FAIRY TALES

Chapter 12: Unexpected Events

"Ginny, is Hermione here yet?" Ron asked as he barged into her room, interrupting their daydreams. He froze dead in his tracks as he locked eyes with Hermione. Ginny could see his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, as though he were trying to dislodge one of those second year slugs. He was muddy from head to foot and looked like his brothers had dumped him into the pond, instead of playing Quidditch with him for the last few hours.

She glanced at Hermione and noticed that she was blushing, and watched as her friends gaze dropped to her clenched hands. Ginny could feel the heat in her own face and knew that they both looked guilty. "When are you going to learn some manners, Ron? Knock next time. We could've been changing."

From Ron's face, he must have just realized how he smelled and looked. Mortification oozed from every pore, turning his ears red as he stuttered, "Umm… M… Mum, said to tell you that she could use your help with dinner. I'm sorry I barged in, I'll knock next time." He turned and hustled out of there as if she had hexed him.

The girls watched him leave, before starting to giggle. Ginny had been so into the fantasy that her heart was pounding in her chest and she still felt out of breath. She looked over at Hermione, and from the embarrassed look on her face, in her fantasy, she must have been snogging Ron something fierce. Hermione looked up, and Ginny caught her eyes and smiled. "I need to go down and help Mum. Do you want to come with me or stay here?"

Sighing, she said, "I'll come. With so many of us, I'm sure your Mum could use the help. Just give me a moment to catch my breath."

That night at dinner, the young witches sat on opposite sides of the table facing each other, and every time that they looked up, they began to giggle. This display of girlish behavior caused the older people around the table to laugh, but Ron looked at them as if they had suddenly sprouted wings or horns. He felt that his best friend, Hermione, had lost her mind and couldn't wait until tomorrow when they could rescue Harry and he would have some male support. Girls were totally unfathomable.

After dinner, Bill challenged him to a game of Wizards chess, and he leapt at the chance to get away from the torture of the tittering girls. He rushed into the family room before he had finished chewing his last bite of dessert. He was positive that the sniggering had somehow been about him, and he didn't have any idea what he'd done to cause it.

As Ron set up the board, he managed to knock three pieces to the floor. He didn't know why he was all thumbs all of a sudden. He just knew that the giggling was driving him insane.

The game began, but with his opening move, Bill could tell that Ron's mind wasn't on the match. After watching Ron make some incredibly thoughtless moves, he said, "Ron, calm down. What's wrong with you?" It was as obvious as red hair on a Weasley that Ron had something besides chess on his mind.

Ron's hand was shaking so hard that he had trouble moving his knight forward. He shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, making it stand straight up. "Girls! What was with them tonight?"

"Maybe they're excited about spending time together?" Bill said, and he took the knight with his bishop.

"No, I probably did something dumb." Without looking at the board, Ron advanced his queen. "Ginny yelled at me this afternoon for barging into her room without knocking. I never knock on her door. She's just my sister." He couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong.

Seizing Ron's queen with his pawn, Bill said, "Ron, let it go. You're not the reason they were laughing. But Ginny is getting older, she'll be thirteen in a few months, so you should probably respect her privacy from now on."

"Then, why were they laughing?" Ron hadn't noticed the absence of his knight or his queen. The remaining chess pieces were cringing away from his hand as he reached blindly and pushed a bishop into the path of Bill's knight.

"They probably talked about boys this afternoon and were slightly embarrassed. I know that she's your little sister, but she's growing up. Haven't you noticed?" His knight obliging grappled with the bishop, who retired from the board with grace.

Ron directed a quaking pawn forward one square and the other pieces groaned, knowing what was to come. "Well, I'm a bloke. That's why I think they were laughing at me."

"Ron, if you're so concerned, why don't you go up and talk with Hermione? You can ask her if they were chatting about you." Ron's second knight hobbled off the board after Bill's queen unseated him.

"Who said I wanted to talk to her?" Ron absentmindedly moved another pawn, leaving his castle defenseless.

Bill's bishop captured the undefended piece. "Tell you what. We all know that you fancy her, so go talk to her."

"I — I — You think I fancy Hermione? Where'd you get that idea?" His hand waved over the board, but his eyes were darting around the room to see if anyone else was listening. Seeing an opening, one of Ron's pawns moved on his own and imprisoned one of Bill's pawns.

Bill moved his rook into position for the final assault. "Both you and Ginny are growing up. You'll want a girlfriend soon, and Ginny might have a boyfriend before long."

"I will kill the first boy who tries to take advantage of Ginny. She's way too young for a boyfriend," Ron growled, his hands clenching into fists. He made a sweeping gesture across the board and another pawn advanced slowly.

"What about if Ginny's boyfriend happens to be Harry?" Bill asked calmly as he moved a knight into position to surround Ron's king.

Ron stared at Bill, his mouth hanging open. "Ginny's had a crush on Harry since she was ten, that doesn't mean anything. She's too young for boys. But - I guess - if she had to date someone — Harry'd be the best one for her. Everyone else'll have to go through me." As he stated this, he raised his hand and pointed at his chest, emphasizing his determination. Then he moved his last castle out into the open.

Bill captured the rook with his queen. "Ginny doesn't need your permission, Ron. Maybe you should go up and talk with the girls. You need to get some things settled."

"Nah, I'm playing chess with you." He moved his lonely bishop forward. "I'll spend the evening with the guys."

Bill quietly took the last bishop, and said, "Checkmate. You lose, Romeo." He laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Ron's face.

He hadn't lost a chess match this quickly since he was eight. What was going on? Why couldn't he concentrate? In his head, he could still see Hermione and Ginny, as they'd looked that afternoon. They hadn't looked mad at his intrusion. They had looked flustered. What was going on? Why couldn't girls act more like guys? It would make it much easier to understand them. Why do they have to act so silly? Laughing at nothing at all, they just don't make any sense. He looked up at Bill and saw that his brother was smiling.

"Have you solved the mystery of girls? If so, you'll make a fortune. Ron, no man has ever understood them fully. You just have to accept that they're different and love them for their differences."

"Hermione used to be normal. She never giggled like that before."

"She's now fourteen, the same as you. Just like your hormones are kicking in, so are hers."

"Well, so what?" Ron looked at his eldest brother. He knew that what Bill was telling him was important, and he hoped it would make things easier in the future.

"You fancy her and because of that you blush, stammer and get so nervous your palms sweat. Right?"

Ron didn't know what to say, so he just nodded.

"That's all typical. I went through it, I watched Charlie do it, and I'm sure Percy and the Twins have also suffered with it."

"How long does it last?"

"That depends on how much you like her. You've been friends for three years, haven't you been able to talk to her before?"

"Of course. We're mates. But lately we spend a lot of time yelling at each other," he added glumly.

"As I said, Romeo, normal. When you two are fighting, you forget. It's how you communicate right now. When you stop, you remember how you feel."

Defeated, Ron sat with his shoulders slumped and his hands nervously clutched together. His hair was mussed from all of the times he'd raked his fingers through it. He had tears in his eyes that were trained on Bill in supplication. "Why do feelings get in the way?"

"Ron, embrace them. Caring is the difference between us and You-Know-Who."

"You — You - "

"Forget I said anything. You'll know how and when to act on your emotions. C'mon, let's go up to bed. Tomorrow is another day."

The two brothers, so alike in looks and temperament, rose and went upstairs to their rooms. They grinned at each other in a manly sort of way as they passed Ginny's closed door and heard giggling. Bill entered his room and Ron continued his journey up to his lonely space at the top of the house. He had a lot to think about, and his mind was just churning away. How could he have lost a chess match so easily? Why was Ginny laughing? Why was Hermione laughing? Does she like him a little? How was he going to get through tomorrow until he could fetch Harry at five? Harry would at least even the numbers.

Ron's dreams that night were full of laughter as two giggling witches and two young wizards spent the remainder of the summer having fun at the World Cup. In his dreams Ron gave up trying to answer all the questions in his mind and just enjoyed spending time with his friends. Life was a lot easier in his dreams.

The Weasleys and Hermione spent a quiet day at The Burrow, waiting for five o'clock when they could go and liberate Harry from his relatives. Ron, Fred and George all elected to accompany their Dad. He'd requested permission to connect the Dursleys' fireplace to the Floo Network for the afternoon. At five, the rescuers gathered in the family room, and, after her Mum had made sure that they were all presentable, they prepared to leave. Mr. Weasley left first, with Fred, George and Ron following closely behind.

Believing Mr. Weasley had everything well in hand, her Mum returned to the kitchen, and Hermione and Ginny retired to her room. Ginny didn't want to be caught standing around as if she was waiting for him to arrive. They were discussing some of the new classes available for her this term. She would be in her third year and Hermione was trying to convince Ginny into changing to her favorite class, Arithmancy. Ginny wasn't very interested in numbers. After her trip to Egypt, she wanted to take Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies. She was glad when she heard a commotion downstairs and realized that Harry had arrived and they could quit talking about school.

The girls ran down the stairs and arrived in the kitchen just in time to hear Mrs. Weasley demand to know what had happened at the Dursleys'. They smiled at Harry and when he smiled back, Ginny had a flashback to the scene in her fantasy and blushed. Oh, no! Not now. She was moving on. They were just going to be friends. She wanted to bolt back upstairs to her room, but Hermione had other ideas.

Hermione, seeing Mrs. Weasley working herself up, suggested that they head upstairs and get Harry settled. The two boys lifted Harry's trunk and all four of them trooped upstairs, Hermione dragging Ginny behind her.

Pig was flying around Ron's room, excited about having company. While the boys placed Harry's trunk against the foot of the spare bed, they all talked about their summers and their families. Although Ginny was being included, she felt as if they were talking in code. A secret language that only the three of them would ever be privy to. There were nudges and looks between them that never included her. She had the feeling she was still outside in the cold, her face pressed against the window, wishing to be invited to enter the warm appealing place where they were, somewhere she would never be.

With eleven people for dinner, the girls knew that Mrs. Weasley would appreciate some help, so excusing themselves, they went down to help. Her Mum said, "We are eating out in the garden tonight. If I try to cram everyone in the kitchen, we won't have any elbow room at all." Then she sent them out to set the table.

The sun was just setting as they settled around the groaning table, covered with platters of all their favorite foods. While they ate and talked, the sun sank out of view, turning the periwinkle blue sky into a rainbow of colors that eventually faded into black as the moon rose. After eating the enormous dinner, her Dad announced that it was time for bed. They had to leave quite early, due to the fact that they had a long walk in the morning before sunrise. They needed to catch the Portkey before Muggles were out and about.

Being girls, although they knew that morning would come early, they couldn't pass up the chance to chat before going to sleep. "Well, how'd Harry look to you? He seemed happier to me this year, don't you think?" asked Hermione, after climbing into her bed.

"Yes, he looked good, and happy to be here. I can't believe I blushed. Hermione, why don't you blush when Ron's around? You did the other day, but usually you don't."

"Well, for one thing, he doesn't know how I feel. Therefore, I don't have to be embarrassed. Another reason is that we were friends before I started feeling this way. You'll stop if you spend more time with Harry. That's why I made you come with us this afternoon. You have to stop worrying when you're in the same room."

"I don't know. I thought I'd conquered it last year, but it happened again tonight."

"Don't worry about it, I doubt he even noticed. Didn't you once tell me that he ignores or overlooks all the silly stuff you do?"

"Yes, but this is different. How can he miss it?"

"Harry looks at most people with his heart, not just his eyes. I don't think that he'd ever deliberately hurt someone he cared about, if he could help it."

"I hope he keeps it up. G'night, Hermione."

"Goodnight."

The next thing she knew, her Mum was shaking her shoulder. "C'mon, Ginny. It's time to leave." She heard her move across the room and say the same thing to Hermione.

It couldn't be morning already. She knew that they were getting up early, but this was ridiculous. They'd just gone to bed. Her Mum left to make breakfast and both girls rolled over. The warm beds and the dark cradled them, soothing them back to sleep.

Moments later, it couldn't have been longer than two, her Mum was back. This time she was serious. She lighted all the candles around the room and pulled the blankets to the bottom of the bed. Shaking both girls, she reminded them that unless they wanted to arrive at the World Cup in their nightgowns, they had better get ready for the day. All the boys were already downstairs and they wouldn't take kindly to missing the Portkey.

Awake, barely, they dressed and stumbled downstairs to the kitchen. It was too early to eat, but Ginny knew that they wouldn't get another chance for a hot breakfast later. "Why do we have to get up so early?" Ginny said, while rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table. She wasn't really interested in the answer; it was more of a complaint.

Too tired to pay attention, she let the discussion flow around her, while she ate some porridge. After donning a Muggle sweatshirt for warmth, she and Hermione joined the rest of their party outside the back door. Her Mum was still yelling at Fred and George over their Ton-Tongue Toffee's, and the atmosphere was decidedly chilly.

To reach the Portkey, they had to hike to the other side of the village and up Stoatshead Hill. Even with the warm sweatshirt and exercise, Ginny was freezing by the time that they'd arrived at the top. Dawn was breaking, the sun bringing the promise of heat, so soon she would be warm.

Mr. Diggory and Cedric were also waiting for the Portkey. Cedric was older than Fred and George. Although he was cute, Ginny couldn't forgive him for catching the Snitch while Harry was falling out of the sky because of the Dementors. As Mr. Diggory bragged about Cedric beating Harry, she forgot how chilled she was. Heat was rising from the inside. She knew that her father would never forgive her if she forgot her manners and told an adult off, so she bit her tongue and prayed that she wouldn't explode. How dare he talk about Harry that way? Luckily, Hermione saw her clenched fists and jaw. She drew her away and began a discussion on Cheering Charms, before Ginny hexed someone.

Ginny enjoyed travelling by Portkey. Soon they were tumbling around on the ground at the disembarking station. After finding where their campground was, they knew a short walk across a moor was before them. The mist made it difficult to see anything, but it would burn off soon. They came to a small cottage and inquired about the position of their spaces. Her Dad had Harry help him with the Muggle money to pay for their camping area, and they started weaving through the tents already erected upon the site.

The group found a pretty site next to the woods, where a stake driven into the ground read 'Weezly'. She watched as her Dad pounded tent pegs into the earth while trying to erect both tents. He looked like an excited little boy. When Ron, Harry and Hermione went across the campground to fetch water, she began looking for Brittany. She had waved at her earlier, when they were still looking for their spots. Now she was free for a time to go have a chat.

After exuberant hugs, Brittany said, "Mum and Dad, I would like to introduce one of my dormmates, Ginny Weasley. Ginny, my Mum and Dad."

"Nice to meet you," said Ginny, smiling shyly at Brittany's parents.

"Same here," said Mr. Nichols. He was a tall, thin wizard with a very friendly smile. "I think I know your father. Is his name Arthur?" At Ginny's nod, he continued, "We went to Hogwarts together, although he was a few years ahead of me."

Brittany's mum was an older version of her daughter, with her curly brown hair cut short. She smiled. "Why don't you girls take a walk? I know you have a lot to talk about."

"Great. Thanks Mum. I'll be back in about an hour." She dragged Ginny away from her parent's tent before giving her the third degree. "Okay, you sly devil. I saw who arrived with you. I thought you were giving up on tall, dark and handsome."

"I am, but he's still a friend."

"Yeah, sure. Have you met any good looking boys this summer?"

"So far I've just seen Harry." Blushing, she quickly added, "No, that's not right. We travelled together with the Diggorys. Cedric is tall, had dark hair, and very cute, he's a few years older, but does he count?"

"Cedric Diggory? The Hufflepuff Seeker? Yes! Of course, he counts. He's quite good looking. Way to go, roomie."

"Calm down, Britt. He didn't even see me. His dad was bragging about how he caught the Snitch last year, and how he was better then Harry. I almost hexed him. If Hermione hadn't pulled me aside and distracted me, I would have."

"So, his dad's a git! He's still totally gorgeous! I haven't been able to meet anyone this summer. With Megan and her family gone, I never had an excuse to go anywhere. I can't wait for school to start. My parents have given me permission to go out with someone this year, and I intend to have fun. We even get to go to Hogsmeade."

"I know. I've heard so much about it. I can't wait to see Honeydukes."

"Honeydukes? I was thinking of Madame Puddifoot's."

"What's that? I've never heard of it before."

"It's a tearoom where couples go. I heard that they sit around tiny little tables and snog in front of other people."

"Yuck. Who'd want to kiss in public?"

"I think it would be very romantic. A guy would have to like you a whole lot to be romantic in public. He'd be telling the world that he loved you."

"Well, I still don't think that I'd like the tearoom." While the girls had talked, they had made a complete circuit of the grounds. "I really must go back to our tents. Dad is probably wondering where I am. We're going home tomorrow, whether the match is over or not. So, I guess I'll see you at school." After sharing a hug, Ginny ran towards her Dad's spot. She was glad for the opportunity to see her friend, but was eager to get back and see if everyone else had arrived.

The three Weasley's who were Apparating were there. She walked over to Bill and sat down beside him. He was eleven years her senior, but, despite the age difference they'd always been very close. "Hey, Blaze. Did you have a good hike this morning? We heard from Mum that you were barely awake when you left."

Bill hadn't called her that for ages. It had precipitated many scuffles at The Burrow. She had hated the nickname when she was younger, now it seemed more of an endearment. "It was okay. Rather cold. I'm glad Dad got the fire going."

"Well, then you need to thank Hermione. She helped Dad light the fire." At Ginny's look, he explained, "She taught him how to use matches."

Glancing around, Ginny asked, "Oh, are they back?"

Nodding, Bill said, "Yup! They're inside putting the water away. Harry managed to spill it all over him on the way back."

People were constantly passing their tents. They seemed to be on the direct path to the stadium. Ludo Bagman, Bartemius Crouch and a multitude of other Ministry employees had passed by, when Ginny heard a sound like two cauldrons being banged together.

"Time to go," said her Dad.

They all stood and followed Mr. Weasley through the trees to the stadium. Climbing steadily, they followed the purple carpet up to the very top, where they exited the stairway into the top box, containing around twenty seats. They filed into the front row. Ginny, was sandwiched happily between Bill and Charlie. Her head seemed to be on a swivel as she tried to see everything at once. The noise was deafening, and the teams weren't even on the field yet. She wondered what it would be like when they were. She was wearing a green shirt to show support for Ireland and had a large rosette pinned to it that yelled the names of the Irish team.

When the team mascots for the Bulgarian team had started their presentation, not interested in watching them dance, she took a swift peek at Harry. Her peek turned into a stare, and she had watched in amazement as Ron and Harry went into a trance. What was with them? The women were only dancing. They weren't even that attractive. So what if they had long blonde hair, she thought that red hair was rather special. What had Harry all bothered? Why couldn't he look at her that way? She noticed that her older brothers weren't acting as silly as the youngest boys were. Ron looked as if he was about to dive right over the side of the box, and Harry was trying to climb over the railing. Ginny watched as Hermione pulled them back into their seats. The team mascots for Ireland were leprechauns. Hundreds of them formed a rainbow, golden balls, and then a shamrock. Then gold rained down on the spectators, as they zoomed around the stadium. She happily scooped up all the gold that landed around her. Both teams' mascots finally settled on opposite sides of the pitch so that the game could begin.

The match was everything that Ginny had expected. The teams moved in unison with each other seamlessly, as if they knew exactly what each of the other players were thinking. She had never seen a game played at this speed. It was so fast; the players were mere streaks of color in the sky. The Irish Team was superb. Though their Seeker, Lynch, had followed Krum into a dive and slammed into the earth, the Chasers had scored enough points that even if Viktor Krum caught the Snitch, Ireland would still win. The Bulgarian team had excellent brooms, but they couldn't match the power and speed of the Irish team. Bill had a pair of Omnioculars that he let her use, but she didn't like them because she had trouble keeping them focused on the Quaffle. She was hoarse from cheering and groaning. She had never been anywhere this exciting in her life.

As the match went on, the mascots became rowdy. The leprechauns made an unseemly gesture, and the Bulgarian team mascots began throwing balls of fire around the stadium. Krum got a Bludger to the nose, but the referee was distracted, as one of the fireballs had set his broom ablaze. Lynch spied the Snitch and sent his broom into another steep dive. Krum quickly followed, blood from his broken nose streaming out behind him. Her screams of elation turned to groans of horror as Ireland's Seeker, Lynch, ploughed a second furrow into the ground. He had to ride double as the team took the traditional victory lap around the pitch.

Ireland Won! The match was over. Krum had the Snitch, but Ireland was too far ahead in points. The teams came to the top box where she was sitting. Although Viktor Krum was the best flyer she had ever witnessed, up close he looked surly and uncoordinated. After congratulating the Bulgarian Team, Mr. Fudge presented the Irish Team with the Cup.

They made their way back to the campground and entered the boys' tent, which was the larger of the two. Too excited to go to bed, her Dad had recommended a cup of cocoa. Ginny had had an exhausting day, with very little sleep the night before. As everyone rehashed the match, mentioning his or her favorite move or player, her head was slowly nodding towards the tabletop.

"Wake up. Time to go to bed." That didn't make a lot of sense to Ginny until she realized that she had been sleeping at the table. She stood and followed Hermione into the smaller of the two tents.

The girls had barely settled in their beds when Mr Weasley awakened Ginny for the second time that night. Without explanation, he told them to pull their coats on over their nightgowns. He then hurried them out of their warm tent. It was still pitch black outside, except for small campfires dotting the area.

The firelight was enough for them to see an appalling sight when they left their tent. A group of faceless wizards were torturing four people. They had them suspended in the air, like puppets. The assembled revelers were heading in their direction. Her Dad said that the four people must be the Muggle family who ran the campground, as two of them were very tiny. Although she couldn't see any faces, she could hear laughter ring out from the masked persecutors when the smallest body began to spin, the child's head flopping from side to side. How sick! Why would anyone treat another human being like that?

Just then, Bill, Charlie and Percy ran from the other tent with their wands out. They were dressed and pushing up their sleeves as they sprinted towards the mob. Her Dad ordered the students into the woods, while he and her older brothers went to try to help the Ministry officials. His last shouted words were, "Stay together."

"C'mon," said Fred. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her towards the woods. The other four followed closely behind, all of them running full out. Brambles snagged in her robe and hair, pulling her back towards the revelers.

Ginny kept tripping because she was looking behind her at the destruction of the camp. If Fred hadn't been hauling her along, almost carrying her, all the people dashing for the cover of the woods would have trampled her.

The masked wizards were blasting tents aside, unconcerned about causing any injuries. People were screaming. Young children were crying. Ginny could see blue, yellow and orange flashes of lights, traded back and forth between the masked group and the rescuers. She couldn't believe that people would behave that badly. As Fred pulled her further into the forest, she lost sight of the destruction. They raced through the trees for several minutes, her breath coming in painful gasps and causing a stitch in her side. Fred stopped, and she fell to her knees. The turf was hard, the heather soft and springy. He'd pulled her clear through the woods, until they were standing in the shadow of the stadium. She turned to look for the rest of them and only found George. Panting from her dash through the trees, she asked, "W — Where're Hermione, Ron and Harry?"

George and Fred both turned and stared into the woods, looking dumbfounded. "They were right behind me. Where could they've gone?" George asked. "Do you think we should go back for them?"

"Yes!" Ginny shouted. "Go find them."

"No! They're old enough to take care of themselves. We need to take care of Ginny," Fred said.

"I don't need a babysitter. You guys can go and look for them. I'll wait right here until you get back." What were they waiting for? Ron was their brother.

She watched as George and Fred shared a look. "No, Ginny. You're our responsibility," said George, siding with his twin. "We're going to stay here with you. I hope that the other three will show up any minute. We all ran into the trees together, so we know that that group of nutters didn't accost them. They will be safe in the woods."

She knew that they were right. It was smarter to stay in one place and let the other group find them, but she didn't like it. They had probably been turned around in the dark and would come stumbling out of the woods any second. But what if one of them had fallen? Or been hurt? If it hadn't been for Fred, she would have fallen multiple times. She was crying and couldn't catch her breath. Were her family safe? Had they rescued the Muggles? Where were Hermione, Harry and her brother? Harry had such a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, except for her case when he had been in the right place.

More people were leaving the woods, but they didn't see the trio. Ginny frantically searched every face as they became visible. They began to hear snatches of concerned conversations and, looking back towards the trees, they saw a green skull with a snake coming out of his mouth, hovering over the woods. None of them knew what it meant, but from the gasps and sobs coming from the other groups, it couldn't be good.

She heard, 'It can't be him? He's gone. You-Know-Who' and with a frightened gasp, she stared at her brothers, who looked as scared as she felt. He couldn't be here. Not where there were so many Ministry wizards. He wouldn't take the chance, would he? Were the Muggles just a diversion to get to Harry? He was in the woods somewhere, unprotected. Was this another attempt on Harry's life? Jumping up, she began streaking for the trees. "Fred, George, we need to find them. Now! We can't let him get them. C'mon, we have to go."

Her brothers stopped her by tackling her to the ground. They were shaking their heads. Faces so alike; both pale, both frowning, both looking apologetic. Fred took her hand to help her up off the ground. He said, "No, Ginny. You are not going off to find them."

Shaking off Fred's hand, she said, "We have to! C'mon George, if Fred won't go we'll leave him behind. He might be afraid, but I'm not." She knew that that was unfair, but at this moment, she didn't care who she hurt. Right at this moment, the Twins were her enemy. They were stopping her from going to Harry's aid. Couldn't they understand that they needed to go help him? She was crying again. Frustration, hurt, fear, and just plain mad, Ginny turned her back on her brothers. Running across the uneven ground in the dark and being tumbled to the hard packed turf had hurt. Her ankle was throbbing where George had landed on it. She started walking towards the trees, wincing every other step.

George wrapped both arms securely around her and said, "No, Ginny. We're waiting here. Do you even have your wand? How much help do you think you would be against a fully trained wizard?"

Ginny sagged in his arms, her rubbery legs wouldn't support her, gasping for enough breath so she could sob. No, she didn't have her wand. She had left it back in the tent. She hadn't picked it up when her Dad had hurried them out into this living nightmare. She could hear every pounding beat of her heart; feel each pulse of her body as the blood rushed around it. With each beat, Harry could be closer to death. His own heart could be pumping his life's blood onto the ground from a wound inflicted by Riddle. But without her wand, there was absolutely nothing she could do to help him.

"They'll be okay! They have to be," said Fred, almost as a prayer, as he stepped forward and joined the pair. Between the two brothers, they were supporting most of her weight. Then, tears streaming down their faces, the three turned and watched the hovering omen of death.

When the noise on the other side of the woods had diminished, Fred and George led her back to their tents. Keeping in the cover of the trees, they crept towards the campground, until they were positive that everyone was gone and that it was safe to come out of hiding. The fires extinguished, the revelry finished for that evening, Bill, Charlie and Percy had all returned to their tent. Bill and Percy were both bleeding, but Charlie wasn't injured. Percy would have a black eye, blood was pouring from his broken nose. Trying to staunch the flow of blood from a long cut on his arm, Bill was wrapping it tightly in a sheet. The other trio and Dad had not returned.

The twins placed her gently in a chair and plopped into the chairs on either side of her. Charged with her safekeeping, they were still in that protective mode. She had endured about all the suffering that she could manage that night. What was going on in her world? Two brothers injured, three looking pale and worried, one missing. Was this a foretelling of what was to come? Where was her Dad? Why hadn't he returned to the tent when her older brothers had? Where were Hermione, Ron and Harry?

She was shaking with worry, her angry sobs barely controlled. The longer they sat staring at each other, the more frightened she became. Why were they sitting here so calmly? Why weren't they all out looking for her missing friends and their brother?

Charlie suddenly stood, causing everyone to jump. "Sorry, I think I hear something," and he leaned out of the door to look.

Thank Merlin, Dad had returned, and he had the other three in tow. Her eyes glued to the doorway, she waited for the first sight of Harry. She needed to make sure nothing had happened to him.

When Harry walked in, he looked swiftly around the tent. Emerald green eyes fused with warm honey brown ones. In the split second that they connected, she centered all of her concentration on Harry. She could hear talk going on all around her, but couldn't have participated even if she'd wanted to.

He blinked and slowly looked around the room. She followed his gaze and looked around at all of her loved ones present. Everyone was preoccupied with the discussion going on about those nutters in the masks. No, she realized as she came to Bill, he had noticed. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, as he looked from her to Harry, and she knew that Bill would be talking to her in the near future.

She began listening when she heard Hermione shout, "She didn't run amok!" They were deep into a discussion about catching a house elf with Harry's wand and the fact that his wand had conjured the Dark Mark. How and when did he lose his wand? According to her Dad, The Dark Mark was the sign that You-Know-Who had killed someone and hadn't been seen in thirteen years. Dad called the nutters in the masks 'Death Eaters' and said that they were followers of You-Know-Who. When they spied the mark in the sky, they'd all Disapparated, leaving the Muggles to fall. The Ministry officials had rescued the Roberts before they hit the ground, and the Muggles were now having their memories modified.

Her Dad sent them all back to bed to get a few hours sleep, before they took a Portkey back to Stoatshead Hill. Ginny didn't want to go back into the girls' tent, but was too tired for much protesting. Thoughtfully, Bill escorted them to the other tent where he used the Scouring Charm on both of their nightgowns. After the second 'Scourgify', they climbed into their beds and almost instantly were asleep.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when her Dad woke her for the third time. She stumbled around getting dressed and, as soon as they were out of the tent, her father packed it up by magic. After everything else that had happened, she guessed he wasn't worried about the Muggle seeing him. He hurried her family to the Portkey disembarkation point, and after talking with his friend, they joined the queue waiting for a Portkey. Soon they were all hanging on an old rubber tire. She was glad when she felt the tug behind her navel pulling her towards the end of this journey. She hadn't felt this tired since her first year at Hogwarts.

By the time Ginny had walked through Ottery St. Catchpole and begun the long trek up their drive, the Twins were almost carrying her. It barely registered that her Mum was emotionally welcoming everyone back. She was just glad to be home.

Dear Diary,
Harry was just as worried as I was. I could feel it over the link. Why did Bill have to notice? Now I'll have to avoid him until he leaves.

Why did those 'Death Eaters' have to ruin the World Cup? We'd been having a nice time. Looking around at my family, I felt that this wasn't the last injury one of us would get. I know that some of Mum's family died during the first time that Riddle came to power. I hope no one is hurt this time around. I am so worried.

It had been a week and things at work hadn't settled down for her father. Even though he was on holiday, she had rarely seen him. He left before the girls woke in the morning and arrived long after her Mum had tucked them into their beds. The last night before their return to Hogwarts, they'd all gathered in the family room. Harry was cleaning his broom, Hermione was reading a new schoolbook, Fred and George were whispering in the corner, Charlie was darning a fireproof balaclava and Ron and Bill were involved in a game of chess. She loved evenings like this, everyone doing his or her own thing, but still all together. Ginny was sitting in front of the fire, mending one of her second hand textbooks with Spellotape. She had managed to avoid Bill since returning from the World Cup, and tomorrow they would be catching the Hogwarts Express. When her Mum sent them upstairs to make sure they were packed, she thought to herself, I've done it! He can't question me now.

She quickly stood, picked up her mended book and had turned towards the stairs when behind her she heard, "Wait a minute, Ginny. Could we take a walk before you go up? I'll be leaving tomorrow as well and we haven't had much time together to talk."

"Umm… I have a lot still to do, Bill. Can it wait?" she asked while sidling towards the stairs.

Her Mum smiled. "Go along, Ginny. I've finished packing most of your trunk. You don't get that much time to visit with Bill. Have a good time. It's a beautiful night out. I know that you'd rather be outside with your brother than in your room packing."

Not looking forward to this discussion, but afraid that she couldn't get out of it, she said, "Thanks Mum."

Bill wrapped an arm around her shoulders and together they walked towards the kitchen door. Bill was looking introspective; he seemed totally absorbed with his own thoughts. Ginny was feeling as if she were on her way to an inquisition. Why, oh why, did he have to see her communicating with Harry that night? She wished he would just get this over with. What was taking him so long to begin questioning her?

They walked together for about five minutes without saying a word, across the garden, through the orchard and out onto the Quidditch pitch. The full moon lighted the area, and sighing, Bill stopped and asked, "Blaze, why've you been avoiding me this past week?"

Startled, she looked up at him and only saw concern in his face. No knowing grin. No smirk. He didn't look as if he intended to tease her. All she saw was her big brother who'd always been there for her. He sounded worried about her answer. He'd never laughed at her dreams, or 'fairy tales', as the Twins called them. Hugging him, she said, "Right now, I don't have any idea why. I was afraid of the questions that I was sure you were going to ask. I didn't want you making fun of me."

Bill just stood there looking down on her with those same gentle brown eyes that had never judged her when she was little. Eyes a lot like hers in color and shape, with love shining from them.

She reached out and took his hand. "I know you'd never have done that, but this is something that's very hard to talk about."

"Would you rather go back? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Ginny sat, still holding his hand, and pulled him down on the pitch. Gazing up at the heavens, she said, "No, I don't mind talking to you about it. What do you want to know?"

"Well, I'd like to understand that look between you and Harry. There was something weird going on in the tent that night. When Harry stepped through the doorway, his eyes sought yours. I could almost see sparks when they found you, Blaze. Your nickname suited you that night."

She stared at him. She hadn't known that their bond was visible. "I can't explain it. I was worried about him. We've shared dreams before. When I'm afraid, he comes to my dreams and makes me feel safe. He must've felt my concern, because as soon as he came into the tent, he sent me a message that he was all right and asked how I was."

Bill shook his head, his face inscrutable. "That was a powerful bond. Do you have any idea what caused it, or when you were linked?"

"Not really. You know that I've always wanted to marry Harry. Since I was five, I've felt that it was my destiny."

"I remember. What does that have to do with now? Or with that look?"

"This past year, that feeling has grown stronger, even though we've had very few talks or time alone. I've felt some sort of bond with him since the train ride to Hogwarts last year. I've talked with Mum, and she thinks it's been longer."

"Did Mum suggest what was behind it?"

"No. She just said that it couldn't be a 'life debt', because he had visited my dreams before he saved me from Tom. She seemed very distracted after she found out. She went up to her room and stayed there for over an hour." Ginny thought for a moment, and then asked, "Bill, do you know anything about bonds? Do you think that this is something bad? Maybe, something left behind by Riddle?"

"Blaze…" Bill stopped and raked his hand through his hair.

He reminded her so much of both Ron and Harry at that moment. They both did that when they were nervous or upset. He was going to tell her bad news, she just knew it. "Bill, just tell me. Is this bad?"

"Blaze, I've seen many curses during my work at Gringotts, but I've never seen anything, anywhere, about bonds being negative, or bad. However, I just don't know. How does it feel when you're linked? Is there any pain? Uncertainty? Doubt? Or a feeling that he's there to cause trouble?"

Ginny took her time answering. She tried to remember how she felt each time. Shaking her head, she answered, "No, Bill. All I've ever felt through the bond was comfort, serenity and love. And maybe strength, as if together we could achieve anything."

Bill sat unmoving. Ginny could tell he was thinking hard. He had that look in his eye that he and Ron would get when they played each other at chess. Plotting each move and countermove to the end of the game, before moving a chess piece on the board. She let him work through his concerns and worries, and she listened to the turtledoves in a nearby tree. They reminded her of the test she had taken earlier this summer. Ginny knew in her heart that whatever was going on between her and Harry couldn't be bad. She wouldn't experience this sense of peace. When she'd been under Tom's influence, she'd always felt unsettled, uneasy in her own skin. Her link with Harry had a very different feel. As if she was exactly where she belonged and no one could separate them.

"I think you must be right, Blaze. If you don't feel anything negative through the link, then it isn't a curse left by Riddle. After your first year, I believe that you'd know the difference. I'm not sure what it is. It could be..." Bill stopped, a look of wonder crossing his face. He seemed to come to a decision because with a small shake of his head, he continued, "Well, if I was you, I wouldn't try to expand the bond right now. You go back to school tomorrow, and there will be plenty of distractions for you this term."

"Really? What? Everyone is being so mysterious about what's going to happen at Hogwarts this year. Do you know something? Tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"C'mon, Blaze. You know that I can't. I would if I were able. It's time for you to be in bed. Now no more questions. I won't tell you anything." He stood and, reaching down, pulled Ginny to her feet. Turning, they made their way back to the house and up to their rooms.

Dear Diary,
That wasn't as bad as I'd expected. Bill didn't laugh or tease me. He just listened. I trust his judgment. He doesn't think it is bad. I still don't know how Mum feels. She has never said anything about it since our talk.

I don't plan to use the bond at school this year. I'm putting aside what I feel for Harry and plan on going out with other boys. Brittany had the right idea, except for the snogging in public. I won't plan to get serious with anyone, but there are many boys at Hogwarts. I'm going to enjoy myself and have fun. Thirteen is way too young to be serious about anyone, even Harry. Isn't it?

The weather was dismal as they made their way into King's Cross station, and onto platform nine and three-quarters. When they were all safely on the other side of the barrier, her Mum performed a drying charm, so that they wouldn't have to sit for hours in wet clothing. Ginny found her roommates and her brothers helped them stow their trunks into a compartment on the train.

Disembarking for last minute instructions and goodbyes, she joined everyone on the platform.

The last one to say goodbye was Bill. "Blaze, have a great year. Maybe I'll come and visit you this term." He looked directly into her eyes and said, "Remember what we talked about and don't try and push the boundaries. I'll be doing a little research and let you know if I find anything. I love you, Ginny."

"Love you, too, Bill. What's happening at Hogwarts this year, that you want to come and visit?"

"You know I can't tell you."

"Okay. Please send me an owl if you find out anything. Good or bad."

"The train's starting. Get on before you miss it. You know that I will."