Chapter 14 – A date disturbed
Leaving Grimmauld Place in the capable hands of the swarming house-elves, Harry and Ginny stepped out into the afternoon sunshine. After the gloomy interior of the house, the warmth of the sun felt pleasant, and they decided to walk to Diagon Alley, taking in the sights and sounds of Muggle London in the way.
Ginny, who had seen much less of the Muggle world than Harry, was enthralled by the bustling streets and Harry delighted in answering her eager questions. Apart from a minor fracas, where Harry had to forcibly stop her from freeing the owls she was convinced were being cruelly imprisoned inside a postbox, the walk passed without incident.
As they walked through a small park in the centre of a square, Ginny's hand tightened on Harry's as she spotted a small restaurant tucked away underneath a canopy of trees. "Can we eat there tonight, Harry?" she pleaded imploringly, giving Harry a look which made his knees quiver slightly. The restaurant was closed, but Harry managed to attract the attention of a waiter and make a reservation for later.
"It's funny," commented Ginny idly as they walked on. "He didn't look much like a serving elf, did he?" Harry looked away, grinning silently.
As they reached the Leaky Cauldron, Harry's formerly brisk pace slowed. Ginny, tugging at his hand, looked up curiously. Harry's face had settled into a cautious, wary expression that tugged at her heart. He was clearly steeling himself for unwelcome attention from the magical community.
Ginny reached up a warm hand, stroking his cheek lightly. "Harry?" she said softly. Harry looked down at her, her normally bright eyes guarded.
"You can't help who you are, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it either. Let them make a fuss if they want – it's our life now, and we are going to live it without shame or fear. Okay?"
Harry's eyes brightened, sparking with the intensity of his feelings towards the small witch at his side. She really will always stand with me, he realised. Smiling broadly, he replied, "Kreacher was right – you are wise - and beautiful."
Ginny nodded quickly, smiling in return. "Very perceptive, those house-elves."
Chuckling, Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron, pulling Ginny in behind him. As the patrons of the busy pub became aware of their identities, the noise level dropped dramatically to be replaced with a quiet whispering.
Unhurriedly, with a calm authority, Harry led Ginny through the pub, nodding politely at familiar faces but not lingering. To their surprise, no-one spoke to them. Most looked awe-struck, and some even shrank back in their seats as they passed.
Stepping out into the yard behind the pub, Harry paused, wand drawn, in front of the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. "What do you suppose that was about?" he murmured. "I thought they'd be all over me like Flobberworms over cabbage."
Ginny laughed softly. "Harry, you've just defeated the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. They're a bit intimidated by your reputation."
Harry considered this, then turned to Ginny, raising an eyebrow. "Are you intimidated by my reputation?" he asked lightly. Seeing the expression on Ginny's face, he hastily turned to the wall, tapping it to open the entrance.
As they wandered through the bustling crowds at Diagon Alley, the same pattern was repeated. Most people glanced furtively at them, as if they were too bright to look at directly. Considering that the happy couple were frequently bathed in the bright glow of the Marriage Charm, this was not too far from the truth.
One or two people were brave enough to approach Harry, offering their thanks. Ginny took the lead, receiving them with a friendly, open attitude, but firmly moving them on if their attentions became intrusive. Taking a cue from her, Harry relaxed somewhat, reluctantly accepting his status as hero to the masses, and cast his eyes over the shops.
There were still several boarded up or burnt-out shops on Diagon Alley, but everywhere he looked he could see signs of regrowth. Cheerful shop keepers were straightening up tables, repairing windows and painting shop fronts; clearly pleased to be back in business.
By far the brightest, and loudest, of the shops was Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. As he saw the bustling shop, Harry turned to Ginny. "I didn't know that George-"
His words were cut off by a shout of recognition, and George Weasley shot out of the front door, embracing them in a fierce bear-hug. "Thanks for coming, guys!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know if Mum had told you about the grand re-opening, or not." Making a sweeping gesture with his hand, he asked eagerly, "What do you think?"
Taking in the front of the shop, Harry and Ginny's mouth's dropped open.
Underneath a giant banner proudly proclaiming 'Grand re-opening!", the windows were plastered with a series of posters advertising the new range of products.
Harry's lips silently mouthed the words as he read the posters, each one more outrageous than the one before, and Ginny started giggling hysterically.
Dare you buy the all-new Vold-e-warts?
Stick one in their eye – buy a Death Eater pie!
Baking a cake? Try our Dark Lard – it's evilicious!
"George – you can't – can you?" spluttered Harry.
"Why not!" roared George, now laughing himself. His face grew serious and he gripped Harry's shoulders tightly.
"Remember what you told me and Fred when we set the shop up? Well, I reckon that people need a laugh more than ever now, don't you?"
Harry nodded dumbly, a lump in his throat, and Ginny stared up at her gangly brother, a look of fierce approval on her face. "I think it's perfect," she said firmly. George beamed.
"She's right," added Harry quietly. "The perfect way to remember him, George."
George's eyes watered for a moment, and he looked at them with a look of profound gratitude. "I was hoping you would both think that," he whispered hoarsely. Raising his voice, he dragged Harry into the shop, bellowing, "Come and meet the heroic Harry Potter! Free autograph with every purchase of ten Galleons or more."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Ginny followed her brother to rescue Harry from his clutches.
Twenty minutes later, Harry's arm felt as if it were about to fall off with the amount of autographs he had given. Ginny sat on the counter, openly laughing as Harry struggled under the onslaught of eager customers, each one desperate to get their free autographs.
Noting her hilarity, George grinned wickedly, and standing on a chair, roared, "Ladies - spend twenty Galleons and collect the set! Be the first to take home a free autograph from the new Mrs Potter!"
Ginny's face paled as cheers of glee erupted, and a wave of excited witches charged straight at her.
By the time they had finally staggered out of the shop, an hour had passed and it was now mid-afternoon. Still sniggering at Ginny's dazed expression, Harry decided to revive her with a shopping spree. After all, he reasoned, what was the point of being rich if he couldn't spend it on those he loved?
Filled with a childish enthusiasm, Harry insisted on dragging Ginny into the most expensive shops on Diagon Alley, ignoring her protests. Seeing the pleasure it gave him to be finally able to buy her the things he knew she liked, Ginny relented and let him spend far more on her than she intended to.
Laden down with bags of all shapes and sizes, the happy couple tottered down Diagon Alley, chatting happily as they made their way slowly towards Gringotts. Struggling under the weight of their purchases, they decided to send most of it directly back to Grimmauld Place via owl, from where they could collect it later. It took five of the largest Post owls they could find to carry it all away, and they continued their journey to Gringotts, carrying only the new clothes they had decided to wear that evening.
"If we ask at the Leaky Cauldron, maybe we could get changed there and go straight out," Harry said excitedly. "It would be a shame to waste time going back to Grimmauld Place first."
Smiling at his obvious excitement about their date, Ginny nodded happily, content to go along with his plans for the evening. As they got closer to the goblin bank, Ginny frowned as she saw a large crowd gathered on the steps. They appeared to be listening to a tall, thin wizard who stood further up the steps, shouting in a high-pitched, grating voice.
"And I tell you that both are at fault – both, I say!"
A chorus of angry jeers broke out, although Ginny noted that there were one or two nods of agreement amongst the crowd as well.
Harry's hand tensed, and the wary expression slipped back over his face as they drew nearer. Ginny, not wanting to ruin their afternoon, guided Harry around the crowd, intending for them to quietly slip by into Gringotts. Harry resisted for a moment, then followed her lead.
They were just moving past the crowd when the tall, thin wizard gave a cry of recognition. "Oho!" he called out to the crowd. "Here's one of them – the great Harry Potter!"
Turning at the sound of his name, Harry frowned at the man. Wanting to avoid an unpleasant scene, Ginny pulled him on and he took a couple of steps with her.
The thin wizard sneered, an ugly expression on his pale face. "I'm not surprised you hurry away, Harry! Ashamed, are you?" His sallow cheeks were flushed, eyes filled with malevolence.
Stopping, Harry turned towards the antagonistic wizard. His eyes narrowed as he took in the shabby robes and gaunt appearance of the man.
"What would I be ashamed of, exactly?" he enquired pleasantly. Ginny shivered as, once more, his voice took on the mild but authoritative tone she associated with danger.
"He pretends not to know!" the man crowed, playing to the crowd. One or two heads turned, looking at Harry, but most looked as puzzled as Ginny felt. "Shall I remind him?" the man jeered insultingly.
A few, isolated cheers rose from the gathered crowd. Passers by stopped, curious to know what was going on. Ginny felt cold – the last thing Harry needed was a major confrontation in public.
"Thanks to you, and your other do-gooders, we have spent the last few days burying our friends and family!" the man spat, his face twisted with hatred.
"You claim to fight for good, to be protecting us from the Dark Lord-" the man's words were laced with sarcasm. "But what is the difference? We are still left grieving our loss, and you are to blame as much as them!"
Ginny's face burned with flames of indignation. Was this deluded man seriously trying to say that the Order were as much to blame as the Death Eaters for the deaths in the war?
As if reading her mind, the man continued derisively. "Order of the Phoenix – Death Eaters – what's the difference? Just secret sects trying to control our lives! And don't even get me started on that meddling fool Albus Du-"
"You will not insult Albus Dumbledore in my presence!"
Harry's voice cracked like a whip, echoing over the silent crowd. All faces turned to his, gasping at the look of cold fury that shone out of his eyes. Holding his hand, Ginny could feel waves of icy electricity pulsing out of his body and stiffened, unsure of what was happening.
She had never seen Harry like this before - never. His eyes burned with green fire, and the aura of magical power and authority that radiated from him made the crowd fall back from his wrath.
When he spoke again, the audience swayed as deep, hollow vibrations shook the ground under their feet.
"Albus Dumbledore, and others like him, gave their lives for your freedom. They had no agenda, no desires of their own. They fought and bled and died so that you might live! And you stand there, enjoying the freedom they won through courage and self-sacrifice, and you dare-"
There was a sudden loud splintering noise, and the crowd stumbled and fell as the stone steps cracked, spreading out in a fan of widening fissures from Harry's position.
Pulling themselves to their feet, the crowd tripped and fell in their haste to escape. Within seconds the steps emptied as the crowd dispersed, leaving only a handful of witches and wizards surrounding the thin ringleader. They were obviously his cronies, thought Ginny, her anger growing as the small group cautiously followed their leader, who was walking slowly towards Harry, attempting to hide his fear with a thin mask of contempt.
"Pretty words Harry – care to back them up with actions?" The man's face was twisted into a snarl, his lips drawn back, exposing sharp, pointed teeth. He was clearly deranged, thought Ginny – and suddenly she had reached her limit.
"Enough!" she cried. There was a familiar flash of orange light from her eyes, a dull roar and the group of wizards were flung high into the air, crashing down with a thud against a nearby shop wall.
Before they could react, the air was filled with a series of sharp cracks as five figures, bearing the distinctive insignia of the Auror Office, Apperated between the two sides.
Sizing up the situation at a glance, the Lead Auror, who Harry recognised as Auror Morris, the burly man he had confronted at Hogwarts, strode quickly up to them. His face was confident and alert, a far-cry from the strained and grief-stricken man Harry had met only a few days before.
"Mr Potter – Mrs Potter," he said briskly. "Are you both," he paused, glancing from their calm expressions to the crumpled group sprawled on the ground some fifty feet away. His lip twitched as he continued, "unharmed?"
"Yes thank you, Auror Morris. We're quite fine," replied Harry calmly.
"Just a bit confused," added Ginny, frowning. "Who are those people?"
The large man sighed, looking tired. "They call themselves the Third Way," he muttered. "Bunch of nutters, if you ask me."
Harry nodded politely. "They seemed to be holding us jointly responsible, with the Death Eaters, for the casualties of the war," he commented, sounding for all the world as if he were discussing Quidditch scores.
Ginny glanced at him curiously. This was a different Harry to the one she knew and loved. He was sure and controlled – not distant, exactly, but focused and logical. Powerful, too, she reminded herself, looking at the wide cracks spreading over the steps to Gringotts. She shivered, glad that he was on her team. Harry's arm tightened protectively around her as he felt her shiver.
The Auror hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. Harry looked on expressionlessly. Meeting his bright gaze, the Auror nodded, flushing slightly as he recalled his behaviour the last time they had met. He cleared his throat, coming to a decision.
"They do, it seems. They've been turning up all over the world over the last few days, focusing on the most magically populated areas and preaching the same message. They claim that both sides in the war are equally guilty of causing, however indirectly, the large number of casualties sustained amongst the general wizarding community."
Ginny swore loudly, making the burly Auror blush and shift nervously.
"Yes, well, I quite agree with the sentiment, Mrs Potter-"
"If not the phrasing," murmured Harry, smiling. Ginny scowled and gave him a dig in the ribs, secretly pleased to see him relaxing.
"Anyway," the Auror continued. "Normally, they would be pretty harmless crackpots, but in the current climate of fear and grief-"
"Their views are gaining traction," Harry concluded with a sigh. "I was afraid of that."
The Auror turned to the group of witches and wizards, who were being helped shakily to their feet. "The problem is, they haven't actually done anything wrong. We can question them, lock them up for a few days, but having an opinion is no reason to send them to Azkaban."
"More's the pity," Ginny grumbled. Harry gave her an inquisitorial stare. "Just kidding," she said quickly.
"Anyway, I must be going," Auror Jones said, but remained stood in front of them, a look of indecision on his face. Seeing this, Harry asked kindly, "Anything else, Auror Morris?"
The large man nodded, then spoke reluctantly. "I just wanted to say – about the other day, Mr Potter-"
Harry raised a hand, silencing the older man. "Firstly, my name is Harry. Mr Potter was my father. Secondly, you shouldn't blame yourself too much for your actions."
The Auror shook his head in disagreement, a tear starting down his cheek. Ginny crossed to him and rubbed his arm gently, feeling compassion for his obvious grief.
Placing a hand on the Auror's other shoulder, Harry spoke quietly, to avoid drawing attention to the man's distress. "Life knocks us all down, from time to time. You can't avoid that. It's what you do when you get back up that counts."
The burly man nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes and looking relieved. "You're right – Harry. Thank you." He held out a hand to Harry. "And please – call me Bill."
Harry shook his hand, and Ginny, standing on tiptoes to kiss the tall man's cheek, whispered softly, "I have a brother called Bill. He's a brave man too."
The tall Auror looked down at the tiny witch who stood by his side, compassion writ large over her face. "T-Thank you, Mrs –"
"Call me Ginny," she corrected. "Mrs Potter was my mother-in-law."
The man smiled slightly. "Thank you – Ginny." She squeezed his arm, then moved back to stand by Harry again.
"It was nice to meet you Bill," said Harry softly. "Properly." He raised a hand in a farewell gesture, and he and Ginny turned away, climbing the steps towards Gringotts.
Bill Morris stood for a long time, watching them until they disappeared inside the entrance of the goblin bank.
"You're a lucky man, Harry," he murmured, one hand touching his cheek where Ginny had kissed him. He glanced down at the fan-shaped cracks spreading out from where Harry had been standing. He shook his head in quiet disbelief.
"You both are."
He turned and walked back briskly to the waiting Aurors.