A/N: I'm sorry.

Fawn wiped her eyes for at least the third time while listening to Harry and Ginny's story of what had happened in the Chamber. She and Archer had been waiting on the steps of Hogwarts castle when Harry and Ginny emerged - thanks to a Personal Product Portkey sending them a regular Portkey to whisk them out of the Chamber - and Harry had insisted that the four of them meet and talk about what was needed to write the magazine article before he debriefed the Aurors. If they'd miscalculated, if the reporter and photographer not being in person meant that Chapter Eleven hadn't been satisfied, then Harry wanted to know while there was still time to fix things.

But all was fine, apparently. Harry blushed and stammered his way through discussion of the items he'd bought in Indecent Alley, including how he'd sought counsel with Ginny's sister-in-law for help. He'd forgotten he hadn't told Ginny those details until she snorted half her butterbeer across the table.

"You blew up an apple?" she asked, trying to control her mirth. "With the sex wand?"

Harry feigned indignation. "Is it any wonder I didn't want that thing to touch me?" he asked. "Or you? He rubbed at his arm. "I still have a mark from where Fleur demonstrated the correct pressure to use!" He didn't know if it was relief that he'd been able to satisfy the chapter without having to inflict physical pain or the satisfaction he was still feeling from his and Ginny's coupling, but Harry was feeling joyful and wanted to share his mood. "Blew up a banana too," he muttered under his breath.

Ginny exploded in giggles and Archer took the opportunity to shoot a few photos. Fawn looked thoughtful.

"It was bold of you to start your activities with a sparking sex wand," she said. "Normally that's something a couple . . . works their way up to." She glanced quickly at Archer. He nodded.

"Didn't take us long to work 'up' to it though," he said with a grin.

Ginny choked on her drink again and Harry pounded her on the back. "I had no idea you two were together!' she said with real delight. "How long?"

Fawn grinned. "Since that night we all went to the Muggle restaurant actually," she said. "I guess we didn't realize just how strong Muggle liquor is."

"I think it was the flaming dessert myself," added Archer with a smirk. "All that chocolate."

"I'm really happy for you two," said Harry. That Fawn and Archer could gain something good from the past weeks eased at least a little bit of his persistent guilt that he'd dragged them into this mess in the first place. There was only one week left, and while Harry harbored no illusions that it wouldn't be nearly impossible to complete, for the first time he thought that maybe Fawn and Archer at least would make it out intact. He pulled his focus back to Fawn's next question.

"So what happened after you threw away the wand?" she asked.

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Ginny let Harry take her Side-Along back to Grimmauld Place after they'd left Fawn and Archer in Hogsmeade. The other couple was in discussion with Aberforth about a renting a room, a development Ginny would have found amusing in other circumstances. and had barely acknowledged Harry's subdued goodbye. Indeed, Harry might have even looked into getting them a room himself; they'd never stayed over in the village before. Until the last ten minutes of the meeting with Fawn and Archer Ginny was glad to see Harry more relaxed than he'd been in weeks. They'd told the story of the Chamber without flinching; Ginny had meant it when she'd boldly declared that the place no longer held any power over her. Harry had looked at her with a pride he usually reserved for her most spectacular plays with the Harpies and Ginny had begun thinking more about tracing her hands up and down Harry's bare abs than she was about the long-gone Tom Riddle.

And then Fawn had mentioned Chapter Twelve.

It had been an almost joking comment on her part, and Ginny understood that the reporter likely considered the danger from the book to be nearly over. There was only one more week, after all, and as far as Fawn and Archer were concerned, Harry had been brilliant and would continue to be and thus, they didn't need to worry anymore. Ginny knew it wasn't any sort of disparagement of Harry's skill and power to recognize how many times luck and sheer nerve had also played a role in saving all of them each week. Most people wouldn't know that though, especially those two tasked with unraveling the facts of Harry's weekly exploits and knitting them into articles full of daring and bravery and unending love. Fawn and Archer probably thought that some of the stress and near-misses of the past weeks could well have been dramatic enhancements planned by Harry and Lidia to sell more magazines. Very few people could ever truly understand just how much danger Harry had fought in his life, and to be honest, he preferred it that way.

And Ginny didn't actually mind the unending love part, even though bits of what Fawn wrote sounded too much like what Ginny had thought Harry was like when she'd been nine or ten. When this contest was all over, she suspected that it would take some time for Harry to shake the mantle of heartthrob he'd assumed for so many Magical Monthly readers. Ginny personally couldn't understand why or how his star had risen so quickly because of - not in spite of - how he'd been portrayed in many of the stories.

But Fawn didn't understand all of that, and her interest in what Harry thought he'd have to face for the last week was purely literary, to the extent Magical Monthly could be considered literary, of course. She'd leaned forward excitedly.

"So Harry, care to dish on what you think your final task will look like? The chapter is called 'Be Her Hero,' and it sounds like you're going to have to pull out the fireworks to impress Ginny, doesn't it?"

Ginny had watched Harry's face shutter before he'd carefully schooled his features to hide it. "That's the question, I guess," he said. He'd grabbed Ginny's hand under the table and squeezed. "I usually have to spend a day or two reading what the chapter says, and then planning. I guess I'll do the same this time." His answers had been perfectly adequate and he'd managed to inject enough emotion into his tone that Fawn didn't notice that all the joy had drained from his face. She and Archer had had half a mind on a private room upstairs at the bar anyway. Harry'd promised to let them know when he had a plan and then had quickly whisked Ginny home. Now they were sitting in the library.

"I'm going to need to go away for a couple of hours, maybe longer," he finally said. They'd been sitting mostly quietly for half the evening. "There's something I need to do and I don't know how long it's going to take me."

Ginny hadn't objected. "Before you see what the last chapter says?"

Harry nodded grimly. I know what it's going to say," he said. "Maybe not the exact words, but enough. It knows me that well by now."

Ginny thought she had an idea too, what Play Her Hero meant, but she didn't say anything. She was on a need to know basis at this point, and what she knew was that Harry had to work things out on his own. The next morning when she woke up, he'd already gone.

It wasn't just a couple of hours, but almost the entire day before Harry returned, looking exhausted and pensive. There was a new hole in the knee of his jeans and a smear of dirt across his forehead as if he'd wiped a hand there at some point. He allowed Ginny to repair the rip and clean his face and seemed relieved she wasn't asking him any questions. He left the kitchen to go take a shower and she let him go, but only two minutes later his Patronus appeared next to the table.

"Come join me?" the stag asked quietly. "If you want."

Ginny shrugged off her clothes as she walked up the stairs and dropped them on the bedroom floor before walking naked into the bathroom. Harry's glasses were on the counter and it was already warm and steamy. She opened the wide glass door and slipped quickly inside the black and white tiled shower. Ginny wasn't surprised that Harry hadn't done the charm to soften the floor, and when he turned around to take her in his arms it was to seek comfort, nothing more. He cradled her head on his chest and kept his hand in her hair, his other hand trailing up and down her back.

"I should wash your hair," he said finally, stepping away and picking up the shampoo. "May I?"

Ginny nodded, and Harry slowly worked her hair into a lather and then directed her under the spray to rinse it out. His hands moved carefully over her skin, never stopping in one place for more than a moment and staying away from any of the spots that might have indicated he was looking for something more.

"I did . . . what I needed to do today," he said eventually, once he'd finished washing Ginny and put his arms around her again. "I don't know if it will work; in fact, it's very likely not to work. But it's the best idea I have." He made a small sound. "It's the only idea I have, actually." His arms tightened around her. "I'm going to tell you ahead of time though. What I'm planning." His voice dropped. "You need to know so you can tell me if you don't want to do it." Harry's voice held a hopelessness Ginny hadn't heard before. She took a step back so she could look him in the eye, taking care not to lose contact with his his arms.

"And why would I say that?" she asked, keeping her voice even. "You know I trust you, and when you say that you've come up with the only possible idea, then I believe it." Harry looked away and Ginny tried another tactic. "Maybe the book will give you a new idea, once you read it."

"I read it," said Harry in a hollow voice. "That's what took me so long in the . . . where I was. The book arrived while I was . . . working and I stopped to read it. The Personal Product Portkey knew how to find me." He stepped close to her again. "I was right about what it says. Nearly exactly right. So my plan, it's still the only idea I have." The hopelessness seemed to have given way to resignation. Harry shut off the water and reached out of the shower for towels, drying Ginny carefully with one and then with a charm before turning to take care of himself.

"Let's get in bed," he said abruptly, walking naked out of the bathroom. He turned around to look at her. "Or do you want food first? I'll go down to the kitchen to get you something. I'll bring it up here." He headed to the door.

"Harry, I'm fine," said Ginny. "I don't need anything to eat."

Harry shook his head. "You do," he said stubbornly. "I know you're hungry; you waited for me to eat and then I wanted shower when I got home instead."

Ginny couldn't deny it; still, she tried. "I can wait."

Harry shook his head again. "I want you to eat something before you hear . . . what I have to tell you." He shuffled his feet. "And besides, I don't know how long it's going to take to explain."

And so Ginny climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin while Harry went downstairs to get her some food. He hadn't bothered to get dressed and she wished she could be thinking about how sexy it was, Harry moving naked around the kitchen to make her a meal. Instead it felt distracted.

Harry returned shortly with a hastily made sandwich. He gave Ginny the plate and climbed into bed, still seeming nearly oblivious to his lack of clothing.

"Eat," he commanded, but without heat.

Ginny took an obligatory bite and Harry nodded, satisfied.

"I sent a message to Robards," he said. "This afternoon. He agreed to the plan; it's going to happen on Thursday." He frowned at the mostly uneaten sandwich and Ginny reluctantly picked it up again. "That will give us time to plan and time to have as many safeguards in place as possible. It's going to be at Hogwarts."

Ginny nibbled on bread and waited.

"That's where I was today," Harry said. "At Hogwarts. It was a little tricky because the students are back, but I had my cloak and anyway, I was only in the castle for a few minutes to talk to Professor McGonagall. She's going to secure all the students in the Great Hall on Thursday, just in case." He took Ginny's hand. "That should be far enough away. And there will be Aurors there, and plenty of wards."

Harry paused his monologue and looked at her, and despite the fact that Ginny still had no idea exactly what Harry was talking about she nodded. "Mmhmm," she said noncommittally.

"You need something to drink," Harry said suddenly. "I forgot." He jumped out of bed. "Do you want water? I could get your pumpkin juice. Or tea; it's gotten rather chilly."

Ginny didn't try to argue. "Water is fine, Harry," she said. There was a cup in the bathroom. But Harry disappeared down the stairs again before Ginny could stop him. She frowned, wondering exactly what he planned to tell her that was making him so rattled. It was very unlike Harry, even these past few weeks. He'd been stressed and serious, but until now, he'd mostly acted the way he did when he was involved in a particularly complicated case for the Aurors - focused and busy. More attentive to her safety, maybe, but otherwise not that different Tonight, despite telling Ginny he wanted to tell her something, Harry seemed to be trying to avoid it.

He returned to the bedroom with a tray carrying a cup of water, bottle of pumpkin juice, and things for tea. "I didn't know what you'd want," he said, setting them down on Ginny's bedside table. "This way we don't have to get up again."

"I haven't gotten up at all," Ginny pointed out gently. "Come get in bed."

Harry gave her a sheepish look before complying. "I'm avoiding," he said.

"I know," said Ginny. "But since you've already decided to tell me, and you knowI'm not going to judge you or run away screaming or anything, and I'm telling you right now that I don't need anything sweet so there's no need to run back to the kitchen again, you might as well stop procrastinating."

"Don't assume you won't want to run away screaming," Harry muttered. He picked up Twelve Ways and began rifling through the pages. "And just so you know, I do intend to get you something for pudding once we're done here. You're going to need the distraction."

"I'd rather use the sight of you running around the house naked as my distraction," said Ginny. She didn't know if Harry was in the mood to take the bait but decided that even an inappropriate comment was better than none.

"If you still want to, we can have sex later," said Harry said vaguely, as if Ginny had proposed nothing more exciting than meeting for a quick lunch at the Leaky. His expression was still too serious and this time, Ginny let it go.

"Why don't you tell me what you have to say and let me decide how I'm going to react," she chided gently. Part of her wanted to push Harry a bit more. She cast a sidelong glance; he was now reading some of the earlier chapters of the third edition, frowning at the pages that had first sent him to Indecent Alley as if he could glean something new from them. They wouldn't, Ginny was nearly positive, still, she let Harry have his extra minutes. Finally he looked up.

"Do you need more tea?"

Ginny suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "I've still got plenty, thanks," she said. "And it's still warm." She put her hand on Harry's arm. "What I need is for you to tell me what's going on."

Harry finally turned to look at her full on in the face. "I know," he said. He ruffled his hair. "I don't think you're actually going to be as surprised as I'm worried about either." He flipped further back in the book. "Even the chapter itself is short and blunt." He grimaced. "The illustration, it's . . . " he gave a deep sigh and pushed the book at her. "Why don't you read it all yourself, and then we can talk?"

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Harry stumped through Knockturn Alley, occasionally stopping to peer into one grimy shop window or another before moving on. He hadn't bothered with a Disillusionment spell and wasn't wearing his Invisibility Cloak, although it was tucked inside his robes just in case. Patrons of Knockturn Alley tended to keep to themselves; catching the eye of a passerby was an understood taboo. And Harry didn't think most of the tattered witches and wizards he passed were avid readers of Magical Monthly. As long as he wasn't wearing his Auror robes Harry was nearly as well hidden as he would have been under his Cloak, and certainly less suspicious. He stopped in front of a tiny storefront, nicer looking than its neighbors. Its display window featured a number of glittering amulets hanging from hooks and arranged on tufted pillows. He nodded to himself. This is as good as any.

But before he could enter a heavy hand clamped on his shoulder, nearly pushing him to his knees. Even if the enormous dragon tooth belt that hovered just below Harry's eyebrows hadn't given his interrupter away, Harry knew of only one person for whom the unwritten rules of behavior of Knockturn Alley did not apply.

"Hi Hagrid," said Harry, feeling nettled. He'd wanted to get into the store and then out, and then back home, while Ginny was still in the shower.

"Again in Knockturn Alley, Harry?" asked Hagrid, as if he'd last run into Harry the previous week as opposed to when he was twelve. "What 'er ya doin' here this time?"

"What are you doing here, Hagrid?" asked Harry, sidestepping the question. He wasn't in the mood for giving an explanation himself, particularly since he wasn't sure he really had one.

Hagrid held up a bag. "Got me some of that Kedavra Hornet honey right here," he said. "It's got the comb inside; very difficult to collect." He lowered his voice. "Going to use it for . . . well, yer going to have to read about it, I reckon. Can't be given away me secrets." He bumped against Harry and almost sent him tumbling again. "Although by the look of it, someone's setting up something at Hogwarts; the place was crawling with Aurors yesterday. Interrupted my class on observing unicorns in their natural habitat." Hagrid gave Harry a knowing look. "That wouldn't be part of yer plan, would it? Hero on the Quidditch Pitch maybe? I bet Ginny'd like that. But why all the security?"

Harry shook his head. "No, nothing like that," he said quickly. "I uhh, I don't know why they're there." His mind raced. History assured him that Hagrid did not know how to keep his mouth shut; there was no telling how many people he'd already told about the Aurors at Hogwarts. He schooled his features into a bland smile. "Actually, I just remembered, Ginny needs me back home. I uhh, I promised to make her something for lunch."

Hagrid barked a laugh. "After you nearly poisoned her she's still letting ye cook fer her? Now that's true love!" Harry cringed at the noise, but no one seemed to want to pay any attention to the giant taking up half the alley. He clamped his hand on Harry's shoulder again. "Tell her hello for me, and if ye see a hornet nest at Hogwarts, stay well away, ye hear?" With a cheery wave, Hagrid continued off down the alley.

With one more glance in the shop window, Harry turned on the spot, heading back to Grimmauld Place.

By the look of it, Ginny had only just finished her shower before Harry returned. Droplets of water still fell from her hair and she hadn't dressed beyond her bra and knickers. She looked up in surprise when Harry appeared. "That was quick," she said.

Harry didn't answer. "How quickly can you be ready to leave for Hogwarts? he asked. "I need about ten minutes."

Ginny looked confused. "I thought we were going on Thursday," she said. "This is Tuesday." Harry was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet and looked ready to flee as soon as Ginny said the word. Fear pierced her. "Did something happen?"

Harry was already walking over to his chest of drawers and taking down the wards. "I saw Hagrid," he said distractedly. "There have been a lot of Aurors at Hogwarts."

"I know," said Ginny. "That's a good thing. They're going to be backup, in case anything . . . just in case." Harry had been right; it had taken a while for him to explain what his plan was for Chapter Twelve and even longer for Ginny to accept it. Truth be told, as much as she trusted Harry and as much as she couldn't think of any better options herself, the plan terrified her. That she knew it also terrified Harry and yet, he was going through with it was why she'd agreed to it. But a large cadre of Aurors and curse breakers and healers had figured into Harry's plans, and they weren't going to arrive until Thursday, she thought.

"Is everything set up early?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. He had his traveling cloak on now and his old moleskin pouch around his neck. He wasn't going to bother trying to be invisible, she knew.

"The way Hagrid's talking, everyone's going to know soon," he explained. He handed Ginny her own cloak. "Including whoever's behind all this. And the book will probably figure it out too, or else our suspects will make sure it knows." He shook his head. "It's better if we go now, with the element of surprise." He gave Ginny an anguished look. "It's the only way," he said. "I'm just glad we don't have to involve Fawn and Archer. They'll be fine where they are and then they can write about it . . . afterwards."

Not wanting to think about what Fawn and Archer might have to end up writing about, Ginny tried another tack. "Is surprise important enough to give up Auror protection?" she asked. It was getting late; even the Aurors who had been there preparing would likely be leaving soon for the day.

Harry nodded. "It's important enough," he said. "We need to go now."

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Harry Apparated Ginny to just outside the gates of Hogwarts. The sun was still out, but hanging low in the sky; he made a mental note to make sure Ginny knew the torchlight charm before they entered the Forest. He pointed to a pathway off to the side of where they stood. "That's the fastest way," he said. "We won't be likely to see any students or anyone else if we take it."

Ginny sucked in her breath. "Harry! Isn't McGonagall planning to keep all the students in the Great Hall on Thursday? They aren't going to be there tonight."

"It's okay," he said resolutely. "It's a Tuesday night; I doubt anyone's going to be out wandering the grounds on a Tuesday night." He tried to sound more confident than he felt because the truth was, he'd forgotten about his plan with McGonagall. For a second he paused, the doubt that had been dogging him for the past two days gaining a stronger foothold, and he almost told Ginny they were going back home. It was crazy, this idea, and he was crazy to even think of it.

It was still also the only idea he had, and so a moment later Harry took a deep breath. "It's okay," he said again. "We're going to be pretty far away. And I'll set up wards as we go, to prevent anyone else from following us or gaining access to the area." He gave Ginny a pleading look. "I wouldn't have even considered it if I thought there was any other way."

"I know," said Ginny. Harry couldn't help but think that she'd had to say that a lot lately.

Harry took Ginny's hand and started down the path remembering, of course, the night he'd taken a similar walk. He'd seen Ginny and stayed hidden, even though he thought it was the last time he'd ever see her. That time, his love for Ginny had prevented Harry from stopping on his way to death. This time, he was bringing her with him.

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Ron stumbled out of the Floo and collapsed on the sofa in his flat. "What the hell was I thinking?" he groaned to his girlfriend.

Hermione grinned and brushed some of the sawdust off Ron's shoulders. "That I'm going to call you my hero, building me new bookshelves the Muggle way. The hand-carved construction just isn't something that can be reproduced by magic."

Ron privately disagreed, but he knew better than to say so. Hermione was happy, and that was what mattered, especially because next week, the contest would be over and things could go back to being more even between them. "Just promise me that there won't be any place for Twelve Failsafe Ways to Charm Witcheson the shelf," he said. "From now on I'd rather woo you on my own terms."

"I'm sure Harry feels the same way, multiplied by about a hundred," said Hermione. She sat down and cuddled up next to Ron on the sofa. "Have you talked to Bill or any of the Aurors? They think Harry will be able to stop reading the book once he gets through Chapter Twelve, right?"

"What did you say?" Ron sat up so suddenly that Hermione almost fell over. "That you think Harry can't stop reading the book until he's done?"

Hermione looked confused. "Well, yes," she said. "Isn't that what everyone's figured out? He could even quit the contest, but if he stops reading the book and following its instructions, then he and Ginny and Fawn and Archer all suffer.

"I never put it together exactly that way, " Ron muttered. "I knew there was something I was missing, but . . ." he jumped up.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione.

"Calling George here," said Ron. "Can you open the wards for him to Apparate directly into your flat?" He conjured his Patronus before looking back at her. "I think we've seen this spell before. From Dringlich Vane." He spoke to his terrier quickly and urgently before it bounded off through the wall.

"Romilda's father?" Hermione asked, recalling a conversation from the first gala. "He sold you trick wands, right?"

Ron shook his head. "We didn't buy the wands; they weren't very good," he said. "But we did buy his puzzle books. They were charmed so that you couldn't stop working on a puzzle until you solved it."

"Oh, right," said Hermione. "That certainly sounds similar to what's wrong with Harry's book."

Ron nodded grimly. "George will know more," he said. "I asked him to bring some of the old inventory."

George himself arrived a moment later, his hands disconcertingly empty. "We don't have any more of the product," he said. "What's going on?"

Quickly, Ron explained what he suspected.

George nodded. "That sounds similar," he agreed. "The books were pretty popular, sold well. But when I reached out to Vane to ask about a new shipment he told me they weren't available at the moment because he was working on an update."

"When was that?" asked Hermione.

George shrugged. "Maybe last spring? Right around the time we started selling the first batch Ron and I developed the Personal Product Portkeys and then we were in negotiations with the Ministry to buy up the rights. I think we'd been sold out of the puzzles for a while before I went back to Vane about getting more."

"Last spring is when Lidia first reached out about the contest," said Ron. "It's possible that Vane took advantage of that to put a 'can't finish reading' curse on a the copy of the book he sent to Harry."

"He would have known about the contest because of Romilda," added Hermione.

"George nodded. "But why?" he asked. "This is the last week of the contest, right? As difficult as it's been for Harry and Ginny, they've managed to get through okay so far. Why make Harry go through all of that? And what's going to happen this week?"

Neither Ron nor Hermione had an answer to that. Ron picked up his wand again. "We need to talk to Gawain Robards. Bill too, I think. Harry's planning to try to finish Chapter Twelve on Thursday. That gives them time to alert Harry and investigate Vane." He looked hopeful. Maybe they can find out how to break the curse on the book before Harry even has to do anything.

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The trees closed in around them quickly; the path Harry had selected was not a common one into the Forbidden Forest. Of course, there weren't many paths into the Forest that were common, other than the one directly out from Hagrid's hut and leading to his favorite places to collect unicorn hair and other such items. Even the original way Harry had traveled to this spot was overgrown and forgotten by now, as Harry had discovered that past Sunday. He'd reasoned that retracing his steps was his best bet and yet it had still taken him nearly all day to find what he was seeking.

An owl hooted overhead and Ginny's hand jerked in his.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "It just surprised me,"

"It's okay," said Harry. He wanted to say something more, anything more, but his thoughts wouldn't coalesce enough to give Ginny comfort. Unlike when he'd tried to teach her the spell she'd used at the Zabini home, Harry didn't have a lot of direction to give. She knew the spells she might need and he'd finally extracted from her a promise to Apparate away if things ended up heading towards disaster. Otherwise, she had to be there. The Forest opened up ahead of them and Harry took a deep breath, fumbling with the pouch around his neck.

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"Mrs. Vane? I'm Gawain Robards, head of the Auror department. Is your husband home? This is Lee Jordan and Lisa Turpin. I brought them here on a training exercise — routine business of course. Just for practice." Robards had done his research and now he gave the woman a winning smile. "I'd like them to practice their interview techniques."

"Please, call me Koketta," she said, giving the Aurors a suggestive smile.

Robards nodded deeply, almost a bow. "Of course . . . Koketta." He smiled. "Is your husband home?"

Mrs. Vane shook her head. "He and Romilda are gone for the day," she said. "They went up to Hogwarts; he was invited to speak to some of the Charms classes and our daughter went along; she missed school she said."

"Ahh, I'm sorry to miss him," said Gawain. Only those who knew him very well could possibly detect the new urgency in his tone. He leaned casually against the side of the doorframe. "Do you know when to expect him back?"

The woman shook her head. "Probably not until late; I imagine they'll grab a bite in Hogsmeade before they return. And I get to have the house to myself today, you know. Going to spend the day rereading all the issues of Magical Monthly. Romilda is a competitor you know. She and her boyfriend Blaise Zabini are doing quite well for themselves." She peered at Robards. "I guess one of your Aurors is doing well too, Harry Potter?" she sniffed. "He and that Harpies girlfriend of his keep just beating out Romilda and Blaise. I guess too many people like that kind of obvious fame, as opposed to following a trend maker like my Romilda is. Still, there's no shame in second place, especially when one looks at some of the things Potter did to rise to the top." She tsked. "Hitting and poisoning? I never would have thought."

"Yes, well," we'll be sure to check into all that," said Robards vaguely. "I thank you for your assistance, madame. We will be sure to be in touch again when your husband is home."

The three Aurors left quickly, none of them speaking until they were well away from the Vane house. "Do you think she knows anything?" asked Lee.

Robards shook his head. "I'm not positive, but I don't think so. It's usually pretty obvious when a witness is trying to hide something. In this case, she told us exactly where her husband and daughter are."

"And she's likely telling the truth because Hogwarts is where Harry's going to be," said Lisa.

Robards nodded. "Exactly. We've been waiting for our suspects to show themselves; Vane must have created a magical link to Harry's book and knows where he's planning to go." He waved them ahead to the Apparition point. "Get back to headquarters; I'll be right behind you after I send a Patronus to Bill Weasley."

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"Stand behind me. And keep your wand out. Please." Harry knew Ginny didn't need to be told to keep her wand out, and also that standing behind him offered little protection. Still, she complied without comment. She was so close he could hear the sound of her breath; faster than normal. He turned around. "Can I kiss you?" he asked, hearing the shake in his voice."

"You'd better," Ginny said fiercely.

The kiss transported Harry back years, to his seventeenth birthday and Ginny's bedroom at the Burrow. It was the last time Harry had kissed Ginny without knowing whether they had a future together. Except now he knew exactly how much he stood to lose. He let Ginny end the kiss. She gave him another fierce look.

"I'm ready," she said, taking a deep breath.

Harry nodded and then turned the Resurrection Stone over three times in his hand.

A/N: Really, I am sorry. I didn't set out to end it there but a number of delinquents I spend time with got the better of me. I'll write the second half as swiftly as possible.