CHAPTER 10

Then next few months went by rather well. Ginny's stomach was getting bigger by the day, but she managed to conceal it with a charm. The staff at Hogwarts knew about the baby, and would often give Ginny encouragement after her classes. Also, Quidditch season was starting up, and, to everyone's surprise, Hermione was trying out.

"You're mental!" said Ron incredulously as she strapped on Quidditch gear. "Do you even know all the rules of the game?"

"Of course I do, I played over the summer and read books about it and everything," Hermione snapped as she tied her bushy hair up in a ponytail.

"Reading books and scrimaging is one thing, but playing?"

"Shut up Ron, I didn't saying anything when you tried out for the team," she said with a scowl. Ron's mouth opened, but closed again as Hermione shouldered her broom and walked onto the pitch for Chaser tryouts.

"You're not going to put her on the team, are you?" Ron asked Harry.

"We need a chaser. If she's good then yeah, I will," he answered.

"C'mon, let's go watch," Ginny said, tugging on Ron's robes. Ron followed his sister to the stands while Harry made his way out to the pitch. About a dozen or more Gryffindors, including Hermione, were standing out on the field.

"Alright...well, let's see what you all can do," Harry said to them all. "Ron, get down here, I need you to keep!" Ron exhaled loudly to show his displeasure, but went down anyway. For then next hour and a half, Harry watched and took note of each player's abilities. When Hermione was up, she flew superbly and managed to score ten out of ten goals against Ron. Harry smiled despite his surprise, and knew that he had found a Chaser. Ron looked like someone had hit him with a stunning charm when he found out, and babbled about it all the way to the common room.

"Mental...Hermione on team...not right...strange...couldn't have..." It wasn't until Ginny gave him a good wack in the face did he finally shut up.

"So since when did you get so good?" Harry asked Hermione.

"For a while now. I've been sneaking out at night over the past few years to practice," Hermione explained, blushing a bit. "Plus I've read loads about the sport and moves and things."

"Sure, it's one thing to read and practice, but what about actually playing a game with people watching you?" said Ron, switching tactics.

"Piss off Ron, you just don't want to admit that she's better than you," Ginny snapped irritably. Hermione turned an even darker red and Ron's face too began to turn pink. "I'm going to bed before I bite off someone's head. This baby is giving me mood swings like crazy." She kissed Harry goodnight, then drifted off to the girls' dormitory.

Hermione indeed turned out to be a very good player. She helped Gryffindor win three games in a row and even managed to raise the interest of a few boys. Ron scowled every time a boy would come up to Hermione and ask her out. Hermione turned them all down, reasons were her own (but we all know why :D). Also, seventh year students started up their N.E.W.T.s which caused quite a lot of tension and frustration. Ginny too became more and more irritating, seeing as the baby gave her rapid mood swings. Another problem arose too. Her stomach was beginning to show, even with robes on. Unfortunately, Malfoy noticed.

"Well well, the little blood-traitor is going to have a baby. I wonder who the daddy is," Malfoy remarked as he, Crabbe, and Goyle cornered her in the hall one day.

"You'd best let me pass you bitch," Ginny snarled. Malfoy smirked, tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.

"You know, if you weren't such a blood traitor, I might consider going out with you," he said softly so that only Ginny could hear. Ginny sank her teeth hard into his hand and walked off angrily, leaving Malfoy standing there, howling in pain. "I'll get you for that, you little slut! Mark my words!" Unfortunately for Ginny he was correct, and by dinner time practically the whole school knew about Ginny's condition. Some made fun of her, some crowded around her, asking who the father was. But there were also those who felt sympathetic, and gave her words of encouragement as they passed her.

"Who told everyone?" McGonagall asked as Ginny sat in a chair in the Headmistress' office, sobbing.

"M-Malfoy d-d-did," she choked. McGonagall bristled with anger.

"Well I assure you that he will receive detention and a good telling off," she said stiffly, "in the mean time you'd better get back to your dormitory. And if anyone dares to make fun of you, be sure to tell me right away." Ginny nodded at her, then got up and made her way back to the Gryffindor common room.

Harry struggled through many books that night. He was looking up hexes, charms, prophecies, and any information that might help him find the remaining horcruxes. His eyelids became heavy with sleep, but he kept going.

"I need to find the locket, and the cup. But what could the two remaining horcruxes be?" Harry poured over ideas in his head. "R B," he murmured, reading over the note that had come with the fake horcrux for the millionth time. Long had he wondered who this was. He poured through book after book, searching for someone with those initials. Suddenly, it struck him in the head like a hammer. "REGULUS BLACK!" he cried out, causing Ron to wake up, startled.

"Wuddiz it?" he asked sleepily.

"Nothing," Harry answered, "go back to bed." Ron did so, and it wasn't long before Harry heard his loud snores. It has to be Regulus Black...but he's been dead for years...unless...Yes! It must be somewhere in 12 Grimmauld place. And maybe another horcrux will be there...but what is it? "There's got to be some way of finding it...there just has to be..." Harry massaged his forehead with his knuckles in deep thought. Soon his head began to nod onto his chest and sleep over took him.

Harry was walking through what looked like the ashen remains of a house. Other houses surrounded it, but yet it seemed as though no one had bothered to clean up the ruins, or build a house over the empty lot.

Harry knew that something crucial was lying among the remains, something he knew he had to find. But where was it? He began to dig through a certain spot, positive that it was there. Yes! A small trap door. A lock held it tight, sealed with strong magic. Harry knew the spell to open it...

"Harry! Harry wake up!" Harry opened his eyes and looked over at the person shaking him. Ron looked back at him with a worried expression. "Alright, Harry?"

"Yeah...Ron, I know where to find some horcruxes," Harry told him. Ron's eyes widened.

"You serious?"

"I am...I mean...I think so...I saw it in a dream." Harry got up and headed down to the common room with Ron in his wake. Hermione was sitting in a chair by the fire reading and Ginny was on the floor tossing a yarn ball around for Crookshanks to chase. She looked up from the game when they entered.

"Harry, you don't look so good. Get enough sleep?" Ginny asked.

"I was up working...I'm fine though." Harry waited until Ron and Hermione had gone down to breakfast, then he pulled Ginny aside. "Listen Ginny...I'm going to have to-er-go away for a bit...will you be alright in my absence?" Ginny turned away, thinking things over.

"How long would it be?" she asked after a few minutes.

"I dunno...a month or two?" Ginny placed a hand over her stomach.

"The baby is due in about three months..." Harry took her hand and kissed it.

"I'll be back in time...but I need to know if you'll be alright?" She nodded solemly. "Don't worry, it'll be alright."

"And just how long do you plan to be away, Mr. Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall as Harry asked for leave that afternoon.

"I dunno...no more than one or two months."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I guess it's fine with me, but you are not excused from your N.E.W.Ts."

"I know, I'll study while I'm away."

"Where will you stay while you're searching?"

"I'll probably set up a tent or something."

"In this weather? You'd better get a magical tent with a heater in it."

"Right."

"When will you leave?"

"Today."

"Why so early?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Because every second I waste is a second that Voldemort could kill another innocent person...Dumbledore would've wanted this ended soon." McGonagall fell silent at Dumbledore's name, but after a few moments she cleared her throat.

"I always knew you'd amount to something, Mr. Potter. Ever since that day Dumbledore placed you on your Aunt and Uncle's doorstep I knew that you'd be great...and now you will be...I have faith in you...Harry Potter..." Tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she smiled in spite of it. "Now what are you waiting for...go find some horcruxes!" Harry grinned and thanked her. Then he walked out of her office and made his way back to the Gryffindor common room to pack.