though Ginny got a hug that was a little longer than everyone else's. He was not surprised to get, and gladly accepted, an invitation to eat dinner at The Burrow.
The non-Weasley students left, but a minute later, Hermione came back over. "Harry, would you, umm, do me a big favor?"
"Probably. What did you have in mind?" She seemed unusually nervous to Harry.
"Would you hold onto this during the holidays?" She thrust her magic mirror into his hands. "If something happens, I won't be able get help, but you will."
The look of faith in him on her face tore at Harry's heart, although the question of why she had given him the mirror instead of Ron, never entered his mind. "Of course, Hermione, I'll be happy to. Although I can't imagine why there would be a problem."
Hermione gave him a hug before she returned to her parents to leave. Both he and Ron watched her go, but for very different reasons. As the Weasleys and Harry left the train platform, Ginny fell into step beside Harry. They talked companionably on the way to the house.
Harry had a wonderful time that evening, as long as he did not think about what he really wanted to be doing with Ginny. As he went to leave, Ginny managed to slip out onto the back porch with him for a few moments. One hug and good night kiss was all they got that evening. Harry had told the Weasleys that he'd be back on Sunday, and that he already had plans for tomorrow. It was difficult keeping the smirk to himself.
(Sat 21 Dec)
James York Apparated to the back garden of the Weasleys at eleven in the morning. That seemed like a proper time for a visitor to be calling, he thought. He knocked on the door and waited. When it was opened, he was greeted by a big smile and a shout.
"James!" Ginny threw herself at him and he wrapped her in a hug. Then because she could kiss this version of Harry, she did. Ginny heard a polite clearing of the throat behind her, so she stopped far sooner than she would have otherwise, and turned to see her father standing there.
"Why don't you invite him in Ginny so we can all meet him," her father said with a slight smile.
Disengaging herself from her boyfriend, Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. In the living room, James found not only his girlfriend's father, her slightly older brother, and her twin brothers, but her mother came in too.
With a smile, James teased, "Ginny, aren't we missing a few people? I thought you said you had six brothers. You need to find them to complete the intimidation." She blushed and the others chuckled.
"Mr. York, I presume," Arthur Weasley held out his hand.
"Yes sir, Mr. Weasley. However, please call me James."
"This is my wife Molly." The woman surprised James by coming over and giving him a hug. Though it was not like the ones he got as Harry, it was still a nice hug.
"I believe you already know Ron, and finally our twins: Fred and George." Arthur sat after the other introductions.
James nodded at the brothers and then sat down on a small settee with Ginny. "It's nice to meet you all, Ginny has told me so much about you." He looked around, and they all seemed friendly, then something caught his eye. "Mrs. Weasley, if you don't mind, I need to do something here in your home for self-preservation." He whipped out his wand and soundlessly cast two spells in the direction of Fred and George. Molly gasped, and had an incredulous look on her face at his audacity.
George went to move and found he could not get up. When he put his hand on the arm of the chair he was in, he could not move it again. "Hey! What's with the Sticking Charm?" For once Fred did not say anything after his twin, instead, he was looking at his right hand. A few seconds later, Fred turned bright neon pink all over: skin, clothes, and hair.
Arthur got over his shock at the guest's actions and started chuckling to himself. Molly and the rest of her family soon joined the father.
"Yeah, I see how it is," Fred finally found his voice. "You laugh at a bloke when he's down and out just because you can."
"But brother, you look pretty in pink," George told him. Everyone laughed harder.
Molly came over and gave James a Weasley hug this time. "I think you'll fit in just fine, James. I've got lunch almost ready, why don't you come in the other room and have a nice glass of pumpkin juice.
As everyone left for the other room, Arthur walked over to the twins. "Fred, George," he said in a no-nonsense manner. "James will be allowed to have a nice time this afternoon, won't he?"
"Yes, Dad," they said in unison, knowing what better happen when their father's normally easy going manner was put aside. Nodding, he removed the Sticking Charm before going to lunch too.
Though he got very few private moments with Ginny, James did enjoy the day. After dinner, he took his dishes to the sink and found himself alone in the kitchen with the matriarch of the family. "Mrs. Weasley, is everything all right? You look like something is wrong."
Her face immediately brightened, but he could tell that one unguarded moment reflected her true feelings, not this happy face. "No James, nothing is wrong." As he looked at her questioningly, she finally added, "You seem to be a nice young man, I was just expecting someone else..."
James smiled. "You were expecting Ginny to be dating someone else?" She nodded. He could not help himself. "Be patient Mrs. Weasley, Harry will come around eventually."
Molly looked up at him in shock. "How did you know?" she asked softly as if a buried family secret had been revealed.
He continued to smile at her. "I met Harry once. He's a nice guy. We got along pretty well and I think we have a lot in common, though I'm more outgoing that he is. Harry will be in my place with Ginny one day, I'm sure of it."
After a moment, Molly hugged him. "I'm sorry James, that was wrong of me. I'm sure I made you feel unwanted and I didn't mean that. I meant what I said about you being a nice young man, you just caught me in a bad moment."
"No problem, Mrs. Weasley. I like your family very much. I'll be around Ginny for as long as she'll have me; she's a great girl." He looked at the clock on the wall, and saw that the Harry hand was on "Home"; that amused him. "Listen, I better go, I don't want to wear out my welcome."
"You're fine; it's not that late."
James smiled. "Thank you for the dinner, Mrs. Weasley. I think I have good food at home, but yours is better. It was nice to meet you." He left the kitchen and found Ginny in the other room talking to her dad about school. He wondered if that had been arranged so Mrs. Weasley could talk to him, but he could not tell and was not going to ask.
"I think I need to go home, Mr. Weasley, so I thought I'd say that it was nice to meet you."
Ginny moved to him and casually put an arm around his waist. "Do you have to? It's not that late."
"Yes; sorry, Ginny. Listen, I'm busy with my family tomorrow, but I'll try to drop in for a few minutes Monday night, OK?"
She smiled, "All right." Of course, Harry was coming tomorrow, so it was not nearly as bad as it sounded. She almost giggled at the complicated schedule they were creating. "Here, let me get my cloak and I'll walk you to the Apparation spot."
The parting kiss was wonderful, Harry thought. "Until tomorrow, Ginny," he whispered.
"Tomorrow, James," she whispered back. He Apparated home and she went back inside out of the cold wind.
"He's a nice boy," her mother said. "Reminds me of another boy who comes around here," she said with a hint of mystery.
"Harry will be mine some day, Mum," Ginny told her as she walked up to her room, missing her mother's shocked stare at having her mind read.
(Tue 24 Dec)
It was Harry's turn to enjoy dinner with the Weasleys; James had been over last evening. He thought Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself on the Shepard's Pie. She had also hinted she had several fruit pies waiting for dessert.
As he scooped up the last bite on his plate, he felt his robes vibrate for a few seconds. That puzzled him as he was sitting next to Ginny. When he felt the vibration again a couple of seconds later, it occurred to him that he had another mirror on him. Dropping his fork, he quickly dug for the mirror. At the sound of the fork hitting the plate, all eyes were on him.
Pulling the mirror out, he quickly said, "Mirror on." Before he could say anything else, he heard a shout from the mirror that chilled him.
"Harry! We have Death Eaters attacking!" Everyone at the table heard it too.
He did not respond verbally. Instead, he thrust the mirror at Ginny not even waiting to see if she had grabbed it. He did not hear Ginny tell the mirror, "Harry is on his way."
Overturning his chair over in his haste to leave, he ran for the door, grabbing his coat on the way and shrugging it on as he left the house. It was half buttoned up by the time he left the Anti-Apparation field around The Burrow. He grabbed his wand and Apparated.
Harry landed in the Grangers living room and immediately went into a roll, his instincts saving his life as a Killing Curse went over his head. Hearing the spell cast from behind him, he turned as he came up and fired a Bludgeoning hex at the front door behind him. He watched the spell hit a Death Eater in the stomach and knock him back out the front door. Wanting to stall any more Death Eaters, he conjured a brick wall in place of the now non-existent front door.
The front door was barely secure when spells started coming in the front windows. Harry quickly filled the window sills with brick walls so no one could see in or fire curses through the windows.
"Harry!"
Hearing his name, he looked across the room, and on the stairs stood Hermione. He started running that way, when the sound of breaking glass came through a doorway on his right, obviously someone trying to break in from the back. He conjured another brick wall in that doorway while running.
"Where are your parents?" he quickly asked.
"Up here behind me. How do we get out? You've walled up the room below." Hermione was not her normally know-it-all-confident self. Harry could tell she was hanging on to her Gryffindor courage by a thread, though she was putting on a good facade for her parents.
Harry bounded up the stairs and almost ran over her when he got to the top. There in the hallway were her parents, crouched down so nothing could get them from the windows. Mr. Granger had his cricket bat with him.
As Apparating them one at a time was going to be too time-consuming, there was only one way to get them all out quickly at the same time. Harry conjured a board, and with an engraving spell, he hastily wrote the secret key phrase to Grimmauld Place. He handed it to the Grangers and told them, "Quickly read and memorize this. Don't worry about knowing where it is."
An explosion downstairs got his attention, turning around and looking down the stairs, he saw the brick wall to the kitchen had been destroyed. He sent a Reparo down before the dust had even finished settling. He only needed about ten more seconds. Knowing the brick wasn't enough, he also hastily put some barrier wards across the bottom of the stairs.
Turning back to the Grangers, he asked, "Do you know what you read?" They nodded, so he Vanished the board. "Quickly, stand up and grab my arms. Mrs. Granger, grab my left bicep, Mr. Granger my right one. Hermione, stand in front of me and put your arms around my neck." He pulled out the Black key.
"Har-ry!" Hermione sounded like she had been asked to do something naughty in front of her parents.
"Damn it, Hermione! We don't have time, this is life or death. Come here!" Harry felt the Grangers grab his upper arms while Hermione finally stepped in front of him. He roughly grabbed her and pulled her against him.
A small part of his brain registered her softness and warmness pressed against him, as well as her feminine smell, but most of him was holding onto her while he touched his wand to the key behind her back. A few seconds later, all four of them were in the foyer of the House of Black.
His hands on her sides, he quickly pushed Hermione back, while her parents let go of him. They looked like they were dizzy and about to be sick. With a bad feeling in his stomach, he turned to his friend. "Hermione? Lock the door behind me and then help your parents." He ran out the front door, continuing on down the walk until he felt himself leave the Anti-Apparation field around the house. The moment he did so, he Apparated to The Burrow, hoping he was wrong.
Harry came out in the back garden of The Burrow into the middle of a fight. His bad feeling had been right. He kicked out at a Death Eater on his right to throw him off balance, then turned and punched a Death Eater on his left in the nose with the heel of his hand. Turning back, he hit the first Death Eater with a stunning spell to take care of him. The one with the broken nose was lying on the ground screaming. Unfortunately, that attracted attention.
Spells started flying at him, two from Death Eaters and one from the house. He just had to hope whoever was in the house recognized he was on their side. Dodging the spells, he sent a Reducto at one of the Death Eaters, then he turned to the last one, who was having to block a spell coming from the house. Harry stunned that one too. Knowing Death Eaters tended to run away when they failed, he used that moment to put up an Anti-Apparation field out here in the garden.
"Stop!" he yelled at the last Death Eater. "Quit now and prison is the worst you'll get." He also hoped that his voice would help those in the house to clue into who he was.
"That's so noble of you -- Potter," the Death Eater oily sneered.
Harry knew that voice. "Snivellus, I think I'm going to enjoy this."
"You think you're so good? Avada Kedavra!"
Harry dodged as the Killing Curse started coming toward him and sent two Reducto curses as fast as he could. The first Reducto took out the Death Eater's shield, and the second curse hit him on his left leg, shattering his knee as his leg bent completely backwards the wrong way. Even in his injured state, Snape tried to lift his wand, so Harry send a Severing Curse at the man's wand elbow and separated it from his body.
Looking at his former Professor, who was now defenseless, Harry finally cast "Legilimens!"
Unlike Snape, Harry did not use a blast of mental energy like a club; instead, he used another technique Paul MacDonald had taught him. He shaped his mind energy like a spear: hard, sharp, and very small. With surprising ease, he pierced the mental shield of Snape and found himself in a sea of filth. Swimming through the memories, he searched for a couple of specific ones.
Snape struggled to push the boy out, but he was very surprised by Potter's strength of mind, unlike last the time he had worked with the boy on Occlumency. The incredible pain in his left knee and right arm handicapped him greatly, as he couldn't keep his concentration. His memories went flashing by and he could not seem to stop them.
Harry quickly found one thing he was specifically looking for, but he wanted something else. Pushing back in time, Harry finally found what he was looking for, as well as a few bonus items. Stopping the spell, he looked at Severus Snape. "Well, I guess I finally know the truth. It's going to be very fun telling this secret."
Snape had seen the last memory Harry had viewed, and could not afford for it to be told. In a last effort, he reached for his wand with his left hand, but Harry had been expecting it. "Sectumsempra!" Snape screamed as a huge cut appeared on the Death Eater's chest and stomach, blood now flowing very freely. "An interesting spell, Snape. I'm glad you taught it to me. I'll have to try out some of the others I found in that gutter you call a mind. Accio Wand!" Snape's wand came to him, and the Potions Master lost consciousness. The extra wand went into a pocket as a trophy.
Turning to the house, he started walking to return to his girlfriend, but Ginny came running out, wand in hand, to greet him before he even got halfway.
"Harry!" She threw herself at him and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I got the Grangers safely to Headquarters too," he reported.
She grabbed his head and kissed him fully on the lips, savoring him and his victory.
As she released him from her passionate welcome, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Death Eater he had hit in the face move. Knowing a spell was coming at him, he prayed it was not an Unforgivable and turned his back to the Death Eater and tried to shield Ginny. The cutting curse mostly hit the back of his coat, but part of it hit his head. Fortunately, the curse's power was reduced as the Death Eater had had to cast it non-verbally, which was not one of his strengths.
Harry fell to his knees and took Ginny with him to the ground. He did not see George stun the Death Eater. Harry's immediate thought was to get to safety. He managed to pull his Manor key out, and with his last conscious thought, he touched his wand to the key.
All the Weasleys came running out of the house as the battle finished. Arthur and Molly had not been able to restrain Ginny as she went running to the lone person standing, the one with Harry's voice and, by the light of the three-quarter moon, looked to be wearing Harry's coat.
They were not sure which they were more stunned to see: Ginny run up to Harry and kiss him soundly, or Harry obviously returning it. Then one of the Death Eaters rose back up. While George was quick, he had not been fast enough and the Death Eater had hit Harry with a spell, causing him to fall down. As bad as that was, it did not compare to seeing the two teens disappear as they fell to the ground.
Molly was beside herself. "Where did they go?!" But no one had any idea.
"We better get these tied up and call the Aurors," Arthur suggested, not sure what else to do at the moment. That was quickly done, but in checking the last one, they found his cloak to be soaked in blood, half of his right arm detached, and his chest was not moving.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "It's Snape!" The others came over and found him to be correct.
Arthur shook his head. "Molly, you better go call the Aurors. I'll stay here."
The mother hurried back into the house, but she found her Floo in use -- a head was in it calling for her.
"Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, anyone!" Hermione called.
"Hermione dear, are you all right?"
"Other than being in shock, I think we're fine. Did Harry make it back? He left here and hasn't come back."
"Yes, he came here and battled several Death Eaters, but he and Ginny left and we don't know where they are." Molly was getting more distraught the more she thought about it.
"Knowing Harry, he probably went somewhere that he considered to be safe."
"Hermione, where are you right now?"
"Oh, we're at Headquarters," Hermione answered.
Remembering what she was supposed to be doing, she told the girl, "I'll call you back in a few minutes, I need to call the Aurors." Hermione's head left, and Molly called the MLE emergency Floo.
Maybe half a minute later, a squad of six Aurors came out of the fireplace with wands drawn and ready. Molly had not ever met any of them before. "They're all out back. Please follow me."
The Aurors were amazed all the Death Eaters were already subdued and tied up. "What happened to this one?" the lead Auror, O'Neil, asked. "I don't think I've ever seen a cutting spell of that power."
"I don't know," Arthur answered. "The person who did that, well, most of the fighting really, isn't here any more."
"Oh, where is he? We'd really like a statement, as well as find out what happened."
"Well, he got hurt at the very end, then he disappeared, along with our daughter. We don't know what happened other than they're gone." Arthur was a little distressed, but he knew they'd get through this somehow.
The lead Auror turned to another on his team. "Frank, quickly check St. Mungo's for anyone injured from a fight in the last ten minutes." Turning back to Arthur, he asked, "Oh, what are their names?"
"My daughter is Ginny Weasley, she should be capable of talking. I don't know how bad Harry was hurt."
"Harry who?"
"Harry Potter."
"THE Harry Potter?"
"Yes," Arthur acknowledged.
"Frank, go!" The other Auror ran so he was outside of Harry's Anti-Apparation ward and left.
"And he got most of these by himself?" O'Neil asked.
"Yes. We got one over there when we realized they were out here. We were lucky to be looking out here when they Apparated in. Then while we were fighting, Harry came in and took care of the rest. Apparently, one of them woke back up and cursed him." Arthur explained.
"Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?" one of the other Aurors called. "I think you're being paged from inside the house. It sounds like someone yelling over the Floo, but I can't make it what they're saying."
"Oh, it's probably Hermione, I told her I'd call her back." Molly hurried back into the house. Opening the door, she heard someone screaming, "MUM! DAD!"
"Ginny?!" She ran to the fireplace. "Ginny! Oh I'm so glad to see you. Where are you?"
"Harry and I are safe, we're at his place."
"How did you get there, young lady?"
"Harry has a way to always get home, but it doesn't matter. Harry is hurt and while I think I've stopped the bleeding, I'm not sure what else to do." Ginny was not quite in a panic, but she was having to work not go there.
"Very good dear, stopping the bleeding is the most important thing. Now where are you and I'll come over and help." Molly was starting to breath a little easier.
"I can't tell you Mum, it's hidden like Headquarters."
"So then, how do you know where it is?" Molly was starting to wonder what all was going on that she did not know about.
"Because I was told, obviously. Now what do I do for Harry?"
Molly closed her eyes for a few seconds and determined she was going to get to the bottom of this. "How bad is he hurt? Can he be Flooed back here?"
"Well, he's unconscious, and while the bleeding has been stopped, it was hard to do so. It's on the back of his head and neck. I got the house elves to help me move him to a bed."
"House elves? Oh, right, I forgot that Harry had mentioned he has house elves."
"Yes, mum. He pays them so they're not slaves," Ginny said with some exasperation, as she could not figure out why this mattered now; she was sounding like Hermione. "What about Harry?"
"Oh, right, sorry dear. How deep is the cut?"
"Well, on the head, it goes all the way to the bone. On his neck, it's on the back and maybe a quarter-inch deep or so. It did miss his spine."
"Thank goodness for that," Molly exclaimed. She thought for a moment. "Ginny, can you come here to get some potions?"
"Yes, Mum."
"And get back?"
"Yes, Mum."
That got her mother to wondering if other visits had happened. "Come here then and let me give you some things. It doesn't sound too bad. Let's see what we can do this way."
"Yes, Mum. I'll be there in a few minutes after I check on him one more time." Ginny's head disappeared.
Molly shook her head as she wondered about how this was going to turn out. Getting up from in front of the fireplace, she went back outside. "Arthur? I found them. Harry somehow took them to his place."
"His place? Are they safe?" Arthur was concerned, but he felt better now that he knew where they were.
"She says yes, and that it's hidden. She's coming here to get some potions. I better go back in. Why don't you tell the Aurors they don't have to hunt for them, and they won't be getting a statement from Harry for a while. He's been hurt, though it doesn't sound too bad. Oh, and they need to send someone to the Granger's house as Death Eaters were there too."
Molly went back in and started gathering some potions from her cabinet. Ginny Flooed in and joined her.
Setting her box of medicinal potions on the counter, Molly looked at her daughter who had a worried look on her face. "Ginny, I'm sure he'll be all right. It really doesn't sound all that bad."
"But Mum, you should have seen all the blood," her daughter almost started crying.
"Now, now, Ginny. I'll help you get him fixed up. Then when he's able, he can come and I'll take a look at him, alright?" Ginny nodded. Molly started pulling out phials. "Head wounds do tend to bleed a quite a bit. Now, give him half of this, it's a Blood Replenishing potion. Give him all of this one, it's a Strengthening potion. Use this one, it will help the wounds heal, just carefully drip it onto the wounds. Oh, and a Headache potion might be useful when he wakes up. Understand all that?" She handed over the four phials.
"Yes; thanks, Mum!"
"Very good. Now, I have one question for you before you go back. What all are you hiding from me?" Molly looked at her daughter closely as the girl thought about how to answer that.
"I'm sorry, Mum, I can't tell you anything because I'm hiding Harry's secrets, and I promised not to tell."
Her daughter was growing up. Molly knew secrets and boys were part of that growing up process, but this seemed to go beyond that. Just as she was about to ask again, but differently, her daughter spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Mum, you'll have to ask Harry. He's the only one who can tell you."
Molly resigned herself to having to wait to get her answers, but she would try again, so she nodded.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Harry said the Grangers are at Headquarters."
"I know, in fact, I need to go see how they are doing."
"Mum, I think Harry would want everyone to go to Headquarters for safety."
"That's probably a good idea, I'll mention it to your father. You need to come there too."
"When Harry is feeling well enough to travel, we'll go there to find you."
Molly started to argue about her staying at Harry's house all alone, but she considered she didn't have a choice. She was going to have to trust her daughter. "Call me if you need anything else. And Ginny? I'm trusting you to behave yourself."
"Thanks, Mum; I won't let you down." Ginny gave her mum a quick hug and left to return to her boyfriend.
Molly watched her clock for a moment. Ginny's hand went from Home, to Traveling, then back to Home. She did not understand that because it should have showed "Friend's House". Shaking her head, she went outside to talk to her husband. Ginny was correct. They should pack quickly and leave for a few days at least. That would be safer.
Ginny went back to Potter Manor, and up to the master bedroom. Tonight was the first time she had ever been in it. It was incredible. As she walked back into it, she also realized how alone Harry looked lying there. Dobby and Winky were still standing nearby watching him.
"Has he awakened yet?"
"No, Mistress Ginny," Winky replied.
Ginny smiled at that. Both elves had been calling her that all evening. It was amusing to her in some way, and very thrilling in another. It was also interesting they had not called her that the last time she had been here.
The first thing she did was to remove the bandages and use the potion to close the wound. There was a thin pink line when the wound was healed. She really hoped it would heal to be normal-looking. Then she had Dobby and Winky help her to turn him over onto his back so she could raise him up to give him the other two potions.
After that, they helped her to remove his coat and other clothes down to his boxers. Ginny did her best to have the mindset of a nurse and be objective about it all, but it was her boyfriend and she thought he was incredible looking. In the end, thinking of him like a brother helped her the most. She almost peeked under his boxers anyway, but the presence of the elves stopped her.
Once he was in bed and merely resting, there was not much else to do but wait. "Winky? Would it be too much trouble to get some hot chocolate? I'd go get it myself, but I don't want to leave Harry."
"Oh, no trouble at all, Mistress Ginny. I be right back." The elf popped out.
In her waiting, a previous question came back to mind. "Dobby?" she looked to the other elf. "Why do you and Winky call me 'Mistress Ginny' now? I was only 'Miz Wheezy' last time I was here."
"Because you belong to Master Harry, Mistress Ginny."
That made no sense to Ginny, but she could not get anything else out of him. When Winky brought her drink back, she gave the same answer to the question. Ginny just sipped her drink and thought about it as Harry rested. She did have to admit to herself that she liked it here well enough that she would enjoy living here. Of course, this black-haired bloke lying in front of her was a good part of the reason she liked this place.
Ginny heard groaning and "Mistress Ginny?" at the same time. Snapping awake from the light nap she had fallen into, she heard and saw Harry move around slowly and start to wake up. Glancing at her watch, she noticed that it was almost midnight. Harry had slept nearly five hours.
When he finally blinked awake, she was leaning over him. "Harry? How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts."
She grinned. At least he did not give his patented "Fine" answer. "Here's a headache potion. You'll need to sit up slightly."
As Ginny helped him up, Harry realized his chest was bare. Trying to feel where the sheets were touching him, he realized his legs were bare, too. After he drank the potion and lay back down, he asked, "How did I get undressed? I don't remember doing that. Though, now that I think about it, I don't remember anything after getting hit with that spell."
She giggled at that. "Well, it's too bad you don't remember, because you were incredible when you made love to me, Harry." His eyes bugged out and he lay there speechless. She finally laughed. "Ah, gotcha!"
It took a few seconds, but he finally started smiling too. "Yeah, you really had me going. I couldn't imagine how we had done that and I couldn't remember."
"You were in no shape to do anything, Harry. That you even considered it possible was what made it so funny. Anyway, somehow, you managed to touch your Manor key. Since I was hanging on to you, you brought both of bring us here. With Dobby and Winky's help, we got you up here, undressed and in bed, and pretty much healed. How do you feel now?"
"Other than tired, mostly fine."
"In that case, my mum is quite, uh, vexed with me, and wants us go to Grimmauld Place now."
"Why?"
"The vexed part or the travel part?"
"Yes."
"She vexed with me because I can come here and no one else can. She trusting me to behave, but doesn't like having to do that. She's also quite vexed because you're hurt and she can't treat you. It's a mothering thing, you understand?" Harry nodded, so Ginny went on. "That is also why she wants us to come to her, so she can look at you to make sure you're all right, and so she can keep an eye on us."
"Maybe I don't feel that well after all..."
"Harry? I don't think that's a good idea. If we had a good reason, all right. But she's been strained a lot tonight and we shouldn't push it. I don't expect you to give her the secret to the Manor, as much as I know she'll ask you to, or else to revoke me from the secret, but understand that's something she's going to talk to you about. I also think we're going to have to explain about you and James. I wasn't thinking very clearly and hugged and kissed you in front of all of them. That's a problem."
"Anything else I should expect?"
"Not that I can think of, but just be ready," she told him. "If there are things you don't want to explain, then don't, it's your life. Of course, that may cause problems with my parents too; but I'm all right with whatever you want to do. No matter what, I'll still stand by you."
Harry thought about all that, and also about how he felt right now. Now, he felt safe, and having Ginny with him here in this house was part of that. Going anywhere else made him feel less safe. That was partially because of what happened tonight, but mainly from what he saw in Snape's mind. He did not want to take her anywhere because she was the most precious thing in the world to him now, but he realized she had a point about her parents.
Ginny saw him thinking everything through and waited. Finally he answered her. "I don't want to do that as it's not as safe there, but if we must, then I guess we will. Why don't you go downstairs. I'll take a shower and get dressed, plus I need to take a few minutes to lose some memories. Guess I'll need some clothes if I'm staying there for a day or two."
"See you in a little bit then. I'll go tell them we're coming."
Nearly twenty minutes later, he came down the stairs with a small bag of clothes. "Ready?"
"Yes. You be ready too, Harry. They have questions about tonight."
"They who?" he asked tentatively.
"Everyone. No one has gone to bed yet. Mum has a late night dinner for us though," she told him, hoping that would help.
The thought of some good food did help, but only a little. Harry pulled out the Black key, and after Ginny put her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss, he Portkeyed them to Headquarters.
They found everyone down in the kitchen. Walking hand-in-hand, they went to the table, but the two empty chairs were not next to one another. Bill had come over too, and since he was single and sitting next to an empty chair, Harry asked, "Bill, would you be so kind as to swap chairs so we can have these two together?"
The eldest Weasley boy looked at Harry for a moment, before he silently moved. Harry sat, but Ginny was helping her mother get two plates of food together.
As Ginny sat down and gave Harry a plate, Molly also sat and asked the first question of them. "I'm not sure who I want to ask this of, but will one of you please explain why you two are acting like you're dating, when James was introduced to us as Ginny's boyfriend?" Hermione looked very interested in this too.
Ginny looked at Harry. "I'll take this one. Eat since you'll have to talk more later." Turning to her mother, she said, "It's easy to explain. Both are my boyfriend..."
"WHAT?!" Ron shouted.
"Ron, shut up for a minute. Both are my boyfriend because they are the same person." She got many confused looks. "All right, how about this, James is Harry in disguise, he's Harry's alter-ego."
Harry stopped eating for a moment. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I'm really sorry for deceiving you when I was James, but I had a good reason."
"And what would that reason be?" Molly Weasley asked calmly but firmly.
Ginny looked to Harry, who only nodded. "As you know, Harry went into hiding this summer. While good in some ways, as he was safer, it was also bad, in that it was harder to know what was going on in the world. James was his disguise and a way for him to safely come out of hiding when he needed to."
"I see," her mother said, as she thought about what she wanted to ask next. "So the relationship between you two is all an act?"
"At first, yes. We made up James from an old childhood memory of mine. Harry wrote me lots of letters as James, and we acted like good friends. After a while though, we discovered that we really did like each other," Ginny explained.
"You mean I discovered I liked you. I believe you always like me, I just didn't know," Harry corrected her as he finished off his plate and started taking things from her plate.
"Hey! That's my food." She slapped at his hand. About half the people smiled, the other half wasn't sure if they were still mad at them or not.
He grinned at her. "You can get more when I'm talking. I'm still hungry." Ginny sighed and pushed her plate towards him.
"So Ginny, why is it that you know how to get to Harry's house?" Her mother continued the questioning. Ginny looked to her boyfriend.
Harry swallowed, then pushed a partially empty plate back to her. "Because Ginny is one of the people who has been helping me hide. In her case, she's been telling me what has been going on at school, to people, and generally giving me advice. I allowed her to come over so she could give me that information. That's also why I gave her the owl. It was also a safe place for her to hide in an emergency should she be attacked."
A grudging smile came to Bill. "I'm really impressed. You really put a lot of effort and planning into all this, didn't you Harry?"
"Yes." There was so much more, but he would not say it.
"Harry, I would like you to take Ginny off the whatever you have that allows her to go into your house," Molly requested.
"I understand, Mrs. Weasley, but I'm afraid I can't do that. It would be like telling Ginny she is no longer one of my advisors and I don't trust her anymore." Harry explained as calmly as he could.
The mother's eyes narrowed. "Then I would like access to your house."
"Why?"
She sputtered as she could not believe Harry was asking that. "Because, it's not appropriate."
Harry looked at her and gave her a thoughtful look. "That doesn't really explain anything, it's just a label. So what's the real reason why?" He was reasonably sure he knew, but he wanted Mrs. Weasley to state it.
Harry calmly waited, though he noted that everyone from Bill on down wore amused looks, while all the older adults gave him incredulous looks. "What is the concrete reason, the thing that we can measure, why?"
Molly finally answered, "Because boys and girls your age aren't supposed to be alone together."
Harry sighed. "Mrs. Weasley, that's not a reason either as that happens all the time anyway. You're just restating the question. I'm starting to believe you won't answer the question, therefore, I feel no obligation to answer a non-existent question."
"Now listen here young man, I asked you a question and I expect an answer." Molly was getting upset with his rebelliousness.
"No ma'am," he replied calmly. "There is no question. Saying something is not appropriate says there is a standard to judge an action by; it is a label. So I'm asking, what is the standard? What is the action you're concerned about and want to monitor? Given that, I'll answer whether you have anything to worry about." Harry could tell the twins were about to burst from holding in their comments, and strangely, that gave him resolve to keep going.
"Very well; I'm concerned about you two getting into bed together. Satisfied?" She was almost yelling.
Harry continued in his calm tone. "Thank you. That makes it very clear and easy to answer. You should not worry. I have no plans for that for the foreseeable future. Not only are we not ready for that, but I feel that would hurt our relationship, and I very desperately do not want that. Nothing is more important to me than Ginny, and that includes making sure I don't hurt her and drive her away." Harry was not thrilled in having to say all that, as it seemed fairly private, but it had seemed necessary.
When Mrs. Weasley did not say anything, Harry asked her, "One more thing, what activities could we possibly do at my house that we couldn't do at Hogwarts? You've let her be alone with boys there for the last four and a half years." Ginny looked worried as he said that, as if she thought she would not be allowed to return to school.
In the lingering silence that had followed Harry, Ron asked, "We don't get to come see you either mate?"
"I'm sorry Ron, and Hermione, but not yet. I will let you in the future, but while you're at school, I don't see a need to add you to the access list. If I need to for your safety, I will do so without hesitation, but at this time, it's not necessary. Please understand, I'm not trying to hurt you by excluding you, but I'm working on a very limited need-to-know basis right now. That being said, I would appreciate it if everyone kept everything discussed about me and Ginny private. That means you can't share it with anyone, no exceptions." Harry looked at Ron as he finished.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ron asked.
"Because I'm wondering how well you'll keep my secrets. To be honest, it's far too easy to make you talk." Ron looked indignant. "Really Ron, everyone knows it. It's just like how we confirmed you and Hermione were dating."
"Now look who's telling secrets!"
"Ooh, Ron's got a girlfriend," George said.
"Wonder how many broom closets they know about?" Fred teased.
"Will you two lay off? Like we need to use a broom closet for private time," Ron said with disgust.
"See what I mean Ron? You just told everyone that you two are dating and that you snog. We didn't even have to work that hard to get it out of you," Harry told him.
Ron seemed to be having to work through that logic, while Hermione just hung her head. Mr. and Mrs. Granger started looking at Ron a little differently. Ginny was holding her fist over her mouth as if yawning, but she seemed to be pressing very hard and her shoulders were shaking.
"I have a question now," Harry said, trying to change the topic. "What happened to Snape?"
"I'm sorry, Harry, but he died," Arthur told him.
Harry did not look sorry, in fact, he looked happy. "Well, that means he can't escape."
Molly looked distressed again. "But Harry, a man died in our garden."
"I sympathize with you on it being your garden, but think of it as an act of war. Remember, Mrs. Weasley, he was there to kill you. OK, maybe not at first, torture would have come first, but killing you later would have happened. And not just you either, but your entire family. Do you still think kindly of him now?" Harry asked.
"Why would you think that Harry?" Arthur asked. "Albus has always said he was on our side."
"Which leads me to ask, does the Headmaster know Snape attacked you and that he was killed?" Harry wanted to know.
Arthur answered, "He does know Severus is dead, and that it happened during a Death Eater attack on our house, but I don't know about anything beyond that. Why do you ask?"
"Because I looked into Snape's mind. Beyond all the filth there, I found that he was a double-agent. He was working both sides."
"What? How could he do that? Why would he do that?" Arthur wanted to know.
"Because he could? Because he was a sick person? He played both sides to his advantage, both financially and for fun. He was a very sick person."
"You sure, Harry?" Bill asked. At Harry's look, Bill hastily added, "Not that I don't believe that of him, as I didn't like him either, but Dumbledore was so sure we could trust him."
"I don't know how he convinced Dumbledore, you'll have to ask him; though I wonder if you'd get a complete and honest answer. But I had Snape wide open. He was in so much pain after I broke his leg, that he could not maintain a good mental shield."
"You finally mastered Occlumency and Legilimency, didn't you?" Hermione blurted out.
"Not saying," Harry replied with a grin, "but please don't even voice the speculation again." Harry managed to avoid looking at Ron, to give his friend some credit. "Anyway, Mr. Weasley, if you would be sure Professor Dumbledore gets that information tonight, I would appreciate it. I have more information to share, but it is for your next Order meeting only."
"Certainly, Harry. I'll Floo him shortly," the man told him.
"Now, I have one more thing to discuss before I go to bed, well, two, but the second one is fast," Harry said. "First, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I'm sorry this meeting is not under more pleasant circumstances, as I had expressed when we last met. You are free to stay here in this house as long as you like. That being said, you will have to decide what you want to do, and I see only two options for you."
"Fight or move," Hermione softly said.
"Basically correct, though there are some variations," Harry added. "You can try to continue on with life and don't let Voldemort win by not letting you live semi-normally. Or you can decide you've had enough, sell your business and your house, and move to the continent or perhaps further, until the war is over."
"You said there were some variations. What did you mean?" Mr. Granger asked.
"In the 'fight and live on' category, you could sell your house and live here, but you'd be vulnerable every time you went to work. You could help that, but not totally solve it by buying guns and taking lessons on how to use them, and getting licensed to carry them everywhere. I don't think magic is strong enough to stop a bullet, and we wizards just don't use guns. Guns are not a perfect and full answer, but it does help you level the playing field."
"I'm not fond of guns Harry, and I don't think my wife would do that." Mrs. Granger agreed she would not have any part of guns around her.
"If you don't have something to protect yourself, then tonight's events could repeat at any time. Another variation is that you move by going into hiding here. You become a virtual prisoner in this house until the war is over. I do not recommend the action, as the last person that tried went somewhat stir-crazy from restlessness, but it is an option. Problem is, we don't know how long the war will last. Hermione can probably come up with other variations given time," Harry suggested.
Mr. Granger looked thoughtful, "I see, and how long do we have to decide?"
"As I said, you can stay here as long as you need, it's totally up to you," Harry told him.
Now Harry turned his attention to Ginny's parents. "My last item for tonight concerns sleeping arrangements. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I believe there's an extra bedroom on the third floor. You're welcome to it. Fred and George, I think you already have a room up there. Bill, find whatever room you want on the third floor. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I would suggest you move from your room on the third floor, and take Sirius' old room on the second floor."
"Why is that Harry?" Molly wanted to know. She was still a bit bothered from earlier. Harry wasn't going to help that.
"Because, in about fifteen minutes or so, I'm going to close off access to the second floor, which would leave Hermione and Ginny in their room, and Ron and I in our room, all by ourselves. I thought you might like to be nearby," Harry explained.
"Why would you do that?" Molly was starting to get her feathers ruffled again.
"Because I'm not at my safe house, and I want to feel safer. Too many people can come into this house. So, you're welcome to come join us on our floor, if you wish. Whether you do or not, I will erect wards to block the second floor off until I get up in the morning." He rose and pulled Ginny up.
"Why Harry?" Molly asked.
"Because, Mrs. Weasley." Harry found the role reversal funny, so he smiled at her. "If you're still awake enough, I'll tell you tonight after we're all settled in. If not, I'll tell you in the morning." He led his girlfriend out of the kitchen and towards the bedrooms.
Ginny whispered. "I can't believe how much you're pushing Mum. Careful Harry; she will eventually snap, and it won't be pretty."
"Perhaps my explanation should wait until morning then." As they got upstairs, Harry stopped at the girl's room. "I don't want to stay here Ginny, it's not safe enough, not only for me, but for you. Nevertheless, I will do this for you. But be warned, if anything starts happening, I will grab you and take you away to safety. I care for you that much."
"Harry, I can take care of myself."
"I know, but then again, I care for you too much," Harry admitted. "It's one of my flaws perhaps. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but if it does, you can hex me afterward. OK?"
Mrs. Weasley came up the stairs with bedding, and her husband came up shortly thereafter with their bags.
"Mr. Weasley. If you don't mind, I'd like to wait until morning for more explanations. I think we're all pretty tired," Harry told him.
"That's probably a good idea Harry. We're all here for the night, so go ahead and do what you must for safety. I do look forward to the explanation tomorrow." The man followed his wife, while Harry turned to the entranceway that led to this floor. Five minutes later, he was happy with his ward work, including an Anti-Apparation ward, and went to bed. Each of the six on that floor had an uneventful night's sleep.
A/N: Quick Magical Theory note. How did Harry lose the memories from Snape? My theory is that when one deposits a memory in a container (e.g. in a Pensieve) the person is putting a copy there. So after Harry pulled off the memories into containers, there were now two copies of the "bad memories". So he needs to get rid of those, while still remembering the facts in them. The useful memories, like the spells he learn were remembered again in their in entirety, so they are in a second place in his mind, then he reviewed the bad ones so he had the facts of them in another place in his mind, then he Obliviated the timeframe of when he was retrieving the memories from Snape with Legilimency. Complicated, but it seems to work for me. :-) That allowed Harry to lose the "nastiness" and emotions of the bad memories.
More succinctly: Memories are time oriented, as are memories of memories (which are in a different place on the timeline), and Obliviation removes time and whatever is associated with that time from your mind.