AN: To my loyal readers: Thank you for being patient with me during this substantial lull in updates. For those of you who hadn't heard, my husband was transferred to Camp Zama, Japan from Fort Bragg, NC and we have been in the process of moving overseas for the last few months. This was very unexpected and quick but we adapted and now, three months later… here we are. My family and I are finally settled into our new home and have gotten over jet lag and culture shock. We have our household goods, a house, and the kids are both back in school. Driving is a bit scary, but thankfully I don't have to do that often. We're even learning a bit of the language so that we can communicate off-post. Frankly, we are loving Japan and beginning to get back into a routine even though things are very different here. Living on a military post helps bring all the comforts of home, but outside the gate is a totally different world. All in all, we are adjusting well. I am still committed to finishing this project and it's sequel, for those of you who are reading that one. Thank you again for hanging in there with me, and thanks to Arnel for beta reading this so quickly.

Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

No profit is being made from this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Fourteen

"Warning"

Harry's conversation with Hermione and Ron had put his mind at ease, somewhat, but he was still worried. His current mood was such that he knew it would only be a matter of time before Voldemort would break through again. He could feel twinges in his scar again – a dull ache centring on his famous lightning-bolt scar.

He was so distracted by his throbbing head that he hadn't noticed when his cousin had disappeared. Turning to Ron he asked, "Where did Dudley and his friends go?"

"Dunno," Ron replied with a shrug. "I saw them whispering in the corner and then they all ducked out the back. Who cares, really, as long as they're far away from here?"

"Listen, mate," Harry explained, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier about me and Ginny. I just didn't know how."

"'S okay," Ron said with a grin. "I know how my sister can be. I don't blame you, exactly. I'm just happy it was you and not Dean Thomas or that slimy git, Michael Corner. I know you'll do right by her, mate, and won't let things get too out of hand."

Harry didn't know how to take that. What had happened upstairs had been just as much his idea as Ginny's; he had wanted to kiss her and neither one of them had exactly held back. True, it had come from out of nowhere – he hadn't thought about Ginny Weasley like that before tonight, but now he could think of nothing else. Those few minutes with Ginny upstairs and in the kitchen had been the best moments of his life. He just needed to work on making it up to her – to make her understand that he hadn't wanted to go in the kitchen with Claire… that he hadn't wanted to enjoy himself. But the niggling truth of the matter that he couldn't quite ignore, no matter how much he wanted to, was he had, on some sick level at least, enjoyed it. He head throbbed again and he wanted to throw up. What was wrong with him?

Remembering Ron, Harry turned to him with some effort and asked hesitantly, "So, umm… where's Ginny?" He had tried finding her earlier but she kept avoiding him. Now he didn't see her anywhere.

"Fred and George won't let up with the teasing. She stormed off out the front door a few minutes ago, I think," Ron informed him. "She'll be back when she's ready, I suppose," he said, shrugging.

"Oh," Harry said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He wanted very badly to run after her, but Ron didn't seem in a hurry to end their conversation.

Inspired by a moment of brilliance, he began to change Ron's focus from him and Ginny to Hermione. "So… you and Hermione, huh?" he asked, grinning.

"Yep," Ron answered, a silly smile forming on his lips. He immediately got a far-away, dreamy look in his eye and Harry was sure that his best friend was remembering his own encounter in the kitchen. "Pretty wicked, huh?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Wicked." Harry looked over to where Hermione had cornered Fred, George, and Katie. True to her word she was trying to diffuse the situation of the orb and the prophecy. "She's something, isn't she?" Harry asked, meaning it in the best of ways. Hermione was a true friend and always kept her word. "I mean, for a girl and all," he teased.

"You're not upset about us, are you?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowed worriedly.

"Why would I be upset?" Harry said, confused.

"Well," Ron said, "for five years it's pretty much been the three of us."

"It's still the three of us," Harry said.

"But if Hermione and I are together… like that," Ron tried to explain, "I just don't want you to feel left out. You know we'll always be there for you, don't you?"

Harry laughed. "You wouldn't be planning snogging sessions in all the broom cupboards in Hogwarts, would you? I still need Hermione to get me through my lessons," Harry teased.

Ron flushed bright red. He had to admit, the thought had crossed his mind.

"I'll tell you what," Harry said seriously. "I'll even loan you my Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from time to time – when I'm not using them, of course – if you still let Hermione run our study sessions. Even though she can be a bit annoying at times, she comes in handy when it comes to nagging about homework." He grinned to let Ron know he was only teasing.

"Like we could stop her!" Ron snorted. Thinking about potential visits to broom cupboards, Ron flushed even deeper and mumbled, "Thanks, mate. It's a deal."

Luckily Ron was probably too caught up in thoughts of Hermione and broom cupboards to catch Harry's meaning about needing the Invisibility Cloak and map for his own rendezvous with Ginny – provided they worked things out. He decided to distract Ron even more before he could work it out for himself.

"It looks like Hermione is finished talking to Fred, George, and Katie," Harry said conversationally. "Why don't you run the idea by her? Just do me a favour and don't mention the nagging thing, all right?" Harry really needed to find Ginny, and he hoped that Ron would not notice him slipping off.

Thankfully, Ron took the bait. "Yeah," he said, taking a swig of Butterbeer. "I think I might." He quickly strode off to meet Hermione, who was heading their way.

As Hermione and Ron struck up an awkward conversation, Harry ducked out the front door in search of Ginny. He didn't have far to go. She was sitting on the front stoop, looking up at the stars and clutching her knees to her chest. Harry cautiously sat down beside her.

"Ginny—" Harry began uneasily. "Are you… alright?"

"Yes, Harry," Ginny said sadly. "I don't blame you for wanting to go in there with Claire. That is what you wanted to talk about isn't it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Harry had the eerie feeling that she had read his mind.

"Yeah, I suppose it is," Harry said, feeling like a low-life scum. He deserved to go to St. Brutus' for hurting her. "But I didn't want to snog Claire," he tried to explain even though a small part of him knew that for a moment there in the kitchen he had wanted even more than snogging from the leggy blond. "I just... couldn't say no." Even as he said it, it sounded lame to his ears. Ginny should hate him for what he had done. Harry remembered how he felt when Ginny had agreed to go in the kitchen with Dudley.

"Of course you couldn't, Harry," Ginny said calmly, but with an edge of irritation in her demeanour. "After all, we never made promises to each other, did we?" She refused to look at him and Harry could see how hurt and disappointed she was. It made him feel even worse.

Turning her around to look at him, he tried to show her how sincerely sorry he was for hurting her. "I told you I wanted to find out what was between us, and I meant it," he said firmly. "I'm not in any position to make promises, Ginny. There's a lot you don't know about me."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Harry," Ginny said angrily. "For instance… I'm very stubborn. Do you really think I'd let a piece of work like Claire Smith stand in the way of what I want?"

Harry caught his breath at the determined look on her face. Was it possible that they could get beyond this after all? Hesitantly - not daring to hope - he asked in a low voice, "And what is it that you want, Miss Weasley?" Harry unintentionally drew closer to her face so that they were a mere inches apart.

"It's simple," Ginny replied, meeting his steady gaze with her determined brown eyes focused on his hopeful green ones. "I want you," she said. Her words sent shivers up and down his spine.

Harry remembered Claire saying something similar to him in the kitchen earlier, but he was certain that it didn't have the effect on him that Ginny did when she said it. At that moment, Harry knew that he wanted Ginny Weasley, too.

Instead of kissing her he pulled her close and held on with all his might. It felt nice to cling to one another. Harry was not used to touching or hugging, but he felt as if he could stay like this forever. He gently buried his face in the top of her hair, noticing that her hair smelled of flowers. He marvelled at the texture and how nice it felt on his face. "I want you, too," he whispered. "Only you."

"Why?" Ginny said in a small, faraway voice.

Knocked off balance, Harry pulled away. For a moment he wasn't sure if he had imagined it or if she had really said it. Cautiously, he asked, "Why what?"

"Huh?" she asked stupidly.

Feeling foolish but plunging ahead, Harry answered. "You asked me 'why' and I asked 'why, what?'"

"Oh," she said, looking slightly confused. "I-I hadn't realised I'd said that out loud. I think I'm just puzzled as to why you would want me when you could have someone as beautiful and attractive as Claire." Her eyes, just a moment ago so determined, had returned to their former sadness.

"You're joking," Harry exclaimed incredulously. "Why would you even say something like that?" Was she seriously thinking that he found Claire more attractive than her?

"Don't tease, Harry," Ginny said sounding irritated now. It wasn't a hard question but Harry knew he had to be very careful in his response since it was always very difficult to put his feelings into proper words. He suddenly felt very tongue-tied.

"You really don't know?" he asked.

She shook her head, signalling that he was going to have to try to explain, like it or not. If he was going to fix this, he had to find a way to make her understand.

"Ginny, the only thing Claire Smith has going for her is her beauty. But even that can't hold a candle to yours," he said. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, a nervous habit he'd acquired recently. "You've got so many things that she doesn't. You're genuine, and sweet, and funny – not to mention dead sexy, brave, and one of the kindest people I know. Any wizard would be lucky to have a girl like you. I should be asking myself what you see in me. I'm no Roger Davies or Cedric Diggory, am I?" he said bitterly, almost choking on the last name; somehow he managed to cover it with a small cough, all the while avoiding her eyes.

When he sneaked a look back at her Ginny was gaping with a gobsmacked expression on her freckled face. Her hair, always beautiful, was glowing under the bright moonlight. She watched him for a full minute before she spoke, making Harry break out in a thin sheen of sweat. Finally, to his relief, she spoke, cupping his hand tenderly. The contact made his skin tingle and his face flush. "Harry," she said gently. "You know that's not true."

He pulled away, irritated. "I'm just an ordinary, skinny wizard with extremely messy hair and glasses who doesn't have much talent – apart from Quidditch and getting out of tight spots, which I'm also extremely good at getting myself into. I'm not exactly a stylish dresser," he said, looking down wryly at his old clothes, "and I have a nasty tendency to break the rules. Just ask anyone at school who knows me… I'm a moody, self-centred prat who can't even manage one evening without getting myself into trouble. What could you possibly see in a guy like me?"

Ginny smiled, making his insides jump fiercely. "Harry… you're kind, and brave, and noble. You care more about others than yourself, you have the sexiest smile on Earth, and I happen to like your messy hair and glasses. Although," she said with a sly smile, "I do happen to agree with you about the clothes – you do have a horrible sense of style. How do you pick your clothes?"

They laughed together for a few moments before she continued. "I've always found you much more attractive than any other guy in school, including Roger Davies, Cedric Diggory, Victor Krum, or Michael Corner… and not just because of your name. It's you, Harry. All of you."

"You really like my smile?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"It's the sexiest one on Earth - didn't you hear me?" she said, drawing closer.

"You have a pretty nice smile, too Miss Weasley," he said, hovering close to her lips.

"Is that so, Mr. Potter?" she said, breaking out into the very smile he found so appealing.

Harry nodded and drew even closer. "But that's not the thing I find most attractive," he said teasingly, wanting desperately to end this torture for the both of them and get on with it.

"And what would that be?" she asked with hitched breath. Harry thought he might die from the sweetness of it. He leaned in close to her ear and nipped the tender flesh there with his teeth, revelling in the tiny sound of surprise and pleasure the action produced.

He was just about to tell her exactly what he loved about her body when a loud 'pop' sounded from right in front of them. Both teenagers jumped and Harry whipped out his wand, pointing it in the direction of the unmistakable sound of someone Apparating. He silently thanked himself for his foresight in keeping his wand with him instead of stowing it away with the others.

"Wh-who's there!" he yelled out into the blackness tentatively, trying to cover Ginny as much as possible with his body in case the invisible Apparator started throwing curses. "Show yourself!"

"Blimey, boy! Put that thing away… it's only me," a disembodied voice said from somewhere right in front of them. "Do you want the Muggles to see?"

"Mundungus?" Harry asked warily, not withdrawing his wand. "Is that you?" Behind him, Ginny seemed to relax slightly.

"Tha's right. I 'ave a message from Dumbledore for you lot."

"You do?" Harry said, surprised that Dumbledore would be sending him a message at all, much less through the Order. This couldn't be good news.

"Tha's what I said, was't it," Mundungus grumbled his head suddenly appearing in mid-air.

"Well, go on," Harry said impatiently.

"Seems to be some activity with the Dementors. He, er… wants you to stay put in the house fer now. Says to make certain everythin's secure and wait fer instructions. He, uh… knows about your company and wants the Muggles stay put too fer now. He's 'fraid You-Know-Who's gonna make a move and he wants to keep you kids safe."

Ginny groaned. "Does that mean Mum and Dad know that we're here?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Mundungus pulled the invisibility cloak down from his head and flashed them a toothless grin. "'Fraid so missy," Mundungus told her. "Molly was hopping mad, I'll tell you, but she wants you all to stay here and keep in the house until we know what's goin' on. I 'ave to go, but Figgy's keeping watch and she'll get in touch with us right away if there's trouble. In the meantime, Dumbledore needs us to check some things out."

"Is that all?" Harry asked just to make sure Dung hadn't forgotten something. He lowered his wand but did not put it away despite the warning from Dung about his nosey neighbours seeing. That was the least of his worries.

"Listen up, kiddies," Mundungus said in a confidential tone of voice. "Dumbledore says to watch for anything unusual and be on guard fer anything strange or out of the ordinary. If you see anything, he wants you lot to use any means necessary to protect yourselves. Forget the underage restriction tonight. You have some over-age wizards in your group and they know you have company. He's contacted the Ministry, so you won't be gettin' any owls from them tonight, so feel free to use magic without being afraid you'll be getting' a letter. The powers that be at the Ministry of Magic are bein' much more co-operative since the last time, now tha' they know You-Know-Who is back. Dumbledore just doesn't want you to take any chances, boy. I have to go now… remember to call Figgy if you need anything. And don't leave the house, if you know what's good for you! Have fun, kiddies."

His head promptly disappeared and Harry and Ginny heard another loud 'pop' signalling that he was gone. Harry realised suddenly that Mundungus hadn't told him how to get in touch with Mrs. Figg if there was trouble. Should he telephone or just yell out into the darkness? If there was trouble, what could the old Squib do, anyway? He had the distinct impression that they were on their own for awhile.

Ginny scowled at Harry, shaking her head as they got up to re-enter the house. "Mum's going to kill me."

"Maybe it won't be that bad," Harry told her reassuringly, all the while knowing full well what Mrs. Weasley's temper was legendary.

"Harry, you know what Mum's like," she exclaimed ruefully. "I'll be lucky to get out of my room by Christmas, much less in time to meet the Hogwarts Express."

"Don't worry, I'll come and break you out if that happens," he said, laughing.

"Promise?" She stopped just inside the door and turned to look him full in the face. Harry noted the hard, determined look on her face and knew instinctively that she wanted to kiss him again before they went back into the living room and broke the news to the others.

"I promise," he whispered just before obliging her with another snogging session that had her pressed against the door yet again, delaying them from breaking the news to the others for a bit longer that they were now, essentially, under house arrest until further notice.

After Harry pulled himself away from the beautiful red-headed temptress, he entered the living room with the sole purpose of disbanding this little party and confiscating the alcohol. He wasn't sure what to do about the Muggles, but obviously they couldn't leave.

Mundungus had said that the Dementors were on the move and that only meant one thing – trouble. His first priority was to gather all of his friends and fill them in on the new turn of events. This meant that the witches and wizards in the group needed to formulate some kind of plan to protect themselves in case of an attack, and keep the Muggles here. He was also worried about the skill level of those present. They had all been in the DA, but from what he could recall each had had varying levels of success with the Patronus Charm. None of them, save him, had ever had to cast a true Patronus in the presence of a real Dementor. From his experiences in the past, Harry knew that if they were attacked by Dementors they would need strong defences to ward off the Azkaban guards.

Harry decided that since he had essentially been given the green light as far as magic was concerned, they might as well take advantage of the situation. Therefore, once the Muggles were occupied his first order of business was to get with each of them in turn and assess their ability to produce an adequate Patronus, as well as basic protection spells. He wanted to be ready in case of an all out attack, and it wasn't in his nature to sit by idly and do nothing. He had full confidence in his ability to produce a Patronus, but he was not quite as certain of the others.

Harry knew that his biggest obstacle was going to be Dudley. His cousin would not take kindly to Harry's orders to confiscate the alcohol, or to keep everyone under lock and key. His resistance and hatred of Harry could potentially lead to a scene that Harry would rather avoid. The last thing Harry wanted right now was a fight with his obnoxious cousin, although he had no objections to hexing Dudley in order to get what he wanted. Dumbledore had said "use any means necessary", after all. It was true that Harry had promised not to use magic on Dudley, but in times like these one could not afford to stick to honourable intentions. Harry resolved that if Dudley needed to be dealt with, then he, Harry, would deal with the big oaf. Besides that, Dudley had it coming, as far as Harry was concerned, after what he had tried to pull with Ginny.

Finding Fred and George was easy. They were in the middle of the living room, entertaining the group of teenagers present with a serious of off-colour jokes that had the crowd hooting with laughter. Harry was amused to note that even Hermione was smiling slightly, although he wasn't sure if her good humour had to do with the twins, or their younger brother who she happened to be curled up next to on the sofa. The two looked very cosy, in Harry's opinion.

As soon as there was a lull in the conversation, Harry and Ginny approached the twins. "Might we have a word with you?" Harry asked as casually as possible, so as to not attract attention from the group of Muggles in the room. Harry was slightly relieved to find that Dudley, Claire, and the others were still nowhere to be seen.

"Sure, sure," George said, grinning. "You two kiss and make up?" he asked as they moved off to a more private place.

Ginny blushed. "Not that it's any of your business George, but yes, we did work some things out," she told him.

"So, when's the wedding? Mum already has it all planned out, you know," Fred said, winking.

"Down to the types of flowers Ginny will carry and who will serve the punch," George agreed.

Impatiently, Harry cut in – they didn't have time for this nonsense. "Listen up you two," he said in what he hoped was his most authoritative voice. "We have a problem. Ginny, can you please tell Ron and Hermione to join us so that I only have to say this once?"

"I'll be right back," she said, moving off to collect Harry's closest friends but before she left she warned her brothers. "Listen to him, you gits. This is important Order business."

Immediately the twins' demeanour changed from jovial to serious. Once Ron and Hermione joined them, confusion dominating their faces, Harry filled the small group in on what Mundungus had said.

Hermione gasped fearfully. "Dementors? Are you sure? How many, Harry?"

"That's all I know, Hermione," Harry told her. "The point is, we need to be ready to defend ourselves in case of an attack. Dumbledore said that he knows Fred, George, and the others are here. He wants us to keep everyone here and locked in the house until they contact us. His message said to use any means necessary to defend ourselves, and Dung said we can get even away with doing underage magic just for tonight."

"Won't we get into trouble?" Ron asked.

"According to Mundungus," Ginny answered, "Dumbledore's fixed it so that we won't be getting any notices tonight."

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, earning him a reproachful look from Hermione.

"Honestly, Ron," she huffed, stamping her foot impatiently. "Grow up!"

Ignoring them, Harry continued. "I've been thinking…" Harry said slowly. All eyes turned towards him, their undisputed leader. "As soon as it's safe, I'd like to see where everyone is on casting a decent Patronus. That way, if there is a Dementor attack, we'll have a better idea of who should defend us and who should stay behind to watch our backs. I think we need to have a DA meeting here, tonight, as soon as the Muggles go to sleep. They'll have to stay here tonight but I think I have enough sleeping draught to knock them till morning."

"Sounds like a plan, but we may not need as much of that draught as you think," Fred said. "I think your cousin and his friends are getting totally pissed all on their own and I doubt it'll be long before they pass out from… over-indulgence." He grinned broadly, winking at Fred, and Harry had the distinct impression that they'd been up to something mischievous, but at the moment he didn't care to know.

As agreed, the group broke apart. Each had their own individual tasks to do. Hermione and Ginny were to collect the wands from the cupboard and redistribute them to their owners. Fred and George were to fill in Lee, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia on the development. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron had the task of rounding up the Muggles and gathering them all in one room so they could keep an eye on them. All-in-all, Harry felt that he and Ron had the worse end of the deal.

Just as they entered into the living room, Dudley and company chose that moment to make their appearances back into the house. Harry noticed a pungent odour rolling off the Muggles and wrinkled his nose in disgust. They were all glassy-eyed and definitely high on something. Harry shook his head – could this get any worse?

Malcolm and Dennis were teasing Claire, who was complaining loudly about seeing a filthy cat chasing a rodent near the trash bins. Apparently, the boys had seen nothing and clearly thought that Claire was having hallucinations from whatever they had been doing out back. Harry thought that, from the looks of her, the boys might be right. Claire was having a hard time standing up and walking a straight line. Harry noticed Dudley look around the room and take stock of the situation. It was obvious that he immediately noticed the serious attitudes and fervent whispers of the witches and wizards among the group.

Dudley caught sight of Harry and made a shaky bee line for him, a menacing look in his large piggy eyes. "Potter!" he half bellowed, half sneered. "What are you and your freaky friends up to? Not planning on stealing the silver, are they? I wouldn't put it past them. Mum and Dad always said your kind were always up to no good."

Trying to be as cautious as possible given the seriousness of the situation, Harry attempted to find a way to convey the gist of the situation to Dudley without coming out and saying too much in front of the Muggles. "The fact of the matter is, Dud," Harry said casually, trying desperately to communicate with his eyes, "It seems we have a bit of trouble – trouble similar to what happened last summer. You do remember what happened on Wisteria Lane, don't you?"

Dudley didn't respond. He swayed on his feet drunkenly and almost toppled over, never even acknowledging that he had heard a thing.

"Earth to Dudders, did you hear me?" Harry insisted angrily, forcing his cousin's face back to his own with his hand.

"Huh?" Dudley slurred, trying unsuccessfully to escape Harry's grasp. "Last summer… yep…"

Just then Ginny stepped into the room and Dudley perked up as if he had been given a Pepper-up Potion. "Decided you want a real man yet, Red?" he practically shouted at her.

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth open in shock, but Dudley was not finished. "You know you're too beautiful to be with a freak like Potter, even if you are a…" he paused to whisper loudly, "…witch." There was no doubt he was horribly intoxicated; otherwise Harry knew his cousin would never risk saying these things out loud in front of his friends. "Why not let me show you what a normal bloke can do."

He lurched forward and attempted to grab Ginny around the waist. Instead, he ended up stumbling and falling to his knees as Ginny effectively side-stepped to avoid his grasp. Dudley, however, was not fazed. He continued to stare in a lustful, hideous way that made Harry's blood boil.

Walking up to where Dudley was sprawled on the floor, Harry stepped between him and Ginny, protecting her from Dudley's gawking. He crossed his arms and peered down at his cousin in pity as Dudley tried unsuccessfully to right himself.

"Dudley," Harry said as calmly as he could. "Leave her alone."

"'Fraid I'll take your girl away, huh, Potter?" Dudley said with an ugly, drunken sneer plastered on his large face.

"As if you could," Ginny scoffed from behind Harry, peeking around him to look Dudley up and down in revulsion.

"Come on, love," Dudley whined as he finally stumbled to his feet, shoving Harry out of the way roughly and invaded Ginny's personal space. "You know you want me as much as I want you. What could you possibly see in him, anyway?"

Harry made a move to interfere but Ginny held out a hand to stop him. She looked Dudley straight in the eye. "Harry has more honour in his little finger than you do in your entire fat body, you pig. You're a big, spoilt, nothing Muggle with no manners and a nasty superiority complex. You're pathetic!"

With amusement, Harry saw Dudley falter in confusion but he was not dissuaded easily. His tiny little mind could obviously not comprehend how anyone could choose Harry over him. Aggressively, he tried to grab Ginny again and this time succeeded. Ginny struggled to fight him off as Dudley attempted to hold her and steady himself at the same time.

"Come on Red, let me show you what you've been miss'n."

"Get away from me!" Ginny yelled angrily, struggled to get free.

Harry moved to rescue her but before he could intervene Dudley found himself being blasted backwards about ten feet in the air. Luckily, the Muggles were too shocked to take note of Ginny quickly hiding her wand from view as she dusted herself off and straightened her clothes.

"That was bloody brilliant, Ginny!" he said enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Ginny blushed. "You don't grow up with six older brothers and not learn a thing or two."

"He's not moving for awhile, I'd say," Ron, who had observed the whole thing, said wryly, casting a murderous glance at Harry's fat cousin who was sprawled unconscious on the floor. "Good one, Ginny. Wish I'd had the pleasure first."

"Next time, Ron, I'd be happy to oblige," she grinned cheekily. "Provided it was you he was attempting to feel up!"

"When you put it like that," Ron grimaced, "that's quite all right."

"What did you do to him, you tart?" Claire shrieked. She had rushed over to Dudley's unconscious body where it lay crumpled in a lumpy heap.

The commotion had brought everyone into the room together and the two groups were eying each other distastefully. With the exception of the Muggle girls (minus Claire), Dudley's friends had been ready to fight but, after seeing what Ginny had done to Dudley, they were now looking a bit more reluctant. Murderous, but reluctant.

Ginny fixed Claire with a cool, dangerous stare. "He got what he deserved and, if I were you, I'd watch who I called a tart." Harry could see her fingering the pocket where her wand was hiding.

"This isn't doing anyone any good," Hermione admonished, stepping in before things got out of control. "We have a problem and we need a solution. This is serious." She glared at Harry, Ginny, and the others to drive her point home.

"What's wrong?" one of the Muggle twins asked.

"There's an escaped convict on the loose and he's been spotted in this area," Hermione said without batting an eye. "I just heard it on the radio. "The neighbourhood is under a lockdown and no one can leave."

"Is it that same prisoner from a few years back?" Mary asked. "They never caught him, you know, but I haven't heard anything about him for ages. His last name was Black and he killed a whole lot of people, I think."

A pain ripped through Harry's heart and Ginny gasped. Hermione faltered. "Umm… I don't think I caught the name, but that does sound familiar." Harry shot her a sharp look and she shrugged helplessly.

"Sirius Black?" Angelina asked, glancing at the Hogwarts students, her face ashen. "Wasn't he the-"

"Yes," Hermione said quickly.

"That's the one," Mary said happily. "I remember it was all over the news the summer before last. Every once in awhile the media will run an update, but he's never been caught. Do you suppose he's around here?"

Harry's mouth was dry and he couldn't breathe but he managed a quiet response. "I don't think we have to worry about that."

"Harry's right," Hermione said. "As long as we stay inside, I'm sure everything will be all right." Turning to Harry, she asked nervously, wringing her hands, "Can I, um… see you in the other room?" Harry nodded. "You too, Ron. And Ginny, why don't you come as well."

Harry whispered to Fred and George to fill in the others on the lie while they were out of the room. He also asked them to distract the Muggles without getting into a fight or making them even more suspicious than they already were. They nodded and set about their task while the other four moved off into the kitchen.

"I need some parchment and a quill, Harry," Hermione said as soon as they were alone.

"I think my aunt has a tablet and some ballpoint pens in that drawer over there," he answered, gesturing to the spot near where she was standing.

Hermione pulled them out from the drawer and sat down in a chair at the table, poised to write. Ron looked at the strange pen and paper with open curiosity. "Where's the ink bottle?" he asked.

Hermione and Ginny laughed, and even Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Honestly, Ron," Ginny said. "You should have taken Muggle studies. The ink is inside."

Ron picked up one of the spare pens Hermione had lain down and examined it. "Wicked!"

"We need to decide on a plan of action," Hermione told them as she unceremoniously jerked the pen out of Ron's grasp. "I'm worried that this Dementor activity might just be a front for a Death Eater attack. With all the adults busy, I think it would be a perfect opportunity for Voldemort to make a move."

Harry hadn't thought of that, but he dismissed it almost immediately. "Dumbledore said that he cast protection spells on this house. I don't think Voldemort can touch me here."

"But he broke through them to invade your mind, earlier," Hermione pointed out. "Who knows what he's capable of doing."

"Do you know any good protection spells that would alert us to magical activity outside the house?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I know I've read something somewhere," she said, knitting her eyebrows in concentration. "Let me think on it and get back to you."

"If we could ward the house from the inside with some kind locking spells – something that Alohamora won't work on… Any ideas?" he asked the group.

"Let's ask the twins," Ginny suggested. "Last year they locked themselves in their bedroom with a spell that even Mum couldn't break. I think that Bill gave them an idea with one of his stories and they somehow worked out how to do it. Mum knows all the lock-breaking spells and she couldn't do a thing about this one. The twins were in so much hot water when they came out, that they had to do dish duty for a month!"

"Yeah," Ron chuckled. "After two weeks they got tired of it and started to slack off. Then Mum cut off their food. She absolutely refused to cook for them. Fred and George saw reason very fast and finished out the month without complaining."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Harry agreed.

Hermione scribbled furiously then handed the paper over to Harry. "Check this over and make sure I didn't forget anything."

Harry thought this ridiculous since Hermione never forgot a thing. He tried to shove it away. "I'm sure it's fine, Hermione."

Hermione beamed. "Ron and I will round up the others and send them in a few at a time. You and Ginny fill them in on everything, all right?"

They agreed and temporarily separated. Harry looked over at Ginny, who was staring at him in such a way that he felt himself flush all over. She looked so appealing to him that he immediately thought of pulling her away to a private place and….

He sighed. They had other things to take care of now; snogging Ginny would have to wait.

Ginny smiled impishly and moved her foot on top of Harry's. He jumped as her bare foot began creeping up the leg of his trousers. Immediately Harry thought he might loose his mind with the sweet torture. As if reading his thought, she asked in a casual, flirtatious tone, "Anything the matter, Harry?" It was maddening the power she had over him.

"Err… not really." He could tell she wasn't buying it.

"Are you certain?" she said seriously, knowing full well what she was doing was making him insane. Grinning wickedly, she moved behind him and placed both hands on his shoulders, beginning to gently knead the muscles in an effort to loosen him up a bit. "You're so tense," she whispered in his ear. "Let me see what I can do about that." She continued her ministrations, occasionally running her hands through his hair and massaging his scalp and temples.

Harry had never felt such heaven before in all his life. He closed both eyes and surrendered to the feeling that she was producing all over his body. He could not recall anyone ever massaging his shoulders, neck, and head like this and wondered exactly how he had ever managed without it. As Ginny pressed down on the muscles, Harry felt much of the tension that he had been holding inside begin to drain away like a dam that had finally burst and he let out a low moan.

"Oi! Harry, Ginny!" one of the twins bellowed from the other room. Ginny and Harry both jumped at being interrupted.

From the other room came another bellow, this time from the other twin. "Stop snogging already. I don't fancy walking in on the two of you doing that. Let us know when it's safe to enter."

Ginny and Harry exchanged guilty looks. They hadn't been snogging, but they had been getting there fast. Harry rolled his shoulders and neck, swivelling around slightly to look up at Ginny. "Thanks, again Gin," he said sincerely. "That's two I owe you tonight."

She leaned in close to his ear so that Harry could feel her hot breath on his neck. "Don't worry…" she whispered, gently kissing his exposed skin near the sensitive part of his neck next to his earlobe. His body immediately reacted to her intimate touch and he regretted that he had to admit the twins at all. He'd much rather spend the rest of the evening locked in here with his new girlfriend than planning defences against Dark creatures and Voldemort.

"…I'm keeping track."

Harry exhaled deeply and tried to calm his body as she moved away with cat-like grace to open the door for her mischievous, teasing brothers.