Part Eight by Monique
Gaining the final step to the Headmasters quarters, Harry and Ginny paused for breath. Reaching inside his robes, Harry withdrew the now sadly wrinkled letter that they had intercepted. "How should we do
this?" He asked.
Ginny ran a hand though her tousled, red hair. "Well, we could tell him..."
The door opened in front of them and the Headmaster himself finished her sentence. "The truth, perhaps?"
Harry and Ginny gulped up at Dumbledore.
"He-Headmaster!" Stuttered Harry, completely alarmed.
Dumbledore took them in at a glance. "By your appearances, I'm going to guess that the two of you were at the wrong place at the right time yet once again." Twinkling down at them, he raised a snowy eyebrow. "Am I correct?"
Both Harry and Ginny blushed but they nodded. "We intercepted a letter meant to go to Draco, Headmaster." Said Ginny in a small voice.
Harry put a hand on Ginny's arm supportively. "We don't normally open other peoples mail Headmaster, it's just that we were, uh, well, outside, enjoying the warm evening and we practically got knocked to the ground by the Malfoy's owl." Looking up at him with a rather sheepish expression, he continued. "I really do think that you should see it."
Dumbledore considered them for a moment that seemed to last an eternity and then nodded and moved to the side, motioning the two of them in to his office.
Harry offered the letter to Dumbledore and the headmaster, took it and sat down at his desk. A few minutes later he sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "They think they've found a way past our defenses."
Ginny was confused. "I thought that the school was too well warded for someone to get in easily."
Dumbledore nodded. "It is very well warded and all but impossible to penetrate." Pausing for a moment, he ran his hand down his beard thoughtfully. "I wonder..."
"What?" Harry asked.
"As I have quite a strong feeling you are aware of, there are several secret passages leading from Hogsmead to the school. It is entirely possible that Lucius has discovered one of these somehow and plans to use it to mount an attack."
Ginny looked nervously between Dumbledore and Harry.
"What should we do?"
Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "We, Miss Weasley are not doing anything. The two of you are going back to bed. And I do mean your separate beds."
Standing he ushered the furiously blushing pair to the door.
Harry started to speak but the Headmaster forestalled him with a raised hand. "Harry, I know you want to help and finding this letter and bringing it to me was already above and beyond the call of duty. From hear on out, however, this needs to be handled very delicately." Looking down at them, he placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. "I am trusting in both of you to keep this quiet. We do not want to start a panic among the students. If I do need your help, I will ask you right away."
Nodding reluctantly, they let Dumbledore usher them out the door. It closed gently behind them and Ginny looked up at Harry with a mulish expression on her face. "I still think we should do something! We can't just sit around and wait for You Know Who to show up in the common room!"
Brushing a tender hand down her bright hair as they walked down the stairs together, Harry sighed. "Ginny, you heard what the Headmaster said. We have to keep this quiet." Harry reached the bottom step and turned around and was able to look Ginny straight in the eye.
Liking the view, she grinned impishly at him and looped her arms around his neck. "I didn't say that we were going to make a ruddy announcement Harry, I just think there must be a way we could do something to help."
Harry tightened his arms around her. "Ginny, I don't want you in danger."
She rolled her eyes. "Harry! Since when have we not been in danger for the past six years?"
Harry shook his head and leaned his head against hers for a moment. "Do you know how very precious you are to me Ginny?" He whispered. "Do you know what it would do to me if I had to watch you get hurt again?"
Ginny gasped. "Harry!"
He took her face in his hands tenderly. "Ginny, I love you," he whispered fiercely. "I love you so much that sometimes it feels like I'm going to burst with it. But no matter what I feel, I know that you're in danger because of me!" Ginny shook her head in denial but he continued on. "Because you, for some unknown reason, decided to love me." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I couldn't go on without you Ginny. I couldn't do it."
Ginny felt hot tears slip down her cheeks at his words and she took a shuddering breath and hugged him close. "All right Harry, we'll stick together like always. You, Ron Hermione and I and we'll figure a safe way out of this."
Brushing a loving hand over his perpetually rumpled hair she smiled at him mistily. "I love you that way too Harry."
Harry felt the breath whoosh out of him and he cradled her in his arms for a long moment. "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you." A moment passed and then Harry felt her shoulders shake with silent laughter. Looking down at her curiously, he raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I was just thinking of all we've been though tonight. Did we really hear Professor Snape call McGonagall Minnie?!"
Harry sniggered and they headed back towards the common room. "I'm not quite sure but as long as he doesn't tell on us, I won't tell on him."
Ginny looked up at him in mock surprise. "That's blackmail Mr. Potter!"
Harry wiggled his eyebrows at her comically. "Yes Ma'am!"
