I know they're always giving each other presents. But I wrote the Valentine's Day bits before I thought of this, and in order for An to get the Trekkator from Callidus she had to have a birthday. OK? And I know Trekkator's a rubbish name, but I'm not J. K. Rowling.
Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Andromeda when he saw Ron, out of the corner of his eye, dashing towards them. 'What's wrong?' he barely had time to ask before he saw Ron's pale, lost face.
'Ginny,' said Ron hoarsely. 'She's gone. Missing. Neville too – they don't know where they are.'
He sank to the floor and Andromeda and Harry exchanged alarmed looks. 'What – they don't know anything?'
'Nothing,' said Hermione from behind them. Though she was more composed than Ron, she still looked ashen-faced and shocked. 'Dumbledore doesn't even know, they're stuck. The last time they were seen was in Herbology club.'
Something triggered in Harry's mind. 'Herbology club…' he mused for a moment, then stood up sharply. 'I told him to go for a walk with Ginny! That must be where they went! And something happened to them…'
'It isn't fair,' Ron said. 'Why should it always be her? She never did anything to anyone, and she's always getting into trouble. She was enchanted by You-Know-Who, taken into the Chamber of Secrets – and now she's vanished.' Angrily he tore a piece of parchment in two. 'You-Know-Who might have her, Harry.'
Just then, before Harry could think of anything to say, Dean and Seamus entered. From the stunned looks on their faces, they had also heard the news.
'Your sister, Ron – and Neville…' Seamus was wide-eyed. 'Do you know anything else?'
Without a word, Ron wandered off in the direction of the boys' dormitory. They watched him go. 'I don't think he wants to talk,' said Harry flatly, and he and Hermione, without exchanging words, followed Ron up the steps.
It was dark, somewhere at least – too dark to really see what was going on. There were shapes of light, like little ghosts, and sounds from outside – wind or animals or other things – but nothing that could be made out. Nothing familiar.
Ginny tried to turn over but her stiff leg stopped her. The floor she lay on was hard and splintery. Neville was nearby. She could hear his shallow breathing, but couldn't see him. She wished she could. It would have been a comfort, however small, to be closer to him, to be able to hold his hand even though he wouldn't know. She was afraid.
Every now and then, a bolt like lightning would split the black room in two – there was something happening a few metres away. Someone, the someone who had taken them, was doing a spell, or making a potion or something. Ginny could tell by the muttered unfamiliar words that occasionally reached her ears.
She remembered, though only dimly, the journey here. There was a gaping hole after she had run from the figure, but she remembered waking up in considerable pain, three feet from the ground. She had been bobbing precariously along, and had had to close her eyes to combat the feeling of sickness. They had been somewhere very cold. A forest, covered with snow, but not festive or enjoyable snow – sharply white, cruel, engulfing stuff that could kill her if she was to fall into it. Because she knew she would not be able to get up.
Finally they had reached the little house, barely warmer inside than it had been out. A little room, bare-floored and –walled, no light of any description. Then she had been dropped to the ground, and then she had passed out again. There was no more.
Ralassar.
Harry had to clutch his head very hard to stop himself from screaming. This dream had been different – he hadn't been him, hadn't just been watching – he had been someone else. Someone he knew – Ginny. Ginny was, inexplicably, in a place called Ralassar, and someone had taken her and Neville away. He would, very soon, reach her. He couldn't leave her there.
Harry, the next morning, didn't tell Ron about the dream. He didn't tell Hermione either, or even Andromeda. Though he knew, the way he often did, that the dream had been more than that, he didn't want to make them think he knew what to do, because he didn't. And the announcement from Dumbledore the next morning made him think even harder.
'As you all know, two nights ago a pair of students went missing,' the headmaster began evenly. 'We have this morning received a letter telling us of their whereabouts. The letter,' he continued, his voice rising above the clamour, 'was from Lord Voldemort.'
There were scattered screams and almost mutual gasps from the students. Most were as white-faced as Ron was. But Dumbledore, though his face was sad, kept speaking levelly. 'Voldemort has abducted Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. He has promised that they will be returned unharmed to us if we agree to surrender Hogwarts.' The noise suddenly stopped and an almost chilling silence prevailed.
'However,' Dumbledore went on, 'we are not going to give in to Voldemort's demands. We have been given one week to make our decision, and as I speak, the Ministry is devoting every last second to retrieving the missing students. We will not surrender.'
He sat down. There appeared not to be much point in continuing with the morning assembly. The silence was broken almost immediately after Dumbledore finished speaking with mixed cheers and mutters, then the noise dissolved into excited and fearful chatter.
No one, not even Andromeda herself, felt like celebrating Andromeda's birthday that day. Harry, of course, gave her the present, and she was suitably enraptured, but other than that, the only significant event was the letter that arrived that afternoon with her owl Perseus. It was from her uncle.
Dear Andromeda,
I am aware that it is your birthday today and I wish you many happy returns. I enclose a gift which may be of use. As I still cannot know you entirely, I was not sure what to get.
This is only a short note as I wanted to send your present on the right day. But there is one more thing I would like to tell you, as a sign that the bond between us is strengthening; and that is my name. Up until now I have not entrusted you with this detail, and I am not sure why. But I feel I may as well inform you now that my name is Callidus Green.
Endure all that may affect you in the next week. I wish you the best of luck.
Your uncle.
The letter was passed around Harry, Ron and Hermione in turn, and each was wide-eyed as they finished reading. But it wasn't until they had all read the letter in its entirety that they discussed it.
'His name's Callidus?' Ron said. 'Why did he have to wait so long before telling you that?'
A different issue was on Hermione's mind. 'What do you think he meant by that last bit?' she pondered. 'The best of luck… endure all that may affect you…' She suddenly gave an involuntary jerk of her head. 'You don't think he knows something about Voldemort?'
Ron groaned loudly. 'Oh, yes, we all forgot. An's uncle's an evil wizard and he's out to get her. That's why he wished her luck, is it?'
But Harry also had picked up on a different detail of the letter. 'What did he send you, An?'
Andromeda produced a small package and laid it on the table in front of them. 'I haven't opened it yet.'
'Well, go on then!' Ron said impatiently.
She tore off the wrapping paper to reveal something that looked a bit like a watch, but much more bulky. Its strap was made from thick chunks of gold metal, and looked much too wide to be secure on Andromeda's wrist. The face was a blank bronze square, surrounded by little brass knobs like those normally found on the side of a watch. Andromeda looked at it blankly, as did Harry and Hermione, but Ron was gazing at it in silent awe.
'That's no ordinary watch,' he said faintly. 'Andromeda, you've only been sent a Trekkator!'
The others were looking at him, vaguely impressed. 'A what?'
'Honestly! You lot are hopeless!' He gestured impatiently. 'You haven't heard of a Trekkator?' There were confused shakings of heads all round. 'It's a – well, a thing – it takes you anywhere you want to go. Except restricted zones, and there's hardly any of those. It's the best way to travel. Better than Floo powder, Portkey, Apparating… even better than flying car.' Harry grinned. 'I'm not sure how to use it, but there's probably a manual in there somewhere…' There was, Andromeda confirmed. 'Anyway, it takes you there in less than a second. Like a blink. Dad's had to use them a couple of times, for the Minstry. But they only usually issue them to the most advanced wizards, and even then for special jobs. An, your uncle must have had a job finding this. And it won't have come cheap either.'
Andromeda looked at the thing in her hand. It was quite impressive. The manual, though very small, was dozens of pages thick. It wouldn't be easy to work the Trekkator, but from what Ron said, it would be worth it…
Just then she noticed that Harry was looking extremely preoccupied. Before she could comment, however, he was getting to his feet. 'Come with me,' he said abruptly. They followed him and for ten minutes walked, seemingly aimlessly, around the castle. But then they reached an empty, bare classroom and Harry sunk down on the floor. His friends did the same.
Without warning, he began to talk again, and they listened, growing more and more surprised, as he told them about the dream he'd had. Then Andromeda's suspicions were confirmed. 'I think we could use the Trekkator to save Ginny and Neville.'
'Harry, how can you even think that – a week, the Ministry've got, to get them back, and we'd have to learn to use this, and even then it'd be impossibly dangerous…'
'I think you should do it,' said Ron flatly, and Andromeda was silenced. The hidden emotion in Ron's voice was enough to make the decision for all of them.