Ginny Weasley wondered when the world had gone insane. She was
standing in the Leaky Cauldron, watching as he mother tried,
unsuccessfully, to browbeat Fred and George into behaving themselves while
they went shopping for their school books. From the hidden smiles that
they traded back and forth, Ginny knew her mother was wasting her breath,
but listening to that diatribe was better than concentrating on the
conversations going on around her in the tavern. The conversations about
Voldemort and the ones about Harry.
When the Daily Prophet had first started printing the articles about the disappearances, everyone had been worried. The Ministry had stuck by their stance that Voldemort was dead and remained that way, despite everything Harry had told them about what had happened after the Third Task. What frustrated Ginny the most was how easily people wanted to believe the worst about Harry. Even Ron was ready to believe the worst; after all, he spent most of the first half of the school year not talking to Harry in a fit of jealousy. Ginny had believed in him the whole time, but she knew he didn't want her support. He barely knew her.
Ginny gave a depressed sigh. That was the story of her life. No one ever saw her as a person, she was always someone's little sister. The only time she'd ever really stood out was the whole incident with the Chamber of Secrets and she had always wished that had never happened. Even though Harry had risked his life to save her, it had been because she was Ron's sister, not because she was Ginny.
Ginny noticed her mother winding down her speech with a huff and moved closer to the rear door of the tavern. She knew her mother was nervous about coming to Diagon Alley today. Only last week, a Muggle family here shopping for their daughter's school supplies had vanished when a shopfront had exploded. No one else had been harmed, but the family had never been found, nor had they returned home since.
"Come on then," Molly Weasley said as she marched her children out the back of the tavern and into the alleyway that concealed the entrance to Diagon Alley. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny followed behind wordlessly, although Fred and George were still trading grins in a way that had Ginny's danger sense blaring full blast. Those two were completely inscrutable, but years of living with them had given Ginny a sense of when doom was impending. Poor Ron was always caught off guard by the twins, but Ginny had that vital few seconds of warning that usually enabled her to avoid the worst of their pranks.
The entrance to Diagon Alley opened as normal, the bricks sliding away to form an arch opening on the street, but Ginny was immediately struck by the quiet. Normally, Diagon Alley was a cacophony of noise and color as wizards, witches, goblins, hag and various animals and pets moved about. Only silence greeted the Weasley family as they stepped through the arch, the gateway closing behind them. Ginny could see her mother craning her neck, looking about nervously, worriedly.
"Wands out," Mrs. Weasley whispered as she pulled her wand from the sleeve of her robe. As Ginny pulled her wand out, a cry of "Stupefy!" rang out in the alley. Her brothers scattered like leaves before the storm as her mother took the stunner full on. Mrs. Weasley crumpled to the ground silently as two black robed and masked figures stepped out from a nearby storefront.
"Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, his wand flashing out the disarming curse at one of the figures that Ginny suddenly realized was a Death Eater. The masked man sidestepped the curse and threw another stunner at the group, winging Ron and sending him tumbling to the ground. Ginny stood frozen in terror as the two Death Eaters approached. Fred and George stepped in front of Ginny, blocking her view of the advancing figures.
"Ginny, run," one of the twins said.
"We'll hold them off while you get away," the other said.
"I'm not leaving you," Ginny said, her voice trembling.
One of the Death Eaters laughed as he looked at the Weasley twins. Turning to his companion, he said, "Our master wants the girl, the others are of no use. Kill them if they resist." The other nodded and raised his wand again.
"Ginny, run now," one of the twins yelled over his shoulder. "We'll be okay, but it's you they're after. You have to get away, now!"
Ginny nodded and bolted for one of the alleys between the shops. She could feel the tingle of a curse narrowly missing her as she ducked around the corner and broke into a full run. She could hear Fred and George trading curses with the Death Eaters as she ran further and further away until she couldn't hear them anymore. She zigged and zagged down side streets until she was completely lost.
Crouching down behind a stack of crates, Ginny hugged herself as she shivered. She hadn't been this scared for a long time. Not since she'd first realized that she might have been responsible for the killings when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Her mother and Ron were unconscious and Fred and George were facing off against a pair of Death Eaters. While she had confidence in those two to mastermind a prank and get away with it, she was worried now. They'd never had to stand against dark wizards before, they'd never had the training to deal with it like the aurors did.
Ginny froze as she heard footsteps echoing down the street. She could make out voices as they approached. Deep masculine voices, with a cruel cast to them. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew that she had better find a good place to hide. She looked around frantically, before she spied a grate on the gutter in the street. If she could get that free, it was just big enough to let her through. She was petite, and she doubted any full sized man could fit through the opening to come after her.
Steeling herself, Ginny dashed across the open street and dropped to her knees in front of the grate. She dropped her wand to the flagstones of the street and gripped the grate with both hands and began tugging with all her might. Her heart lurched when the grate wouldn't budge. She tugged at it some more and felt it give a little, when she spotted a small padlock at one corner. She grabbed her wand and muttered "Alohamara." The unlocking charm caused the padlock to snap open and fall free of the grate. Ginny silently blessed Hermione for having shown her that particular charm. She wrenched the grate free and set it carefully to the side.
Ginny lay down on her belly and reached into the opening, feeling her way around, desperately trying to ignore the approaching footsteps. Finding the edge that dropped off into the sewers, Ginny took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly, deflating her lungs as much as possible before wriggling her way into the hole, clutching her wand tightly. It was a tight fit that had Ginny cursing the bountiful bosom that she'd inherited from her mother, but she finally managed to wiggle her upper body through.
Ginny hung, half inside the opening and reached around, searching for a handhold. Luckily, the old stone of the sewer was crumbling and was rough enough to make ready handholds. Gripping tightly, Ginny managed to swing herself all the way into the sewer, almost losing her grip as her center of balance changed, but she clung to her handhold with all her terrified might. Once she'd regained her balance, Ginny reached back into the opening and pulled the grate back in front of it. While on close examination, it would be obvious that it had been opened, to the casual glance it would look as if it was still locked tight.
Satisfied that her trail was covered, Ginny started her descent into the darkness. Some light was still filtering in through the grate, but it was still very dim as she worked her way down handhold by handhold. There were a couple of close moments as the stone crumbled under her questing fingers, but she eventually made it safely to the bottom. Water was flowing down the center of the sewer, but there was just enough light to let Ginny make out the paved walkway to either side. She stepped gingerly on the walkway and quickly grabbed at the stone again as her shoes slipped on the slime.
Ginny pulled out her wand after she managed to steady herself. A muttered "Lumos" and a small globe of weak light emerged from the tip of her wand, giving enough illumination to navigate by. Ginny moved carefully, trying to avoid the worst of the slime.
The sewers under this part of London were a labyrinth of tunnels, faced in brick that obviously hadn't been visited in years. There was slime everywhere and garbage floated down the water. The only sounds Ginny could make out were the echoes of her hesitant footsteps, the drip of water and the scuttling of the rats. Ginny shuddered at the thought of rats. As a witch, she knew she shouldn't have a problem with rats, but when she had been little, Fred and George had locked her in her room and turned all of her dolls into rats. She had been terrified to the point of gibbering when her older brother Charlie had come to her rescue. Ever since, she'd held a particular dislike of rats close to her heart, much like Ron had with spiders, so she wasn't all that broken up when Scabbers had disappeared a year and a half ago. She never could understand how Ron and Percy could have put up with such a revolting little creature as a pet for so many years.
It seemed like hours as Ginny wandered the sewer tunnels, although her watch was telling her that it had barely been forty-five minutes since the Weasleys had entered Diagon Alley. Her feet were starting to hurt and the air really smelled down here. Normally, you stopped noticing bad smells when you got used to them. Merlin knows Fred and George had set off enough of them for Ginny to have been accustomed to bad smells, but the smells down in the sewer were ever-changing. As Ginny headed down a tunnel, she heard a whisper of movement coming from up ahead. It wasn't the rats, and it wasn't a piece of garbage falling. No it sounded like footsteps. Ginny froze and the footsteps continued, growing closer.
"Who's there," Ginny said softly, hesitantly, praying that the approaching footsteps weren't a Death Eater. She'd begun shaking again; shaking so hard that her wand was making patterns in the air as her hands bounced. The footsteps stopped. "I know someone's there," Ginny continued, trying to project more confidence into her voice. "Identify yourself, or I'll curse you, I promise." There was a heavy silence as Ginny waited for an answer.
"Ginny, is that you," a deep voice asked from the darkness, full of incredulity. Ginny jumped at the sound of it. It was very familiar, something she'd heard many times, but different somehow and she couldn't quite place it. "What are you doing down here," the voice continued. The footsteps started again and Ginny could make out a form moving closer in the faint light. As the form moved closer, Ginny was finally able to realize why the voice was so familiar.
"Harry, is that you," Ginny asked incredulously. Harry was supposed to be sequestered at the Dursleys. What was he doing here in the sewers beneath Diagon Alley?
"It is you, Ginny, " Harry said as he stopped a few feet away from her. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be at home with your family?"
At the thought of her family, Ginny finally burst into tears and threw herself at Harry sobbing into his shirt. Harry looked down at her, confused, as he awkwardly put his arms around her in a comforting fashion. Harry had never really had much to do with Ginny, not since the Chamber of Secrets, so he had no idea how to calm her down, or even what had set her off, so he just held her.
Eventually, Ginny managed to regain control of herself and pulled away from Harry, reluctantly. She'd been comfortable in his arms like that, but she needed to be able to talk.
"So are you going to tell me what you're doing down here," Harry asked, a bit of a hard edge in his voice. "I doubt you're down here for a stroll for your health."
"In a way, I am," Ginny replied with a weak smile, her hand searching in her pockets for a handkerchief. Finding one, she managed to wipe off some of the tears that stained her face, although Ginny was sure her face was a blotchy mess by now. She'd never looked very good after crying a lot. "Mum brought me and the boys here to do our school shopping, but when we got into the alley two Death Eaters attacked. They knocked out Mum and Ron. Then Fred and George told me to run while they held them off. One of the Death Eaters said that You-Know-Who wanted me," Ginny continued.
"So, I ran through the streets until I got completely lost," Ginny said. "Then I spotted the sewer grate and thought they'd never find me down here. I started wandering around and here I am. Now it's your turn, Harry. What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be at the Dursley's still?"
Harry hmmed at Ginny's response and looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "I'm not going to stay at the Dursley's anymore," Harry said in a nonchalant manner. "I wanted to be there even less than they wanted me to be there, so I left. I wound up here."
Ginny looked at Harry confused. "But didn't Dumbledore have people watching the Dursley's," she asked, "after all, he wants to keep you safe."
"There are ways around any kind of watcher," Harry replied vaguely, his tone distant.
"But won't he be worried about you," Ginny asked. "I know I. I know we were worried about you after everything that happened last year."
"You were probably the only ones," Harry replied, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "After all, most of the wizarding world believes that not only did I kill Cedric, but that I've taken Voldemort's place as the menace of the wizarding world."
"That's not true," Ginny protested weakly.
"Of course it's not true," Harry replied sharply, "but that's what most of the people believe. It makes me kind of sick that after all I've done, everyone's always ready to believe the worst of me. It doesn't matter what I do, someone always twists it into something awful and the people lap it up." Harry's voice had been becoming more and more angry as he talked. Ginny could practically feel the rage seething beneath the surface and it frightened her a little, but this was Harry and she would never be afraid of Harry. Never.
"I've never believed any of that," Ginny said softly.
Harry stopped abruptly and looked at her sharply. Ginny could almost feel the heat of his rage in that gaze, but then his features softened. "No," he replied. "No, you were always one to believe the best about me, weren't you, Ginny?"
"Yes, Harry," Ginny replied, stepping closer and taking his large hand in hers. She'd always noticed that his hands were large. His fingers were long and slender, but gave the promise of power. They were also rough with calluses, from Quiddritch and from manual labor, if Ginny's estimate of the Dursley's was correct. "I've always believed in you," she continued, "and I always will."
Harry stared down at Ginny for a moment before shaking his head. "You said there were Death Eaters after you, right," he asked.
"Yes," Ginny replied. "There were at least two at the entrance and then at least two more patrolling the streets."
Harry stared down at Ginny and his brow furrowed in thought. "When did you cast that light spell?"
"I cast it as soon as I got down into the sewer. Why?"
"Damn," Harry spat. Ginny was taken a little aback. She'd never heard Harry swear like that before. "You'll have to put the light out, Ginny," Harry said. "The Death Eaters can track people by their wands like they can at the Improper Use of Magic office. Once it's out, stick with me. I'll show you a place where we can lay low for a while."
"All right, Harry," Ginny replied, "Nox." Ginny's light vanished, leaving her completely in the dark again. She probably would have started to panic, but she could still feel Harry's hand in hers as he squeezed gently.
"Follow me," Harry whispered in the darkness. "There's a safe place nearby. I found it a week ago. They won't find us there." And with that, Harry led Ginny off into the dark maze.
Author's note:
Well, this was an interesting chapter to write. Not as long as I wanted it to be, but that's okay. I'll deal more with what happened to Harry next chapter and don't worry, Harry's still plenty angry, just not with Ginny. She's always been shown to have believed in him.
When the Daily Prophet had first started printing the articles about the disappearances, everyone had been worried. The Ministry had stuck by their stance that Voldemort was dead and remained that way, despite everything Harry had told them about what had happened after the Third Task. What frustrated Ginny the most was how easily people wanted to believe the worst about Harry. Even Ron was ready to believe the worst; after all, he spent most of the first half of the school year not talking to Harry in a fit of jealousy. Ginny had believed in him the whole time, but she knew he didn't want her support. He barely knew her.
Ginny gave a depressed sigh. That was the story of her life. No one ever saw her as a person, she was always someone's little sister. The only time she'd ever really stood out was the whole incident with the Chamber of Secrets and she had always wished that had never happened. Even though Harry had risked his life to save her, it had been because she was Ron's sister, not because she was Ginny.
Ginny noticed her mother winding down her speech with a huff and moved closer to the rear door of the tavern. She knew her mother was nervous about coming to Diagon Alley today. Only last week, a Muggle family here shopping for their daughter's school supplies had vanished when a shopfront had exploded. No one else had been harmed, but the family had never been found, nor had they returned home since.
"Come on then," Molly Weasley said as she marched her children out the back of the tavern and into the alleyway that concealed the entrance to Diagon Alley. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny followed behind wordlessly, although Fred and George were still trading grins in a way that had Ginny's danger sense blaring full blast. Those two were completely inscrutable, but years of living with them had given Ginny a sense of when doom was impending. Poor Ron was always caught off guard by the twins, but Ginny had that vital few seconds of warning that usually enabled her to avoid the worst of their pranks.
The entrance to Diagon Alley opened as normal, the bricks sliding away to form an arch opening on the street, but Ginny was immediately struck by the quiet. Normally, Diagon Alley was a cacophony of noise and color as wizards, witches, goblins, hag and various animals and pets moved about. Only silence greeted the Weasley family as they stepped through the arch, the gateway closing behind them. Ginny could see her mother craning her neck, looking about nervously, worriedly.
"Wands out," Mrs. Weasley whispered as she pulled her wand from the sleeve of her robe. As Ginny pulled her wand out, a cry of "Stupefy!" rang out in the alley. Her brothers scattered like leaves before the storm as her mother took the stunner full on. Mrs. Weasley crumpled to the ground silently as two black robed and masked figures stepped out from a nearby storefront.
"Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, his wand flashing out the disarming curse at one of the figures that Ginny suddenly realized was a Death Eater. The masked man sidestepped the curse and threw another stunner at the group, winging Ron and sending him tumbling to the ground. Ginny stood frozen in terror as the two Death Eaters approached. Fred and George stepped in front of Ginny, blocking her view of the advancing figures.
"Ginny, run," one of the twins said.
"We'll hold them off while you get away," the other said.
"I'm not leaving you," Ginny said, her voice trembling.
One of the Death Eaters laughed as he looked at the Weasley twins. Turning to his companion, he said, "Our master wants the girl, the others are of no use. Kill them if they resist." The other nodded and raised his wand again.
"Ginny, run now," one of the twins yelled over his shoulder. "We'll be okay, but it's you they're after. You have to get away, now!"
Ginny nodded and bolted for one of the alleys between the shops. She could feel the tingle of a curse narrowly missing her as she ducked around the corner and broke into a full run. She could hear Fred and George trading curses with the Death Eaters as she ran further and further away until she couldn't hear them anymore. She zigged and zagged down side streets until she was completely lost.
Crouching down behind a stack of crates, Ginny hugged herself as she shivered. She hadn't been this scared for a long time. Not since she'd first realized that she might have been responsible for the killings when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Her mother and Ron were unconscious and Fred and George were facing off against a pair of Death Eaters. While she had confidence in those two to mastermind a prank and get away with it, she was worried now. They'd never had to stand against dark wizards before, they'd never had the training to deal with it like the aurors did.
Ginny froze as she heard footsteps echoing down the street. She could make out voices as they approached. Deep masculine voices, with a cruel cast to them. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew that she had better find a good place to hide. She looked around frantically, before she spied a grate on the gutter in the street. If she could get that free, it was just big enough to let her through. She was petite, and she doubted any full sized man could fit through the opening to come after her.
Steeling herself, Ginny dashed across the open street and dropped to her knees in front of the grate. She dropped her wand to the flagstones of the street and gripped the grate with both hands and began tugging with all her might. Her heart lurched when the grate wouldn't budge. She tugged at it some more and felt it give a little, when she spotted a small padlock at one corner. She grabbed her wand and muttered "Alohamara." The unlocking charm caused the padlock to snap open and fall free of the grate. Ginny silently blessed Hermione for having shown her that particular charm. She wrenched the grate free and set it carefully to the side.
Ginny lay down on her belly and reached into the opening, feeling her way around, desperately trying to ignore the approaching footsteps. Finding the edge that dropped off into the sewers, Ginny took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly, deflating her lungs as much as possible before wriggling her way into the hole, clutching her wand tightly. It was a tight fit that had Ginny cursing the bountiful bosom that she'd inherited from her mother, but she finally managed to wiggle her upper body through.
Ginny hung, half inside the opening and reached around, searching for a handhold. Luckily, the old stone of the sewer was crumbling and was rough enough to make ready handholds. Gripping tightly, Ginny managed to swing herself all the way into the sewer, almost losing her grip as her center of balance changed, but she clung to her handhold with all her terrified might. Once she'd regained her balance, Ginny reached back into the opening and pulled the grate back in front of it. While on close examination, it would be obvious that it had been opened, to the casual glance it would look as if it was still locked tight.
Satisfied that her trail was covered, Ginny started her descent into the darkness. Some light was still filtering in through the grate, but it was still very dim as she worked her way down handhold by handhold. There were a couple of close moments as the stone crumbled under her questing fingers, but she eventually made it safely to the bottom. Water was flowing down the center of the sewer, but there was just enough light to let Ginny make out the paved walkway to either side. She stepped gingerly on the walkway and quickly grabbed at the stone again as her shoes slipped on the slime.
Ginny pulled out her wand after she managed to steady herself. A muttered "Lumos" and a small globe of weak light emerged from the tip of her wand, giving enough illumination to navigate by. Ginny moved carefully, trying to avoid the worst of the slime.
The sewers under this part of London were a labyrinth of tunnels, faced in brick that obviously hadn't been visited in years. There was slime everywhere and garbage floated down the water. The only sounds Ginny could make out were the echoes of her hesitant footsteps, the drip of water and the scuttling of the rats. Ginny shuddered at the thought of rats. As a witch, she knew she shouldn't have a problem with rats, but when she had been little, Fred and George had locked her in her room and turned all of her dolls into rats. She had been terrified to the point of gibbering when her older brother Charlie had come to her rescue. Ever since, she'd held a particular dislike of rats close to her heart, much like Ron had with spiders, so she wasn't all that broken up when Scabbers had disappeared a year and a half ago. She never could understand how Ron and Percy could have put up with such a revolting little creature as a pet for so many years.
It seemed like hours as Ginny wandered the sewer tunnels, although her watch was telling her that it had barely been forty-five minutes since the Weasleys had entered Diagon Alley. Her feet were starting to hurt and the air really smelled down here. Normally, you stopped noticing bad smells when you got used to them. Merlin knows Fred and George had set off enough of them for Ginny to have been accustomed to bad smells, but the smells down in the sewer were ever-changing. As Ginny headed down a tunnel, she heard a whisper of movement coming from up ahead. It wasn't the rats, and it wasn't a piece of garbage falling. No it sounded like footsteps. Ginny froze and the footsteps continued, growing closer.
"Who's there," Ginny said softly, hesitantly, praying that the approaching footsteps weren't a Death Eater. She'd begun shaking again; shaking so hard that her wand was making patterns in the air as her hands bounced. The footsteps stopped. "I know someone's there," Ginny continued, trying to project more confidence into her voice. "Identify yourself, or I'll curse you, I promise." There was a heavy silence as Ginny waited for an answer.
"Ginny, is that you," a deep voice asked from the darkness, full of incredulity. Ginny jumped at the sound of it. It was very familiar, something she'd heard many times, but different somehow and she couldn't quite place it. "What are you doing down here," the voice continued. The footsteps started again and Ginny could make out a form moving closer in the faint light. As the form moved closer, Ginny was finally able to realize why the voice was so familiar.
"Harry, is that you," Ginny asked incredulously. Harry was supposed to be sequestered at the Dursleys. What was he doing here in the sewers beneath Diagon Alley?
"It is you, Ginny, " Harry said as he stopped a few feet away from her. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be at home with your family?"
At the thought of her family, Ginny finally burst into tears and threw herself at Harry sobbing into his shirt. Harry looked down at her, confused, as he awkwardly put his arms around her in a comforting fashion. Harry had never really had much to do with Ginny, not since the Chamber of Secrets, so he had no idea how to calm her down, or even what had set her off, so he just held her.
Eventually, Ginny managed to regain control of herself and pulled away from Harry, reluctantly. She'd been comfortable in his arms like that, but she needed to be able to talk.
"So are you going to tell me what you're doing down here," Harry asked, a bit of a hard edge in his voice. "I doubt you're down here for a stroll for your health."
"In a way, I am," Ginny replied with a weak smile, her hand searching in her pockets for a handkerchief. Finding one, she managed to wipe off some of the tears that stained her face, although Ginny was sure her face was a blotchy mess by now. She'd never looked very good after crying a lot. "Mum brought me and the boys here to do our school shopping, but when we got into the alley two Death Eaters attacked. They knocked out Mum and Ron. Then Fred and George told me to run while they held them off. One of the Death Eaters said that You-Know-Who wanted me," Ginny continued.
"So, I ran through the streets until I got completely lost," Ginny said. "Then I spotted the sewer grate and thought they'd never find me down here. I started wandering around and here I am. Now it's your turn, Harry. What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be at the Dursley's still?"
Harry hmmed at Ginny's response and looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "I'm not going to stay at the Dursley's anymore," Harry said in a nonchalant manner. "I wanted to be there even less than they wanted me to be there, so I left. I wound up here."
Ginny looked at Harry confused. "But didn't Dumbledore have people watching the Dursley's," she asked, "after all, he wants to keep you safe."
"There are ways around any kind of watcher," Harry replied vaguely, his tone distant.
"But won't he be worried about you," Ginny asked. "I know I. I know we were worried about you after everything that happened last year."
"You were probably the only ones," Harry replied, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "After all, most of the wizarding world believes that not only did I kill Cedric, but that I've taken Voldemort's place as the menace of the wizarding world."
"That's not true," Ginny protested weakly.
"Of course it's not true," Harry replied sharply, "but that's what most of the people believe. It makes me kind of sick that after all I've done, everyone's always ready to believe the worst of me. It doesn't matter what I do, someone always twists it into something awful and the people lap it up." Harry's voice had been becoming more and more angry as he talked. Ginny could practically feel the rage seething beneath the surface and it frightened her a little, but this was Harry and she would never be afraid of Harry. Never.
"I've never believed any of that," Ginny said softly.
Harry stopped abruptly and looked at her sharply. Ginny could almost feel the heat of his rage in that gaze, but then his features softened. "No," he replied. "No, you were always one to believe the best about me, weren't you, Ginny?"
"Yes, Harry," Ginny replied, stepping closer and taking his large hand in hers. She'd always noticed that his hands were large. His fingers were long and slender, but gave the promise of power. They were also rough with calluses, from Quiddritch and from manual labor, if Ginny's estimate of the Dursley's was correct. "I've always believed in you," she continued, "and I always will."
Harry stared down at Ginny for a moment before shaking his head. "You said there were Death Eaters after you, right," he asked.
"Yes," Ginny replied. "There were at least two at the entrance and then at least two more patrolling the streets."
Harry stared down at Ginny and his brow furrowed in thought. "When did you cast that light spell?"
"I cast it as soon as I got down into the sewer. Why?"
"Damn," Harry spat. Ginny was taken a little aback. She'd never heard Harry swear like that before. "You'll have to put the light out, Ginny," Harry said. "The Death Eaters can track people by their wands like they can at the Improper Use of Magic office. Once it's out, stick with me. I'll show you a place where we can lay low for a while."
"All right, Harry," Ginny replied, "Nox." Ginny's light vanished, leaving her completely in the dark again. She probably would have started to panic, but she could still feel Harry's hand in hers as he squeezed gently.
"Follow me," Harry whispered in the darkness. "There's a safe place nearby. I found it a week ago. They won't find us there." And with that, Harry led Ginny off into the dark maze.
Author's note:
Well, this was an interesting chapter to write. Not as long as I wanted it to be, but that's okay. I'll deal more with what happened to Harry next chapter and don't worry, Harry's still plenty angry, just not with Ginny. She's always been shown to have believed in him.