The next week passed slowly. The Potter family was still coping with the aftermath of the Italy attack; the nightmares still hadn't disappeared, not for any of them but slowly but surely they were beginning to help each other heal.
Harry was sleeping deeply, dreaming about a certain brown haired woman when he felt a sharp poke in the back. He squeezed his eyes tightly and tried to bury himself deeper into his covers, pressing himself closer to Hermione. He heard a familiar giggle closer than before and he felt another sharp poke, this time in the side.
"Wake up Daddy." Cattie sing-songed. She giggled again when he groaned. "Come on." Silently cursing himself for not locking the door last night he forced his heavy eyes open and sat up.
"What is it Cattie?" he croaked. The sun was just beginning to rise and very little light had made its way into his and Hermione's bedroom. Hermione was still sound asleep; Harry glared at her sleeping form in envy. Cattie was sitting innocently at the end of the bed, grinning at her father.
"The week is over." She chirped happily. Harry looked at her blankly, in disbelief. She had been moping all week about her ban from magic, pestering them to the point of wanting to strangle her. He had been tempted to give in, just to get her to be quiet. Hermione seemed to be made of stone when it came to Cattie's begging, she never seemed to even be close to losing her temper or giving in, unlike Harry who as soon as the little girl pouted up at him with those big green eyes he wanted to give her anything she wanted.
"Cattie…did you wake me up just for that?" he grumbled. Catherine giggled and shook her head.
"No, I'm also hungry." He groaned and threw himself back onto the bed, drawing the covers over his head.
"You can go downstairs and DeeDi will give you breakfast." He muttered to her from under the blankets. Cattie made a whining noise and draped herself over her Daddy.
"But I want you to come and eat with me." She whined.
"Just go and eat with her." Hermione grumbled sleepily, nudging him with her feet. Not so silently cursing Harry threw off his blankets and stumbled out of bed. Cattie hopped off after him, grinning happily. She skipped over and grabbed his hand, absolutely beaming up at him. His anger quickly faded, a still tired smile tugging at his lips. He could never stay angry at her, she was his little angel and he completely adored her.
"So I can start doing magic now?" she asked eagerly as they left the bedroom, leaving Hermione to her sleep. Harry grinned down at her.
"Yep, you can." She grinned so wide he swore he thought her face was going to split in half.
"Great! Can you teach me water spells?" he shrugged.
"I don't see why not. Why do you want to know?" they were in the hallway now, walking into the family dining room. She shrugged herself.
"When you and Mommy err…put out the curtains it was really wicked." She shrugged. "I just want to know how to do it." He dropped into a chair, forcing down a yawn, and Catherine sat next to him. As usual full plates of food popped into existence in front of them. There was steaming eggs, sausages, and toast. The elves must have known exactly what kind of mood he was in because a hot cup of coffee had also appeared with his food. He rarely drunk it but today, judging Catherine's already bubbling energy, he knew he'd need it.
"Will you teach me today?" Harry sighed and took another gulp of his steaming drink.
"Yes, I'll teach you. Eat your breakfast." Catherine frowned slightly at his less than enthusiastic answer but shrugged and dug into her food. They ate in relative silence, Cattie talking and Harry mostly just grunting in return. It was nearly the end of breakfast before he started to wake up and he was able to really string together full sentences. They were just finishing up when Hermione shuffled into the dining room. Her wild curls were pulled into a messy ponytail and she, like the rest of her family, was still dressed in her pajamas. She looked half asleep but she was definitely more awake than Harry had been.
"Good morning." She said, sitting down.
"'Morning. Daddy's going to teach me water spells today."
"That's great hun, just as long as you promise not to do any more spells when your dad and I aren't around. Remember what happened last time?" The little girl sighed.
"Yes, and I won't do it again. I promise."
(Line here)
"Ok Cattie next time, don't aim at me." Harry called to the child on the other side of the room as he dried his soaking clothes for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past hour.
"Sorry." She called back. They were standing on two different sides of the room. When Harry had begun teaching her the spell after breakfast they had started only standing a few feet away from one another but he had forgotten just how strong her spells were. The jet of water that had shot out of her hand had hit him so hard in the chest it had knocked him off his feet, soaking him from head to toe. He had learned his lesson and he stayed well out of bruising range. Unfortunately he couldn't seem to get out of soaking range.
"Let's try one more time and then we'll quit for the day. Remember; don't try to force the spell, let the magic flow naturally." She nodded and repositioned herself, lifting her hand. Harry flicked his wrist and conjured up a cushion much like the others piled up in the corner of the dueling room and placed it directly between him and the child. With another flick of his wrist the cushion burst into flames. Cattie narrowed her eyes in concentration and flicked her own small wrist.
A strong jet of water shot out of her palm and at the burning cushion. The fire was extinguished with a hiss and what looked like a small wave hit Harry, once again soaking him from the waist down. He sighed heavily and shook his head, eyeing his dripping clothes.
"Oops." Cattie muttered, sounding defeated. "I can't do it." Harry quickly flicked his wrist and dried his jeans.
"Yes you can love, it'll just take a bit of practice." He reassured her, running a hand through her soft curls. She nodded slowly, still frowning. He quickly banished the ruined cushion and led Catherine out of the room.
"Learning a bit of magic, eh?" Caterina asked as they crossed the hallway.
"Yeah, a bit." Harry answered. They bid farewell to the portraits and headed downstairs. Cattie was still quiet as they walked, frowning and staring at the floor. Harry grabbed her hand and smiled down at her.
"You'll get it Cattie, don't worry. It's a pretty advanced spell and I can guarantee you, you're doing better at it than I did when I first learned it."
"Are you sure? I tried really hard but-"
"Harry!" Hermione's panicked voice interrupted her, shouting from downstairs. Harry's head snapped up and he sprinted down the staircase, Cattie running to catch up. They skidded into the family room where Hermione's voice had come from. She was kneeling in front of the fireplace, the head of Remus was floating in the bright green flames and in both their eyes Harry could see fear. Had something happened to Tonks?
"What happened?" he demanded, dropping down next to Hermione. Cattie squeezed in between her parents, wanting to know what was going on.
"There was an attack on Diagon Alley." Remus began. Harry closed his eyes briefly, fists clenching. Of all the things he had expected Remus to say that was not one of them.
"Cattie, go upstairs please." Hermione told the little girl. Cattie frowned and opened her mouth to protest.
"But-"
"Catherine." Hermione said firmly. The child's mouth snapped closed and she sullenly left the room.
"Did anyone…Did anyone survive?" Harry asked once Cattie had disappeared up the staircase, almost afraid of what the answer would be. He let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding when Remus nodded grimly.
"Quite a few people made it out, it seems a few Hogwarts students had been there to buy some last minute school things and were able to get people to safety."
"The DA." Hermione said to Harry, smiling shakily. Her smile faded quickly.
"That's not all." Remus paused, seeming to have a hard time saying what was coming next. "The Weasley's were also there. They had gone to meet Bill and Fleur at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry froze. Numbness slowly began to spread over him. The Weasley's were his first real family, if something had happened to them…
"Are they ok?" his voice sounded all wrong even to his own ears. He distantly felt Hermione's hand slip into his.
"Molly is here at Grimmauld right now but…Right before they flooed to safety Ron noticed that Ginny wasn't with them. He ran off to go and find her. The others, all except Fred and George, had already left so they ran after him." Remus shook his head. "A few minutes ago the twins came back but…they couldn't find Ron or Ginny." The numbness disappeared and pain flared in his chest. He couldn't lose Ron, not when they had just started being friends again.
"What about everyone else?" Hermione asked, sounding choked.
"Arthur and the boys went back out to search for them but Molly and Fleur came here. Molly was a bit…hysterical so they brought her here; Tonks and Fleur are trying to calm her down."
"We're coming over." Hermione said, her voice steadier. Harry nodded, he had been thinking the same thing. He had to go help find Ron. Remus smiled sadly at them and nodded.
"I figured you would."
"We'll see you in a few minutes." He nodded again and his head disappeared from the flames.
"I'm going to go get Cattie." Harry said swiftly, standing up. He turned to run up the stairs and get Cattie but Hermione jumped up and grabbed him and suddenly threw her arms around his neck.
"He's going to be ok." She whispered in his ear. He swallowed with difficulty and nodded.
"I know." He said just as softly, hugging her back. After a quick squeezed Hermione released him and he left the room. Cattie was already sitting at the top of the stairs. She had obviously been trying to listen in on their conversation. He wasn't sure how much she heard but from the look on her face it was enough. She jumped to her feet when she saw him.
"I already have my shoes on." She said quickly, jogging down to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm ready to go." Luckily she was already dressed for the day, jeans and a purple t-shirt, so they wouldn't have to waste any time.
"Good. Thank you Cattie." He scooped her up and walked quickly back to the family room where Hermione was still waiting.
"Ready?" Hermione asked when they stepped back into the room.
"Ready." He handed Cattie to her and she grabbed a handful of floo powder out of the jar on their mantel. She threw it into the flames and Cattie assumed the 'floo position' as they had taken to calling it.
"12 Grimmauld Place!" they disappeared in a swirl of green flame. As soon as his family had flooed he grabbed his own handful of floo powder and flooed after them.
Surprisingly he didn't land face first like usual. Maybe he was finally starting to get used to flooing. Remus was waiting for him, he was the only ones in the room.
"Where's everyone?" he asked them, dusting ash from his dark blue shirt.
"They're in the kitchen." Remus answered him, pulling him into a hug. He hugged the older man back. Once he released him he led Harry into the kitchen where everyone else was. They were all sitting at the kitchen island. Mrs. Weasley was hunched over a cold looking cup of tea, tears streaming down her flushed face, and shuddering tear filled breaths shaking her form. Fleur was sitting next to her, as flawlessly beautiful as usual, with an arm wrapped around her shaking shoulders. Her own eyes were red-rimmed and her lips trembled. Hermione was sitting across from her with Cattie on her lap holding one of the older woman's hands, Tonks was holding the other. Tonks was sitting next to Hermione with her with her hand over Mrs. Weasley's.
"They're going to find them Molly, it'll be alright." She was saying. Harry's eyebrows shot up when he saw who else was in the room and what he was doing. Malfoy was serving the assembled women tea, an obviously unhappy look on his face. He flicked his wand and Mrs. Weasley's tea began to steam. With that done he looked over at Tonks who nodded and he left the room.
"I know I just…There could still be death eaters there or…I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any of them." She sobbed. Harry was forcefully reminded of her boggart and he swallowed thickly, his heart clenching painfully.
"It's going to be ok Mrs. Weasley." He said, laying a hand on her shoulder. The woman looked up at him and smiled shakily.
"Thank you dear." She sobbed. Harry squeezed her shoulder.
"I'm going to head over to Diagon Alley to help." Mrs. Weasley turned quickly and grabbed his hand, her eyes wide and pleading.
"Just…just be careful, ok?" her grip on his hand was near bruising.
"I will. I promise." She stared into his eyes as if trying to determine if he was completely earnest, when she was satisfied with what she saw she slowly released his hand. Hermione put down Cattie and stood up.
"I'm coming too." She said firmly. Harry didn't bother to object, to tell her it might be too dangerous. She had just as much right to help find Ron as he did, he was her best friend too.
"You two be careful." Tonks said, helping Cattie onto the stool Hermione had vacated.
"Aren't I always?" He grinned
"Nope!" Catherine said. He mock scowled at her and dropped a kiss on her forehead.
"We'll be back, be good sweetheart."
"Good luck!" Fleur called to them as they left the room.
They left the kitchen and walked back over to the fireplace. Hermione squeezed his hand once before grabbing a handful of floo powder and throwing it into the fire.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" she was gone in an instant. Harry took a deep breath and threw his own handful into the flames.
"The Leaky Cauldron!" he nearly fell over Hermione when he stumbled out of the fireplace. She was standing directly in front of it, her eyes glued to the room around them.
"Hermione what's…" his voice trailed off as he took in the destruction around them. Chairs were strewn all around the room, some splinted and broken. The counter where Tom usually stood behind was completely blown to pieces and glass was everywhere. Scorch marks were on the walls and under a cracked table a pool of what looked like blood. The door leading to the alley was now nothing more than a large, gapping hole.
"My god." Hermione whispered.
"And this isn't the worst." A voice said. They both whirled around, Hermione's wand and Harry's hand raised and ready.
"Whoa!" Bill exclaimed, raising his hands in front of him. They instantly dropped out of their defensive positions.
"Bill!" Hermione exclaimed. "Have you found Ron and Ginny yet?" Bill pressed his lips into a grim line and shook his head. He looked worn, haggard. His usual pristine robes were streaked with dust, his flame colored hair was mussed and his bangs hung in his red rimmed eyes. Guilt almost radiated off of him
"No, we haven't seen a sign of them. I was just going to check in on Mum and Fleur, see how they're holding up."
Harry nodded. "Alright, do you know where we can find everyone else?"
"Well the last time I saw the twins they were over by the Owl Emporium. Dad should still be around Flourish & Blott's. Watch your step while you're out there…the death eaters sure did a number on this place and its absolutely crawling with Aurors."
"Don't worry we will." Hermione assured him.
He stepped closer to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders, squeezing them.
"We'll find Ron and Ginny." He said firmly before releasing them and heading over to the huge fireplace they had just stepped over. As he watched the older man leave Harry wondered if he had been reassuring them, or himself.
Once Bill had flooed back to Grimmauld they crossed over the debris littered floor and climbed through the giant hole in the wall. Surprisingly the chilly little courtyard that held the entrance to Diagon Alley looked relatively unchanged. Except for a few bricks and pieces of wood strewn around from the Leaky Cauldron's wall it looked fine. Tensing, Harry forced himself to cross the silent courtyard with Hermione. She stepped close to the wall and carefully tapped the bricks with her wand. In no time the bricks pulled back to reveal what was left of Diagon Alley.
The damage in the Leaky Cauldron was nothing compared to the destruction that lay before them. Buildings and shops that had once stood tall over the sidewalk were now nothing more than crumbled pieces of wood and stone. Most of the cobbled sidewalks were splintered and cracked.
They could see Aurors putting out still smoldering fires around the alley. More Aurors were standing over the wreckages of the buildings with their wands out, slowly waving them over the debris. Hermione swallowed, knowing that they were more than likely looking for survivors or…the bodies of those who weren't so lucky. The bright, warm sun filling the alley seemed to almost be mocking the devastation below.
More witches and wizards walked through the rubble, people in bright white and red trimmed robes were obviously MediWitches and Wizards, others being treated by them, and others calling and searching for their loved ones. Harry watched it all with blank eyes. It didn't feel like it was real, it was like he was trapped in some surreal dream where nothing was making any sense. He had always felt a connection to this place, the first place he had ever saw the magic of the magical world and now…now it was reduced to near nothing but rubble.
"Come on, lets go find Ron." He was surprised at how steady Hermione's voice sounded, like this was something they saw everyday. Only the bruising grip she had on his arm gave away her shock, her horror. His mouth couldn't seem to form any words so Harry just nodded and together they slowly tried to pick their way through the destroyed alley.
They didn't see any of the Weasley's for a while and Harry was beginning to think they had already found Ron and Ginny and had gone. They finally spotted the flash of bright red hair that usually identified a Weasley a bit away from them.
"Harry! Hermione!" it was Fred and George. They jogged over to them, hopping over a fallen post.
"Fred! George! We've been looking everywhere for you guys." Harry said once the older boys had gotten closer. One of the twins, he still couldn't tell them apart, shrugged and pushed a strand of bright hair behind his ear.
"We didn't know you were coming. I guess you heard about Ron and Ginny?" They nodded grimly. The twins looked much older than Harry had ever seen them. The typical spark of mischief in their eyes was gone, replaced by only worry and fear. Their faces looked hard, without even a sign of their usual bright smiles.
"What happened?" Hermione asked them softly.
One of the twins sighed and shook his head, looking away from them.
"This morning Mum woke us early. We were coming down to Diagon to meet Bill and Fleur, they said they had something big they wanted to talk with the family about. We were all pretty sure they were going to tell us they were getting engaged, it was only a matter of time." He suddenly chuckled, no humor in it at all. "Fred and I were even going to set off a few fireworks when they broke the 'news'. We were all sitting in Fortescue's when it happened." The other twin, now revealed as George took over.
"Bill and Fleur were just getting ready to tell us when the screaming started. People were running down the streets, away from something we couldn't see. Dad had jumped from the table and grabbed a man who was running close to our table, he asked him what was going on and he just said 'death eaters'. I don't think I've ever seen our Dad so scared before. He told us to run to the Cauldron, to floo back home and we had almost made it there when things started to really get bad. Death eaters came from everywhere, covering the streets. They had us all cornered. We tried to fight through them so we could get to the cauldron but there was just too many of them. I think we even saw Malfoy." Harry flinched. He had let the man go and look what had happened. George didn't take any notice of his reaction, he continued on with the story, eyes distant. "We thought we were done for when…" he swallowed hard. "One of the death eaters hit Bill with a Cruciatus and Fleur was furious! She went into total Veela-Bird mode. She blew a hole right through 'em. We were able to get away then but there was no way we were getting to the Cauldron, there was still too many of them. We ran into Madam Malkin's and nearly got our asses blown off by Neville Longbottom. I tell you nearly half the DA and their families were holed up in the shop, wands at the ready. Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Cho, even Smith." Fred nodded and continued the story.
"We were able to hide out in there for a while." He ran a hand over his face. "It was horrible. We could hear people screaming right outside, hear the buildings exploding and falling and there was nothing we could do to help anyone, we just sat there and listened. It was driving me crazy, I was ready to run out of that shop and kick some death eater ass. All I could think about was getting out of there and I know I wasn't the only one. Turns out the choice was taken from us. There was this huge crash and it was like the entire side wall of the shop collapsed. The death eaters had blown through it and they were coming in. We defended it as best as we could, we took quite a few of the bastards down too. Anyway we soon had to get out, they were boxing us in. We ran out into the alley, all of us and tried to get to the Cauldron. The attack must've been dwindling down because there wasn't as many death eaters there when we left the shop and with the DA we were able to make it to the Cauldron. We were even able to get some people out with us. But…" he looked down, guilt and tears brimming in his eyes.
"We didn't even notice Ginny wasn't with us. What kind of big brothers are we that we didn't even notice our sister was gone?" he wiped his eyes quickly and plowed on. "Nearly everyone had flooed out, it was just us and Ron when he realized Ginny hadn't flooed away and she wasn't with us. He ran out of the pub. We called after him but he didn't even turn around so we ran after him." He shook his head again. "I don't know how we lost him but all of a sudden he was just…gone. We searched and searched everywhere we could but there we still death eaters around. We couldn't find him. The Aurors finally showed up and the death eaters somehow got out before most of them could get caught. After the death eaters were gone we kept looking for Ron and Ginny but we couldn't find them…we flooed over to the Burrow and told mum and dad."
"Did-did the Order show up? At all?" Harry asked with difficulty, after a short silence. Both of the twins snorted.
"They showed up all right." George said. "They stunned a few death eaters, held some off but they still got away. I thought at least Dumbledore would have done something! He could've wiped them all out if he wanted to but all he did was stun them."
"These…people were killing and torturing left and right and he did practically nothing." Fred scoffed.
"Are you guys alright?" Hermione asked. The anger faded from both the boy's faces and they smiled wanly at the girl.
"We're fine Hermione; I just wish we could know if Ron and Ginny are okay." George answered.
"Then we need to go and find them." Harry finally spoke. The twins straightened up and nodded, Fred smiled grimly.
"You're right, we're wasting time."
"We'll split up. I can search over by Flourish & Blott's," George said.
"And I can go back over by Zonko's." Fred said.
"We can shoot up red sparks if we see any sign of them." Hermione suggested. They all agreed and Harry and Hermione bid farewell to Fred and George. The twins jogged off in opposite directions. Harry turned to Hermione with an eyebrow raised.
"I guess I can go that way." He said, jerking his head in the opposite direction.
"And I'll go the other way." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her temple.
"Be careful." He said softly in her ear.
"I will, as long as you are."
He slowly released her. He watched her pick her way slowly through the rubble until he couldn't see her anymore. He sighed heavily, staring at the devastation around him vacantly. It didn't make sense. This wasn't…this wasn't supposed to happen. He had thought with the destruction of the few horcruxes they had found that maybe Voldemort would began to lose some of his power but it just seemed like he was gaining more, his grip on the magical world seemed to be tightening and he knew it was only a matter of time before even more lives were destroyed.
He sighed again and started forward. He inched his way through the silent alley, walking slowly and hoping to see some kind of sign of Ron or Ginny. It was shocking; seeing the places he had walked by and shopped in destroyed, empty and broken. The chairs and tables in front of Fortescue's were thrown around and quite a few were broken, the windows were blown out and he could see scorch marks on various places around the building. Though compared to other buildings the ice cream shop was still pretty lucky. Other shops were half destroyed with roofs caving in, and others…others were completely obliterated.
He stopped his slow walk in front of a pile if rubble where a ragged man was sitting on the dusty ground, head bowed over his legs. Harry swallowed hard. He knew where he was. He stepped closer to the stooped man, his shoes crunching on broken pieces of wood and glass. He nearly tripped over a downed wooden sign. Tristan & Family Custom Trunks.
"Tristan?" He asked softly. The man's head snapped up, haunted hazel eyes flying to him.
"Hey." He croaked, pushing dirt streaked white hair from his face. Harry stepped closer and kneeled in front of the slumped man.
"Are you…are you alright?" he asked lamely, not quite knowing what to say. The older man seemed to think it was as a ridiculous question as Harry did because he snorted and looked away, picking up a piece of broken wood.
"Alright? Do you know this store was in my family for over a hundred years and now…" he laughed once, the pained sound of it nearly causing Harry to flinch. "It's gone. Years and years of work and nothing to show for it."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"You can kill me before the rest of my family does." He laughed again and looked back at Harry, smiling a shaky smile. "I'm sorry you won't be getting your trunk mate." Harry returned his smile.
"Damn, I was just coming to pick it up." Tristan chuckled, this laugh not quite as pained as the others. His laughter faded as quickly as it had come and he sighed again. He looked around again at the wreckage that was once his beloved shop and slowly forced himself to his feet.
"I guess I better get home…tell my family what happened." He sighed.
Harry stood up also.
"If there's anything you need…" he said. Tristan placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.
"Thanks Harry, I guess I'll see you around. He waved and turned around, walking back towards the Leaky Cauldron. Harry returned his wave before slowly continuing his search for the two missing Weasley's.
He searched for hours, climbing over and around piles of debris, running into more devastated shop owners and family members. His heart had nearly stopped when he stumbled across a group of Aurors digging out the broken body of a red haired woman out of a pile of rubble, thinking that they were pulling out Ginny. Another woman, standing at the bottom of the pile screamed and her hands flew to her face, falling to her knees. Her heart-wrenching sobs reverberated through him, shaking him more than anything else he'd seen in the destroyed alley. He walked past the heartbroken woman and continued looking for Ron.
The sun had started to set by the time he made it to Madam Malkin's and he was slowly beginning to lose hope that they would find them. He wiped the sweat from his face and stared at the destroyed building in front of him.
"Damn." Was all he could say. The robe shop was completely destroyed. The entire building had collapsed, not one piece of it was left standing. Dust was still rising from the remains of the shop. Silence surrounded him, not a soul was around. Just like he had done on the other destroyed building he carefully climbed on top of the rubble and tattered robes, coughing to clear the dust that suddenly coated his throat.
"Ron?" he called, cupping his hands in front of his mouth. "Ginny?"
His own voice echoed back to him. He coughed and tried again.
"Ron! Ginny!" silence was his only response. He opened his mouth to try again when a small noise stopped him. His heart sped up and he strained his ears. He heard the noise again and he dropped down to his knees, crawling towards the sound.
"Ron?" he called softly.
"H-Harry?" a low voice croaked from beneath the rubble. Harry dropped down to his stomach, sharp pieces of wood poking into his abdomen and squinted his eyes, trying to see between the piles of debris.
"Ron, is that you?" he asked frantically. There was a sound of someone coughing fiercely, the sound he had heard.
"Yeah." Ron croaked. Harry flicked his wrist and bright red sparks shot into the air.
"Hey mate, are you ok? Is Ginny with you?" he flicked his wrist again and a small ball of light appeared in his hand. He lowered his hand towards the rubble to try and see Ron. A pale blue eye and dusty red hair came into view.
"I'm ok but Ginny…she's right here with me but she's unconscious. I can't get her to wake up." His voice broke at the end and Harry's heart and Ginny had their share of…problems but he didn't want anything to happen to her. He thought about digging them out himself but quickly dismissed the idea when he saw exactly how they were trapped. A hefty piece of the roof seemed to have caved in on top of them. A large part of it was pinning Ron under the rubble that half buried him.
"Ok mate, we're going to get you guys out of there." He reassured him. "Everything's going to be alright."
Ron chuckled darkly, coughing.
"I hate to say it mate but it isn't looking too good." His voice was so low Harry was straining to hear him. He couldn't lose Ron now, not when they were just starting to be friends again.
"Harry!" a shout sounded behind him. Harry turned around quickly to see Hermione, the twins, and Mr. Weasley were running as best they could through the broken street towards the pile of rubble Harry was lying on top of.
"Did you find them?" Mr. Weasley asked frantically as the small group scrambled up next to Harry.
"They're right here. Ginny's unconscious." The three Weasley's paled dramatically and Hermione bit her lip hard. The elder Weasley dropped to his stomach and peered into the small hole where Ron's face was just visible.
"Are you two alright son?" he asked, surprisingly calm.
"Just dandy Dad." Ron answered and immediately started coughing again.
"We're going to get you both out of there, ok?" Arthur continued softly once Ron had stopped coughing. Ron was only able to grunt in response. Even through the rubble they could hear his rasping breathing.
"Fred." Mr. Weasley said sharply. The redhead's worried eyes snapped away from Ron to his father.
"I need you to run a find the Aurors. Tell them we found two more survivors."
He had obviously come to the same conclusion that Harry had. There was no way they would be able to get Ron and Ginny out by themselves.
"But we could do it withou-"
"No we can't. Go as fast as you can." Fred pressed his lips together tightly but he nodded and scuttled down the pile of debris. As soon as his feet hit the ground he was off and running. He sprinted down the street, jumping over the fallen debris. Harry had never seen him run that fast, not even from Filch.
"Does anything hurt?" Hermione asked Ron, kneeling next to the small opening.
"I can't-I can't really feel anything." He sounded confused and not a little panicked. "Why can't I feel anything?!" his breath was starting to come in sharp gasps and the eye they could see was wide and frightened.
"Ron, you need to calm down." She said soothingly. "Ron, look at me." Ron's visible blue eye locked on to hers.
"Take a deep breath ok? Calm down." Ron took a deep breath, his breathing slowing.
"How's Ginny?" George asked, once Ron had calmed down. The other boy's head disappeared from their view for a second then returned.
"She's still out of it." He said, voice wavering. "Is Fred back yet?"
Harry sat up and looked over his shoulder to see if the twin was coming back. At first he didn't see him, the light from the sinking sun directly in his eyes. He shaded his hand over his eyes and squinted through the bright light for Fred. Finally he saw him. He was running full sped back to where they were and behind him Harry could see two people in black robes and two in white, trying to keep up with the redhead's long legs. Fred scrambled up the pile with the three Aurors, the MediWizard and MediWitch stayed at the bottom. One Auror, a man with corn colored hair, looked oddly familiar to Harry.
"Mr. Potter, nice to see you again." The man sneered when they had all made it to the top. Harry instantly knew where he knew the man from and he forced down his own urge to sneer.
"We never seem to meet in good circumstances do we Mr. Westin." Harry answered him. Without even looking at her he could sense Hermione's glare burning into the Auror. The man opened his mouth to say something else but one of the women pushed him aside.
"How many are there?" she asked, her tone clipped and professional. She had icy blue eyes and she looked down at the bedraggled group without any emotion. Her silver colored hair was coiled tightly around her head in a thick braid.
"Two. My son and daughter." Mr. Weasley answered her immediately, obviously not taking any offense in her tone. Fred and George noticed though and they both glared at her. Their siblings were trapped under a pile of stone and wood, more than likely seriously hurt and this woman was treating it like business as usual. Another woman, the MediWitch, frowned at the Aurors before climbing up the pile and kneeling down next to Hermione. She looked down at the wide-eyed Ron and smiled warmly.
"We'll have you and your sister out of there in a second; everything's going to be ok." She said soothingly. Ron swallowed hard and nodded jerkily.
"Ok." He croaked. The woman gave him another warm smile before standing back up.
"We're going to need you folks to get off of the pile, so we can get them out." Westin said, waving his hand in the direction of the ground. George opened his mouth, probably to tell Westin exactly where he could shove his orders when Mr. Weasley shot him a look. He snapped his mouth shut but rolled his eyes and started for the ground. The rest of the group climbed down from the wreckage and onto the debris littered ground. The kind witch carefully made her way back down with them then went back to stand next to her comrade.
Hermione was practically chewing a hole through her lip, her eyes brimming with worry. Harry slipped his hand through hers, lending her support they both needed. The Aurors backed away from the spot over Ron until they were near the edge of the pile, their backs to the anxious people below. They all raised their wands and pointed them at the place were Ron and Ginny were buried. With a shout of the incantation a steady stream of yellow light shot out of their wands and hit the debris. Slowly the larger pieces rolled away from the area , leaving only the small pieces of wood and glass and the huge piece of wood that was pinning Ron under. Now that the other pieces were gone they could finally see Ginny. She was unconscious, Ron's arms wrapped tightly around her and his body half hunched over hers protectively. The piece pinning Ron was half covering his stomach and legs, only the bottom of his shoes visible. None of it was touching Ginny but from the bleeding gash on her head something must have fallen and knocked her unconscious.
"Ok young man, we're going to try and move this off of you. Don't move a muscle." The stern woman said.
"I wasn't planning on it." Ron groaned.
The Aurors once again raised their wands, taking different positions around the youngest Weasley's. They shouted the incantation again and the piece began to slowly rise from on top of Ron. He called out once before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. Hermione sobbed once and her grip on Harry's hand tightened at their friend's obvious pain and at what was now revealed.
Ron's clothes, from waist to knee, were covered in blood. His hands were covered in shallow cuts and one of his ankles was twisted in the wrong direction. Ginny had gotten off much better. Small scratches crossed her pale face the gash on her head was still bleeding, blood dripping down her face and onto the pieces of wood below her. As soon as Ron and Ginny were free the other three Weasley's and Harry and Hermione climbed up the pile as fast as they could. Mr. Wealsey dropped down next to his children, his hands reached out as if to lift Ginny's head but the MediWizard grabbed his shoulder. They had scrambled up after the group.
"Wait sir, we don't want to move them." The man said firmly but not unkindly. He had a rather pointed face, full of sharp angles and contours and black, gray speckled hair. His eyes were dark and intense but still warm and kind. Mr. Weasley carefully ran his hands through Ginny's hair and squeezed Ron's shoulder.
"Alright Ron, I'm going to be right here, ok?" he said softly. Ron nodded with difficulty, his eyes were moist. His father stood up and took a few steps back. The MediWizards stepped closer to the teens and lifted their wands.
"Petrificus Totalus!" The body binds hit the two teens, stopping any movement they could possibly make. The woman reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out a thick gold chain with a large medallion emblazoned with the picture of a potion bottle crossed with a wand.
"This is a portkey." She said, turning to the family. "It'll take me and the kids to St. Mungo's. Bernard here has another; he'll take you guys there after us. You can meet us there." Mr. Weasley ran an agitated hand through his thinning hair and shook his head.
"No. I need to come with you now." He said firmly. The woman looked at him thoughtfully for a second before sighing and nodding.
"Grab on." She said, handing him a part of the chain. She leaned over so the chain was also touching Ron and Ginny.
Mr. Weasley looked up at the other three teens.
"Floo call your mother when you get there. I'll see you guys in a little bit." The woman tapped the medallion with her wand and in a flash they were gone.
"Ok, let's get going." Bernard said and pulled out his own medallion.
"I hope we meet on better terms next time Mr. Potter." Westin sneered as the twins, Harry and Hermione stepped over to grab the chain.
"I hope we never meet again." Harry answered. Bernard tapped the medallion with his wand and Harry instantly felt the familiar tug behind his navel.
The shock of his feet hitting solid ground was almost jarring. Before he even had a chance to take in his surroundings he was nearly bowled over by a wizard running full speed around them.
People were rushing around everywhere in the vast hallway where they had landed. Medi witches and wizards in waist-length white robes were shouting orders at one another, people were rushing in and out with people on stretchers, and there were injured people in blood stained clothes waiting in long lines in front of a giant white oval desk. A very flustered witch was manning the desk, trying hard to listen to all the people who were shouting at her. She looked near tears. Directly behind her was what looked like a floating white disk. On the disk were small round lights with names of various people next to them; most of them were glowing a soft yellow light but every once in a while one would flash green or pink and a MediWizard would scurry down the hall. Just as he was looking at the board one began to flash red rapidly and an alarm sounded loudly, at least six of the white robed people ran down the hallway directly behind them.
The walls of the vast room were painted a bright white at least two of the walls were lined with high windows. The ceiling wasn't enchanted like that of Hogwarts but instead a circular dome of glass which sent rainbow colored slats of light dancing down to the white marble below.
"Where's the fireplaces?" George asked Bernard. The MediWizard pointed towards a wall at the far end of the room that was completely lined with large white stone fireplaces. George nodded and jogged away from the group.
"Tell me when you find Ginny and Ron!" he shouted over his shoulder as he darted through the crowd.
"You can ask Elizabeth over there where to find your family." Bernard said, gesturing to the teeming desk. "I need to get back to Diagon Alley."
"Thank you for your help." Fred said. The man nodded once before tapping the chain with his wand. He disappeared instantly.
Harry slipped an arm around Hermione's waist and the couple followed Fred through the packed crowd. The picked their way to the end of the 'line' and settled in for what was more than likely going to be a long, anxious wait. It felt like hours they were standing there but it had only been a few minutes. Fred fidgeted, bouncing on his heels. Harry knew he should say something to him but…he didn't know what he could say to make him feel any better.
Hermione spent most of the time with her brow furrowed, worrying her lip and Harry soon felt like joining in and shouting of the rest of the distraught people around them. He was just about to give in to his mounting frustration when George returned, the rest of the family with him.
"Where are they?! Are they ok?!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed frantically as she, Fleur, and Bill, along with Remus, ran over to them. She pulled Fred into his arms and squeezed him quickly.
"We don't yet." Fred said through clenched teeth, running an agitated hand though his fire colored hair. "They haven't told us anything."
Mrs. Weasley whimpered and she quickly wiped away the tears that had started to trickle down her face. She looked ragged. Her robes looked like they had been thrown on haphazardly; tendrils of red hair were falling into her tear streaked face and her hands were shaking terribly. Fleur, her eyes surprisingly puffy, could see the Weasley's matron mounting panic and fear. She reached over and wrapper her thin arms around her.
"It iz going to be okay Mrz. Weasley." She said softly. Mrs. Wealsey offered her an unsteady smile and patted her arm.
"It's Molly, dear."
Bill wrapped an arm around each woman, pulling them close. "They'll be alright."
Remus sidled up next to Harry and Hermione and leaned close. "How are you to holding up?" he asked softly.
"As best as can be expected." Hermione murmured back, offering the older man a wavering smile.
"How's Cattie?" Harry asked him, turning towards the man.
"She a little antsy but she's fine. She's at home with Tonks and Draco." Harry nodded, frowning and looked away. He had no doubt that Cattie was fine with Tonks but Malfoy…he was a completely different story.
There was an anguished cry from behind them and they all whipped around. A MediWizard was standing in front of a young couple; the shout had come from the woman. She sobbed loudly and collapsed into her husbands arms, tears were streaming down his face. They sunk to the bright white floor, the man cradling his wife against his chest and burying his wet face in her hair. Clutched in the woman's hands was a blood streaked blue bear. They had lost their child.
The healer opened his mouth to say something but couldn't seem to come up with any words. His mouth formed a heartfelt apology and with a heavy sigh the man left the broken couple. Harry tore his eyes away from them with a hard swallow. The others turned away, faces whiter than before.
Seeing Molly's stricken expression Remus reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be ok." He murmured.
Harry glared down at the floor. He was definitely starting to hate those words.
Nearly ten minutes later the line still hadn't dwindled down and they were all getting worked up. Fred had quickly returned to his fidgeting, muttering dark things under his breath, his worry and frustration slowly stating to get the better of him. Bill stood with the weepy eyed Fleur close to his side, looking around the room with faraway eyes. Harry stared fixedly at the floor, his thoughts miles away. All he could see was Ron and Ginny lying under the pile of rubble, all he could think about was all the things he and Ron still hadn't talked about…he couldn't lose him now. Hermione looked to be by far the calmest of all of them. Very little emotion showed on her face as she stared straight ahead; Harry would've assumed she wasn't even thinking about where they were if it wasn't for the fact that every once in a while her grip on his hand would tighten and she'd shudder against him. Every time she'd do this he'd pull her a bit close, rubbing hi thumb in small circles on her hands. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"I can't wait anymore!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed from behind them. Before they could even register what she was doing the woman elbowed past the people in front of them and straight up to the desk and the flustered woman, face a mask of determination. The people she had forcefully moved shouted protests at her but she ignored them, she needed to know where her children where. The group exchanged a glance and pushed their way after her.
"My name is Molly Weasley." She began firmly. "I'm looking for my children, Ron and Ginny Weasley."
The receptionist swiped dark blonde hair out of her flushed face and sighed mightily, clearly frustrated.
"I'm sorry ma'm but you need to get back in-"
"I need to know where they are. Now." Mrs. Weasley interrupted her, fixing the stressed out woman with the glare that always sent her children running. She looked so worn out and overwhelmed, if it wasn't for the situation they were in Harry would have probably felt at bit more sympathy for her.
"Ma'm, I'm sorry about your children but there are hundreds of other people here in the same situation and you'll just have to wait your turn." Just as the words left her mouth another one of the small lights began flashing red and the alarm blared again. A gaggled of healers ran down another corridor.
Mrs. Weasley didn't even flinch at the alarm; her eyes didn't leave the younger woman's. "Now you listen here-"
"Are you Molly Weasley?" a deep, accented voice asked from behind them. The little group turned quickly and the receptionists face collapsed with relief, well until she was once again engulfed in the shouts from the other people in line.
An extremely tall man stood before them. He looked to be the size of a small mountain, Harry had to tilt his head to see his face. He was rather forcefully reminded of Hagrid, though the man looked to be a few feet shorted than the half-giant. He was deeply tanned and rather impressive muscles strained against the arms of his thigh-length white MediWizard's robes, his hands were bigger than Harry's head. He had a mop of thick black curls on top his head, eyes the color of earth sat deep in his round face, a long slightly cooked nose stood proudly from his face, and short curly facial hair surrounded his large wide mouth. He looked like the type of person that always had a smile of his sun freckled face and if it wasn't for the death and destruction of the day Harry had no doubt he would've been grinning them.
His large hands were clasped behind his back and his head was tilted down at them, his smile crinkled eyes looking down at them with warmth and sympathy.
"Ye-yes." Mrs. Wealsey stammered, looking up at the man with wide eyes. He smiled kindly.
"Hello, I'm MediWizard Cosmas. I'm treating Ron and Ginny." They all stood up straighter, instantly alert. Mrs. Weasley gasped slightly and grabbed the man's arm before she caught herself, she quickly let him go.
"Are they ok? Where are they? My husband?" she asked frantically. He placed a large hand on her shoulder.
"They're going to be fine." He looked away from the woman to the people crowded around her and smiled. "We can all go see them now."
Cosmas turned and they quickly followed him away from the crowded desk and down a corridor, jogging to keep up with his ridiculously long strides. The corridor was painted a soft blue with white marble floors, golden white orbs of light floated near the ceiling. The walls were lined with doors; each door held its own light with a name scrawled next to it, all were glowing a soft yellow. Harry looked at each, searching for either Ron or Ginny's name.
The hallway was long and they passed several doors before turning a sharp corner.
"You know, I have a twin brother." Cosmas said conversationally as he peered down at Fred and George.
"Let me guess, his name is Damian?" Hermione said, lips twitching slightly. The big man looked over his shoulder at her and grinned.
"Yes, as you can guess my mother knew exactly what she wanted us to do." He chuckled.
"So he's a healer too?" Hermione grinned in return.
"Of course."
Harry looked at his fiancé in confusion, an eyebrow raised. She only smiled and shook her head.
"How are Ron and Ginny?" Bill asked the MediWizard as they continued down the surprisingly deserted hallway. Cosmas's smile dimmed slightly.
"They're pretty good. Ginny suffered a rather nasty bump to the head and a few shallow cuts and scratches, she should be fine in a couple of hours. As for Ron he suffered a broken ankle, a mild concussion, and a pretty deep wound on his abdomen." He glanced at Mrs. Weasley when she sobbed, hands flying to her mouth, before plowing on. "We were able to close the wound and stop the bleeding and a quick potion got rid of the concussion. He has a few bruises and cuts we were able to heal but they'll be sore for a while, along with his stomach." The large man shook his head. "I'm surprised that after that blow to the head he was able to stay awake for so long."
"Ron's always had a pretty hard head." George said, drawing weak chuckles from everyone. Cosmas nodded, smiling. They continued down the hall a bit more before they came to a stop in front of a door. Its light was glowing the soft yellow and the name Weasley was written neatly next to it.
"Here we are." The healer said. Before he could reach and open the door Mrs. Weasley pushed him aside and turned the knob, the door swung open easily.
"Oh! My babies!" the Weasley matron exclaimed before running to the room and to the nearest bed. Ginny fell into her mother's arms, tears spilling down her face. Mr. Weasley stood up from the chair he had placed between the two beds. On the other bed lay Ron. His longish red hair was splayed across the crisp white pillow under his head and he was turned on his side. He turned his head when they walked inside.
"Mum?" he croaked, his overly bright eyes searching for her. She pulled away from her youngest and crossed over to his bed. Seeing the edge of the bandages wrapped around his abdomen she carefully wrapped her arms around her son, covering his pale face with kisses.
"You're ok, you're ok." She murmured into his hair, rocking him gently. Fred and George nearly ran over to Ginny's bed and gathered their little sister into their arms. She sobbed into their shoulders. Bill didn't even hesitate, he stepped over to his family, Fleur with him, and hugged both his siblings.
Harry and Hermione stood awkwardly by the door. Harry wanted nothing more than to run over to Ron and throw his arms around him, make sure he was really alright but…a part of him knew that the Weasley's considered both him and Hermione apart of their family and he them but he still felt like he was intruding, like this was something only family should see. He glanced over at Hermione and from the tense way she was standing he knew she was thinking the same thing he was.
It was awhile before Ron was completely released and he spotted his best friends standing awkwardly by the door, Cosmas had left a long while ago. The room fell silent as their eyes met. Ron slowly let a smile creep onto his face. Hermione suddenly burst into tears and ran over to the bed, gently wrapping her arms around her best friend. Harry walked, much slower than she, over to them.
"I-I'm so glad you o-ok." She sobbed into his shoulder. He patted her back awkwardly, eyes wide.
"Err…its-it's alright Hermione." She slowly released him and wiped her face, smiling for what looked like the first time today. Ron looked away from the girl and to Harry. There was a short silence between them. Ron opened his mouth to break it when Harry leaned forward and hugged his friend quickly.
"Don't ever do that again mate." He said softly as he pulled away. Ron grinned brightly.
"I'll try not to mate."
"Th-thank you for finding us." Ginny spoke cautiously from her bed. She reached up to nervously tug at her hair when she felt the tangled mess on top her head. Her eyes widened in horror.
"I wasn't the only one." Harry said, not really looking at her. He wasn't ready to forgive her yet.
He settled down on the edge of the bed and for the first time since Remus had flooed them Harry allowed himself to breath. Ron and Ginny were alright.
It had been nearly two weeks since the attack on Diagon Alley and things in their life had started settling down again. Ron was doing much better, the pain had finally faded from his body and nearly all the physical marks from the attacks had disappeared. He had been confined to his bed for the first week, with the pain in his stomach and the lingering soreness in his ankle he was barely able to walk. Nearly everyday he was bedridden Harry and Hermione were with him.
They were slowly beginning to rebuild their friendship. There was still a lot of things that hadn't talked about, weren't ready to broach but at least now they were able to look each other in the eyes. Harry was glad to have his best friend back.
At the moment Harry was lounging on one of the long couches in the library. It was evening time, the sun was just beginning to set. Books of defensive magic and curse surrounded him but in his hands he held a small purple journal. His mother's song book. He ran his fingers over the words he had written on one of the blank pages. It had been a while since he had opened the book, since he had written anything. His life had become so hectic that he hadn't any time for music, it'd been months since the last time he had even touched his guitar. He shifted, sinking down lower into the cushions and placed his quill back to the paper. He looked around the room self-consciously; Hermione was also in the vast library looking for about the thousandth time more information on the founders. He knew she'd probably been through all the books at least twice already, he didn't know how she expected to find anything new.
With a content smile he continued writing, letting the words that had been swimming around his brain spill onto the paper.
He was so caught up in his writing he didn't even notice Catherine walk into the room until she leaned against the arm of his couch, placing her head in his line of vision. He started and the book fell from his hands and onto the floor, he hurriedly scooped it up and placed it in his lap.
"Did I scare you Daddy?" she asked, grinning.
"No." he mumbled, a smile tugging at his lips. "You just surprised me."
Cattie snorted and straightened up. "I just wanted to say goodnight. I'm going to take my bath and go to bed." She said.
Harry frowned slightly and glanced out the window. The sun was only just sinking beyond the horizon, it was still early. It was beyond unusual that Cattie was actually going to bed early, she usually whined for quite a bit before they forced her up to bed but she was actually going early? It was strange. Harry shrugged mentally; she had woken up rather early this morning, she was probably tired. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
"Alright, goodnight sweetheart. Sleep" He said, picking the journal up again. He wanted to get back to his writing before he lost his train of thought. Cattie hugged him quickly around the neck before fairly running out of the library. If Harry had been paying closer attention he would've been a bit more suspicious.
He was soon caught up in his song, completely forgetting where he was. He was once again caught off guard.
"Was that Cattie I heard?" Hermione asked from the foot of the couch. Harry jumped again but he managed to keep hold of the journal.
"Yeah, she said she was heading to bed." He answered her. Her eyebrows rose slightly but she nodded.
"Oh, so we're the only ones awake?" Hermione asked softly, her voice dropping an octave or two. She put down the book she had been holding in her hands and slowly made her way closer to Harry, a gleam in her eyes. Harry didn't notice, busy trying to wipe a few drops of ink from his hands.
"I guess, DeeDi and Manny are probably still-" he was cut short when Hermione climbed into his lap.
"'Mi, what are you doing?" he asked, glancing nervously at the closed door of the library, expecting Cattie to come bounding back in at any second. Hermione smirked, the sight sent shivers down Harry's spine. She reached up and gently took the journal from his hands, lying in on an end table.
"I'm finishing what you started." She breathed and before he could speak she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his jaw. He inhaled sharply and pulled her closer to him. He felt her smile against his skin. Her hands slowly trailed up his strong arms, his shoulders, his neck and stopped when she reached his hair, threading her fingers through the dark strands. She trailed soft kisses across his jaw until she reached his lips. When they were just inches apart she looked into his eyes.
"I love you." She said softly, a warm smile on her face. He returned her smile with his own small, loving smile.
"I love you too." He leaned forward and closed the distance between them.
They kissed softly, each kiss full of love and tenderness. Harry let his hands slip down to her hips and pulled her if possible even closer. He had nearly forgotten how warm and soft her mouth was, how sweet she tasted. Soon they were forced to break apart for the annoying need to breathe. Harry placed kisses up her neck and to the spot just below her ear that always sent her melting in his arms. She made a small mewing noise and arched her back, pressing herself more firmly against him. He slid his mouth from behind her ear and onto the ear itself, he nipped it gently. She gasped loudly and arched again. He pulled his lips away from her ears and met hers again, kissing her deeply.
Before he knew it Harry had rolled them over until they were both lying on the couch. He felt Hermione's hands slide up his chest and her fingers start to unbutton the buttons of his red shirt. He placed his hands on her thighs and pressed her body closer to his. Hermione whimpered and Harry groaned at the contact. Hermione tore her lips from his.
"We-we need to get out of here." She gasped out, moving against him again.
"Yeah, yeah." He said through clenched teeth. They fairly tumbled right off of the couch and onto the floor. They stumbled out of the library, still pressed together, lips still managing to find each other. Harry could barely think past the feeling of Hermione's mouth and the smaller body pressed against him but the very small part of him that wasn't thinking about her was nervous. He and Hermione had done some pretty serious kissing and quite a bit more but he was nervous. God knows he and Hermione hadn't come terribly close to crossing that line but there had always been something to stop them, this time he wasn't so sure it would come.
They were just passing Cattie's room, being extra careful as to not wake her when Harry felt his bare foot sink into a puddle. He pulled away from Hermione.
"What the hell?" he muttered, looking down at the soaked floor. Hermione stepped slightly back from him and looked down at the floor also. Water was seeping from under Catherine's bedroom door, puddling near their feet. Harry suppressed a groan of frustration and he and Hermione exchanged a look. Looks like they were postponing again. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He grudgingly buttoned up his shirt.
Hermione stepped out of his arms and up to Cattie's door.
"Cattie?" she called through the door. "Is everything alright?"
There was the unmistakable sound of splashing. "It's fine Mum! Nothing's wrong." The girl called back.
Harry and Hermione exchanged another look. Something was definitely up. Harry reached for the knob as they heard more splashing. It was locked.
"Catherine. Open this door right now." He called. There was more splashing.
"I-I can't! I'm not decent!" Cattie yelled back. He narrowed his eyes and twitched his fingers. There was an audible click as the door unlocked.
Hermione pushed open the door. As soon as it opened water came pouring out into the hallway. They were both nearly swept off their feet.
"Catherine Elise Potter!" Hermione yelled, her voice full of anger and exasperation.
"I didn't mean to!" Cattie exclaimed from the middle of her bedroom. She was soaked from head to toe and up to her shins in water. Moisture seemed to be dripping from everything in the room. Trouble was perched on top of the wardrobe looking beyond peeved, his fur damp and standing on end.
"What the hell-" Harry took a deep breath, forcing down his anger. "What happened?"
Cattie looked away, running a hand through her dripping curls. She was obviously trying to think up an excuse. She sighed heavily and looked down, she wasn't going to lie to them.
"I was just…trying to practice water spells. Daddy said I just needed some practice, right Daddy?"
"Didn't we tell you not to do magic we aren't around?" Hermione said. She squished across the carpet and to the little girl, she kneeled down in front of her. Cattie looked down.
"Yes but I just…" they waited for her to continue but she didn't seem like she had any inclination to do so. Harry sighed and walked over to his family.
"Cattie…What has gotten into you lately?" he asked. The little girl's bottle green eyes filled with tears.
"I just…I want to be able help. I always have to hide and…you guys always get hurt. I just want to help." Both their eyes softened at her words and Hermione instantly pulled her into her arms, wet clothes and all.
"Sweetheart, you do help us. You give us focus and you remind us what to fight for." She said softly to the tearful child. Harry reached over and placed a hand on top her head.
"You give us strength. We have you hide because we love you and we need to keep you safe." The little girl sniffled mightily and nodded against Hermione's shoulder. Harry smiled and stood up, slapping his thighs.
"Now, let's clean this room out. Again."
Hermione released the girl and stood up, pulling out her wand. She flicked it at the floor and the remaining water began to disappear, as if it was being sucked in by a giant sponge.
"Oh and Cattie?" she said. The little girl turned and looked at her curiously. "You're back on punishment."
The child seemed to deflate, pouting. She nodded miserably. Harry suppressed a smile and turned to start drying out Cattie's room.
It was hours before they got everything completely dry, Cattie and Trouble included. By the time they finished drying the carpet Catherine was already sound asleep in her bed.
"Done." Hermione whispered, lifting her wand from the floor. Harry sighed in relief and stretched, yawning. He was bone tired now, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into his and Hermione's bed and sleep until morning. Hermione looked just as worn as he. He sighed, there was no way that he and Hermione were going to continue their…activities tonight.
They each gave Cattie a goodnight kiss and as quietly as they could they left the bedroom.
Harry slung an arm over Hermione's shoulder as they walked the short distance to their bedroom, she leaned her head on his shoulder. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. Even if he and Hermione hadn't gone that extra step they were still closer than most couples and sometimes a touch, a hug, or a cuddle was really all they needed.
"I'm going to take a shower." Hermione said when they stepped into their dimly lit bedroom. The light sprung on when the door closed.
"Alright." He kissed her on the cheek and slipped his arm from around her waist. He threw himself down onto the bed and propped his head onto his arm, watching her as she gathered her clothes.
Everything she did seemed effortless, graceful. She searched through the wardrobe, a smile playing on her lips and her eyes warm. He loved seeing her like this, completely content, free of worry. She mesmerized him.
"Harry!" he voice shook him out of his thoughts. She stood there with her hands on her hips, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. She had obviously been talking to him. He felt heat rise to his face and he grinned apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I missed that." He said. She shook her head at him.
"I said, you forgot your journal in the library." She knew that the journal was special to him and she knew he'd hate to lose it.
Harry jumped to his feet, he had completely forgotten about it! "Oh! I'll go get it."
He was out the door in a flash, he could hear her laughing. He jogged lightly down the hallway, his bare feet slapping against the cool wooden flooring. He skidded into the library and retrieved the small purple book from the end table at the end of the couch. He rearranged the mussed cushions on the couch, a grin growing on his face at the memory. They'd have to do that again.
He was still grinning as he headed back to his bedroom when there was a pop in front of him. DeeDi appeared in front of him, something clutched in her tiny wrinkled hands. Harry's hand was already up and ready for a fight. He relaxed when he saw the elf.
"I is sorry I startled yous Master." She said, bowing slightly. Harry smiled warmly down at her and shook his head.
"No harm done DeeDi. Is there something you needed?" the elf nodded.
"Mr. Lupin floo called Master. He left before I could call yous but he left something for yous." She handed him the thing in her hands.
Hesitantly Harry unrolled the thick parchment. It was the Daily Prophet. He was confused at first, why would Remus send him a copy of the Daily Prophet? The confusion instantly disappeared when he finally noticed the headline.
Wizarding World calls for change! Cornelius Fudge fired from Ministry!
A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. My computer crashed on me again so I'm a little slow to update, luckily I had this chapter saved elsewhere! I think I should explain the who Cosmas/Damian thing. Saints Cosmas and Damian were twins and early Christian martyrs, born in Cilicia, or in Arabia, who practiced the art of healing in the seaport of Ægea (modern Ayash) in the Gulf of Iskanderun, then in the Roman province of Syria. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, they accepted no payment for their services, which led them to be nicknamed anargyroi or The Silverless. It is said that by this, they led many to the Christian faith. I know I'm probably the only one who found that funny lol. Anywho thank you all for reading and reviewing! If I don't get to answering your reviews I just want you to know that they are greatly appreciated! Next chapter coming soon!