Disclaimer--Much as I wish it did, nothing here belongs to me.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Congratulations on the new keyboard. Here's an update to celebrate. ;-)
Adrienne--Your statement about experience is so insightful...as is your comment about Bill and Molly showing different kinds of love appropriate to their relationships with Ginny. I think that's one of the nicest things about the Potterverse--love isn't cardboard cut out, and neither are friendship, nor right and wrong. And I'm glad Bill caught Ginny's feelings, too--they shouldn't always be hidden! Good point about Harry and Tom...being alike, it makes sense they would both attract Ginny on some level. I think Harry and Ginny's love will be part of defeating Voldemort, also possibly Ginny's love for Tom and/or Tom's latent soft spot for her...*muses* I'm glad you enjoyed Egypt...I'll be looking forward to your next review!
EEDOE--I agree...Bill is the sort of brother I would love to have myself! I love Arthur as well...I see him as a lot like my own dad. You're right about Molly...I wasn't trying to make her more sympathetic in the least, it's just the sort of thing I suspect I would assume if I were in her shoes. ;-) I agree no day for Ginny would be complete without Harry. *grins* You're also right about Ginny not liking Scabbers because of her intuition--she's a very perceptive girl. Thanks for your faith in me...I'll try to fill in the hole well! *looks nervous* *hugs*
Bill--I agree...Bill was just what Ginny needed most (I was still modeling off you a bit), and I loved the stained hair--impossible to wash off but not to outgrow or overlook--as well. :-) I think Ginny was wondering about the Parseltongue, too...and was hoping for a sign she really was free...she earned it, don't you think? On the other hand, being free isn't the same thing as forgetting...Ginny bought the utchat as a piece of Harry for her own--a protective piece! Nice call *winks* As for seeing it again...I really don't know! *looks sheepish* *hugs*
************
The day was taunt, threaded through with currents of tension, though everyone tried to pretend it wasn't. The atmosphere was all too familiar, heavily reminiscent of those tense days that led up to Ginny nearly losing her life at the end of the school year. Her brothers kept shooting her looks when they thought she wasn't looking. Ginny held her breath and did her best to ignore them. Dinner was a relief, more because the day was ending than anything. Soon she could sneak off to the den and hide alone with her thoughts...even if they were thoughts she'd rather avoid. Ron carried the package containing Harry's sneakoscope around with him all day...and it hadn't stopped howling. "Ron!" Mum nearly yelled, soup splashing back into her bowl from her spoon.
"Sorry," Ron said, hastily carrying it out of the room and stuffing it under a couch cushion, the tops of his ears turning red. "Dunno what's wrong with it-seemed fine yesterday."
"Gimmicky rubbish designed to take in tourists," Bill said dismissively, shooting a surprisingly nasty look in the direction of the couch cushion.
"Maybe it just doesn't like being in your pocket with that rat," Ginny said. "I know I wouldn't."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ron snapped. "Why would a sneakoscope have an opinion about a rat?"
Ginny looked at him mildly and shrugged.
Bill sipped at his soup, yelped, and spit it all back out in, spraying the table. "What the-who put-Beetles! You two!"
Fred and George were laughing, leaning against one another in a failing bid for support, sliding sideways out of their chairs.
"Think the sneakoscope is tourist rubbish now?" Ron asked, crossing his arms with an air of vindicated satisfaction.
The tension had lessened...but it was still there, lurking, the next several days, in the tone of
Mum's voice, in the lines around Dad's eyes, in the way they acted around one another, as if waiting for something...
And then it came.
An express letter from the Ministry of Magic, addressed to Dad.
No one moved as he read it, paused, and read it again.
"Harry has performed illegal magic at his uncle's," he said at last.
"What? Not again?" Ron said, a split second before Fred said, "Harry gets all the fun!" followed closely by George saying, "We never get to do anything exciting!"
"It's not funny!" Ginny said, startled into sharpness by worry for Harry.
"Hardly," Dad agreed. "He's blown up his aunt."
"What-Petunia?" Ron asked.
"No...his uncle's sister...Marge by name. But that's not the point!"
"It's certainly not," Mum added, "what was Harry thinking?"
"It seems to have been an accident," Dad assured her, "and the Ministry isn't going to bring charges against him."
"Well, then, we best write and try to explain to him how important it is he not do anything like that again," Mum said, sounding calmer.
"That might indeed be best," Dad said slowly, "but hardly effective, as Harry is no longer at his uncle's house."
"He's run away!" Mum looked horrified. "With Sirius Black on the loose?"
Ginny's heart gave an uncomfortable lurch.
"So it would seem," Dad sighed.
"Arthur, we have to find him--He's in terrible danger!" Mum gasped.
"Fudge has already managed," Dad soothed. "Found him getting off the Knight Bus at the entrance to Diagon Alley."
Ginny let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Her brothers looked similarly relieved, even Bill and Charlie who didn't even know Harry.
"He's promised not to venture into muggle London, and Tom has promised to keep an eye on him until we get there," Dad said. Ginny knew one horrible, endless moment of terror before she realized he hadn't been talking about Tom Riddle. "Fudge asks that we stay at the Leaky Cauldron and see Harry off to school with the others, courtesy of the Ministry."
"Of course," Mum said immediately. "As if he had to ask."
Dad nodded, "I'll write at once."
"I'll tell Hermione," Ron said excitedly, "She was supposed to meet us at Diagon Alley...maybe she can come with us-Dad?"
Dad gestured vaguely in his direction, already headed off to write the letter, Mum close on his heels.
Ron had already turned to Percy for the loan of his owl, Hermes. Fred and George had turned their attention back to their breakfast. Charlie was talking in low tones to Bill. Ginny glanced at them one last time to make sure no one was watching, and crept after Dad and Mum.
"What weren't you saying, Arthur?" Mum said, her voice so low Ginny had to strain to hear.
"The Ministry doesn't think this is just bad timing," Dad said even more quietly. "They think Black escaped to go after Harry. If he'd stayed at his relatives, Dumbledore had put wards in place to make sure he was safe. Now..."
Luckily Mum's strangled scream covered the one Ginny started and nearly choked on. She sidled deeper into the shadow corner behind the bedroom door her parents had left ajar, and tried to stay still.
"Oh, Arthur!"
"We aren't supposed to tell Harry," Dad warned grimly. "They're afraid the news would scare him. But, Molly--"
"Arthur! They have to protect him!" Secretly, Ginny agreed. Still, she had seen him face impossible odds before and come out on top. Harry was anything but helpless.
"Until he's on the train, Harry isn't going to spend a moment without supervision," Dad said calmly. "And once he's at Hogwarts, Dumbledore will protect him."
Mum released a deep, shuddering breath. "Sirius Black--"
"Fudge is going to post Dementors outside school grounds," Dad said as if the word had an unpleasant taste. "If Black comes anywhere near the area, they'll sense him."
/And if he doesn't?/ Ginny wondered, /Black has to know he can't get past Dumbledore...does he know about the wards at the Dursleys? If it were me, I'd bid my time and get him when he left school for the summer.../ She didn't know whether or not the conversation was over, but she didn't think she wanted to hear anymore. She tiptoed away, shivering, suddenly cold in the dry Egyptian heat.
Author's Notes--
Strawberries and Blueberries--Congratulations on the new keyboard. Here's an update to celebrate. ;-)
Adrienne--Your statement about experience is so insightful...as is your comment about Bill and Molly showing different kinds of love appropriate to their relationships with Ginny. I think that's one of the nicest things about the Potterverse--love isn't cardboard cut out, and neither are friendship, nor right and wrong. And I'm glad Bill caught Ginny's feelings, too--they shouldn't always be hidden! Good point about Harry and Tom...being alike, it makes sense they would both attract Ginny on some level. I think Harry and Ginny's love will be part of defeating Voldemort, also possibly Ginny's love for Tom and/or Tom's latent soft spot for her...*muses* I'm glad you enjoyed Egypt...I'll be looking forward to your next review!
EEDOE--I agree...Bill is the sort of brother I would love to have myself! I love Arthur as well...I see him as a lot like my own dad. You're right about Molly...I wasn't trying to make her more sympathetic in the least, it's just the sort of thing I suspect I would assume if I were in her shoes. ;-) I agree no day for Ginny would be complete without Harry. *grins* You're also right about Ginny not liking Scabbers because of her intuition--she's a very perceptive girl. Thanks for your faith in me...I'll try to fill in the hole well! *looks nervous* *hugs*
Bill--I agree...Bill was just what Ginny needed most (I was still modeling off you a bit), and I loved the stained hair--impossible to wash off but not to outgrow or overlook--as well. :-) I think Ginny was wondering about the Parseltongue, too...and was hoping for a sign she really was free...she earned it, don't you think? On the other hand, being free isn't the same thing as forgetting...Ginny bought the utchat as a piece of Harry for her own--a protective piece! Nice call *winks* As for seeing it again...I really don't know! *looks sheepish* *hugs*
************
The day was taunt, threaded through with currents of tension, though everyone tried to pretend it wasn't. The atmosphere was all too familiar, heavily reminiscent of those tense days that led up to Ginny nearly losing her life at the end of the school year. Her brothers kept shooting her looks when they thought she wasn't looking. Ginny held her breath and did her best to ignore them. Dinner was a relief, more because the day was ending than anything. Soon she could sneak off to the den and hide alone with her thoughts...even if they were thoughts she'd rather avoid. Ron carried the package containing Harry's sneakoscope around with him all day...and it hadn't stopped howling. "Ron!" Mum nearly yelled, soup splashing back into her bowl from her spoon.
"Sorry," Ron said, hastily carrying it out of the room and stuffing it under a couch cushion, the tops of his ears turning red. "Dunno what's wrong with it-seemed fine yesterday."
"Gimmicky rubbish designed to take in tourists," Bill said dismissively, shooting a surprisingly nasty look in the direction of the couch cushion.
"Maybe it just doesn't like being in your pocket with that rat," Ginny said. "I know I wouldn't."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ron snapped. "Why would a sneakoscope have an opinion about a rat?"
Ginny looked at him mildly and shrugged.
Bill sipped at his soup, yelped, and spit it all back out in, spraying the table. "What the-who put-Beetles! You two!"
Fred and George were laughing, leaning against one another in a failing bid for support, sliding sideways out of their chairs.
"Think the sneakoscope is tourist rubbish now?" Ron asked, crossing his arms with an air of vindicated satisfaction.
The tension had lessened...but it was still there, lurking, the next several days, in the tone of
Mum's voice, in the lines around Dad's eyes, in the way they acted around one another, as if waiting for something...
And then it came.
An express letter from the Ministry of Magic, addressed to Dad.
No one moved as he read it, paused, and read it again.
"Harry has performed illegal magic at his uncle's," he said at last.
"What? Not again?" Ron said, a split second before Fred said, "Harry gets all the fun!" followed closely by George saying, "We never get to do anything exciting!"
"It's not funny!" Ginny said, startled into sharpness by worry for Harry.
"Hardly," Dad agreed. "He's blown up his aunt."
"What-Petunia?" Ron asked.
"No...his uncle's sister...Marge by name. But that's not the point!"
"It's certainly not," Mum added, "what was Harry thinking?"
"It seems to have been an accident," Dad assured her, "and the Ministry isn't going to bring charges against him."
"Well, then, we best write and try to explain to him how important it is he not do anything like that again," Mum said, sounding calmer.
"That might indeed be best," Dad said slowly, "but hardly effective, as Harry is no longer at his uncle's house."
"He's run away!" Mum looked horrified. "With Sirius Black on the loose?"
Ginny's heart gave an uncomfortable lurch.
"So it would seem," Dad sighed.
"Arthur, we have to find him--He's in terrible danger!" Mum gasped.
"Fudge has already managed," Dad soothed. "Found him getting off the Knight Bus at the entrance to Diagon Alley."
Ginny let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Her brothers looked similarly relieved, even Bill and Charlie who didn't even know Harry.
"He's promised not to venture into muggle London, and Tom has promised to keep an eye on him until we get there," Dad said. Ginny knew one horrible, endless moment of terror before she realized he hadn't been talking about Tom Riddle. "Fudge asks that we stay at the Leaky Cauldron and see Harry off to school with the others, courtesy of the Ministry."
"Of course," Mum said immediately. "As if he had to ask."
Dad nodded, "I'll write at once."
"I'll tell Hermione," Ron said excitedly, "She was supposed to meet us at Diagon Alley...maybe she can come with us-Dad?"
Dad gestured vaguely in his direction, already headed off to write the letter, Mum close on his heels.
Ron had already turned to Percy for the loan of his owl, Hermes. Fred and George had turned their attention back to their breakfast. Charlie was talking in low tones to Bill. Ginny glanced at them one last time to make sure no one was watching, and crept after Dad and Mum.
"What weren't you saying, Arthur?" Mum said, her voice so low Ginny had to strain to hear.
"The Ministry doesn't think this is just bad timing," Dad said even more quietly. "They think Black escaped to go after Harry. If he'd stayed at his relatives, Dumbledore had put wards in place to make sure he was safe. Now..."
Luckily Mum's strangled scream covered the one Ginny started and nearly choked on. She sidled deeper into the shadow corner behind the bedroom door her parents had left ajar, and tried to stay still.
"Oh, Arthur!"
"We aren't supposed to tell Harry," Dad warned grimly. "They're afraid the news would scare him. But, Molly--"
"Arthur! They have to protect him!" Secretly, Ginny agreed. Still, she had seen him face impossible odds before and come out on top. Harry was anything but helpless.
"Until he's on the train, Harry isn't going to spend a moment without supervision," Dad said calmly. "And once he's at Hogwarts, Dumbledore will protect him."
Mum released a deep, shuddering breath. "Sirius Black--"
"Fudge is going to post Dementors outside school grounds," Dad said as if the word had an unpleasant taste. "If Black comes anywhere near the area, they'll sense him."
/And if he doesn't?/ Ginny wondered, /Black has to know he can't get past Dumbledore...does he know about the wards at the Dursleys? If it were me, I'd bid my time and get him when he left school for the summer.../ She didn't know whether or not the conversation was over, but she didn't think she wanted to hear anymore. She tiptoed away, shivering, suddenly cold in the dry Egyptian heat.