Strawberries

The Party

There was a huge celebration in which people from Harry's 6th year and Ginny's 5th year in Gryffindor was invited. At least, the people who were left. It was a celebration welcoming Ginny home and Serena's 7th birthday.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Serena! Happy Birthday to you!" The whole of the party sang and cheered and clapped when the song was done. There were encouraging shouts for Serena to make a wish. She contorted her face in thought as she thought of a wish. Then she took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Cake was served and there was the buzz of talk in the air. Kids ran around chasing each other through the peoples legs. People were laughing and greeting one another.

Ginny wandered around greeting old friends who welcomed her back with warm hugs. They all asked where she had been but she waved them off, avoiding the answer.

Now she stood quietly under a tree away from the crowd. She watched them and remembered the days of Hogwarts and when she was happy. Right now she missed Ron and Hermione terribly. And them not being able to be here saddened her. She took a sip of her punch.

"Ginny," arms came around her and she jumped up and spilled her drink on herself in surprise.

"Harry! Don't do that!" she hit his arm and whipped out her wand, uttering a cleaning charm.

"How are you Ginny?"

"Fine. Good. Why?"

"Well, you're hanging around here all by yourself when your party is over there," he wrapped his arms around her from behind and hugged her.

"Well, why can't I be over here?"

"Well, you can if you want,"

"Yes, that's what I want,"

"Well, I guess it makes this all the easier,"

"What?" She turned around in his arms, a question in her eyes.

"For this," he kissed her softly, tenderly, "Ginny, I love you," he murmured to her.

"Oh, Harry. I love you too,"

He smiled, "I know," He pulled out of his pocket a gold bracelet encrusted with diamonds. She gasped, and he smiled.

"Harry, you really didn't-"

"I know," he cut her off, "But I did," he slid the bracelet onto her delicate wrist. She moved her arm, the diamonds caught the sunlight and threw rainbows about them.

"Harry," she cooed, she bent her head and kissed him and he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her.

"And what are you two lovebirds doing all the way over here?" A thick voice, heavy with accent suddenly broke the moment.

Harry looked up to see Seamus wagging his eyebrows at him, "Go away Seamus," Harry said.

"Having your little moment there with Ginny eh?"

"Seamus, if you don't go away I'll curse you to hell and back,"

"All right! All right! Maybe I'll just give Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a little heads up, you know. They'd probably want to know if… something was happening, between their little red head and The-Boy-Who-Lived eh?"

"Blackmail," Harry whipped out his wand and turned him into a ferret and bounced him into the tree, "Thanks Moody," he said to the sky, saluting to his dead friend. And he and Ginny walked back down to the party, leaving Seamus to find his way back down.

***

"Daddy!" Serena ran towards Harry and jumped into his arms.

"Are you having fun my little Strawberry?"

"Yeah! But I have to show you something!" She jumped down and pulled him through the crowd. They made their way down into the shadow of the Weasley house and Serena took off her necklace.

"Here," she held it out to him.

He let it drop into his hand, "What is it?"

"It's my locket. Mommy gave it to me when I was born. Look inside!"

Harry carefully opened the locket and saw his reflection staring back at him.

"If you talk into it, you can talk to me," she said, pulling out another locket from her pocket and putting it on." Harry remembered Sirius' mirror.

"Wow, thank you Serena! I have something for you too! But it's inside. I'll just go in and get it, okay?"

"Okay Daddy! I'm going to find Mommy,"

"Alright," He hugged her and then went inside to find her gift.

***

Ginny was sitting under the tree again. She twirled her lit wand in her fingers. It was already dark and the candles were lit again. There was a roaring bonfire in the middle of the garden. Ginny watched as the people danced around the fire. She stood up and played around with her wand, twirling it. Throwing it up into the air and catching it. From afar, it looked like a firefly dancing.

Suddenly an arm grabbed her around her waist. She dropped her wand and wriggled playfully in the persons grasp.

"Harry, I told you not to do that!"

"Ah, but that's the thing, you told Harry," Draco's deep voice whispered to her ear. She made to scream but he had already thrown a hand over her mouth. She struggled and kicked him. He laughed at her attempts to break free, but he was much stronger then her. She did succeed in kicking him in the right place, but he only let go for a moment. She reached for her wand, but she was pulled back by him again.

"I don't think so missy. You're coming with me!"

She bit down on his hand and again he let go for a moment.

"Never!" She kicked and struggled against him, and screamed out. But again she was silenced by his hand. She could taste his blood from where she bit him.

"But I do think so. You see, I have some information I think you will find very interesting…" He laughed a deep resounding laugh that scared away the birds in the tree; their wing beats very loud against the silence around them. Nobody from the party heard, for they were too far away.

Draco pulled his cloak around them and they disappeared.

But before they did, Ginny slipped of her new bracelet and it fell to the grass silently.

And then they were gone.