Chapter Four: At the Burrow
"Alohamora," Minerva tried unlocking the Burrow's door. But it belonged to Arthur Weasley, so only tightened its hinges and stiffened its lock. She banged on it instead.
No one answered. She tried with both fists, but there was still no reply. She was about to kick it down, when she was suddenly face-to-face with Arthur.
"Yes?" he asked.
Minerva looked past Arthur. His family was gathered around a drippy, homemade cake at their table. "Good morning," she said.
"Oh, it's you; good morning, Minerva! What brings you here after all these years?"
"I've come for the princess."
"Who?" asked Arthur.
"You know perfectly well who," said Minerva.
"We don't have any princesses here, Minerva," said Arthur. "I should have thought that was pretty obvious."
Minerva sighed. "May I sit down, please, Arthur ...Molly?" she asked.
Molly nodded. Arthur scowled. Neither spoke.
Finally Arthur said, "Ron, give Minerva a chair."
"Thank you, Ron," said Minerva, as she sat on one of Arthur's homemade chairs. Ron was too shy to say anything and retreated into the crowd of his brothers hovering around Molly.
In the middle of the Weasleys sat Ginny. Minerva groaned to herself, for she fit in perfectly, sporting the same red hair and freckles as the rest of her family.
Arthur sat himself on an upturned crate. "Well, Minerva, what's going on?"
Ginny slunk behind her curtains.
"Out with it, then, Minerva," said Arthur.
"Arthur, you and Molly do know who, er ... Ginny ... is?" asked Minerva.
"Yes. We do. Ginny is our daughter," said Arthur.
"But you guessed, didn't you?" asked Minerva, gazing toward Molly.
"Yes," whispered Molly.
"So you will understand when I say that she is not safe here anymore. I need to take her. Now," Minerva explained.
"No!" yelled Ginny. "No!" She burst open her curtains and picked up a chair. "I'm NOT going with you!"
Arthur stood up. "You most certainly are not taking Ginny. She is ours and perfectly safe here. She stays with us!"
"Arthur," sighed Minerva, "she is not safe with you anymore. She has been discovered. You have a spy living right next door to you. Muriel!"
"Molly gasped. "But she's family!"
"That awful old hag who's always around here criticising my family?" asked Arthur.
"Arthur!" Molly gasped again.
"I'll be more than rude if she's a spy, dear," declared Arthur.
Minerva shook her head. "The pictures Muriel has been drawing are proving very useful to the Dark Lord."
Arthur groaned. Minerva pressed home her advantage. "Look, Arthur, I only want the best for Ginny. You have to trust me."
Arthur snorted. "Why should we trust you?"
"Because I have trusted you with the princess, Arthur," said Minerva. "Now you must trust me. What happened eleven years ago must not happen again."
"You forget, Minerva," said Arthur, "that we don't know what happened eleven years ago. No one ever bothered telling us."
"How could I tell you, Arthur? It was best for the princess's, I mean Ginny's, sake that you did not know."
Ginny began to cry on purpose.
Minerva rose to her full height. "I was there the day a Death Eater used the killing curse on the Minister of Magic," she recalled. "These people will stop at nothing until Ginny is dead!"
Ginny turned pale.
Minerva's voice trembled slightly as she carried on. "It was terrible! Albus's protective charm did nothing, and he was thrown to the floor. I finished Albus's spell for him, and for a few moments thought all three of us were safe. But the Death Eater shot his next curse - one for the princess and me - it skidded right through the invisible shield, missing us by a hair. It killed Albus. This is his old ring," Minerva held up her ring finger, on which it glistened. "I had to take it, before someone else…" she trailed off.
The room was silent. No one moved.
Minerva continued in a low voice: "I put the ring on my finger and lifted Ginny. She was crying now, well, we both were. Then I ran so fast the Death Eater had no time to kill.
"I fled to Hogwarts. I couldn't think where else to go. I told the other teachers the terrible news and asked for their protection. We talked about what to do with the princess. We knew she could not stay at the school. She needed a mother. It was then I thought of you, Molly."
Molly straightened in her seat.
"I knew you had just had a baby boy, the seventh son of the seventh son. But I had no idea then he had died. I was sorry to hear that. But I knew you would love the princess. We decided you should have her."
Minerva walked toward Ginny. The boys parted as she stopped in front of her to kneel.
"Princess," said Minerva, "this was your mother's and now it is yours." She placed a gold circlet on Ginny's head that fitted perfectly.
As she did so, the ghost of Albus Dumbledore floated into the window beside Molly Weasley, so she put a hand to her heart.
The fire made the ghost shimmer slightly. He had bloodstains on him, and his long, white hair was tied into a ponytail, his beard neatly trimmed. He gazed around the Weasley household and sighed.
"Tell her, Albus," demanded Arthur. "Tell her she's not having our Ginny. Princess or not, she's not having her."
"I wish I could, Arthur, but I can't," said Albus, making his expression stern. "You have been discovered. A Death Eater is coming. She will be here at midnight with the elder wand. You know what that means..."
Molly put her hands to her hips. "It won't happen," she insisted.
"It must," said Albus, and his hand strayed to the hole just below his heart. "Minerva will take Ginny to Hogwarts," he said. "She will be safe there for now. Then we will think about what to do." He looked at Molly. "You and Arthur must go away with the boys. Somewhere safe, where you won't be found."
Molly's voice was steady. "We'll go into the Forbidden Forest," she said. "We'll stay with Hagrid."
Minerva looked at her timepiece. "It's getting late. I need to take the princess now," she said.
"I want to stay with Hagrid too," cried Ginny. "With everyone else!" She pulled on Molly's dress.
"Princess," said Albus, "Minerva is right. Only she can give you the protection you need. You will be Minister of Magic one day. You must go. Please."
Ginny's hands strayed to the golden circlet. "...I guess I'll go."