"All right, we are going on a bit of a field trip," Harry announced, using his wand to send permission slips flying to the students' desks. The class, Seniors, started chattering with excitement and Elizabeth raised her hand. "Yes, Elizabeth?"
"Mr Potter, this says we're going at night to the Golden Gate Bridge?"
"Yes."
"What for?" she asked, utterly mystified.
"I'm glad you asked!" He clapped his hands to get their attention and smiled when all eyes were on him. "Elizabeth asked what possible reason we could have for going out to the Golden Gate Bridge in the dead of night. Does anyone have any ideas?" The students all looked at each other before one raised his hand. "David. Why do you think we're going out to the bridge at night?"
"Um, to study fog patterns?" he said with a shrug.
"No, this is not Divination. Anyone else?"
"Constellations?" Micah volunteered.
"Hmm, this is not Astronomy."
"Tidal studies," Maddy said confidently.
"Nothing Dark about the tides. How many of you have walked across the bridge?" Several students raised their hands. "What did you notice about it? As you walked across it on a bright, sunny day?"
"It's windy," one girl said.
"It's really high up."
"It's really cold."
"The cables are thicker than my arm," Henry the Quidditch Beater said, holding up a meaty arm.
"These things are all true," Harry said, pacing in front of the class, twirling his wand between his fingers. "But what else did you notice? Did you see the signs?" He had noticed them right away the first time he set foot on the bridge, along with the emergency telephones. Blue and white with CRISIS COUNSELING in big, bold letters. As soon as he saw those signs, he knew what he would find lurking nearby.
Elizabeth gasped and her hand shot up. Harry nodded at her with a smile and she practically exploded. "You're taking us to the bridge at night to practice our Patronus Charms on real Dementors."
The class gave a collective gasp and everyone turned to look first at Elizabeth and then at Harry who answered with his own Patronus, sending it on a lap around the classroom before disappearing with a poof of silver smoke. "Now, there are a few caveats. In order to go, you MUST be able to cast some form of Patronus. It doesn't have to be corporeal, but I absolutely will not allow anyone that is not capable to go." The class made a sound of disappointment and Harry raised an eyebrow. "This just means you'll need to practice very hard and if you can demonstrate to me that you can cast even a thread of silver, you can go."
He looked at them sternly over his glasses. "And if your parents don't agree, you may not go, even if you show me a corporeal Patronus." No one in any of his classes had demonstrated that ability so far as he knew, but there were a few that could do incorporeal ones. "I will be verifying all permission slip signatures, personally."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class and the beginning of lunch. "You have two weeks, so get busy practicing. Your final chance will be Friday during class and if you are successful, you can come that Friday night."
Talking excitedly, the students made their way out of the classroom and into the bright noontime sun, leaving Harry alone in the classroom. Once they were all gone, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Managing this outing was going to be tricky and he was glad that he'd already talked to Archimedes about getting a few off-duty Aurors for backup.
"You don't do anything by halves, do you?" he'd said over a pint. Harry had messaged him, asking to meet and they had ended up at a bar in North Beach.
"Well, I took a lesson when Voldemort was only half-killed, yeah?" Harry said with a grin. "I'll need the bridge to be closed for a bit, too."
"Mm hm. For how long?"
"Shouldn't be for more than a couple of hours, I don't think. I want the kids to have the experience of a real Dementor. I have a couple of students that I think are on the cusp of a corporeal Patronus and I think if they're faced with one, they'll make the leap," Harry said, leaning forward, thinking of the two students. Isaac and Elizabeth had both shown extraordinary promise in classroom practice.
"Well, I think a couple of hours late at night should be manageable. I have some strings I can still pull. Midnight to two a.m.?" Archimedes dug around in the dish of pub mix, a speculative look on his face.
"That would be perfect." Harry took a sip of his Guinness, relieved that Archimedes was going to help. "Now I just need to sell this to Artemis."
"Well, I can't help with that one, my boy!" Archimedes said with a hearty laugh, slapping him on the shoulder.
That night after meeting with Archimedes, he brought Ginny out to the bridge. He heard a distant church bell ringing midnight and it was very cold with streamers of fog spilling between the suspension cables of the bridge. "Harry, what are we doing out here?" Ginny asked, clutching his hand tightly as they ascended the pedestrian approach from the Sausalito side.
"Patience, love." He checked the cars rolling past on the bridge deck, glad to see that there wasn't much traffic tonight as they passed through the pedestrian gate and out to the bridge.
"Your ideas of what constitutes a romantic outing have become very strange lately," Ginny teased with a smile.
Harry was glad to hear that she could still tease and smile. He was already starting to feel the melancholy effects of the Dementors, but Ginny's smile lifted his heart. My living, breathing Patronus, he thought, squeezing her hand. They continued on, Ginny pausing at one of the signs posted on the bridge. "The consequences of jumping from this bridge are fatal and tragic," she read aloud, looking at Harry with a frown. "Harry, what's—oh," she said, looking over his shoulder.
Harry turned around and saw one, faceless and shrouded in black, floating high over the deck of the bridge, cars streaming blithely underneath. "I didn't know there were Dementors here," she said quietly, wand out and held ready in front of her.
"There's a few places. Here and I heard of a former institution down in the South Bay," Harry said grimly, looking around for others. Where there's one…ah, there we are. He spotted another one halfway down the bridge, rising up over the railing like a mote of black ash.
"Why here? This is one of the most beautiful places in the whole area." Ginny crowded closer to Harry, motioning with her wand to another one that was drifting over from the other side of the bridge as if driven by the wind.
"This bridge is a huge suicide magnet, Gin. Since shortly after it opened in 1937, people have been throwing themselves off it." Another Dementor drifted down from the nearest suspension tower, making a total of four.
"And the despair and tragedy draws them and then they generate more," she said softly.
"Exactly." He spotted another one coming towards them and he reached into the pocket of his dragonhide jacket, pulling out the chocolate bar he'd stashed there. He broke off a piece and offered it to Ginny before shoving one in his own mouth, glad to feel the despondency and gloom generated by the creatures abate.
"That doesn't answer my earlier question. What are we doing here? Are we getting rid of them?"
"No, they never stay away for very long. I'm going to use them."
"What would you use a pack of Dementors for?" Ginny asked, looking up at him like he'd gone completely off his rocker.
"I'm going to use them to help my students with their Patronus Charms," Harry said, keeping a close eye on the Dementors slowly approaching them.
"Can't they just do it in class?"
"We have been. I have some that can cast incorporeal ones, but I know I have at least two who could cast fully corporeal Patronuses if given the proper encouragement."
"And you think this is it?" Ginny pointed her wand at a sixth one that had joined and Harry nodded.
"I want to give them the opportunity to experience a dangerous, but controlled situation. Make them really stretch their magic and see what they can do."
"This is controlled?"
"Well, no, this isn't. But I've arranged with Archimedes for about a half dozen off-duty Aurors and for the bridge to be closed. I'll be here, probably some parents and…you?" Harry squeezed her hand and took his eyes off the Dementors for a split second to smile at her.
"You don't even have to ask. Like I'd let you come and do something this daft without me." She squeezed his hand very hard and touched her wand tip to his, keeping her eyes on the shrouded black figures coming ever so slowly closer. "Think that's all of them?"
"I think so. Archimedes said there were about six or seven and I count six."
"Ready?" Harry nodded and they moved their wands in a circular motion, a silver stag and hummingbird bursting into existence to bear down on the Dementors. Ginny's hummingbird appeared to peck the shrouded beings as it zipped around them at lightning speed, driving them away. Harry's stag lowered its head and charged as if it were trying to push them off the bridge and down into the dark waters of the bay.
A moment later the Dementors were gone, Ginny's hummingbird alighting on her wand before dissipating into silver smoke. Harry's stag stamped a hoof onto the pavement, collapsing in on itself, silvery tendrils mixing with the fog. Harry passed Ginny another square of chocolate and took one for himself, letting the sweetness linger on his tongue as his mood lifted.
"Well, it's a lovely night out," Ginny said, taking his hand again. "Shall we continue across?"
"As you wish."
Harry knocked on the doorframe of Artemis's office door at the end of the day, not completely sure what kind of reception he'd get. The headmaster sat at his desk, a stack of papers in front of him and as he looked up at his knock, Harry saw his lips settle into a thin line. "Harry. Come in, close the door."
Harry did so, sitting down in the chair across from Artemis and crossing one leg over the other, waiting for him to finish his business. Finally, Artemis set aside the stack of papers and sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly. Resting his chin in his hands, he looked at Harry for several moments before finally saying, "Dementors, Harry? Really?"
"Yes. I have my Juniors and Seniors working on their Patronus Charms and I would like them to get a look at real Dementors in a controlled situation."
Artemis looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "How in the world do you plan on 'controlling' a situation where there are Dementors?"
"I'm glad you asked. I'll be working with Archimedes Douglass. He will arrange for six off-duty Aurors to be present during the exercise. The bridge will be closed to all traffic from midnight until two in the morning," Harry said calmly, hoping that the tone of his voice would be enough to put Artemis at ease.
"In addition to myself, Gin will be there to provide an additional corporeal Patronus and any first aid that might be needed. Any parents that want to come are more than welcome, as are you, sir."
"But is all of this really necessary?" Artemis asked pleadingly.
Harry took a deep breath and considered his question carefully. The last thing he needed to do here was appear to glib or flippant. Careful, Potter. This one's more nervy than a hippogriff. "As you know, I have been in a few unusual situations over the years that pushed me in ways others hadn't been pushed before. It is my feeling that if I hadn't been forced to extend my skills, I would not have been ready to face down Voldemort when I did."
"But there's no Voldemort here," Artemis said, settling his glasses back on his nose.
"There isn't right now, no," Harry agreed with a nod, "but that's not to say that there never will be someone in the future. There will always be Dark magic and those that seek to use it for their own gain."
"Dementors, though? Don't you think that's a little…extreme?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, I suppose it could look that way, but I have a few students who are on the very cusp of corporeal Patronuses and I think that being faced with an actual Dementor would push them just that one necessary step." He leaned forward, looking the headmaster in the eye. "Have you ever faced one down yourself?"
Artemis looked away for a split second before focusing back on Harry and nodding. "Yes," he said quietly, "once."
"What happened? Obviously you were able to defend yourself or else you'd be a vegetable somewhere."
The headmaster regarded Harry silently before answering. "I was walking across the bridge with Diana. We were newly dating and I thought a moonlight walk across would be romantic. A Dementor started following us and we tried to run, but couldn't shake it. I put her behind me and…" Harry waited quietly as Artemis trailed off, lost in his memory of the event. Shaking his head, he continued. "And I froze. I couldn't get the spell off. I'd done it a couple of times before, incorporeal, but it just wouldn't come."
"Diana saved you both?"
Artemis sighed heavily and nodded. "It was the first time she'd cast it as a full corporeal. A deerhound." he smiled and shook his head. "Drove it off and we ran off that bridge so fast. I think I asked her to marry me right then."
"That's what I want to prevent, sir. I want them to be able to face down one of the most terrifying Dark creatures around, knowing that if they do freeze, there is someone to help. It's still terrifying and will push them, but they'll be safe." Please, Artemis, let me do this.
Artemis sat quietly, hands laced together over his small paunch, eyes moving around the room as he thought. "How many Aurors?"
"Six. Plus Archimedes, Ginny and myself," Harry said, a feeling of relief trickling through him.
"I'm assuming you've already checked out the bridge. How many Dementors are there?"
"Gin and I went the other night. We counted six."
"Hm, I've heard of as many as ten. I suppose six isn't too bad. What if a parent doesn't give permission?"
"Then the student doesn't go, simple as that. I told them I'd be verifying signatures personally. And they must be able to already cast some form of Patronus." Harry sat back in the chair, starting to feel like he just might pull this off.
"How many do you think will clear all of these hurdles?"
"I don't expect more than a dozen. Between both the Juniors and Seniors, there are about twenty that can even cast the spell. Figure half of those will not get parental permission."
Artemis shook his head and gave Harry a rueful smile. "Well, I must say you seem to have this pretty well planned out. If anything goes wrong…"
"I'll take full responsibility, personally and financially."
"I guess I can't ask for more then. When is this little outing planned?"
"Friday before break. The moon will be full, so the light will be good. And there's the lights on the bridge." Harry tried not to let his mounting excitement show on his face.
Artemis pursed his lips and nodded. "I know it's useless to stop you. You'd find some way to get around me. There seem to be ample precautions in place to protect the safety of our students."
Relief flooded Harry and he smiled. "I would not have done it if you were strongly against it, sir," he said. He wouldn't have done it as a school-sanctioned event, but he might have made it known that he was going to be at the bridge and if any students had a free evening… "And just think sir, St Ambrose's is the only non-university even exposing students to magic of this level. I wouldn't be surprised if applications start coming in from all over the state." A little stroke to the school's ego shouldn't hurt.
"You might be right, Harry. That's certainly something I haven't thought of…" Artemis trailed off, lost in thoughts of St Ambrose's impending notoriety in magical education circles.
"Will you be joining us?" Harry asked as he stood to go, settling his bag on his shoulder.
"I think I will. Maybe I'll be able to redeem myself, eh?" he said with a chuckle.
"I think you'll surprise yourself. Have a good weekend," he said as he turned to go. Out in the hallway, he gave a silent jump and a fist pump, surprising Anthony Jones, the Transfiguration teacher, as he came out of the staff mailroom.
"Good meeting with Artemis?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"An excellent meeting," Harry replied with an enormous grin. "Have a great weekend!"
Two weeks later, Harry ran back onto the grounds of St Ambrose's, running at the back of the pack as usual. The run had gone well and the team was looking in good shape for their first meet of the spring next week. As he ran toward the Quidditch pitch to join the team in their post-run stretching routine, a bright flash of red hair caught his eye and his head turned automatically to it.
Gin? No, Ron! What the hell? As soon as he saw Ron, he saw Hermione standing next to him and he practically sprinted straight for them, catching Hermione up in a huge hug, swinging her around as they both laughed out loud.
"Oi, I'll thank you to put my wife down, Potter!" Ron said with a laugh.
"What? Married?" Harry was more shocked by this news than he was by the two of them showing up at his school. "Oh my God!" He picked Hermione up and swung her around again, kissing her soundly on the cheek. Putting her down once more, he turned to Ron and grabbed him in a hard hug, thumping him on the back.
As they broke apart, Harry became aware of the fact that he was still covered in sweat from his run and he took a step back from both of them. "Oh, shi—shoot, I'm sorry! Let me get a shower, yeah? What are you guys even doing here?" he said, heading toward the staff lunchroom before they could be mobbed by the undoubtedly curious students.
"Sort of a combination birthday trip and honeymoon," Ron said with a grin. "We both have spring break, so we thought we'd come and see how you and Ginny are getting along."
"That's fu—bloody brilliant!" Harry opened the door to the staff lunchroom and ushered them inside. "I think there's some coffee, still. That sofa is decent if you want to stretch out." He looked at them again and grinned. "Married! Gin is going to burst!"
Cleaning up in record time, Harry dressed quickly, shoving his tie into the pocket of his blazer. As he approached the staff lunchroom, he saw about half a dozen students lurking outside, Richard and Thomas among them. Word about Harry's visitors must have gotten around because he saw a couple of students from the Chess Club in addition to the cross-country runners that were waiting.
"Good evening," Harry said with a raised eyebrow as he approached, wondering who their spokesman was going to be.
"Mr Potter, is that…Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?" Thomas asked in hushed tones.
"Yes," Harry said with a smile. "Would you like to meet them?" The clustered students started whispering excitedly and he took that as a yes. "Hold on, all right? They've come a long way and I'm sure they're tired."
Inside the staff lunchroom, he saw Hermione on the old sofa, paging through a magazine another teacher had left, Ron looking sound asleep with his head on her lap. "All right?" Harry asked quietly, motioning to Ron.
Hermione nodded and set the magazine aside. "He had a late night taking an exam early."
"Well, you've got a bit of a fan club waiting outside. Feel up to meeting them?"
"Bless them. Of course," Hermione said with a smile. She ran her fingers through Ron's hair and he stirred. "Wake up, you have some people that want to meet you."
"Wazzat?" he said blearily, rubbing his eyes.
"Some of my students want to meet you for some reason. Get up off your arse and make yourself presentable, yeah?"
"Get stuffed, Potter," Ron said, sitting up with a wide yawn. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he stood up, holding a hand out for Hermione. "All right, let's go see what these kids are all about."
Outside, Harry introduced Ron and Hermione to the small group of students, some of whom looked on the verge of crying. He saw Elizabeth there, looking fit to be tied and he grinned. As expected, Hermione was amazing with them, patiently answering questions while Ron mostly loomed behind her until Harry clapped his hands. "All right. They've come a long way and are very tired. Some of you I'll be seeing later tonight, so get home and get a nap. Be ready!" he said, raising his fists.
The group muttered and broke up, walking away slowly. Several girls had their heads together, whispering away to each other. Two stayed behind and Harry wasn't surprised to see Thomas fishing around in his bag. "Um, would you mind signing your Chocolate Frog cards?" he asked hesitantly.
Ron's face lit up and he smiled. "They have our cards here?" he asked, taking his and looking at it.
"No, the ones here are American witches and wizards, but I trade with my cousin in Wales. He was so jealous when I told him I got Mr Potter to sign his!"
While Ron and Hermione were signing their cards, Harry turned to the other student that had stayed behind. "What can I do for you, Amy?"
She looked down shyly and seemed to gather herself. "Mr Potter, my parents have given permission for me to go tonight, but I haven't been able to cast a Patronus."
"I know you've been working very hard at it. It will come," Harry said encouragingly.
"Can I try one more time?" She looked up at him, her face set in stubborn lines. "I know you said that class was our last chance, but I've been working on it while you were at practice and I know I can do it!"
Harry could almost feel the determination coming off of her in waves and knew that she'd been absolutely crushed when she hadn't been able to cast one in all of their classroom practices. "All right. One more try."
"Right here?" she asked, waving her arm to indicate the gathering darkness outside. Thomas looked interested, Chocolate Frog cards forgotten for the moment.
"Of course. Listen, when it comes down to it, a Dementor isn't going to wait for you to get to a place you feel comfortable in. You need to be able to cast it no matter your situation," Harry said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, did Harry tell you about that time he cast Relashio underwater?" Ron said, coming to stand next to him. Amy seemed to shrink under their combined attention and Hermione gently drew Ron back a couple of steps to stand with her.
"Come on, let's go over here where there's a bit more room." Harry set his bag down on the pavement and walked several strides away toward the grassy quad, Amy following. He stood behind her, hands on her shoulders. "Breathe with me for a little bit, all right?" he said, breathing deeply through his nose, feeling Amy's shoulders rise and fall in time with his breaths.
"You have your wand ready?" he asked quietly and she nodded, continuing with her deep breaths. "Think about the time that you were the happiest, think about all of the things that made you so happy in that moment; the people that might have been there, what time of day it was, what you were doing. Everything."
Amy turned her head as if trying to look at him and seemed about to say something. "No, ssh, don't look at me. Focus, concentrate. Feel your memory." A few more deep breaths. "Ready?" Amy nodded again and he felt her gathering herself. "Cast," Harry said, taking his hands off her shoulders and moving a step back.
"Expecto Patronum!" Amy shouted into the gathering dusk, moving her wand in the correct circular motion. To everyone's amazement, a blast of silver erupted from the end of her wand and Harry heard Thomas shout, "Woah!"
Face transformed by excitement, Amy turned to him and surprised him with a fierce hug and he laughed, hugging her back. "I knew I could do it, Mr Potter!"
"Well done! Fully incorporeal!" Harry was stunned, finding he was grinning like a fool and schooled his expression into something more teacherly. "You have proven yourself able to cast the Patronus Charm, so you may come tonight."
"Thank you thank you thank you! My dad is going to come too, is that all right?"
"Can he cast a Patronus?"
"He can. It's a fox."
"Wonderful. We'll see you at midnight. Sausalito side, remember?" Harry said, walking with Amy back to where Ron, Hermione and Thomas waited. Hermione was smiling widely and he saw the girl blush and duck her head down. "You and Thomas both have a long night ahead of you, so you'd better get going."
He watched as Thomas and Amy headed toward the Floo in the main office, talking excitedly about the Patronus Charm she'd managed to cast. Hermione threw her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked in surprise.
"That was amazing, Harry! She wasn't able to cast one before?" Hermione said, her eyes shining.
"Well, she was close, but she just needed to get over that last hump."
"And that's what you're so good at."
Harry felt himself blushing under Hermione's praise and he glanced over at Ron, relieved to see him roll his eyes. "What's going on tonight?" Ron asked, putting an arm on Hermione's shoulder.
Bending to pick up his bag, Harry grinned up at Ron. "Field trip." Ron raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hermione. "Feel like messing with some Dementors tonight?"
"Okay, so begin at the beginning," Ginny said, taking a deep drink of her cider. The cozy dark pub made her almost feel like she was back home and having Ron and Hermione there only enhanced the feeling. It had been the best surprise ever when she Apparated into the flat to find the both of them on the sofa calmly drinking tea.
"Well, it was just very spur-of-the-moment," Hermione said, looking up at Ron with a smile.
"Obviously, since we didn't even get an invitation." Ginny narrowed her eyes at Ron and he shrugged, licking the Guinness foam from his upper lip. "What made you decide to finally do it?"
"I got bloody tired of sleeping alone," Ron said, grinning when Hermione turned to him with an outraged look.
"That had better not be why, Ron Weasley," she said in a teasing tone.
"Oh, it's definitely not the only reason," he said, looking her up and down and raising an eyebrow.
"Gross," Ginny said, sticking out her tongue. "Ignore him."
Hermione shook her head and went on, "I suppose we both got tired of waiting. What were we waiting for? We both knew we didn't want anything big, so what was the point?" She glanced over at Ron and smiled. "And I suppose that your handfasting at Christmas made me think of it more."
"Oh, that's sweet. Why didn't you just do it then?"
"You're going to think I'm being ridiculous, but I didn't want to get married in the winter. It didn't feel right."
"I don't think that's ridiculous at all. Springtime is all about new beginnings," Ginny said stoutly. Privately, she wondered what time of year she would want to get married and snuck a glance at Harry. They'd had a few rocky times recently, but she felt they'd come through stronger for them and she imagined she could feel a tingle in the tattoo on her upper arm. Hm, need to come up with an explanation for that, she thought absently. "Okay, so you decided to just do it. Then what happened?"
"Well, I had to tell McGonagall, of course. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but I still had my duties as head of Gryffindor. She volunteered for us to get married right there in the Great Hall, but that just seems too grand, doesn't it?" Ginny nodded, allowing herself to imagine standing next to Harry in that Great Hall, the enchanted ceiling echoing a glorious summer sky.
"What did you wear? Did you shop for something or…?"
"Well, you know most of my wardrobe leans toward the utilitarian. Fleur loaned me a dress of hers."
"It looked way better on Hermione than it ever did on her," Ron said, leaning forward. "Of course, I might be a bit biased."
"Did you wear white?" Ginny asked with a grin.
"No, it was a pale blue." Hermione blushed and looked aside for a quick moment. "It was very pretty, very spring-y."
"And what did Ron wear?"
"Ron wore his Auror dress robes," Ron said, taking another gulp of his Guinness.
"Really?" Harry asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah. Still the nicest set of robes I own," he said with a shrug. "Want another?" Harry nodded and Ron slid out of the booth, heading up towards the bar.
"So you had it in the back garden of the Burrow?"
"Yes. Molly was wonderful. A few other ladies came and helped with the cooking, but she did the cake all herself. Fleur and Penny helped with the decorating and it was just perfect," Hermione said, a dreamy expression coming over her face.
Ginny sighed happily and relaxed against the back of the booth, glad to feel the solid warmth of Harry next to her. Part of her still rebelled at the notion of getting engaged—she didn't want to give her mum the satisfaction yet—but she found that she was coming around more and more to the notion of spending the rest of her life with Harry.
"Where are you staying?" Harry asked, one eye on Ron bantering with the bartender.
"The St Regis. It's very nice."
"And expensive. Let me pay as my gift to you."
"Pay for what?" Ron asked, setting a full pint down in front of Harry. When Harry didn't respond, he narrowed his eyes. "No. Absolutely not."
"Absolutely not what?" Harry asked with his best innocent look. Ginny shot a smile at Hermione at the stubborn look on Ron's face.
"You are not paying for our hotel, all right? I can afford it," he said, pointing his finger at Harry. Quick as a flash, Harry grabbed it and started bending it backwards, causing Ron to hiss in pain.
"I don't care if you're as rich as a sultan. You didn't even invite me to your wedding. I will damn well pay for your hotel room in this bloody expensive city if I want to." Ginny sucked in her breath as Ron's face got very red as Harry bent his finger further and further back before Ron finally wrenched it from his grip.
"Fine!" Ron winced as he moved his finger and Ginny resisted the urge to examine it. "Don't think you're getting off easy, mate. I'm emptying that mini bar every fucking night."
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Boys," she said tiredly, sharing a look with Ginny. "So, tell me more about that water horse you mentioned at Christmas."
"That's Gin's story, not mine," Harry said, smiling at her, green eyes alight.
"Oh my goodness. It was so amazing!" Ginny said, leaning forward, suffused with the memory. "At Christmas, I hadn't been able to talk to him yet. I was just waiting and waiting out by the lake during the full moon and freezing before I was finally able to talk to him." She sighed, remembering the water horse's ethereal beauty.
"What did he have to say? Did he ask you where to find the best price on hay?" Ron asked, still massaging his abused finger.
"No, he didn't ask about hay, stupid," she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "He told me that he'd lost his dryad and that's why he was still stuck there in the middle of the City."
"Oh, poor thing," Hermione said sympathetically.
"I know! Anyway, I told him I'd find her for him."
"You did what? You made a promise to a magical creature?" Ron asked sharply. He looked at Harry. "You let her do that?"
"I wasn't there, was I? I don't understand why you think I can dictate terms to her," Harry said, taking a long drink of Guinness.
"I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. We did find his dryad, but she had been cursed to remain a tree and she was dying. So then I said I'd find him a new dryad," Ginny said brightly and Ron almost choked on his Guinness.
"So did you find him one then?" Hermione asked, thumping Ron on the back.
"We did! There was a grove of trees on campus that were going to be taken out and there was a dryad in one of them, so she agreed to go with the water horse. It was so beautiful," Ginny said, sighing happily.
"Tell them what you got," Harry said, nudging her in the shoulder.
"He said he wanted to give me something, so I asked for one of his tail hairs," she said proudly.
Ron gave a low whistle. "That's significant. That would make a powerful wand core."
"Funny you should say that," Harry said, leaning forward, "I was out for a run the other day and passed by the dryad-tree. I stopped to look at her and a branch fell down right in front of me."
"What? That's amazing! What kind of tree is she, Harry?" Hermione asked, expression full of wonder.
"Cypress, I think?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny for confirmation who nodded.
"So you have a core and wood," Ron said speculatively, "what are you going to do?"
"Thought we might see what Ollivander could make of it." Ginny finished her cider and picked up the food menu, checking out what was available. "And if it's not called to either Harry or me, well, maybe someone will come along later that can use it," she said, giving Harry a warm smile as she squeezed his hand under the table.