CHAPTER XII
Fiery Spirits

After they had come back, Ron had been hauled up to Ginny and Hermione's room. Mrs Weasley was baking cookies, for lack of other things to do.

Harry picked up the Daily Prophet from the kitchen table and read the title of the article.

MINISTRY OF MAGIC APPREHENDS THREE DEATH EATERS

'THREE?' he exclaimed. 'But we sent four down to the Ministry! Just lost one, did they?'

Mrs Weasley smiled ruefully. 'It seems our new Second Minister has seen fit to release her cousin and clear him of all charges.'

'Umbridge released a Death Eater? How can she?'

'She's been empowered to overrule everything, dear,' said Mrs Weasley sadly. 'She can release anyone she wants.'

Harry stormed up the stairs. His feet were taking him to Ginny's bedroom, and he was shocked to find Ron and Hermione in there. They were both crying.

'Err, have either of you seen Ginny?'

'She went to look for you in your room,' said Hermione, taking out her wand and flicking it. Harry was forced outside, and the door slammed shut, locked.

Harry continued to walk to his own bedroom. Halfway there, he encountered something he didn't expect. Malfoy was in an argument with Ginny.

'None of your business, Malfoy!'

Malfoy smirked. 'I ought to thank whoever did it to him. He must have had some sense. I bet it was a pure-blood.'

'As a matter of fact, it was, Malfoy. Not that it matters. And I wish you would cut out with your pureness shite. It doesn't matter what ancestry someone has!'

'It matters, Weasley,' Malfoy sneered, 'in a way that you wouldn't understand.'

'I think I understand perfectly. Hermione Granger beat you in every exam you ever sat!'

Malfoy's cheeks flushed. 'No mudblood can score high in by any decent standards. You know that.'

'Would you cut out that pure-blood rubbish already?'

'Or what, Weasley?'

Ginny drew her wand. Malfoy whipped out his own. Harry slowly took out his wand and pointed it at the back of Malfoy's head.

'You think you can curse me?' Malfoy sneered. 'The Dark Lord has taught me magic beyond your wildest dreams, Weasley.'

'Harry will throw you out of the house.'

'Hiding behind Potter now, are we?' Malfoy sneered. 'Though I must admit, the half-blood got the better out of me last time we dueled. I didn't know he was capable of such Dark Magic. He might have some wizarding pride after all.'

'Dumbledore wanted you to lay off the pure-blood superiority rubbish, Malfoy,' Harry said. Malfoy, startled, turned around to find Harry's wand point between his eyes.

Harry saw Malfoy slowly, but carefully, point his wand at Harry. Harry flicked his wand, and Malfoy's went spinning to the ground. Ginny picked it up.

'And look where it got him,' said Malfoy, deciding to ignore the loss of his wand.

'Actually,' said Harry. 'It got you safe. You and your mother are only here because it was Dumbledore's last wish before he died. You know that.'

Malfoy blushed hard. Harry knew Malfoy recognized the truth of his statement. It was what Dumbledore had offered him before he died. Harry waited as the brief silence continued.

'I'm with Ginny on this one. The only way you're going to live is if you stay in this house long enough for me to get my act together. If you offend any of my friends, you might find one of those requirements ... waver. If you really are a Slytherin, I suggest you be polite to your hosts.'

Malfoy flushed. 'So you think you are the Chosen One, do you?' he asked with a sneer.

'I choose to interpret the prophecy that way,' said Harry calmly.

'Prophecy?'

'The prophecy that your father and eleven other Death Eaters didn't manage to get out of six underage teenagers, Malfoy!' snarled Ginny. 'You might remember ... it got him in prison.' She smiled with satisfaction.

'You think you're going to kill the Dark Lord?' Malfoy asked with a laugh in his voice. 'You'll try in vain. He cannot be killed. He is immortal.'

'There was a beginning to his life,' said Harry, 'and there will be an end whether or not I am that one with the fortune to bring it to him.'

'He is the most powerful wizard. You stand no chance against him. He fears nothing -'

'He fears death,' interrupted Harry, 'and he fears that I bring it. He is terrified of me.'

Malfoy smiled sarcastically.

'Why are you out of the attic, Malfoy?' asked Harry, poking his wand between his ribs as he made to go.

'Shower,' he said. 'I'm still allowed to have showers, aren't I?'

'Why take your wand with you? You could have left it in your room. I can't see why you would have needed it.'

'I take my wand with me wherever I go,' said Malfoy, as if daring Harry to disagree with him.

'Not from now on, Malfoy,' said Harry, waving his hand so Ginny would give Malfoy his wand back. 'If you choose to leave your room, you will leave your wand behind. Do you understand?'

'Or what?'

'Or I will snap it in two.' Harry left, Ginny clinging to his hand.

She dragged him to his own bedroom. They sat down on the bed.

'Are you going to tell me what is going on between Ron and Hermione?' Harry asked.

'I - she - she didn't tell you?'

'No. She hasn't exactly had time ... you know. Perhaps she expects you to have already told me.'

'I - well, even so. I don't think I'm the one to tell you. I'd love to tell you, but she really is the one that has to do it. I can tell her that you want to know, but I'm afraid you'll stay ignorant until she tells you … or Ron does.'

'Ron knows?'

'Oh yes, he knows. He'd better. But if I know how boys work, though, he'd die sooner than confide in you.'

'Is it something he ought to be terribly ashamed of? Because that, I think, is the only reason he wouldn't want to trust me with something that he did or that happened to him.'

'Well - yes.'

'And when your mother finds out, he will be sorry indeed?'

'Yes.'

'And in nine months, you'll be an auntie?'

'I - well - yes. How did you find out?'

'Guessed,' said Harry. 'Ginny-hunch, really. But I haven't figured out yet why Ron is so ashamed.'

'Well, that is because - you see, they never intended for Hermione to get pregnant. There is this contraceptive charm, you see. You cast it on your ... bits, and your lady won't get pregnant.' Ginny blushed heavily as she said it. She was obviously uncomfortable with the awkwardness.

'And Ron wasn't able to do it?'

'Worse. Fred and George had told him about it. They made him, you know, scared. He was under the impression that if he did it wrong, he'd ... well ... you're a guy, you can imagine.' Harry cringed as Ginny said it. 'He backed out at the last moment and lied to Hermione about it.'

'What a prick!' exclaimed Harry.

'Yeah, well. Then he left her.'

'I don't believe it! And now they've made up!'

'I don't think Hermione will forgive him in a hurry, Harry. She might just consider not telling mum that he lied about the charm. But that's the furthest she'd go.'

'Your mum will pretty much lose it when she finds out.'

Ginny nodded menacingly. 'Which means that we own Ron.'

Harry grinned mischievously. 'I like it when you're being mean,' he said, leaning sideways to kiss her. 'It brings out a very ... Ginnyish ... fire.'

Ginny smiled widely. It was burning in her deep, brown eyes.

'Just promise me one thing,' she said, able to break away from a long kiss.

'Anything,' said Harry, eyes still closed. His lips were intent to follow Ginny's.

'Don't ever lie to me about that charm.' She was so serious it was almost funny.

'I don't even know what charm it is! I have no idea where Ron got it from, or why Hermione didn't cast it, for that matter.'

'I thought you knew,' said Ginny. 'This is so awkward.' The both of them were indeed blushing scarlet.

'We'll just work with potions. I bet there's a nice one in the Prince's copy.'

'You're going to feed me something you made following Snape's instructions?'

Harry grinned. 'If you're willing.'

'I'd rather do without,' she said seductively, leaning in for another kiss.

'No,' said Harry, clearly and forcefully enough to discourage Ginny. 'Listen, safe sex or no sex.'

'Does this mean you're going to if you think it is safe?' Ginny asked hopefully.

'Well, yes ... I suppose. But don't you try and trick me, though!' His seriousness was masked by a series of kisses from Ginny.

'I wonder what we are going to do, though,' said Ginny, again managing to unstick herself from Harry. 'We need to find out about contraception.'

'You could ask your mum?'

Ginny let out a laugh. 'No, she thinks we're too young to be having sex. But she'd kill to have a grandchild on another account.'

'What, she wants you to be pregnant without having had sex?'

'Not exactly, she wants me to bear your child without having been pregnant at all. And she wants to be the one to raise it.'

Harry let out a laugh. 'So you don't trust any advice she'd give you?'

'Not really. But you could ask my dad?'

'Yeah, that wouldn't be an awkward conversation at all,' Harry said sarcastically. 'Excuse me, I know you're my girlfriend's father, but I was wondering if there are any ways I could make love to her without knocking her up?'

Ginny laughed. 'Bad idea.'

'This would be the kind of thing I would ask Sirius,' said Harry with a sigh.

'You could ask Lupin,' said Ginny fairly.

'I don't know,' Harry said. Lupin didn't seem like the kind of person Harry would like to know he was having sex with Ginny.

'You're scared,' said Ginny accusingly. 'Harry Potter. Scared! I never thought I'd live to see this! You don't want to ask him because you're scared!'

'You're not going to be able to taunt me into asking him, Ginny,' Harry said, wiping the smirk off her face. 'Though I must admit, a very discreet move.'

'Woman's subtlety. Why are you scared of asking him?'

'I just don't want him to know too much about my private life. It feels uncomfortable. Listen, you're a woman. You lot are much more mature with regards to private lives. Why don't you ask Tonks. I think she'd be willing to provide us with some useful information. That is, of course, if you're not scared.'

'As a matter of fact, Harry Potter, I'm not. I will ask her! And I will prove myself to be braver than you!'

'I always knew you were braver than me,' said Harry. 'You don't need to prove that. This isn't a contest.'

Ginny kissed him on the lips and pulled him onto the bed for a very long snog session.

---

Hermione's wrath was noticeable throughout the next two months. Ron could be seen groveling on all fours in every room Hermione happened to be in, unless in Hogwarts. Often, he could be seen rubbing Hermione's feet, giving her a shoulder massage or doing homework research for her. (She wouldn't let him write any essays.)

It was a fate not eased by Harry and Ginny. The two blackmailed Ron with telling his mother about his mistake, in order to have him do any chores they didn't like.

When Fred and George next stopped by - a week before Christmas - they tried to make Ron do all sorts of stuff as well. They only stopped when Harry reminded them - in front of Ron - that they had no clue exactly what Ron had done (apart from getting Hermione pregnant).

This was Ron's price to pay in order to keep Mrs Weasley happy. The couple had come down to breakfast the following day at Grimmauld Place and told Mrs Weasley that they were going to have a baby.

To say she was pleased was an understatement. She was beyond delighted. She pulled Ron and Hermione into a hug that took half an hour and started decorating the nursing room the very same day.

As for the discovery concerning the locket Horcrux, Harry and Ginny filled the other two in. Hermione, like Harry, couldn't help but admire Voldemort's cleverness.

Harry's private training sessions were getting on well. Hermione declared that Harry had fully mastered Fire Control using a wand, and that he now should progress to non-wand Fire Control. As for the Animagus lessons, Harry was not making as much progress. He had been induced into a trance by Hermione, the first day she had been able to put her hands on a useful Animagus guide from Dumbledore's library. During that trance, Harry had seen the animal he would turn into. He had been flying over mountains, every now and then disappearing in a blast of fire. Harry knew he would turn into a phoenix.

But he couldn't yet fully turn into one. Hermione kept saying it took even adult wizards years to turn, and that Harry's success was expected to be delayed by the fact that he turned into a very powerful creature, as well. Harry knew what he had to do, but it didn't work. He had to concentrate with all his might on the phoenix he wanted to turn in to, as if he were to conjure one. Then he had to fill every particle of his body with the desire to become that phoenix. Then he had to forget that he was human and attempt to fly away.

Harry couldn't get more of his body than a leg to turn into that of a phoenix - a feat that, according to Hermione, should have taken a lot longer.

During these lessons, Harry was often distracted by the peculiar idea that someone was watching him. He mentioned the sensation to Ginny, Ron and Hermione, but all were unable to find a pair of eyes lurking in dark corners or behind a door.

Harry was not the only one who had been busy. Umbridge was able to pass another decree.

WAR-TIME DECREE NUMBER FOUR

Henceforth, all individuals found to be out of their houses any later than eight o' clock in the evening and earlier than six o' clock in the morning will be arrested.

The above is in accordance with War-Time Decree Number Four.

Signed,

Dolores Jane Umbridge,

Second Minister for Magic

'I don't believe it!' Hermione had squealed as soon as she had read it. 'She's imposed a curfew on us!'

'Don't fuss,' Harry had said. 'The hours aren't unreasonable.'

'But it's not like any Death Eaters will let themselves get caught after hours,' Lupin had said. 'Umbridge will only put innocent people in prison.'

'Mr Weasley,' Harry had said.

'Mhm.'

'Could you drop a hint to the Daily Prophet that I'm doing my Christmas shopping today in Diagon Alley?'

'Sure thing, but you're not going alone.'

'Of course, I'm not. I couldn't go alone if I wanted to.'

Sure enough, an article had appeared in the Daily Prophet less than twenty-four hours later.

INTERVIEW WITH HARRY POTTER IN DIAGON ALLEY

Reporter: Why are you in Diagon Alley?

Harry Potter: I'm doing my Christmas shopping. But surely, you could have guessed that.

Reporter: Is it safe?

Harry Potter: Few places are safe these days. If (censored) wants to take over Diagon Alley, I'm quite sure he'll be able to, although I am doing everything in my power to stop him.

Reporter: What is it that you're doing?

Harry Potter: I'm afraid I can't tell you, but it's more than the Ministry of Magic, in any case.

Reporter: What is it the Ministry is doing?

Harry Potter: They're letting (censored) take over. They've decided to work against me, rather than him. Umbridge is a criminal and not adept at co-leading the Ministry in these days. I suggest Rufus Scrimgeour find another candidate.

Reporter: Umbridge is a criminal?

Harry Potter: She sent two Dementors after an underage wizard and his Muggle cousin two and a half years ago. She attempted to put the Cruciatus Curse on that same underage wizard later that year. And only two months ago, she released a Death Eater from custody, after declaring that her cousin had no dealings with (censored) whatsoever. Dolores Jane Umbridge deserves Azkaban just as much as any Death Eater does.

Reporter: Why do you keep saying the name of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?

p alignjustify Harry Potter: It is He-Who-Must-Be-Named. He has a name. It's (censored). He doesn't want it to be said, but I wonder why most of us follow his wishes? I wonder why he changed his name in the first place, if he doesn't want it pronounced?

Reporter: He changed his name?

Harry Potter: Lord (censored) was born Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom Riddle after his Muggle father, Marvolo after his mother's father.

Reporter: Can he be stopped?

Harry Potter: Anyone can be stopped. (Censored) can be stopped, and I can be stopped. And for his sake, the latter had better be true.

Not two days later - the day before Christmas Eve - another article had appeared.

WAR-TIME DECREE FIVE AND SIX

No person can be convicted for a crime that was committed longer than two years before the trial takes place.

Criticism of any Ministry Authority is henceforth illegal.

The above are respectively in accordance with War-Time Decrees Five and Six.

Signed,

Dolores Jane Umbridge,

Second Minister for Magic

Harry decided to discuss the Ministry's behavior at the next Order meeting, the second of January. (The meeting had been postponed a single day.)

For now, he was preoccupied by what Hermione had pointed out was the very suspicious death of a Dorvinus Rodwin. According to Hermione, (and Hagrid, whom Harry asked a few days later,) Hippogriffs don't attack their masters if they have lived with them for a long time.

'They won' attack yeh, no matter how much yeh insul' them. They'll know yeh don' mean it,' Hagrid had said.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny did some research on Dorvinus Rodwin, and they came up with some very interesting results indeed. Rodwin seemed to have owned five houses, and in all of them, he raised Hippogriffs. He was a wealthy man as he once made a very generous contribution to St Mungo's.

Harry had asked Mr Weasley for records of magical activity in the vicinity of those five houses. There was one positive result. Harry believed it was a Death Eater stationed there to watch over the house.

'What are we going to do with the Death Eater?' Ron asked as Harry mentioned his plans to visit the place.

'I dunno. Stupefy him and modify his memory once we're done. But first we need to find him, though. I bet that will be pretty hard.'

In the end, they decided to send Ron and Hermione under the Invisibility Cloak to take care of whoever was guarding the place.

After a while, Hermione Apparated in front of Harry and Ginny. 'We've got him,' she said. 'Come with me'

Harry and Ginny both held her hands, and she Apparated them to the spot where a Death Eater lay. Harry recognized him immediately. It was the blond Death Eater who had entered Hogwarts six months ago.

They were in a forest, by a fire the Death Eater had probably made himself, judging by the multi-colored sparks coming from it.

'Ron stunned him,' said Hermione. 'Right in the back, wordlessly.'

Harry gave Ron an approving look. 'So where's the house?'

'Down the hill,' said Ron, and he led the way.

Hermione put a tricky little charm on the Dark Magic Detector to zoom towards the spot where it ignited brightest. All they had to do was follow the flying ball.

It stopped in the middle of a library.

'What do we do now?' Ron asked.

'Hermione, undo the spell on the Detector. We'll have to move it past every book, and find the one that is most magical.'

'Finite Volari!' Hermione said, and Harry caught the glass ball.

'Look for odd books.'

The four of them walked past shelves, Harry with the Detector.

'Harry?' Ron's voice came from behind him. 'Perhaps you should take a look at this.'

Harry walked over to Ron, and he noticed the Detector started glowing more. He saw the book Ron was pointing at. It was entitled The Odd Book on the Shelf.

Harry held the Detector close to it, and it glowed brightly orange. 'It's the one,' he said.

'Shall I pull it back?' asked Ron. His hand went for it, without Harry's approval.

'No!'

But Ron's hand already made contact with the book. He jerked it back immediately, yelping.

'Aw! I've burned my hand!' It was turning red quickly.

'Let Ginny do it,' Harry said. 'She won't register.'

Ginny walked forwards, cast a disappointed look at Ron and pulled back the book. The room started spinning. Everything became a blur.

It started slowing down. It stopped spinning. They were in the same library.

Hermione was looking at Ron's hand. 'Where are we now?' Ron asked. 'This is the same place!'

'No, it isn't,' said Harry. 'The entire library is somewhere else.'

'How do you know?' Hermione asked.

'We left the door open.' It was closed.

Ginny walked towards the door and opened it. They all walked through it.

They were standing at the bottom of a tall and steep staircase. There were no walls around them, no ceiling above them. Only the marble staircase in front of them, stretching too high to see where it ended.

Ron started climbing the stairs jovially. The others followed, but soon their moods were different. After only a few steps, they were tired. When they looked back, they saw the door to the library behind them, but surely not as far as they had climbed already.

After what seemed like hours of climbing, gallons of lactic acids in their legs, Ron came to an abrupt halt.

'What's wrong?' Harry asked.

'There's uhm ... a section of the stairs missing.'

Harry, Ginny and Hermione walked up to Ron, and they saw what he saw. A number of steps, twenty or so, were missing. It might be all right to jump down, but it was too high and far to jump up.

'We'll just Conjure broomsticks. Why I haven't thought of it before!' Hermione flicked her wand, but nothing happened.

'Anti-Conjuring Jinx,' Harry said. 'You won't be able to conjure the missing steps, either.'

Hermione tried anyway, and, as Harry predicted, nothing happened.

'We could go back and get a ladder,' Ron said.

'No, that would be too easy,' said Harry, looking down and seeing no bottom. 'Voldemort will have sealed the exit so you can't leave without the Horcrux.'

'You could fly us there, Harry,' said Ginny.

'No, that won't work. Harry's not yet an Animagus,' Hermione said.

'He could try,' said Ron.

Harry closed his eyes. He concentrated with all his might on a phoenix. Every particle in his body yearned to become that magical bird. He flapped his wings.

He looked into the eyes of his friends - disappointment.

'It's no good,' said Harry, using his wand to turn his right leg back into that of a human. 'I can't do more than just the leg.'

'Perhaps,' said Ginny, 'you need some pressure. You always do well under pressure.' Harry looked at her with bewilderment. 'All right. Do it again. Concentrate hard. And I'll make sure there's pressure.'

Wary of Ginny's idea of pressure, Harry closed his eyes again. He concentrated on a phoenix, a great, red swan, with scarlet and gold plumage, a wide wingspan. His toes wanted to become that bird. His feet and legs yearned for it. His stomach, his chest, his arms, his hands, his head, his face - all ardently desired to become that red and gold bird.

Suddenly he heard voices. 'Ginny! What are you doing?'

'Aaaaah.' Ginny had leapt off the stairs.

Harry didn't think about it. He had to save Ginny. He jumped off, too. He dived towards her. She was falling, but he was coming closer.

In her fall, she looked up, and her face filled with a smile.

Harry flew just above her, and she grabbed hold of Harry's feet. Harry beat his wings. He realized just how light she was. Only a few beats brought her back to the stairs, level with Ron and Hermione. He put Ginny on the stairs and sat on her shoulder.

'Don't ever do that again!' Ron yelled.

'I knew he could do it,' she said, patting Harry.

Harry bit her in the cheek.

'Aw! Well, I can't say I didn't deserve that, but why did you have to do it so hard?'

Harry started licking the tiny wound he made as if to say 'I'm sorry.' The wound healed slowly.

'Harry, this is ... really ... you are ... really ...' said Hermione.

'Terrific!' said Ron.

'So, can you carry us up?' Ginny asked. Harry stared at her, and tried to put a 'not you' into his own, golden eyes.

He flapped his wings, and rose a few inches above Ginny's shoulder. Ron and Hermione grabbed a foot. Ginny held Hermione's other hand.

Harry beat his wings, hard. Not only did he carry them over the gap, but up the rest of the stairs. It ended in front of a door.

Harry put down the three people on the stairs and landed on it himself. He concentrated on being human again and took a step.

He looked at his own hands. They were still wings. He looked expectantly at Hermione.

'Can't change back into a human, Harry?' Ron asked. Harry tried again, but he couldn't.

'Harry, are you stuck?' Hermione asked. The phoenix nodded.

'Do you think he needs some more pressure?' Ginny asked Hermione.

'Of course not,' and she whipped out her wand and tapped the bird. Harry was back.

'Thanks,' he said.

'No problem. Let's go in,' whispered Hermione. Harry noticed how steady her voice was, considering how scared she ought to be.

Harry turned the handle and entered. The room beyond was round, and as big as Dumbledore's - excuse me - McGonagall's office. Torches, five or six, were burning and lit the room. In the middle, levitating at shoulder level, was a gold and white quill.

Two fires of torches switched places. They made a loud whooshing noise as they flew through the air, at great speed.

'What the ... ?'

'Heliopaths,' said Ron. 'I thought they didn't exist.'

Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. 'Me, too.'

'Is anyone going to tell me what they are?'

'They are mythical creatures that ... well ... they are spirits of fire - pure magic, channeled in flames. No magic works on them.'

'Great,' said Harry. 'That means that Voldemort definitely made this place. I mean, only he can use things people don't think exist, so no one knows what to do when they face it.'

'What do you think they do?' Ginny asked.

'I bet they attack you if you try to get that quill,' said Harry. He took a small step forwards. Immediately, four or five balls of fire left their torches and started circling around the quill. Only when Harry stepped backwards did they return to their torches.

'What are we going to do?' Hermione asked.

'No magic works on them, you say?' Harry asked as Hermione shook her head. 'So why are they here?'

'Because Voldemort made them,' she answered,'only he controls them.'

'And how are they destroyed?' Harry asked.

'I don't know,' Hermione responded meekly. 'I don't know. They're not supposed to exist.'

'How are they made?' Harry asked. Maybe he would be able to undo the steps that brought the Heliopaths into being in the first place.

'Uhm, you ignite a bit of your own blood during some sort of ritual,' she answered, trying to remember the details. 'Why?'

'D'you think Ignimeo would work?' Harry asked hopefully.

'You can try, but I doubt it.'

Harry pointed his wand at the torch furthest away from him. 'Ignimeo!' He was controlling the fire. He made it go out ... no he didn't. The fire was burning on as if nothing was affecting it. Nothing was affecting it.

The four of them tried a series of spells. Evanesco, Aguamenti, Protego, Stupefy, Impedimenta, Tepulso, Finite Incantatem ... Nothing worked.

'I can't take this any longer!' yelled Ginny, whose patience was always the first to run thin.

What happened next happened so fast that Harry didn't have time to stop it. Ginny had covered her hands and her face with her cloak. She ran forwards - the Heliopaths left their torches - and she grabbed the quill. The Heliopaths made to attack her, but she ran down the stairs.

Harry, Ron and Hermione ran after her, Harry in the lead. He ran as hard as he could, in the direction of the balls of fire that were hunting Ginny down.

Ginny was running for her life. She leapt from step to step, skipping five or so each time. She arrived at the gap. She took a jump.

The Heliopaths made contact with her in the middle of her jump. She didn't land well and fell. She kept falling. She didn't stop. The stairs were endless. Her body rolled and bounced while the Heliopaths were burning her.

Harry jumped over the gap, and landed correctly. He had to help her. Those Heliopaths would kill her - if the fall did not.

Ginny fell to the ground and into the room that was the library. The Heliopaths vanished, revealing Ginny's body. Most of her clothes were burned away, by the time Harry arrived. Her skin was green and cracked - parched. It was hot. Her hair had burnt away, also.

'The Heliopaths left because she fainted,' Harry told Ron, who had just come down. 'We need to get her to St Mungo's as soon as possible.'

As soon as Hermione had entered the library, Ron pulled back the book, thoroughly burning his hand. 'It's all right,' he said. 'Need to get Ginny to the hospital.'

The room started to spin, and after what seemed an eternity, came to a halt.

To his utmost annoyance, Harry had to carry Ginny outside in order to Apparate. Ron and Hermione followed him without saying a word.