CHAPTER XXI
The Prince's Tale

Ginny woke up to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door.

'Harry? Are you in there?' Mrs Weasley's voice asked.

'Yes, he is,' Ginny replied. 'Why?'

'Ginny, what are you doing in there? Professor Snape wants a word with him.'

'Tell him to wait in the kitchen. Harry will be there in ten minutes.'

'He wants Harry now, Ginny,' Mrs Weasley said in an exasperated tone. Ginny could be so inflexible sometimes.

'But Harry's not wearing anything,' Ginny countered. 'He'll be in the kitchen in ten minutes.'

'I have no desire to see naked Potters,' Snape's silky voice came from the door through which Mrs Weasley came bursting seconds later.

'Ginny!' she exclaimed. 'What on Earth are you doing?'

Harry stirred but didn't wake up. Instead, he snuggled closer to Ginny's warmth. 'I'm sleeping with Harry. Keep your voice down; you're going to wake him up.'

'Ginny Weasley! I thought I taught you about appropriate behavior regarding boys at your age! And I catch you sleeping with one! Where is your shame?'

Harry woke up, terrified of the screaming Mrs Weasley, and tried to hide his face in Ginny's shoulder.

'Now you woke Harry up,' Ginny scolded while rubbing Harry's shoulder reassuringly, paying little attention to what her mother had just said.

'Well? What do you have to say for yourself?' Mrs Weasley demanded.

'You caught us sleeping in the same bed a while ago, too,' Ginny said to her mum. 'You might remember because you gave us permission to do it again.'

'But this is different!' Mrs Weasley nearly shouted. 'He's not wearing anything for crying out loud!'

'Well spotted,' commented Ginny coolly. 'That's because I asked him to undress last night.'

'GINNY WEASLEY!' bellowed Mrs Weasley. (Harry held his breath and hid his face in Ginny's arm.) 'You know perfectly well that you're too young for sex!'

'Who said anything about sex?' Ginny retorted. 'And it's not up to you to decide when and where I'm ready!'

'You're ready when you're married!'

'Hypocrite,' Ginny said softly, but it stung. She was the only Weasley, apart from the Mr and Mrs, of course, who knew that Bill had been conceived before their parents were married. 'Look, Mum,' Ginny continued, taking advantage of the silence her words had created. 'When you were young - my age - you explored. Do you regret that? Do you regret having Bill? Of course not. It was one of the best things that ever happened to you, wasn't it? What makes you think I will regret exploring with Harry? I love him; he loves me. We're going to get married, and I'm perfectly entitled to give a massage to my fiancé when he can't sleep without the consent of my mother. And I don't need her barging uninvited into our room the moment she hears I used some oil. I don't appreciate you invading my privacy, Mum.'

Mrs Weasley had been shocked at the cold and calm voice Ginny was using to argue her case, but she interrupted her when the time came nonetheless. 'You can have your privacy as long as I trust you, Ginny! But if you betray my trust in a manner like this, I don't -'

'You already lost the right to chaperone me, Mum,' Ginny said quietly. 'You lost it a long time ago, when you didn't come to get me in the Chamber of Secrets.'

'Don't you hold that against me!'

'Why not, Mum?' Ginny asked, still very quietly. 'You keep saying you want to protect me. Why didn't you protect me then, when I most needed it? Up to that day, I thought you and Dad - and Bill, too, to an extent - were gods, Mum! I thought you could do anything! I trusted you. You may have lost your trust in me just now, but I lost my trust in you the day I was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. I needed protection then, not now; you've got things mixed up.'

'You can't hold that against me!' said Mrs Weasley, who, like her daughter, was on the verge of tears.

'I can't,' Ginny agreed. 'I don't blame you for it; I'm to blame. But I can't hold it in favor of you either. To Harry, however, I was a complete stranger! I was his best friend's little sister. We barely exchanged a dozen words, and he came to get me. He risked his life - he almost died to save me. What gives you the right to chaperone me that doesn't give him the right also?'

'I'm your mother!' Mrs Weasley said, almost yelling.

'Harry's going to be my husband,' Ginny stated, as calm as ever.

'Not if I have a say in it!' Mrs Weasley declared before she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Harry emerged from under Ginny's arm and looked up to her with teary eyes, clearly frightened by what Mrs Weasley had said.

'She's not going to ruin our relationship, Harry,' Ginny soothed. 'I'm not going to let her.'

Harry snuggled closer and tried to sleep again as he muttered, 'I love you.'

Ginny smiled. Harry was so comfortable around her. Last year, he would never have been able to say something like that. She hated herself for doing what she did next. 'Harry, dear, you can't go back to sleep. You're needed in the kitchen.'

Harry looked pleadingly into her eyes, as if to say, 'But I'd much rather stay here with you.' Ginny refused to meet his eyes, knowing that she would cave in if she did. Instead, she got out first and motioned for him to follow. Somewhat reluctantly, he did, and she helped him get dressed. They headed downstairs - or rather, she led him downstairs while he kept trying to lead them back upstairs.

When they entered the kitchen, they saw that three people were seated. Fleur was talking to Bill and at the far end of the table sat Snape, his nose as hooky and his hair even greasier than ever.

As soon as Harry saw him, he screamed like a hag, fell to the floor and curled up into a fetal position. Snape looked mildly surprised.

Suddenly, Ginny started swearing and insulting Snape with vocabulary for which Mrs Weasley would have grounded her for several years. '... You tortured him, didn't you?'

Bill and Fleur gasped at Ginny's accusation and gaped at Snape. To their surprise and horror, Snape responded by saying, 'What was I supposed to do? Refuse the Dark Lord's request? Openly declare my allegiance to Potter - a prisoner - in front of the Dark Lord's most loyal -' He stopped abruptly because Ginny had hit him with the Bat-Bogey Hex.

After cursing Snape, Ginny knelt next to Harry, who was sobbing and jerking uncontrollably on the ground, and tried to help him to his feet. It was difficult because Harry didn't realize it was Ginny who was bending over him.

'It's alright, Harry,' she soothed, 'It's me. Talk to me now. Get up. I'm not going to let that evil man hurt you. I promise.' Slowly, she was able to heave him to his feet. He was clinging desperately to her while sweating profusely.

Meanwhile, Bill had undone the Bat-Bogey Hex on Snape. 'He doesn't have his wand, Ginny. You can't curse a defenseless person, even if it is Snape.'

'I need to see Potter,' said Snape.

'You can't,' said Ginny reflexively. Harry's grip on her was reaching painful tightness.

'Just for a few seconds, Weasley.'

'No,' she replied, hugging Harry back, protectively.

'Ginny,' Bill pleaded, 'we don't have time for this. The meeting is starting in a couple of minutes.'

'Well, then,' Ginny said to her brother. 'You will only have to keep him away from Harry for a couple of minutes more before someone else will help.'

'You are aware, are you not, that people who embark on a Soul Journey are prone to loss of senses? If he is not cared for properly, he may turn blind or deaf. Is that what you want for him?'

Grudgingly, Ginny allowed Harry to be inspected by Snape. He would have resisted violently to Snape's inspection if Ginny hadn't whispered into his ear that he should calm down - that he was safe and that she wouldn't let that evil man hurt him.

'He appears to be fine,' concluded Snape, as if hoping it wasn't the case. 'Probably due to his young age.'

The door to the kitchen opened, and Mrs Weasley entered. She put on her best Umbridge smile and said to Ginny, 'Ginny, dear, the meeting is about to start. Why don't you go up to your room?'

'I'm staying with Harry,' Ginny declared. Harry got up and started walking towards the door.

'Harry, dear,' Mrs Weasley said to motion him to stop. 'Why don't you stay? We need you here.'

Harry stopped and turned around to face Ginny for advice. She pulled out the chair next to her that was closest to him and held her arm out. Harry sat down and welcomed her warm embrace.

'Ginny!' Mrs Weasley near-shouted. 'Room!'

'Oh, Mum, I'm sorry,' said Ginny nonchalantly. 'I thought you'd heard me. I said I was staying with Harry.'

Mrs Weasley's explosion was contained because Professor McGonagall chose that moment to enter the kitchen.

'Gonny!' Harry shouted as soon as he saw the entrant. This earned a smile from both Ginny and Professor McGonagall. 'He remembers you,' mumbled Ginny.

Several minutes later, the entire Order was convened in the kitchen - including Mundungus Fletcher who had been released from prison. All were looking inquisitively at Harry, who tried desperately to avoid everyone's eyes. Ginny started rubbing his neck to encourage him.

'Now that everybody's here, we can start the meeting,' said Professor McGonagall. 'As you can see, we have Harry back, thanks to Severus here. Harry, will you resume your leadership?'

Harry looked positively terrified at the prospect and tried to act, unsuccessfully, as if he hadn't heard the last request. 'I don't think he's ready yet,' Ginny answered for him. Harry moaned softly in appreciation.

'Why is that?' Damian Wulfshed asked.

'Well, for example, he doesn't remember your name. He doesn't remember the names of half the people here. He needs time to get his memory back and become the man he was again.' The Order seemed to accept this for an answer.

'Well, then,' McGonagall's stern voice took over from Ginny. 'Next topic. Severus.'

'I want my wand back,' Snape interrupted. 'That was the agreement.'

'The agreement was that you would get your wand back after you have been exonerated by this meeting!' McGonagall stated. 'You may begin explaining yourself. How did Harry escape?'

'It was Potter's doing, ironically,' Snape said in a bored tone. 'A stroke of genius I have learned not to expect from him. Apparently, Pettigrew was bound to the service of Potter. He ordered Pettigrew to put the Imperius Curse on a Death Eater to release the prisoner. The rat,' Snape spat the word, 'chose me, thinking I would not be able to throw his petty curse off. When the Dark Lord finds out - if he hasn't already - Pettigrew shall pay with his life. Anything else?'

'Why did you kill my brother?' Aberforth asked.

'The headmaster asked me to,' Snape stated simply. 'He knew about Draco Malfoy's mission, and he knew about the Vow I had made to his mother to finish the job for him if he was about to fail.'

'Why did you make the Vow?' Ron asked.

Snape glared at him. 'The Dark Lord and his followers were dubious of my loyalty to them - and rightfully so. I had to keep my cover if I wanted to stay alive.'

'Why did Dumbledore want to die?' Ginny asked.

'Your guess is as good as mine,' he responded icily. 'Perhaps he was tired of the lack of success of the Order, or perhaps he was tired of living in general. Or perhaps he was already dying. But I do know this: he wanted me to be the one to kill him because only then could I keep my cover and remain a spy for the Order.'

'You never gave any of us much reason to trust you. Why did Dumbledore trust you?' McGonagall asked.

Snape sighed. 'Dumbledore knew how much I hate the Dark Lord. It is difficult to explain, but in the end, I want him dead as badly as you do.'

'You will explain!' growled Moody.

Snape sighed again. 'It began in my sixth year at Hogwarts. Potter's clan had nearly gotten me killed, and I vowed to see the death of the creature that saved my life: James Potter. I entered the service of the Dark Lord two weeks after that dreadful full moon. I did not only want to kill Potter, but I wanted to hurt him before I did. It was this that led me to overcome my dislike of muggle-borns.'

'Lily,' said Hagrid.

'Precisely,' said Snape with a nod to his former colleague. 'I knew James fancied her; he only dated Teriana Bellons to convince himself otherwise. That is exactly why I asked Lily out. She accepted, and we dated for a while. We were in love with each other - until Potter worked his magic.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' yelled McGonagall. 'Lily and James had been infatuated with each other since third year! She was just dating you to make him jealous!'

'NO, SHE WASN'T!' Snape bellowed. 'SHE LOVED ME! SHE LOVED ME ALL ALONG!'

Harry knew this to be untrue. He had memories of his parents that the Soul Journey gave him. His parents were truly in love with each other, and Snape simply did not fit in the equation.

'Alright,' said McGonagall in a tone that leaked disbelief. 'She loved you. And you loved her. Continue.'

'The Dark Lord believed ... The Dark Lord was after their son. I asked him to spare her life. He said he would.' Everybody was silent after this pronouncement. Voldemort had killed Lily anyway.

'He killed the only woman I had ever loved. The only woman who ever loved me! And it's my fault because I led him to the Potters.' Snape was silent for a few seconds. 'I want him dead. I want him to PAY!'

Nobody knew what to say, but Professor McGonagall was the only one to do anything. She enveloped Snape in a hug. He was too perplexed to realize who was hugging him, but he hugged back nonetheless. Professor McGonagal gave him back his wand. 'Are you going to spy for the Order like you did before Albus's death?'

'If, and only if, the Order organizes itself.'

The Order decided that McGonagall was to be the new leader, at least, until Harry was able to resume. Harry missed the rest of the meeting because he fell asleep with his head on Ginny's shoulder.

When Ginny woke him up, most of the Order had left and the others were leaving. McGonagall handed Harry a note before she, too, left. Harry tried to go back to sleep again, but Hermione's voice kept him awake. 'Time for your training, Harry.' A quick glance at Ginny's face told him she was as puzzled as he was.

As soon as they entered the usual training room, Ginny asked Hermione what she was planning to do.

'Well,' she answered. 'It seems to me that Harry forgot how to do magic. Most of it will return in time, but he really needs to be able to do some things, like Apparition.' She conjured a hoop and cast a spell, which caused it to hover two or three inches above the ground in front of Harry's feet. 'Harry, I'd like you to Apparate into that hoop.'

Harry looked down at the hoop before him and then turned towards Ginny. 'Go on,' she said, removing herself from Harry's grasp and taking several steps back. 'Apparate.'

Hermione started explaining to him how to Apparate, but Ginny held up her hand; she could tell Harry remembered and was concentrating.

All of a sudden, there was a pop, and Harry disappeared, but he didn't reappear inside the hoop. Instead, he appeared right before Ginny, locking her into a firm embrace.

Ginny started laughing. 'Why don't you Apparate us both into that hoop, Harry?' She could feel him concentrate again, and suddenly, she felt like the air was compressing her to the size of a bean. As soon as the feeling had come, it was gone again and she was standing, together with Harry, inside the hovering hoop.

Hermione applauded. Harry slumped against her again and tried to fall asleep. Ginny giggled softly and stroked his hair lovingly.

'Alright, Harry, I want you to turn into a phoenix,' Hermione demanded. Harry disregarded her voice and tried to sleep some more.

However, Ginny started distancing herself from him. 'Turn into a phoenix, Harry.'

Harry concentrated on the red and gold swan, but he was unable to transform. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any part of his body to assume a more phoenixlike shape.

'Harry,' said Ginny in a stern tone, 'I will sleep in my own bed tonight if you don't turn into a phoenix now - and you in yours.'

Harry yelped and immediately turned into a phoenix, but it didn't stop there. The phoenix that was Harry disappeared in a cloud of fire and reappeared at Ginny's feet. Ginny picked the bird up and started stroking its handsome plumage. Soon, Harry turned back into a human. His arms were wrapped around Ginny, and he was crying loudly.

'Shhh,' Ginny said as she rocked him back and forth. 'I'm sorry I said that. Of course, you can sleep in my bed tonight. I shouldn't have said that. Calm down.' Slowly, Harry's sobbing died down.

'Harry,' Ron commented, 'you just traveled by fire. Why didn't you do that to get out of captivity?'

'Couldn't change into ... phoenix,' Harry answered.

'What's this?' Hermione asked as she took the note McGonagall had given Harry after the meeting from his hand.

'Harry,

'Congratulations on your escape.

'Please meet me ASAP in my office at Hogwarts.

'Sincerely,

Professor H.E.F. Slughorn

'Don't you think we should go and see him?' Hermione asked Harry.

'Maybe we should,' Ginny answered. Harry pulled Ginny close to make sure that wherever she was going, it was nowhere he couldn't follow. 'Why d'you think he's still at Hogwarts?'

'Probably helping with the reconstruction,' Ron said opening the door for his sister, girlfriend and best friend.

Slughorn was acting very unusual. He was nervous, pale and sweating profusely. He didn't greet his three favorite students and their friend 'Ralph' as amicably as he usually did. The reason for this lay on his desk.

As Ginny led Harry to the couch so he could rest for a bit, Ron read the letter Slughorn had been sent aloud:

'Dear Professor Slughorn,

'Even though I promised we would, we have not spoken in ages. Indeed, the last time I saw you was my last day as a student at Hogwarts. I have spent the better half of my life studying magic. Thus, it may come as a surprise to hear that an old student - one who has left school so many years ago - requires your teachings once again.

'Unfortunately, I cannot convey the purpose or ingredients of this potion in a letter. However, if you were to meet one of my associates in the Hog's Head on the seventeenth of March at noon, we can arrange a much more personal meeting.

'Yours Sincerely,

Tom Riddle

'You don't have to turn up,' Ginny said fairly to the Potions Professor. 'You don't have to help that bastard.'

'While I admire such courage, Ginny, I am afraid I lack it,' Slughorn said.

'You can't be serious!' Hermione exclaimed. 'Surely you're not going to help him!'

'My dear Hermione,' Slughorn said desperately. 'What choices do I have? Please do not think too badly of me.'

'What's he going to do if you don't show up?'

'He already has them,' the Professor answered. When Hermione, Ron and Ginny looked puzzled at this, he tossed them the newest Daily Prophet. One of the smaller articles mentioned the kidnapping of the family Blyke. 'Alfred Blyke,' Slughorn clarified, 'is my brother-in-law. You-Know-Who's got my sister's family! What am I going to do?'

'Calm down,' said Harry unexpectedly, because everyone thought he was asleep. 'Was there any other reason you called us here for?'

The change of subject seemed to distract Slughorn a bit. 'Ah. Right. Yes. I discovered the recipe for the potion we talked about a while ago to ... eh ... you know ...' Slughorn glanced warily at Ron and Hermione.

'They know,' said Ginny quickly. 'You mean the potion to destroy the Horcruxes?'

Slughorn nodded. 'It is the most complicated recipe I've ever seen. It would take several weeks to brew, provided I can find all the ingredients. But there is one I'm sure I cannot find.'

'Which is?'

Slughorn took a deep breath before he said, 'Bone of the bearer.'

'Bearer of what?' Ron asked, verbalizing Hermione's expression.

Ginny answered for them. 'The bone of the bearer of the soul that needs to be destroyed. He means Voldemort's bone - which I believe is the same as his father's because he used that to regenerate.'

Ron let out a low whistle. 'I bet we can't find that in the local liquor shop.'

'We'll get it,' Harry mumbled, again completely unexpected.

'Of course,' Ginny added. 'We'll find a way.'

Slughorn looked skeptical. He smiled wryly and excused himself to take a warm bath. Hermione wanted to go back to Headquarters in order to do some research. Ron had no choice but to help her, much against his will.

Harry, however, didn't want to go back yet. He fancied a walk on the grounds.

'Okay, let's go,' Ginny said in response to Harry's thoughts as she linked her arm with Harry's.

The first thing they noticed when they were outside was the damage to the castle that the giants had done. It was mostly on the Slytherin wing, but it was extensive. A surprisingly large number of volunteers were helping to rebuild it. Ginny figured it was a way for those people to help out in the war, without really being in danger.

They walked over to Hagrid's hut. Ginny noticed how calm open spaces made him, and she also noted that Harry's arms tightened when they entered Hagrid's house.

Hagrid was all too pleased to see Harry again. He hadn't been able to visit Harry until now because he had been too busy with the reconstruction of the castle.

When Harry fell asleep on Ginny's shoulder, Hagrid chuckled and declared that his break was over and he had to leave to help out with the castle again.

Harry and Ginny walked over to the lake and sat down by one of their favorite trees. It was rather warm for a day in early March, but still not warm enough to walk around without a sweater. Thus, both Harry and Ginny were wearing Weasley-jumpers.

Ginny was leaning against the tree, and Harry was between her legs, leaning against her. His head came right beneath her chin.

Being calmed by the water's mesmerizing rustling, Harry rested his head on Ginny's chest and fell asleep. Ginny conjured a thin blanket for both of them as she had decided to join him in his slumber.

She wasn't sure how long they had slept when Neville found them. It could have been only a few minutes, but it could also have been a few hours.

Neville was standing close to her, watching Harry with an expression of hero-worship. Ginny smiled when she saw him.

'McGonagall told me he was back,' Neville said. 'Was he really ... you know ... captured?'

Ginny nodded sadly. 'He hasn't been the same since. I don't think he ever will be.' Harry stirred and woke up. 'But he's doing great already, aren't you?'

'I wanted to visit, but McGonagall won't tell me how to get into the Order's Headquarters unless I'm a member, and Gran won't let me join until I finish school.'

After giving Ginny a wake up kiss, Harry noticed Neville. He smiled and stretched out his right arm. Ginny quickly Vanished the blanket, and Neville shook his hand. 'How are you doing, Harry?'

Harry, unsure how to answer this, chose to ignore that question. 'He's doing fine,' Ginny answered for him. 'He's getting his memory back quickly.'

'Neville!' Harry exclaimed, and Ginny could tell he was hit by a sudden epiphany. 'We can bring your parents back!'

Neville ogled him and then turned to Ginny. 'He's right,' she said. 'We might be able to.'

'What are you talking about? They couldn't bring them back at St Mungo's. What makes you think you can? They're ...' Neville looked at his own shoes, '... vegetables.'

'So was Harry,' Ginny whispered. 'When Harry got back, he was exactly like your parents. But we got him back. We got him back.'

'What did you do?' Neville asked, not uninterestedly.

'Soul Journey Potion. I believe it might work on your parents, too.'

Neville, unable to recall hearing such a term in Potions, declared he would consult his grandmother as he left.

Harry and Ginny made to go back to Grimmauld Place. By the time they came stumbling out of the Vanishing Cabinet, Harry was sleepy again. He was almost too tired to stand on his own.

'Ginny, you're too late for supper. Go into the kitchen and start doing the dishes,' Mrs Weasley said. 'And no magic!' Had she been waiting for them to come out of the Cabinet?

'Harry needs to sleep, Mum,' Ginny said, steering Harry and paying little attention to her mother.

'I'll put Harry to bed; you go do the dishes. And no magic!' She grabbed Harry's free arm and pulled him close to her, away from Ginny.

When Ginny resisted, Mrs Weasley waved her wand and Banished Ginny into the kitchen and locked the door.

Harry started whimpering at the loss of Ginny. Mrs Weasley tried to comfort him as she steered him to his bedroom.

They passed the door to Ginny's room. Harry wanted to go in, but Mrs Weasley stopped him. 'This isn't your room, Harry. It's Ginny's. Come on; let me bring you to your room.'

But Harry wouldn't give in. His room didn't smell like Ginny. He couldn't sleep in there. He struggled and struggled and tried to open that door and go in, but Mrs Weasley wouldn't let him. Harry managed to free himself from her grasp and quickly entered the room, but Mrs Weasley's wandwork was faster. As soon as he was inside the room, she Summoned him back out.

Harry kicked her shins and used the opportunity of distraction to crawl back into the room.

Meanwhile, Ginny cut her hand on one of the knives. She had been Banished into the kitchen with a locked door, her mother would pay for that later. Unable to get out, she had started with the dishes.

But she heard a voice in her head, and she knew it came from Harry. Where are you going to, Great Harry? The voice was unmistakably the taunting voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Furious with the person that impersonated her mother, Ginny lunged at the door, which, thankfully, opened because of accidental magic, spawned by rage.

She hurried up to her own room where Bellatrix was playing with Harry. Her mother was standing in the middle of the room, trying to keep hold of Harry who was punching, kicking and biting - anything he could do to get free. Mrs Weasley, or whoever was impersonating her, whispered soothing words into Harry's ear. 'Harry, what's wrong? It's me, Mrs Weasley. I can help you. Just tell me what's wrong.'

Ginny was about to hit the impostor with the worst hex that she knew when the words echoed in her mind as Harry had heard them. Don't tell me you don't like it, Great Harry. You're yearning for more. I can tell.

This was not an impostor. It really was her mother, only Harry thought she was Bellatrix. Harry was having a flashback.

Ginny pointed her wand at her mother's face. 'GET OUT!' she bellowed. 'NOW!' Her mother didn't move quickly enough, so Ginny hit her with the Disarmament Spell, which freed Harry, and then with a Banishing charm. She locked the door in front of her mother.

Ginny turned to Harry. He'd fallen onto the bed, curled up into fetal position, his limbs twitching involuntarily.

Ginny wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tried to calm him. He wasn't attacking her or trying to get free, which was a good sign. Harry went from twitching hysterically to trembling as Ginny continued a stream of soothing words.

She used her mind - her connection to Harry - to soothe him. She sent him reassurance that he was safe and with Ginny and that Bellatrix was nowhere near. This, more than anything, calmed him down.

After half an hour of holding onto Ginny with trembling arms, Harry spoke. 'Ginny?'

'Yes, Harry?'

Harry calmed more. Though not gone, the trembling lessened. Harry buried his head in the pillow, next to Ginny's.

What happened next, Ginny could not explain. Harry's trembling hand moved to the top button of her blouse, and he started fiddling clumsily with it. He was obviously trying to undo it.

Though there could be no clearer invitation, Ginny could not believe what Harry was asking of her. Only last night, he felt too uncomfortable with it, and now he was the initiator!

'Harry?' Ginny asked tentatively. 'Are you sure?'

Harry nodded into the pillow. Slowly, Ginny realized how his mind was working. The best way to not think of something is to think of something else.

She relented.

The fragments of the flashback were drowned in the ecstasy of the Act.

---

It was deep in the night. Harry was still awake, his arms wrapped loosely around Ginny's neck. Their bodies lying face to face,

Harry felt very calm. On his face, a silly grin told Ginny that he was remembering what they'd just been doing. He'd enjoyed it. They both had.

Suddenly, Ginny thought of something less happy. Perhaps she could hear the inaudible sounds that were coming from the kitchen. Her thoughts wondered to her mother, and what she must be doing. She had to apologize.

Harry, sensing what Ginny was deciding to do through their bond and accepting the fact that she was going, asked, 'Will you come back?'

'Of course, I will,' Ginny said, chuckling. 'There's something in my bed I wouldn't give up for the world.' She slipped out of bed and put on her pajamas. Harry looked down the end of the bed, hoping to encounter what she was talking about. 'You, silly,' Ginny said, planting a wet kiss on his nose.

As soon as she was out of her room, she realized she still had no idea in which room her mother slept. Just before she decided to go back to bed, she heard noises coming from downstairs.

Apparently, they were originating in the kitchen. Someone was obviously busy.

She came into the kitchen and found her mother. She was baking bread - in the middle of the night.

'Mum?'

Mrs Weasley turned around. She had horrible bags beneath her eyes, and yet she was wide awake. 'Ginny, dear, why don't you wake your brothers up? It's time for breakfast.'

'It's half-past twelve, Mum,' Ginny said, pointing at the clock. Mrs Weasley dropped the bowl of dough she'd been holding.

'Where's Ronnie off to? I swear I won't be able to keep track of him when he learns to walk.' She picked up the bowl.

'Ron is almost eighteen, Mum,' Ginny said, wondering what was wrong with her mother, who dropped the bowl again. This time, she didn't bend down to pick it up again. Instead, she moved her hand over her abdomen and smiled. 'She's kicking.'

'Mum! Your daughter is right here. I'm Ginny. Right here. Wake up.' Mrs Weasley's hand started trembling, and she Summoned a chair to sit on. 'Who are you?'

'I'm Ginny. I came here to apologize for my behavior earlier. I shouldn't have used magic on you.'

'Ginny?' Mrs Weasley said, her eyebrows frowned in confusion. Then her face contorted with irritation and she yelled, 'He's not your baby!'

She was going from bad to worse, Ginny thought. 'Mum, what are you talking about?'

'YOU'RE NOT HIS MUM!'

Suddenly, Ginny understood. Her mother was behaving so weirdly lately because she felt her motherhood was being threatened by Ginny. Harry was dependent on Ginny now, as demonstrated by the fact that he looked to her as a mother, in addition to everything else. Mrs Weasley had all but adopted Harry; it was normal she thought of him as son. Now she thought of her as a daughter who had betrayed her.

'His mother died a long time ago, Mum.' Ginny said after she drew a chair to sit on beside her mother in order to hug her. 'None of us can replace Lily Potter.'

'I know,' her mother wailed, 'but it's all so sad! He shouldn't have to live through this. No one should.'

'I know, I know,' Ginny soothed. 'It's a sad story.'

'Why ... why you? Where did I mess up? Where have I gone wrong?'

'It has nothing to do with messing up, Mum,' Ginny said. 'Harry doesn't turn to you when he needs a mother's care. He never did. He always saw you as the stereotypical mother. Believe it or not, that experience was new to him. I'll bet my life he wouldn't give it up for the world. You showed him what it's like to be part of a family in which he is loved. He loves you for being the Mum in his life, not his Mum. Harry doesn't turn to you like a son turns to a mother. He never did. In the past, he sought solitude to process things. The only thing that's different now is that he turns to me.'

'Why you?' Mrs Weasley wailed. 'Why not ... why not me?'

That was a question Ginny did not want to answer. She didn't want her mother to know about the bond between herself and Harry. 'Because he sees you in me,' Ginny said. 'He knows me better than he knows you. He knows that ... depending on me is a lot like depending on you. He loves me, too, you know.'

'More!' Mrs Weasley wailed. 'He loves you more! Why?'

Her mother was asking why she did not have a Soulbond to Harry. 'Because ... he sees himself in me, too. Harry's been touched by Voldemort, as I have. It's ... we share a past. He understands me. and I him. We can relate to each other in a way that no one else can to another person. I love him like you love Dad and vice versa. You never did anything wrong.'

Mrs Weasley didn't have anything to say. Instead, she sobbed onto her daughter's shoulder.

'He loves you,' Ginny said. 'He really does. I can tell. But not like I do.'

Mrs Weasley sobbed some more and then said, 'You're right. I'm being silly. I'm sorry, dear, for what I've put you through.'

'It's all right, Mum.' Ginny answered. 'I forgive you. Now let's get you back to bed.' She Vanished the bread dough and stood up. Mrs Weasley smiled and then stood up also to follow her daughter.

When Ginny reentered her room, Harry was still awake. Quite oblivious to what had happened downstairs, Harry had done his best to stay awake until Ginny got back. Either he wanted to fall asleep after she got back, or ...

'Still awake Harry? Does this mean you're ready for another round?'

Harry grinned widely and nodded.

---

MINISTER OF MAGIC FOUND DEAD

The Dark Mark was spotted above Luton last evening. A team of Aurors was sent to investigate the scene. Apparently, the Mark was cast above the house of Minister for Magic Dolores Umbridge.

According to the Aurors, there were 'signs of struggle.' According to various estimates, Death Eaters entered the house around seven o' clock, disabling the wards meant to keep unwanted visitors out. Magicologists that were summoned to the scene conclude that the residues of magic signify offensive spell-casting by no later than half-past seven.

The horribly mutilated body of the Minister was found in the bathroom. A message was written on the mirror in Madam Umbridge's blood:

BEHOLD THE FATE OF THE DARK LORD'S OBSTACLES

Magicologists say Madam Umbridge was subjected to the Imperius Curse and was forced to write the message on her own, after cutting herself with a poisoned knife.

The further mutilation of the Minister's body suggests werewolves were part of the Death Eater party.

Some speculate that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the scene in person. This hypothesis explains the skillful deconstruction of the wards as well as the delay between the entrance of the nefarious guests and break out of violence. It may even be assumed that the Minister attempted to negotiate, but failed to strike a deal.

---

SECOND MASS BREAK-OUT FROM AZKABAN

The Ministry-assigned wardens of the prisoners announced last night that there has been a mass break-out from Azkaban. Twelve high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of last evening.

The twelve detainees had been arrested just under two years ago for trespass on Ministry premises. In their trial, they had confessed to acting upon the orders of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The complete lack of magic used by the prisoners suggests outside help. The Ministry fears You-Know-Who is collecting Death Eaters.