Chapter 18

Clean Up Division

For the next week, Harry became more like himself, and less distracted. On Thursday night Dumbledore handed him a piece of parchment. Harry showed it to nobody, but closed his eyes, and the sword appeared in front of him. He left the common room, and returned fifteen minutes later, not saying a word to anybody, and went to his dorm. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and many others in the common room left to go see the stone. The one with names now read;

In memory of

John age five

Sarah age six

Margaret age seven

Isaac age five

Wendy age four

Linda age six

Randy age five

Kara age two

Nathan age seven

Jamie age four

David age five

Crystal age three

The lightning bolt, which during the week had become a dull red, glowed bright once more. Ginny noticed with surprise that when she neared the lightning bolt, her necklace would glow.

Once again, nobody was sure how to act the next morning, but Harry acted normal, and the rest followed his lead. Only when the sword appeared did they leave him alone for the rest of the evening.

In this way, the weeks started to pass. September became October, and Halloween was approaching. The children that went missing became older, and they were now home-schooled half bloods.

Harry pushed his food around his plate, his mind focused on other things and his appetite gone completely. Heather sat with the Dream Team, clearly trying to cheer Harry up. "I wish Sally were here," he said suddenly.

"Asss you wish," came a voice. Sally slithered up his leg onto the table.

"How do you keep doing that?"

Sally didn't answer at first. "Well, I wasssn't going to tell you, but I guessssss you need to know. The reassson the Professssssors make you all get petsss, isss in hopesss that you will form a familiar bond with them. Doesssn't happen all the time, but it doesss happen. We have one. I draw very ssslightly off of your magical energy, and that energy will keep me alive until you die, unlessssss I'm murdered. In timesss of crisssisss, you can draw off of my magical energy, which won't do you much, but if you're near death, it ssseemsss to keep you alive. Anyway, when ever you need me, I know, and vissse versssa."

Ginny looked at Harry surprised. He looked right back at her. "What did she say?" Hermione asked.

"She said that she and Harry have a familiar bonding."

Ron lifted his eyebrows. "Wow, that's something new."

"That'sss not all, Rossse." Ginny looked at her. "I have one with you too."

Ginny fell off of her chair, gaining her looks from around the room. "You what?!" Dumbledore watched through his half-moon glasses, his eyes hiding his thoughts.

"I'm bonded to both of you. I will know when you are in trouble too."

"Well, who's energy are you drawing off of? Mine or his?"

She didn't notice as Dumbledore and McGonagall both set down their glasses to listen closer.

"I ssseem to go back and forth. I draw from the one who isss able to ssspare the energy at the moment. Lately, it hasss been you Ginny. But the bond began with Harry, ssso if you outlive him, I mossst likely will not."

Heather glanced over at Dumbledore, who met her gaze. She pointedly looked at Harry, then Ginny, grinned, and looked back at Dumbledore. He nodded and returned with a small smile of his own.

Heather knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door. The voices inside were silent suddenly, and the door opened. Heather found herself looking into a pair of bright blue eyes, that twinkled when they saw her.

"Come in, Heather. I suppose you have figured it out, you always were very clever. That's one thing you couldn't beat out of her," he said looking down at the dog that was following Heather into the room.

Sirius transformed, and gave a slight bow. "I assure you, Professor, that I didn't beat anything out of her. I simply had the advantage that she would have jumped of a cliff if I told her I fancied seeing her fly."

Heather turned a interesting shade of red, but ignored the comment. "So, tell me what you're doing, and then let me tell you what you're doing wrong." She turned to sit in a chair by the fire, but Sirius sneaked behind her and sat in it first. She didn't see him, and fell into his lap. "Padfoot!" she exclaimed jumping up again, but he caught her and pulled her back down. The shade of her face became slightly more interesting, but as he held her on his lap, she crossed her arms and scowled.

Dumbledore and McGonagall took seats across from them. McGonagall with thinned lips, and Dumbledore with a smile. "So," Heather said, jumping right in. "I've figured out what you're doing. I don't suppose you are going to tell me why are you?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Very sorry, but I can not. I would still greatly appreciate your help. I have been considering something that you, ah, requested, as a student."

Heather rolled her eyes. "That is so not fair. Well, you old people will just mess it up, so can we do it?"

Dumbledore smiled. "It's all yours."

The Dream Team sat in the Forth Year boys dorm room. It was cold out, so Harry had taken to practicing his sword in the dorm. Hermione knew that Ginny wanted to watch him, so she made Ron stay too. As she wasn't really very interested in watching him, she talked to Ron.

"Our Hogsmeade trip is on Halloween. We all have to do our Christmas shopping."

Ron's ears turned red. "Yes, well, most of mine is done."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "Wow, Ron, I'm impressed."

"There's only one person left, and I don't know what to get her."

"Her? Who is it?" Harry asked, stopping in mid-leap.

Ron's ears went a shade darker. "I- I c-can't tell you." He looked down. "I was wondering if you would help me find her a present, Booky."

Ginny saw the hurt that flashed across Hermione's face, but she hid it quickly.

"I'd be glad to help, Pawn."

Harry leaned down to whisper in Ginny's ear, which made her heart leap. "But I was so sure he liked Booky."

Ginny nodded, watching her older brother carefully. "I want to get her something that lets her know how important she is to me." Ron said quickly.

"Look at Booky's eyes," Ginny whispered. "She's going to cry."

"She's really good at hiding it."

"She's Hermione."

"Good point." Harry sighed. "This isn't good is it?"

"It certainly doesn't look good."

That evening as they headed for the great hall, Ginny pulled Hermione aside.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked her quietly. Harry glanced back at them, then drug Ron far away and out of ear shot.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. Ron and his new fling. Don't pretend that you are okay with it. We saw your eyes. We know."

"I'm fine," Hermione said, and when Ginny narrowed her eyes she continued. "Really, I'm okay. You saw my eyes, did you see his? Did you see the way they lit up when he started talking about surprising her on Christmas morning? He's happy, and therefore, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, maybe not, but I'll pull though."

"And I'm always only down one flight of stairs."

Hermione smiled gratefully, and led them to catch up with the boys.

As the Dream Team entered the great hall, Dumbledore intercepted them at the door. Harry groaned as he held out a piece of paper.

"He's not very picky anymore, Mr. Potter. This was a pure blood."

Harry took the paper and read the name. He shook his head, and the air in front of him glowed scarlet. He snatched the sword out of mid-air, and turned on his heel, walking past some adults who stared at him with open mouths.

Ginny sat down with Hermione and Ron, but watched as the unknown adults walked over to Dumbledore. The room hushed to hear what they said.

"Hello, Mr. Dumbledore, we are the representatives from the Ministry; Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; Clean Up Division that you requested."

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe out ticket to the chamber where the Basilisk resides just walked out."

"Was that Mr. Potter, sir?" a man behind the first said. "Was it really?"

"Yes, it was. He is slightly indisposed at the moment, I'm terribly sorry, but we have no way of getting down there."

"Professor," Ginny said, standing. They all turned to look at her, and she blushed. "I may be able to help. Sally can get down there, but she won't go without me or Harry. I- I could go with you."

"Miss. Weasley, that idea did not cross my wandering mind. If you would collect Miss. Sally, we would be honored to have your help."

"She'll meet us there, she knows I need her." She walked past them and bravely led the way, while her stomach tide it's self in knots. She hadn't been down in the chamber without Harry yet, and she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

Sally intercepted them half way, making the Ministry representatives gasp. Sally slid up Ginny's leg, around her waist, up her arm, and onto her neck. She licked her cheek, and started hissing in her ear.

Ginny continued walking as though this was an everyday thing (and it was). The Ministry representatives shut their hanging mouths and followed her. Ginny giggled, Sally was making her laugh to calm her nerves.

When they reached the bathroom, however, Sally's cheering went out the window. Ginny's heart beat in her ears, as they all piled into the bathroom. The toilets had been moved out since, as nobody cared to use this as a real bathroom anymore.

They suddenly heard running footsteps and the door banged open. Harry stood there, not even panting from his mad dash from the great hall to the third floor.

'Those practices are paying off.'

He looked at Ginny, and spoke in Parseltongue. "Ron and Hermione told me what you did. I ran as fast as I could. I'm sure you could handle going down there yourself, but I didn't want to take any chances. Sal, I know you hate it down there, so you don't need to come."

Sally slid off onto the floor and out the door. Ginny smiled at him. "Harry, you are the most caring person I know."

Harry nodded his head in a very slight bow, and spoke in English again. "Anything for you, my lovely Rose. I live to please you."

Ginny giggled and Harry turned to the sink. "Open," he hissed, and the sink fell away. "This way please," he said to the Ministry representatives, crawling into the pipe.

Ginny followed right behind him, and the six representatives with Dumbledore behind her. Harry started down the chamber, taking Ginny's hand. The other's followed, Dumbledore smiling at the pair of them.

When they reached the Basilisk, Ginny and Harry sat near the wall talking and let them do their work. Harry knew that the new comers continued to look over at him. They couldn't believe that he had killed this thing, and with the sword that he was currently carrying.

Their clean up took surprisingly a short amount of time, and they were soon walking back to the stairs.

"Well Rose, what are we going to do with this place now? Nobody else can get down here, so that does sort of make it ours."

"May I make a suggestion?" Dumbledore asked. "Right now, Heather is making a speech about the dance that she is holding this year. She finally convinced Minerva, but she must do it herself. This would make a very nice atmosphere for a Halloween dance. And I do believe once there has been happiness down here, it will lose some of it's gloom."

Harry looked at Ginny, who was already contemplating what would go where. They smiled, and nodded.