Gigi entered a home that was not her own. She entered it with friends that she wasn't especially close to, with a key she had received only hours ago. She turned on a light switch she wasn't used to, and tripped on the corner of a leather chair that wasn't anything she would ever buy. She walked up the staircase and stepped on a squeaky step, which her own house didn't have. When she made sure Ron and Hermione were set up in the guest room, Gigi walked into a bedroom that wasn't her own. She dropped her suitcase on the floor, pulled off her sweat-sprinkled shirt, and sat down on the king-size bed. As Gigi lay down on her back, running her arms over the smooth grey comforter, she realized that she felt more at home here, at Harry's house, then she ever had in her own house.
On the nightstand on Harry's side of the bed was a picture of Gigi. She reached out and grabbed the frame and pulled it towards her. He had snapped it a few weeks ago, on a whim. She had been sitting in his living room, a mug of tea in one hand. He had said something that made her laugh, and he had snapped a picture of her, caught in mid-laugh. As she watched the picture, the picture-ized Gigi giggled, and then wiped a few rogue splashes of tea off her wrist. Gigi smiled and turned to the other side of the bed. On the other nightstand was a picture she had captured of the two of them in the same night. She was smiling brightly into the camera, and Harry had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to his chest. His smile was sheepish, embarrassed even.
Gigi wriggled out of her jeans, folded them, and put them on one of the leather chairs that graced the corner of the room. She reached for her shirt, folded that, and placed it on top of her pants. She sidled over to Harry's dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled one of his black cotton shirts from within. She slid it over her head, loving the feel of the soft fabric as it brushed against her chest and stomach. Gigi lifted the collar to her nose and breathed in. It smelled of Harry, of mint and ink and detergent. Gigi wrapped her arms around herself and went to Harry's bed. She slowly removed the glittering necklace from around her neck and placed it on the nightstand next to her. She lay on her back and looked up at the skylight above her. The stars above glinted and winked at her, as if they were trying to tell her something. Gigi drifted off to sleep soon after, curled up on her side, clutching the comforter to her chest.
When Harry arrived home a few hours later, he was careful to close the door carefully behind him, so he wouldn't awake Ron or Hermione. He took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. Harry pulled his duffel bag up on his shoulder and began to ascend the stairs. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted. He had helped Atkins take all the evidence back to the Ministry, and after that, he had sat in meetings with the Minister and other Aurors for hours, trying to analyze the handwriting of the note. Most of the aurors were out trying to find the perp, but Harry was almost dead on his feet, so he had been sent home. Harry crept past the guest bedroom and to the end of the hallway. Quietly, he pushed open the door to his bedroom.
He paused in the doorway and dropped his bag. Gigi was asleep on the bed, curled up in a ball. In her hand, she held the comforter to her, like it was a safety blanket. Harry leaned against the doorjamb and watched her. He pushed up his glasses. She stirred fretfully, her long legs kicking out in front of her. Then, Gigi yawned and sat up. She blinked at Harry.
"Hi," she whispered, sitting up on her knees. Harry walked over to the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. In all the chaos and fear, it never felt so good to hold onto something so real. Gigi tucked her chin in Harry's collarbone.
"I think I need to step down," Harry whispered in her ear. "Maybe it will stop. All the killings. He's after me, hurting me. But if I just go away…"
"It's not going to stop." Gigi pulled back from Harry. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and he sat down next to her. Gigi placed her feet in his lap. "Listen to me. As long as you exist, none of this will stop. He wants to break you. Breaking you breaks the wizarding world. As long as you are here-"
"As long as I'm here, people are going to be killed."
Gigi scooted closer to Harry and tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. "As long as you're here, people still have reason to feel safe. You have this quality, whether you like it or not. You're a hero, and people see that. You're a leader, you're brave, and it scares people, but at the same time, it makes them feel protected."
Harry laced his fingers with Gigi's, and then leaned over and kissed her. Gigi ran a hand along Harry's back, letting her fingers play against his shoulder blades.
"I wish I could say you're wrong," Harry replied. He let out a short laugh. "Hermione once said I had this 'saving-people-thing.' Like it's ingrained in me."
"It is," Gigi pointed out. She smiled at him. "Whether it's from actual danger or from emotional danger. Remember when we first kissed?"
"Your birthday." Harry kissed each of her knuckles.
"Right. You saw how disappointed I was that no one had remembered. Even though I was cold and rude, you reached out. You saw someone in need, and you fixed it."
"Oh, I did, did I?" Harry rolled Gigi onto her back, and she laughed into his shoulder. Harry hovered above her. He leaned down to press his lips to her. There was nothing quite like Gigi. Her lips were the softest, her skin the smoothest, her eyes the brightest, her smile the prettiest. Harry loved the smell of her cucumber shampoo, he loved the way her collarbones jutted out, he loved the scar from her tattoo, and he loved the birthmark on her right hip that looked like a star. Harry realized that nothing in this world mattered to him as much as Gigi did, and he buried his face in her neck, kissing his way up to her mouth.
Gigi pulled away from Harry, bit her lip, and then tugged her shirt over her head. Harry reached for her, and she pulled him down onto the bed with her, slowly wrapping her legs around Harry's waist.
On the other side of town, Effy began the long walk up the flight of stairs that lead to Taylor's apartment. In one hand was a bag, and in the bag was a cup of hot soup and crackers. She had received an owl from Taylor earlier that week, calling in sick again, and Effy wanted to make sure nothing was seriously wrong.
The heel of her boot made a slight clacking noise as she went further up the stairs, and soon, Effy's labored breathing drowned out the hollow clack.
"Shit," she muttered to herself as she reached the eighth floor. Effy bent over and placed her hands on her knees, gulping in air. "I really need to work out more." Slowly, Effy straightened up, and then looked at the address in her hand. Flat number 840. It was almost right in front of her. The brassy numbers stood out on the pea-green door. Effy stumbled forward, the bag of soup in hand, and knocked on the door.
There was no answer. Perhaps he was sleeping, Effy thought. She rang the doorbell. Still, no answer came from within. Effy walked over to the window, but the drapes were drawn so no one could look in.
"Taylor?" Effy called, knocking on the door again. This time, she made sure to pound on the door harder than she had before. Again, when no answer came, she sighed. Effy placed the soup on the welcome mat, and then stood up, prepared to apparate. Suddenly, a noise startled her. Effy looked up to see something hurtling at her, and she had no time to move out of the way. She raised her hands as a defense, and opened her mouth to let out a shrill scream, but it was too late. The thing hit Effy so hard it sent her flying back. She hit her head on the edge of the stairway rail and crumpled to the floor, panting heavily. Blood began to seep from the crack in her forehead. The thing leaned over, her, sniffed, and then snickered. It apparated, leaving Effy lying there, helpless and weak.
Effy knew that this could very well be her last moments. It was becoming harder to breathe, and red began to obscure her eyes. Effy closed them, afraid to see what was out there, what was coming for her. Suddenly, a bright light burst through her eyelids. This was it. She was dying. Effy thought fleetingly of Lee. She had been in love with him years, and although they had gone out a few times, she had never told him. Her mouth was dry. She wished she had said something.
But then, as Effy allowed her eyes to peep open the slightest bit, she realized she wasn't dying at all. The opposite. Help had come for her; someone was going to save her. A stag patronus was standing before her, pawing at the ground. She recognized it at once. It was the most famous patronus in the world. Harry had sent it. Effy slowly reached into her pocket. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably as she drew out the wand. Her fingers wrapped around the familiar handle (willow), and she let out a sputtering gasp as she waved it through the air.
"Expecto Patronum," Effy coughed. A hummingbird burst from the end of Effy's wand, it's wings fluttering so fast that they were invisible. Effy struggled to sit up. "Get….help…" she choked. The hummingbird disappeared at once, flying off into the London night. Effy collapsed once more, her hair soaking in her own blood, as the sun began to rise over the skyline.
Harry awakened to the sound of a tapping at his window. He looked down to see Gigi next to him, cocooned in the comforter, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Harry picked up his glasses from the nightstand, and slowly disentangled himself. Gigi moaned and turned over, pressing her face into the down pillows. Harry reached for the shirt she had been wearing earlier, and pulled it on. He glanced towards the window to see a patronus, hovering outside. Quickly, he jumped off the bed and hurried over to the window, which he flung open. The hummingbird opened its mouth and a voice echoed into the room. Gigi shot up from the bed, looking around for the source of the noise.
"Help." The voice was Effy's but it was oddly choked and blocked, like her throat was clogged. "Help. Apartment 840. Skyline building. John-Johnson Boulevard." The voice faded, and immediately, the hummingbird burst into dust. Gigi hopped out of the bed and grabbed her jeans from the floor. Harry didn't even have time to protest, because she had pulled on her shirt faster than he had pulled on his pants. Gigi closed the window, locked it, and tucked her wand in her pocket.
"Say what you want," she warned Harry. "Be a hero, act that all out, but I'm coming with you. I know where she is anyway."
Harry nodded, and held his hand out to Gigi. She grabbed it, and the two of them apparated on the spot. Gigi gasped as the cold air hit them like a wave. She glanced around, and first, all she saw was an empty hallway, dotted with snowflakes. Suddenly, Harry's hand was missing in hers. She glanced around to see him, kneeling by a motionless figure. Gigi flung herself down next to Effy's body, pulled her wand out and began to mend the cut in her forehead. Harry siphoned the blood off the ground.
Effy let out a little groan, and both Harry and Gigi sighed, glad she was alive, glad she was able to respond. Effy's hand bobbed up and down, and Gigi realized Effy's wand was lying a few inched away. Gigi picked it up, ready to hand it to her, when she suddenly paused.
She remembered back in September, when Effy had handed her a directory of all the employees in the Auror office.
"It's my job to memorize them," Effy said with a smile. "All the addresses, that is. But I thought you would like a copy."
And Gigi had worked over time so she could memorize the addresses too, just in case. Gigi dropped Effy's wand and stood up, dazed.
"Taylor," Gigi breathed, looking at the closest apartment door.
"What?" Harry asked, looking up. "Is he here?"
"This is his apartment," Gigi suddenly exclaimed, running towards the door. "840. I memorized all the addresses."
Harry stood up as well, his heart pounding heavily. "Atkins told me Effy was going to check in on Taylor." Harry quickly grabbed Gigi's arm and yanked her back. He held out an arm in front of her chest.
"I know you say that you're ready to take all this on, but please, this once, be rational. Stay back."
"I was planning on it," Gigi squeaked back, sinking down next to Effy. She moved Effy's head into her lap and cradled her, rocking back and forth slightly. Harry moved forward, his wand out, and pointed it at the apartment door.
"Taylor?" Harry called out. When there was no answer, Harry blasted open the door with his wand. He didn't know what to expect. Maybe he expected to see Taylor, standing there with his wand directed at Harry's chest. Or maybe he thought Taylor would be lying on the couch, unconscious. But he certainly did not expect to see what he did next.
The flat was empty, completely, utterly devoid of anything. There were no moving boxes or anything, just a few hooks in the walls. It was eerily desolate. Harry walked over the threshold and into the next few rooms. They were all empty. He returned back to the kitchen. Suddenly, he paused. There was blood spatter on the linoleum, like Taylor had cut himself. There was a bloody handprint smeared down the front of the refrigerator. Apprehensively, Harry stepped over the blood and pulled open the fridge. On the top shelf, wrapped in a plastic bag, was a severed human head. The solemn, un-moving face of Gregory Goyle stared back at Harry.
Across the Atlantic, David Meyer sat at his computer. He had his wallet open in front of him and a visa card clutched in one hand. On the computer screen was the United Airlines homepage. With a few clicks and some fast typing, David had purchased a round-trip ticket to London. He had also purchased another ticket, but this one was a one-way ticket.
A/N: Remember to review! Thanks everyone