the whole age thing is a pain

by dpking555

age is a pain in the ass

The whole age thing

The young girl looked at the parchment that was in front of her but the words just seemed to flow past. Try as she might she could not remember anything on this parchment. For the past few hours, she had been sitting at her desk with this single scroll reading, re-reading, but not one thing was sticking. Something was changing within her and that something was causing this distraction.

She had spent countless hours reading, practicing and even theorising on this subject. This subject, quite literally, was her life. Her knowledge far outpaced anybody in this area and she was young, not just young but very young. However this distraction was new.

Sighing to herself she gently lowered the parchment onto her work desk, rose and padded across into her bedroom. Lowering herself onto the bed she closed her eyes. She knew that this was not going to help her, yet she continued anyway. It just felt good to let herself go, for a few moments, and wallow in her special powers.

With her eyes closed, she focused inwards to her core; she found what she was seeking. A playful smile adorned her lips as she opened her eyes. Her room had changed to her eyes; she could see traces of lines, of ribbons, flowing around. They were there, they were always there. This was her comfort, her only happy place in the past two years. They were also her drive. These were what she had studied and had become an expert upon.

People, even respected scholars, had tried to tell her that she was wrong that she knew nothing. However she could see the proof that they could not or would not believe. No matter what anybody did, they could never take these away from her.

Studying the ribbons, she quickly found the strong line that she repeatedly looked for. The line stretched out and through the window, straight as an arrow, strong and vibrant. She knew where it ended, not the exact place as such but, the exact person. She could feel the gentle pull through this link; it was that pull that had made her talk to her Grandmamma. Closing her eyes once more, she reflected on that meeting two years ago and what transpired from it.

As soon as she at felt the first flutter and the initial glimmer of knowledge was ignited she had begged her Mother incessantly about going to see her Grandmamma. She was wise yet old and lived on her own but the young girl need to speak to her. However her Mother never once relented. Every request was deflected away with ease and a smile.

But then, almost out of the blue, her Mother had agreed. Three of them went, her Mother, her Sister and herself. They were all women, well the other two were defiantly women but she was still a child. They had trekked through a forest for what seemed like forever to her young legs until they reached the log cabin.

The cabin stood alone in this forest but still felt warm and welcoming amongst the dark trees. The cabin looked almost new and was surrounded by gardens with high bushes. The front of the cabin held plant pots and hanging baskets. The owner of this place defiantly knew how to display it to its best.

Her mother rang the small iron bell hanging from the door frame before gently pushing open the door and calling out, "It's only us."

Upon entering the cabin, they found that, despite the outside appearance, the inside was well furnished, very well furnished in fact. Lounging on a small sofa was a lady, in most people's eyes he would be classed as beautiful but next to the other members of her family she was nothing special. She smiled a special greeting to them all and motioned them to sit.

The little girl looked at her grandmamma intensely. She had never met her until this point. She had always received gifts from her which were beautiful and delicate but had never met her in person. The rest of the family talked little about her but from what little she had learnt had not prepared her for this meeting. She was both relieved and scared at the same time.

Her grandmamma did not look away as she was being inspected by the youngest but raised a single eyebrow and gently smiled. She waved her hand at one of the doors leading from the room and a faint tinkle was heard. Before a word was said, a table gently walked into the room carrying on it a delicate fine china tea set. The tea pot was gently puffing away to itself very much like a small train. The table came to a halt in the centre and the tea pot stopped puffing.

"I see you still have got your charm," said her Mother with a smile.

"Of course, Bernadette, it's what I'm known for," replied the old lady.

Bernadette stood and poured the tea for all, handing it around with the finger cakes, but nobody seemed interested for the moment. Each person was lost in their own thoughts and the silence seemed to stretch because of it.

Eventually the older woman asked, "So, you have at last brought your youngest to see me?"

"Yes Mother, she had been asking, and Fleur insisted at well, so we came."

This was news to the youngest, big news. Her sister was okay but had never really helped her get anything that she had ever wanted. In fact she felt that her sister was trying to get people to ignore her. This new revelation shocked her, why was her sister helping her? Does she have a different motive? She looked directly at her sister and saw her start to smile. She knew what was coming; her sister's smile was a powerful force. It came from her heritage, her heritage that was sitting in this room with them. That smile could make almost any man do whatever her sister wanted; it could even affect women and even herself. That smile made her feel content, happy, and carefree.

Fleur looked directly into her face and turned on that winning smile. She braced herself for the force that was going to hit her, but nothing came. No happy feeling, no contentment, nothing it was just a smile. Fleur's smile increased before she mouthed "Now you know."

The shock of feeling nothing almost caused her to fall over. She crossed the room and sat next to her sister and looked into her face.

"I will always do what's best for you, please remember that," whispered Fleur.

Their Grandmamma looked at the pair of them as they sat there together.

"You wanted to see me then?"

The young girl knew that the question was directed at her. Feeling the enormity of the moment she turned and faced the woman before answering.

"Yes, Grandmamma."

"Why?"

She was stuck now, she did not really know why. Hell, yes she did, but could she tell her Grandmamma in front of her sister and mother.

"Ah…it makes some sense now," stated the oldest in the room and sthe silence told her everything.

"What?" questioned her Mother.

"I think you and me need to have a talk, Gabrielle," commanded her Grandmamma as she rose to her feet and held out her hand.

"Yes," she replied in a small voice.

"Ok then, how about we go and sit in the garden, while your mother and sister enjoy themselves in here."

Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Gabrielle's hand and glided out into the garden.

It was not long before the two of them were sitting on a rug in the middle of an immaculate lawn.

"So, Gabrielle, we are now alone. You undoubtedly have some questions, so ask away."

"Is it true?" blurted out Gabrielle. She had heard the stories of her Grandmamma. Heard even some of the talk of the adults had had when she was supposed to be asleep. Was it all true?

"Of course it is. I am a Veela."

"But you look normal." exclaimed Gabrielle.

"We generally do, it is only when we are upset do you see any change."

"So I'm part Veela?"

"Yes."

"Is that why…?"

"Yes again."

"So Fleur's the same?"

"Yes and probably no."

"No?"

"Fleur's ability only started a few years ago. Your ability, I suspect, has already started which will make you very different in the end."

Gabrielle paused for a moment to try and understand. The way her Grandmamma had just spoken implied that she would be different but how could she be? Her parents were the same as her sisters. Everything was the same how could she be different? A flutter inside her brought her back to why she was here.

"These feelings that I'm getting?"

"Gabrielle, before I answer that, may I try something?"

Gabrielle looked at her Grandmamma; she had slightly changed her position and was facing her. She was not frightened as such, but thoughts of the Veela's powers made her want to move away slightly. She had little true knowledge of this power; once more the overhearing at dinner parties was her source. The Veela's power was supposed to allow them to bend the will of anybody. It would allow them to control you. They would take over your mind and you would become nothing. Forcing this fear down as she looked at the face in front of her, she gently nodded.

"Okay then, close your eyes."

Gabrielle did.

"Try and calm yourself; imagine you are safe, happy, loved."

"Okay," she replied after a few moments.

"Everything you see is real, it's not dangerous. I'm here, and I'm real."

Gabrielle heard these commands as the voice changed direction so that it was coming from behind. The fear that she had battered down only moments before started to reappear.

"Gabrielle, I'm going to place my hands on your shoulders; don't worry, don't panic."

She felt a gentle pressure on both of her shoulders. She tried to hold the thought that she was safe, but this new experience was scaring her.

"Okay now slowly open your eyes."

Gabrielle opened her eyes and saw lines. Well not lines, ribbons, floating out from her. They were beautiful, every colour of the rainbow was present they twisted with each other, the danced and waved in the wind, but there was no wind. Most seemed to curve right round her but one thick one streamed off into the distance in front of her. She started to turn to follow the rest to see if she could find where they were going but felt the pressure in her shoulders increase, so she stayed still.

"What do you see?"

"Ribbons, Grandmamma; lots of ribbons all flowing around me, except one."

"One?" the questioning tone was unmistakeable.

"Yes, one; a pink one flying off into the distance, that way," she pointed.

She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her.

"You say you can see many ribbons, are they all coming from you?"

Gabrielle studied the spectacle again and then saw that there were fainter ribbons now, rippling in the imaginary breeze which clearly could not be connect to her.

"No I can see some faint ribbons. I think."

"Okay then close your eyes and turn around. Once you have turned around open your eyes again," commanded her Grandmamma. She knew that this could be dangerous; not only to herself but also the young girl in front of her but she had to know.

Gabrielle did what was instructed and opened her eyes. In front of her was her Grandmamma, but something else as well. She could make out her face but only just, these seemed to be ghostly mask over the top. Ribbons flowed out from her Grandmamma's core and most faded from sight several meters away, except one. One of which was going straight into her own core. But the most shocking was the wings; behind her Grandmamma she could see wings, large ghostly wings, which seemed to flex and stretch almost menacingly.

The shock of this new sight caused her to gasp and at that instant everything returned to normal.

"You saw them?"

Gabrielle just shook her head not daring to answer. The image of those wings flexing of the pale mask over the face was in her mind. Was this some great evil? Was this the evil people talked about?

"Answer me," requested her Grandmamma in a firm voice

"Yes."

"What did you see, any ribbons."

"Yes, and…and your wings."

"My wings…My wings...oh my," gasped the surprised elder

"Was that wrong?"

"Wrong… no no my dear. Oh no, not wrong very right," smiled her Grandmamma

"Then why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset, just a little shocked."

"What does it mean?"

"It means that you are going to be special, very special."

"Special?"

"Yes, special. I can now guess what you wanted to talk to me about."

Gabrielle could not stop the blush from creeping across her face but kept silent.

"How long ago did it start?"

"About 3 months ago," she quietly replied.

"Do you do something about it?"

"I have to!" she pleaded.

"Why don't you tell me a little about it, don't be embarrassed. As much as you fear it, don't worry, I've been there I know."

"Well….about 3 months ago I started to notice some changes. Not much but a few. It seems that at night, when I'm getting ready to go to sleep, I'm lying there and start to feel this tingling in my…my … you know. At first, I ignored it but now it's too intense I can't anymore. I find that almost as soon as I lie down, my knickers get wet and I just have to rub myself. I know that I shouldn't but I can't help myself. My hand creeps down and slowly run over my stomach. It gets to the waistband of my knickers and I can feel the wetness spreading fast and faster. As my hand travels further down, my chest tightens awaiting a release. Almost as soon as I touch myself, I explode. It's not right, is it?"

"For a normal person no, but for you yes, defiantly yes. You are part Veela, a big part. Your body is maturing at the rate of a Veela and so you are coming into sexual activity now. Your human side is trying to suppress it but is failing."

"So I'm not human."

"Of course you are human, it's just you are also Veela. Which means that even now at your young age, you need a companion; you need sex, you need love."

"I need sex?"

"It's hard to understand at the moment but you are almost a fully mature Veela. What you told me today proved that, with that you have great powers but also great needs."

"Great powers and great needs?"

"You need a companion, someone to help you, love you and to make love to you. You see that is the great power that we have, Love."

"Love?"

"We can see it, love, we can even manipulate it. Why do you think people will do anything for a Veela?"

"We can manipulate the love that others feel."

"Exactly. We can manipulate so that people Love to do anything for us."

"But it's not permanent."

"My… you have been doing some reading. No, it's not permanent that would take any incredible amount of power. We can only affect those near to us."

"But that doesn't really explain what happening to me."

"You are powerful. Well for a Veela cross you are. You are making use of your powers to affect yourself without letting those powers get what they need. Consequently they are using the only form of release that they know and it is only shown when you truly relax."

"But I'm not using this, or any, power."

"Ah…but you are," corrected her Grandmamma with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm not, I don't even have a wand yet!"

"How old are you?"

"Ten, I'll be eleven in September. I will just miss out going to school this year because of my age."

"Exactly!"

"What do you mean?"

"If you look at yourself, do you look ten? No! You look at best nine or even younger to some. Your body knows that as the proverbial "Little Girl" you'll get whatever you want and so unconsciously you are using your Veela power to stop yourself looking any older. But now your Veela side is nearing maturity it need its release."

"So you say that I'm stopping myself from growing up?" asked an unbelieving Gabrielle.

"No, that's just it. You are growing up, fast, very fast but your body is being kept to look like a little girl so you can get what you want."

"Grandmamma, I sorry but I don't believe you."

"Okay I'll prove it to you then. Close your eyes once more."

Gabrielle did not want to listen but something inside at her was almost screaming with relief. So reluctantly, she closed her eyes.

"Good now relax, really relax. Breathe slowly….Okay now focus, remember you are safe, you are loved…can you see yourself?"

"What do you mean? I have my eyes closed."

"Do use your eyes. Use you magic, those feelings I told you to focus on. Feel them and use them. Trust me, you will see."

Gabrielle didn't really understand. She had read a few things about Veela magic but nothing like this. She started to feel a little silly but drove that away. Her Grandmamma had said to focus upon safety and love and she did so. Slowly at first something started to appear.

"Yes…I can see an outline…it's me."

"Excellent; now study yourself closely."

"Okay I can see…I can see that I'm covered in ribbons like the ones that I saw earlier."

"Fine, that's your power affecting your body. You are going to have to be careful but I believe in you. What you need to do is to isolate one of them. Only one mind you; try for one around your chest."

"Ok, I've got one."

"Then slowly unwrap it from yourself. Be careful not to break it, once it's fully removed it should disappear."

Gabrielle carefully followed the instructions and saw the ribbon just fade away once she was complete. Opening her eyes, she looked into the face of her Grandmamma.

"Done?" she was asked.

"Yes, Grandmamma."

"Do you feel different?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Look down," she was instructed.

Gabrielle looked down at her chest and gasped in surprise. She really had no breasts to mention before today, but now things were different. They were not large but there was defiantly something there now. In fact, she could swear that they were growing before her eyes. The nipples at the end were beginning to harden and strain slightly against the dress that she was wearing.

"Wow," she mouthed.

"You now see your Veela heritage coming through. Your body wants to change into an adult but you have not been letting it."

"I want to try more, can I?" she said in and excited voice.

"Hold up there, dear. What you did could be dangerous, also people will talk if you suddenly change overnight. I have some books for you to study so you can learn what you can and can't do. I think that it would be best if you only remove one ribbon a week. That way people and you will get use to the different you."

"Ok, then," agreed a very glum Gabrielle.

That was how it all had started for her. She had devoted the past years to learning everything that she could about the Veela magic and the power of love. The books that her Grandmamma had given her were complex and difficult but she forced herself to learn. She had to know about this new power that was inside of her. It was not long before she found that she had read all that was given to her, she then started to look elsewhere.

The home library contained many volumes on the subject. This did not surprise her considering her heritage and it was not long before she had devoured the whole library on the subject. She started to look further afield every time she accompanied her mother into the city she always got to stop at the library. It was by then she realised that she knew more about Veela magic then virtually anybody.

She had surprised herself one evening when talking to her sister about it; she was far more advanced than Fleur at everything to do with this power. The only problem was still the need for a companion, a mate and she knew who that must be.

She had removed all of the ribbons from herself over that past year and was more than pleased with the results. No longer was she looking like the "Little Girl" anymore; she could easily pass for someone older, nearer to the age of fourteen. Her father had been surprised at the change but just kept calling it a growth spurt, but her Mother kept looking at her at odd times. Gabrielle was certain that she knew or suspected what the true answer was.

What was the true answer? Gabrielle knew, Fleur knew, but no one else did. Trying as much as she could her appearance was the only thing going to plan. Her body was screaming for someone and that someone was Harry Potter. With the changes she had gone through, her sexual urges had diminished but still had not gone away. At least three or four nights in a week, she had to play with herself, to give her the release her Veela side needed.

No matter what she did, she could not get any closer to her dream. Her body was perfect; virtually everybody that met her said so. She knew that she didn't look so young that people were scared of looking at her inthatway. Her looks had that tantalising appeal of someone just on the edge. Someone just about ready in all ways possible. She knew or just hoped that Harry would see her in that way.

But everything else in the dream was failing. Her parents had not listened to her request to go on holiday to Britain. They had ignored her plea to be sent to Hogwarts. In fact she was enrolled to start at Beauxbatons in the coming months. Everything that she had tried to do to get closer to Harry had failed. Even her sister was beginning to fight against her and the pair of them had been inseparable for the past year.

Shaking her head clear from these memories, she rose from the bed and returned to her desk. Picking up the parchment, she tried again to study the words that were written.

Almost without warning, Gabrielle felt something through her link. The distraction began to make sense. Something indeed was happening but it was not her; she slowly lowered her quill fearing that she was going to react to whatever was coming. It started slowly at first like a dripping tap, a conscious connection was appearing. On, off, on, off slowly getting quicker, with each on she started to feel more, and more. Then, with a rush, it hit her, the force was like nothing she had yet experienced. A powerful force slammed into her, her body twisted in response to these new emotions.

As she fell from the chair, she began to feel the emotions running down the link, hate, anger, loss; they were immense, almost never ending. She could feel the pain, so much pain, what were they doing to him? She knew, just knew, where these emotions were coming from but not what was causing him this pain. Slowly, she tried to lessen the pain, to draw it away from him. She may be young but the books that her Grandmamma had given her told her that this was possible. If she could accomplish this small thing she could help him. As the pain rolled around inside of her, she could feel the presence of a single tear roll down her cheek. She would not cry, could not cry, for if her family saw the pain that he could put her through, they would most certainly stop her from seeing him.

Gabrielle began to feel the emotions lessen and the pain amongst them diminish. Hopefully she had helped. She just wished she could have been there. As she began to focus on her surroundings once more, she was surprised to see that she was on the floor, curled into a tiny ball. Slowly she started to uncurl, but instantly stopped when she felt the gentle hand stroking her hair.

"It's alright Gabrielle, I understand," came a very familiar voice.

Fleur was sitting in one of the reception rooms with her parents. For once, she was spending some time back at home. As much as she liked Bill and the rest of the Weasleys, she had to come back here once and a while. Her parents seemed happy but a little concerned with her decision to stay in England. With all of the bad press lately they feared for her safety. This evening had been enjoyable, a pleasant meal, good wine, but sitting now it this chair she could feel something was wrong.

Looking round at her parents, her father seemed to be oblivious to all and was happily reading with a glass of fine cognac in his hand. However, her Mother seemed a little too distracted from the parchment she was reading. Shaking her head, she returned to the book in front of her but the feeling would not go away.

A little while later, the feeling returned again this time with a little more force. Without warning, she could feel a presence, a strong presence one almost calling to her. Her head snapped up and she looked at her parents again. Her father was still reading but her Mother had stopped and looked a little uncomfortable.

"You ok Mamma?" Fleur asked in a quiet voice.

"Ummm … yes it's just I thought…no…no nothing dear."

"Do you feel something?"

"Why yes, how do you know?"

"I feel the same or probably more."

"What does this mean?" her Mother asked.

"I think that it means that there will be a lot of changes for the family and soon," replied Fleur rising to her feet.

"What do you mean?" asked her father in a strong voice having overheard the two ladies.

"Please, papa, just trust me," spoke Fleur.

"Why, what's up?"

"Not now, please stay here, both of you. I must go and talk to Gabrielle."

"Gabrielle, what's she got to do with this?" asked her father.

"I think everything, Papa," replied Fleur quickly as she left the room with as much speed as grace would allow.

She dashed up the stairs and flowed along the corridor until she came to her sister's room. Knocking gently on the door, she awaited some reply, but none came. Taking a chance, she slowly opened the door and peered inside. She was greeted by the sight of her sister curled up on the floor at the foot of her table.

Fleur dashed into the room and knelt down beside her, she could see a single large tear roll down her Sister's cheek; pain was etched into her face. Her Sister seemed to be muttering to herself so she lowered her head to listen.

"What have they done to you? What are they doing to you?" her Sister was muttering.

Fleur instantly understood. It was as she had feared those two years ago. For some reason, they were telling him; they were telling Harry about his power. The power of Love. Gabrielle's face seemed to soften as Fleur gently stroked it; seeing that there was some response, she leaned over and whispered.

"It's alright Gabrielle, I understand."

"The power, the pain," whispered Gabrielle.

"I know I can feel it too."

"I must go to him, he needs me."

"Not now, Gabrielle. You must rest."

Fleur felt her sister stiffen at this last command but she held on, awaiting the argument to come.

"You're trying to stop me, again!" spat Gabrielle as she tried to squirm away, but her sister still held her firm.

"No, Gabrielle, not this time, I can feel it too. There is a pull there for me, not much, but I can feel it. You must be strong for me, for us, and for Harry. If you run now, it will do nothing but harm."

Gabrielle looked straight at her sister's face trying to see the deception in it but could not find it.

"Gabrielle, this has to be done right. You know that better than me. Try to fight the pull if only for a few days, I'm certain that by then we'll know."

"Know what?"

Fleur smiled down at her younger Sister and, for the first time in many months, Gabrielle felt the stirring of hope within her.

"Whether a certain wizard remembers what I told him last year."

Harry looked back over his shoulder once more as he left the train station. His family, his "true" family, was still standing there watching him leave. He had felt hope, pride, and a sense of belonging as they had stood up to Uncle Vernon. Looking at the gathering, his vision began to blur over; he could still see their faces clearly but their outlines were becoming more and more fuzzier, however more colourful? Reaching up to rub his eyes, he found to his surprise that there were no tears present. Shaking his head slightly, his vision cleared instantly. Just before he turned away from his friends he smiled warmly suspecting that this was going to be probably the last smile he would pull until he returned to this station in September.

Exiting the station, Harry's body language started to change. No longer did he stand tall and proud. His confidence seemed to vanish as he walked. Standing tall was sure to bring the full wrath of Uncle Vernon and, after the display that Moody had just given Vernon; he did not want to push his luck. Reaching the car, Harry loaded his trunk into the boot with Vernon silently watching him. The sideways glances he managed to steal showed the rage building in his uncle.

"Get in, Boy!" Vernon bellowed as soon as the trunk was packed.

Harry quickly struggled to get into the backseat as Dudley was determined to take up as much room as was possible. Almost before the door was closed, the car pulled away from the curb and entered the London traffic. Nothing was said openly in the car but, sitting behind Vernon, Harry could just about hear him muttering about something, and if Harry knew anything, he knew that this was bad.

"Threaten me. They think that they can threaten me!" continued the muttering.

Looking out of the window, Harry tried to ignore the atmosphere in the car and tried to think about his situation and what had happened in the last weeks at school.

"Threaten me, boy. They think that they can threaten me!" This time it was not muttering.

"Um…," was all the response Harry could come up with that would not worsen the situation.

"Answer me, Boy!"

"They are just concerned for my safety."

"Are they? Well, if they are that concerned, why didn't they take you?"

"I have to return to your home," was the lame reply.

"Exactly, and things will change, mark my words. I know everything," said Vernon looking sharply at Aunt Petunia.

Harry did not know what Vernon had meant but something inside felt cold and a dread washed over him. But before Harry had time to reflect on this, Dudley started his normal game of bash Harry and he had to divert all of his energy into fending off the covert blows.

Draco walked through the barrier with his mother next to him. The station was, as normal, crowded and the group standing in the middle at the front was not helping. Seeing the mass of red hair, it was obvious to him who they were and what they were doing.

"Come, mother, let us avoid those rabble," commanded Draco pointing towards the group.

With his father recently captured, he was now the "Lord" of Malfoy Manor and so subconsciously started to act the part. Striding clear of the people, he stopped and turned to face his mother.

"Have you arranged for my trunks to be picked up?"

"Of course, Draco."

"Well then, have you brought the family key?"

"Well, yes."

"Then give it to me."

"But you are still underage."

"Don't argue with me, mother. With father away, I'm in charge so give me the key," instructed Draco sternly.

"Draco, your father...,"

"Don't talk to me about him. Leave it to me. It's my duty now, I will get him out," stated Draco firmly holding out his hand.

With a trembling hand, Narcissa pulled out the solid key ring with two small keys on it. Ever so slowly, she lowered it into her son's hand not knowing what she was doing except what was expected of a Malfoy. The men ruled!

Draco gave a tight smile as his hand closed over the cold metal, he held out his other hand which his mother lightly grasped. In an instant, the family portkey transported them to the gates of Malfoy Manor.

The large house stood atop a slight rise. The well-kept lawns stretched left and right of the wide sweeping driveway. Behind the Manor, the woods stretched into the distance. Draco looked closely at the woods and could just make out the hoops of the private quidditch pitch. It would be nice to get on his broom and fly round the pitch. This summer he vowed that nothing was going to stop him from inviting some of his friends around to play in a couple of games.

He walked slowly up the drive way with his mother silently behind. The long walk gradually brought the reality to him. The joy of all this was his but also the responsibility. He placed the key into the lock of the door and turned it, but felt nothing, no magical surge, no new knowledge. He turned and looked at his mother with a questioning look.

"Our House cannot change to you until you father has been convicted or has…passed on."

"Don't worry, mother, I'll get him back," answered Draco not knowing if it was true or not, or even if he cared.

He pushed open the front doors and entered. The house elves lined the entrance hall awaiting instructions. He nodded once to the servants as he walked towards the drawing room.

"Butt, bring me my fathers papers."

"Yessss, sir," stammered the first elf in the line as he bowed low and dashed off.

Narcissa stared at the closing doors as her son entered the drawing room leaving them all behind. She felt a gentle tug on her hand.

"Lady Malfoy … Miss, a letter, Miss," squeaked a voice.

She unconsciously bent and grasped the folded note. Noticing the hand writing, she dreaded opening it but still went ahead. The note was short and curt. Her sister was coming this evening to discuss some matters with Draco. She requested that a room was to be made up in preparation for the Black tradition. Narcissa knew what was going to happen but did not know what she could do about it. She could definitely not stand up to her sister over this.

It might be unusual that Draco, a Malfoy, was going to be following a Black tradition but there was nothing else available now. She knew that the Malfoy's had something similar to the Black tradition and that Lucius was going to do something this summer but all of that would stop because of his imprisonment. It was just something the old families did. The actual 'deed' might be different but the purpose was all the same. The young Master must learn to become a man. So her sister had decided, or possibly it was her Lord that was directing this. A wave of cold washed over her at this new thought but what could she do, she was only a woman.

"Webby, we have guests this evening. Please make up the best guest room. All of the trimmings please. Also, could you ask Butt to check the security as I suspect at least one of them to be a muggle who doesn't want to be here."

"Yes, Miss," replied the elf that had given her the letter.

Ginny looked at the retreating form of Harry as he walked off out of the station. She was standing beside her mother and Hermione but she felt wrong. Inside of her, she knew that she should be walking out there with him. Every step that he took seemed to make her heart break more and more. The past year for her was one of joy and sadness. The joy of being close to Harry was everything that she had dreamed but the sadness of not being able to act upon what she was feeling tore at her every day. It was that sadness that had made her blurt out that she was seeing Dean.

It was true that he had asked her out but what was not true was her acceptance. For a fleeting moment, she had wanted to say yes. Being close to Dean might have meant being closer to Harry but her heart had stopped her. Her eyes clouded over as she continued to look at Harry. Whatever the next few weeks were going to bring, she was determined that she was going to help him somehow.

Slipping her hand gently into Hermione's, she looked up to her friend.

"Hay?" she called quietly

Hermione turned her face to look at her friend.

"It's not right!" the older girl commented, her own emotions seemingly in turmoil as she too watched Harry walk away.

"I know, but what can we do?" asked Ginny

"I don't know," answered Hermione scaring even herself.

Frustration or something else made Ginny speak her thoughts at that moment. "I should be with him."

The tone of Ginny's voice had cut through Hermione's thoughts like a knife. It forced her to stop thinking about Harry and consider her friend. She studied her Ginny for a moment because she was definitely missing something here. Having spent a long time with Ginny over the past two years, she knew her moods but this was the first time that she had heard that tone. It sounded almost like a plea.

"He'll be fine," cautioned Hermione.

"But don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Like your heart is walking out of the station."

Ginny's words were like some bad lines out of a trashy romance novel but this was real life. It was clear that she had feelings for Harry and they weren't the girly little crush she had had a few years ago. This was the real thing.

"Girl, you've got it bad," replied Hermione trying to lighten the glum mood

"I know," sorrowfully replied Ginny as Harry finally passed out of sight.

"Ok then, time to go now," instructed Mrs Weasley to the whole group.

Hermione gave Ginny's hand a brief squeeze before turning to leave.

"I'll visit soon, if that's alright?" Hermione told Ginny after receiving a confirmation nod from Mrs Weasley. The two girls exchanged a brief hug before she turned to Ron. As she looked at Ron most of Ginny's problems faded to be replaced by her own. Deep inside something stirred that she had tried to hide for everyone. This was the start of the future.

"Ron?" she tentatively said hoping with everything she had that her books were right. This one moment should change the rest of her life.

"Hermione?" replied an almost confused Ron.

"See you," said Hermione and waited.

"Yeah … see you."

Three words yet it seemed like dirge to her ears. Dreams she had had shattered like glass. She had dreamed for more, much more, from this moment but it was obvious that this was all that she was going to get.

She was sure that Ron liked her. All the signs were right, her books had told her. Yet he stood there just like a…friend. Turning back towards her parents, she started off. The remnants of the shattered dreams disappeared deep inside and she started to feel that her future had changed. The magic ride that she had been on for five years was about to come to an end.

"Look after yourself," called Ron.

Like throwing a line to a drowning man those words were a life line to the future she wanted. They were simple words but spoken with feeling. She wanted the magical life and this was it. Her heart grabbed at them with all of its desire. She whirled round and flung her arms around Ron. She hugged him hard against herself feeling joy start to fill her. He was giving her what she wanted. Tears started to form in her eyes but she didn't care. She laid her lips close to his ear and whispered.

"You too."

Ron stood there with Hermione's arms around him not knowing what he should be doing. Here he was, with a girl with her arms around him and his whole family watching. For once, instinct took over Ron before he could make a fool of himself and so wrapped his arms around Hermione and hugged her as hard as she was hugging him.

With tears filling her eyes, Hermione pulled back and gave Ron a brief peck on the cheek.

"I've got to go."

A stunned Ron could only stand there and nod as Hermione rushed off to her parents and was soon lost from view. Girls were still such a mystery to him and Hermione as much so but it had felt very nice to hold her.

"So is it time to go now?" questioned Mrs Weasley looking at the rest of the family daring any to disagree. As one, they all followed her quietly out of the station and into the waiting transport to take them back home.

Ginny dragged her trunk down the path that led to the house. The twins had just left them after ribbing Ron the whole way from the station. They had even given her some stick over Dean. She had to smile at some of the comments but could not stop the shudder that came over her as she thought about her own life. How would the twins react if it was her and Harry?

Molly unlocked the front door with her key and ushered them all inside.

"Okay, take your things upstairs and unpack. I want all of your dirty clothes down here as soon as possible so that I can start," ordered Mrs Weasley.

Ginny just kept walking with her trunk up to the first floor and her room. Entering the room, she felt almost happy. This was her place, her retreat from when it got difficult. Throwing open her trunk, she started tossing her dirty clothes into a pile while putting the rest away. As she was doing this, the image of Harry was all that sprang to her mind. For some weird reason, she felt that she should not be here. It was almost like something was pulling her away.

She stood at the window looking out across the grounds so she could think straight. All that her mind was telling her was that she should be there with him. It was what she wanted, what she needed.

"Are those dirty, dear?" called her mother from the doorway.

Ginny turned to face her mother full on and looked down at her hands. She hadn't realised what she was still holding until now. She was holding some of her underwear and this underwear was definitely something that she did not want her mother to see.

She had bought it this year when she was in Hogsmeade. She had gone shopping on her own after saving as much as she could. She was going to get something sexy for herself to wear, not only for herself, but hopefully for some certain green eyed boy. She had managed to afford a very nice red satin set of push up bra and thong, but by the time she had returned back to her room, her confidence had failed and so it had lain unused in her trunk. Several times in the past months, she had gotten it out but every time her confidence had failed. Before she left the room she had always changed back into her more conservative underwear.

"Um…no mum these are fine," she quickly replied.

"Are they new? I don't remember them."

"Yes they are," answered Ginny fearing the consequences as she tried to hide the skimpiness of the knickers in he hands.

"Okay then, just hurry up I want to get started as soon as possible."

Ginny breathed a sign of relief as she went about the rest of the unpacking. It was not long before she was carrying down the small bundle of clothes to the kitchen. Ron had obviously beaten her down as his huge pile of clothes was already adorning the floor. Looking up out the window, she saw that Ron was already outside having fun in the garden.

"You okay, Ginny dear?" asked her mother coming quietly up behind her.

"Not really," came the truthful reply.

"What's up?"

"I see Ron out there happy, glad to be at home and all I can think about is him and what he's going through."

"Who do you mean?" gently asked Molly but already knowing the answer.

"Harry."

"And there I was thinking that you were worrying over your new boyfriend Dean," teased Mrs Weasley.

"I only said that to shut Ron up."

"I thought you were much too subdued when the twins started on you."

"He's at that place and he needs help. How could Dumbledore send him back, he should be here where he's loved, with me?" stormed Ginny

Molly raised an eyebrow at the comments her youngest was making. She probably did not know what she was saying at the moment. It was evident that she was definitely speaking from the heart and not hiding her true feelings from her mother. That did not stop Molly worrying about what was being said, but she had had too many years of parenting to know when to speak and when to wait.

"He must be feeling the pain of the loss of Sirius. I know he is. It's almost like I can feel it. But no, Dumbledore had to send him back. Isn't there anyway that we can get him here sooner or I could visit him? I'm certain that if he see's someone that cares for him, he would be better."

"Ginny, you know that I have already had this discussion, but Dumbledore was insistent. He said it was for the safety for all."

"How can that be?"

"I don't know but all I can do is to try and get Harry away as soon as possible."

Ginny looked at her mother with big round open eyes full of hope. She slowly got up and gave her mother the hug she was dying to give Harry.

Luna stood on the station platform looking at the retreating body of red headed people as they exited the platform. The year had definitely been and interesting one, more so than most for her. At last she had friends, or what she thought of as real friends. Her housemates were not friends they used her. She didn't mind it kept it from being lonely at Hogwarts. They used her mind mostly but more recently they started to use otherthings. They were never forceful or anything nasty. They just didn't stay around her if she didn't.

She felt a little sad that the mass of redheads had just left without saying goodbye but it really didn't matter. She would be home soon and she could enjoy the summer, it wasn't that long and then she would be back at school.

Grasping her trunk handle, she started to walk the length of the station. As normal, her father was not here to meet her, but she was used to this. As she walked, she noticed that most people still gave her a wide berth and kept out of the way. Humming to herself, she exited the platform and out onto the main station intent on enjoying herself.

It was not long before Luna found herself on the Underground. For some reason, most wizards hated to use the system finding it too complicated. She found it very simple to use and, in a small way, she enjoyed it. For most of the journey, she was ignored by all. Not rudely like at Hogwarts but normally by normal muggles. After some time, she emerged onto the streets of London. She had done this trip too many times to look at the scenery. For the past four years, her father had only made it twice to meet her. The first time was Christmas of the first year, and last time was the end of her second year. She remembered what she had felt like standing there on the platform hoping that her dad was going to turn up but eventually she had to start the long trek home alone.

She pushed open the door into the Leaky Cauldron and stepped through. Every time that she came here, she had the feeling that people were watching her, especially if she was alone. Today was no different. The pub was as normal crowded and she had to wait in line to use the public floo. As she stood there, she could almost feel the eyes looking at her, sizing her up. If she listened hard, she could hear the mutterings of people, the suggestions of what they wanted to do to her, with her. For all the supposed prestige of being one of the gateways to Diagon Alley the Leakey cauldron had far too many unsavoury people sitting in the shadows. Trying not to show anything, she continued to shuffle forward. Eventually her turn came, but by now, she could make out shadowy people moving towards the queue. Quickly grasping her trunk, she pulled herself into the floo and called out "The Snokles."

Luna stumbled out of the fireplace into a spacious living room. The thought of the people in the pub still haunted her. She grabbed the nearest heavy object and stood over the fireplace intending to hit anything that came through. Time passed slowly but eventually she decided that no one was following her so she lowered the candle stick to the ground and picked her trunk up again. Walking slowly through the house, she entered her room to see that, as normal, nothing had been touched since she had left. In fact, it looked like it hadn't even been cleaned.

It was not long then before Luna was on her hands and knees cleaning. This was no different than the past years as well. The first job that she did was always clean her room, the second was to cook the evening meal, so on and so forth. She didn't mind; in fact, she had to say that she enjoyed it. It was refreshing to do something without magic.

As the evening began to draw in, Luna looked round and saw that, at last, she had finished. She was exhausted and dirty but happy. Climbing the stairs, she entered the bathroom. Quickly stripping down to nothing, she climbed into the shower. This was one of the payoffs to all the cleaning she had done. At Hogwarts, she could never have a lengthy shower. The other girls used to complain and tease her mercilessly, but here, at home, she could take as long as she liked.

Standing in the shower like this, she started to rub her breasts. The clothes that she wore at school were very concealing and tight. Here at home, she did not have to worry about being looked at because of her big breasts. She was secretly proud of them and enjoyed playing with them. As she gently rubbed both of them, she could see, as well as feel, the nipples begin to harden. They were starting to point straight out like two buttons. Grasping each nipple in her fingers, she slowly rolled them left and right and felt the tingling beginning between her legs start.

Grabbing some body wash, she lathered her hands and continued her fondling. It was not long before the tingling became a more intense itch. Rinsing her hands, she let them travel down her body. Her stomach was not as flat or muscular as some of the other girls but she didn't care. Eventually, she reached the patch of downy blond hair. This hair was softer than most. In fact, it was almost like silk. It covered a fair proportion of her groin. She liked to keep it trimmed so the hairs were not long but she thought about the talks the other girls were having that she had overheard. The other girls were talking about shaving it all off and the boys were going nuts over it.

Shaking her head at the suggestion, she let her middle finger dip into the warm moist folds. As she entered the tight hole, her breath started to come in shorter gasps. Knowing what she was seeking, she raised her finger slightly to find her nub. As soon as her finger brushed the top, her knees started to give out. Leaning against the stall, she continued to slowly brush the top. The warm feelings were flowing all throughout her but it had not yet reached its peak.

As she continued and the final release was nearing, her mind retraced the past year and the new people that she had met. Obviously, she started to think about the DA and especially Harry. At the mere thought of Harry, she started to feel the beginning of the final release. He had been so nice at the end of term. It was as though he was her friend and she did not have many of those. At this final thought of Harry, her finger was drenched in a new flood of moisture and not from the shower. The pleasurable feeling that washed over her as she came was one of, if not, the best she had ever had.

Luna slowly withdrew her hand from herself and found a sticky wetness still coating her hand and lower lips. Quickly washing herself, she left the shower and wrapped her hair in one of the clean towels. She looked at her body once again in the steamed mirror. Smiling to herself, she opened the door and walked the distance to her room. This was one of the many things that she missed at school. The ability, if she wanted to, to walk around naked or half naked. Her father complained if she did but he never really stopped her.

As Luna dried her hair, she started to go through her clothes and select a modest pair of knickers and a short skirt. Tonight, she was definitely not going to wear anything else and be dammed if her father did not like it. Tonight, her breasts were going to swing feely and not be restricted.

Susan looked up at the house. Little had changed since the last time that she was here. She had always liked the time that she spent here every summer with her Aunt. For some reason, her Aunt had always treated her like a sister rather than a niece. This year was a little different than normal as she had come here almost directly from the train. Normally she would spend a few weeks at home with her parents before coming here. It seemed that Aunt Amelia had asked that she come sooner rather than later. So she had met her parents at the station and they had spent some time together before they had parted ways again.

Shouldering her bag slightly higher, she walked up to the front door. Looking around, she could just make out the outline of a person watching her from garden, but the outline was definitely not of her Aunt. Before she had even raised her hand to knock on the door, it was opened and the smiling face of her Aunt looked out at her.

"Susan, you're here at last!" greeted Amelia as she pulled her niece inside and gave her a hug.

"Hello, Aunt, it's nice to be here."

"We should have so much fun this week. With so much changing, I'm looking forward just to hear about you and school," smiled Amelia.

"Aunt, I saw someone just now outside."

"That's alright, it was probably just Paul."

"Paul, you have a new man?" said Susan with shock in her voice.

"No, no, no. With the recent changes at the Ministry, it was decided that certain members needed more security. So I've got Paul and John, they are two members of my department, to look after me."

"Are they not Aurors?"

"No my dear, there are not that many Aurors. These are two wizards highly trained for just protection duties. My department is supplying the majority of personnel. Only the Minister himself has got Auror protection and I fought against that. Don't worry; the people from my department have been specially trained."

"So you're in danger, Aunt?"

"Well, not much more than the rest, I really didn't want them, but the other department heads would have felt uncomfortable if I did not take them. So we have two house guests. But don't worry, they spend most of their time outside."

"Okay, Aunt," agreed Susan, realising that the world was indeed changing.

"Why don't you go up and unpack while I start throwing something together for us to eat?"

Susan walked up the stairs to the first floor and entered into her room. It was not long before she had unpacked the little that she had brought. Once she was finished, she crossed to the windows and looked out at the view. As she looked at the small wood that backed up at the property, she thought back to the number of years that she had played in the woods. Many a day was spent exploring the woods, climbing trees, and not having any cares in the world, but now that was all changing.

"You okay, Susan?" called her Aunt breaking Susan's train of thought.

Turning around, she smiled at the concern that her Aunt was showing.

"Yes, Aunt Amelia, I was just remembering the past."

Amelia looked out of the window straight into the woods and realised what her niece was thinking.

"Oh yes, the number of years I traipsed through those woods to try and find you."

"I was always trying to hide from you," laughed Susan.

"I know. You seemed to enjoy the game so much."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, now stop looking back at the past for the moment and come down for something to eat."

The Dursley's car pulled into their driveway and parked almost exactly in the centre. Before the handbrake was even applied, one of the back doors was flung open and Dudley scrambled out and rushed to the front door. He was soon followed by his mother. Harry had not even moved, but waited for the coming lecture.

"Right, boy, get your stuff inside, quick. Then meet me in the kitchen!" commanded Uncle Vernon.

Harry just stared at his uncle for a few seconds. He was sure that he was going to get a lecture but it seemed that his uncle wanted some more time. Slowly exiting the car, he gathered his things and started up the path into the house. When he entered, he saw that both his Aunt and Dudley was nowhere to be seen.

"Leave them there, Boy," bellowed Vernon from the kitchen.

Harry dropped his trunk and placed Hedwig's cage on top of it. Looking sadly at the bird, he whispered, "It's alright. He probably wants to rant about the station. When we get upstairs, I'll let you out, okay?"

Hedwig looked at Harry and bobbed her head once. Harry turned and entered the kitchen. His Uncle was sitting at the spotlessly clean table. Beside him was a glass of something which was already half empty.

"Sit down, boy. I've got some new rules for you to follow."

Harry gently sat down opposite with a growing unease filling his stomach. The unease washed all over him then almost instantly it was gone like it was being siphoned off.

"So, boy, I now know everything. I've had a talk with your Aunt and she has explained everything, everything!" emphasisedUncle Vernon.

Harry swallowed once his throat suddenly dry.

"Your Aunt has told me that you are supposed to be some saviour to the Wizarding world. That some mad man is after you and that by staying here and calling this place your home, it will give you some protection. Well, you know that I don't care about your world and after that display by them at the station, I'm not very inclined to help."

Looking straight at his Uncle, he could not believe what he was hearing.

"But Petunia has asked me to keep her promise. For the moment, I will, but only for a moment. So there will be some changes. If you don't like it, you can go. I'm in charge in the house, I own it. So if you don't comply, I'll just chuck you out and wait to see how long this maniac takes to find you. So one; you are only to be seen round the house if you are doing chores. Two; when not working you will stay in your room. Three; you will keep in contact with 'those people' but if you say anything bad, you will be out. Four; your new room will be the garden shed. Dudley wants his old room back and I agree with him. So, do you agree to these terms?"

Harry could not believe in what he had just heard. The Shed, his new room was going to be the Shed! But if he did not agree to this, he would be thrown out. The look on his Uncle's face showed that he would do it. In fact, he was just waiting for the moment. Harry then knew he was defeated. The last battle at the ministry had shown him the truth of the matter. Death was close to him, very close, and he would not last a minute without this protection.

Slowly, ever so reluctantly, he nodded his head once. The smile that pasted itself on Uncle Vernon's face was of pure triumph. Getting to his feet, Harry returned to his trunk and Owl and proceeded to drag them to his new room for the holiday.

Pushing open the shed door, Harry looked inside. He was little surprised at what he saw. His Uncle, or more rightly his Aunt, had arranged some comforts. Hanging from the ceiling was a single dusty bulb; there was no light switch in the room so he suspected that it was going to be controlled in the main house. Most of the garden furniture and tools were now missing. In the centre of the room were Dudley's old sleeping bag rolled up and a single old pillow. Depositing his trunk by the door, he bent over and opened Hedwig's cage. The majestic bird gave Harry and the room a distasteful glance before she flapped her wings and alighted upon one of the long handled tools that had been left behind in a corner.

"I know girl, but this is the best we can hope for. At least I don't have to keep you locked up all the time."

Hedwig hooted a reply somehow communicating that she did not mind.

Unrolling the sleeping bag, Harry laid down full length on top of it and looked up into the ceiling. This summer was going to be one of the worst he could remember.

The sun had long since set over Malfoy Manor. The grounds were dimly lit which pleased the new arrivals, not that two of them noticed anything. Like robots, two women marched up the driveway. From a distance, people would assume nothing was out of the ordinary but the closer you got, the peculiarities started to stand out. The woman at the back was wearing a black flowing coat; some may even call it a robe. Her black hair was being lifted by the slight breeze, but she was holding a stick. Not a big stick, just a small one.

The other two were even more peculiar. They were walking stiffly in front of the lady. It seemed as though they were asleep as there heads were lolled to one side. They were of differing ages. The older of the two looked to be full of life, dressed in jeans tight blouse, heeled shoes and a little make up. Most single men, if they found her sitting on her own in a bar or pub, would try and start up a conversation at the very least.

The other was younger, they did not look related, but she was definitely younger. She was wearing a light summer dress that kept catching the wind. Her body looked as though it had started to develop. It was curving nicely; her breasts were outlined as the dress was plastered against them allowing those who could be watching a fleeting glimpse of what laid beneath.

Draco flipped the page he was reading and saw that it was the last one in this journal. He had spent the rest of the day since his arrival, a few hours earlier, reading his father's journals, notes, and estate accounts. What he was reading made grimmer and grimmer reading. He had suspected that his father was always treading the line between good and evil but from this information, he saw just how far across that line he was.

Slowly rising to his feet, he looked around the study. He was surprised to see that a tray had been left for him. He did not know when that had happened because he had been too engrossed in the books. His mind was still processing the information that he had read. Why was his father playing both sides? What was he trying to do? How much did mother know? What would happen if the ministry found out? What would happen if the ministry found that "secret room" that kept coming up? What would Lord Voldemort do if HE found out? All of these were making Draco feel sick. He was now the Lord of this Estate but if he was not careful, he would end up in the cell next to his father or worse.

Looking out across the grounds, the darkness was complete. This drove home that fact that time had really passed as he was reading. He grasped the handle of the hand bell so that he could summon Butt, but before he could ring it, he heard the gentle whisper of the door opening.

"You anticipate well, Butt. Make sure my room is ready. I will be retiring now," commanded Draco without turning round.

"Already taking to the role I see," came the strong female voice that Draco knew.

Spinning round, he looked at the figure now standing in the centre of the study.

"Hello, Aunty," he responded in a forced voice.

"Draco, it is so nice to see you again."

Draco was more than a little concerned that his Aunt was here. Had the Dark Lord already found out and had sent her?

"Why are you here?"" he questioned

"Direct and to the point. Very well then, I'm here for two reasons. One my own and the other by the command of our Lord."

Draco felt his mouth go dry. He tried to remember where he had left his wand. Whatever was going to happen, he was sure that he was going to need it. Glancing over at the desk, he saw it lying by the edge. He tried to judge the distance but instantly he saw it was too far. If he lunged for it, his Aunt would know.

Keeping up the appearance of the Lord of the Manor, he indicated to one of the chair hoping that as his Aunt crossed the room, he could move towards the desk and retrieve his wand.

"It's okay, Draco. We won't be staying here long."

Draco opened his mouth to reply but had to swallow first as nothing came out.

"Won't we?"

"No, as I said I'm here for two reasons. I begged our master to allow me to come and he was gracious enough to allow me. He instructed me to bring you a message; you are to be ready one week from today. At that time, you will present yourself to him; he has a job for you."

Draco could feel the relief coursing through him at this news. Bellatrix was not here to kill him; just to deliver a message. He had one week, a single week to prepare.

"Okay dear Aunt, I will be ready."

"Good but you will need training."

"Training?" questioned Draco not understanding.

"I'm not a fool Draco. There are many things our families need to keep secret. You have undoubtedly learnt some already. So you have a week to learn how to keep our secrets, for if you do not, there is no hope for you, or the rest of us. I don't care for the Malfoy's but I do care for the Black name."

"I can keep a secret."

"You may be able to, but your mind cannot. Our master can read minds, you need to learn and learn quickly to secure your mind."

"If you say so."

"I do and don't think it will be easy. Now the other thing I'm here for is the Black family tradition now that your father is not here."

"I'm not a Black. I am a Malfoy so I don't want any of your traditions," stated Draco in his most regal of voices.

Bellatrix laughed an evil laugh. "Black, Malfoy, it makes no real difference. All the truly great houses have a similar tradition and you must follow that tradition."

"What tradition?"

Bellatrix was a little surprised that Draco didn't know. She had suspected that Lucius would have done this a long time ago but apparently not.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen," replied Draco automatically.

"Exactly," smiled his Aunt.

"I still don't understand?"

"When the young master of the house turns sixteen, it's the responsibility of the Lord of the Manor to teach him."

"Teach him what, to keep secrets."

"No."

"Then what?"

"You have a girlfriend, don't you?"

"Yes," cautiously answered Draco.

"You've had sex then?"

"Um…oh…."

"Well, have you!" spat Bellatrix

"No!"

"Good, that's why I'm here. Your father should be here to teach you but he's indisposed at the moment. I'm here to teach you about sex, and about being pure blood."

"I don't need you to train me," stormed Draco

"Shut up and listen boy. It's the tradition that you will be trained. Before house elves, the Lord would use one or more of the house staff to train the young master in the proper way to have sex, to allow the master to discover what he truly likes. Within this training, he would be shown the spell that he would need to use to make sure that the blood line always stayed pure."

Draco's mind whirled at what was being said but all that he could do at the moment was just nod. There had always been a few whispered comments in the common room but were they really true. Was he soon to be having sex?

"With house elves around, most people don't use their staff now, unless that is what you like?"

Draco was thinking of beautiful women parading around for him to enjoy when his Aunts words entered his mind. At once those picture perfect women were instantly replaced by House Elves. Bile started to rise and he had to bite back to stop himself from emptying him stomach.

"Ah, I take it that's not your fancy. Good then, so as I was saying, we don't use house staff now. So I have brought a couple of people from the village. While not exactly willing, they will do and after tonight they will have no memory of what happens. So follow me, Draco."

Was this true? Was he going to have sex tonight? The books, the accounts, all of his previous worry just vanished. For the past year, this was all that he had been thinking about. Pansy seemed so stuck up. She had only let him touch her breasts once and that was through her blouse and here was his Aunt telling him that she was going to teach him sex.

Without thought, his hormone filled body reacted instantly and followed Bellatrix out the room and up the stairs.

Draco entered into the room after his Aunt. He had followed her up to the first floor suite of rooms to one of the best guest rooms. As he entered, he saw that it had recently been cleaned and polished. In the centre of the room stood a very large four poster bed to one side was a set of screens and on the other was a door that he knew lead to a private bathroom.

"Okay, Draco, I'm going to be here for the whole time. Partly to help you and partly to protect you. You are going to have to get over any embarrassment quickly. You are a man now and have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. You're a Malfoy, just remember that. So go behind the screen and get undressed. When you're ready, call out."

Suddenly it hit him; his Aunt was going to see him naked, but not just naked but also having sex. It was as though he had suddenly taken root; his body definitely did not want to move. Forcing himself, he managed to walk stiffly behind the screen. He stood there for a moment contemplating what was going to happen and then he remembered what he had been just told. He was a Malfoy. With that ringing through his head, he started to undress.

Quickly he shed his garments, standing in only his boxer shorts. Looking down, he gulped once and slowly lowered them to the floor. He was now standing there naked as the day he was born with only a screen between him and his Aunt.

"Well then, turn round," came the voice of his Aunt.

Spinning quickly, Draco saw that his Aunt had, at some point, stepped round the screen. A bright flush crept up his face and he instinctively dropped his hands to cover himself.

"You'll need this," called his Aunt as she tossed him his wand.

Instinct again took over and, as it sailed towards him, he reached out and grabbed it leaving himself completely exposed.

"Very nice, Draco," commented Bellatrix knowing that the boy needed reassurance especially as what she saw was smaller than average.

"Thanks, Aunty," replied Draco with a proud note in his voice.

"Okay, wait behind here until you're called."

Bellatrix walked back around the screen. She was just happy that her nephew had a lot of money because, looking at his body, he was not going to set the world on fire with it. She left the room and entered a second room across the hall. Within it were two unconscious women. Well one women and one teenager. If Draco was anything like his father, he would definitely prefer the younger one.

With a quick wave of her wand, she levitated the older woman and guided her back to the guest room. Once she had levitated the woman onto the bed, she called Draco round.

"Okay Draco, if you will permit me, this person will be your first teacher. If all goes well, I have another one as well for later. First off," with a wave, the jeans and top that woman was wearing vanished and she was just left in a pair of modest knickers and bra. Yet another wave and the woman was sitting up on the bed. "Okay, for the first part, you need to get to know about a woman's body. You will have to learn from experience, but this evening should give you the basics. Just remember you're a Malfoy a man of a Great House and so what you say goes. If your woman doesn't like it, tough luck, you're in charge, but for tonight, I'm playing the role of your father."

Draco nodded once but could not tear his eyes away from the woman sitting on the middle of the bed. She was not the best looking of the women that he had met but she was still pleasant to look at. It was his first time at really seeing a pair of breasts and he could begin to feel stirrings in his lower region.

"So, Draco, I can see that you are beginning to like the look of her. What I want you to do is to remove the rest of her clothes."

He started forwards towards the bed intent on climbing up on it.

"Stop! What are you doing? You're a wizard so use your wand."

With an embarrassed look, Draco waved his wand. The bra and knickers instantly disappeared. Free of their restraints, the breasts only slightly drooped. The nipples on the end were, at the moment, slightly raised. Her mound was covered in a neat amount of black hair and was the centre piece of his attention.

"Good, Draco. Now, before I wake her, how about you feel around so you can see what you like."

Draco needed no second opportunity. Most children didn't know where to start when given the run of a sweet shop and Draco was no different. Settling for the most obvious feature, he grasped each breast and began to feel the weight and tenderness. As his hands felt and roamed over the breasts, he felt himself getting harder and harder.

"Most women like their breasts being played with. Some like it soft and genteel; others like it hard and firm. They will also enjoy if you lick and suck the nipples," commented Bellatrix.

Draco reluctantly let go of the breasts and roamed his hands down to the patch of hair. He placed his hand over the mound and easily found the slit within. Instinct and some prior reading took over and he dipped a finger in. He found it surprisingly tight and not as moist and warm as he was led to believe.

"If you trace your finger up towards her stomach, you should find her clit."

He tried and failed to find anything.

"Dip your fingers in about half way through and the draw them up," instructed Bellatrix.

This time, he found a harder piece of skin and smiled once he found it.

"The last thing you should know how to find is her G-spot. This can be difficult. To do this, stick your finger right in. Once in, curl it up so that it is rubbing against the soft wall inside."

"Okay," called Draco once he had complied.

"Keep curling your finger and eventually you will be above the entrance hole. Around there, you should find a slightly rougher spot of skin. That's the G-Spot."

"Found it."

"Good. Now you know the major points for sexual stimulation, don't forget about the other parts of the body, lips, earlobes, neck, etc. By stimulating all of these points in the right way will make any woman, yours. If you will step back, I will wake her."

"Okay, Aunty."

Bellatrix stretched out the woman before her with her wand and leaned over her. With a small wave, she released part of the woman.

"I know that you can hear me so listen," whispered Bellatrix. "My nephew here needs to learn about sex and you're going to help him. You will do anything he or I ask, no matter how you feel. You will enjoy it and tell him so. If you do all of this, I will let you go. If not, well you know the pain that I can inflict on you when I got you. That will be nothing compared do what will happen to you. Understand?"

The woman had fear in her eyes but clearly understood what was being said and so nodded.

With another wave of her wand, the woman was fully released.

Bellatrix turned to look at her nephew and saw that he was fully aroused, so fully that it must be painful for him.

"Okay Terry, this is my nephew Draco and, as you can see, he has a problem at the moment and I think a good sucking would really help him."

The women just crawled over the bed until her face was opposite Draco's throbbing cock. Without even looking up, she moistened her mouth and swallowed as much as she could. She had never really done this before but she knew that her life really did depend upon it. Using her tongue, she licked up the underside whilst gently grasping the young boy's balls.

Draco's mind was filled with all sorts of pleasurable feelings. The first was of a warm moist home for his penis. Second was how the tongue was tracing up and down the backside of his penis. And the final was the gentle warm pressure on his balls. All of this was far too much for his inexperienced body as his hips jerked and he felt his cum fill the sucking mouth.

Terry had only sucked one penis before but knew what was coming. The taste that hit her mouth was no different from what she remembered but the look that the older woman in the room was giving her convinced her that she had to swallow this foul liquid. Hoping that this was all that she was required to do, she was dismayed at the next command.

"Draco, you won't be ready to go again for a few moments. How about you play with her so you can see the difference?"

Draco did not even bother to respond; he just pushed the woman back onto the bed and climbed onto it after her. He was relishing the new found pleasures that he was being shown. Grabbing each breast again, he marvelled at the texture and how they felt. As he slowly stroked the breasts, he could start to feel the beginnings of his desire again.

As his hand continued to stroke over the breasts and nipples, he started to see the reaction his partner was having. The breasts seemed to tighten slightly and the nipples became harder and pointier. Without being told, he lowered his mouth over one and started to suck. The moans from the woman made him suck harder and harder. Tentatively, he clamped down with his teeth and the yelp and scream that the woman gave told him that he had indeed found the way to control women.

He let go of one of the breasts and lowered his hand down to the crotch. Roughly he inserted his finger and found that, this time, it was warm and slightly moist. Rubbing his finger over the hard nub, he saw the woman squirm and writhe under him. He continued to suck, bite, and grope until he could feel his cock hardening.

Suddenly stopping, he pulled back from the woman to look at her. He could see that he had drawn blood from one of the breasts and that she was covered in small bruises where she had writhed about. Smiling an evil smile, he positioned his cock at the entrance.

"Wait," called Bellatrix.

"Why?" spat Draco, not understanding. This was what he wanted and no woman was now going to stop him.

"You have to know the spell. Your sperm is precious. You cannot let it be active in anyone other than the one you have chosen. That is how we can keep the pure blood line."

"So tell me the spell, damn it!" called Draco.

"When you cum, before you pull out you need to cast Sperm Pereo. It's best if you learn to cast this silently or, even better, wandlessly then the woman will never know."

"Right then! Hand me my wand."

The woman could not believe what she was hearing. What was all this to do with magic and pure blood? But before she could think any further, she felt the hardness enter her. It was not gentle; it just forced its way in. Knowing what she must do, she started to make the right noises but the boy on top was oblivious to her needs; he just pumped away with little or no rhythm. Praying in her mind that this would soon be over, she saw the boy give two mighty heaves and then it hit her. His cum flooded up inside of her.

Draco felt as happy as he had ever been but, remembering the words, grabbed his wand and cast the spell. He felt the magic course through him and then nothing else. Breathing heavenly, he sat back on his heels. His cock slipped from its warm home and he saw a small trickle of white liquid flow out.

Bellatrix smiled knowing that the boy was now a man. Waving her wand again, she put the woman back into unconsciousness. She had done her part, and well. It was almost a shame to kill her but it must be done. There had to be no other witnesses other than herself and Draco.

"Draco, why don't you go in there and clean up a bit?" queried Bellatrix knowing that at this moment, Draco would do anything asked of him.

Slowly rising to his feet, he walked into the bathroom in an almost zombie like state. His body knew what it had just done but his mind was still caught up in the moment. He heard the door click shut behind him but he did not care; he just wanted to relive the past few moments in his mind. He had done it; after all of the waiting, he had done it.

Closing the door softly behind Draco, Bellatrix quickly locked it. She had little time left. She had spent a long time here and time was moving on, but she still had one more "guest" for Draco to try out. She was sure that he was going to like this one even more. There was definitely too much of his father in him not to enjoy the young girl. A quick green flash and the person that had taken her nephew's virginity was no more. The less Draco knew about her, the better.

After transfiguring the now lifeless body, Bellatrix quickly made the bed. The chess piece that sat in the centre of the bed almost made a smile break across her face but she quickly schooled her face not to show it. At least this pawn was easy to move about. Pocketing the pawn, she left the room and brought in the other guest in and laid her on the bed. Making sure that the room was locked tight again but with, this time, a silencing spell as well, she awoke the girl on the bed.

Immediately the girl scrambled back on the bed obviously trying to hide or get away. The fear was clearly seen on her face and Bellatrix, this time, did not stop the smile. Yes, her nephew was going to enjoy this.

"Draco, why don't you come out and enjoy yourself," she called as she unlocked the door to the bathroom.

It was a few moments before the door opened and outlined in the dim light from the bathroom, stood Draco still naked as the day. He surveyed the new addition to the room and began to feel the instant response. Just looking at the young frightened girl started to make his cock rise. The girl was clutching one of the pillows to her in an effort to protect herself. The light summer dress that she was wearing had ridden up slightly on one side and Draco could see the top of the leg and the faint outline of her underwear. The pillow hid the rest from his view but he suspected that it was going to be as good as the rest.

Draco reckoned that the girl was around twelve or thirteen by the size of her and her face but this did not worry him. In fact, his body was responding to her more than it had done to the older lady. He glanced quickly at his Aunt to see if there were any instructions but she just stood unmoving in front of the door. Taking this that he was in full control, Draco started to move forward.

"Drop the pillow girl," he ordered.

The girl's face had tears running down it but she slowly, at first, shook her head causing her hair to wave and stick to the tear tracks.

Closing the distance in only a few strides, Draco felt the power of the moment. He had the power over her, it felt so intoxicating. Grabbing the pillow, he wrenched it out of the girl's hands and flung it across the room.

"When I give an order, you are to obey!" he stormed at the girl. She tried to scramble back but had nowhere to go.

"Come here!" Draco ordered.

The girl shook her head more violently and tried curl up even more. The girl did not know that this action exposed more of her to Draco. He could clearly see the clean white knickers that covered her bottom and the sight of them were having even more effect on him.

It was obvious to Draco that this girl feared him yet did not obey him. He swung his hand at her and felt the back of it connect on the cheek of the girl. She stopped crying almost instantly as her hand went to her face. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her closer.

"Listen. When I give an order, you obey or I'll hurt you more!"

The girl looked up at him; her eyes full and wide glistening with new tears.

"Now come here!" he ordered again.

This time, she slowly crawled over to him.

"Good. Now sit up on your knees, I want to see you."

Hesitantly, the girl sat up on her knees to her full height but even like this, she did not come up to Draco's height.

"Take that dress off so I can see all of you."

The girl just sat there not moving. What was happening to her? What was this person going to do to her? She had heard about strange rumours in the village about the young girls losing their memories. Is this what was happening? Was she losing her mind?

Draco saw that the girl refused his order again. The anger and power of the moment swept over him. Something almost evil seeped into his body and he let its power just control him. He drew back his hand once more and saw with satisfaction the girl cringe in front of him. With a sharp slap, he brought his hand down again across her face causing her to fall to the bed.

This time, he did not bother with repeating the order. The evil inside of him just controlled him. His hand shot out and grabbed the dress. With strength he did not know that he had, he ripped it straight off the body. The material tore away easily and he flung the remnants across the room. The girl was momentary stunned at what had happened before she tried to curl up once more.

Draco studied the girl quickly. The cotton knickers covering her bottom were tight and outlined every bump and crevice. The plain bra was nothing special, but it looked like she was not carrying much on her chest anyway. The rest of the girl was well formed. She was slim and curvy in the right places, she might have been older than he first thought but, in his state, he did not care.

His had shot out once more and grabbed the front of the bra.

"You will obey me," he shouted at her not noticing the spittle that was coming from his mouth. With a yank, he tried to pull this off as well. The girl screamed, whether from pain or humiliation he did not know. All he cared about was getting rid of this bra. With a second pull, he felt the material part in his hand and he looked down at the newly exposed flesh. In an instant, the girl crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

Did this girl not understand? His brain shouted at him. He was the Master here. In this house, she was supposed to obey. Jumping on top of her, he grabbed the girl's wrists and wrenched them above her head. The girl let out another cry but this one was definitely of pain. He felt his cock respond almost instantly to this cry. It bobbed menacingly in front of him. Looking down, he saw the small breasts of the girl under him. The nipples were small and red and something inside of him longed for his fingers to grasp them, to pull them, to twist them, to listen to her cries of pain but he sensed that he could not last much longer.

Flipping the girl over, he grasped the waistband of the knickers and started to pull them down. The girl reached back to try again to protect herself. There was a small tug-o-war over this last garment. Draco did not want to play this game. He needed to stick his cock in her now so that he could get his fulfilment.

In an instant, he let go and raised his hand. The girl had quickly pulled up her knickers, glad that she had stopped this. May be it was over. Draco smacked hard, not just once, but time and time again. His hand raised and fell like a machine each time connecting to the girl's bottom. He felt the power run through him as the girl screamed, cried, and pleaded for him to stop. After who knows how many, he stopped. He saw and sensed that all resistance had gone from the girl.

Draco once again grabbed the girl's knickers but this time there was indeed no resistance; just heart wrenching sobbing. With a single pull, they were lowered down to the knees. It was like he was playing with a doll, the fight was gone. The power he had felt started to flow out of him, even his cock started to betray him. Yet he had come so far, he was not going to give up now.

He looked down as saw the girl's slit. Unlike the previous woman, there was no moisture glistening around the edge. He guided his cock to the entrance and smiled a tight smile of pleasure as he saw that his cock was at least ready being covered in pre-cum. He positioned its head and slowly at first pushed forward. The tightness was incredible to him. It seemed to enclose everything. The friction of the dry passage was causing him some pain but he continued on. As he was halfway in, he started to feel a barrier. There was something stopping his cock from progressing forward. He pulled back slightly and felt the girl squirm a little and continue with her sobs. Knowing what his cock faced, he thrust forward with all the might he had. The barrier impeded him for an instant and he felt the tear as his cock plunged forward.

The girl cried out in pain as he thrust in and out, but by now Draco was nearing the end. With an almighty grunt, he thrust forward one last time and let his seed flow out into the girl. The power inside of him was almost gone but with one last conscious effort, he summoned that power to the fore and cast the spell that he had been taught this evening, but this time without his wand or even vocalising it. Once this last task was complete, he collapsed to the side of the girl and felt the cool night air on his dick as it slid out of the girl. The stress of the day and the activity of the night over took Draco quickly and his body fell into the sleep that it needed.

The girl felt the shame of what had just happened. She could still feel the boy's sperm oozing out of her, but that was nothing compared to the pain. Curling up once more into the foetal position, she tried to block out the memories of the past few minutes and hope that it was just a dream.

Bellatrix surveyed the scene in front. She had partaken in many rituals, a number of them sexual. She could remember her first time. It was not very different to what had just happened to this young girl. But this was one of the first times that she had actually felt the power of fear, of control. Her Master was the ultimate at fear and control but never had she felt the power from him that Draco displayed only a few moments ago.

Was it that Voldermort had more control over this power? Could he store it and harness it for use later? Shivering slightly, she was suddenly afraid, afraid of what she had witnessed and had she learnt more tonight than her nephew? Walking gently over to the bed, she looked down at the girl. The tears were still rolling down her cheek but her eyes were closed. Slowly oozing out of her, she could see the sperm and blood mixture. With a small wand movement, she saw that Draco had performed the spell but this time with no wand or voice.

She bent slightly over the girl and brushed her hair back from her eyes. As she gently wiped the tears from the girl's cheek, the eyes opened and looked straight at her as to ask why?

"I know how you feel dear…," whispered Bellatrix in a soft voice. She was not lying and, for once, thought she could not go through with the rest. She had always had to be strong, to fight for her position. To never to turn her back on any task no matter how much she hated it. Her master was her life and she had to obey. Yet now things felt different. "…I'm truly sorry. Just close your eyes and the pain will go. I promise."

The girl gave a small smile and closed her eyes wishing that the woman's words were true. Bellatrix's heart gave a lurch as she raised her wand. It was not the first time she had killed. It was not the first time she had killed a young girl but for some reason, something inside of her was telling her not to do this. She could feel her emotions screaming at her yet she still had to do it.

Oblivious to the silent tears now running down her face she acted. In a single motion, she brought the wand down and the girl's pain had indeed vanished. The green light made sure of it. Bellatrix could not believe how much of her body was shaking. The last time it shook like this was after the first time she had killed. It was like she had lost part of her herself and what was left behind was readjusting.

For once, she went about the rest of the business with a heavy heart. All that she wanted to do was to go and hide. Hide from herself, hide from what had happened. That is what she had done when it was her, but now she had to face it. Quickly transfiguring the body into another chess piece, a white queen, she started tidying to the room. In minutes, the room was the same as when she had entered except that Draco was fast asleep in the bed.

Bellatrix left the room and sought out her sister. For some reason, she had to see family. To see someone who might understand. As she entered the living room, she saw her there sitting in a large chair, her feet curled up under her. She had always sat like that when she was younger but Bellatrix could hardly remember any time she had sat like it after her marriage. It was just not proper in the eyes of her husband. Bellatrix crossed the room and sat stiffly as she had been taught in one of the other chairs.

"So, it is done?"

"Yes, Narcissa, it is done."

"Did he enjoy?"

"Yes, he is very much like Lucius in that matter," said Bellatrix in a sorry voice.

Narcissa bowed her head at this news. It was not what she wanted to hear. Draco had a lot of his father in him; she had just fervently wished that he was not like him in those ways.

She closed her eyes and remembered all of those nights she heard the screams and cries of young girls. It had started not long after she had gotten pregnant. On reflection, it had probably started even earlier before her marriage. There were many nights that he would leave early or spend all night out.

When she got pregnant, Lucius would leave soon after the evening meal and return a short while later and then the noises would be heard. She had tried to find out one night what was happening but Lucius had caught her. He had hit her so hard she had feared for her baby. That was the only time that he had hit her but then she never went looking again.

He had married her young, not just young, very young. She never went to Hogwarts. Her family had insisted that she be home schooled. It was as though she was being trained for this job. She learnt how to run and control a house and how to obey the Master of the house. On her fourteenth birthday, she was told that she was to be married to Lucius. She had never met him but that evening, he came round. He was young, dashing, attractive; everything that a young girl could dream of.

Two weeks later, they were married. She left home and began her new life. For the first four years, Lucius could not keep his hands off of her. The fairy tale was wonderful, she had everything she wanted, a loving husband, a house and money but when she turned eighteen, it all changed. She got pregnant with Draco and then, almost overnight, it all changed. Lucius hardly ever touched her. They were, in fact, now sleeping in different rooms and she would lie awake hoping that he would send for her but he never did. All she heard were the screams.

Narcissa raised her head and looked at her sister. The reflection of the past suddenly clouded her image of her Sister. She wasn't the feared lieutenant of Voldemort but her older but equally scared sister.

"What now, Bell?" she asked lapsing back into the name she used to call her.

Bellatrix could not stop the smile spreading across her lips. Her sister had always called her Bell. She had liked the name. It was not so formal, but she had not been called that name in years.

"He has to present himself to him."

"NO!" protested Narcissa

"We have no choice. If he does not, your family will be classed as traitors."

"But he is just a boy."

"No, he is a man now, and the Lord of the Manor."

"What will be asked of him?" pleaded Narcissa

"I don't know."

"You must know, Bell!"

"I don't, not this time."

Narcissa studied her sister's face. Growing up with her, she could always tell when she was lying but the truth was clearly there on the face. She really did not know.

"You will have to train him," commented Bellatrix

"Train?"

"Yes, he has to learn to close his mind. If not, we are both doomed."

"He will fail you know," glumly responded Narcissa.

"Why do you say that?"

"He always fails. Everything he tries to do, fails."

"Have faith in your son."

"I do but he will die, I know it in my heart. He is so much like Lucius except he's not as smart."

The silence stretched as both woman looked at each other. Their lives had not gone the way that either of them had wanted and now they could see end coming.

"Will you help me, Bell?"

"Of course, you're my sister."

"When he knows, when you know please come and see me. Together, we might be able to get out of this."

Bellatrix could not believe what she was hearing; her sister wanted out. There was no out. Why should there be when there was that much power to be had? But then, something stirred within her. Her hand unconsciously grasped the chess piece in her pocket, the majestic white queen felt cold yet alive to her. But out meant no more chess pieces!

Gabrielle awoke with her normal morning cheerfulness. She had always enjoyed the early mornings and, whenever she was feeling upset or worried, she would wake even earlier so that she could see the sun rise over the estate grounds. This morning was no different from most of the previous months, the sun was bright, the air was clear but she felt something different.

Following her now normal routine since that incident one month ago, she closed her eyes and focused inwards towards herself. She was becoming so adept at doing this it took her almost no time at all. Some mornings, she would swear that she could see the tendrils of her connections without even closing her eyes. Her focus quickly found the one ribbon that she was after and found that nothing had changed overnight.

Climbing slowly out of her bed, she studied herself in the full length mirror. The reflection back was one so different to last year. She still had not grown much in height standing a little over five feet but the rest was different, very different. Her face no longer had any trace of baby-ness but was now a rather cute heart shape. Her lips were full and matched in size to her face. The nose was perfectly sized. In fact, her body was as perfect AS she could make it, and there was not the slightest blemish on any part of her skin.

Her hands cupped her young breasts through the plain nightshirt. They were still small but not that small. She had wanted to wear one of her more "sexy" outfits to bed but knew that if either of her mother or sister caught her wearing them, there would be too many questions to answer. In fact, she still could not believe that she had managed to order them and get them delivered with no one noticing.

She continued looking down her body and gently lifted the night shirt over her head. The silvery blond hair fell in a cascading wave as the shirt released its hold on it, but her eyes did not even take this in. She saw that her stomach was still flat and curved nicely and suggestively at the waist. Just above herself, she saw the soft curls of blond hair that she normally had endless fun running her fingers through.

For once forgoing her normal pleasure, she finished looking at the rest of her body. As she turned sideways, she saw that her bottom was nicely rounded and quivered slightly indicating its softness to all. Her thighs were beginning to show their shape as well as her calves. Raising herself up as though she was wearing one of her pairs of heeled shoes, she saw that her legs did indeed look very shapely. Her tiny feet were all that was left. It was the only part that she thought was wrong, she still felt that they were too small. Each toe was perfectly formed and held her weight with surprising ease but she still thought to herself that they were small.

Turning quickly away from her reflection, she stopped to pick up her nightshirt but could not help herself and glanced over her shoulder at the view in the mirror and was very pleased at the reflection she produced. She bounded across the room and threw the nightshirt into the laundry hamper before selecting the day's clothes. Knowing that she was going nowhere, the choice was easy, short summer skirt and t-shirt. Quickly brushing her hair, she dressed and headed to the normal family breakfast.

"So what are your plans for today, Fleur?" Gabrielle heard as she entered the dining room.

The family was sitting out on the patio overlooking the grounds having breakfast. She quickly crossed the large dining room and joined them. Her father was sitting in his favourite outdoors chair and was reading the morning paper. Fleur and her mother were sitting round the table sipping what smelt like a morning cup of coffee.

"I'm not certain, mamma," answered Fleur to the question.

"Would you like to come shopping with me?" asked her mother. Gabrielle picked up her ears at this. If her mother was going shopping, she might be able to tag along, and if not, she would have the whole place to herself, well herself and Fleur if she didn't go. It was a win-win situation for her. Today was turning out to be a great day for herself and she had not even started breakfast.

Gabrielle gently listened to the conversation as she slowly ate her breakfast and hoped that they were going to be leaving soon. As soon as she had finished, she joined in the conversation.

"Mamma, could I join you when you go shopping, please?"

"Well I don't know abo…," started to reply her mother but she stopped in mid sentence as she noticed something in the sky. Fleur had also noted the something a few moments before and had already risen to get a better view.

Seconds ticked by as the three of them waited for the something. It quickly dissolved into the shape of an owl, but not any of the normal French Ministry owls; this was a large Tawny owl and, by Gabrielle's thinking, it looked as if it had travelled a great distance. The owl circled the patio once as if taking in all of those awaiting its arrival before diving and coming to land on the low wall beside Fleur.

Sebastian Delacour looked up from his place because of the silence. Breakfast time was always a time for the ladies to talk about the day coming, but at the moment, it was very quiet. He liked hiding behind his paper but, secretly, he enjoyed listening to comings and goings of the ladies. The silence had caught him off guard. Looking up, he saw an owl, and not one for him.

Fleur delicately removed the letter and started to read.

Dear Miss Delacour,

I am afraid that I must ask for your help. Last year, you came to me with information that you had discovered about Harry Potter. Even though, at that time, I did not take your information as seriously as you had hoped for, I did however follow through on it.

In the past months, I have begun to notice many changes in Harry as you will no doubt tell me you predicted. Most of these changes can be attributed to the normal development of a teenager but some, unfortunately, cannot.

Eventually I had to tell Harry what you had wanted me to do those many months back and so this is the reason that I'm asking for your help. You are probably the best and only person that can help him develop and harness this new power. So I am inviting you to a meeting this evening at 6pm in which I hope we will be able to discuss and find a solution to this problem.

I understand if you no longer feel that you have any responsibility towards this matter, but I do ask you to forgive an old wizard's mistakes and help me, help Harry. In the hope that you will at least agree to a meeting, I have enclosed an International Portkey to The Gates of Hogwarts timed for 5:30pm.

Yours Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Fleur gently refolded the letter and turned around to the waiting family. Her eyes immediately found Gabrielle who was looking at her with a hopeful expression. She gave her sister the briefest of nods before address her parents.

"It's from Dumbledore. He is asking to meet me in the hope that I can help him."

"In what?" questioned Sebastian as he rose and joined his wife.

"He needs my help in training somebody."

"Who?"

"Harry Potter."

Gabrielle could not believe in what she was hearing. Dumbledore was asking her sister, her sister to go and help with Harry. Life was not fair. She was far better at this type of magic. He should be asking her.

"Hmmm…. Has this request have anything to do with your relationship with William?" mused Sebastian.

"It might have helped, but I don't think that's the right question, papa. It's whether we should be helping to solve a British problem."

"There is no question at all, my dear, you must go and help. Such prestige can only help you and the family."

Fleur knew then that her father had really not grasped what was happening. In fact, it was clear to her that he had not even grasped what was being asked. He might be a high ministry official but when it came down to this branch of magic, he, like most, knew next to nothing. She turned to face her mother to see if she understood and she had.

Bernadette Delacour tried to piece together what was happening. She was not the brightest of witches when it came to this, she was more of a graceful social witch but she knew more about this magic than even her brilliant husband.

"Fleur, is this to do with the feelings that I have been experiencing?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes, mamma, and you know that you can only just feel your heritage."

Sebastian quickly looked between the two women knowing that he was missing something here, something big.

"But the help that he wants you to give must be…," started Bernadette

"To train him," finished Fleur.

"You can't," suddenly raged Bernadette.

"Why not, dear? It's only a bit of training. Think of what it will do to the family," questioned Sebastian.

"That's exactly it!" she continued to rage. Sebastian looked at his eldest daughter to see if he could get some clarification.

"Papa, to train him I will have to be close."

"So that means you will move back to London then. I still don't see it."

"No, papa. I mean I will have to get close, probably have to live in the same house for most of the time, and …."

"And what?"

"I might even have to get intimate with him."

Sebastian mouth just hung open at this. A foreign wizard was asking his daughter to sleep with a boy. His mind could not keep up what the changes that were happening and all that his mouth could do was flap up and down.

Fleur looked at her younger sister. She could see her squirming in her seat, just itching to dive in and if she did, Fleur knew that it would soon turn even uglier.

"It's alright…," she started, "…I will not have to sleep with him. There is a much better solution, or should I say, person, to do this than me."

"Who?" demanded her mother.

"Simple, really. I will tell Dumbledore that he needs the best person out there to do this and that's not me. It's Gabrielle," Fleur delivered her line a gently as she could but knew what was coming.

"NEVER!" bellowed Sebastian.

"YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" shouted Bernadette

"I am. You know that for the past two years she has been looking into something. You've gotten her books, tutors, everything. It's this she has been studying. You were so proud when she became so knowledgeable didn't you ever read. I mean really read some of the stuff she has done."

Sebastian suddenly felt very guilty. He had looked at some of the work that Gabrielle had done but never really read it. He had assumed it was something to do with Veela but thought it was charms or something. He had just been pleased that Gabrielle seemed so dedicated in learning and had given her ever opportunity to learn. He had never really looked into it he had left it to Bernadette.

The anger rising in Bernadette too floundered. She was not that magical and had been as pleased as Sebastian about Gabrielle's interest. She had tried to learn a little of what Gabrielle was learning but never, not once, had she considered that it was something like this.

Fleur watched the effects that her words had had on her parents. Slowly she turned to Gabrielle to offer her the only thing she knew that she wanted.

"So, what do you think, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle could not believe the question. She had thought the Fleur was trying to keep Harry to herself. Yet that was wrong here she was being given the only wish that she had ever wanted. There was only one real answer.

"I'll do it."

Silence descended around the table. Gabrielle was looking at her parents awaiting their reaction. She could almost see the thoughts going through her father's mind before he finally spoke.

"No you won't, I won't allow it! It's immoral you too young! How can Dumbledore ask such a thing?"

"He didn't ask her, he asked me. I just said that I'm not the best. When it was me Papa you didn't think it was immoral. This is what Gabrielle has been learning. If we want to help it has to be her or not at all. You don't want them to say that we sent the second best do you?"

"No…no…no, Gabrielle is too young. Far too young, she is staying here and that final!"

Gabrielle looked at her family and knew she had to make the choice. She had been reading all of the books she could get on Veela; their history, magic, everything. She knew more than Fleur or her mother. She knew what these feeling were and what they meant. A flare and drive ignited within her as though her magic was responding to her need. This was her first and maybe only chance to see this through and she wasn't going to be stopped.

"You can't stop me!" shouted Gabrielle jumping to her feet.

"Oh yes I can!"

"For once, father, you're wrong, very wrong. Neither you nor mamma nor anybody can stop me," she retorted back as she turned to leave them.

"We'll see about that young lady. If you step one foot outside of this house, I'll get the Aurors to drag you back, and if you are found with anybody, I will have them arrested for kidnap!"

Fleur looked at her sister as she whirled round to face her parents again. The look on Gabrielle's face made it clear to her what was coming. With a pleading look, she tried to tell her sister not to do it, but it was futile.

"Drag me back, papa! You won't dare!"

"Try me!"

"Alright then, if I must. This is what I have wanted since I knew about my heritage, to be with Harry. You have NEVER once listened to me, so be it. I will declare that I'm an adult and leave you, leave mamma, everybody. Once I'm classed as an adult, you have no threats, no power over me."

"You, an adult, how?" laughed Sebastian.

"Easily, I know enough about Veela's and have enough Veela power in me to be classed as one. Consequently, I will be classed as an adult at the age of 11, the age of maturity for Veela's and therefore free to GO TO HARRY!" Gabrielle turned and ran as fast as she could back to her room, leaving the family in stunned silence.

Sebastian turned towards Fleur but before he could utter a single word, Fleur butted in. "Papa, there is nothing that you can do. You heard her, and she means it. I think that you need to quickly decide if you want her still as part of the family. I'm going to try and calm her down a little and stop her acting foolishly. If you are not careful, she will just leave and there is exactly nothing that you can do. I suggested you get used to the idea and send her on her way with your blessing!

You must know a little about Veela's and our magic. She has more Veela in her than me or even mama, this is what her magic needs and it will drive her to it. It is in her nature. No that is wrong it is her nature. It is the same as breathing, walking, talking this magic is her and it is telling her that she can and needs to help him."

"But why him?" whispered Sebastian as Fleur's words stung him.

"Please papa, just read her notes her work and you then might understand.

Sebastian fell silent as he understood that he had failed his daughters. He glanced over at his wife and was afraid of what he was going to see.

Fleur turned and left her stunned father. She raced up to her Sister's room trying to stop a mistake. Before she even knocked, she could feel the waves of power raiding out. Gabrielle must be really upset to let her power just radiate like that without a care, thought Fleur. After a gentle knock, she let herself into the room and surveyed the sight before her.

Gabrielle was rushing around the room flinging open closets and drawers and pulling items of clothes and books out. On the large bed was Gabrielle's favourite rucksack and at the foot of the bed was a large trunk. Items were being thrown into each with seemingly little thought. Yet on a closer look, she realised that Gabrielle was being very, very, calculating in her packing.

Full sets of clothes were going into each, the rucksack and trunk. Books were obviously being sorted with the most important going into the rucksack. Fleur's presence still had not been detected but with a small sigh, she registered herself. Gabrielle stopped in mid stride with her arms full of clothes. Fleur could not identify what was being carried only that it looked soft, silky, and full of lace.

"Is that new?" Fleur asked in what she hoped was a cheerful voice trying to break the mood of determination.

Gabriele quickly stuffed what she was carrying into her rucksack before answering.

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"You heard me. I'm leaving. I'm not letting him stop me."

"Calm down, I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to help you. Remember, it was me that suggested you in the first place."

That did indeed stop Gabrielle for a moment. She felt the tears run freely down her face as she looked at her Sister. But what else could she do? They did not know what she felt, what she needed.

"I'm going to do it!" Gabrielle stated.

"I know I'm not going to talk you out of it. I just want you to listen. If you agree to what I suggest, and it fails, I'll help you leave myself." Fleur indicated the trunk "I don't think even you could run out of here carrying that trunk on your own."

"I don't need it," replied Gabrielle in a calculating manner.

"I saw. You have everything you desperately need in the rucksack. I bet even now, you are planning on how you can get across the channel and into England."

The look on Gabrielle's face told Fleur that she had guessed right.

"Gabrielle, all I'm asking is that you give me some time. Not much, just one day. I'll meet with Dumbledore and discuss what is going to happen. If he agrees, I'll come for you and help you in any way I can. If it doesn't work out with him or Papa, I'll still help you. I'll even carry that damn trunk. Okay?"

Gabrielle thought the offer through in her head to see if she could spot the catch. With hopeful eyes, she looked at her sister and nodded.

Dumbledore strolled into his office and surveyed the damage. He had still not cleaned up after Harry's outburst a month ago but, for this meeting, the damage strewn office would not do. Slowly pulling his wand free, he felt and heard the crushing of more glass smashing as he walked around the room. With a small wave, the room began to reorganise itself. The debris vanished, books and papers reorganised themselves, and it was not long before the room was back to the pristine state. He crossed to the phoenix that had watched the whole process without moving.

"I know I may have been wrong, but we must move on and do the best we can."

The giant bird looked thoughtfully before lowering its head and rubbed against the Headmaster's hand.

"Thank you, Fawkes. I hope the rest will forgive me."

Fawkes let out a single note in response but, for once, Dumbledore did not feel happy to hear it. In fact, it filled him with dread knowing that soon he was going to lose it all. He crossed to his desk and slowly lowered himself to the waiting seat. With a final flick of the wand, he conjured a set of chairs and waited.

He did not have long before the first arrival, Professor McGonagall, walked slowly through the door. Her ordeal was still clear to see but she did indeed seem to be better in Dumbledore's eyes from when he last saw her.

"Please sit, Minerva," asked Dumbledore indicating one of the chairs.

"So you have decided to clean up?"

"For this meeting, it's for the best. I fear that it might be too late but I must try."

"Too late for cleaning your office?"

"Please, Minerva, keep your questions for a few moments longer then I will answer all."

The two of them sat in silence waiting for the rest to join them but, once again, they did not have long to wait as a grinding noise indicated that the gargoyle was moving.

Remus Lupin stepped into the office and looked round. It had been a long time since he was last here but was pleased that nothing had changed in those years. It was such a simple thing but in these days of so much changes a little constant, like the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, was refreshing and something to hold onto. No matter how bad it became it would always be like this.

"Ah, Remus, it's good to see you again. Please sit and take refreshment if you would like as our last attendee will be with us shortly. Professor Sprout has been kind enough to meet them at the main gate."

Without a sound, Remus crossed the room and sat carefully down. Instantly, a small table appeared loaded with a pot of tea and small selection of snacks. Remus decided to keep his own council for the moment and just observe this meeting. For some reason he had yet to figure out, this meeting was important and it was not going to be about himself. So why was he here?

The three of them continued to wait, each to their own. The clock gently struck 6 pm, its noise filling the room. It was as though the final person was waiting for the exact time for, at the instant the chimes died, the sound of the gargoyle could be heard. Fawkes let out a quiet note of song before it dipped its head towards its master and disappeared with a single flash.

A door opened and in glided a woman. Dumbledore knew what to expect but still was surprised at his reaction to the woman crossing the room. He could feel a slight tug as she crossed and took the last seat without even being asked.

"I'm so glad that you have joined us, Miss Delacour."

"Your letter came at a convenient time, Professor Dumbledore."

"Please call me Albus."

"Fine and I think that it would be best if you called me Fleur."

"Thank you, Fleur. May I introduce to you Professor McGonagall and Mr Lupin."

"Charmed," Fleur greeted to the pair of them with a delicate smile but little else. The Portkey trip was everything she had expected but the sudden number of people here was not. If she had known that so many would be here she might have brought some help for herself. Before she could study the two other occupants they both replied.

"Minerva," replied the stern looking witch. Fleur recognised her from the Tri-wizard tournament but that was about all.

"Remus," replied Remus slightly shaking his head knowing that something about this lady was affecting him. Fleur followed Remus's actions and knew that there was something more here than just a shabby wizard. Her Veela instincts were telling her that there was something strange about him but she didn't know what. Trying to drive the nagging feeling out of her head she turned back to the Older wizard behind the desk.

"So, Albus, you have asked me here for help. What do you want?"

Fleur watched as Dumbledore looked at the other two for a moment and the glanced over to the empty bird stand. Almost hesitantly he spoke. "Fleur, it would be better, at least for the others, if I start at the beginning?"

Fleur nodded her head in acceptance and slowly withdrew a notepad and quill. She was going to make sure she had notes of this to check in case he was trying to lie again.

"Well, to begin, let me explain why first you are all here. A month ago, I told Harry a little about himself and Voldemort. This information has and will cause problems in the future if it is not dealt with soon. I have asked the three of you to help me for varying reasons. Remus, you are here on Harry's behalf. I believe that within Sirius's will, he has made you the legal guardian of Harry. He does not know this at the moment but he will know soon. You have always done what you thought was best with no concern for your own welfare and I feel that Harry will trust you and any decision that you may make."

Remus nodded through this speech but at the end, he opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped by the up reached hand of Dumbledore.

"Yes, I know that Harry should be here instead of you but, at the moment, he cannot, so, please, do your best as if Harry was here."

Remus nodded again now realising some of the problems that Dumbledore had faced through his many years. How could he make decision for Harry without him here? He didn't mind helping or talking to the young wizard but making a choice. That was wrong. However looking at Dumbledore there seemed to be more and he was sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Minerva, you are here to understand the ramifications to the school and, more importantly, you're House. What has transpired will have consequences for both."

Remus glanced across to his old Head of House. She didn't give much away but he could see a slight frown cross her forehead.

"And finally there is Miss Delacour. She is here because of her specialist knowledge in the area and also her knowledge of Harry."

Fleur just nodded at this. Dumbledore was setting a fine stage but, to her, he was just stalling for time. She could feel the emotions in the room and they were increasing. Her own emotions were rising she needed to know the truth, or the truth according to Dumbledore.

"So, as I said, let me take you back to the beginning. We know of Harry's past; that fatal night his parents were murdered. Lily, Harry's mother, gave her life in his protection. That we all know, or we do now," said Dumbledore his head nodding towards Fleur. "On that night I arrived with Hagrid soon after the incident. From what I have found about it, it was not much more than half an hour later. The house was a mess and I had fears that there could be further attacks. I came across Harry straight away in the nursery. It was then I made, what some would call, the first of many wrong decisions regarding Harry. I checked him over as quickly as I could with Hagrid guarding the house and found the answer that I thought I was looking for. Love. Harry had, or should I say, has the power of Love. It was simple to detect in him. However, even then, it was beginning to affect both Hagrid and myself."

Dumbledore stopped and took a quick sip of tea to study his guests. It was clear that both Minerva and Remus had no idea what he was talking about but Fleur just sat there taking notes and showing no emotion.

"So this power, this magic, was beginning to affect the pair of us I could feel it. One so young should not have this amount of power but he did or does. Using what little knowledge I had I fought against it but sadly, having little skill in this area of magic, it was difficult. In fact, as I look now at my recent decisions, I only now realise how affected I was. So there I was, holding Harry whose power was affecting all those who came close. The power of Love was not new to me but it should not be showing it at such a young age. It was dangerous to all and especially Harry. Knowing that I could not stop the effect on Hagrid, I bid him to take Harry away to safety until I could decide what was best."

This was the first time that McGonagall could ever remember Dumbledore sound so humble. To her, and to everyone, Dumbledore was not only powerful in magic but knew as much, but normally more, than anyone about any branch of magic. Yet he was speaking as though a tiny little Harry was a great mystery.

"I knew that Harry would be safe but I needed a clear mind to think and to plan. I knew that we hadn't really won, at worse we had time. At best we could indeed have the victory we all needed. But I needed to think. "

Dumbledore paused once more to let the information sink in.

"I then spent the next day looking for the answer. Minerva, if you remember, I sent you to the Muggles for the day. They were going to be the answer to my, our problem."

Fleur knew most of this but could not stop herself from questioning the Professor's actions. "Yes, Albus, you reacted as the best way you saw fit. You didn't know how to control this power, yet you could not destroy the child. So you tried to destroy the power."

Dumbledore felt the sting in the words more than if she had had gotten up and hit him. Truly that was not what he had wanted, had he?

"Fleur, please, I did what I thought was right."

McGonagall was first shocked at the tone and words that Fleur had used but then more so at Dumbledore's response yet she kept quiet. Something far greater was happening here than she had first assumed.

"What do you think now?"

"I still cannot think of any other solution, I'm sorry."

Minerva knew of these events, she was even part of them. But most of this was not making sense. Dumbledore's very actions felt so unlike him she was worried. She tried to think of a question to help her but all that she could focus upon was that Dumbledore was…fallible. What was this branch of magic? Love, strong emotions powered and enabled some spells but never love.

"Albus, you have mentioned the power of Love. What is that power you are talking about?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes seeking the answer. In truth, he did not know, very few did indeed. Opening his eyes, he indicated to Fleur. "I think you had better answer that one."

"Well, I'm not the real expert but, in present company, I'm the closest there is. Simply put, Harry has some unusual abilities. One of which is the ability to affect what people love. It is similar to what a Veela can do but is much different in places. I imagine, at that time, the uncontrolled power was making all those close to him love him. So much so, that they would do anything for him a little like a Veela to men. You thought that Harry's power would only just grow and grow as those people around him loved him more. The two would fuel each other."

"Exactly Fleur. That was the problem that I had. Wherever I placed him, he would be loved and so increase his power causing more people to love him, etc. He would simply become the most powerful wizard, ever. In history, there have been other wizards and witches with this power but all of them were full adults before it came out, they were able to handle the responsibilities and demands that it gave them."

Fleur couldn't stop herself from accusing Dumbledore. "So, Albus, you did what you saw was right. To protect everyone from Harry, Harry or should I say, Harry's power, had to die. You placed Harry in a household that he would not receive any love at all and that would kill his power you hoped."

Remus could not believe in what he was hearing. He was not a simple minded wizard. In fact, he prided himself on the fact that he was very knowledgeable but this was so unbelievable it was almost laughable.

"So …," questioned Remus, "… let me get this straight. Harry has the power of Love, which will allow him to become the most powerful wizard ever. And to stop this, you placed him in a home with no love."

"Yes," replied Dumbledore.

"You know that I am forever grateful for all that you have done for me, but this does sound strange, even unbelievable."

"It is true, Remus, but perhaps if the story moves on a little and then I, or rather Fleur, will be able to show you the error in your knowledge."

Remus just nodded at this rebut and sat back to hear more of this fairytale.

"So you now know the reasons that I placed Harry at the Dursley's. I kept an eye on him thought the years and was secretly pleased that my plan was working. Yes, I felt sorry for Harry but I did not know how much of that was truly me or was my feelings for him just a result of that first night. So Harry started here at the age of 11, apparently none the worse for his ordeal, yes a little underfed, poorly clothed but otherwise a normal young boy his power of love diminished too far to be dangerous. Once more, his first year is well known to us and all of it can be attributed to the fun of youth. He returns to his home and once again left unloved for some months, suppressing what may have surfaced during his first year.

"The second year arrives and, once more, he is in the middle of the happenings. A young boy, no more than twelve takes on, with the help of his young friends, the king of serpents and wins. It was now that I began to look more closely at him. A simple house elf alerted me to the fact that Harry's power might be slowly returning. The small amount of love he received from the Weasleys was beginning to show. I was afraid for poor Ginny Weasley after the ordeal. Was Harry responsible for all that had happened to Ginny?"

"Never!" shouted Remus in Harry's defence.

"Calm yourself. I know that now, but then, I was not sure. Was this infatuation she had something of her own? Or something of Harry's making? So we now move onto the third year. All seemed fine in this year until the end. Harry had found someone to love him, Sirius. I sensed that this was causing him to show his true power. Whether he knew it or not, the love from Sirius was causing him to display more and more power. No person at such an age should have been able to produce a Patronus, but he could. In the end, I managed to separate them and send Harry back to the Dursleys. I had hoped this was going to be the last time. Soon, I could tell Harry and, with training, it would be fine. Just one more year I kept telling myself."

Taking another sip of his tea he continued the story.

"We are now onto year four of Harry's schooling. The tri-wizard tournament was a fine distraction for Harry. That, and Moody's impostor, caused Harry just to live from one moment to another. He started to show the normal signs of someone beginning to look at girls, but the death of Cedric and return of Voldemort at the end chased any thoughts of love away from Harry. These events distracted me as I sought to fight the coming war and I chose not to act upon the visit that I had from Fleur."

Fleur took the slight pause in the monologue to add her side of this story.

"I visited Albus just before the return trip. I had felt something was different with Harry when I had first met him but it took me until the last task until I fully understood. I had sensed that he had the power to control emotions, very much like me. At first, I thought that he was part Veela and so looked into his family history. It was not long before I discovered that Harry was not related to a Veela, even remotely. So I searched again among various tomes and eventually found about the power of Love in non-Veelas. Not much was or has been written but I knew that this was what I must have sensed. As I got closer and closer to him physically, I could begin to feel a pull on my emotions.

Not knowing exactly what I could do, I sought out Professor Dumbledore to warn him and to offer help. I instinctively knew that if Harry was not trained right, that it could become dangerous. The meeting was brief and I was turned down, so I left Hogwarts knowing that I had tried and it was no longer my problem."

"Thank you, Fleur. It is best if I quickly finish this history lesson so I can answer the questions you all want answered. So this last year, I had hoped that with the events of the tournament still in his mind and the months that he was back at the Dursleys, he would return back to being normal. During the summer, I had asked his friends to stop writing. I tried everything that I could but eventually I had him brought to Sirius, the Weasleys, and his friends. Unfortunately, probably the most loving environment that he had ever experienced. Due to these factors, his power began to grow, gently at first but then faster and faster. He managed to form a group around him to train and learn when they found one Professor limiting. Then he leads this group to the Ministry to rescue someone that loves him.

"Whether he used his power subconsciously or not is beside the point. He managed to lead, quite successfully, a group of students into a battle against adult wizards. After that battle, I knew that I had to tell him, and I did in this office four weeks ago. He wrecked the office and I could feel the power of his magic. For a second, I was afraid of what he was going to do, but in the end, he kept it in check. That brings us to now. You all know the history and have assumed that I have asked Fleur here because of her special knowledge which is true. I have also asked her to teach Harry. That is why the rest of you are here. To help work out what is the best for Harry and what would work for the school. So, Fleur, would you like to start the questions?"

Fleur looked up from her notes and was pleased that Dumbledore had not really left anything out. Well, anything that her research had found.

"Perhaps it would be best for the others to ask the first questions. Then, when I make my proposal, you will then be able to understand it fully," stated Fleur.

Remus looked over at Professor McGonagall and was glad that her face matched his own. "Minerva, would you like to start?"

"Thanks, Remus. Well, that's some story, Headmaster, but there are too many things I don't understand. First off, what is this power of Love and how will it affect the school and Harry?"

Dumbledore looked at Fleur hoping that she would answer. Fleur took a steadying breath and nodded back at the headmaster and started.

"As I said, he has the power to effect people and what they love. That is a very simple way of looking at it. I'm not the best at this but, from what I know, Harry's power is directly affected by the amount people Love him. The more people that Love him, the greater the power he has. His magic power will increase. Conjecture says that he can draw on them or use them in some way but all is known that most witches or wizards that had this magic ability were powerful. Not necessarily massively powerful, but all were unique. Unfortunately little is really known about this as it has not happened in a long time."

"How can he affect people?"

"It's not as Albus describes. He cannot force someone to love him. It is much like the Veela's power in that regard. Veela's cannot force those that have no inclination towards the female form to like them. So it is for Harry. If people are near him, they may feel attracted to him but that's all and then only if they like the male form. What he can supposedly do is affect people who DO love him or just those that need love."

"Is that all?" questioned McGonagall.

"Basically, yes. Any person that loves Harry will feel the need to be closer to him as his power increases and, as his power increases, he will be able to affect those who just want to be loved as well."

"That does not sound too bad, so what's the catch?" chimed Remus.

Fleur looked at the adults and realised that she was probably leaving out far too much information but was afraid of being asked questions that she could not easily answer.

"He will feel the need to be close to those he loves and love him. It will cause him and them some form of distress if they are apart. As I said all of this is a bit vague because the last real report of anything like this is over two hundred years ago and that was never proved."

McGonagall now suddenly understood why she was here. She just hoped she was wrong and so asked the question. "What do you mean close?"

"He will need to see and probably be physically close to them at least for some time each day. His and their magic will become entwined separating it could cause problems," responded Fleur as she dug up yet more knowledge she had learnt reading Gabrielle's notes and conclusions.

The silence that followed this statement did not last for long but was complete. Eventually, Remus asked the next question. "Fleur, please don't get upset, but what makes you the expert on this?"

"Actually, I'm not the expert but I know the person who is. But the reason that I know this is because of my Veela heritage. Harry's powers are very similar but also much different. Veela's can reach almost the same stage when they love a person. They will need to be in almost constant contact with them but their magical power will increase because of it. Veela that don't find their love will not become powerless; their power will just diminish over time. That is one of the reasons why you don't see elderly Veelas," smiled Fleur at the last statement

Remus shook his head slightly. "So, just to make things clear, Harry has a power very similar to this. The more people that love him, the more power he has. This power has also the ability to affect what those people will do?"

"Basically, yes," responded Fleur knowing this to be a lie but knew she could not go into detail of what she suspected might be the whole truth.

"Any more questions?" asked Dumbledore

Remus just shook his head.

"Not for the moment," replied McGonagall still looking closely at the young witch.

Nodding once, Dumbledore continued.

"So, you can see that if Harry is not trained in how to control this new power, it could be dangerous for the school. If he was not careful, it would not be long before a large portion of the school would gladly follow Harry wherever he would lead. Does that not sound familiar? The discussion is how is he going to be trained and what changes are we going to have to make here?"

"What will happen if we don't do anything?" asked Remus

Fleur spoke at once suspecting that Dumbledore didn't know the answer. "That would most likely be bad for Harry. He already is feeling and using this new power. If we do nothing, not only will those around him be affected, but without those people he needs being near him, it will cause him distress."

Dumbledore thought back to the last year and saw patterns that he had refused to acknowledge then. Every time he was away from Sirius and the Weasleys, Harry's mood had worsened until he almost exploded on that night he had returned from the Ministry. "So that means that he will have to be trained and it needs to start soon," he theorised.

"That is correct," replied Fleur.

"And when he returns back here, he will need to be in close contact to all of those that love him," stated McGonagall almost choking over the word love in such a context.

"Correct again."

"But how will we know who those people are?"

"We won't but Harry will," Fleur simply replied

McGonagall thought through this and did not like where it was going. But what choice did she have? Remus was having similar thoughts but realised no matter what Dumbledore wanted, it was not his decision to make; it was Harry's and Harry's alone.

Fleur continued to sit in the chair. She could feel the emotions changing as both McGonagall and Remus came to a decision but Dumbledore was still a mystery to her.

"So, Fleur. You mentioned you have a proposal for us to consider. I take it that you will not train Harry?" softly spoke Dumbledore looking at the witch over the top of his glasses.

"That is correct."

"But why?" question Remus.

"Simple, really. I'm not the best, but on a more personal note, I love William. If I spent the time with Harry that he will need, I may lose that and that is something that I am not going to do. Normally, a Veela is trained by a close member of the family, someone that they know, trust, and love. All I know is a little about that training. Mature Veela are trained to suppress there natural urges. It is only when they are upset do they lose their self-control and slip. It would be the same for Harry, but I don't really know if anything like Veela training would work.

We are assuming that this magic is like the Veela's but I suspect it is not," yet one more of Gabrielle conclusions. "A Veela's magic does not change and grow but the vague records state that those with this power show extraordinary ability which cannot be explained."

"What abilities?" questioned Remus.

"For each they are different. Some say they can predict the future or there spells became unstoppable. Other reports say different things; none of them can truly be relied upon."

"For someone who say's they don't know a lot you sound very knowledgeable."

Fleur smiled at Remus's question. "I really didn't do much I am just remembering someone else's conclusions."

"So who do you suggest then? This other person sounds the right person to look into this."

"Exactly it's my sister Gabrielle."

"No! That is impossible," immediately broke in McGonagall.

Remus was suddenly surprised at the venom in the stern witch's voice. Obviously he was missing something here.

"I have to agree with Minerva," said Dumbledore.

"Both of you, I don't think you have much of a choice. She is clearly the best. Her age will make it less conspicuous around here," replied Fleur almost smugly.

"What has age got to do with it?" asked Remus still not knowing who this Gabrielle was.

"That is probably the reason that the others don't agree."

"Absolutely!" huffed McGonagall. How could anybody think about putting someone of that age in a position where they would have to teach Harry about intimacy?

"So how old is she? Eighteen, nineteen?"

"Eleven, soon to be twelve," replied Fleur waiting for the explosion and she was not disappointed.

"Eleven, you think that an ELEVEN year old is going to be able to teach Harry anything?"

"Yes I do. Her age has nothing to do with her knowledge. She is one of the few non-full Veelas that has studied and trained in this power. I would easily guess that her knowledge in this area far exceeds the sum total of the knowledge in this room."

"But eleven!"

"That's my proposal, Gabrielle will teach Harry. I will assist her in getting settled but after that, she would be best left alone," said Fleur stating that last part.

Remus jumped up and started to pace around the back of the office. He was supposed to be here to look out for Harry, but this was impossible. Harry had a new power that could be dangerous to him, but that girl wanted to use an eleven year old, an eleven year old, to train him. What is more they would have to be close, probably physically as well. What did physically close actually mean? If it meant that, how could any adult even consider this?

McGonagall quickly ordered her thoughts. She had always had a soft space in her heart for Harry but was beginning to fear that it was only due to this new power she was hearing about. Was his power able to affect her? What would happen if he was let loose on the school untrained? But an eleven year old?

Dumbledore sipped the last of his tea considering everything that he had been told. He had honestly thought that Fleur would jump at the chance. As much as she tried to protest, he did in fact know quite a lot about this branch of magic but what she was proposing would be totally unacceptable in modern society. Looking at the other confidents in the room, he saw that they had all reached the same conclusion. Gently replacing his tea cup, he answered for them.

"Miss Delacour, much of what you say may be true but we cannot be a party to the notion of placing one of such young age into this situation. Wizarding society would just not allow it. I'm sorry, all that I can ask is that you reconsider and teach Harry yourself."

Fleur calmed her racing mind and closed her eyes. She could easily understand the others objections but what alternative did she have? If she undertook the teaching of Harry, not only would it affect her relationship with Bill but it would destroy her family. Gabrielle would never forgive her. In fact, she was bound to do something reckless. The thought of Gabrielle made Fleur run through the techniques that she had been shown. Letting the calm wash over her, she tried to centre herself and focus inwards. Her sister was so good at this she felt a slight embarrassment at trying this in unusual company.

Dumbledore studied Fleur as she just sat there with her eyes closed. Grasping his wand lightly, he just hoped that she was not going to try and influence the decision with her Veela power.

Opening her eyes, Fleur studied the room in front. They were faint but she could just make out the flowing ribbons. It was the first time that she had seen them away from Gabrielle. She could remember all the times that Gabrielle had patiently sat her down and tried to get her to see and understand. It had taken a long time but she had seen something, the connections that love created. That was what Gabrielle liked to call them. Full Veela were supposed to be able to feel them if not actually see them, but neither she nor her sister were full Veela.

Somehow she had to prove to these people that age really didn't matter. Gabrielle was the best at this and Harry needed her. Not to mention that Gabrielle needed him. Smiling to herself, the answer floated in front of her. With a smile, she straightened up in the chair.

"Okay, I understand. But if I can prove that she is the best person and that Harry will accept her, would you agree then."

"How do you propose you accomplish that?" queried Dumbledore.

"Simple, well, simple for Gabrielle. She will find him and talk to him."

"Find him?"

"Yes, Dumbledore. I imagine, in fact, I know that Harry is, at the moment, protected. You have him living with his family, to protect him. He, or more possibly the house, is hidden using the most powerful concealment charms that you know. In fact, I would imagine that you performed the spells yourself, and that you are his secret keeper."

"That may be."

"So I will have to imagine that it is impossible to find Harry at the moment unless you tell me."

Dumbledore just nodded.

"Then I will propose that Gabrielle can find Harry before the end of tomorrow."

Dumbledore continued to look at the young witch. The proposal was interesting but he could not see the catch. He had indeed performed the spells that both had hidden and protected Harry. The spells were fallible he knew but not in only one day. A small smile came to his lips as a counter proposal sprang to mind.

"I will only accept on the condition that when she fails, you will train Harry instead."

"Done," replied Fleur quickly knowing it was the best she was going to get for her sister. Rising to her feet, she bid them all good night, turned, and left the office.

Remus followed her out of the office and called out before she had taken more than a few strides.

"Fleur, is this really for the best for Harry?"

"Yes," she replied without turning round

"I want to believe but I cannot."

"You don't have to, only Harry has to."

"But how will you find him?"

"I won't, Gabrielle will, using love."

"Love?"

"People say love is blind, but true love is anything but," answered Fleur leaving the mystified ex-professor behind.

Back in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore continued to sit in silence suddenly realising that, for the first time in a long while, he had been tricked. He consoled himself in the fact that he was not really tricked just bluffed into making a bad proposal.

"Has she really got any chance?" asked McGonagall

"I don't know. That house is protected with the best that I know of, yet…," he stopped in mid sentence thinking.

"Yet?"

"She seems very confident."

"But if she can find him then?"

"Yes, that thought has occurred to me as well. All we can do is wait the day. Whatever transpires will determine our next move."

"Next move, Albus! How can you say such a thing? This is Harry we are talking about."

"I know. We just have to be prepared."

McGonagall fell silent for a moment still trying to understand but nothing really made sense. "Would you like me to stand watch?"

A small smile crept across the old wizards face. "If you would, I would be grateful. If they find him, I suppose we have to give them the chance to convince him."

"That won't be easy."

"I thought that finding him would be impossible, but if they manage to do that, I would not bet against them convincing Harry."

Fleur continued her steady pace down the main drive towards the mansion. Her mind was still lost in thought. The trip back had been quick and efficient. Once again, Professor Sprout had escorted her to the main gates but they did not indulge in conversation. Only as she passed through them had the Professor bid her a good evening. The portkey activated almost immediately depositing her at the outside of the family grounds.

She entered the house through the main doors into the spacious hall. Her mind registered that the house was quiet. It was unusual for the house to be so quiet at this hour but she suspected that everybody was awaiting her return and so the normal activities were placed on hold. Entering the main reception room confirmed all of this to her. Her parents were sitting in separate chairs, both reading. Unusually, they were both reading books.

As she glided across the room, she deliberately made as small sound to inform the occupants that she had returned. Her parents immediately looked up to see where the sound was coming from and, finding their eldest daughter, they both quickly closed their books and awaited the news. Fleur sank to one of the remaining chairs. "Is Gabrielle not here?"

"We think she is still here but she has not left her room since you left."

"I think its best, then, to discuss the situation before she ventures down here," commented Fleur.

Her father just nodded at this.

"I spoke to Professor Dumbledore and it is what I said. They wish me to train Harry Potter."

"But you said no," huffed Sebastian.

"That is correct."

"Then what?" asked her mother in a more gentle tone.

"I explained that Gabrielle would be best, but they didn't like the idea because of her age."

"Too right!" said Sebastian.

Bernadette looked at her husband as if to say that he should be letting her handle this but he failed to notice or refused to comply. "Go on, then. What did you do to convince them?" she prompted trying to bring the conversation back towards the here and now.

"I asked them to test her. They reluctantly agreed. So we leave in the morning."

"No you will not!" shouted Sebastian again.

"Will you please be quiet?" spat Bernadette.

"No, mother, I think you have both got to understand this. Gabrielle will be leaving whether you like it or not."

"I won't allow it!" said Sebastian.

Fleur looked at her father and let out a slow breath. She could feel his emotions running through the room but it would not change any of the facts. She had better do something to remind him.

"Papa, you have got to come to terms with this now. You have been reading about Veela for the whole day. You must know that Gabrielle is right. The old laws are still there. She could declare herself Veela and then be an adult. With that right, she is free. There is nothing you can do about it."

"But she's my little girl," pleaded Sebastian.

Before Fleur could even reply, her mother jumped in.

"Dear, you might not have noticed but she is no longer a little girl. She has all the style and grace of Fleur yet she looks far older than she did at that age. It is as though she has changed herself. If you stop and look at her, you will see in the past year, she has grown in many ways."

"That is right, Papa, but not only just that, she is going to go. Even if you tried to stop her, her magic is forcing it upon her. I think it is already tied to Harry's."

"How?" asked Sebastian.

"I don't think she knows how or when. We can guess but I suspect we would be wrong. She did come into contact with him during that hateful tournament but I suspect that was just the start. She is a combination of Veela and a witch and for now, at least, the Veela is driving her.

"If it is not tomorrow, it would be the next day or the next she will leave she has too. When I went to her this morning, she was already packed. You would have lost her already if I had not promised to help her. She has grown with her magic and has chosen to follow it."

Sebastian deflated before the pair of them. What both of them were telling him confirmed everything that he had read. His little girl was going, and going soon. He felt his insides churn as this realisation came upon him. Almost without warning, the tears started from his eyes.

"Fleur, you had better go and tell Gabrielle before she runs away tonight. I will stay here. He needs me," whispered Bernadette.

Fleur rose to her weary feet and gave her mother a peck on the cheek before leaving the room.

The mansion felt silent once more for the night except for the quiet sound of sobbing coming from the reception room.

Gabrielle looked around the room for what she thought was going to be the last time. The room was by no means empty. More than half of the items in it were going to be left behind, forever. She felt trepidation at the fact that she was moving on and leaving this home, but her body was following what her magic demanded. Most of the objects that were being left behind were her connection to her youth. She knew that she was growing up and fast. She did not need these "toys or trinkets" she only needed herself and one other.

The rucksack was beginning to bite into her shoulder reminding her that she still may be taking too much. With a small sigh, she lowered the rucksack to the ground and looked around once more. She was putting off the moment when she would leave and close this door on her childhood forever.

Last night, when Fleur had entered her room, was one of the happiest times that she could remember in the past year. Her sister had done what she had promised. She had managed to get her a chance. As soon as the news was relayed, she had wanted to start. She was desperate to leave. Everything inside was telling her to go, to run, but her sister had calmed her enough by informing her that she was far too tired to travel that distance again. Reluctantly, she agreed to spend one more night here.

Sleep did not come easily to her that night. She spent most of it reviewing everything she could about her link and the effect wards might have upon it. There was little actual evidence for her to grasp at but her instinct told her that it would be alright. She then started to repack everything again. The rucksack was her most prized possession. It was not magical. It was just a plain ordinary rucksack but it contained everything she needed. She had been planning this for far longer than anyone would believe and thought she knew exactly what she would take. She had rationalised, debated, and finally just guessed at everything that she would need to survive, and that everything was in this one small bag.

She would have dearly loved some form of magical bag to help her carry everything but she had been saving money as hard as she could, and those type of bags were expensive. A long time ago, she realised that if she did run away, she would not only be alone from her family, but also her family's wealth and she was going to need money. The reaction that her father had given her yesterday had indicated that she was right. She was going to have to survive on her own. Glancing at the trunk, she would hate to lose it. It contained everything else that she did not immediately need but some of the books in there could be invaluable, but if her family made another stand now, she was just going to run and leave it behind.

Gabrielle started to search the room one last time. Closets were opened and checked. There were a myriad of clothes she was leaving behind; small dresses, frilly dresses, evening gowns, trousers, jumpers, blouses, shoes, everything that she truly didn't need was being left behind. Her inner mind was telling her that she was abandoning her parents. Almost every item that was packed in her trunk came from either Fleur, her grandmamma, or she had bought herself. Every single item in her rucksack did. She was leaving behind everything that her parents and family and friends had gotten for her.

She walked across the room to the now empty desk. Every scrap of paper had been removed in the night. She had read and checked everything. Even the slightest piece of parchment that she had used was checked and, if it was not valuable to her studies, was destroyed. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she searched the drawers once more. Gazing out of the nearby window, she saw the sun rise and its colours started to illuminate the day. She was going to miss this desk. This view had started many a day for her as she sat here reading and researching, but she was just going to have to leave it behind.

Finding the desk as empty as before, she crossed the room and surveyed the bed. This was the other piece of furniture she was going to miss. The large queen size bed had always been comforting to her. The softness of the pillows and the warming duvet had held her in some of the more difficult times but she had to leave this as well. These pleasures, she thought, were now in the past. Grasping the handle of the bag, she walked out of the room and left her childhood behind.

Fleur awoke to the gentle tapping at her door. Forcing herself out of the bed, she grappled for the dressing gown as she called out a greeting. As she pulled the short silky material around herself, she looked at the small clock. The time showed that not only was it morning but it was still very early morning. The travelling and stress of the previous day had taken a lot out of her and the few extra hours of sleep would be nice but the knocking had put paid to that. She did not need to use any form of magic to tell who was behind the door. She instantly knew it to be her sister. As she crossed the room to let her in, she absently wondered if Gabrielle had gotten any sleep last night.

"Gabrielle, you could have waited a few more hours," whined Fleur as she opened the door.

She was not surprised to find her dressed and ready to go. Gabrielle was wearing sensible clothes and shoes. Her flowing blond hair was pulled back into a single high pony tail and at her feet was her rucksack and, beside it, a medium weight coat.

"I know, Fleur, but I wanted to get an early start."

"There's early and then there's this hour," grumbled Fleur

"I know but I really just want to go."

"Why don't you come in and wait whilst I get changed? Then we can have a quick early breakfast and be going."

"Can't we just get going?"

"No. I think Mama will at least want to say goodbye."

"But what about Papa?"

"Don't worry about him. I think Mama talked to him last night. Anyway, we are going to need something to eat. I don't imagine that you will want to stop the search until you have found him."

Blushing ever so slightly, Gabrielle lowered her head and replied quietly, "No, you're right."

Fleur led Gabrielle into the room and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom to start getting ready. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she saw that she could have indeed done with a few more hours of sleep. After a few minutes work, she saw that she was back looking like her normal self. Deciding that she had better not keep her sister waiting much longer, she returned to her bedroom only to find that her sister had laid out two outfits for her to choose from. Shaking her head slightly at her sister's enthusiasm, she quickly chose one of the outfits and got changed. Perching herself on the edge of the bed, Fleur asked, "So, Gabrielle, do you know how you are going to find him?"

Gabrielle smiled a bright smile.

"Yes, I'm going to use the method you thought of when speaking to Dumbledore. When we get to Britain, I will just follow the connection right to him. It should lead me straight there."

"Do you think that's going to work?"

"All the reading that I have done has not given me that answer but I should be able too. For the past year, I have been able to see the connection and he's been at Hogwarts for most of it, and isn't that place more heavily warded?"

Fleur nodded at her sister thinking about the great castle in Scotland.

Gabrielle lowered her head and looked at her hands. There was only one question that she could not answer and it was the first one that needed to be.

"Fleur, how are we going to get to England?"

"Simple. We will get an International Portkey."

"But aren't they expensive?" asked Gabrielle thinking about her money. She had saved but this was going to eat into that savings and she was getting slightly worried that she was not going to have enough.

"They are a bit but don't worry about it. If Mamma or Papa don't give us the money, I'll pay for them. Call it an early birthday present."

"Thanks," called Gabrielle as she flew across the room and enveloped her sister in a hug.

Fleur felt her sister in her arms and was surprised at what she could feel. She had been hugged by Gabrielle over the past year but never this hard. She started to feel a little jealous because her sister was definitely developing more than she did at that age. It was clear to her because of the pressure they were causing, that Gabrielle's chest had developed remarkably well and, as her hand snaked around the girl's waist, she could easily feel the gentle curves.

As the two broke apart, Fleur could not stop herself from asking the question.

"You seem to have developed early?"

A small blush crept across Gabrielle's cheeks before she replied, "It's my Veela side. You should really read some of those books I told you about."

"I think I might just do that if you are living proof of what can happen."

The two sisters had a small laughing fit at this, but then silence descended in the room again.

"Gabrielle, do you know how you are going to convince him yet?"

"No," she replied glumly

"Have you thought of where you are going to stay?"

"I want to, need to, stay with him."

"But you can't…," started Fleur

"I know. For the beginning I was hoping that you could ask the Weasleys if I could stay there."

"The Weasleys? You do remember what I've told you about their youngest?"

"Yes, that's part of the reason."

"So you are going into competition against her for Harry?"

"No not at all. I don't mind if she loves him or not. In fact, it might be easier if she does."

"But what about Harry? What if he loves her?"

"I still don't mind. He can love as many people as he like. He could marry anybody but as long as I can be close to him, I will always be happy."

"Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I can be."

"Alright then, we'll see the Weasleys and ask them if you can stay," replied Fleur looking at her sister in a strange way

"Thanks, Fleur, and I do mean it. All I want is to be near him," insisted Gabrielle. She knew that it was only a small lie, but it came easily. Being near was only some of it but the rest she had said was true. She truly did not mind as long as she got the release that her magic needed.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. The two sisters had walked into the dining room surprised to see both of their parents already seated and eating. The sisters traded a concerned look at each other before taking their customary places and started to eat. The whole meal was eaten in silence, which, for the household, must have been a first. It was not long before the table was cleared leaving the Delacours on their own.

"So, you're going now?" asked Sebastian from his seat.

"Yes, Papa," answered Gabrielle getting up.

It was clear that Sebastian was fighting some internal battle as the emotions played across his face.

"Do you realise what you are doing?"

"Yes," she replied.

Before anymore was said, her mother leapt from her chair and flung her arms around Gabrielle and cried into her shoulder. "You look after yourself, please be safe my little angel."

Gabrielle could feel the tears in her eyes begin to well over as her mother called her by that name. "I will. I'll never forget you, mama."

"Don't say that. You can always return. We both love you and wish that you didn't have to go through this but we finally understand."

Hope sprung up inside of Gabrielle at this news. Had they really understood what was happening? Looking over her mother's shoulder, she saw that it was true. Her father was standing up with his arms wide waiting for her.

Gabrielle released her mother and ran straight into the warm embrace of her father. The tear unnoticed as it fell down her face.

"Oh, Papa, thank you," she cried.

"It's alright. Your mama explained what she knew to me. I think that I am now beginning to understand. I can't say that I like it but I will give you this one chance."

"Thank you," was all she could reply.

"Now, don't think I'm that soft. I expect you to introduce me to the famous Harry Potter when you come and visit."

"I will," gushed Gabrielle

"But listen to me. If I hear anything bad, I'm coming for you, no questions."

"You won't, Papa," answered Gabrielle disengaging herself.

Sebastian joined Bernadette before addressing his children once more.

"The pair of just remember we both love you. If you are in trouble, just run. Run home, we will always take care of you no matter what. Gabrielle, you will be attending Hogwarts this year I suspect," he received a confirming nod. "You will need to buy many school things etc, so this is yours." He handed her a parchment and key. "This will allow you to open a Gringotts Vault and also a money transfer. Every month, we will transfer in the same amount that we gave Fleur when she was studying. But if you have any worries, just write to us. Okay?"

"Okay, Papa," meekly replied Gabrielle.

"Fleur, I know you have feelings for the Weasley boy and I think I now understand how you cannot ignore these feelings. Do whatever you want to, we will always support you."

"Thanks, Papa."

"Oh, and try and look out for Gabrielle."

"Papa!" shouted Gabrielle at the thought she was being given a minder.

"It's alright, Papa…," soothed Fleur patting her sister on the shoulder. "…she knows that I'm there for her."

The family came together for one last hug before moving towards the main doors. Sebastian was not surprised to see, lying on the floor, two bags already packed ready. As he reached the door, he turned to a small table and picked up a small bent nail.

"Fleur, this is an International Portkey. I arranged it last night. It's timed to go in the next ten minutes, please be safe, both of you."

Fleur looked at her father. "How did you know?"

"Simple. We are your parents."

"09:30 from Delacour Residence, France," atoned the disembodied voice as the two sisters came to a halt. They had arrived in what seemed to be a large barn or hanger they did not know but quickly joined the queue by the entrance.

"Fleur, what's this place?"

"It's just where International Portkeys are generally targeted to. Portkeys are regulated especially international ones. If you don't have a direct destination to go to, you will end up here. Papa didn't know where to send us and so we ended up here."

The pair of them left the building to find themselves standing in the middle of a sun drenched pavement. The temperature was slowly rising and, by the look of the sky, it was going to be perfect all day. Gabrielle felt slightly uncomfortable in the heat carrying so much but looked around at wonder at the new sights.

She soon realised where she was by the names on the outside of the buildings. All of the buildings nearby were selling all sorts of different magical items. The smile that crept across her face was not forced. It just happened because she was in Diagon Alley.

"Fleur!" she said excitedly.

"Yes, I know we are in the Alley. This is the best place to start as any. So, what now?"

The noise and bustle was overwhelming Gabrielle slightly. She had never liked shopping much because of the crowds. She preferred to do most of her shopping mail order. Standing there, she could feel it was difficult to relax and let her magic flow.

"Fleur, I'm going to need a few moments. Preferably somewhere quiet."

"Okay, how about we go down to Gringotts? I can check in and get your vault set up, while you find a quiet spot to do your thing. You should be fairly safe there as Gringotts has hired in extra security around the building."

Gabrielle smiled and nodded to this. It was not long before she was sitting on the steps to the side of the magnificent building. It was still too crowded and noisy for her liking but she took a couple of breaths to steady herself and started to focus inwards. It took slightly longer than normal but she managed to find herself, quickly studying the flowing ribbons, she found the one that she was after. Opening her eyes again, she could just see the faint line of the ribbon before it disappeared in the distance. All that she had to do was to find someway of following it because she felt that walking was not going to be quick enough.

Harry woke up in the shed after his second night there. As he stretched his arms and groped for his glasses, he could not understand why he felt so good. Yesterday and today were both the same but, for some reason, when he awoke, he felt happy. Yet what did he have to be happy about? Looking around the shed, he should be depressed or even worse. Quickly grabbing some clothes out of his trunk, he got up and left. This was one trip that he was beginning to enjoy. The short walk between the shed and the backdoor was always pleasant. The early morning sun was just beginning to warm everything up. The whole of Privet Drive was silent. All that could be heard was the morning song.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Harry started his first chore of the day. Vernon had made plainly clear that he expected breakfast on the table and ready by the time he came down and so Harry started about it. The smell of the bacon always made him feel hungry but he continued to ignore it, determined to get everything ready. At almost the instant that he had served the last plate, the Dursleys arrived. Harry just stood and waited for them all to finish before he dared to eat anything, suspecting if he started, they would just get him running around after them.

Breakfast quickly finished and, once more, Harry was left alone. Vernon had left the hand written note informing Harry of everything that he was expected to do today. Quickly looking down the list, he saw that yet again he would be spending the hot afternoon digging in the garden.

McGonagall apparated to an alley near Privet Drive. In seconds, she had transformed into her cat to allow her to move about more easily. The last time that she had done this, was almost 15 years ago, but she instantly saw that little had changed. She walked slowly towards Privet Drive seeing if she could spot the Order guard or even, unbelievably, Fleur and her sister.

Her mind kept churning the information that she had heard last night. Her stern teacher side was screaming that she could not allow anything like this to happen. How could she be seen to approve one so young helping and eventually being involved with Harry? But the motherly concern that she had for Harry was arguing that it could be for the best. She did not know why but Voldermort had a very bad dislike for Harry. But even with the numerous times he had tried to kill Harry, he seemed to come out the other side alive. This new power that Dumbledore spoke about could help and if it took a little girl to show how to use it, why should she be so against it?

The internal conflict kept raging and she suspected that there would be no answer anytime soon. Leaping gracefully on top of a nearby wall, she surveyed Privet Drive. She was pleased to say that she could not immediately spot the Order guard. She knew that there must be one, she had been part of the meetings where this was talked about but there was no-one in sight. Curling up on the wall, she let the warm morning sun wash over her and settled down to wait.

The day passed slowly for both people in Privet Drive. Harry moved from chore to chore around the house. He did not mind as much as most people would have as it kept his mind off of current events. Here, he just had to work. It was physically hard but that was all. The only thing that he really missed was the chance to talk to other people. It seemed as though both his Cousin and Aunt spent immense amounts of energy trying to avoid him.

After a light lunch, he walked out into the back garden. The heat had really baked the ground hard and he saw that digging was going to be tough going. Resigned to the fact that Vernon was just looking for a reason to shout at him, he set about turning the flower beds.

McGonagall was getting a little worried at the situation. She had spent hours sitting on the wall or browsing around the Drive and she had yet to see Harry at all. On a day as nice as this one, she mused, boys of Harry's age should be out enjoying it but he was nowhere in sight. The small conflict that she was having earlier was forgotten at the moment with this new concern. Was Harry even here? Her mind asked her. Had Dumbledore agreed to what could be an impossible task? Had he already moved Harry away?

Looking up and down the road once more, she started her rounds again. Circling around the houses, she approached her target and started to hear noises. She crept closer and closer until, with a distinctly un-cat like smile, she saw him. Harry was standing there at the edge of the garden, sweat pouring off of him as he leaned against a fork for a moment.

McGonagall just stared at the picture and had to stop herself for shaking her head. There stood one of the most powerful wizards that she knew, whether he knew it or not, leaning against a fork dripping sweat and breathing hard. The look on his face showed that he was neither enjoying nor disliking what he was doing, he was just doing it. Her curiosity and some of her fears quelled, she slowly retreated away to resume her vigil at the entrance to the Drive.

The evening sky was turning to a soft red when McGonagall felt something. She had sat there all day and had not seen the two sisters. She had to marvel at the calmness that Dumbledore had shown in his office when this test had been suggested. He had known that it was impossible and, with the test accepted, he would get what he originally wanted, Fleur.

The changing sky indicated that there was little time left and there was still no sign of anyone magical about. Yet she knew that there must still be an Order member around, in fact, they must have changed personnel at least once and she had still not seen them. The Drive was empty of people. The chaos of a few hours earlier when everybody seemed to return to their houses was gone. In fact, all was now quiet.

Something made her turn. It was a distant noise of a car. It was not loud. It just came, stopped, and then departed. As she jumped of the wall, she felt the hairs on her back rise slightly. This was a sure indicator that something was just not right. Her instinct told her something was happening. Quickly scampering across the road, she surveyed the surroundings again. Once more, there was nothing to see, but her instinct told her to move on.

Harry looked over the garden. He was surprised at the amount that he had managed in the day. He had to stop a few hours earlier to help his Aunt in the kitchen and then wash up but was then promptly sent back out to finish the garden. The night sky was turning red, causing the ground to change colour, but it was not that that caused him to stop. Instantly he was alert, something was watching him.

He could feel it. He could not explain it but he could feel that something or someone was watching him. Slowly pulling his wand from his pocket, he approached the bushes. If the neighbours saw him now, there would be questions but Harry could feel something in his magic. Not caring about how it would look, he started to look into each bush in turn. Harry moved from one to another and found nothing, then abruptly the feeling left him. He just stood there looking and wondering. What had just happened?

McGonagall kept following her instincts. She was not far from Privet Drive; it could still be seen behind her but she continued on. The evening sky was turning redder and redder and soon it would be dark but on she slowly walked. She crossed one last road and stood before an open park. The railings were tall and dark to her as a cat but the gate was still open. Quickly entering, she looked around trying to spot anybody.

As the final rays of light from the sunset crossed the grass, she saw them sitting together, very near one of the other entrances. It was hard to tell who they were at the distance but McGonagall instinctively knew who they were and she then knew that Dumbledore had lost. Not just him, but her stern teacher's voice in her head. However had they done it, she did not know but she was going to find out, because the pair of silvery blond girls sitting quietly in the distance had to be the Delacour Sisters.

Fleur exited the taxi first after paying the fare. The pair of them had spent the whole day and not a little money on taxis travelling from town to town following only what Gabrielle could see. She just hoped that this was the last journey as the day was almost gone and the pair of them where going to have to leave for the Weasleys soon if they did not want to be met by hexes when they arrived.

Turning to her younger sister, she saw that the day was taking its toll on her. Her face look tired, her movements were slower, and she was having trouble even carrying her bag.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take that for you?" asked Fleur

"No. I must do it myself but thanks."

"So, where to now?"

Gabrielle looked round where they were standing. They were in the middle of some form of housing estate. There was virtually no one about which pleased her. In every one of those taxi drives, she had seen the driver covertly look her over. And in every single case, she could see that they liked what they saw. If it was not for Fleur, she did not know how much longer she could have lasted before something happened.

The stress and travelling all the day was having a greater effect on her than she had thought. This last journey had really taken it out of her. It seemed like her arms and legs were made of lead. They ached and refused to move. Her body was desperately crying out for something and spying a park she indicated it to her sister.

"I need to sit down for a moment, Okay?"

Fleur nodded in agreement, not daring to comment on the time and so followed her sister into the park. As soon as they had cleared the gate, Gabrielle broke off from the path and lowered her bag slowly to the ground.

"Wait, Gabrielle," called Fleur giving the surrounding a quick look. Seeing nobody around, she discreetly pulled her wand out and conjured a blanket on the ground. With a word of thanks from Gabrielle, the pair of them sat on the blanket close together.

Gabrielle closed her eyes. She felt so tired that if she kept them closed for any moment, she would fall asleep. The quietness of the surrounding made it easy for her to find herself. She could see the many ribbons around, flowing in some magical breeze. She looked at the one she had been following all day. It had not changed since the start but, this time, she felt some pull, some magical tug. Instantly, her mind flowed along the ribbon and almost instantly she was there, in a garden.

She could see him, not clearly, but could see him standing there, surveying the garden. She could feel pride flowing off of him at the work that he had accomplished, yet he was sad at the loneliness. Her own heart melted at the sight that this boy, this man, she had wanted to be near, was so close. Everything inside of her was screaming in joy, she wanted to fling her arms wide and rush towards him, to feel herself being enveloped in his arms to feel the warmth and love.

Instantly, she felt Harry's feeling change. He was tired and proud but now, new emotions rose, ones of fear and suspicion. She could feel his magic swirl and reinforce him. Then, determination took over as he pulled his wand and started towards the bushes. He was searching, but what for? She could sense confusion as he moved from bush to bush. It then hit her; he could feel her presence. She had connected to him, and he to her. In a moment of panic, she flung herself away from him and felt herself flow back down the ribbon, but this time she took note of where it flowed.

Opening her eyes again, she turned to her sister. It was impossible to stop the smile spreading across her face as she spoke.

"He's over there, about two streets away. I felt him and he felt me."

"Oh, well done, Gabrielle," said Fleur pulling her sister into a hug.

"Yes, very well done indeed," called a second voice from behind.

Fleur had instantly pulled away from her sister and grabbed her wand. She tried to place herself between this new voice and Gabrielle. Gabrielle was groping for her bag intending to use it in whatever way was necessary to defend them both.

"Professor McGonagall?" asked Fleur.

"Yes, that's me," answered the voice stepping closer towards them. "The pair of you have done remarkably well. In fact, better than that, I think you have managed what was classed as the impossible."

"It wasn't me, it was all Gabrielle," replied Fleur lowering her wand now recognising the new arrival.

"Ah, let me look at Hogwarts newest student," called Minerva.

Fleur smiled at the Professor before asking, "So, you believe me now?"

"Oh, most definitely. All you have to do is convince that young boy over there."

Gabrielle could not believe this conversation and could not understand who this stern looking person was. She seemed to know Fleur but Gabrielle had not heard anything about her. As her sister turned, she whispered, "Who is this person?"

"Gabrielle, may I introduce to you Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Gabrielle could not make up her mind about the introduction and just posed the one word question. "Professor?"

"Yes, Gabrielle, I'm a professor at the school you will most probably be attending in the next couple of months. Professor Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on this place in case you turned up. I think he was not really expecting you but here you are."

"Are you going to stop me?" queried Gabrielle suddenly very cautious.

"No. I must say that I had, or should say, have some reservations about you, but this little demonstration shows me that you are indeed very knowledgeable in your field. Or that you are very, very lucky."

"So you won't stop me going to him?"

"No but I think it's a bit late. First impressions count. Yours did tonight on me. However I think Harry will need a different first impression, don't you?"

Gabrielle was caught now. Her magic was telling her to run, run fast. She knew now where he was and her magic wanted her to be there. But her mind was telling her that she had to be careful. He may see her for what she was and not what she is.

Lowering her head so she was looking at the floor, she replied, "I suppose you are right."

"Good then. So, where are you staying?"

Fleur responded to this question, "I'm hoping that the Weasleys would agree to let Gabrielle stay, at least for a little while."

"I've never seen them turn away someone in need yet. Well, I'll let you get going as I must return back to Hogwarts as Professor Dumbledore will want to know the news."

Gabrielle appeared with her sister in the lane outside of the Weasleys. It was the very first time that she had ever apparated and she did not like it one bit. She liked a good hug as much as the next girl but all the squashing was far too much. As soon as she shook the feeling off, she looked around at where they were. To say that the house in front of them looked rundown was to say nothing. Gabrielle knew that there would be few places in England that match the Delacour residence but this was worlds away. Yet this house did seem to exude a sort of warm homely feeling to her. Quickly catching up her sister who was already approaching the house, Gabrielle felt almost at home. In fact, it seemed that she was not as tired as she was before.

Fleur knocked loudly on the front door and awaited a response.

"Who is it?" came the voice of a woman from behind the door.

"It is me, Fleur."

"Fleur?" replied the voice. Ever so slowly the door opened a crack and a pair of eyes studied them. As soon as Fleur was recognised the door was flung open.

"Fleur, what's the matter? Why are you here? Is there something wrong with Bill?" came the questions from Mrs Weasley.

"No, no, no Mrs Weasley, don't worry, Bill is fine. I saw him yesterday morning at work."

"I thought you had gone home?" said Mrs Weasley in a slightly more suspicious tone.

"I did but a few things happened and I have had to come back."

"What things?" asked Mrs Weasley showing her concern.

"Nothing with me. It is Gabrielle."

"Your sister?"

"Yes. She's had a difficult few weeks but everything is now looking better for her."

"Oh, that's good," replied Molly politely but it was obvious that there was no real concern.

"That's why I'm here, Gabrielle. She has been given a summer assignment and, for the time being, needs a place to stay. I know it's a terrible indisposition but could you please look after her? Bill said that you wouldn't mind."

Molly had never heard of such a request. Often, her children had asked her if a friend or two could come round and stay but this was the first time that a non family member had asked. She knew from the conversations with Bill that it would not be long before she became family but this was different.

Fleur could see the indecision on Molly's face and did not know how to handle it. "Mrs Weasley, she is quite prepared to pay."

This did it for Mrs Weasley. They may be poor but they did not need a paying guest!

"Well I don't really …," started Molly but before she said any more, the girl standing slightly out of sight behind Fleur came into view. To Molly's eyes, it looked like the girl was about to collapse where she was standing. Her face show the determination to keep going but the body language showed that she was only just about standing there.

The perfectly formed face had the unmistakable expression of hope which was quickly fading at her reply. The state of her clothes and those of Fleur's showed that they must have been travelling for a very long time. If Molly did not know any better, she would have to say that they had just runaway from home. Instantly, she changed her mind.

"Of course you may stay and I would not hear another word about paying. Come in and meet the rest." With that, Molly lead the two tired and travel stained sisters into the house.

Ginny had only taken a brief amount of notice when she heard the noise at the front door. She quickly returned to reading her book. It was only when her mother walked in with two other people did she stop. Fleur was unmistakeable. She saw that little had changed from the last time that they had met but the other one seemed also very familiar. When her mother introduced the new girl as Gabrielle, Ginny could not believe what she was seeing.

The only time that Ginny had seen her was during the Tri wizard tournament, she had looked about nine but the girl in front was much older. She did look a little younger than herself but not by much and, by the way Ron's mouth was flapping, he was experiencing the same thing. Whatever had happened to Gabrielle was going to drive the guys wild. In fact, she started to feel very jealous of this young girl already and she had not even spoken one word.

"Ginny, I'm afraid that Gabrielle will be staying a while and so she is going to have to share your room. Do you mind showing her up?"

She was going to lose her room again! Every time a girl came to visit, she lost her room. She had been hoping to use the solitude in her room to try and work out a way to get to Harry but that was not going to happen now, was it? She had expected Hermione would be staying not this Gabrielle. Hermione at least sounded like she understood and could help her. Instead she now had a young part Veela who could only be a hindrance to her seeing Harry. Sighing to herself, she crossed the room to Gabrielle.

"Hi."

"Hi," came the weak reply. Ginny stopped for a moment and studied the younger girl. When she looked at her, it was clear that she was almost dead on her feet. As much as she didn't want to like her she felt a tug at her emotions. This young girl needed help and Ginny always tried to be helpful where she could.

"Do you want me to take that?" asked Ginny indicating the rucksack by the girl's feet.

"No!" came the startled reply as Gabrielle bent and picked up her bag.

"Oh… Okay then, follow me." Replied Ginny slightly taken aback by the quick reply.

Ginny walked up to the first landing and straight into her room. It was obvious that her mother, from downstairs, had conjured a second bed in the room already so Ginny indicated the new addition whilst taking a seat on her own bed. Gabrielle looked at the bed with a hunger in her eyes and almost fell full length upon it. Placing her bag on the covers, she rummaged around inside until she found what she was after. Extracting a small wash bag, she turned and asked, "Um, where's the bathroom?"

"Easy for us, it's the door opposite."

"Thanks." replied Gabrielle slowly walking out of the room.

Ginny sat there looking at the bag on the other bed. It looked dirty and well worn but there did not seem to be anything magical about it. Her mother had said that Gabrielle was going to be staying a while. Whenever Hermione visited, she always brought along a trunk full of stuff. How could Gabrielle be staying so long with such a small bag? Before she could investigate anything further, she heard the sound of the toilet being flushed and the returning steps of Gabrielle.

As soon as the young girl walked back in, Ginny was jealous. Gabrielle had spent the total of about two minutes in the bathroom and looked better than she did when she spent half an hour. Something in Ginny made her continue to study the girl. As soon as she returned to her bed, she packed away her bag and began to undress. Ginny could not believe the nerve of this new girl. Here she was, not five minutes from arriving and coming to this room, she was undressing right in front of her. Either she had no shame or she was too tired to care.

Ginny turned and looked out of the window into the darkening evening trying not to think about the girl undressing behind her.

After a few moments, she heard, "Thank you, Ginny."

"For what?" asked Ginny turning back. She saw that Gabrielle was now in bed the covers pulled up almost to her chin. The rucksack was lying beside the head of the bed all closed up. Next to that, were Gabrielle's shoes neatly placed together and at the foot of the bed were the jeans and top neatly folded up. All that was done in the time that Ginny had looked out of the window.

"Turning around."

"Oh, I thought you might want some privacy. I know I would."

"Yes, but it seemed so impolite to ask. I have already taken over half your room."

"Hardly," responded Ginny indicating the little amount the Gabrielle had actually taken.

"I'm trying not to be nasty to you."

"Hay, you're a girl right? You have to learn one thing quick. I have too many Brothers. Any girl who lives here, even if only for a short while, will always be my friend because we girls have to stick together against the most dangerous of sub-species.

"Dangerous sub-species?"

"Yes, you know "boys!""

"Ah okay," replied Gabrielle not knowing what to make of Ginny.

"Really, Gabrielle, if you want to use some of the space in the closet for your clothes, I don't mind. You just have to tell me one thing."

"What?" asked Gabrielle suddenly very suspicious.

"How do you look so good so quick?"

Gabrielle had to laugh at this. She was tired. Not as tired as before, but everything was telling her that she had to rest. Yet her magic was beginning to respond to this girl. Something about her was telling Gabrielle that she could trust her, completely.

"Ginny, as much as I would love your closet space, I've got to keep some secrets."

Ginny had to laugh now at this playful response. There was more to this girl then she first thought.

Gabrielle indicated the light.

"Ginny, I've had a very long day. I know that it is not late but do you mind? I am about to pass out."

Ginny smiled at the girl and nodded. As she left the room, she turned the light off and closed the door sure that Gabrielle was going to be asleep before she had even walked down the stairs.

Ginny awoke to a different noise. She had spent most of the last night talking to Fleur about her sister. For the majority of it, Fleur had done the talking but had not really given Ginny the information that she really wanted. Slightly frustrated, she trudged to bed with the rest of them several hours after Fleur and Gabrielle had arrived.

Her room was in darkness when she had entered and gotten ready for bed. She had always found it difficult to sleep when her mind was still working on a problem and this night was no different. Slowly, ever so slowly, she had eventually drifted off with her problems still not solved, but now she was awake.

She had yet to open her eyes preferring to listen to the house. She had spent many a night just listening, and knew the sounds of the house better than anybody. She had listened to the sounds of the ghoul knocking things about in the attic, which was a sure sign that rain was on the way. She had heard the sounds her parents made in their room when they thought that all the children were asleep. She had cringed at the noises the twins made every day in their room expecting the ceiling to collapse down upon her. She had listened to the sound the Ron made when he was alone in his room at night thinking about girls or, more probably these days, Hermione. But this sound was not one of them. This was new.

It was not as though she didn't know the sound. She had heard it many a time. Living in a girl's dormitory would educate anybody to this noise. She knew exactly what it was. In fact, she had made that noise more times than she can remember. What was wrong was her hearing it here, at home. Listening closer, she knew that the noise was coming from this room. That must mean Gabrielle.

Ginny's conscience told her that she had better not open her eyes and to leave the girl alone. This was "private" time and "most" girls did not like it when you walked in on them. But her curiosity was telling her to look. Fleur had talked about Gabrielle, about how she had a summer project to complete before she started school. How Gabrielle was hoping to start at Hogwarts this year. How she was different to herself in many ways etc. But this new sound did not fit the picture that had been painted by Fleur.

Opening her eyes an ever so small amount, she peered across the room. It was not long before her eyes became accustomed to the light and she could make out the outline of Gabrielle. She was still under the covers of the bed but the girl's quick movements told Ginny that she was right. Gabrielle's breathing was coming in shorter and shorter gasps as she continued doing it. Ginny found herself fascinated just to watch. She had seen other girls do it before but this was very different. The young girl was obviously trying to be quiet and was only just failing.

As the gasps came to their conclusion, Ginny could feel a response in her loins. For some reason she did not understand at the moment, she could feel the moisture between her own legs and a desire to do something about it. Still looking at Gabrielle, she saw that she had stopped moving about now and had a relaxed look on her face. Closing her eyes, she let her hand dip down for a quick rub knowing that even that quick experience was going to be pleasurable for her.

Just before she drifted back off into sleep, she heard a sigh and a quiet moan of, "Harry". An involuntary smile crossed her face as she hoped that no one had heard that moan and name she thought had come from her.

Ginny found that breakfast was the normal Weasley affair, large and noisy. She had joined in most of the discussions but kept a close eye on their new guests. Fleur had joined in for the most part as well, not exactly as boisterous as Ron or the Twins who had dropped round for the morning. Gabrielle was different though. She had sat quietly eating a small breakfast. It was like she did not like the noise and almost seemed to recoil into herself. When the Twins had started their normal games, she had looked almost scared.

As soon as breakfast had finished, the Twins asked Ron if he would like to help them get the shop ready. This was obviously the reason they had turned up and, with a quick nod from Molly, the three of them departed, following Arthur on his way to work through the floo. Fleur got up from the table and quickly helped her sister clear the table. Ginny studied the pair of them; they seemed to talking to each other but far too quietly to be overheard. As soon as the table was cleared, Fleur turned to her sister and gave her a long hug. Turning to Mrs Weasley, she said, "Mrs Weasley, I thank you again for agreeing to look after Gabrielle and letting me stay the night."

"You're going?"

"Yes, I'm due back at work. But if you don't mind, I'll drop by occasionally to see my little sister."

"That's perfectly alright, dear."

Fleur smiled and again gave Gabrielle another hug before crossing to Ginny gabbing her into a hug. Ginny was surprised at this but not as much as to what was said to her. "Look after her for me. She's going to need your help. Trust her and trust your feelings, please," whispered Fleur. Before Ginny could respond, Fleur continued, "Talk to her She can help with your problem and don't ever hate her. She always wants what is best for him."

With that, Fleur broke the hug. Ginny was not just confused but completely bewildered. Looking at the young woman, she saw that she gave Gabrielle a small nod before she turned and disapparated away.

Mrs Weasley got to her feet at looked at the two young girls. "Well, why don't the two of you go outside and enjoy the day while I finish up in here." Without a word, the two girls left the kitchen and walked out into the garden.

Harry sat up and looked round the shed. It was morning but he did not feel as bad as he thought he would. The previous day's work had left him exhausted and his limbs aching all over but now he felt almost back to normal. As he climbed out of his sleeping bag, he noticed that Hedwig was not back yet. Smiling to himself, he thought that at least one of them was really enjoying staying outside.

He started his normal routine and was soon watching the Dursleys tuck into their normal large cooked breakfast. As he waited for them to finish, so that he could start cleaning up, he reflected on the past day. Somewhere inside of him, he could not shake that feeling that something had been watching him. He often had the feeling but yesterday was the strongest.

He finished up the dishwashing with customary speed and looked over the list that had been left for him. With a little satisfaction, he saw that the list was getting smaller and smaller. Obviously Vernon was having trouble thinking up new jobs for him to do. As he wiped down the work surface, he heard a gentle tap tap tap on the glass. Thinking the Hedwig was back and she was just telling him, he ignored it and started work on the cleaning. Before he had even left the kitchen, he heard the tapping again.

Spinning round he called out.

"Yes I know you're…," started Harry, but he stopped as soon as he saw the owl. It was definitely not Hedwig. Sitting on the windowsill was a majestic brown owl. Its huge eyes just looked at Harry unblinkingly.

"You're new?" called Harry not recognising this bird.

The owl just stood there unmoving. Harry had the feeling that he was being evaluated. Suddenly, Moody's voice echoed in his head "Constant Vigilance." Instantly, he grabbed his wand from his trousers and pointed it at the owl. Slowly, almost gracefully, the owl lifted it leg. Harry saw that tied to its leg was a large thick envelope.

Harry shook his head at his jumpiness and smiled at the owl. Opening the window, the owl hopped in and presented its leg. As Harry started to untie the envelope, he heard his aunt from behind, "I'm glad Vernon isn't here."

Harry turned around once he completed removing the letter. He registered the noise of the owl leaving the way it came, but he continued to study his Aunt. "Harry, I'm sorry about …,"

"Don't worry, Aunty. It's not that bad. At least I can't hear Vernon and Dudley snore." Harry did not know exactly why he said this but he knew it to be right. Petunia chuckled slightly at the small joke.

"I just want to thank you for the sleeping bed, etc.," he continued.

"That's alright, Harry. I tried, you know?"

"Tried what?" asked Harry warily.

"To stand up to him but I couldn't. He's all that I've got. Him and Dudley. I can never be a part of your world and, after what happened to Lily, I don't want to. He threatened me to get me to tell him."

"Threatened you?" asked Harry not really believing it. Vernon had always been cordial to his Aunt. His anger had always been towards Harry.

"Oh no, not physically," replied a shocked Petunia. "He threatened to leave me. As I said, I couldn't survive that."

"So you told him then?"

"Yes, everything. Everything I could remember, everything that had been asked of me. He surprised me. He didn't rant or rave, he just sat there. Then eventually, he came up with the all this," she said indicating the list.

"Why did he even agree to let me back?"

"I asked him too."

"And he agreed?" asked an astonished Harry.

"Not at first, but something changed his mind. One day he came home from work and said okay he can stay but one false move and he's out."

"What happened to him at work?"

"He never said. I thought you should know anyway. I might not like your world but I can't condemn it," replied Petunia leaving Harry alone.

Looking at the retreating form of his Aunt, he felt more and more confused. Glancing at the letter in his hand, he turned it over and saw that it was sealed with a wax blob. Looking at the blob, he saw that it was inlayed with various runes and inscriptions. The writing above the seal claimed that it was from Burk, Brown, and Cloitus, Solicitors to the Wizarding Community. Knowing that now was not the right time to open this letter, Harry put it in his pocket and continued with his list of tasks.

Susan looked around the Atrium and tried to imagine what had happened here a few weeks ago. The place was the same as she had always seen it. There looked to be no damage at all. From what she had heard, the fountain had been completely destroyed at the very least yet, now it was as pristine as normal.

She had come to the Ministry with her Aunt. Every year, she went with her Aunt to the Ministry, and this year was no different. As normal, they were going shopping in muggle London during the first afternoon, but the morning was always taken up with a visit to the Ministry. Her Aunt always claimed it was so she could check into the department and see if there was anything important for her, but Susan knew the real reason. She was the real reason that they came.

Every time that she visited with her Aunt, she was dragged around the Ministry. As a young child, she always thought that it was fun but now she knew the real reason. All of the time she was here, she was being introduced to this person or that person in preparation for the time that she would start in the Ministry. Even these small connections that she was making would be invaluable if she started in the Ministry, as it was not so much how good you were but who you knew that sometimes determined what position you got.

Susan followed her Aunt into the lift still looking and thinking of that fight. Her insides were torn in two because of the fight. Half of her had wished that she was around when Harry and the rest had left for the Ministry because she had wanted to be with them, but the other half, her more rational half, had told her that she was no fighter. If she had gone, she would have died.

As the lift opened and they exited, the thoughts of that fight disappeared. She was led into her Aunts department taking note of the activity around. This was, by far, the busiest that she had seen it in all of the times that she had visited.

"Susan, I won't be long. Why don't you make yourself useful and see if you can help out?"

"Okay," replied Susan. This was also normal but it did allow her to learn how the Ministry actually worked. Glancing at the clock, she saw that there were only a couple of hours before lunch and so set about helping around the best that she could.

She had been working for over an hour when this latest report made her stop. She was filing various reports of underage magic use that had happened in the past week. She recognised various names as she was putting them away and remembered that she had a small smile when she read the report of Eloise Midgen. From the look of the report, she was still trying to remove the sneak from her face.

Susan had never really liked Hermione, always thinking that she was far too clever to be in Gryffindor and that contract had just underlined it. But the thought of the battle downstairs made her realise that the Hat was right to put Hermione in Gryffindor.

She lifted another report and glanced at the name. This one too she knew and it made her hand shake slightly. Not because of what it was reporting it was just that name. She knew a lot about this person but she really wanted to learn more. A lot of girls in her year did. She tried to convince herself that it was purely for research that she wanted to learn more but she knew she was kidding herself. Glancing around to see if she was being observed, she quickly read the report in full.

Yesterday at 16:47, an increase of magic was detected at *. We currently are unable to determine what spell, if any, was used. As this place is currently the residence of one Mr H Potter, we are assuming that it came from him.

We will continue our normal monitoring and if anything else happens we will report it in the normal ways.

Underage Magical Detection Section.

Susan read the report again. The address and, by the looks of it, a whole paragraph were blurred out from her view. She had seen secure documents before but this was the first to do with someone that she knew. The security on the document meant that she was unable to read those parts unless she was placed on the correct clearance list but it did not stop her wondering. Was he in trouble? Was he ok? What did that paragraph contain? Why was his address so secret? Had Harry found a way around the Magical Detection Section? Slowly putting the report away, she hoped that some time in the coming year she could ask him, purely for research again of course.

Amelia looked out of her office door at her niece. The report on Harry must be about to come to the top of her pile. Almost on cue, she saw Susan stop and glance round. Amelia kept the smile off of her face as her thoughts were confirmed.

For the past two days, whenever the two of them were talking, the conversation at some point would turn towards Harry Potter. Never directly, but it always did. Susan just kept talking about the defence club, or Quidditch matches, but not always about her house playing, but always about Gryffindor. However much Susan had tried to hide it, she was trying to find out everything she could about Harry Potter. This last thing just helped Amelia come the decision that Susan was more than just interested in Harry. The look of worry that was on her niece's face had betrayed her. Glancing at the clock, she saw that there was almost an hour before lunch. For once, she really did not want to stay any longer. She had found out what she had wanted but she must keep up the pretence. Looking back at the report in front of her, she idly wondered how all of this would affect her. *

Ginny and Gabrielle spent the whole morning talking about this and that. The two of them had walked round the garden a number of times talking and laughing at various stories. Ginny was surprised at the amount she talked. For some reason, she found herself telling Gabrielle about almost anything that was asked of her but now the pair of them were sitting on the grass at the far end of the garden.

As the silence stretched between them, Ginny thought about all they had talked about. She was surprised that she still knew very little about the girl. They had talked, and in fact, Ginny could not remember the last time she had had such a girly chat outside of school. Yes, Hermione had come and visited many a time but the talk always returned back towards school and books. This was definitely the first time that she had spent a whole morning just gossiping.

She thought about all that they had spoken; clothes, shopping, magic, Hogwarts. These topics had all come up but Ginny kept leading the discussion. Gabrielle just walked with her and listened. The only topic that they had not talked about was boys. Ginny instantly assumed that was due to Gabrielle's age but, on reflection, many of the discussions that they had were far above what someone of her age would normally be talking about. The silence continued as Ginny looked at what she would now call a friend. She saw that Gabrielle had her head down looking at the grass. From what she could see of her face, she looked scared. What of, Ginny did not know. Instantly she looked around, afraid that she had missed something but she saw that they were still alone.

As they had talked Gabrielle had sensed the emotions running off Ginny. At first she had been shocked that she could feel them and so clearly as the longer they spoke the more she understood. Feeling emotions was something that Veela could do. It had allowed them to survive for centuries but it was both a joy and a curse. It was the main reason she hated being around crowds. Yet now being with Ginny everything felt so much clearer.

Previously it had only been vague feelings but with Ginny it seemed so much sharper. Fleur had talked about Ginny and her infatuation for Harry in the past. However now it was no infatuation Ginny really did love Harry. Somehow the shared love of the same person seemed to make Ginny's emotions so much clearer to Gabrielle. Part of her mind tried to put everything into context and the teacher inside started to emerge.

"You love him, don't you?" asked Gabrielle without lifting her head.

Ginny was taken aback by this question. The quietness of the voice surprised her as much as Gabrielle's demeanour.

"What?"

"You love him, don't you?" Gabrielle asked again, still not looking up.

"Who do you mean?" questioned Ginny starting to feel very uneasy.

"Love is powerful, you know. The love of a Mother, of a child, a friend, a husband, a wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, they are all different, yet the same," continued Gabrielle still in the same voice

Ginny just kept looking at the girl. Had she just gone mad? What was she raving about?

"Do you love him?" Gabrielle questioned again.

Ginny looked around once more. They were still alone but she felt as if she was trapped in a small room. Whatever Gabrielle was asking of her seemed important but could she answer this girl with the truth? Her emotions were churning away but how could she get out of this one?

"Ginny, I think that you are going to be part of my summer project but I need you to trust me."

Seeing a possible escape, Ginny asked the question.

"What's your project?"

Gabrielle looked up at the older girl sitting with her. Her insides were telling her to trust Ginny but she still did not know if they were right.

"My project … is … a secret," Gabrielle finally answered.

Ginny could not believe that answer. This girl was asking her something that no friend had dared to ask her. After only a morning of talking, she would say that they had become friends but that question was unbelievable and then, when she asked her quiet, normal question, she had been given the run around. She let her emotions fuel her anger. It was not true anger, but was enough for her to fight with.

"Well then, when you answer that question properly, I MIGHT, but only MIGHT, answer your question. How dare you ask me such a personal question, you …you… little girl," spat Ginny springing to her feet and storming off into the woods at the boundary to the property.

Gabrielle was taken aback at the words Ginny had flung at her and stared open mouthed as Ginny had stomped off into the woods. Closing her eyes, she calmed her emotions down. This morning had been great for her. She had learnt so much just listening to Ginny talk about everything. She knew, though, that the conversation had never really ventured towards the subject she had wanted to ask.

When they had stopped, she had sat down and thought about the time she had and she had to know the real answer. Fleur had suspected the truth but she was going to have to know the answer and preferably before she saw Harry. She studied the retreating form of Ginny as it was lost in the shadows of the woods. This was her chance. Suspecting that she was not going to get many more, she slowly got to her feet and walked after the fuming girl into the dark woods.

It was not long before Gabrielle found Ginny. Walking the worn path had led her almost to the right spot. Near the ending of the path, she noticed that the bushes were disturbed, and so, looked through. On the other side was a smaller less used path which she followed.

Cresting a slight rise, she saw Ginny before her. She was sitting on a rotting log beside a small flowing stream. The noise of the water was soothing to her heart and the sunlight streaming through the leaves gave the place a magical glow. Making only a little noise, she walked down the path to the log and gently sat down. Not too close to Ginny, yet not very far away. She could hear the tears coming from Ginny's eyes. For whatever reason, she was crying. Not hard but persistent. Gabrielle knew the reason, but it did not make the question any easier. She still had to ask it.

"You love him, don't you?"

"What do you want of me?" asked Ginny through her tears. Gabrielle waited. Her Veela side telling her that Ginny's emotions were at almost breaking point. It was cruel to have this knowledge but with it she kept silent. In just a moment Ginny would tell her everything that she wanted.

"Do you want me to tell you yes? Then, yes! I love Harry with everything I've got. I see him and I just feel that I have got to be there next to him. When he walks away, I feel that the greater part of me is leaving with him. The short time that I've been back here, all I can think about is him; stuck in that house without anybody to love," cried Ginny finally letting go of her emotions.

Gabrielle felt the emotional barrier collapse and a flood of new emotions emerging. She was shocked at these emotions as they mirrored almost matched her own. Was Ginny the same as her? Was she tied to Harry? If so how? She was not a Veela? These questions instantly formed but Gabrielle batted them away there was something she had to do first. Closing the distance between them, Gabrielle gathered Ginny in her arms and hugged her as tight as she could. Gabrielle knew that the emotions that were rolling off the pair of them were becoming overwhelming for her but she had to be strong for the older girl at least for the moment. Ginny quickly gathered herself, realising where she was and what she was doing. Her mind rebelled at the thought of her break down in front of someone so young, but it just felt right. Something about all of this just felt right. She slowly pulled back and looked at Gabrielle. She was surprised to see that Gabrielle had tears in her eyes as well, but before she could ask, the younger girl started.

"You asked me a question and I think it's only fair that I answer it now."

"You don't have to if …," quickly replied Ginny

"No, I have to. You have to understand, have to trust me, because my second greatest hope is that we can learn to share."

Not exactly catching the hidden meaning, Ginny just sat there.

"You know what I am."

"Yes, your Fleur's sister."

"Is that all?" asked Gabrielle with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"Well, you look gorgeous, have a wonderful personality, and I find it easy to talk to you."

"That all comes from my heritage, I'm part Veela."

"Like Fleur?"

"Not really. Fleur's Veela side only really started to come out a few years ago. She had already developed fully as a witch and there is only a little Veela in her. I'm different. Just over a year ago, my side started to develop. It got a bit of a kick start and it seems that I have a lot more Veela in me than her. It started to change me. Not physically at first, but that came later. After a visit to my Grandmamma, I learnt a lot about what was happening to me. Soon, I started to read everything that I could about it. After a year of research, I have become quite knowledgeable in this area of magic."

"Area of magic?"

"It is an area that very few can use. Veelas are one of the few who are born with it. Normal wizards and witches can't use it or see it but they feel it just the same."

Ginny frowned at Gabrielle clearly not understanding.

"It's mainly emotions. The ability to sense, influence, or be influenced by, emotions. Haven't you ever walked into a room and felt something? Or you have been sitting down and felt someone else walk into a room?"

Ginny nodded. There were many a time that she had looked up and seen harry just walk in. Or have walked into a room with the twins and have known that something had just happened. But wasn't that just…life?

"Strong emotions are the easiest."

The questions that Gabrielle had been asking suddenly made things click inside Ginny's mind.

"You're talking about love aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am. Love is a powerful emotion, but only a few can influence it. Veelas developed the power as a defence mechanism. Who would kill someone they loved? Witches in the past have tried to learn this power but they found that it is not one that could be learnt from a book. Recently someone, a non Veela, has found out about this new power and that's my project. I'm to show this person how to use their power and to try and train them."

"But you're so young!" protest Ginny automatically.

"Only in human years. My Veela side is at full maturity so, even though I might look young, inside I'm not. If I was a full Veela, by now, I would be working and living my own life. If I dressed like a Veela and looked a little more like them, no one would question my age. But no matter which school I go to, I will not learn anything more about this magic than I already know."

Ginny started to process this information. The logical side was trying to fit the pieces together. The story sounded good but it was incomplete and then, with one word, the picture all fell together.

"Harry!"

Gabrielle dropped her head once more. How Ginny reacted would determine her next move.

"You're talking about Harry, aren't you?"

"Yes," replied Gabrielle simply.

Ginny calmly thought about this and tried to come up with the next logical question. Many were swimming around in her head but none of them dared to surface, then one did. It was the same as what she had just been asked. So quietly, she asked, "You love him as well, don't you? That's why you're here." Her mind did not even bother to wait for the answer. Like a runaway train, her thoughts came crashing out of her mouth. "You wanted to see the competition. Wanted to see what you were up against. Oh, very sneaky of you. I'm certain you'll do well in Slytherin."

Gabrielle tried to deny this, but could not make herself be heard as Ginny continued, "Well, I love him more than you. There is no way I'm letting you waltz in here and take that away. I know about Veela and how they twist everything. They steal you away from your family. No Harry needs more than that. He needs more than a "little girl"". Unconsciously Ginny's hand had drifted to her pocket where she kept her wand. "Why don't you pack up now before I get nasty." "Ginny please?" begged Gabrielle.

The tone of the Gabrielle voice tugged at Ginny's insides and made her stop her ranting but the fury was still building and wanted a release.

"Ginny, just please listen to me for a few minutes."

Ginny was ready to pull her wand but she did not. This little girl was going to take something away from her she knew it. She wanted to hex her into next week but she sat rock still.

Gabrielle continued. "You are right, in some of what you say."

"Hah!" triumphed Ginny.

"But in the rest, you are not. Do I love Harry? Yes. But the rest is not true, you have to trust me."

That word, trust, kept coming from both Gabrielle and Fleur. This word, this request seemed important to both of them. Gabrielle had gained only a little trust that day and she had used that up a little while ago. Yet inside something was almost urging her to take the chance? This was important. Not just to her, but to Harry as well. Could she trust this person for a little bit more?

"Okay," responded Ginny calming her running emotions and giving the girl one last chance.

"You love Harry. You love him with everything that you have got. You would die for him, now, this instant, if it was needed. You feel complete when in his presence. Your magic sings when you are near to him. How do I know this? Because that is how I feel, except I have Veela side as well. That side of me needs him. Without him, my Veela side will die. Without me, Harry may not truly learn his new power. I uniquely can experience both sides as both the teacher and pupil."

Ginny looked at the distraught girl. However she had done it, she was exactly right. She had guessed Ginny feelings perfectly.

"All I ask is that you join me in helping Harry. That is all that I request. If Harry does not want to love me in return or that he cannot accept me as a teacher then fine. I need to be near him, but if he decided that he wants me to go away, then I'll go, no questions. I won't stop him or you, no matter what happens I'll help you be with him."

"Why do you need to be near him?" questioned Ginny not really thinking.

"My Veela side would diminish. His and my magic are intertwined I think. If I don't stay close then it will probably fade. I would still be a witch in my own right. Not as good as one as I was, but I would be fine. This is all I ask of you. Leave it to Harry. Don't force him, just leave it and see."

Ginny paused and allowed her mind to think. Everything from Gabrielle sounded so farfetched but then what wasn't in the magical world, especially if it was connected to Harry.

"You are asking me to believe all that you have told me. How do I know that you are not making this up?"

Gabrielle looked around the small clearing as if checking all was clear.

"If you truly love him, I can show you that I'm telling the truth."

"How?"

"Close your eyes."

Ginny looked at Gabrielle again and saw that the younger girl looked once more her pristine self. There were no tears or any sign of them on her face. In fact Gabrielle looked like one of Hogwarts Professors. Whatever Ginny wanted to think about Gabrielle, that young girl could really control herself and her emotions. Slowly, Ginny closed her eyes, but left her hand on her wand, just in case.

"Okay, Ginny, a lot of this needs trust to begin with. When trust is lost, especially between those who love, everything is lost. I'm going to need you to trust me."

Listening to the words, Ginny did not understand what Gabrielle wanted. She did trust her, didn't she? She felt Gabrielle take one of her hands in hers.

"Ginny, please relax and trust in me, in Harry. You are safe here. Let yourself go."

The tension in Ginny's body started to slowly disappear as she listened to the soft voice. Knowing everything that she was being told to be true, this place was safe, her safe place in fact. She slowly let go of her wand and relaxed into those soft words and feelings.

Gabrielle felt the connection begin to stir. Ginny's posture got more and more relaxed and, as it did, she started to feel more of Ginny's emotions and magic. She had never really done this before with anyone like Ginny. She had done something similar before with Fleur, but she knew that this should be possible.

Ginny listened to the sounds of the woods not knowing what was going to happen. Then, almost as though someone was walking towards her from a distance, she started to feel something very different. She started to feel differing emotions. Sorrow slowly at first and then stronger and stronger. It was not her that was upset but she could still feel sorrow, and then a second emotion, determination to complete the job, frustration at Voldermort, at his Uncle. His Uncle! These were not her feelings, these were Harry's. Instantly, the connection was broken. Her eyes flung open and looked straight into Gabrielle's face.

"It was Harry!" she yelled.

"Yes," panted Gabrielle.

"You all right?" asked Ginny suddenly concerned at what the young girl had gone through.

"Just about. I've never done that before. You have a strong link to Harry but not to me and so it was difficult." Gabrielle shivered slightly and rubbed her legs together. Her Veela side wanted its payment for such an abuse.

"You cold?"

"No, Ginny, I'm not cold," replied Gabrielle knowing that she was going to have to explain.

"But you shivered." "Not from the cold, it's my Veela side."

"Your Veela side?" "Yes, you saw me last night when everyone was asleep."

Ginny was stuck now, and her mind did not help.

"Well, um…I…,"

"It's alright. I suspect we will get to see more of each other in the near future. My Veela side needs a mate, a companion, someone to love me. It is that strong emotion which helps my magic, it strengthens and recharges it. A physical act, be it a kiss or more is what it craves. You, and my witch side, needs rest when it is exhausted. The Veela side need this emotional release. Yesterday I had to have some form of release as I had been using my Veela magic all day, and self "love" is all that I have at the moment."

"When you say love, do you mean sex?" "Not really. Sex is one of the best ways to share your love but there are other ways."

"And so you shivered because you need a release, you need to be loved."

"Yes, but don't worry about it. I can survive for the moment. I'm not going to pounce on you or anything like that," smiled Gabrielle.

Silence descended again. Ginny was taking in this new information far more rapidly than she liked. She was going to need lots of time to sort this all out but seeing the opportunity, she went back to the earlier question.

"So, that was Harry."

"Yes, it was."

"What was all of that?" Gabrielle smiled a warm smile. "Welcome to my world, Ginny. For the past few weeks, I have been able to feel Harry's emotions. In fact, I have been able to take some of the pain from the more hurtful ones. What I tried to do was show you what I can see. You have a strong link to Harry and, in time, you may even develop the power to feel these emotions. It was the only way I could think of to prove me right."

"So what's wrong with him," asked Ginny with concern.

"I don't know. I'm not that good yet, he's been like that all morning. The sorrow that he's been feeling for the past weeks has boiled up."

"We have to go to him," cried Ginny springing to her feet.

"You don't think I'm trying to steal him from you, then?"

Ginny spun round surprising herself with the answer. She just felt that it was right one.

"No, I don't think so. You were right. I would do anything for him. If it meant that I had to share him, I could live with that. So if you feel the same, I can understand. Just one more question, for the moment. Is everything I feel true? Or am I like Ron when Fleur is around."

"How very perceptive of you. Until I talk to Harry, I really don't know the answer. I suspect that there might be a little of Harry's influence but it would only work like this if you truly wanted it."

"That I do," replied Ginny with the answer coming straight from the heart.

Reaching out her hand to Gabrielle, Ginny pulled her up but did not let go.

"Well then, we had better get back. If mum saw us disappear for this length of time, she might think that we were up to something naughty."

"Stop that. You're not the standing here dying to do something like that type."

Both of the girls let out a laugh that drifted up through the trees into the afternoon skies.

Mrs Weasley looked up out through the window for what she thought was the hundredth time. She had seen the two girls walk round the garden all morning. It was nice for her daughter to have another girl to talk to. Almost every school break, Ginny stayed at home and, except the occasional times that Hermione visited, she had little or no contact with other girls.

As she had watched the pair, it was easy to see that the two of them became friends fast. They talked and laughed like she did when she was their age, but then it all changed. They had sat on the grass at the far edge of the garden. They were not there for long before she saw Ginny jump up. It was clear that she was shouting at Gabrielle and then, suddenly, she had stormed off into the woods.

Molly had almost run out of the door as she watched. Ginny knew that she should not be leaving the grounds in these troublesome times but she kept herself in check. The confession that she had heard about Harry was still playing at her heart and she suspected that Ginny needed some time to come to terms with it. It only pleased her slightly when she saw Gabrielle rise and follow in Ginny's wake. She really didn't trust Veela, but with Fleur getting close to marrying her Bill she had little choice.

It was then that Molly had started to look at the clock more frequently. She looked from the clock, to the window, to the cooking, and then back to the clock. As each second passed, her nerves increased. She liked giving her daughter some freedom but she just wished she was in sight. Almost at the moment that she could wait no longer, she saw the pair return. They were holding hands and were laughing at something. This simple scene told her that she had been right to wait, yet what had that Veela done?

The pair of them entered the kitchen still in high spirits about something. Gabrielle disappeared upstairs as soon as she could. Ginny just waited in the kitchen watching her mother.

"So, Ginny, what do you think of Gabrielle?" asked her mother.

"Well, mum. I have to say, at first, I couldn't believe that I was going to have to spend the summer with such a young girl, but after talking to her, she seems much older. It's surprising but we have a few things in common," smiled Ginny.

"Oh? Such as?"

"Nothing important," lied Ginny.

Molly did not believe the answer her daughter had just given but let it go anyway.

Ginny retreated out of the kitchen before any more questions could be asked. The quiet of the living room was a relief as it gave her the time she needed to think. Her brothers had always been good at cooking up plans. She just had to use her resources and see if she could out do them.

On their walk back from the woods, Ginny could not get the feeling of Harry out of her head. No matter how much she told herself that he was safe and that she could not reach him, it did not matter. She just had to see him. It was then, that Gabrielle explained that she could find Harry, but could not get close enough without the use of muggle taxis. Ginny was almost speechless at this announcement. She knew how to get close. She just did not know the exact location. Between the pair of them, they could do it. They could go and see him, and everyone be dammed.

Ginny had confidently told Gabrielle not to worry about the travel arrangements. But now faced with actually doing it, she was beginning to lose her nerve. Stealing herself, she looked back at the kitchen to see what her mother was doing. Molly was sitting at the table knitting and listening to the wireless. Ginny hoped that her mother stayed to her normal pattern. She would sit there and listen to the afternoon cookery programme before finishing cooking the evening meal. This would give her at least an hour to get everything ready.

Taking a small amount of floo powder, she tossed it into the fire and called out, "The Snokles". As soon as the flames changed colour, she stuck her head in and she felt her head spin as the connection was made. Opening her eyes, she saw the main room of her friend's house. Calling out for Luna, she waited for her to arrive. Almost instantly, the girl came running into the room.

Ginny felt her mouth drop as she saw Luna running towards her. She had seen Luna at school and during the DA but the person that was running towards her was almost completely different. Luna was wearing very little. Her breasts were swinging madly because the small triangles of her bikini were offering little support. At school, Ginny had been secretly jealous of the girls that were well endowed but Luna had never been amongst them. Yet those swinging breasts were causing her to reconsider the girl. The short skirt was waving madly and Ginny was certain that if Luna bent over or even just sat down, she would be able to see her knickers.

"Hi Ginny, what do you want?"

Composing herself quickly, Ginny replied.

"Luna, I really, really need a favour."

"Of course, Ginny. What do you need?"

Before she asked her question, the swinging breasts made her blurt out another question.

"Luna, where have you been hiding those?"

Luna looked down at her chest and gently cupped each one.

"Oh these? I normally have them in my clothes you know."

"I know, but they are so big."

"You think so?"

"I know so. So where have you been hiding those?"

"I normally don't wear anything as free at school. Here, I can wear however much or little I like. I prefer to let them out at home. At school, they will just make more fun of me."

Ginny's face in the fire shook slightly at her friend's antics but the pain beginning in her knees reminded her that time was short.

"Luna, I need you to cover for me and a friend."

"A friend?" asked Luna wondering what Ginny was up to.

"Yes, you know Fleur Delacour? It's her sister. She staying with us this summer and we need to get out for a few hours tomorrow. I'm going to tell mum that I'm over with you. Will you cover for me?"

"Well, I don't know. I was planning on going to dad's work. There's an article I want to read."

"Please?" begged Ginny.

"Alright then, but you'll tell me what it's all about?"

"Of course, thanks," answered Ginny pulling her head out of the fire.

Smiling to herself, she sat back on the sofa. Part one was done. All she had to do now, was wait for breakfast tomorrow and, with a little bit of luck, and good planning, she would be able to distract her mother long enough to get the pair of them out of here. Bursting with excitement, she just had to tell Gabrielle the plan. She just hoped that she was finished upstairs.

Harry cleaned up the mess from lunch quickly and walked into the garden. Finding a small shady patch of grass, he lowered himself to the ground and took out the letter. He had been putting off opening the letter but knew he must do it before Vernon came home.

As he had been cleaning all morning his mind tried to come up with any logical reason for a firm of solicitors to write to him. Every single time he thought about it, the answer made him feel sad. This letter was only going to be bad news. Bracing himself, he broke the seal. Tiny blue and red sparks were emitted as he did so. Slowly, he pulled the folded parchment from the envelope and began to read.

Dear Mr Potter,

We understand that it is currently a difficult time for you at the moment but some matters regarding your late Guardian have forced us to contact you now. We have been employed by Mr S. Black as the executors to his Will.

For the past four weeks, we have been investigating the financial position of said Mr S. Black and we are now in the process of following his instructions. According to his instructions, you have been left several legacies. These can all be found detailed on pages two and three.

To help us finalise everything, we would request that you stop by our offices and sign a set of paperwork accepting everything that has been left to you. Time is not crucial but we would like this matter to be cleared as soon as possible.

Once again, we share in your sorrow and if there is anything you don't understand or you wish for some advice, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Yours Regretfully,

P.R. Brown

Harry got to the end of the letter and felt the past four weeks creep up on him. Every time he had thought about Sirius, the sorrow came and then went, but this time, that did not happen. The loss and emptiness welled up inside until it burst out of his face.

He felt the tears rolling down his face and his sobbing rocked his whole body. Why did Sirius have to go like that? Every time he spent some time with him, Harry had felt better than he had ever done, but now that was gone. He was gone like his parents. He knew that he had not thought about his parents loss for some time but now was not the right time. Now was Sirius's time.

Harry sat there, letting the tears roll down his face for who knows how long. He remembered all he could about the time he had spent with his godfather. As each memory burst over him, he felt like there was a warm gentle presence with him. It seemed to stroke him and comfort him. Was this Sirius telling him that he was okay? Why did he have to go? This last question answered its self, Voldemort. Sirius would not have stood by letting Voldemort rule. He had and did stand up to him. It was the right thing to do.

The right thing to do? The right thing to do? What was the right thing for him to do? Fight, fight Voldemort, he wanted to scream but how could he? Love, Dumbledore had said Love, but what could love do against that person. He had seen Voldemort and Dumbledore duel. It was amazing but what could love do against that? But something inside of him told him that he had to fight, if only for the people who could no longer.

The rest of the day seemed to drag for Harry after reading his letter. His thoughts were always upon Sirius or his parents. Why did they have to die? He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he almost burnt the dinner. As the evening started to draw in, he was glad to retire to the shed. The peace and quiet would be most welcome in this stressful day.

As soon as he pulled open the door, he saw that the day was far from over. Sitting atop a garden fork was his faithful owl. Harry was a little surprised that he had neither seen nor heard from her all day. But now, looking at her, he understood why. As calm and proud as she could be, she was sitting waiting with a letter tied to its leg. "I hope that this is better than the last," called Harry waving his other letter at her.

Hedwig just sat there, waiting for Harry to remove the letter. Harry retrieved the letter and instantly recognised the writing on the front. It was from Dumbledore. Hedwig hooted once and then hopped to her normal place, closed her eyes, and, what Harry could only assume, went to sleep.

Harry sat on top of his sleeping bag with this new letter in his hands. He was almost dreading opening it but resolved to do so anyway. Pulling the letter out, he started to read.

Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you in better spirits than the last time we spoke. I have been informed that you have received official notification about Sirius will in the past few days. First off, can I, once again, offer my condolences? Sirius always did fight for what he thought was right and for his "family" and you were most definitely his "family". I understand that you may wish to visit the Offices of the Solicitors but please, could you tell me so that I can arrange the travel for you?

At this time, I know that it might be difficult to see a way forward, but there will be many changes this year. The fight is now on, but you must try and put that out of your mind and live the life that you want to live.

There are many questions that you probably want to ask and the foremost is How much longer? For once, I cannot answer that one. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't know. We spoke about your new power and I have managed to arrange for an expert to help you. Unlike any previous times, you DO NOT have to accept this expert. If, for any reason, you do not think that this person is appropriate, don't hesitate to contact me and I will personally take over.

This expert should be contacting you within the next few days. It is she who will decide the final time for you to leave, but I must ask you to think before making any rash decisions.

I also have a request of you. I need your help. I have a friend that I would dearly love to take up the free position at Hogwarts this year. I feel that he will not accept under any condition that I can give him, but realise that you might be able to persuade him better than me. If this is acceptable to you, I will contact you closer to the time.

Harry, please, don't let what happened last year come between us as there is much I wish to teach you myself this year. Time is, as normal, shorter than we wish so I must leave you for the moment, but remember I'm here if you want to talk.

Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

When Harry reached the end, he could not believe that this letter was true. Some things in the letter just did not make sense to him. Dumbledore asking for help. Dumbledore wanting him to treat him like a friend. All of this was odd to Harry. The only thing in the letter that peaked his interest was this training. What was some woman going to show him?

As he closed his eyes and lay down, he could not imagine what this woman was going to be like. He just hoped that she was nice. With a small smile, he drifted off into another peaceful sleep.

So far, for Ginny, everything was going perfectly this morning, except this. She was standing in the middle of her room with clothes flung all over the place. She was going to meet him today and she didn't have a clue of what to wear. She had gone through plain, sensible, sexy, outrageous, and all the way to exotic. Nothing she had chosen was right. Harry had seen most of her clothes before at school and she wanted today to be different, to be special.

Gabrielle opened the door and quietly entered. She smiled slightly at Ginny as she rushed round once more. If she had been back in her own room she could imagine herself doing the same. But as she only had her rucksack, she was limited, very limited, in what she could choose from.

"Ginny, you said that we had to go soon."

"I know, but I've got to find something to wear. It's got to be perfect." "Do you mind if I make a suggestion?"

Ginny spun round to her new friend. Gabrielle was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but on her, it looked perfect. But could she really help her?

"What…what? Do you think that short skirt, or those trousers?"

"No, Ginny. I think you should wear what you would normally wear. I suspect that today Harry will have a very hard day. A little normality will help. If you try and dress to impress, I think he won't notice. In fact, he might react badly."

"Why, because of you?" asked Ginny stopping her rummaging again.

"Yes, partly."

Ginny looked at her friend more suspiciously. Was she trying for Harry again? But before that train of thought could continue, Gabrielle spoke up.

"It's because of me and what I, we, have to tell him. It's unlikely that he will accept me right off. He might react badly. But you being you might calm him enough to see his new power. That's only thing that I think is going to convince him. If not …," she left that statement unfinished.

"He would never harm you," responded Ginny sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I suspect that's right, but I must convince him. Otherwise I just don't know. I think that Dumbledore will step in and get my Sister."

"Hay, come here," called Ginny seeing the smaller girl's eyes well up.

Gabrielle crossed the room quickly and felt her new friend envelop her in a hug. She instantly felt better. This hug was different from her Sister's. She didn't know why, but it was different, warmer. She felt not only safe but well protected as well.

After a few moments, they broke apart and looked at each other. Ginny's face had confusion written across it but she shook her head and it cleared.

"Alright then," she said changing only her top for a clean one.

"So how are we getting there?" asked Gabrielle.

"Well, I can get us close. I have overheard the "adults" talk about Mrs Figg. It seems to be a place that they use as a rendezvous for Harry's. From there, it's all up to you."

"That's okay, as long as it's close," replied Gabrielle following Ginny out of her room.

Ginny and Gabrielle entered the main room to see that chaos was still raining. The twins were still receiving Molly temper over the mess that she thought they had caused, whilst they tried to clean it up.

"That was a real mean trick, Ginny," commented Gabrielle still looking at the mess in the kitchen that Ginny had managed to produce.

"I know but they do deserve it just because they're boys!"

The pair of them quickly walked over the fireplace and Ginny called out. "We're off to Luna's, mum!" Ginny knew that her mum really didn't like Luna but last year she did allow visits, once more, to their place. Ginny just hoped that it would be the same this year. As she cast the floo powder into the fire she purposely didn't wait for a reply, just in case.

As Ginny stepped out of the fire, she looked at Luna, who was waiting for them. Ginny had to smile to herself. Her friend really did not care about what the popular belief of what a teenager should be wearing. The bright orange t-shirt and white shorts were not bad, but the purple socks and huge necklace was just plain wrong.

"Hi, Ginny, glad you got here as I've just heard that the running knarles are out today."

"Hi, Luna, thanks for this. If I can do the same, just ask," greeted Ginny ignoring the knarles comment.

A delicate whooshing announced the arrival of Gabrielle behind her.

"Hello, who's this?" said Luna looking at the new girl. Luna felt something strange, like this new person might be important.

"Luna, this is the friend that I have staying with me, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle studied this new girl. Her sense, or was it her magic, was telling her that there was something very different about this person. The outward appearance was different to the inner person, but as much as this new girl intrigued her, she just wanted to get to Harry.

Ginny looked between her two friends. It was as though the pair of them were having a conversation. The looks on both their faces were changing rapidly as they looked at each other.

Eventually, Luna broke the silence. "So, where are you off too?"

"Well...um...ah…," stammered Ginny not really wanting to give away their destination.

"Oh... Harry then," replied Luna.

Ginny's mouth just hung open in shock.

"It's alright, Ginny. I'm not that jealous. Please just tell him I found my school things. Okay?"

"Oh…um…Okay then," replied Ginny still not knowing how Luna had worked it out.

"You should be going, Ginny, otherwise you might run out of time."

Ginny just smiled again at her friend. Somehow, she had gotten it right again.

"Yeah, thanks again," replied Ginny as she turned to Gabrielle.

Throwing the Floo powder into the fire again, she called out "Mrs Figg'" and, in a green flash, they were gone.

Luna stood there, looking into the empty fireplace. She shook her head at the feelings she had. The mention of Harry had stirred up the feelings from the end of term and had to smile at herself at the memory of him asking to help her find her school things.

Turning round, she thought that, if she was lucky, she might be able to get out into the garden to look for those running knarles.

Ginny stepped out into a dimly lit front room. The smell of cats and damp furniture permutated her nose as soon as she stopped. The room did not look lived in. Yet something disturbed her and she dropped her hand towards her wand. She had brought it along, not because she thought she was going to use it, but because she thought it was right.

She felt a small hand rest on her back as Gabrielle surveyed the room with her. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw the Gabrielle looked scared. Giving the girl a small smile, she turned back and took a step towards the doorway. Instantly she stopped as she saw movement in the darkest corner. Her wand, almost on its own, leapt to point towards the movement.

"Now, Miss Weasley, is that any way to treat your old teacher?" came the voice from darkness.

"Professor Lupin!" cried Ginny now seeing his face as he walked from the darkness. She dropped her wand arm and ran towards him throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"Hay, what's that for?"

"It's good seeing you again after that awful woman."

Remus stepped back a little uncomfortable with this teenager's physical contact. With a little space now between them, he used his height to study the other arrival. So this was Gabrielle he assumed. She did not look her age but she did look young. His eyes did not travel up and down her body as most men would have done. He just looked into her face. He hoped that somewhere inside of that face, he could see the answer to his moral question.

For the past day, he had been waiting here. As soon as he had heard from McGonagall about Gabrielle finding Privet Drive, he knew that he had to see this Gabrielle for himself. At such a young age, she had managed to do what no normal adult could do, break through Dumbledore's wards.

Looking into her face, he tried to read the expression. He could see a little of the worry there but nothing else showing. His appearance from the shadows should have shocked her more. She should be standing there, frightened at the new surroundings, and especially of him, but it was not showing. Either this girl had no fear or she could control her emotions.

He had spent the last day reading and was surprised to find that the Fleur girl had been right. There was indeed very little written down about this form of magic. One book had said it was the most powerful and dangerous. Another had claimed it to be nothing more that trickery used by the Veela race. Whatever it was, could this girl really be an expert?

Gabrielle felt the man's eyes bore into her. For once, this person was not looking at her but into her. Most men's eyes, at least, flicked over her body when they first met, but he did not. She felt his cold eyes trying to read her. His appearance had shocked her more than she had ever been. The man just kept looking at her but she could see the questions on his face. She wanted to close her eyes, to feel the room, but knew that if she did, it might look bad so she waited it out.

Oblivious to the private battle that the other two were having, Ginny butted in, starting to introduce her new friend. "Professor Lupin, I would like to introduce …"

"Gabrielle, I assume. I've heard of you from your sister. I'm Remus Lupin," quickly interrupted Remus holding out his hand.

Gabrielle reached out her hand, intent on lightly shaking the offered hand, but as it got closer, she started to feel something different. Something in the room was different. Before she grasped the hand, she stopped dead and looked closely at the man. Something was not right with him.

Remus looked at his hand still left out in the air. Gabrielle had come closer but had stopped just before she touched him. He sensed the magic in the room change and shift. The girl in front of him was now wearier. Time seemed to slow down as he stood there and waited. Ginny closed the gap between herself and Gabrielle almost instinctively. Something made her ask the question, "You okay?"

"Something is wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yes, wrong, wrong with him," replied Gabrielle dropping her hand.

Remus was slightly shocked. Did she know something? Could she know about him?

Without thought, Ginny found herself sliding between Gabrielle and Remus. Her mind told her that this person was Remus, but something in Gabrielle words made her stop and think.

"Why are you here?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Remus looked at Ginny who was now moving in front of Gabrielle. The look on her face had changed from happiness to a kind of suspicion. He did not feel worried as yet but he was certain that Ginny was fingering her wand, ready to bring it to bear again.

"How about we all sit down? We have a number of question to ask each other and I think that you probably don't have a lot of time for I doubt your mother has approved of this…outing."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked back into the darkness and the chair he had been sitting on. With a small flick, he illuminated the candles and bathed the room in a soft light. Ginny looked behind to her friend and nodded over to the sofa where she joined her.

"Okay, Ginny I'll go first. I'm here to meet you."

"But how did you know we were coming?"

"I did not know when you were coming. I was just waiting. After Gabrielle met with McGonagall, she informed both me and Dumbledore about what Gabrielle had done. Something that no normal wizard could do, might I add. I had to see for myself. We knew that, at some time, she would be meeting with Harry. Suspecting that she had no other means of travelling long distance, I assumed that she would be using the Floo network. To do that, she was going to need help. To be honest, I suspected Ron, and not you, Ginny, but never mind."

"But why are you here?" Ginny continued to question.

"To see Gabrielle, that's why," answered Remus looking directly at the younger one.

"Why?" asked Gabrielle not turning away from the look.

"Simple. I had to see if you were what your Sister had told us about. I was asked to be at that meeting between her and Dumbledore. He asked me to be there to represent Harry."

"And?" asked Ginny not liking where this was going

"Even though I was there, I said that I could not represent Harry. He has to make the decisions for himself, but that does not mean that I don't care for him. When I was told of what you are supposed to be able to do for him, I could not believe it. I want too but I can't."

"Why don't you believe in me and what I can do?" asked Gabrielle.

Remus opened his mouth to respond but found that he could not. She had asked such a simple question. The quick reply was of her age. But was it that or was there something else?

Gabrielle let the silence hang there for a few moments before talking again. "You just said that I have done something that no normal wizard could do. So don't look at me and see my age. See my ability."

Such a response to his unspoken question made Remus think even more. But as much as his mind was saying "Give her a chance", the rest was rebelling at what polite wizarding society would say at someone so young being involved with the Famous Harry Potter.

"What can you do for him?" he found himself asking.

"Teach him."

"What?"

"How to use Love."

The use of the Love word made him cringe inside. How could these young people know about Love? It was intangible, unimaginable. At their age, it was but a dream. He closed his eyes and thought, thought hard. How could he let them go to Harry?

"Professor Lupin."

"Yes, Ginny," replied Remus opening his eyes.

"You said that you could not make decisions for Harry. Let us, at least, see him. Let him decide."

Remus knew he was defeated. He had to let them go to him. With a small smile, he nodded his head.

"Okay."

Harry looked up at the length of the floor he was cleaning. The past couple of days were beginning to take their toll on his body. This morning after breakfast, he found his list again. The top item was to scrub the kitchen floor clean. He started the job with his normal pace, but quickly found that his arms and legs were stiff and non responsive to his demands.

He had been cleaning for what felt like all day, but a glance at the clock showed him that only one hour had passed. He had wished that the mundane working of cleaning would keep his mind off the events of yesterday but, unfortunately, it did not. As he scrubbed the floor, his mind kept returning to Grimmauld Place and then to Sirius.

The ringing of the doorbell registered in Harry's brain but he continued with his work. He stopped instantly when he heard his Aunt call out.

"Harry, you have some visitors."

Slowly getting to his feet, he tried to think of who it could be. Had Dumbledore come early for him? Were Ron and Hermione visiting? Was this visitor his new Teacher? His mind whirled around the possible combinations of people that it could be. Drying his hands, he walked out of the kitchen and into the hall. The long wavy red hair, the bright eyes, and smiling face told Harry instantly who was visiting him, Ginny.

"Harry!" called Ginny as soon as she spotted him. She took an involuntary step towards him. Her body wanted to throw itself at him to hug him. She wanted to tell him that all would be alright but she managed to check herself. "Ginny? What are you doing here?" asked Harry suspiciously. He was pleased to see her. In fact, he felt his stomach turn slightly at the look she was giving him. But why was she here?

"I've come to visit, to chat, and introduce you to someone."

"Who?" asked Harry growing more suspicious by the minute. His hand slowly dropped to his side near his hidden wand.

"Guess?" chimed Ginny in a playful voice as a second girl walked round Ginny.

Harry felt his heart melt and stomach drop as the girl walked round Ginny. She was smaller than Ginny but, by any person's eyes, she was perfect looking. Her face was lit up with a smile and was famed by stunningly blond hair. The blue eyes were open and wide looking straight at Harry. Not at his scar, as most did, but right into his face.

He felt his magic swirl and pull. A small tug played at his arms and he had the feeling that all he wanted to do was hug this girl. Hug this girl? What was he thinking? Instantly, he fought against his magic and these new feelings. He could feel the two girls looking at him and decided the hallway was too restrictive to hold them all.

"Um … why don't you come in and sit down," asked Harry indicating the front room.

The two girls quietly followed Harry and sat themselves on the sofa. Ginny was still smiling at Harry's response to Gabrielle. She was jealous but suspected that every boy would react the same way.

Harry continued to look at the new girl. He could feel a slight response in his lower body and there was something about her that seemed familiar but he could not place it.

"Do I, um, know you?" he asked

"Yes, I'm Gabrielle," came the sweet reply. Harry was momentarily caught by the sweetness of the reply, the gentle voice seemed to caress his insides, and then his mind caught up. Gabrielle, Fleur's sister, the one he rescued from the lake.

"Your Fleur's sister."

"That's right."

Harry shook his head at the thoughts running through it. It was nice to see two different people but why were they here and why did he feel so strange?

"It's nice to see you Ginny and you Gabrielle but… um… why are you here?"

Ginny looked at Gabrielle and saw that her friend was in an almost daydream so decided to answer the question herself.

"We wanted to see how you are. We thought that you might like some company for a change and so came round to see you and … um …things."

This was clearly not making sense to Harry and it showed. He had always looked at Ginny as Ron's sister. He did enjoy the time that they had together during DA and at school. And, yes, she had had a crush on him in the first year but why was she visiting? Ron, he could understand. Even Hermione coming to visit, but Ginny? And what was it with Gabrielle?

He continued to mull over these thoughts not knowing what to say. He had really only be alone with a girl a few times, not counting Hermione, and he just didn't know what he should be doing.

Aunt Petunia stood in the doorway looking at the group in front of her. She had followed them in, intent at reminding Harry about his work, but something made her stop. She continued to study the new arrivals and felt the hairs on her arm raise. The look that the ginger haired girl kept giving her was frightening. It was as though she wanted to attack her for just standing there. The blond haired girl hardly gave her a look but the one that did was very penetrating.

"Harry, why don't you go out back and chat amongst yourselves in such a nice day out there?" asked Petunia feeling more and more uncomfortable in her own house.

"Um...Okay then," answered Harry getting to his feet and leading them out into the back garden.

He walked to his favourite spot in the shade created by the trees and sank to the grass. He stretched out his legs and leaned back slightly. He continued to study the two girls. They were different yet the same. Ginny seemed to flop down very much like he had done and stretched out her legs, but Gabrielle gracefully lowered herself and tucked her legs under.

"So…um…what have you been doing?" Harry asked trying to start a conversation.

Ginny looked quickly to Gabrielle and then jumped right in. "Not much really. Been at home helping out. Trying to think up ways of getting Dumbledore to let you go early."

"You shouldn't really," mumbled Harry.

"Why not? You should not be here. You should be with people that care for you."

"They care for me here," replied Harry automatically.

"Yeah, right." scoffed Ginny.

Silence descended for a moment.

"So, after all that, you decided to visit me?" asked Harry again trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I thought you needed it," whispered Ginny lowering her head. Harry was stunned by this. Was Ginny acting shy? Why?

Gabrielle closed her eyes to try and quell her racing emotions and magic. When Harry had first looked at her, she had to use every ounce of willpower she had not to throw caution to the wind and run into his arms and beg him not to let go. Her magic, her very being, was screaming at her to grab him and not let go forever.

Slowly, she found her centre as the two others tried to have their conversation. She felt her Veela magic sing in happiness and felt her own response. Everything seemed much easier, much clearer. She felt almost powerful, invincible, protected, many differing emotions and, for once, she could not trace them.

Opening her eyes, she could now clearly see the ribbon that was connecting them. In fact, she could see a new ribbon connecting her and Ginny. This surprised her and she felt her focus going. Quickly suppressing her surprise, she refocused on her connection to Harry. It had changed, she was sure of it. It seemed more vibrant, more alive. Breathing out slowly, she let the image just fade away.

Still feeling very uncomfortable, Harry turned his face to look at Gabrielle. There was little of the girl he remembered in the person in front of him. He felt happy, almost content at looking at her. It was almost like the Imperius Cursehis mind was telling him. The Imperius Curse, Imperius Curse, kept running round in his head. It was as though he was trying to join the dots but kept missing one. He was missing something here.

Ginny explained that Gabrielle would be starting at Hogwarts this year and this, to Harry's relief, allowed them to launch into a long talk about his most favourite of places, Hogwarts.

Voldemort looked up from the fire. He was sitting in his normal high back chair. He had its back to the door but this did not worry him, nothing worried him. The sound that his retainers made only confirmed what he already knew. They were waiting for him.

Lazily, he swung the chair round to face the assembled people. He did not raise his voice but knew they would all hear.

"Report."

A balding pale man stepped forward. "They have stopped, my lord."

"Stopped?"

"Yes, my lord, they have stopped. The Dementors have returned to their home, they say to rest."

"To rest?"

"We think that they are mating, growing stronger."

"Very well. Keep a close eye on them."

"Yes, my lord," instantly bowed the man before retreating from the room.

"Next."

A heavy set man walked forward.

"We have managed to convince a contingent of the Giants to relocate. It should not take us too long."

"Good. Send them to the southwest."

"At once," replied the man turning.

"Oh, Norden, make sure that they don't attack the nearby villages when they arrive."

"Of course," replied the man bowing before leaving.

The next person walked forward. She was tall and slim built, but before she could speak Voldemort, held up his hand.

"Frobisher, I want your report now."

A well dressed wizard walked to the front past the three remaining retainers.

"My lord, good news. We have managed to find the location you asked for."

"Oh, very good," Voldemort purred.

"It was not easy …," continued the man.

"I don't care about your ease," replied Voldemort with venom.

"Yes, my lord," stammered the man.

"Wormtail, go with Frobisher. Find out all that you can," commanded Voldemort.

When the two men had left the room, Voldemort studied the two that were left.

"Just you two ladies left, report."

The tall slim girl started.

"I have managed to acquire the premises that you requested."

"Any trouble?" asked Voldemort. This was the first time he had shown any emotion at this meeting. He alone knew how important this part was.

"None, my Master."

"Good. I want the first one outfitted to these instructions," said Voldemort conjuring a rolled parchment from thin air.

The lady bowed deeply and then left the room.

"So, Bellatrix, as normal these days, you're last."

"Yes, my lord."

"So report."

"They have been secured as you predicted. The task will not be impossible but it will be very difficult."

"Are you questioning me?" asked Voldemort stroking his wand.

"No, my lord," she said with a small amount of panic in her voice. She knew how much pleasure he got from inflicting pain and, with her alone in the room, there could only be one target.

"I sense something different in you," he whispered.

Something inside of her gave a startled cry at these words. She had tried to keep her feelings buried these past few days but he had noticed.

"I'm just anxious to see this start."

"Are you indeed? Never fret, it will soon."

"Yes, my lord."

"Go then and prepare the others for the coming assaults then."

Bellatrix bowed and had to check her pace as she left the room wanting to run away as fast as she could. The door behind her closed and she felt immediate relief. Glancing to the side, she saw Severus Snape lounging against the central staircase.

"You look scared, Bellatrix."

She tried to ignore the gaze that he threw at her but she could not stop herself from wondering why he was not present at that meeting.

"You fail to answer?" said Snape

"I don't answer to you."

"Ah, but you should," replied Snape mysteriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind that, tell me what happened in there." "No."

Severus smiled at this answer and fixed his gaze on Bellatrix. Instantly, she turned her head.

"Don't you try that again, Snape, or you will regret it!"

Snape laughed at this tiny threat and just studied the retreating form of Bellatrix as she left the Manor.

Draco threw down the book he had been learning and glared at his mother. His insides wanted him to jump up and hit something or someone. He was now Lord of the Manor. He should not be doing all of this homework. It was worse than at Hogwarts. There, he could, at least, get someone to help him or, more probably, do it for him but here, he was on his own.

"Now, Draco, what's the problem?" asked Narcissa from across the room.

Draco continued to glare at her until his fury exploded.

"All this…this…crap! It's the summer and I should be having fun. Not stuck in here with you reading about some ancient art of mind reading. You have had me learning and practicing this. For what? You can't even tell if I'm doing it right so all of this could be wrong."

"Yes … but you must learn."

"Must learn, must learn. If this was so important, why didn't Father teach me last year? You want me to learn this for your own selfish reasons. What have I got to hide? I've done nothing wrong. He won't punish me."

"Are you willing to bet everything on that?" asked Narcissa quietly.

Draco opened his mouth to respond with all of his anger then, suddenly, he stopped. The books that he read on the first night came to him. It was indeed "everything" that he was now playing with. He wouldn't receive detention, or lines, or anything else of the sorts. It would be death. A cold reality washed over him as he looked down at the book on the floor.

"How long have I got?" he asked bending low.

"Two full days," Narcissa answered.

He straightened up holding the book. His previous anger gone as suddenly as it had arrived. Without a further sound, he sat back down and continued to read.

Harry looked up at the sky. He had been sitting there, talking about all things to do with the school for far longer than he thought. For some reason, the longer he was there, the more comfortable he felt. His insides were almost purring as he continued to listen to the sounds around him. His mind kept churning that he was missing something. After all the time that he was sitting, he had still not found the answer. Looking at Gabrielle, he just knew it was to do with her.

Realising that, for most of the day, Gabrielle had just sat there, listening to both him and Ginny tell stories about Hogwarts, he knew very little about her.

"So, Gabrielle, what have you been doing?" he asked.

"Reading, researching."

"Sounds like Hermione. What are you studying for?" replied Harry automatically.

"A summer project."

"Oh, what project?"

Gabrielle sensed that she could not back out of this question. The day, so far, had been the best she could remember for far too long a time. Sitting in the shade with both Ginny and Harry talking away made her fell safe and happy. She could easily feel her magic singing with happiness and was just dying to try some of it out but knew that she could not. Swallowing slightly, she replied to Harry, "Teaching."

Harry heard the answer and opened his mouth to ask the next question but stopped suddenly. His mind made the connection. It was simple. It was there in front of him. Teaching, Imperius, Gabrielle. It all fit.

Gabrielle noticed Harry stop before she felt the sudden coolness around her.

"You're part Veela, aren't you?" asked Harry in a very serious voice.

"Yes."

Harry's mind added this to the rest and he started to feel slightly sick.

"You can affect people like Fleur can, can't you?"

"No," replied Gabrielle fearing now that this moment was now beginning to spin out of control.

"Don't lie to me. You're here to teach, teach me and you're using your Veela powers on me."

"No, Harry, I'm not. Honestly."

"You're the person that Dumbledore warned me about. You're going to teach me about love," asked Harry his voice slightly rising.

"I am, Harry, but please listen," started Gabrielle but she could get not further.

"Listen to you … a young girl."

"Please...," she begged, but Harry was not listening at all.

"A little girl is going to teach me to protect myself. This is a joke, and not a very nice one."

"Harry, listen," butted in Ginny. But he whirled on her.

"Listen! Ginny, I thought I knew you, I thought you were my friend."

"I am!" she pleaded.

"But why are you a party to this? A little girl, an eleven year old for god sake, is going to teach me. It's not a game I'm playing. It's my life we are talking about. What was she going to show me? How to play with a doll's house? How much rabbits are cute and fluffy? Yeah, that's going to help me."

Ginny opened her mouth to respond but Harry was having none of it. His anger was almost all consuming.

"I thought it was too nice. I was having a wonderful time sitting here, but now I learn that it was just a game. Let's play with ickle Harry. He's so nice and everybody wants to be him. Well they can have it. I've got a mad man wanting to kill me. That's right, kill me and the two of you create some story so you can come here and play with me."

"But Harry…," whispered Gabrielle.

"Don't you but me, this is absolutely crazy. Why don't the pair of you just leave me alone? Just go away, run back home. I don't care. Just get out of my sight."

Harry jumped up and stormed back into the house leaving the two girls still sitting in the shade.

The two sat there in silence until Ginny leaned over and pulled Gabrielle into a hug. The younger girl looked absolutely destroyed. Helping her to her feet, Ginny whispered, "We had better go home. Mum will be worried."

Gabrielle sniffed once and looked at Ginny. But what could she say to her, to anybody? She had failed, utterly.

Gabrielle looked at the book in her hands but closed it slowly without reading anymore. For the past three days, she had spent most of her time here, in Ginny's room. For most of it, she went over what had happened at Privet Drive to see if she had missed anything. Yet she knew that she had not. She had failed, and she had lost. Everything that she had worked for, for the past year, was now gone. Dumbledore would see to that.

She looked over at Ginny who was laying full length on her bed. She had spent almost as much time in this room as she had. For most of it, the two of them had just sat there in silence, only occasionally speaking to each other. At meal times, Gabrielle tried to put a happy expression on, but for most of them, she just sat there quietly absorbed in her own thoughts.

Tomorrow was going to be the day. Tomorrow she was going to have to thank Mrs Weasley for her hospitality and then start the trip home. She did not know how she was going to face her parents but she could not stay here any longer. There was just no point.

"I'm going to go back," she called out.

"To see Harry? Is that wise?"

"No. Back home to France."

"Why?" asked Ginny sitting up, feeling concerned for her new friend.

"I've failed. It's that simple. I was given a chance to convince Harry and I failed. Dumbledore will get my sister to train Harry instead."

"Can she do that?"

"Yes … in a way. She has some control of this magic but not much. If she reads up, I think she will be able to teach Harry enough," replied Gabrielle with a slight catch in her voice.

Ginny mulled over what was said. For some reason, she felt that it was wrong. There was just something about Gabrielle that made it right. Seeing Harry had brought it all to the surface again, all of her old emotions. Honestly to herself, she did not know if it was just Harry on his own that had done it or had Gabrielle somehow helped? Whatever the reason, she had liked the feelings that had run through her when she had seen him and sat next to him on the grass.

"How is Harry feeling at the moment?" she tentatively asked.

"I don't know."

"Can't you just, you know, connect like you did in the woods?"

"I haven't tried."

"Why not?"

"I think he can tell when I do it. With training, he would be able to tell. But even untrained, I'm certain he can feel something so I don't want to upset him anymore."

"I would," mused Ginny as she laid back.

Gabrielle looked at Ginny closely. The older girl had closed her eyes and was breathing slowly. Gabrielle knew that Ginny was trying to duplicate what had happened that day in the woods but knew that Ginny would fail. If she helped her, or even if Ginny was close to Harry, she would succeed. But here, on her own, she had little chance.

Closing her own eyes, she vowed to not let her magic rule her. For once, she turned away from her centre and its normal comforts and continued to just try and forget what had happened.

Susan continued to lay in the bath. She did not know how long she had been in there but it was a long time. She was adding new things to her diary and listening to the music from the wireless playing in the background. She liked to keep a diary, not a detailed one, but one where she could jot down her musings.

This was her last day here. In fact, it was her last night. She had spent the early part of the evening having a large dinner with her Aunt. This was something of a tradition. The last evening would always be the same. A large meal, a relaxing soak, a few games of snap or something else finished with a small night cap. She noticed the night caps were getting bigger as she was getting older and the talking getting more serious but it was always fun.

She finished the last entry and closed her diary. The rapidly cooling bath water reminded her that it was time to get out. As she entered her bedroom dressed in only a bath sheet, she looked at her still dripping hair. It was a matter of pride the condition that she kept her hair in. Perching on the edge of the bed, she started to brush her hair dry as she looked out into the evening sky.

When she had gone into the bathroom, the evening was a deep fiery red but now it was black. The clouds were obscuring what little moon light there was. She continued to ponder over her current situation. School was not much of a challenge. She had expected to be sorted into Ravenclaw because of her intelligence, but, for some strange reason, the hat had placed her in Hufflepuff. The past year was one of many changing emotions whenever she thought about it. All she could think of was Harry and the DA. Those evenings had always been special to her. The fellowship and camaraderie between the members was something to behold, especially considering that they were not in the same houses.

She continued to brush and brush her hair and felt herself relax into the familiar movements. Her mind slowly wandered to the others members. She felt that she could almost picture what some of them were doing. Hermione would be reading something, Ron playing a game, Luna drifting off into her own world. Ginny would be arguing or fighting with her brothers, Neville would be gardening. These were easy. But Harry, he was difficult. She just couldn't picture him.

Her body shivered slightly as her imagination tried to fill in the missing picture. She imagined him sitting behind her brushing her hair, or holding her hand to show her the proper wand movements. It was as though he was there in the room but she suddenly felt that these images were wrong. However much her subconscious wanted it to be true, she knew that it could not be. Harry did not look at her in the way she wanted him to. Closing her eyes, she sighed and felt the Harry was probably alone, in a small dark room but yet still defiant.

Draco looked at himself in the full length mirror. He didn't know, but suspected, that dark clothes were going to be in order for whatever was going to happen this evening so had dressed accordingly. He studied the image for what he thought was an eternity trying to find flaw, all the time running through the exercises that he had been taught in the week.

He looked over at the desk and saw that the two letters he wrote were sitting safely in view. Something inside of him told him that he was okay and that he shouldn't bother to write them but he had ignored it and wrote them anyway. The first was to his Mother telling her everything that he could. He just wished that if she ever read it, she would do better than him with the knowledge. The second was to Pansy. He had stopped and started that letter over the past few hours. Most of the time, his insides were telling him no, not to write such drivel, she is only a woman, but he continued despite himself.

When he finished the letter, it was a long multipage rambling of his feelings towards everything and nothing. But as he read it for the final time, a burst of anger and power surged through him and he destroyed that letter, utterly. The new letter he wrote in its place was simple, very simple. It just said "Sorry".

Closing the door behind him, he walked the darkening hallway, the sounds of his footsteps echoing around. He descended the staircase and saw, by the door, the black cloak left on the table so that meant that his Aunt had already arrived. He opened the drawing room doors and saw his Mother and Aunt sitting in separate chairs looking into the fire.

"Are you ready?" asked Bellatrix.

"Yes," came the firm response.

Bellatrix got up from her chair and looked Draco over. She was slightly surprised at what she saw but was pleased that he had not dressed up. Not knowing exactly what was going to happen this evening slightly worried her but, if what she suspected was going to happen, did, it was going to be an eventful evening.

"Ok, Narcissa, we've got to be going."

"Be careful, Draco," breathed Narcissa.

"I will be," replied an equally quiet Draco.

The two of them left the large Manor and walked with a measured pace down the main drive. Draco knew that they were just walking to get out of the protective wards but the silence was very unnerving.

"So, where are we going?" he called out.

"It's best if you learn now not to question."

"I just asked," huffed Draco.

Bellatrix stopped suddenly and grabbed Draco. She spun him around so that he was facing her directly.

"You had better grow up and fast. This is no game, no school playground fun."

"I know that," replied Draco sternly trying to pull himself free.

"Do you, do you really? Tonight, you're going to see death, speak to death, and touch death. One wrong comment, thought, or just childish action will be your last, no warning, no nothing, just the end.

Draco looked into his Aunt's face as she lectured him. The seriousness painted across it told him that she was not trying to scare him, just warn him.

"Draco, you have a lot to look out for tonight. I cannot help you."

"What do you suggest?"

"Look at everything, comment on nothing."

Draco nodded once and followed his Aunt to the edge of the grounds. She gripped his arm tightly and he felt the tight squeezing around him associated with apparition.

Draco appeared next to his Aunt on a hillside. Beside them was a small stand of trees. He could see a great distance but there seemed to be no buildings visible. A slight chill made him shudder at the thought of where he was, absolutely nowhere.

"We're first?" he questioned.

"No, just early," came the quick reply from the dark trees. Draco's hand instantly went to his pocket before he could stop himself.

A dark figure emerged from the woods and walked slowly towards the pair. Draco studied the new comer but, before the weak moon light illuminated this person, his Aunt called out.

"Evening, Severus."

"Bellatrix….and I see you're brought Draco."

"Evening, Professor," blurted Draco.

"Shut up, boy! You'll do well this evening if only you keep quiet."

Draco had never been so reprimanded by Professor Snape and the shock of it caused him to remain silent.

"I hope he listens to you, Severus, as he seems incapable of listening to me."

Snape ignored this and looked out across the night. The small night sounds could be heard from the trees but eventually he spoke.

"So, Bellatrix, our master wanted him here tonight."

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

"No," she replied

Snape continued to look at the view. With Draco being here with them, he knew that his own position might come into question. Keeping his thoughts tightly locked up, he just stood there and waited.

Bellatrix studied Snape as he was standing there. Something about him made her distrust him yet he seemed very calm.

"How many more are coming?"

Snape turned to look at the two before replying.

"Most, if not all."

"Where are we going?"

"I haven't been told as well, but I think it's to do with where Wormtail has been for the past few days."

The mention of the Animagus caused Bellatrix to worry. Voldemort was using him more and more as some sort of spy. That was her traditional role, many years back, but now she was just a regular Death Eater to Voldemort.

A small popping noise announced the arrival of two more people. These new people turned and looked at Bellatrix, Snape, and Draco. Nothing was said just a few nods were given.

A shrill cry from the woods behind told those waiting that their master had indeed arrived. Time slowed for them as they waited for his appearance. Slowly, his image disengaged itself from the dark woods as he strolled towards them. As he got closer, Bellatrix saw more figures emerging from the woods.

"Ah, so we have all arrived, I see Good," said Voldemort.

He strolled into the middle of the group, looking at each person individually.

"Norden, are the Giants ready for their fun?"

"Of course, one word and they will start."

"Very well then. Send them on their way. The distraction will be most welcome. Take Brown with you as well and watch over the response. I want a full report on the Ministry's incompetence."

Two of the figures bowed at this command before disapparating away on their mission.

"Wormtail, your report."

"Yes, my lord," stammered the small bowed man. "She is there at her house, I have seen her. She has also company. Her niece is visiting as well."

"Her niece?"

"Yes, I think she is a Hogwarts student."

Voldemort stood there in thought before turning to face Draco. Draco could feel the penetrating glare of those eyes and instantly remembered what he had been taught. Clearing his mind, he started to go through the exercises that would keep his secrets away from Voldemort, but before he could even start, Voldemort addressed him.

"Ah, Draco, a perfect opportunity, I think, for you to show your loyalty."

"Of course, my lord," he replied in a strong voice.

Voldemort gave Draco one final look before turning back towards Wormtail.

"Continue," he commanded.

"The house is protected with various wards. I'm unsure of what there all are but they are strong. Even I am unable to get through them."

"No matter. That's why Greenberg is here, right?" he asked turning to look at one of the men that had appeared with him.

Draco looked at this same man. He clearly did not know him but he looked young and strong. His appearance and the calm acceptance of Voldemort's gaze told Draco that he was unafraid and well used to this type of work. He replied in a deep yet powerful voice, "No problem. As always, I will just need time."

Voldemort did not even bother to reply to this statement and just turned back to look at Wormtail again.

"Is that all?"

"Um…no…there are also tracks of two people who seem to be guarding the property."

"Once more, as expected. Greyback, I expect a better performance than the last." Voldemort called out.

"Of course," came a strong voice from the woods.

Draco wanted to turn and look at the owner but stayed where he was. The voice had frightened him. It was either that or the knowledge of who it was, his father's journals and spoken about Greyback. They had mentioned that he was one of the few that did not truly fear Voldemort. They mentioned that there was a lot more to Greyback than most people knew, even Voldemort.

Draco leaned a little closer to his aunt and asked.

"What went wrong last time?"

But instead of a fulsome reply, all that he received was a pointed look followed by a shush. The group waited for the next command from Voldemort but nothing came. Eventually, Voldemort strolled out down the hillside alone. *

Susan entered the front room and saw that her Aunt was still reading her book. She had been reading it for most of the week and, in the past few days, it seemed that every spare moment was consumed in reading that book. Susan had tried to find out what it was about, but every time that she had come close to her, her Aunt had put the book away out of sight.

"Ah, Susan, how do you feel now?" inquired her Aunt, whilst she put her book down beside her.

"Great, thanks." She replied as she sat down on the sofa and tucked her legs up.

She was wearing a pair of long legged thin silk pyjamas and the fire in the room was only just keeping the cold away. As she adjusted herself to get more comfortable, she felt her wand dig into her side. For some reason as she left her bedroom, she had picked it up. Normally in the evenings, she would just leave it upstairs, but tonight, she had tucked it into the waist band.

"Drink?"

Susan just nodded in response and a small tumbler of golden liquid appeared on the side table. She took a small sip and felt the fiery liquid travel down her throat. It was not unusual for her to have alcohol, especially here, but the feeling of breaking the rules made it taste so much better.

The two of them started to talk and they soon lost track of time as the conversation flowed.

Norden appeared on the side of a deep valley, beside him was Brown. He knew little of Brown except that he was reliable. Norden just hoped that he would not do anything stupid with the Giants.

"There they are," pointed Norden wholly unnecessarily to the large fire at the base of the Valley. Even from their distance, you could see the large figures moving about the makeshift camp.

"There's not many?" enquired Brown.

"No, but after tonight, more may come."

Brown nodded and followed Norden down the side of the valley towards the bright fire.

As they got closer and closer to the centre of the camp, they saw the destruction that these beasts had created, trees uprooted, rocks crushed, it looked like that aftermath of a battle.

Silence descended as the pair of them entered the firelight. On the far side of the fire, sat a huge Giant flanked by two equally impressive specimens. All three of them were fingering clubs that they had fashioned out of trees.

"Greetings," called out Norden.

"What you want?" bellowed the chief.

"To see if you have everything that you need."

The chief looked at the pair and Brown could easily see that the chief was trying to think of something.

"We want more food," he eventually bellowed.

"Okay, no problem. But you are going to have to collect it yourself."

"Why?" asked the chief suspiciously.

"There's so much that we can't carry it," called out Norden in a loud voice so all those gathered could hear.

The other Giants started to move about at this announcement. A pile of food was indeed what they wanted.

"Can't you use your stick thingy?"

"They won't work on this food," replied Norden quickly.

The chief continued to look at the pair of them. Brown could see the Giant trying to work out all that had been said but it was equally as clear that the others just wanted the food.

Before the chief could ask another question, Norden called out again. "The food is that way…," pointing to the end of the valley, "… in a village."

It was all the encouragement that some of them needed. Without waiting for the chief, some of those gathered around the fired started to move in the direction of the village. It was not long before the whole tribe was bounding down the valley towards the promise of food with the chief at the back bellowing at his followers to let him have first pickings.

"Easy, isn't it?" asked Norden looking the backs of the lumbering Giants.

"Yes," was all that Brown replied.

"Come, we had better follow. Our Master has instructed us to take note of the Ministry response."

"I bet they're going to have fun controlling those beasts," chuckled Brown.

Amelia chuckled at the end of the last story. The evening was going exactly how she had hoped. The two of them had been talking for what seemed no time at all, but a glance at the clock told her that, in fact, it was almost midnight. As she took a sip of her drink, she looked again at Susan. She had not liked the thought of giving the younger girl a drink or two to loosen her up but she saw that it had worked.

The alcohol was having the effect that she wanted and so it would allow her to approach the subject that Susan would not have wanted to talk about.

"So, Susan, any boys out there for you?"

This question only slightly caught her off guard.

"Well...um…no."

"Come now. There must be someone at school you like?"

"Not really, Aunty. I've been studying so I really don't have time."

Amelia knew that the younger girl was lying and pushed on.

"Oh…that's strange then."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought I saw a little green in your eyes?"

Susan's mind immediately leapt to the right conclusion at the words that were spoken by her Aunt. She felt the blush rise to her face and so quickly dropped her head so that she could hide it.

"Now, Susan, don't be embarrassed."

"I'm not," she quietly answered.

"He's a very nice young man."

"It's not just that!" replied Susan quickly.

"Then, can you tell me?" asked Amelia not showing her anxiety.

"He's much different than what is portrayed. At school, he could be the lord and master but he is not. Yes, he gets into trouble, breaks the rules, but you should have seen him in the DA. He was serious, yet so helpful to everyone. It was as though he cared, truly cared, that everyone learnt all that they could."

"So how do you feel about him?"

Susan dropped her head again as she actually thought about what was asked. She had many a fantasy but what did she really feel? Did she like him, respect him, love him?

"I don't know. I look at him as a friend yet I want more even though I know that I can't."

"You can't?"

"Look at me, Aunty. I'm plain, very plain. He would never notice me. I'm not beautiful like some of the other girls. I'm not even in his house. He hardly ever sees me. So how could I have any chance? I'm just another student at Hogwarts to him."

"Don't think that, my dear."

"I may not want to but it's the truth," cried Susan

"Now…now… don't get upset, just answer this. How do you really feel when you are near to him?"

Susan did not have to think about this one. This was easy.

"Happy, so happy that I want to be there forever."

Amelia's face broke into one of the biggest smiles that Susan had ever seen.

"Susan, you are destined to be one of the luckiest people out there, if you want it."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been reading."

"Yes, I saw."

"Ah...but not what I have been reading. I have managed to read most of this book," she indicated the book on the floor, "and, if it is to be believed, you will play a crucial role in world events."

"What do you mean? What's in that book?"

"The book is one I managed to convince the Unmentionables to let me borrow. It's about ancient magic and powerful bonds. Within it…," but Amelia was interrupted at that very moment. On a mantelshelf, a small golden hand bell started to ring.

"Oh no…not now…," breathed Amelia.

Draco could begin to feel the cold start to seep through his outer clothes. He did not know for certain how long that they had been standing there but he estimated that it was at least two hours. For the whole of that time, everyone had just stood there looking out into the distance. Not a word was spoken. In fact, Draco could not remember if anybody had actually moved.

The stiffness in his shoulders was screaming to him that he had to move soon but something about the moment told him that he had to stay still. But then, suddenly, they saw Voldemort move from his position further down the hill.

He slowly walked up to the group then slowly drew his wand.

"The time is right," he called out waving his wand in a large circular motion. As it moved through the air, it emitted a dark cloud that first encircled and then enveloped the whole gathering. Draco felt the sudden squeezing sensation of apparition. He could not feel the movement of time, but eventually, he started to feel the un-squeezing that preceded the arrival.

Almost instantly, the dark cloud dissipated leaving the group standing in the same formation as before. Draco started to look round at the surroundings. They were in a village. There were not many houses but they all looked new. He continued to look at the surroundings before he noticed that he was almost the last person still standing there. Most of the rest had moved off to towards the last house. This house was slightly apart from the rest and was surrounded by high bushes and backed onto a large woods.

Just looking at that house, Draco knew that it was magical. He could not identify why but something inside of him was telling him that it was magical.

"Come, Draco, stay with me," commanded Voldemort as he strolled down the street.

Draco quickly glanced at his Aunt but her expression was unreadable, so he followed Voldemort down the street.

John Ryder looked up at the night sky. The clouds from the early evening had disappeared so it was a clear yet cold night. He was back on duty at the Bones residence. Both he and his partner, Paul, were circulating the grounds. They liked to do this at least once an hour. That was what they had been taught, to check the grounds and wards each hour. It was boring, yet no more than just sitting in the garage waiting.

John continued the walk looking at the ward anchors. Protecting Amelia was nice yet inside he was worried, very worried. She was just such a good target. Amelia protested that everything was fine but the reports that he had been reading told him differently.

As he turned the corner, he pulled his wand out and muttered a spell. The end of the wand glowed with a light blue and he smiled. He walked on thinking that soon he would be back inside with a nice warm cup of coffee.

Paul looked across the lawn to see if there was any sign of his partner. He was older in years and experience but was the junior of the two. He shook his head at the thoughts that were running through it. Why were they doing this? For the past four weeks, various members of the department were "guarding" Ministers, like they were under threat or something.

He continued on not really looking at what he was doing as there really was no point, was there?

Greyback crept silently up to the edge of the property. With him, were two of his pack. He was always being used by Voldemort nowadays for the "messy" first steps. It was not this that was making him reconsider his agreement. It was that Voldemort was not giving him what had been promised, new pack members.

He glanced over his shoulder at one of his companions and nodded towards the other side. The young man nodded silently and crept off into the distance as silently as Greyback.

Greyback signalled to his other companion and the pair of them crept into the shadow of the bushes. They found a small opening and started to prise it wider. It was not long before the pair of them had slipped through and started to search for their quarry.

Draco stood with the rest of the Death Eaters and Voldemort a little way away. The others seemed to take this as normal. They all stood there, in their own little worlds, once again, in silence. Draco did not hear him move closer but felt the presence as Voldemort moved closer.

"So Draco, tonight you will see true power."

"Yes, my Lord," he replied without looking around.

"Ah…you fear me. Good, fear is good. If they fear you, they will do your will."

At this cryptic statement, Draco's mind instantly transported him back to his first night back. Yes, fear was good. Fear made the women do what he wanted. Fear made HIM powerful. He could feel power inside of him respond to these thoughts.

As he stood there, one side of the house was bathed in a bright green light. Then, almost instantly from the other side, there was a slight noise followed by a rainbow effect of light.

Voldemort looked round the group and smiled a tight smile.

"Greenberg, your turn. Severus, see that no harm comes to him."

"Yes, my lord," they both replied and started off.

John Ryder never saw the attack. He had just turned the corner when he thought he noticed some change to the bushes, like they had been tampered with. The idea of a cup of coffee made him react differently then he should have. He stopped and looked at the small hole, trying to think of what animal had made it when he saw it.

The bright green tip of a wand pointing at him from the centre of the hole was the last he saw. His body hit the ground with barely a noise. A young man's arm reached out and pulled the body towards the hole.

Paul spun round as soon as he saw the light and, as he turned, his arm caught on one of the bushes and stopped him. This saved his life. Not for long though, but enough for him to save one other that night.

The bright green beam shot over his shoulder where his head would have been if he had not been caught up. Instinct and training instantly took over. He dropped to the ground as two beams of red passed over his head. His hand scrambled for his wand as he felt his heart pound in his chest.

He rolled once then twice and pointed his wand towards the house. As soon as his hand steadied, a bright blue beam shot out and hit the side of the house. He rolled back trying to look for is assailant, now that his primary job was complete. A growling snarl from his right made his turn to look that way. The man running towards him was untidy and unkempt. The snarling coming from him was causing spittle to flow down his chin. Then, instantly, this person was on top of him, punching, kicking, and even trying to bite him.

Paul gathered his arms under his assailant whilst trying to ignore the blows. Using almost all of his strength, he pushed the man away. He traced the man with his wand ready to stun him, when he knew his battle was over, forever. The curse that hit him did not kill him instantly, but it made no difference. He could feel the blood pumping out of his arm and side. He tried to gather his robes to try and stop the bleeding, and so, did not see the second curse hit the side of his head. He felt no more after that.

Greenburg walked up to an unmarked point outside of the house. With a quick wave, a barrier or side of a dome was momentarily visible to all. He quickly studied this barrier before it faded from sight. A second wave made it visible again, but once more, only briefly.

"Hmm…very strong," he muttered.

"But can you do it?" asked Snape

"Yes ... but it's going to take time."

"How long?"

"I don't know," Greenburg replied looking over the grounds once more.

"Just hurry."

Severus continued to stand there, looking at the outside of the house. Hopefully, the sentries had not warned anybody. If they did, then he might have to show his true colours soon. Shaking his head, he looked at the young wizard. It was obvious that the young man was totally absorbed in his work at the moment. In his life time, Snape had broken many a protective ward but none as complicated as those he saw now. Wherever Voldemort had gotten this Greenberg, he was very valuable.

Amelia sprung to her feet and looked round her mind and her heart was running wild. The wards were collapsing. It was like a scream of protest in her magic but she could feel the house wards almost destroy themselves. She knew that the Ministry wards must have already fallen. With that information she knew who it must be. The ministry ward would have told her when they were being attacked but they didn't. That could only mean it was him or someone really good at destroying wards.

Her eyes flicked towards the fireplace but before she even tossed a small amount of powder into the flames she knew it would be useless. Anyone good enough to destroy those wards would have made sure she could escape, by magic means at least. Amelia looked at each of the doorways as trying to figure out what was the best to go when eyes fell on Susan. She had gotten to her feet as well and looked scared.

"What is it, Aunty?"

"He's here."

"Who?"

"He-who-must-not-be-named, or some of his followers, at least."

"Why?" cried Susan.

"For me," Amelia slowly replied she now knew what she had to do. The Ministry should be on the way but it would be too late. She pulled her wand out and moved forwards towards the main door.

Susan looked at her Aunt and saw a look of resignation on her. Not really knowing what else to do, she pulled her wand out as well.

"No, Susan, this isn't your fight."

The thoughts of the DA flooded back into Susan's mind as she remembered the training. She remembered what Harry had told them. It was their fight. She had to stand and fight.

"No, Aunty, it is my fight. It's everybody's fight," she replied standing up straight.

Amelia shook her head at her niece.

"Yes, this is your fight, but, this here, right now, isn't your fight." "What?"

"You can do a lot more than stand here with me."

"But?"

"Susan, you are special, very special."

"But, Aunty," replied Susan with tears in her eyes.

"No, Susan, you have to run and hide. You have to help him, help him be all that he is destined to be."

"Who?"

"The one you love… Harry. You have to go to him and help him. Help him with anything and everything."

"What are you saying?"

"Help Harry. Give him anything that he wants."

"But, Aunty," cried Susan with the tears flowing freely.

"Susan, that's your fight."

Susan lowered her head at this and let the tears run freely.

"Susan, you are going to have to hide."

After a few moments, Susan raised her head.

"Susan, hide in the kitchen until they break in. When they do, run. Run for the woods and hide like you did from me, remember?"

"Yes," she replied with a quiet voice.

"Hide in the woods until he comes. He will come for you. You just keep hiding until he does."

"Aunty," cried Susan as she flung herself into her Aunts arms.

"Go now, Susan. Hurry and please don't look back."

Susan broke from her Aunt's embrace and ran to the kitchen. She climbed under the table, turned her back on the front room, and waited.

Amelia looked at the retreating form of her niece and breathed a little easier. Death was coming through the door but she was not worried. She had a few minutes and looked round the room to see if she had missed anything. Glancing at the book, she realised that she had almost made the worst mistake. Quickly picking it up, she threw it into the fireplace and set fire to it, it's important text disappear in smoke.

She glanced over her shoulder but couldn't see Susan. Amelia just hoped that whoever was outside would be caught by the distraction she had planned. If not, well that didn't bare thinking about.

Amelia had one final task to complete before the house wards collapsed and, finding a small scrap of paper, she wrote a single word. Folding the paper, she grasped it with her free hand and waited, waited for death.

Snape heard the crackle as the wards started to collapse around the house. He continued to survey the area but still saw nothing to concern him.

"Done," called Greenberg as the noise died down as the last of the House wards had was removed. It had taken him some time to break through the Ministry wards and he had to be careful but the fell just as every ward he came up against fell. The House wards were weak in comparison; they had taken barely a minute to break. Now it was over what was next for him.

"You sure?" asked Snape.

"Of course. I said it was done."

"Then we had best return, quickly."

Snape turned and started to lead Greenberg back towards the apparition point, but before he reached half way, he saw that the others were already on the move with Voldemort in the lead.

"Acceptable. Greenberg, you may go now. Snape, fall in with the rest," commanded Voldemort as he continued to walk towards the house.

The group paused just before the house as Voldemort studied it like a cat looking at a mouse. It was quiet, but he could hear the noise that some of his followers were making. It was obvious that they were getting a little worried.

The group of them had indeed spent too much time here already, but Voldemort was not worried. The only person that may have caused him to change the plan was away. His spy had told him so. Without Dumbledore, whoever arrived could do nothing against him.

He looked back at the group. He had already sent Greyback and one of his companions away. The other one looked almost hungry for more work.

"Snape, take Greyback's young companion here, McCann, and Pike, and go round the back of the house. I want you to stop anyone leaving. Do not kill them but hold them until I arrive."

"Yes, my Lord," responded Snape as he turned once more back to the house and started off round it.

"Draco, I want you up here next to me so that you can see this," said Voldemort.

Draco tried to swallow but his mouth was far too dry. He had been standing right at the back with his Aunt. He was hoping that he had been forgotten, but this command suddenly brought all of his fears back to the front. Moving slowly through the rest of them, he positioned himself behind and to the side of Voldemort and awaited the next move.

Snape looked over to the main group as he was creeping round the house. He saw Draco move to the front of the group. Something was happening there, he just knew it. This task of looking after the "back of the house" was just given to him to keep him out of the way. Whatever Voldemort was going to say to Draco, he did not want anyone to overhear, much less Snape.

When he was halfway round, he stopped his small group.

"McCann, you and Pike put yourself either side of the back door. Stun anything that comes out."

"Okay," replied McCann and ran across the grass with the other Death Eater.

"What about me?" the young werewolf asked.

"Take position at the edge of the woods. If the others fail, you catch whoever it is."

With a small nod, the young man ran into the woods. His form was lost from sight as soon as he entered the dark woods. Snape waited a few moments before he started to creep back towards the front of the house. He just had to find out what Voldemort was planning for Draco.

Tonks stumbled into the open plan office of the Aurors. She knew that at this early hour of the morning, the office would be nearly empty but she did suspect more people than she found. Dodging around the desks, she stifled a yawn as she walked up to the only other person in the office.

"Wotcher, what's up? I got owled at home and there's nobody here?"

"Tonks, you took your time," complained Mad-Eye.

"It's nice to see you too, Mad-Eye. So, why are you here at this ungodly hour?"

"I was passing by when I heard the department go crazy. It seems that someone has let a group of giants lose in the southwest. I volunteered to stay here and co-ordinate."

"And they accepted? But you're retired!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. I also said that I'll call you in to help me."

"Cheers, Mad-Eye."

"Don't think of it. Anyway, this sounds very fishy to me. I wanted someone else to look at it."

Tonks started to go through the reports that were streaming in. It was not long before the pair of them was in deep discussion about this incident.

Voldemort walked steadily up the front path. He could feel the change in magic as he approached the door. Inside himself, he was happy that his subordinates had done such a good job. This next part would just reinforce to all of them who was really in charge.

He stopped only a few feet short of the door and waited for his Death Eaters to get into position. He could hear and feel Draco waiting behind him, and he knew that Bellatrix would not be far behind. Raising his wand slowly, like he was conducting a grand orchestra, he pointed it at the door. The wand seemed to hang menacingly in the air for a few seconds before a red beam was emitted and struck the door.

The door destroyed itself in an instant. The noise of the destruction echoed around the village like a giant warning. Pieces of the door flew in all direction, inside, outside, everywhere but none came close to Voldemort. The smoke and dust obscured the inside from view but was instantly illuminated by a blue glow.

Amelia had seen the shadow appear under the door frame as she waited. Was it conceit, or just pride, that she hoped she was important enough that it was Voldemort himself the other side? Her heart was racing but her mind was calm. She was not afraid and that one thought steadied her more than she knew. Death was coming quickly but that did not matter. All that mattered now was Susan. She had to create enough of a diversion so that she could get away.

She saw the red light under the door a moment before the noise and the fragments of the door hit her, but she was prepared. Her counter curse shot out into the expanding smoke illuminating the front of the house in an unearthly blue. Quickly ducking into the front room, she ran for the sofa and ducked behind it. Slow measured footsteps paced along the hallway. Without thought, she sent a curse towards the noise and saw a hole appear in the wall but the footsteps kept coming.

"You still don't understand, do you?" came the voice from the hall.

Amelia knew the time was almost here. She closed her eyes and thought of Susan.

"Please be safe Susan, I love you," she whispered as she raised her wand. Knowing that she must do it, but hating it still, she pointed it up towards the ceiling. This house was her safe haven, the place she had spent many a night relaxing. One day, she had hoped to give it to Susan. She just hoped that now this house would give Susan the one thing she needed at this moment, a diversion.

Susan cringed under the kitchen table, the silence was unnerving. Her Aunt had told her to run, to hide. She steadied her mind and concentrated her thoughts. The woods were going to be her salvation. She knew them better than about anybody out there. Once within their grasp, she would follow the rest of the advice, await him, he will come, and then, help him in anyway.

Gripping and re-gripping her wand, she looked at the backdoor. She could not see any figure outside but there had to be. To leave it open and unguarded was not right. The realization that her Aunt was going to sacrifice herself caused another shiver to slide down her back.

Instantly, the noise of the exploding front door brought her back to the here and now. Had she missed her chance? Was that they only diversion that she was going to get? Her mind was screaming at her now to run but she waited and hoped for a better chance.

Voldemort's form appeared in the doorway, his wand was held lose but at the ready. Amelia saw that he showed no emotion at all. He was looking directly at her and she felt those eyes start to pierce into her. Wrenching her gaze away, she fired her curse. It was one of the most powerful that she knew.

A rainbow of light struck the ceiling and continued on towards the roof with barely a pause, but before it reached the outside, it exploded. It exploded with a force greater than the house was designed for. The whole building started to shake. Dust, dirt, plaster, almost everything was thrown into the air clouding everyone's view.

Outside, all the heads turned upwards as the light of the explosion shot out of all the windows. All the Death Eaters turned their faces instantly as shards of glass flew in all directions. Some tried to erect shields but they all turned away to protect their faces.

Snape had been creeping closer to one of the windows when the noise and power pushed him straight into the ground. The power of the curse surprised him as much as the humiliation of lying face down in the mud.

Susan felt the house start to shake itself apart as the noise of the explosion from upstairs reverberated around inside. This was her chance, her only one. Like a caged animal, she sprung from her hiding place and pulled open the backdoor. The evening stillness had been replaced by the flying debris from the house. Seeing two figures on either side of the door, but hunched down as if they were trying to protect themselves, she started to run for the woods.

She had never been a sporty girl but she was running for her very life. Her legs seemed to move at the speed her mind was willing them to go. Every step was one away from the house, from her Aunt, but one closer to the woods. She could not feel the pain in her lungs, or the beating of her heart, it was safety that she wanted.

The light from the explosion started to fade and the noise die down but she kept running. The evening darkness would soon be her friend, to hide her from view. Ten paces more and she would be there, ten paces more and she would be safe, chanted her mind.

She ran through the light underbrush at the edge of the woods and felt the twigs and branches claw at her silk pyjamas. On and on she ran until, at last, she felt the trees on either side and darkness surrounded her completely. As she stood there with her back to the house, she waited and listened. Her breathing was ragged. Her chest hurt more than it had ever done. Her legs wobbled slightly but she refused to turn around. Don't look back, she had been told, and she was following what she had been told.

She took one and then another unsteady step as she started to walk into the woods. Soon, she would be safe. Soon, no one would find her. She would only come out for him, but would he come for her?

"Hello, missy, you want some fun?" questioned a voice from the darkness.

The collapsing ceiling just missed Amelia causing her to roll away. Through the drifting smoke, she could see that Voldemort was still standing there, proud and upright. Behind him, were other figures, cowered and hunched against the noise and smoke.

After the violent shaking, the house seemed to die down very quickly. Then the silence returned almost as quickly. The house had given its all for that one moment and it now awaited the outcome with its owner.

"Now… now, Amelia, that wasn't very nice," called Voldemort.

Feeling her energy and will drain fast, Amelia slowly raised herself to face her end. She had run her race, quite successfully, she thought, but it was now at the end. Squaring herself to face Voldemort, she replied, "Neither are you."

"Oh…ho…ho…ho. Is that the best you can do?"

"We both know why you're here so get on with it."

"Being brave all of a sudden?"

"No, just wanting this to finish."

"So, these are your final words. No telling me that I won't win, that someone will stop me?"

"I don't have to, you already know."

"What? You mean that the old man and a boy are going to stop me?"

"Possibly or possibly not."

"You still don't see it. I've already won."

Amelia took her final breath and waited. She grasped the paper in her left hand with everything that she had left.

"Okay then, Ms Bones, it's time to end it as you so requested."

Voldemort raised his wand and lazily pointed at the standing figure in front of him. A single curse, a bright flash, and it was over. Amelia's body hit the ground with a heavy thud causing the dust to rise once more.

"Draco, come here," ordered Voldemort.

Draco had tried to stay as far back as he could through the fight. When the building had shaken itself, he had thought that the end had come. The dust and smoke had caused his throat to go dry or was that just the fear? Standing so close to Voldemort was both dangerous yet safe. It seemed as though nothing could touch him.

As Voldemort had walked into the main room, Draco had looked up from his hiding place on the ground. To see the two of them have a talk like they had met on a Sunday afternoon walk was very unnerving. He had watched it all, even that final moment, but now wished that he could go home.

Slowly, he walked into the room and stood beside Voldemort.

"Yes, my Lord," he replied.

"You see the folly of those that oppose me."

"Yes."

"You want to become one with us."

"Yes."

"Very well, I'll give you your desire. Give me your wand arm."

Draco tried to swallow but still could not. Slowly, he raised his right arm still uselessly holding his wand and presented it to Voldemort then waited.

Voldemort pulled back the sleeve of Draco's top to expose his forearm. The pleasure of the moment was coursing through him. He flexed his fingers once and laid them over Draco's arm. He looked over his shoulder at Bellatrix and saw her standing there, just as normal, and smiled once. Turning back to Draco, he lifted his arm until it was pointing straight up. With a clear and proud voice, he called out, "Morsmordre."

Draco heard the Dark Mark being incanted but saw little. As soon as the words were spoken, he felt a surge of power, a surge of magic run through his arm. It burned its path towards his wand fingers and felt them buckle as the mark was released. The pain in his arm was all consuming. Never in his life had he felt so much pain. His arm dropped to his side limply as Voldemort released him. Instantly, he cradled his arm against his body trying to protect it. He saw, etched on his arm, the outline of the mark. It was fading, but ever so slowly.

"You are now mine. You will obey at all times."

"Yes, my master," replied Draco through the pain.

"Good then, I have a task for you. A simple task. I want you to kill Dumbledore."

Draco's mouth dropped open at this announcement but the pain in his arm at the vision of what he had just seen caused him to meekly respond.

"Of course, my Lord."

Susan quickly turned to face the voice. Her fear had resurfaced in an instant. The cold and the tone of the voice made her shiver even more. From beside one of the trees, appeared a man. He seemed young to Susan, not much older than herself, but the way he moved towards her was almost predatory. His eyes were cold as they looked her over.

"My, you are a pretty one."

Susan hugged herself more tightly trying to protect her body from his visual undressing. The coldness around her legs told her that her flight had caused more damage to her clothing than she had first realised.

"You're very quiet," the man commented.

Susan looked over his shoulder, into the woods. There was her safety. Why had she stopped? Her Aunt had told her to run into the woods so why had she stopped?

The man licked his lips as he moved closer.

"It's a shame that the moon's not out tonight. You would do very well for me."

Susan felt her wand dig into her hand as she stood there. Could she fight him?

"Come now, let's see you proper," the man asked taking a step closer.

Susan thought back to the DA meetings. Harry was right. It was different from the classroom. When you faced somebody, it was different. Harry, Harry, Harry, began to chant in her mind. Amelia had said that he would come. Thinking of Harry and everything that had been taught in the DA, she, in one fluid motion, pointed her wand at the approaching man and called out, "Stupefy!"

Her instincts took over again. She had only just registered the impact of the stunner on the approaching man before she took off again. She ran once more but this time deeper into the woods. To the places that she had once played in as a girl. Not once did she look back.

Snape could not believe his ears as he heard Voldemort give Draco his instructions. Why was he giving Draco the job of killing Dumbledore? Did he want Dumbledore to kill Draco? Did he want Draco to fail so that he could kill him instead? It made little sense at the moment.

He started to creep through the debris covered grass until he came to the backdoor. Instantly, he saw that there was a problem. McCann and Pike were still cowering on the ground, trying to protect themselves from the falling masonry. This side of the building looked more damaged than the rest. Some of the bricks and plaster that were falling were still glowing from magical energy but it was not that that told him there was a problem. It was the open door.

Snape stood still and looked at the door closely. It was not damaged in the slightest. In fact, it looked perfectly fine. He took a few paces forward and looked at the ground. The tracks in the rubble told the story. Someone had opened it from the inside and then ran towards the woods.

He spun round and called for McCann and Pike to follow him. He was no more than a few meters away from the house when he saw, in the distance, the tell-tale red flash of a stunner hitting its target. Running faster, but still weary, the three of them approached the location.

It was not long before Snape found the inert form of the young werewolf. Quickly reviving him, he asked the question, "Where is she?"

"The woods, I think." replied the still groggy man.

"I told you to capture her. What were you doing?"

The werewolf could not look at Snape. He knew what he was supposed to do but one look at the girl had changed his mind. His body had wanted her, wanted her so much, that he had forgotten why he was there.

"You had better not fail this time. Okay, the three of you search the woods. Do not return until you have found her. Understand?"

"Yes," the three of them replied knowing that they had failed and the normal price of failure.

Snape watched the three slip into the woods. He turned slowly and walked to the house. He was going to have to tell Voldemort about this.

Tonks kept looking over the reports to find the answer. It seemed as though the Aurors were beginning to get the situation under control but something inside of her was telling her that she was missing something. She looked over at the grizzled ex-Auror and wondered if it was his presence telling her that she missed something.

"You found anything, Mad-Eye?"

"No," grumbled the man. He had been reading these reports for longer than he had wanted too but still had not found the reason for his jumpiness. Looking up at the younger occupant, he found himself calling out, "It just doesn't sit right. Letting the Giants loose is fine, but there has to be a reason."

"Does there? Isn't destruction of Muggle property enough?"

"For Death Eaters, yes, but not for Voldemort."

"Vol…Vol…Voldemort," stammered Tonks.

"Yes, it has to be him. I think only he could control the Giants enough to do his bidding."

"And he wouldn't use them like this?"

"No, he's far too clever for that. There has to be a reason."

Tonks felt herself shiver at the thought and was pleased to see that Mad-Eye looked the same to her.

They both looked back down at their work, but before either of them had read another word, the door to the office banged open. Tonks reacted instantly, ducking down and pulling her wand out, ready to dive around the desk. Mad-Eye, though, had leapt to his feet and pulled his wand. He was halfway through a curse before he recognised the person. It was one of the people from the Magical Law Enforcement Department.

"What do you want?" Mad-Eye called to the new person.

"Aren't there any Aurors?" asked the man with a panicked voice.

"No. They're off stopping the Giants, haven't you heard?" replied Tonks standing slowly up.

"Oh. Tonks, you're here, you've got to help us."

"Why, what's up?"

"It's Amelia."

"What about her?" asked Mad-Eye suddenly not liking this.

"We had an automated alarm from her place about thirty minutes ago."

"And?" asked Tonks

"We can't get hold of our people. We've tried everything. We need an Auror to look into it."

"Damn," exclaimed Mad-Eye.

"The Giants were a diversion," instantly guessed Tonks.

"Everyone's out there. You're the only one left to go," observed Mad-Eye.

Tonks spun round and started for the Floo connection. As she ran, she called out, "Mad-Eye, try and get some of the Order there."

"They're all out at the Giants as well," shouted back Mad-Eye as he began to look down the list of people in front of him.

Tonks skidded to a halt in front of the Floo.

"Okay, I'll take a look. I'll Floo close and the Apparate. If it's too bad, I'll come back."

With that, she cast some powder into the fire and leapt after it.

Mad-Eye shook his at the new comer. "I think that you may need a new Head of Department."

Strangely enough, Tonks Apparated to almost the exact same spot as the Death Eaters had done a little while ago. She instantly saw that she was too late. The mark was clearly still above the house at the end of the road.

As quietly as she could, she walked down the road, her wand drawn. Her mind was dreading what she might find, but knew that she had to go through with it. As she got closer to the house, she started to walk amongst the rubble of the damaged house. She looked up at the house and saw large holes in the walls. It seemed as though there was a small fire beginning in one of the corners of the roof.

She carefully picked her way through the rubble, every sense alert to possible noise or intruders, but each step closer told her that she was going to find no one. She came to the front door, or what was left of it. The door was in millions of pieces strewn around the front. Slowly entering the house, she stopped to listen for any noise.

After fully a minute, she continued on, moving deeper into the house. She turned the corner and looked into the main room. For the whole time, she had dared to hope that she would not find this sight but she did anyway. Lying on the floor was the still body of Amelia Bones. Not thinking, Tonks rushed forwards to see if she was alright. Rolling the body over, it was clear that she was too late.

Tonks just sat there with Amelia in front of her. She could feel the tears start in her eyes. As much as professional decorum would dictate, she could not free herself from her emotions. Silent tears ran down her face as she thought about the woman at her feet. A noise outside brought her back to reality and, instantly, the Auror Tonks was back.

"Tonks?" called out voice from the night.

"Mad-Eye?"

"It's me," replied the clumping figure as he came into view.

"Couldn't find anybody?"

"No, so I came along. Looks like we are too late."

"Yeah," replied Tonks straightening up.

Mad-Eye looked over the young witch and nodded once. It was hard to lose someone you knew but you had to move one.

"Tonks, you check upstairs. I'll start to clean up here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go on. See if she has left us anything useful."

Tonks left the room and body to Mad-Eye's care and started up the stairs. At the top, she saw that something mightily magical had gone off on this floor as there was damage everywhere. Slowly, methodically, she started to search the rooms. She did not know what she was looking for but suspected that Mad-Eye had sent her on this task just so she could compose herself.

There were not many rooms to check. She quickly found Amelia's bedroom and found little remaining of any use in it. She went from room to room, bathroom, closet, there was, indeed, very little left on this floor. She pushed open the door to the last room and looked in. There was, like the rest, no-one here yet she stopped and looked.

The damage in this room was not as bad and she was drawn in. She stepped a few paces into the room as her mind was absorbing what she was seeing. The clothes, the bag, everything in the room looked to match but did not match to Amelia. Sitting in the centre of the bed, was a small book. Tonks crossed the room and peered at the front cover.

This is the Diary of Susan Bones. Hands off or be cursed!

She read the title and gasped in shock. Susan Bones had been here. This was her room. Quickly spinning round, she looked to see if she could see her. Grabbing the book, she fled the room and bounded down the stairs, shouting, "Susan! Susan!"

"What?" called out Mad-Eye as he came into view.

"Mad-Eye, Susan was here. You know, Amelia's niece? We have got to find her!"

"Ah, that explains it. Come look at this." The two of them rushed in the kitchen. Like the room upstairs, there was little damage. Mad-Eye pointed towards the footprints in the dust.

"She was hiding there, under the table, and then ran for the door."

Tonks bounded across the room and looked out but all that she could see was the dark night and the start of the large woods.

"She must be in the woods."

"Yes," replied Mad-Eye.

"We must find her."

"I know, but I suspect that there might be others in the woods doing the same."

The two of them dashed off into the woods intent on finding Susan at all costs.

Susan stopped and sank to bottom of a large tree. She had run, run all the way. This was her spot. She had always played here in this place and so knew it as only a child could, but she was exhausted. Her breathing was painful and her legs shook but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

She sat there, under the tree, and tried not to think of what had happened but it all came flooding back. The evening, the talking, the house exploding, everything was there, fresh in her mind, but she was safe now. She was going to wait here until he came.

The cold night penetrated her thin clothes quickly and she started to shiver but the thought of that man drove any notion of starting the fire or even using her wand. Tightly hugging herself, she tried to keep the cold at bay as she brought her breathing under control.

The night was still dark but behind her was a faint glow. Not knowing why, she looked behind her around the tree. Peering through the canopy of the trees, she could just make out the light. Almost mockingly from the sky, the Dark Mark was illuminating the night. Susan looked at that Mark and realised what it meant. Turning around once more, she tried to stop her thoughts but failed.

Amelia was dead, she was gone. Her body started to shake and tears rolled down her face as she was crying for her Aunt and herself, stranded alone in the woods.

Tonks stumbled out of the woods alone, an hour later, having not found Susan. She had to portkey Mad-Eye away a few minutes ago. Almost as soon as they entered the woods, they had come under attack. Spells and curses randomly flew around the woods as the pair of them had tried to search for the girl, but it had become futile. It was obvious that Voldemort had left behind some of his followers and they were doing an excellent job of stopping her from searching.

Mad-Eye had tried to keep up but eventually he had been hit. It did not look to serious to her but she still had to evacuate him out. She had tried to continue on her own but it was just too difficult. As she walked slowly towards the house, the failure to find Susan was eating away at her.

With more help, she might be able to find her, but with those Death Eaters running around, without stopping them, it would be almost impossible. She entered the house and was, at least, pleased to see the repairs that she and Mad-Eye had done were, at least, holding.

Hearing noises from the front room, she entered and saw Arthur Weasley talking with two Ministry officials standing next to the body of Amelia.

"Tonks, did you find anything?" he asked.

"No, there is a number of Death Eaters in the woods. We just can't search under those conditions. We need more help," glumly responded Tonks

"That's going to be tough. Most of the Ministry is tied up with the Giant attack. They still have not got it under control."

"But what about here?"

"There seems little point diverting the resources needed to search the woods when they are needed against the Giants."

"But what about the girl?" demanded Tonks.

"Do you honestly think there's a chance?"

"We have to, don't we?" pleaded Tonks.

"Yes, but not now."

"But when?"

Arthur shook his head slowly not daring to answer. It did seem very cold to refuse to get help. He wanted nothing more than to gather as many people as he could but the thoughts of that village came flooding back to him. If Tonks had seen the destruction, the bodies in the streets, how the gutters, instead of channelling water, were channelling blood down into the sewers, then she might understand.

The Ministry had to send everything that they had to go to that place and poor Amelia was just going to have to wait.

Tonks squatted next to Amelia but kept her face locked onto Arthur's. She could almost read his thoughts as he stood there in silence.

"Is it that bad then, Arthur?"

"Yes," he replied turning his back so that the others could not see the tears start.

Tonks looked down at Amelia and picked her hand up.

"Amelia, I'm sorry but I'll find her. I promise," she whispered.

She lowered the hand onto Amelia chest and looked round the floor. Almost next to the body, she found what she was after. She was glad that the Death Eaters had not taken it. It deserved to be with its master. So, slowly picking up the wand, she gently placed it in the hand.

As she straightened up, she noticed that the other hand was closed tightly around something. A small spark of hope flooded into her as she quickly grabbed for the hand. Slowly opening the hand, she saw a scrap of paper.

Slowly unfolding it, she read the single word that was written.

With a small sniff, she walked over to Arthur. "What do you make of thins?"

Arthur looked at the paper. "I don't know."

Tonks looked round the room taking everything in. "What now?" she asked.

"Why don't you go back to the Burrow? You can tell Molly that I'm fine and you can rest. You look about ready to collapse."

"But I can't…," protested Tonks.

"Tonks, go. We'll look after here for awhile. You need the rest."

Tonks knew that he was right, so then, with a single nod to the room, still holding the scrap of paper and diary, she disapparated away.

Harry woke with a start. The darkness in the shed told him that it was still night. His eyes frantically scanned the room for what had woken him. Unexplained panic and fear crept into his core. Quickly grabbing his wand from under the pillow, he scanned the room more closely but still found nothing.

He could feel his heart racing and pain echoed in his chest. He sat up and tried to control his body. Slowly getting to his feet, he put his glasses on and crept towards the door. He grasped the handle and prepared himself for what his body was telling him must be outside.

With a sudden burst of energy, he pulled the door swiftly open and traced the outside with his wand. The shock of seeing nobody outside was like ice water. Taking a few tentative steps outside, he looked around the garden. Still seeing no-one, he moved further and further away from the shed. The panic and worry was still present but he could not find the reason for it.

He approached "his tree" as he called it. Even after those silly girls had visited, he liked to sit under the tree in the shade. For some reason, it always made him calm and tonight was no different. As he sat on the grass and looked back towards the shed and the house, he felt the panic slowly disappear.

His mind brought him back to the afternoon with Ginny and Gabrielle. Something told him that he was a bit harsh with them, but the rest was telling him that they, like the rest, had to grow up. He was not some little toy for them to play with, life was changing them all and he was in the middle of it, and little games would only get them all killed.

Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was cloudy. In fact, it might rain soon, but it was not that, that made him start to shiver. Something else was affecting him. He raised himself up and started to walk back towards the shed, his legs feeling like lead as he walked. The further he got from his tree, the worse he felt. When he eventually crawled into his sleeping bag, he was shivering so badly that he found it difficult to do up the zip.

He laid back and calmed his mind, but something more terrible washed over him than pain or a racing heart. Sorrow, immense sorrow, the type of sorrow felt at the loss of a loved one. As this feeling burst over him, he felt the tears start and, for once, was unable to stop them. Harry just continued to lay there with tears of sorrow running down his face.

Luna jumped out of bed. She had pulled open the door and was running down the corridor before she even stopped to think what she was doing. Her hand was resting upon the door handle into the living room at that point. It was the coldness of the handle that had made her stop.

Slowly opening the door, she saw the room was empty. She crossed the room to sit down and allow her mind to catch up. As she walked, she looked down her own body and saw that she had not even stopped to put on clothes. Last night she had decided to wear nothing to bed and, when she got up, she had not even bothered to put anything on.

Sitting on the sofa and tucking her feet up, she tried to remember why she had gotten up. Something was happening. She could not remember what exactly she had been dreaming about, but she had the feeling that a friend was in danger, grave danger. Looking round the room once more, she looked to see if any mysterious creatures had invaded the home, but all that she saw was the normal household furniture.

Rising to her feet, she started back towards her room. Her body shivered to remind her of her nakedness or was it more? As she lay on her bed, her mind still could not answer any of the questions it had posed. Closing her eyes, she let sleep overcome her once more. She just wished that whoever was in danger was going to be alright.

Gabrielle opened her eyes and felt the emotions slam into her. Pain, fear, loss, sorrow, they were all there. Calming her mind and using her skill, she started to analyse these emotions, and yet, not let them affect her. Her body started to shake but she refused to obey the feeling. Instead, she tried to focus on the here and now. Listening to the house, she started to pick up a new sound, the sound of soft crying.

Looking over to the other bed, she saw that Ginny had her back towards her but Gabrielle was certain that the noise was coming from her. Silently getting out of bed, she walked across the room. The noise of the crying grew louder as she approached Ginny.

"Ginny?" she tentatively asked as she approached the bed, but no answer came.

"Ginny?" she called again this time sitting on the edge of the bed.

The older girl still did not roll over but Gabrielle could see her slightly shaking.

"Ginny?" she called a third time and, this time, Ginny did roll over.

Gabrielle saw that Ginny's eyes were red and the tears were flowing down her face.

"Oh, Gabrielle," cried Ginny looking at the young blond.

Gabrielle knew exactly the problem and gathered Ginny into a hug to try and stop the emotions overwhelming her. She could hardly feel the warmness of Ginny through the duvet that separated them both, but she tried to comfort Ginny anyway.

After a few moments, Ginny asked, "What's the matter with me?"

"It's the emotions."

"What do you mean?"

"You can feel them, can't you?"

"What?"

"Ginny, tell me what you can feel, please?" asked Gabrielle still holding Ginny.

"I…um…," started Ginny but she did not want to finish it. How could she tell this girl? But then she thought about the past week. She had told Gabrielle almost all of her feelings. So why was she shy now?

"It's alright, Ginny, I can feel them too."

"Then why am I like this?" asked Ginny automatically, looking at the very composed girl in front of her.

"A few reasons, but first, tell me what you feel."

"I…I…I feel scared, frightened, cold, and …and…,"

"And?"

"Very upset."

"You are indeed feeling the same as me. The difference is that I can control my emotions."

"So I'm weak?" challenged Ginny.

"Of course not, I've just had a lot more practice," smiled Gabrielle.

The two of them continued to hug and Gabrielle could feel Ginny emotions slowly come under control. She had expected something like this to happen, but not yet, and especially now that Harry seemed to refuse her. Gabrielle felt Ginny take a deep breath and awaited the older girl's question. "These emotions aren't mine, are they?" asked Ginny quietly

"No, they are not."

"They're Harry's?"

"Yes, and I think no."

"Is Harry in trouble?" asked Ginny quickly sitting up letting the duvet fall between them. Gabrielle saw the Ginny was wearing a thin T-shirt and her breasts were pushing against the material nicely.

"No, I don't think so," answered Gabrielle trying to concentrate on the emotions.

"Then what?" asked Ginny stronger now.

"These emotions are coming from Harry. They must be to be affecting you but they are not his."

"Not his?"

"No. If they were, I would know."

"Is this to do with your link?"

"Yes. These emotions are coming from Harry but he's not producing them. It's like he's broadcasting them."

"Please explain," asked Ginny now clearly interested with this new news about Harry.

"It's similar to what I can do. I can feel Harry emotions and lessen them, sort of like drawing them away from him. He is doing the same, but in doing so, he is sending them out as well."

"So everyone is being affected."

"No. Only people that have a connection."

"So you're saying I have a connection?" asked Ginny in a small voice.

"Yes. How or where it was created, I cannot tell. But there is a connection, and, by the look of you, a strong one."

"What can we do?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do at the moment. The emotions will pass."

"Is that it, nothing else?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Fleur will train him to stop doing it."

"But … but…," stammered Ginny.

"It's alright, Ginny. I had my chance and lost."

"What if you got a second one?"

"I would grab it and hold onto it with everything that I have got," whispered Gabrielle.

Ginny shivered slightly at those words and felt her breasts tighten against her top.

Gabrielle saw the arousal on Ginny's breasts start and knew that she had to be careful. The power that Gabrielle was using, or that of the link, was beginning to affect Ginny in a way that she might not want. Getting up, she smiled once at her friend and walked back towards her bed.

Ginny looked at the retreating form of Gabrielle and admired the shapely figure, but, before her thoughts got any further, she started to feel the cold and panic again. The closeness of Gabrielle was obviously the only thing keeping them at bay.

"Gabrielle?" she called out stopping the girl.

"What?"

"Please stay here. I don't want to feel those emotions," she asked shyly

"Alright," smiled Gabrielle as she turned around after picking up her duvet.

Ginny moved to one side of the bed and watched Gabrielle get comfortable next to her. When they were close, she felt much better. The two duvets made physical contact all but impossible and it was not long before the pair of them had drifted back into dreamless sleep.

Harry woke to the sound of the birds once more. As he stretched his arms, he could feel his legs ache as well as his chest. The panic of the previous night seemed to have disappeared but he still felt worried over something.

Quickly dressing, he entered the main house to start the morning breakfast. He found it a challenge not to burn the food as his mind would still not settle and he found himself almost at tears when he served the bacon to his Aunt.

As soon as he could, he escaped back to his shed to see if anything in his school books would help him understand what was happening to him. As he flicked through the pages of Magical Plants and their Usages, the soft beat of wings told him the Hedwig was back.

Looking up at his bird, he felt his chest lighten slightly. She had always been there for him and now was no different. The presence of just someone else magical made the day seem easier to bear.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked the bird. He knew that he was not going to get a reply but it was worth something to him. He was being affected by something, he was sure of it. But what was happening to him?

Hedwig did not reply to the question. She just sat on the fork and looked directly at Harry.

"Hay, stop looking at me like that. I've done nothing wrong!" complained Harry, but Hedwig refused to look away.

Feeling very self-conscious, Harry rose to his feet. Was Hedwig driving him out of the shed? Because those eyes could scare anyone! Leaving the bird alone in the shed, Harry walked back to the house. He found the normal lists waiting for him. With hope that work would put his mind at ease, he started on the jobs for the day.

The two girls woke up almost exactly at the same time. Gabrielle gently removed herself from Ginny's bed and padded back across the room to get changed. Morning had only just arrived but they could hear noises from downstairs.

Without a word, the two girls threw on some clothes and walked downstairs to the kitchen to see what was happening.

As soon as Ginny walked into the kitchen, she knew that today was not only going to be different, but something bad had happened. Sitting at the table was a young woman. It took Ginny two takes before she recognised that it was Tonks sitting there. Her normal bounding personality was subdued so much so, that her face and hair was normal. She was sitting at the table just holding a mug of steaming liquid, looking into its depths and not talking.

Mrs Weasley was also at the table. She was still wearing her dressing gown and looked almost as bad as Tonks.

"What's up, Mum?"

"Oh, nothing, dear," replied Molly seeing Ginny and Gabrielle walking into the room. They were definitely too young to know the horrors of last night, but as she moved around the kitchen making some more tea, it was hard for her not to cry.

Ginny looked between to the two women and knew that her mother was lying to her. She was always trying to shield both Ron and herself from the horrors out there, but she was not going to let it happen this time.

"Come on, Mum, I'm not too young anymore!"

Molly spun round and faced her daughter.

"Yes, you are," she retorted.

Tonks looked up at the two girls. The new one was a mystery to her but it really did not matter.

"Molly, we had better tell them. They will only find out about it soon."

"Tell us what?" asked a sleepy Ron as he entered the kitchen on a quest for food.

"You had all better sit down then," said Molly looking at the three children.

As soon as they were seated and were drinking tea, Mrs Weasley started, "There was another attack last night."

"Nothing new there," grumbled Ron under his breath.

"That might be true, Ron…," bit back Mrs Weasley, "… but this one was different. He…He…who… well, you know him, let loose some Giants last night."

"Yeah, so," said Ron.

"See, Tonks, it's useless. They are too young."

"Shut up, Ron. Please continue, Mrs Weasley. I, at least, would like to know more," said Gabrielle glancing once at the boy.

Mrs Weasley swallowed once before continuing on, "I don't know everything, Arthur could only send a brief report, but it seems that a group of about 10 or 12 Giants attacked a small town in the West Country."

She took a sip of tea to see the reaction of the children.

"They were on the lookout for food it seems, but they didn't find any. That is when they started to attack the town."

"What did they do?" asked Gabrielle turning towards Tonks sensing that Mrs Weasley was having a hard time relating what she knew.

"Simply put, they tore apart everything there in the search for food."

"Doesn't sound too bad," muttered Ron looking round still looking for some food.

"No, Ron, that doesn't sound too bad. But when I mean that they tore apart everything, I mean it. Houses, shops, churches, everything. And when they found nothing, they started on the people. They just tore apart people looking for food. Men, women, children, anything that they thought might be hiding food."

Ron's face, and that of the others, started to pale very quickly at the image that Tonks was painting. "The whole town was or still is a mess. Arthur and most of The Ministry are there trying to put everything back together. Arthur says the loss of life was terrible, that the streets were strewn with bodies, the gutters had …"

"Tonks, please!" interrupted Mrs Weasley.

The three children sat in silence, each to their own thoughts, before Ron eventually asked another question.

"Was he there?"

Tonks shook her head and tried to hold back the tears before she responded.

"No, but some of his followers were. They attacked the Medi Teams that arrived. It seemed random at first, but Arthur said they were, in fact, very calculating in hitting only the Medi Teams, and those that did not have support. Also, only those that had a chance to save the people they were working on."

"That's horrible," exclaimed Ginny.

Gabrielle continued to contemplate what was being said but she could sense something more was coming from Tonks.

"I know, Ginny, but think for a minute. What would it have been like if he was there?" asked Ron.

"He had other plans for himself," whispered Tonks.

Silence descended again as all turned to face Tonks again.

"He used the attack as a diversion, and a very good one at that."

"What did he do?" asked Ginny

"He attacked Amelia's place."

"Amelia Bones?"

"Yes…"

"Is she alright?" asked Ginny though knowing what the answer was going to be.

"No…He killed her."

"Oh, Susan's going to be so upset. Last year she told me about her trips to her Aunt and how wonderful a person she was. She's going to be so upset," said Ginny.

"That's not all," whispered Tonks once more.

Ginny looked at Tonks's face and knew that, indeed, it was worse.

"She was there, wasn't she?"

"Yes," simply replied Tonks not wanting to relive the memory but knowing that she would have to soon.

"Is she…?"

"No. She ran away into the woods behind her house. It seems that she is hiding out which is good, but there are Death Eaters prowling the woods looking for her and stopping anyone else from doing so."

"We have to find her!" exclaimed Ginny.

"I've tried. Mad-Eye and myself spent a couple of hours searching but there is no sign and the Death Eaters kept attacking us."

"But the Ministry has to help!"

"They can't. The Giants have tied up too many people. Getting them to send some Aurors to find one girl is not going to happen fast."

"But…but…,"

"Anyway, we don't even know where to start looking. She could have been…taken."

"So, you don't know."

"I know very little. From the look of the house, she was there right to the…end. But from past that, we don't know."

"So, she may not even be there?" asked Ginny hopefully.

"No, I think she was. There was an attack and she was obviously there. It's the only reason that she would have left this behind," replied Tonks pulling out the small pink diary and laying it on the table.

Ginny looked at the diary. She had never seen it before but she recognized the writing on the front.

As everyone looked at the diary, Mrs Weasley saw the reason that Arthur had sent Tonks to her. The young woman looked on the verge of collapse.

"Come now, Tonks. It's time for you to sleep. Don't worry about Susan. I'll call if I hear anything."

Tonks looked up and was surprised that she offered no resistance as the older lady guided her away from the kitchen and up the stairs.

Ron looked at the diary and then at the two girls. The war was getting closer and he did not like it. He wasn't afraid or anything, it was just getting too close. Getting to his feet, he left them on their own, wanting to think and come to terms with what was happening.

An instinct made Gabrielle reach out her hand to touch the diary, but something made her stop. It was wrong. The diary was personal, but something was almost guiding her. Fighting the feelings, she retracted her hand and looked at her friend, "You okay Ginny?"

"I think so," replied Ginny glumly, but before anything more could be said, Mrs Weasley had re-entered the kitchen and started to make breakfast.

Susan looked at the sunlight streaming through the trees. The welcoming warmth beckoned to her but she still refused to move from her hiding place. She was tired, cold, hungry, but most of all, thirsty, but still she refused to move. Images of the night flashed through her mind. Not of the house, nor of her Aunt, it was the later images.

As she tried to forget, she heard the noise again. It was almost regular. Every few hours, it came closer, and soon, they would find her. Several hours ago, she had crept out to see what was happening, and she had seen them. Three men dressed in long dark robes, clearly Death Eaters, and they were searching for her. As she watched, she saw them stop and hide themselves. She had gotten suddenly afraid that they had found her but when she heard a second noise, she knew that it was someone else.

Two figures had crested the rise. They were not dressed in black but moved with a sort of confidence. The way that they moved also indicated that they were searching, but they did not get far. Almost as one, the three Death Eaters had risen and attacked them. Flashes of light had illuminated the woods but Susan had not stayed around to watch. Seeing the fight reminded her that she was no fighter and, when one of the two had fallen, she had ran back to her hiding place where she was still now.

The sun light continued to move through the trees but she still did not move. She could feel herself getting worse. Slowly, she looked over herself again and registered the torn clothes, the cuts and scrapes turning red. The dryness in her mouth did not disguise the pain in her chest but that was nothing compared to the shivering. It was as though her body was trying to get her to move but she was refusing to, but it was getting worse.

Harry stopped for his normal lunchtime snack and looked out through the kitchen window. The house was quiet with Dudley out. He had left several hours earlier, only vaguely telling his mother where he was going.

As Harry raised his sandwich to his mouth to take another bite, he saw his hand start to shake again. It had been happening all morning and it was getting worse. He had put it down to not sleeping last night when it had first happened, but it was getting more and more frequent. He was also beginning to sweat. Even as he sat there, looking out of the window, he could feel that his face was hot.

Quickly finishing his sandwich, he cleaned up and looked round. He had almost finished and would be glad to get back to his shed. He wanted to lie down and sleep. Shaking his head slightly, he continued with his daily tasks but could not stop himself continuing to glance at the shed and the supposed comfort it offered.

Ron got up from his bed. Lying down on it and reading about his beloved Chudley Cannons was about the only normal thing that had happened that day, but it still did not still his racing mind. After breakfast, he had retired back to his room almost instantly. The talk that Tonks had given had shocked him more that he realised. He did not want to appear frightened, especially in front of Ginny and Gabrielle, but the images his mind conjured did frighten him.

The thought of the attack made him shudder more than once. He knew that if Harry had known about it, he would have wanted to help and where Harry went, he, Ron, would always go. But this was not the normal adventure. This was now true life. People were dying now and not just simply. They were dying messily.

As this and more ran through his head, he had retreated more and more into himself. In just two years, he would be out there, facing it, no matter what happened. He eventually ventured out from his room for lunch but that gave him no relief. Tonks was still sleeping, and so, Ron had thought the lunch was going to be the normal Weasley affair, but that had changed when his father had arrived.

It was quite sudden. They were there, looking at the bowls of soup ready to start, and then he was amongst them. His mum had bustled around the kitchen when Arthur arrived, setting another place but the table fell into silence. Ron had never seen his father so un-dad like. He had sat down and picked up the spoon, showing almost no emotion. Everyone was waiting for him to speak but he did not. He just slowly, ever so slowly, ate the soup.

Ron looked closely at his dad. It was clear by the expression that he had seen, or possibility, done things that he would not want to remember or even talk about. The dirt around his face, the drawn features, all told their story instead.

Once the meal was done, Arthur had quietly gotten to his feet and, with his Molly helping; the two of them left the kitchen. Nothing was said as they heard the footsteps telling them that, Molly had put him in bed as well. With a nod to the two girls, Ron, too, got up and returned back to his room, his own private world shaken once more.

That afternoon, he did something he thought he would never find the courage to do. With everything changing how it was, he felt that he had to do it. It was not much, but he had to make the start. So he forced himself to sit at his desk and, with a quick glance at the piles of homework, he started a letter.

Glancing now at the almost complete letter, he still felt the fear in writing it. A letter to Hermione should not have been this hard to write but it was. No matter what he said or felt, what should he put into a letter to a girl? And a girl that he wanted to know more about? For most of the afternoon, he had written, crossed out, restarted, or just binned, but now, he was almost done. He had read every line to make sure it was right. Smiling to himself, he had never put as much work into any of his homework as he had put into this letter, but it still was not finished.

One last problem remained. To him, it was the most difficult. To some, it was trivial but not to him. How was he going to sign it? Cheers, Ron, Your friend, Ron, Hope to see you soon, Ron, Missing you, Ron, Love, Ron. He had gone through them all but which one was best?

Without walking closer to the unfinished letter, he crossed to Pigwidgeon. Surprisingly, he had been quiet all afternoon as Ron had written the letter. But now, he was bouncing slightly in eager anticipation of a delivery. Stroking the bird slowly as he had seen Harry do to Hedwig, he softly spoke, "You won't embarrass me, will you?"

The bird hooted once and then, surprising, stopped bouncing. He just sat there, with almost a regal look, as if to say, "I won't. Just give me the letter and I'll show you."

Leaning on the windowsill, he saw the evening darken as rain clouds covered the sky and the night drew close. Looking down, he saw that Ginny and Gabrielle were still sitting outside near the back door. They had hardly moved all day and Ron knew by the silence that they had said very little. Each must have been thinking over what had been happening.

A soft knock on the door caused Ron to turn and look. Standing there was his mother. She did not seem to be different, but Ron noticed that she did not have that normal glint in her eye, "Ron, dear, dinner's ready. Could you get the girls while I get Tonks and your father?"

"Ok, Mum," he responded leaving his letter and room behind.

Harry shivered once more. Big wet raindrops started to hit the back window. The evening sky had turned into an inky black as the rain approached. In the afternoon, he had started to feel worse and worse. His head had started to ache and now it was a dull but constant pain, but it was the shivering that was the most worrying. He did not feel too hot or cold, but he was beginning to shiver more and more.

Through the force of his own will, he thought he had managed to sit through the evening meal with the Dursley's and had not shivered once. In fact, it was almost the best he had felt all day. But after his summary dismissal from the table by his Uncle, the feelings had started again.

Looking out into the darkness, Harry made a break for the shed, knowing that if he waited in the house any longer, the weather would just get worse. Reaching the shed, he pulled open the door and threw himself inside. He had managed to avoid getting too wet and was glad for it. He was also glad that someone, probably his Aunt, had left the light on for him. At least he would be able to read for a few hours this evening.

Feeling a shiver run through him again, he crawled into his sleeping bag still fully clothed. Pulling a book from a nearby stack, he started to read once more. But the noise of the rain on the roof soon sent him to sleep, his book falling to the side forgotten.

Initially, the rain had been Susan's friend. She had been so thirsty, it had almost driven her from her hiding place and then the rain had come, but it did not stop. The rain had come in the early afternoon, and now it was evening. Even though she was hidden in a thick bush, the rain had gotten through. Within minutes, she was soaked. Not just wet, the little clothes that she was wearing were soaked through. The warmth of the day had been replaced with the cold wetness, but still, she refused to come out.

She was going to wait. Her Aunt had told her to wait. And that was what she was doing. But she hoped that it would not be too long. For the afternoon, she had shivered through the rain. The small patch of dry ground she had been sitting on was, even now, wet through, but now, as the evening drew closer, she noticed that she was shivering less.

She was smart. She had read the books and knew that when she stopped shivering, was the time to worry. But the continued noise of the searches worried her more. The look on her Aunt's face kept reminding her that these people would kill her, but the look on the man's face that had grabbed her told her even more. They would kill her, eventually, once they were finished.

Shivering once more, she tried to block all the thoughts, the cold, the rain, everything, except Harry.

"Hurry, Harry, please," she begged the coming night and waited once more.

The smell from the kitchen told Ginny that it was almost time to eat. For most of the day, she had sat outside with Gabrielle, but the two of them had hardly spoken. Through some unspoken agreement, the two of them just sat there, in silence, with their own thoughts. Ginny could not imagine what Gabrielle was thinking about, but she had spent the whole day thinking of what Tonks had told them.

She had jumped at the chance to go with Harry to the Ministry. It was the right thing to do. It had felt so nice, so right. Yes, there was danger, and her ankle still throbbed occasionally, but the excitement was only thing she remembered. But this was something completely different. It wasn't a friend or a person in danger. It was a village, a whole way of life. Silently, she just kept looking out wondering and thinking.

A new thought popped into Ginny mind. It came almost unbidden but it was the lateness of the day that had driven it home. Rolling over onto her side, she faced her friend and asked, "I thought you were going to tell mum you were going home today."

"I was," replied Gabrielle still looking out across the ground.

"Are you going to?"

"I don't want to but I should, yet something is not right."

"What do you mean?"

"Something feels wrong. My emotions aren't telling me what it is, but something's wrong."

"About what?" questioned Ginny focusing more on the younger girl.

Gabrielle turned before replying.

"That's just it. I don't know. Last night, this morning. Your dad. Even Ron. There's something wrong. I don't know if it's all connected. It may be. I don't even know if it concerns me but something is wrong."

"It's wrong alright. He's letting loose Giants on helpless people," snorted Ginny.

"It's not that! I just feel its something else."

"Like what?" persisted Ginny.

"Like I'm missing a clue."

"Hey, you two, dinner," called Ron from the doorway.

Ginny spun round to look at her brother. He had been absent for most of the day and she was just a little worried. Giving a quick glance, she saw that he was no different from normal except his face. It was long and drawn as though he had been using the day, like her, to think about the future.

When the three of them entered the kitchen, they saw that the others were already seated. Quickly washing their hands, they sat down at their normal places. Throughout the whole meal, hardly a word was said and, for once, Ron felt his appetite slip away during the meal.

It was almost as though the family were grieving for a lost relative. Everybody was so quiet, caught in their own thoughts. Throughout the meal, Ron was able to study each person around the table. His sister was quiet, but very much like him, watching everybody. She looked composed, but something was making her quiet like the rest. As Ron looked at Gabrielle, he saw that she had her head down and seemed to be pushing her food around the plate.

Ron had never really seen her eat much at the table but she was eating even less tonight. Every so often as she sat there, Ron observed a tiny shake of the head as thought she was dismissing another thought. Ron moved on to look at Tonks She did look a little better than the morning but not by much. Her hair was pink, but it seemed to lack the brightness, the punch. She was just sitting there, eating almost mechanically.

He moved his attention to his parents and was once more shocked to see them. His dad looked much better than he had done a few hours ago, but he still was not his normal bright self. As he was eating, he seemed to just look off into the distance and, for once, he did not seem to notice the rest of his family. Finally, as Ron looked at his mother, he saw that she was doing her best to appear normal, but the dark marks under her eyes and the way she kept looking around the room, he could see that she was agitated.

At last, the meal ended but nobody moved from the table. Mrs Weasley's magic cleared the table with its normal efficiency but she did not follow and start the washing up. To break the awkward silence, he saw his mum conjure up the teapot and set out a mug in front of everybody. The three children picked up their mugs and were surprised to find that they were filled with hot chocolate instead.

"You're going back, aren't you?" asked Mr Weasley looking at Tonks.

The young women seemed to pause for a moment before looking back at Arthur.

"Yes."

"Do you really believe she's…?"

"I have to. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"You know that The Minister can't send anybody yet."

"Hmmmm…I read the report, "I'm very sorry, but at the current time, and with little evidence at our disposal, it would be irresponsible for me to detach any more Aurors to assist in your search." He wouldn't be saying that if he had a family."

"I know, Tonks. But he needs everybody on the Giants problem at the moment," replied Arthur.

Tonks dropped her head and looked into her cup.

"I'll go with you," said Arthur after a moment.

"Arthur!" exclaimed Mrs Weasley

"It's alright, dear. When I left, I told Kingsley that if Tonks was going back, I'll go with her. He'll cover for me."

Tonks's face broke into a small smile before she replied.

"Thanks, Arthur, company would be nice."

"Do you really think that she's there and you can find her?" asked a concerned Molly.

"The tracks I found at the diary all tell me that she was there, but …"

"But what?"

"We should have found her last night. I really can't see this evening being any different," exasperated Tonks.

The three chocolate drinkers had been listening to the conversation not quite believing that they had not been sent from the room. Gabrielle was still looking at the diary which was now back on the table. Her mind was still trying to fit the pieces together but they were always coming up short. The conversation at the other end of the table was about how they were going to search the woods but all she could do was look at the diary.

"Ginny, how did you know this girl, Susan?"

Ginny looked round at her friend, slightly annoyed because she could not hear what was being talked about.

"As I said earlier, she was a member of the DA. The club run by Harry."

Gabrielle looked blankly at Ginny and tried to voice her next question.

"What was she like?"

"Oh, a nice person. She learnt the spells quickly but wasn't very good at using them practically. It was as though she was distracted by something else."

"Do you know much about her outside the club?"

"Not really, she's in a different house. I think she was liked, but many a time, I saw her wandering between classes on her own. Why all the questions?"

"I'm trying to find the missing pieces."

"Missing pieces?" asked Ron who was listening in.

"Yes, we're missing something and I thought that if I knew her better, they would come."

Gabrielle looked at the end of the table and waited for a break in the conversation.

"Um...Miss Tonks?"

"Please call me Tonks," replied Tonks automatically.

"Um…Tonks, could I have a look at the diary please?"

"Oh…um…," replied Tonks not know knowing if she should let this diary be read by Susan's school friends.

"Please, it might help."

"Okay then," she answered vowing to have a quiet word with them about what they read.

Gabrielle pulled the book towards the three of them and studied the cover. With a worried frown, she looked at Tonks, "It's all right. There is no spell on it, I've checked."

Gently, she opened the book and waited. When nothing happened, she continued to flip through the pages. She was a little disappointed when she flipped through. There were entries but not as much as she suspected and most of them were very small. Her mind did register some facts as she was looking, but still, she could not find the answer.

Arthur turned his attention back to Tonks before asking his next question. Seeing the girls and Ron reading reminded him, "What was on that piece of paper you found on Amelia?"

"Not much really," she said pulling the scrap out of her pocket and laying it on the table and unfolded it.

The adults looked at the paper.

Harry

Was all that was written.

"Not much help is it?" asked Tonks.

Gabrielle looked up at the diary and saw the paper open the end of the table. It was not too difficult to make out the writing and she read the single word. That word started the pieces in her mind to fall together. Last night's emotions, the power, the grief. A lost girl and a dead aunt. A diary with little written, but, in every few entries, the word Harry. A girl who appeared to have friends at one time but not at others. The pieces were coming together fast now.

"Ginny, did Harry ever get close to Susan?"

"What, you mean like as a couple?"

"No, I mean physically close. Did he touch her or anything?"

"Well, yes, he touched virtually everybody when he was showing us wand movements."

The picture in Gabrielle mind was complete. Instinctively, she knew what that one word meant. But how did that Amelia know? But she couldn't spend much time on that thought as her mind raced through the rest. He could find her, Harry could find her, but he would have to be shown how. This was it, this was her dream again, her second chance, and this time, he would have to listen to her.

She would show him how to find her, how to follow that connection right to her, but she would have to go with Harry. Go with him to the woods.

The sudden thought of going into the dark woods frightened her. She was going to have to go with him to help him, but there were people that were going to kill them lurking in the woods. She was powerful in her form of magic but what use would that be against these monsters? She still didn't even have a wand. The cold sensation was sweeping over her at this thought, but stopped instantly as she felt Ginny's hand reach over and grasp hers.

"You all right?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

"Why did you ask?"

"You looked…scared."

"I am," admitted Gabrielle

"Don't be."

"He can find her. I can show him how to."

"You mean Harry."

"Yes, but I've got to go with him."

"You sure?"

"Yes, everything fits."

"What are you two on about?" asked Ron.

Ginny gave Ron one of her most piercing looks but refused to answer him.

The three of them were drawn to the movement at the end of the table as Arthur and Tonks stood up.

"Um…Tonks. I know where she's hiding," called Gabrielle.

"Where?" she replied instantly.

"Um…It's not me, it's him," indicated Gabrielle at the scrap of paper. "Harry."

"Harry knows?"

"Not exactly. Harry can find her."

"How?" asked Mrs Weasley.

"He has a connection to her and he can follow that connection," replied Gabrielle.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ron.

"It's the same as my connection, I think. He can use it to find her, the same way I found him."

"You found Harry?" blurted Tonks.

"That's where the pair of you went!" said Mrs Weasley.

"What...What…What?" asked Ron once more not understanding anything.

"I can show him…," pleaded Gabrielle at Tonks.

"Ginny!" stormed Mrs Weasley not listening anymore.

"Molly, quiet a moment," instructed Tonks.

"I can help him trace his connection, but I'm going to have to be with him."

"Isn't there any other way?"

"Not if you want to go tonight, but, but I'm scared to go on my own. I want Ginny there with me."

"Never," replied Mrs Weasley.

"But, Mum, I went to the Department. I'll be alright."

"Oh no, my dear. I've not talked to you about that escapade yet. But this one, no, you are not going."

"Molly, I'll be there to look after them," said Tonks.

"No. She's my daughter and she can't go. That's final."

"Mrs Weasley, please imagine that it was Ginny out there in the woods. If somebody's daughter could find her, would you want them to go even if it is a little dangerous?" asked Gabrielle.

The cold logic of the argument from the young girl stopped Mrs Weasley from instantly replying.

"I'll look after her, Molly," said Arthur.

After a small sob, she nodded once in agreement.

Smiling like two Cheshire cats, the two girls got up from the table and started to head to their room to get changed.

"If she's going, then so am I. I'm Harry's best friend," stated Ron getting up and leaving the room before any reply came.

Sprinting to his room, he pulled open the door and rummaged through his clothes. Finding a set of old yet comfortable clothes, he changed and grabbed his wand when he saw the unfinished letter on the table. Fearing that his courage might fail him at any time, he quickly scribbled an end.

… I'm off to get Harry now with Ginny and Gabrielle (you know, Fleur's sister). Gabrielle thinks he might be able to find Susan. Hope she's right. Anyway, I might be able to bring him back here afterwards.

Hope you'll visit soon!

Love,

Ron.

Folding the letter quickly, he tied it to Pigwidgeon and opened the window for him. Almost gracefully, the tiny bird took to the air and sailed out of the room into the gloom of the evening.

Ron dashed out of his room, on a mission to get his best friend and find a missing girl.

The group Portkeyed to the entrance of Privet Drive in silence. Instinctively Tonks and Arthur scanned the area to see if they had been spotted. The pair of them knew that there was someone from the Order around but hopped that they stayed in hiding. As they finished their scan the two adults saw that none of the children had waited for them. With Ron striding out in the lead the three of them were walking clean up the street without a care about what was around them. Nodding to each other Tonks and Arthur quickly caught the group up.

In silence the three approached the house Harry lived in. The rain was now persistent but it did manage to hide them from the rest of the houses in the close. Arthur studied the front door and had to stop himself from squealing in delight when he found the doorbell, but before he had the time to push in Ginny reached out and did it before him. The musical note that played drifted off into the night but no-one came. Ginny tried again, this time the door was pulled open.

Arthur had met Vernon before but the change in him from two years ago was very marked. He saw that he had grown large and his face had more veins showing but his manners were no different.

"Ah Mr Dursley its good to see…" started Arthur but the large man in front of him was clearly was not interested. Vernon started to slam the door close on these "visitor" but found that he was stopped by a large foot that was pressed against the door.

"Thank you Ron. As I was saying Mr Dursley we have come to see Harry. He's need urgently you see…" continued Arthur, but the three children were not going to wait. As Vernon stood there listening to Arthur they quickly pushed passed him and on into the hallway. A woman's face was peering out of a side door looking at the three of them.

"I know which one is his room, lets surprise him," called Ron over his shoulder as he started up the stairs towards Harry's old room. Gabrielle put one foot on the stairs to follow but before she had taken a step her feeling told her that she was going in the wrong direction. Suddenly she turned and ran towards the kitchen. Ginny looked at the two people Ron bounding up the stairs and Gabrielle going to the kitchen. Not knowing which to follow she remembered what she had promised Gabrielle, she would look after her, make sure that no harm came to her. So ignoring Ron she quickly followed Gabrielle.

Gabrielle looked round the kitchen and still did not see Harry, something inside of her was beginning to panic. She had always known where he was, but now she was not sure. Glancing around the room gave her no clue and she could hear Ron upstairs banging on a door. She felt Ginny come up behind her and she was glad of the company.

"Where is he?" Ginny asked quickly.

"I don't know?"

"Can't you…you know?"

Gabrielle looked back and Ginny and realised that she was right, she had to use her power. Closing her eyes she tried to keep her conscious close and looked for that one ribbon. Opening her eyes she saw the faint trace of it as it passed out through one of the walls and into the garden.

"Out there." She called pointing outside of the house.

"What's he doing outside?"

"I don't know, come on then."

Without waiting the two of them pulled open the backdoor and scanned around. Gabrielle immediately saw their destination. Off to the side of the garden was a shed with its insides illuminated. Dashing across the rain soaked lawn Ginny grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door. What she saw inside made his insides turn over, she felt a gasp try to escape her lips but managed to contain it. Gabrielle was standing next to her and was peering in and could not stop the blush rising to her face.

Harry was lying in a sleeping bag, on the floor beside him was a book he had obviously been reading. Watching from the top of a fork handle was Hedwig as though she was keeping watch over the whole shed. Yet the most shocking thing the two girls saw was Harry's face. He had a pale complexion and his eyes were red rimed, his sweet laden hair was plastered across his face he clearly did not look well. Unknown to both girls they were having exactly the same feelings at that moment. Both of them wanted to rush to Harry and to help him but they both knew that they could not, it would be disastrous if they did.

Ginny saw the anger of their arrival start in Harry's face. Not only the embarrassment of being found out but the actual presence of the pair of them were going to set him off. Have experience of her mother Ginny knew exactly that she had to head him off otherwise nothing would happen that night.

"Come on Harry, my dad and Tonks need you help. There waiting in the kitchen," without even waiting for and answer she backed out of the shed doorway taking Gabrielle with her. The two sprinted across the ground once more and waited by the back door to see if there was any movement from the shed.

"Gabrielle do you know why Harry is sleeping in the shed?"

"No, but I don't think it's something he would want shared with the rest."

"Agreed."

As soon as the pair saw a shadow move in the shed they ducked into the kitchen to await him. Ron walked into the kitchen closely followed by Arthur and Tonks, Vernon was standing behind them all, looking like he wanted to start raving again.

"He wasn't upstairs in his room it was just full of junk. Have either of you seen him?" asked Ron

"Um…yes he's outside. He just coming," replied Ginny

"What's he doing outside?" said Ron

"Ummm…Oh…He's…" started Ginny trying to think up something, but Tonks saw the look on the pairs face and guessed it was something that they did not want to reveal.

"Just leave it Ron here he comes," said Tonks.

Harry entered the kitchen. Gabrielle and Ginny saw that he did look a little better but his face still had a pale sheen to it. They saw him shiver slightly. Against what they didn't know as the kitchen was quiet warm.

"Hay mate, nice to see you. You look a bit rough," greeted Ron.

"Hi, I've just not been sleep much that's all."

"Okay, Dad and Tonks what your help."

"Yeh Ginny said so," replied Harry giving the two girls a penetrating look.

"Harry please sit down…" said Arthur indicating a chair "…we have some news."

Harry sat and looked around, his mind catalogued that everyone was wearing old yet comfortable clothes and they were dressed for the outdoors. In the background stood Vernon. His face was flushed red and he looked angry but he was still quiet.

"Last night there were some attacks."

"Is everyone okay?" asked Harry automatically fearing that they were here to tell him some more bad news.

"Um…everyone you know is safe," replied Arthur quickly looking at Tonks. "The two attacks were well co-ordinated. The first and most devastating was an attack in the south west. A small group of Giants were let lose on a village. They tore apart the village in what looks like a search for food and when they found none they started on the people."

Harry swallowed once as the image of Giants rampaging through a village came to his mind.

"The second was an attack on Amelia Bones."

"She's he Ministry Official, Susan's Aunt."

Gabrielle looked over and Ginny with a knowing glance.

"You know of her?"

"Not much it just that last year Amelia was all that Susan seemed to talk about during the DA lessons. I sometimes thought that Susan really didn't want to be in the DA she was doing it because she was spying for the Ministry."

"Amelia was a member of the Order Harry. One of the best placed ones we have in the Ministry. He found out and personally attacked her house."

Harry was silent at the thought of Voldemort personally attacking someone. He had been lucky, he would say, to get away from his own experiences but would someone else have the same luck?

"So why are you telling me all of this?"

Tonks looked and Arthur before she continued where he had left off.

"Amelia had a visitor when her place was attacked. Susan had been staying with her."

"And?" asked Harry with a slight sinking feeling, were they telling him that another acquaintance was now gone.

"She ran away. It looks like Amelia caused enough of a diversion to allow Susan to run into the woods that backed onto the house."

"So what's this to do with me?" asked Harry as he glanced at the two girls who were strangely quiet and composed.

"She's hiding in the woods, but we can't find her. There are a couple of Death Eaters running around the woods looking for her and none of us can find her. She obviously knows the woods better than anybody and we need your help."

"How can I help?" asked Harry now very confused as to how he could help better than the two adults in front of him.

Tonks looked and Gabrielle and nodded once.

"Harry..." started Gabrielle "…you have a …" she glanced and Ron and changed her mind at what she was going to say " …an ability to find certain people."

"I can find people?"

"Yes your…your new power allows…"

"You're on that again, I told you last time …" started Harry his voice rising but before he got any further Ginny spoke up.

"Shut up Harry and just listen. This isn't game, we aren't trying anything and a girl out there needs your help so just listen."

Harry's mouth flapped open listening to Ginny's temper explode but he had the good mind to keep quiet.

"Thanks Ginny, as I said you have a new power to find people. That's why we need your help."

"I sorry, really I am. But I don't think that I can help you. If I could I would," replied Harry rushing the last as he felt another shiver run over him.

Gabrielle looked at Ginny and nodded once to her. As they were changing to come out they had briefly talked about what they might have to do to convince him.

"Harry let he help you and show you," ventured Gabrielle.

"What?"

"Please just try, okay?"

Harry looked at the girl's face and felt his insides melt again. He had been trying to avoid looking at her but when he did he could feel his resistance to her slip away. He had used his anger before to get rid of her but now that barrier was slipping away.

"I'm going to need a little space and privacy," said Gabrielle looking at the rest.

"What …what?" complained Ron but before he got much further Ginny had grabbed his arm and started to pull him out of the kitchen. Tonks and Arthur followed them and closed the door behind them.

Gabrielle waited until she could not hear the voices outside the door before she looked directly at Harry's face. Even with the table between them she could feel the pull of Harry upon her. She still did not open herself to Harry because she knew that no matter how strong her will she would not be able to control herself, her magic would just take over.

"Harry there is many things about your new powers that I can only guess at. There are many things that I know about and I wish, that I could say them all now but we don't have the time. I promise that when there is time I will answer any question that you ask, any question," pleaded Gabrielle holding her hands to her chest. "For now just listen and do as I ask, please?"

Harry continued to look at the girl. Her face showed the sincere expression as she talked to him. His body was telling him to trust her but he just nodded once and listened.

"You know that Veela's have the ability to effect peoples emotions. You think that my sister and even I have the same ability and to a small extent you are right. You also have a similar ability, you may be able to affect emotions but you can at this moment sense certain people."

"You're not making any sense," complained Harry.

"It's difficult Harry with the way you are at the moment," replied Gabrielle not realising that even this small amount of background was going to need more time. "Okay Harry, we need you to find a person."

"Who?" immediately asked Harry

"Susan Bones," instantly replied Gabrielle to see if there was any reaction.

"She was in the DA with me but how am I going to find her?" he questioned.

"You have a connection to her."

"A connection?"

"Yes you are connected to her and you can use that connection to find her?"

"What do you mean a connection?"

"You have the ability to connect to certain people. I think, no, I know you are connected to her."

"How do you know?"

"Last night, well this morning you told me. Also looking at you now tells me as well."

Harry just kept looking at the girl with a confused expression.

"Last night Harry you woke up feeling bad. You felt grief, sadness, loss and you couldn't explain it. By the look of you, you feel cold, alone, your face looks red and you are shivering."

Harry mind leaped to the only conclusion.

"It was you! You have done this to me," started Harry trying to build up his anger to defend himself from the beautiful girl in front of him.

"No Harry it wasn't me. I haven't connected to you since Thursday you didn't want it. All of this is coming from you!"

This stopped him for a moment. The determination in Gabrielle's voice made Harry think for a moment and so Gabrielle took the opportunity to continue.

"How do I know this? Simple I felt the exactly the same thing. Anybody with a connection to you would have felt it"

"What?"

"Harry I'm connected to you. How is unimportant for the moment, but I am. I can, when I try, sense you. I can feel the same emotions as you, I can even affect those emotions, but you are different. At the moment you can not control this new power, your body is just reacting to it. Last night you were hit by a set of emotions that weren't yours. They were deep, powerful and you unconsciously broadcasted them to anybody who you was connected."

Harry mind ran through what he was being told. He was broadcasting emotions? He had a connection to Susan. Yes she was a nice girl, pretty even but, some form of connection.

"Harry let me prove it?"

"How," he asked wearily.

"I can shield you from those emotions that are not your own."

"How?"

"All I have to do is touch you, will you let me."

Harry looked at the girl, his chest was still hurting and he knew that he would start to shiver again but would he allow this girl to touch him? What did it all mean?

Gabrielle knew that this was dangerous. To both her and Harry but she had to do it. She just hoped that with the emotions filling both her and Harry that she would be able to block or suppress the rest. Without preparation she knew that they could easily get lost in each other but this was the only thing she could think of to try. She slowly reached out her hand towards Harry's.

Even the most basic wizard could have seen the change of magic in the air as her fingertip grew closer to Harry. She continued to move her hand until her finger tips gently rested on Harry hand.

In an instant her magic soared within her. She had suppressed it for only three days but now it was free and alive. She felt awareness rush into her as her magic sought and found Harry. Every part of her body was screaming "Yes" but she did not allow it to win. Breathing slowly once she closed her eyes and forced her mind away from the contact.

She was there, the single place that she wanted to be, nothing was ever going to be better. It was though her magic was feeding off of the moment, it was getting stronger and stronger, but she kept it in check. Now was not the time to explore these feelings, now she had to show Harry the proof that he needed. Opening her eyes she could see her connection to Harry, it was brighter than ever. It was strong and vibrant and she followed it to Harry.

Gabrielle had never really been able to see anybodies else's connections except her Grandmamma's and occasionally a faint set from Fleur but she could see Harry's. They weren't strong or well defined but there was a definite something there. She didn't look for the one she suspected was going to be connecting to Ginny or anybody else, all she searched for was the one affecting Harry.

Her magic or her emotions found the right one quickly, it was a river of emotions flowing into Harry. She wished she could study it more, textbooks only gave her so much information the practical display in front of her was invaluable. Using the same technique that she had done with Ginny she pulled her magic towards her and created a barrier a shield. She extended the shield through her physical connection to Harry so that he was within it. Once completed she blinked one and the image faded, still with the gentlest pressure upon Harry she looked closely into his face.

To her it was one of the most magical things she had seen. Harry's face seemed to change, the red rimed eyes faded away and the colour started to return to his face. He had been sitting slumped forward she saw him move slightly as he sat up straighter. She continued to look at him getting lost in his green eyes as he quickly recovered.

"What…how…that's..." stammered Harry as he felt his body respond. His head no longer hurt, nor did his chest. The feelings of loss and loneliness had gone. Briefly glancing at the fingertips laid on his had he started to move his hand away but saw Gabrielle move slightly to keep contact.

"What are you doing to me?"

"Nothing all I'm doing is blocking these outside emotions."

"Who's"

"They're Susan's. She is alone, frightened, probably in pain and unwell and all she thinking about it you and so she is sending you her emotions."

"But why me?"

"Her Aunt told her to."

"She really respects her Aunt," blurted Harry unconsciously.

"I know. But at the moment we need to find her. I can keep the emotions away as long as I'm touching you, but when I release you will fell them again."

"We can't stay like this," replied the teenage boy within Harry.

"I know, but now you are seeing and understanding."

"Okay then," replied Harry and he slowly pulled away. As his hand drew away he felt a tug within himself trying to prevent him. He could see or was it just feel the magic between Gabrielle's fingertips and his hand again. But then the feeling of the past day returned.

As Gabrielle watched Harry return back to his previous state she had to once again restrained herself from grabbing Harry.

"So Harry the first thing that we need to do is find Susan. Once that's done you should be back to normal, and then…"

"Then what?"

"…you should reconsider and let me train you." Harry thought a moment and nodded once, he wanted to continue to feel this thing that he had felt when she had touched him. Somewhere inside of him wanted reassurance that he was doing the right thing.

"Okay Harry, you need to see your connections. When you do you will be able to follow it to Susan."

"That's how you found me?" asked Harry with a sudden spurt of inspiration.

"Exactly."

"Okay what have I got to do?"

"Close your eyes and trust in me."

Harry closed his eyes and listened for the next instruction.

"Harry I want you to relax. Think of what you love to do the most."

"Fly" he whispered.

"Think of flying and how your magic feels at that time."

"Yes."

"Think of that feeling, and what it's like to be loved."

Harry had trouble with that but the look the Mrs Weasley gave her children sprung to his mind and then a second vision almost disturbing to Harry the look of Ginny's face as she waved him goodbye at the train station. Finally a third vision of Gabrielle's face as she sat quietly on the grass and listened to him rant about Hogwarts.

"Okay I want you to open your eyes slowly," instructed Gabrielle now standing behind him.

Harry slowly opened his eyes as saw that his vision was very slight clouded but he could see lines, no more like wavy ribbons floating off into the distance. The one that stretched towards the door seemed slightly more defined and a second could be seen flowing out through a wall. Looking down at their point of origin in his chest he could see the faint images of more, and a third even stronger that the other flowing around him.

A shock of knowing where that one went made him lose his focus and everything disappeared.

"They've all gone."

"Yes when you lose your focus they will."

"There was one stretching to you."

"I told you we were connected."

"But there were others."

"You will learn of the others later but first we have to get Susan."

"Right I should try it again."

Harry closed his eyes and tried again. He failed the first time but Gabrielle talked him through again and he managed to see the ribbons once more.

"You think I can do it for real?" asked Harry not realising that he was already thinking of Gabrielle as his teacher.

"The closer you are the easier it will be."

"We should be going then."

Gabrielle nodded and headed for the closed door and the rest of them waiting.

The group Portkeyed near to the front of the house. The rain was coming down now really hard. They could see the woods in the distance but only just. Tonks surveyed the repairs to the house and was pleased to see that most of the first floor had been repaired. She could still see holes in the roof but the grim spectacle of the destroyed houses was gone.

"Wow I bet that was a mess," commented Ron as he looked over the front of the house.

Harry saw the remains of the front door and was suddenly reminded of his childhood experience. He had relived that memory and knew how the front door would look like after Voldemort had finished with it.

"He did this didn't he?" he asked Tonks

She swallowed once. "Yes we think so."

Harry took a single step forward as though to go into the house. Ron saw the moment as started off towards the door. Ron was glad that his friend was here but in his opinion Harry still did not look great.

"No Ron I don't think it's that way?"

"Harry we think she's in the woods do you know where?" asked Tonks.

Harry closed his eyes and ran through the technique the Gabrielle had told him. Opening his eyes he tried to see the ribbons but failed. Shaking his head he tried again but failed once more. Gabrielle saw Harry try and fail twice and so moved slightly closer, her presence might just give him enough control so that he could do it on his own.

He tried once more and small smile spread across his face. Reaching up his arm he pointed into the centre of the woods. "That way, I think."

"Okay then lets split up into two groups, if we keep each other in sight we should be alright."

Ginny quickly looked at Gabrielle and saw that they both had the same idea of which three should make up one group, but before they could say anything Ron called out.

"Ok boys in one group, girls in the other."

Tonks looked the group over and realised that Ron's probably frivolous statement actually made the best sense. Ginny and Gabrielle were the most inexperienced and vulnerable whist she was the best and most trained.

"Fine, Arthur you take the boys and head out will move slightly to the side and follow."

He nodded and started towards the woods. Both Ron and Harry followed him closely. As they neared the woods all three of them pulled their wands.

Tonks looked at the two girls. She saw the Gabrielle was clearly frightened of being there, Tonks was wondering why she had come especially as she did not even have a wand.

"Ok you two stick close."

"I'll be alright," complained Ginny.

"I know but its Gabrielle we have to look out for as well."

"It's alright Tonks, Ginny said she will keep me safe and I believe her."

Tonks shook her head slightly before following the boys into the woods.

Almost as soon as they entered the visibility dropped, the dark rain clouds and now the leaf canopy blocked out whatever light was their. She saw Ginny pull her wand out and hold it aloft. Gently grasping the girl's wrist she whispered.

"I don't think we need any more light. Others less friendly might see it."

Ginny looked a little embarrassed and just nodded.

They moved forward at a steady pace occasionally stopping and searching. Every so often Harry would point his group off into a new direction. But they were always moving towards the centre.

Gabrielle felt a change in Harry's emotions an instant before the attack happened. He was about to point out a new direction when a red beam of light shot out from behind a tree. Harry never saw it coming and so never prepared any defence, the curse hit his shoulder a little too high, causing him to spin and fall to the ground.

Instantly Arthur was creating a shield and a second curse was fired from a new place. Ron dashed to his friend to see how he was and was relived to find Harry cursing to himself as he slapped his hand over the wound on his shoulder.

Tonks reacted like she was trained to do as soon as the attack happened. As she silently moved towards the attacker she glanced over and saw the Ginny was staying with Gabrielle behind a large tree. As she peered through the darkness another bolt of red streaked out and towards Arthur. His shield was holding for the moment but by the colour of it it was not going to be long before it collapsed in.

"Harry you all right?" asked Ron bending low over Harry.

"Yeh it just my shoulder."

"We need to get back behind some cover. Dads in trouble trying to shield us." Harry scrambled to his feet trying to ignore his should and looked round. He saw the Ron was right and Arthur was indeed having trouble defending them both. Nodding at Ron the pair of them dashed behind a tree and called out to Arthur. They saw him glance once at there location then started towards them. After only a few steps the curses stopped coming. A few seconds later they saw one of the bushes bathed in brilliant light.

"What was that?" asked Ron as his dad joined them.

"I don't know, but I think it was Tonks," said Arthur

The three of them looked round the tree to see if they could make out anything. After a full minute and nothing happening Arthur stepped out. He looked round once more with his wand trained over the undergrowth.

A crunch of twigs announced someone approaching all three of them pointed their wands at the small path waiting to see who arrived. As Tonks and the girls came into view everyone breathed a little easier.

"I got one back over there, but the second ran as soon as he saw my attack."

"Well done Tonks," the boys called.

"We had better get going and find Susan quickly before we get attacked again."

Ginny studied a now muddy looking Harry and saw that he was favouring one arm. Her insides wanted to go to him to see if she could help but before she took a step Tonks once led them off in the direction that Harry had indicated.

Harry looked down a slight decline and felt that he was close. Something about what he saw seemed slightly familiar.

"She's here, somewhere," he called out quietly.

Everyone looked at Harry and nodded, without a word they fanned out searching the area.

Harry moved in time with the rest but something inside of him was almost directing his motions. Wishing he knew more about what was happening he never the less followed this inbuilt instinct. They had almost reached the bottom and the others were beginning to look nervous at their lack of discovery when Harry abruptly stopped dead.

He glanced around to see if he could see anything that would indicate where Susan was but found nothing, until he looked at the bush in front of him. The bush was unremarkable similar to virtually all the others around him but something made him look at it more closely. As he looked at it he saw that their was nothing obviously different but, something inside of him was telling him to continue.

Harry bent low over the push and slowly parted the leaves to look inside. As soon as he created an opening he saw a face. A face of a girl, a very frightened and dirty girl but defiantly the face of a girl and one that he knew.

"Susan?" he asked.

"Harry…is that you?" came the quiet response. She was obviously very scared but the tone carried even more meaning to Harry.

"Yes it's me."

As soon as he answered the girl seemed to explode from the bush. She flung he arms around him and pulled him as close as she could.

"You're here. She said that you would come. She said to wait for you and you came," sobbed Susan into Harry's arms.

Harry had always hated crying girls, Cho was the example of this. He was never sure of what he was supposed to do. But with Susan crying in his arms he suddenly knew what to do. He hugged the girl as hard as he could to give the reassurance that she needed. Susan continued to cry letting the emotions of the past day just flood out of her knowing now that she was safe.

Harry did not know how long he was standing there in the forest with the rain beating down but he didn't care. He did not even care what the others might think if they were watching, he knew that he had to be there for this girl.

As the crying started to subside Harry began to notice the girl that he was holding. His hands were resting on the silken fabric of her top and he could feel every mussel and curve under them. His teenage mind registered that Susan's cloths were torn in many places and she was stained with mud and other things but he still did not know what he should be doing with his hands. A part of him knew exactly what he should be doing but his decency fought that down very quickly.

He heard the approached of the others and turned slightly to look at them. The beaming faces of both Gabrielle and Ginny surprised him more than the scowl on Ron's face but he still didn't care. As he waited he suddenly saw a faint movement in the corner of his eye. Turning his head slightly he saw a new figure immerge from the gloom of the woods.

This figure raised his wand in a fluid motion and sent a curse straight at Harry and Susan. Harry's instinct took over, his reactions were as quick as they had ever been, spinning slightly he presented his back to the curse and shielded Susan. He suspected that this was going to hurt and wasn't wrong.

He was used to pain and this cure did not surprise him. Hitting him in the same shoulder as the last one he felt the pain and numbness wash over him. He looked down at the upturned face of Susan and saw the blue light from the curse reflect in her eyes. The blue illumination made her face glow nicely he thought, he just wished that something else could be used to light up her face rather then a cure hitting him.

Harry felt himself buckle slightly under the pain but refused to turn aside. Whatever his back was going through it was nothing compared to what Susan had gone through.

The two adults reacted to the attack differently. Tonks raised her wand ready to defend the pair standing before her and never saw the second attacker. The bludgeoning curse hit the side of her head with both accuracy and power. One instant she was standing ready to defend everyone the next she had crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Arthur's reaction was only just a second slower as he grabbed Ron and pulled him to the floor. As soon as they landed he looked towards where his daughter was standing. As he watched her he realised that she indeed was growing up fast. She had not fallen to the floor like him she had grabbed Gabrielle and was retreating to the safety of a nearby tree. Realising that they were going to be safe Arthur started to look to himself and Ron. Quickly casting a shield to defend them from the next curse he looked round for some substantial cover.

Ron looked round and pointed towards a tree.

"Dad that way," he shouted

The two male Weasleys jumped to their feet and sprinted towards the cover that Ron had pointed out. As soon as the reached the tree both of them turned and fired back at their attackers hoping to distract them enough from Harry.

Ginny was breathing hard as she looked round the tree. Gabrielle was crouched at the base but glanced around the tree at Harry. She could see him hunched over Susan on the ground trying to protect him. The noise of the jinxes or curses the Ginny was firing was distracting her but seeing Harry on the ground she knew what she could do to help him.

Focusing herself inwards was very difficult, the noise and the fact she was scared was not helping her but eventually she calmed herself enough so that she find what she was after. She flew along her connection until she could feel Harry, his emotions were running fast and furious and it was as much as she could do to stop herself being swept up in it.

Searching quickly, not knowing how much damage that she might be doing to the small amount of trust that she had build up with Harry she found what she was looking for. Bracing herself she pulled as much of the negative emotions away from Harry into herself. Through her life she had felt pain but not much. The pain she now felt was far greater than anything she had experienced. Her breathing came in short gasps as she tried to focus. How did Harry cope with the pain flashed across her mind as the emotions continued to wash over her as she pulled them towards herself.

Ginny heard the change in breathing of her friend at her feet and looked down. She saw the Gabrielle was almost curled up at then base of the tree breathing in short gasps. Her insides turned over at the thought she had missed something. Dropping to one knee she looked into the girls face and felt her heart flutter.

"What's wrong?" she anxiously asked.

"Nothing, it's just Harry," gasped Gabrielle.

Ginny looked at Harry and saw that he was no longer just lying there on top of Susan, he now seemed to be moving around a little.

"How long can you hold it?"

"As long as I must," panted Gabrielle.

Ginny straightened up and fired off some more jinxes at their closest assailant hoping that something would happen and soon.

Harry glanced through the undergrowth and saw one of the Death Eaters. He was glad that he could now move a few moments ago all that he could do was lie on top of Susan and take the punishment. Now he could hardly feel the pain in his shoulder and back.

He aimed his wand ready to fire but then heard a moan from behind him. He glanced over and as that Susan had caught some of the curses that he had be shielding her from and was now just coming round. There seemed to be blood appearing on the sleeve of her top. Determination flew into Harry actions as he fired off a stunning spell.

The force of the spell pushed aside the buses in front of him as it travel straight at the Death Eater. It impacted exactly where Harry had planed for it too lifting the Death Eater slightly and depositing him with a wet thud on the ground.

The last Death Eater stopped and looked at his fallen comrade and the clear path through the undergrowth that the curse had left. The amount of power needed to produce that affect was really seen and the Death Eater had only seen it from his master Voldemort. He turned his wand ready to continue the fight but found himself surround by disgusting Bat-bogies. He raised his hand to try and fight them off and so never saw the bludgeoning hex fired by Arthur.

The silence descended once more to forest only broken by the falling rain. Arthur stood up and surveyed the area. Ron dashed over to his friend and Ginny stood away from her tree and looked around as well. As soon as she was sure all was clear she helped Gabrielle up and then ran over to Harry and Susan.

Reviving Tonks Arthur pulled her up into a sitting position.

"We need to get out of here," he started.

"What…how…"

"We stopped them, but some of the children are hurt. Harry looks bad but he'll say he's fine. Susan looks the worst."

"Oh…oh…Okay." groggily replied Tonks.

She studied the others and saw the Harry was indeed looking bad as he was leaning against a tree with Ron next to him. The others were clustered around Susan who was still sitting one the ground. Looking around she found a large branch which would do for a Portkey.

She smiled to herself as she wondered what the commotion the group would make when the arrived at St. Mungo's.

The emergency department of St Mungo's had hoped for, even expected, a quiet night after the gruelling work of the previous day. For the most they were right, there had been hardly any patients to deal with. The most exciting had been a family of three that was found in the ruins of their house after the Giants attack, but the next arrivals would change all of that.

They were used to all manner of people arriving but the group that Portkeyed into the entrance was not the normal. Auror's were a rare sight in the hospital on anything but business but this group was lead by one and one who look like she need attention. The others with her looked, well normal. Most people would just glance at them and forget them, in fact most of the staff did at first and many of them, especially the women, regretted it once they found who was there.

Healer Arnold crossed the room with two of his assistance, he was tired after the previous nights work, but he hated paperwork and took absolutely any opportunity to get involved with cases as they arrived to try and escape it. He studied the group as he walked, there were a total of six in the group, but it was hard from a distance to see their conditions but as he got closer his medical knowledge started to notice the problems.

"Good evening, I'm Healer Arnold what the problem?" he asked the lady at the front who seemed to be swaying slightly.

"Three of us need checking over quickly, we also need to be treated in a secure room and you need to start right now," commanded the woman at the front of the group.

He was not use to being ordered about especially in his own hospital. In his 15 years of working he had experienced many different patient attitudes but this was one of the few times that he had actually been order around. As he studied the different members of the group as realised that his quiet night was over.

The three redheads in the group all looked to be of the same family, they were not standing together, but there was some resemblance. His mind did not recognise any of them but something about the man did jog something. The younger redhead was supporting a young girl. He had seen more girls than most normal people, due to his work, but there was something about this girl that tugged at him. She had dirt on her face and clothes but somehow it seemed to make her look better not worse. Whoever she was she was one of the prettiest people he had ever seen, he had to check himself from moving straight towards her and helping. It was the last two standing at the back that made him realise that everything was going to be different with this case. He was almost at the point where he was going to give the whole case to one of the junior healer but he stopped himself. In the months to come he would spend many nights thinking about this very decision, but for now that was in the future, now he moved forwards.

In the final steps approaching the group he got his best look, so far, at the last two people. They were at the back of the group, it was though they were being shielded from him. It did not look deliberate but they were arrange just so. At the back were two teenagers, the girl looked to be leaning heavily on a boy who was in turn being slightly supported by the redhead boy standing in front of them. The girls clothing looked to be torn in many places and covered in what he hopped was only mud, the boy looked calm and proud but his face held something more.

It was at that instant that he recognised the face he had seen it before in the papers looking almost the same. His eyes did what virtually everyone else had done when they first met him they travelled up. He could just see the scar below the fringe he was looking right into the face of one Harry Potter supposed to be the Chosen One. His face turned to look at the girl, his medical mind was already cataloguing the various injuries and ailments but as he looked at her his mind brought up the name unbidden. He was looking at Susan Bones, he had spent too much time at the Ministry on various panels not to know Amelia Bones and if you knew her you soon got to know her niece.

The young Auror at the front of the group had been right he would need a secure room and quickly as soon as the press found out about this they would be all over the hospital.

Turning to his assistance he started to rattle off a set of orders.

"Mark please help me take these people up to the Ministry Suite. Joan you had better tell both security and the press section whose here, also contact Head Healer Brandon and tell him that we have…"

"Healer Arnold we really don't want or need the attention." broke in Tonks seeing the situation beginning to fall out of control.

"I know but I have to report this." Arnold paused and thought for a moment "I know Joan tell Brandon that we have had to open the Ministry Suite for a new case as it's the only one available at the moment." Turning back to Tonks he continued. "At this time of night I suspect that he won't bother to come in and we are not stretching the truth that much. Okay then everybody move!"

With that everyone turned and dashed off on their respective tasks.

With surprising little fuss the small group was shown into a small ward. It had a small number of beds in an open ward as well as a few private rooms. Arnold tried to separate each member of the group onto separate beds but fail miserably. The two younger girls would not be separated it seemed that whenever, Ginny that was her name, was moved away from the youngest girl she seemed to get worse it was as though Ginny was keeping the girl calm.

Separating Harry and Susan wasn't difficult as the girl was almost unconscious but moving them further than one bed away made the girl get hysterical and would fight to move closer to Harry. Harry didn't seem to mind where he sat he just followed instructions yet the other boy, Ron, would not leave Harry's bed, he kept up an almost steady stream of mutterings but refused to move away from the chair beside the bed.

The adults were different but not by much. The Auror Tonks was sitting on the bed next to the door, she was constantly looking round the room and then back to the one door as if trying to keep and eye on everything. The last one, Arthur moved between each group and tried to smooth the waters between the children and the Healers.

Shaking his head slightly he moved forwards into the various groups to see if he could start to heal them. He talked to Susan first and found that indeed her injuries were as serious as he first suspected. As he rattled of instructions to one of his juniors he saw the girl was paying him no attention at all. It was as though he didn't exist at all, she was only looking at Harry.

"Miss could you tell me what happened?" he questioned.

Yet the girl just shook her head and continued to look directly at Harry. Arnold glanced over and saw that the boy was sitting on the side of the bed looking straight back. His face held no emotion he was just looking, the way he held his arm concerned Arnold a little but the girl in front of him worried him more.

"You're Susan right?" he asked again to try and get a response.

"Yes?" came a very week reply.

Arnold glanced behind as he saw his two assistance return to the ward. Both of them moving directly towards him and he knew that they were going to bring him more questions than answers.

"Susan, you've got to tell me what happened so that I can help you?"

"You can't help me, only he can. She said so," replied Susan still lying on her side facing Harry.

The simple way the girl had replied to him managed not to offend him. There were few people in this country better than him at this and most of them worked in this same building yet the girl didn't want him she just wanted Harry.

Deciding that he was going to get little else from Susan he waved his wand to start to diagnose the problems. The faint blue glow on the tip of his wand illuminated Susan fully as he slowly drew his wand across the body he recorded the differing shades and pulsings of the light. Once he completed the pass across the body he nodded to Joan, even the inexperienced Heelers saw that Susan was indeed in a very bad way.

The young trainee healer leaned closer to the girl.

"Okay Susan I need to get you undressed, alright?"

Susan just nodded.

"Alright the will just get the screen put round…"

"NO…" said Susan violently shaking her head.

"But I must. You…"

"No…" continued Susan.

Joan looked back at Heeler Arnold who nodded across towards Harry. She turned her head and saw the boy who was just sitting there watching them.

"Susan I must insist…"

"No…Harry…Please..." begged Susan each word getting fainter.

"I'm not going anywhere, Susan. I'll be here when they have finished," said Harry quietly

"Promise?"

"Yes Susan I promise." Susan virtually collapsed as soon as she heard Harry. Joan took the opportunity and drew the curtains to give the girl some privacy. Within seconds she had the girl stripped and laid out fully. She noticed how cold the girl was as she was working on her.

"Healer Arnold?"

"Yes I know. It should be alright she's not too far gone. The gentle warming potion with a one part per million Salamander heart infusion should do it. Mark you assist Joan I want to check on the others quickly."

Arnold walked round the screen towards Harry. He had still not moved and his friend was still sitting on the chair rambling away. As he approached he saw the Harry's eyes seemed to wash across the whole ward as if he was trying to see everything at once.

"Well let's have a quick look at that shoulder then?" asked Arnold expecting to get the same resistance he had gotten from Susan, but to his surprise Harry just turned and presented his shoulder to him.

Arthur walked over to Tonks, who was looking better, yet still looked very anxious.

"Arthur did I do right in bringing them here?" she asked in a whisper.

"You had no choice, Susan didn't look good and if we had gone to Hogwarts we would be in even worst state as I think Madam Pomfrey is away."

"What's Dumbledore going to say?"

"Will find out later, he's should be back any time now. We had to do what was best for them," said Arthur nodding towards the others.

Tonks looked over at the group she saw they were beginning to calm down. Most of them had been given potions for sleep and she could see that the Healer was working on Susan again.

"Is she…?"

"It's bad, but they think we got her here in time."

"What's wrong?"

"She has got lots of cuts and most of them are infected, but it's her temperature, she's got hypothermia and it's fairly advanced."

"What about the rest?"

"Gabrielle says she fine and just need some rest but I don't know why she keeps shaking almost uncontrollably and won't let the Healers run tests on her."

"I didn't see that. Do you know why she won't let them run tests?"

"No. Ginny's says that she's frightened and a little worried about what they might find."

"Worried about what?"

"I can only imagine its something to do with that connection thingy she spoke about."

"What about Harry."

"As normal he says he's fine. The healers have looked him over but he seems more concerned about Susan and Gabrielle and keeps sending them to deal with those two."

Tonks looked at Harry and saw the Arthur was right he was sitting quietly but his eyes were moving around as much as hers.

"Arthur we need to get some of the Order here. I don't trust these people and I think Harry feels the same." Arthur looked at his children and then nodded. He knew if he tried to take them back home he was going to be in for an argument.

"Okay I'll see who's around and if Dumbledore is back. Look after them Tonks."

"Don't worry, I'll will."

Healer Arnold eventually got everybody into bed and asleep, well all except the Auror Tonks. She had refused any form of sleeping draught and even most of the pain reliving medicine. The bludgeon hex had caused various bruises and such but she just sat there looking at the door and room refusing to rest.

About half an hour after they had started to sleep the first new arrivals entered the room. Mr and Mrs Bones rushed in and were only slightly surprised to be greeted by the tracking wand of Tonks. As soon as the identified themselves they rushed to the closed off bed which held Susan. They talked in hushed tones to the healer and then took their places either side of the bed to wait. Tonks heard a gentle muttering outside the door she was lying next to. She recognised the voice instantly and smiled at the thought of who it was. It had obviously taken Arthur longer to find help than she thought but the voice told her the help, and probably the best help, had arrived. Without waiting for this new help to enter she beckoned to one of the assistance. Her head was hurting more and more now and her body was screaming for sleep. Taking the smoking cup out of the assistance's hand she swallowed once and let herself fall back onto the bed. She was asleep before the voice she knew had even walked into the room.

Harry heard the voices before he even opened his eyes. He listened to the talking not wanting to open his eyes. He knew that when he did they would stop. They never wanted to include him.

"…and you let them talk you into taking him."

"It was the only way," retorted Tonks

"The danger was too great … for him."

"We had to find her, Gabrielle said he could."

"She is a confused girl."

"But she was right."

"At the very least you should have spoken to her sister or have waited for me."

"Albus, we didn't know when you'll be back. You keep everything to yourself, we could have really used your help with the Giants attack or even after but you were nowhere to be found."

"I don't have to justify myself to anybody, least of all to you Tonks. I was doing what was best… for all of us."

"That I know but don't criticise me to doing what I thought was for the best."

Harry could not believe what he was hearing, Tonks was standing up against Dumbledore.

"Alright Tonks but there are greater things out there than one simple girl."

"I don't believe you and even if you are right there shouldn't be!"

"Yes Tonks, I'm sorry you are right. Okay then what did Gabrielle actually do?"

"I don't know, she asked us to be leave the pair of them alone, we did and then about ten minutes later they came out and said that they could find her."

"Was it her or him that found her?"

"Harry was the one that was telling use were to go. Why all the questions?"

There was a pause as Harry imagined Dumbledore mulling over his next answer.

"Harry has become plicated and I don't think Gabrielle is the right answer."

"The answer to what?"

"Never mind Tonks you had better get some more rest, the Ministry is going to want a report soon and you had better be rested because I don't think they'll give you much."

Harry waited to see if there was more but there was nothing. He opened his eyes slowly to allow them time to adjust to the light. Almost instantly he felt his glasses being placed on his face. He broke into a grin as he recognised the man now looking down at him.

"Hey Professor Lupin."

"Hey yourself Harry, nice to see you again and please call me Remus."

Harry looked around and saw that someone had drawn up the curtains around the bed. The end was open and he could see across to another bed and upon it, he could tell by the snoring, was Ron and beside him was Mr Weasley but there was no sign of Dumbledore or of Tonks.

"Where's um…Tonks and Dumbledore?" he asked trying to confirm what he heard.

"Ah…you heard. I think that Tonks was dismissed back to her bed and Dumbledore. Well I think he's with the Bone's at the moment. Did they wake you by any chance?"

"Um…yes."

Remus looked at the boy in front of him he knew that legally he was now responsible for the boy but somehow that just didn't seem right. Harry had seen and done so much without adult supervision to try and impose it now was just wrong. He had also overheard what Dumbledore had said, but to him Harry was the same.

"Harry about Gabrielle…"

"She did nothing wrong," responded Harry quickly coming to her defence without realising it.

"Hay calm down for a moment, I'm on your side honestly."

Harry felt ashamed and blushed slightly.

"As I was saying about Gabrielle, did you know I met her before you?"

"No?"

"I meet her before she and Ginny visited on Thursday, she's a nice girl there's something special about her."

"You're telling me," whispered Harry.

"Did you say something?"

"No nothing."

"Well she really is something special, she found you. I don't think you realise how difficult that is. Some of Dumbledore's frustration a minute ago was due to that I think. He has tried over the past two years to hide you more and more. When you are at the Dursley's you almost don't exist in the wizarding world. He has hidden you because of Him. Dumbledore suspects you could be vulnerable when staying there and has made it so that you can't be found unless he wants you to be."

"But she found me."

"Exactly and it worries him. I think it also worried him that she managed to convince you to run off a save another person so easily especially after the last time."

The thought of the rescue at the Ministry was like ice to his system, the realisation that he had done just the same again only a few hours ago made him shudder.

"See Harry when you stop to think, you now know what you did. He cares for you, in his own way."

"But he didn't tell me about Gabrielle, he let me find out the hard way."

"Harry, I believe in your second year you thought the Draco was the Heir of Slytherin."

"Yes, but…"

Remus raised his hand slight forestalling Harry's reply.

"You spent several months trying to prove that you were right, eventually after toiling for so long you had your answer." Remus looked at Harry.

Harry just looked confused.

"You found out what?"

"That he wasn't."

"You had been sure and yet you were wrong."

"I felt so stupid… I was so sure."

"Precisely, now Dumbledore had been working for years, sure in himself about you and your abilities. But now someone has questioned his answers and is showing them to be wrong. It isn't that he doesn't like to be shown he's wrong but it has been far too long since he has ever been wrong, he's is still trying to prove that he is right."

"But it's my life he's playing with!"

"He knows that, and that's the reason why he's doing it. Your life means more to him than anything."

"What should I do then, follow Dumbledore, follow you. What?"

"That's up to you. You have to do what you feel, truly feel inside that you want to do. Me I'm supposed to be your guardian, but I'm not going to tell you. If you want advice, ask. If you want my help, ask. But you and only you have to decide what Harry Potter wants. All that I ask is that you think anything through before you do it."

Listening to Remus like this was very different to when he was a teacher. For the first time Harry could remember he had just been given his freedom to do what he wanted.

"You're my guardian?"

"Yes it was in Sirius's will, but don't worry about that I'll always let you make your own choices."

"So I could leave the Dursley's?"

"Yes if you wanted to."

"You won't stop me?"

"No… I might even help you to pack if I'm free."

"But…but…"

"That's just it Harry, the buts, you have to think about what you're doing. Is it truly the best?"

"How do I know?"

Smiling Remus stood up and held out his hand to Harry. Harry looked confused for a moment before gently grasping it.

"Harry …welcome to the real world. You're life has just become more complicated than it was ever before. Want some tea?" asked Remus turning and leaving Harry lying on the bed.

Harry just laid their mulling over what Remus had said. He was free to make his own choice, or was he? Everything he wanted to do swum to the front of his mind. He could leave the Durley's forever. He could stay with Ron and the rest of the Weasley's, have fun in the garden, play snap, quidditch everything or could he? All his boyish dreams left him as he continued to think, but would he be safe there. Would his presence bring Voldemort to the Burrows and his friends? What would happen to his Aunt and Uncle? His mind hurt with these thoughts.

Dumbledore quietly walked round the partition screen and saw Harry's face of concentration. He had suspected what Remus was going to say to Harry as soon as he found out about the contents of the will. He didn't like it but saw no opportunity to stop it, gently lowering himself into a chair he waited until Harry saw him.

"Ah Harry it is so nice to see you awake, Chocolate?" he asked brandishing a paper bag.

"Um...no thanks."

"I see you are in deep thought perhaps I should go, unless you have a question?"

Harry looked over at the headmaster, he had hundreds of questions he wanted to ask but right now they seemed unimportant. So he asked just one.

"Do I have to stay at the Dursley's for my own safety?"

"Ah…straight to the point. Yet such a simple question has a very complex answer. For me to answer no would be true yet also false. There a many things we do, that we think are truly safe, yet they are not. If you want to protect yourself that is."

"I think you're avoiding my question."

"Quiet the reverse I'm actually giving you the full answer. Remus probably told you that everything is up to you now."

"Yes," cautiously replied Harry.

"You remember that I told you you're new teacher would tell you when you could leave and despite what I think about it, that is still the best answer."

"You don't like Gabrielle," asked Harry automatically

"Harry...it's nothing to do with like or dislike it's always been about you. Whether you chose her to be your teacher or not is up to you but to be safe that person, your teacher, should make the final decision."

"Why, it's my life we are talking about."

"Is it Harry?"

Harry missed that unspoken question.

"What about my protection."

"Another good question. Yet once more the answer is difficult, what are we protecting may have been a better question?" prompted Dumbledore

Harry opened his mouth to continue to rant but stopped. Dumbledore was talking in riddles to him but somewhere deep they were making sense, it was like listening to Luna. Luna why was he thinking about her? Closing his eyes he thought about what he had been told and tried to piece together all of the facts.

"I'm dangerous?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Ah...Harry do I start to see the thinker in you? To answer it is again complex, if your friend Ron or even Hermione were standing here they would scream and shout that you are not, you're just Harry their friend and they would be right. But if it was Lord Voldemort standing here he would most definably say that yes you were."

Harry had kept his eyes closed as Dumbledore spoke but he could picture the small smile spreading across the wizerned face and he was speaking to Harry.

"So the questions I have been asking are incomplete?"

"They could be interpreted as such, yes."

"So any decision that I make could affect others."

"Haven't they already."

It was like a knife in Harry's chest but he still refused to open his grief as now was still not the time. Harry waited for his heart to return to normal before he continued.

"Sir there is many questions that I want to ask yet, what you have answered to the ones that I've asked have given me more to think on."

"Ah…the dilemma of wisdom over knowledge. What is wisdom with no knowledge behind it? But knowledge is useless unless we have the wisdom to use it."

The more he seemed to ask Dumbledore the less of an answer he got. Was Dumbledore just trying to avoid answering the questions or was he truly giving him the answers that he was asking for.

"Harry I will leave you to your thoughts now, but remember that I'm always available to you."

"But how can I get in contact?" Harry asked remembering what Tonks had said.

"Easy send Hedwig, she'll always find me. I therefore bid you a good day."

Dumbledore turned and left Harry all alone.

Harry continued to ponder what Dumbledore and Remus had told him but he thought he knew what he must do, at least for a start. Before he could even tell anybody he noticed movement across the way. Obviously while he had been talking to Dumbledore Ron and woken up for he was now bounding across the gap towards him.

"Hay mate I've spoke to mum and dad and they say you can stay with us."

"Um…Ron."

"That's great isn't it you get away from the Dursley's after only a week. Boy are we going to have a great summer together. Come on let's get out of here so we can start." Ron went to grasp Harry arm with the mind to pull him out of bed.

"No Ron, wait," said Harry pulling away from his best friend.

"What?" replied Ron with a concerned face.

"I won't be leaving the Dursley's just yet."

"But I heard that Dumbledore said that you could leave."

"I know, but I have to stay."

"Stay…stay with those…"

"Ron I need time to … think"

"Think?"

"Yes there's a lot happening right now and at the Dursley's I'm left alone."

"I don't understand," said Ron sitting slowly in the chair.

"I have to stay, at least for a little while. If I leave I won't get the time I need. Just look at us, we have had to be placed into a separate ward to keep everybody out. At the Dursley's I'm not famous I'm just me."

"But…but…"

"It's alright Ron I just need the time, you can always write. I don't think he'll stop my mail now."

Ron just looked at Harry and wondered what Dumbledore had said to him. This was the first time that he could remember that Harry had actually wanted to go back.

"Well alright if you say so. I had better tell Dad and I bet my Mum going to be upset."

"I'll speak to them in a moment."

Ron got up and walked back to his bed shaking his head. Harry slowly got out of his bed and tested his arm and shoulder. Surprisingly he found that there was no pain, in fact they felt the best they had done for some time. He quickly dressed and turned to leave when a white robe healer entered.

"Ah Mr Potter you're up I see."

"Yes… Healer?"

"Of course Healer Arnold. I was pleased to able to help."

"Thank you I've never felt better."

"Some of that is the potion but you should be fine in an hour or two. Back to yourself."

"Thank you again but I must really be going."

"I do understand, and Mr Potter?"

"Harry please, just Harry."

"If you need me just contact me."

Harry looked at the Healer and saw something in his eye. Arnold looked round as saw that they were still alone.

"Harry honestly if you need help contact me, no questions, no nothing I'll just help you."

"Why?"

"I was there at the end of the last one and all through two nights ago. I don't want to see it again."

"But I'm not…" started Harry.

"That doesn't matter to me if you are or not, just remember my offer."

"Okay," solemnly nodded Harry.

Arnold nodded back, shook Harry's hand and left the boy on his own. Harry left his cubical and raised his hand to Ron to stop him from coming over again. He saw that he was the furthest from the door and all the other beds had curtains around them. Knowing that he had to speak to some of those present he set off down the corridor.

The bed next to Ron's was empty but this did not surprise Harry. He knew exactly who and where the occupant would be. The bed beside him he saw contained Susan and her two parents. Gently tapping on the metal rail he waited until one of them beckoned him in.

"Harry Potter I'm so glad to see you. I have got to thank you for what you did for Susan," gushed the woman on one of the chairs.

"That's alright Mrs Bones…."

"Stop being so modest boy, you have just got to ask and I give you anything, anything," butted in the man on the other side of the bed.

"No it was nothing. Susan would have done the same. I just wanted to see that she was okay before I left. I said that I would."

"You're leaving!" squeaked Susan.

"Um...yes I have got to get back."

"But…but…" stammered Susan her emotions starting to rise again.

"Get well Susan and I'll see you at school," said Harry turning to leave.

The emotions in Susan were building fast, Harry was leaving and she did not want it. He had come and rescued her and now he was just leaving. Her Aunt had told her to help him, in any way and he was just going to walk away.

"Harry…can I …" but she faltered at saying anything more.

"What?"

She did not know what to say, the look her mother was giving her was not one she was comfortable with.

"Can I write…to see if you need…."

"If you want I don't mind," replied Harry turning once more.

"But where are you staying?" Susan quickly asked.

Harry stopped for a moment thinking. Only a few minutes ago he would have happily told Susan where he was staying but now his mind was telling him that he should be more cautious. "Do you have your own owl?"

"No," quietly replied Susan looking down.

"But we have a family owl," replied her mother quickly.

Harry thought a few moments longer.

"I'll ask Hedwig to drop by now and then. If you speak to her she'll carry a message, otherwise it would best to send it to Ron or the Weasley's they should be able to pass it on."

"Are you travelling then?" asked Susan quickly trying to fathom out the reason for the secrecy.

"Possibility I doubt all be at any one place for long," replied Harry walking out of the cubical. He had just lied to Susan and he felt really bad about it but he knew that he was right to do so. He would have liked to receive a letter from her. In fact a letter from any girl would have been nice but something was reminding him that he was a target and those close or those who knew his location were going to be one as well. Susan had suffered enough and he did not want her to go through anything else just for him.

Susan watched Harry walk around the curtain and out of sight. Her heart was leaping in her chest trying to follow him but she could not. Her body was weak but the Healers and told her that in a few hours she would be able to go home, but for once she did not look forward to going home. She felt that she had to follow through on her Aunts request and help Harry. Her Aunt had saved her and it was the least she could do.

Harry looked at the last bed, the one closest to the door and saw both Remus and Mrs Weasley sitting beside Tonks on the bed.

"Wotcher Harry," called Tonks.

"Hi Tonks you okay?"

"Fine really, I'm just bunking work."

Mrs Weasley snorted at that one and Remus just smiled.

"I was wondering if you could get me back to the Dursley's?"

"You going back then?" questioned Remus before anybody else.

"I have to, at least for a little while."

"Remember what I said Harry you don't have to," said Remus.

"I know but I think that I do, for a little while anyway."

"But Ron was so looking forward to you staying," complained Mrs Weasley.

"I know but I have to go back."

"Did Dumbledore tell you?" asked Mrs Weasley.

"No it's something I've decided."

"Oh…"

"So Tonks is it possible?"

Tonks looked at Remus and saw that he had a tight smile. She wished she could see into his mind but it was clear that he was not objecting, but she couldn't workout why Harry wanted to return to those people.

"It's possible but, you're going to have to wait until…."

"No Tonks I'll take him," interrupted Remus.

"You sure?" she whispered.

"We'll be fine, won't we Harry."

"Thanks Remus I just need to arrange something and speak to Ron and then we can go?"

"Okay then," replied Remus as Harry turned and walked to the last bed.

He stood outside the curtained area for a moment to watch the scene inside. The two girls were sitting quietly talking away to each other. As Harry watched he felt an almost calm wash over him. This picture of the two girls talk was somehow pleasing to see, it just looked so normal, so right. Knocking gently he walked inside the enclosure.

"Harry!" called out both girls beaming grins at him. Harry almost grabbed for support as he looked at the faces now staring at him. The pleasure was clear to see on both their faces and the smiles were having serious effects on him. As he stood there he saw Gabrielle tilt her head slightly to one side, the effect was truly mesmerising, he knew the he was probably grinning in return but just to look at the pair was all that he wanted to do.

"You've come a visiting?" asked Ginny after a long time.

"Um…yes..." faltered Harry. Now faced with two girls he was beginning to behave like any hormonal teenage boy.

"Ginny! You've embarrassed him," chilled Gabrielle recognises the look and Harry face.

"I'm sorry, truly I am. I didn't mean too," quickly responded Ginny realising that she might have made a big mistake.

"Um…I just wanted to say goodbye," continued Harry trying to suppress his body's responses to the two girls.

"You're leaving already? I thought you were coming back to the Burrows with the rest of us?" asked Ginny feeling her stomach drop at he thought of losing Harry's presence again.

"I must, I need time…to think?"

"About what?" demanded Ginny.

"Ginny calm down for a moment," said Gabrielle

"Thanks… Dumbledore told me something. I need to think, at the Dursley's I'll be left alone."

"But how can you go back there, they put you in the shed!"

"It's not that bad actually. It's like camping out."

"Stop defending them, they are awful people," said Ginny.

"Yes but they are my family," quietly responded Harry.

"I'm sorry Harry. All I seem to be doing at the moment is saying the wrong things."

"It's alright Ginny, don't worry about me I'll be fine."

"But I'll will."

"Will what?" questioned Harry

"Worry," whispered Ginny dropping her face failing to hide her blush.

Harry saw the look of concern on Ginny face and felt his heart respond, Ginny was actually concerned. It was not something made up, that look was pure and genuine.

"What about me?" asked Gabrielle quietly.

Harry looked at the other girl and saw that her face almost matched Ginny's.

"I…I…I would like to know more about…" replied Harry feeling embarrassed but wondering if he should be mentioning this in front of Ginny.

"It's alright Harry Ginny knows. We'll need her help later anyway."

"Her help?"

"Yes, once you have some control you will need her help."

"Why? What does she know?"

"It's not what she knows it's what she is."

"What she is?"

"Yes, she's in love with you."

Ginny face turned bright scarlet as soon as she heard Gabrielle mention those words. She wanted the ground to open so that she could fall into it yet felt compelled to sit there.

Harry stood there not know what he was supposed to do now. The talking of love and looking at the two girls were having some very nasty consequences for his body but if he moved would they notice? Ginny had told him that she had gotten over him yet here was Gabrielle as calm as ever say that Ginny loved him and Ginny was not saying anything.

"Harry you will have to learn soon to talk about emotions and love especially. That is going to be the only way you will understand and master your new power." Harry gently shook his head to try and clear it of the image it had just created involving love, Ginny and Gabrielle.

"Are you still willing to train me?" he asked when he got his voice back.

Gabrielle let the breath she didn't realise she was holding out and smiled a smile of pure joy.

"Of course Harry, it's what I've always wanted to do."

The smile caught Harry of guard again, all the time he was standing there these two people were having some strange affects on him.

"Okay then, if you could make afternoons it would be best?"

"Afternoons are fine."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I can't wait," replied Gabrielle having to stop herself from pouting.

Harry retreated out of their sight and the two girls looked at each other.

"Did you have to tell him?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, you may be embarrassed now but later it would have caused problems."

"But…but…now he knows."

"Ginny after a few days of training he would have known anyway."

"Oh."

"I just thought you would have like to seen his reaction."

Ginny blushed again as she remembered the reaction she did managed to see. The bulge that had slowly appeared as they were talking could only mean one thing. She had felt the stirring within her own body as they were talking and even now she could still feel the heat passing through various parts of her body.

"Am I like you Gabrielle?"

"In many ways yes," she simply replied trying to ignore her own body's reaction to Harry.

"Will I have to…you know?"

"Later possibility for the time being probably not."

Harry returned to Remus and Tonks after spending a little time with Ron. He had managed to control his body again with talk of school and quidditch but he did wonder why his reaction was so strong and why did he have so blatant an image of the two girls running around his head.

"You finished now Harry?" asked Remus.

"Um…yes…I think I'll better go."

Remus looked over at Tonks and gave her a small smile as if to say "See!" before he turned and lead Harry out of the ward and back to the Dursley's