Chapter 11
Midnight Misunderstanding
Harry crawled slowly out of bed. Sally looked up from where she was sleeping in her cage. "Where are you going?"
"No where," Harry fibbed with a guilty smile.
"Don't get caught," Sally warned with a smirk.
"I won't."
He retrieved his broom and his cloak as quietly as possible. It wouldn't do for one of the other boys to wake up and ask him just where he was going. He pushed the window open and flew out, wrapping the cloak around him for further protection that the dark couldn't offer and as a shield from the December cold. He shut the window, not wanting the others to wake to a draft and find him missing.
His first purpose was completely legitimate. He flew to the owlery to give Hedwig the letter to Sirius telling him what they had found out, and explaining to him that they were going to tell everybody that he had been the one to find it.
He knew which window was the Gryffindor forth year's because this was not the first time in the past four months he had felt the overwhelming desire to watch Ginny sleep. Finding it was the easy part. The hard part was getting inside.
He used his power to make the air around the handle hard, and then pulled on it to open the window. It clicked, and panicking he used some more power to silence it. HE pulled the handle up the rest of the way, finding it very difficult to manage both spells at once while staying balanced on his broom. The window came very slowly unlatched. He then performed a third spell, to keep the cold air from rushing inside. He inched the window open just enough for him to squeeze inside. Relived he shut the window just as slowly and hovered just above the window sill. That was when he noticed that Ginny was in reality very much awake.
It wasn't the first time that had happened either. Harry held still, slowing his breathing. Everybody else in the room was asleep, or he at least assumed they were because they all had their curtains drawn. She was writing in her diary, and Harry was surprised to see she was smiling. That meant she couldn't be writing about what Draco had told her.
He just watched her, as her quill flew across page after page. Maybe she was writing about the dance? That would explain her enthusiasm, her smile. Her dress was laid across a chair next to her, and the way she kept glancing at it confirmed his suspicion. He grew slightly jealous. What if he had taken her? She would have had something very different to smile about. Malfoy shouldn't have gotten that privilege.
He felt suddenly guilty. Because if Malfoy hadn't taken her, they wouldn't have found out about the attack coming on the school. But that didn't mean that she had to be so happy about going with him. She had to realize that most of the time Malfoy was just playing with her.
She ended her writing, tossing her quill into a ink jar and closing her diary with a small snap. She tucked it into an invisible pocket sewn into her curtains. She turned over onto her back, hugging a pillow. "I wish it meant more then just a game to him. If he only knew how much I really loved him."
Harry nearly fell of his broom, something that had never happened to him when there was no outside force involved. 'She, she loves him? She loves him? She loves Malfoy!'
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He just stared at her.
She moved the pillow back behind her head, and a hand flew to her chest. The necklace, which had been blocked by the pillow, was now pressed against her skin. She sat up and looked around wildly.
'She knows I'm here! She loves Malfoy!'
He turned and with a thought threw the window open, and bolted.
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Ginny's attention jerked around as the window burst open of it's own accord. Something shiny caught on the edge of the sill, and grew quickly in size. She realized what it was a moment before Harry's fleeing form appeared on a broomstick.
Her stomach plummeted. 'Oh, God. He heard me talking about him. Oh, God, he knows.'
She flew out of bed, and grabbed her own broom. She picked up the cloak, still stuck on the window sill. She jumped out the window, mounting in air, racing after Harry. He was heading to the tower, she could tell by the direction he was flying. If she didn't get there in time she wouldn't be able to get in. She wouldn't be able to explain herself.
He may have been riding a firebolt, but she was on a lighteningbolt, which in short spurts could surpass the flaming red broom. Crouching down she flew faster then she had ever tried before. 'God, Harry, I'm sorry.'
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He landed so hard his knees buckled. He jumped off his broom and ran towards the statue, nearly tripping because his knees had not recovered yet. He ran his finger down the lion's tongue, the same finger he had pricked last year. He no longer needed to bleed on the lion, it knew him now.
The circle in the center started to glow, when Ginny landed beside him with a thump, the impact driving her to her knees. She jumped up right away, tripping over her broom and grabbed his sleeve. "Harry! Harry wait! I know, I'm sorry!"
'She knows? She knows, oh God she knows I like her.'
"It's fine, Rose, let me go."
"Oh, no Harry it isn't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I can't help it. I can't control it."
"It's fine Rose. You can't help the way you feel. I'm sorry I made it so difficult."
"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't want it to affect our friendship. I didn't want to hurt you!"
"I won't let it affect our friendship Rose. It won't."
"I always knew you wouldn't, but I was still so afraid. I'm sorry Harry, I should have told you last year."
He backed away from her, ripping his arm from her grasp. "You mean you've liked him since last year?"
"Last year? Harry I've liked you since– wait what do you mean him?"
"You like Malfoy. It took me too long to realized I liked you, so you moved on to Malfoy. Wait, me?"
"Draco? I don't like Draco. Harry, I–" she cut off at the same time he did, and stared at him. Harry stared right back at her, his mouth hanging open, trying to work through what just happened.
"Wait. You said you wished he didn't think it was a game. And you weren't talking about Malfoy?"
Ginny's heart sped. "No, I wasn't."
"You were talking about me."
She felt faint. She had to swallow twice. "Yes, I was. But you thought I was talking about Draco. And you got upset because, because you hate Draco?"
Harry shook his head. "No."
She could feel her heart beat in her ears. "Because you like me?"
"Yes." The word came out as a croak. Silence ensued. They stared at each other. Harry took another step back. In the back of his mind he wondered when his feet had gotten the message to move.
Ginny looked down at her hands, remembering the cloak. "You lost this," she said a little too loud, stepping toward him with the cloak held as far out as her arms would let her. Harry stepped back unconsciously. Ginny recoiled after he did, taking two steps back. Panicking, she set it on the ground and picked up her forgotten broom.
"We have to get up early," Harry stated dumbly.
Ginny looked at a point somewhere to the left of Harry's head. "Yeah. We should probably both, ah, get some sleep. For the train ride. Right."
"So, um, see you, in, the morning."
"Right." Her face turning hot, she mounted the broom and flew towards her window. She glanced back to see Harry still standing there, staring at the cloak sitting on the ground.
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He landed in the dorm room softly, distractedly folding his cloak and putting it back in his trunk. Suddenly, a smile crept onto his face. Try as he might he couldn't get it to go away.
Sally came out from under the bed, and looked at him. The smile spread to her to, then she started laughing.
"Shut up Sal," he said, picking her up and crawling into the bed.
"Oh, Harry," she said between laughs. "Thiss iss ssuch great newss. Tomorrow you'll have to tell me all about it."
"Tomorrow," he agreed, already falling asleep, the smile still glued to his face.
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"Harry," Ron called. "Harry you've got to get up or we're gonna miss the train."
The lack of urgency in Ron's voice told him it was an empty threat. Harry pulled the covers over his head. He'd been having such a nice dream. Ginny had-
He sat up with a gasp. Ginny. Last night. Ginny. "What, what is it?" Ron asked frantically.
Harry stared at him, his mind rushing to catch up with his body. He blinked, and shook his head. "Nothing, it's nothing."
"If you hurry we might meet the girls for breakfast before we have to leave."
"You're going home?" Dean said, his head poking out of Seamus' bed. Harry glanced at Dean's bed to find that Seamus had indeed fallen asleep in his best friend's bed, upside down and backwards. "I thought you blokes were staying."
"There was a last minute change of plans," Harry explained as he dragged himself out of bed. He bent down to see Sally asleep in her cage. She always slept more in the winter. The automatic temperature control of the cage made it a warm escape from the winter chill of the castle. "Hey Sal, time to get up."
She looked up at him sleepily. Then she grinned. Harry blushed. It was kind of sad how well they could communicate without words.
Neville ran out of the bathroom and bolted across the room to where his robes laid. His hair was wet from the shower, and he'd barely taken time to dry himself off. "I'm late! Oh, please Professor Sprout, I'm coming, I'm coming." He was dressed in seconds flat and flew out of the door.
"What was all of that about?" Harry asked.
"Oh you haven't heard?" Dean asked brightly. "They think that Neville has one of the old magical gifts."
"Really? Which one?" Ron wanted to know.
"It's a bit obvious isn't it? The plant one," Seamus spoke, never once opening his eyes.
"Hey mate, get out of my bed."
"But I like your bed."
"What are the old magical gifts?" Harry asked, feeling kind of stupid. This just seemed to be another one of those things that he didn't know because he didn't grow up in this world, and nobody ever thought to tell him.
"Well Harry, one would think you of all people would know."
When he still looked confused Ron explained. "A magical gift is a talent that your magic allows you to do but has nothing to do with wand usage. Being a seer is a magical gift. Being a Parselmouth is too."
"Oh," Harry responded intelligently, thinking it was much to early for talk like this.
"Parselmouth being the second most common, right after being a seer, neither of which are very common. They used to be really common, almost everybody would have one, sometimes two. But in the past few thousand years they've just stopped turning up."
"Which is why Neville is so excited. If they prove it true, he'll be the first in like a thousand years."
"Helga Hufflepuff was supposed to have the same gift right?" Ron asked.
Harry suddenly remembered something Ginny had read during the summer. "Wait, isn't talking to animals one of them?"
"Not talking, exactly, but understanding them. Won't it be cool? To have two gifts in this very dorm? What are the chances?"
Harry grinned and nodded. "When will he know for sure?"
"Later today. Professor Sprout has a bunch of tests set up for him."
There was a knock on the door. "It'ss Ginny," Sally warned. Harry felt his stomach land near his feet. Ron went to answer it and he panicked. Running across the room he was in the bathroom as fast as Neville had come out of it.
"What was that about?" Dean asked. Ron shrugged as he opened the door for his sister.
"Morning Ginny."
"Hey Ron. Hermione and I are waiting downstairs. Are you and Harry coming?"
"Harry just ducked into the bathroom for some reason. But we'll be right down. If you want we'll meet you in the Hall."
Ginny squeezed around Ron and into the dorm without being invited. She giggled at Seamus, who had yet to move from his sprawled state across Dean's bed. She went to Harry's bed and stuck her arm in Sally's cage, allowing her to curl her way up. She transferred Sally to her waist. She'd grown so much, it was too heavy to hold her on your arm for too long.
Sally was still laughing about Harry's abrupt departure. "Sso, I hear you two had an interessting night."
"Oh shush you," Ginny whispered. "Thanks Ron," she added, slipping back past him.
He rolled his eyes. "No problem. At least you knocked."
"Like there's anything in here I haven't seen before."
"Harry could have been naked." Ginny blushed but couldn't think of a comeback. Sally's laughter didn't help. She exited quickly.
Harry cracked the door open a minute later, peeking outside. Realizing she was gone, he came out. Ron gave him a look. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing," Harry said a little too quickly, trying to ignore the way Dean, and even Seamus with his eyes still closed, were grinning knowingly.
"Ginny came. She stole Sally. They're ready to go if you are. We can carry our luggage down now and leave it in the common room. Somebody will pick it up there."
"Great," Harry answered, pocketing his fake wand. "So, guess we'll see you two in the new year."
Dean smacked Seamus who finally sat up and waved at them, though his eyes were still closed. "We'll write to you with news on Neville if you'd like," Dean offered.
"That'd be great. Merry Christmas, wish Neville the same for us."
"Bye Ron, bye Harry."
"The girls are gonna meet us down at breakfast," Ron said once the dorm door was closed.
Harry felt his stomach begin to knot. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, how he was supposed to react.
He followed Ron faithfully down the hall, feeling like their roles were very suddenly reversed. When they walked into the hall, Harry didn't really want to look at his feet, so he looked off to the side.
They slipped into their usual seats across from the girls, and Harry kept from looking up. He scooped a spoonful of eggs onto his plate right away and stared at it, glad to have something that could legitimately occupy his attention.
"I hate runny eggs," he muttered.
Hermione made and exasperated sigh. Her wand tapped Harry's plate and she spoke a word he missed. His watched as his eggs started to cook themselves.
"Nice one, Books," Ron complimented. "Where'd you learn it?"
"The calendar Rose gave me for Christmas last year, with a new charm everyday."
Silence followed Hermione's comment, and she looked at the silent two curiously. "You guys are quiet," she observed.
"Tired," both answered, neither looking up from their plates.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at them, but neither elaborated.
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They climbed onto the rather desolate train. Everybody had left during Christmas last year due to the circumstances at Hogwarts. This year everybody was more inclined to stay at the school, leaving the train emptier then Harry ever had experienced.
It was easy to find an empty compartment, though Harry wondered if it would be a little less awkward if there were a more people to talk to. Fred and George had gotten on the train with them, but had disappeared shortly after.
Hermione and Ron immediately sat down next to each other. Hermione leaned against Ron and opened her book. Ron let his head rest against the back of the seat and Harry knew from experience he would be asleep before the train even started.
He sat down across from Ron, very aware of Ginny sitting beside him. He watched through his eyelashes as Hermione's hand sought out Ron's and the two sat together; completely comfortable. They hadn't fought since their first kiss anniversary and he hoped they'd keep the trend until their real anniversary on Christmas day.
Harry hoped he'd be able to fall asleep. The sound of the train starting was a welcome break to the silence. Ron slept right through it, Hermione was drawn into her own world.
It was just him, and Ginny. Well there was Sally, but she seemed perfectly content to just sit between them and snicker.
Ginny stared out the window, watching the countryside rush by. She could feel the tension in the room as thick as soup. And even so, she smiled at her reflection in the window.
Harry liked her. Really liked her. Liked her as more then a friend. Liked her enough that the thought of her dating Draco made him very upset.
Under being nervous and not knowing what to do, she was deliriously happy. She giggled before she could help it. In the window she could see that Harry was staring at her, and she blushed.
Hermione looked up from her book. She looked between the two of them.
"Is there is something up I should know about?" she asked, her face skeptical.
"No!" Harry answered much too enthusiastically while Ginny shook her head.
Hermione's eyes widened, but she nodded slowly. "Alright, I won't ask."
Sally's snickers turned into unrestrained laughter.
Harry tried, unsuccessfully to fade away into the seat.
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When they walked into the burrow, the kitchen was full with most of the Weasley family.
"You're here!" Mrs. Weasley said, rushing to give all six of them a hug.
Ginny glanced around the kitchen. "Wait, everybody, before you all spread out. We need to talk to you, all of you."
It was the first full sentence Harry had heard her speak all morning. However he couldn't let himself think about it now. He had something much more important to focus on.
The family had picked up on the seriousness in Ginny's voice, and had gone suddenly very quiet. Fred and George stopped from running out of the kitchen. Ginny looked at Harry, meeting his eyes for the first time. "Do you wanna explain?"
Harry nodded grimly. Everybody found seats around the room, and Lynn took Mary out to lay in her crib. Harry lifted himself up to sit on the counter while he waited for her to return.
They all looked at him expectantly. He'd planned on the train how he was going to explain this. "First, I need to know how much everybody here knows about last year."
He knew that Fred, George, and their parents all knew exactly what had happened, that they knew about Sirius now, that they knew who exactly Scabbers had been.
"There are no secrets in this family, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.
Harry nodded, relieved that it saved him a lot of explaining. "Alright, then you all know how last year Peter tried to capture Ginny? Well, because of Ginny, Voldemort found out that Peter was disobeying him."
He was secretly proud that almost the whole kitchen managed not to flinch at the name.
"Because of that, Peter fled before we stopped Voldemort. He knew that should he get a chance, Voldemort would kill him."
Harry paused, then began reluctantly. "After you were attacked, Mrs. Molly, I knew that if Voldemort was involved, the Ministry wouldn't find out anything. So I had Sirius look into it for me. The attack wasn't aimed at you, Mrs. Molly, it was meant for Ginny. But it has nothing to do with Voldemort," he added quickly as they seemed about to panic. "Or at least very little. The attack was sent by Peter. He blames Ginny for getting him in trouble with his master and now he wants revenge."
He paused, to let it sink in a little. "Rose and I found out last night what his plan is. He can't get to Ginny directly, so he wants to bait her, with her family."
"Oh, God," Mrs. Weasley choked.
Harry nodded. "I know it sounds really awful, but we do have a plan. We know that he can't get here. They're unable to get into the burrow. They can't get to Percy, he's under more protection then even this place. So it's you two, Bill and Charlie, and your families, that we need to worry about."
"Who's they?" Charlie asked.
"We don't really know," Harry admitted. "We don't know how much support he really has. All we know is what I've told you."
"So what are you suggesting?" Bill asked.
"Don't leave," Harry answered. "Sirius and Heather are trying to track him down. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny are safe at Hogwarts," his stomach flipped slightly, knowing that they might not be as safe as they would like to be. "And you all will be safe here. Percy is safe where he is, and it's even better that it doesn't look like we know what's going on. The fact that he isn't here can give us that illusion."
"What's Sirius intend to do?"
Harry felt his stomach twist again. "He's going to get him," he said, his voice harsh. "Peter is all Sirius needs to clear his name, so that we can be a family. And he needs to be put to justice for all that he's done to all the people I love."
The room was particularly somber. Mr. Weasley looked up. "What about our jobs? Charlie and Bill both have to work, and so do I."
Harry blinked. He hadn't really considered that. "I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, I hate to say that you all need to stay inside all the time. I don't think he's stupid enough to try to attack again at the Ministry, but then again I can't be sure, because he's really stupid."
"I think I can get time off," Charlie said. "They're really flexible there and we don't have any new dragon's right now, so it shouldn't be that hard. I'll just explain there's a family emergency."
They all looked to Bill. "I used all my leave when Mary was born," he said reluctantly. "I might be able to stay a few days. How long are we talking?"
"Until Easter," Harry said reluctantly.
"Easter? They'll never let me," he said shaking his head.
"Bill, you can't put yourself in danger."
"The only thing I could do Ma, is quit my job. And with Mary, Lynn and I can't afford for me to be out of work."
"We'll manage," Mrs. Weasley insisted.
Bill shook his head. "You and dad can hardly afford the kids that are still living here."
"Let me help," Harry said quickly.
"No, Harry, we could never."
"But I want to," Harry insisted. "You guys are my family. I want to help. I'm contracted to the Catapults until I'm eighteen. I'm already making more money then I'm ever going to need. I don't need it, and you guys do. Please let me help."
Bill looked from Harry, to the crib he could see through the doorway. "Mom, we have to do something. For Mary."
Mrs. Weasley nodded reluctantly at the mention of her only grandchild. "Harry, I promise that we'll pay you back."
"Don't even think about it," Harry said, smiling, glad to be able to help. "I'm just glad that you will all be safe."
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Harry dropped his stuff at the foot of Ron's bed. With the house full, he'd now have to sleep up here with Ron rather then down in Charlie's old room. They'd only been here a few hours, and he was already very aware of the differences between the empty house this summer, and the very full house this Christmas.
There was apparently a lot of work that had to be done for Christmas, and everybody was bustling around to prepare for the coming holiday. Mr. Weasley and Bill were heading out to the yard to cut a tree down. Mrs. Weasley was watching from the window, unwilling to let them out of her sight now that she knew there was a danger against her family.
Ron fell backwards into his bed. "Are you sleeping on the floor, mate?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harry answered. "It's just a few nights."
"You could always sleep downstairs on the couch."
"Oh yeah, then you're whole family could come downstairs every morning to the picture of me drooling on myself."
Ron laughed and tossed a few blankets at him. "Why don't you use your supernatural overwhelming power to turn those into a bed so you don't kill yourself over the next few days."
Harry spread out the blanket and with a wave of his hand he had turned it into a small, low bed, then turned it back to a blanket. Ron gave him a confused look.
"I'm not going to waste my power holding it as a bed when I can just put it back later."
"Couldn't you tie it off?" Ron asked, referring to the way they had learned to leave transfiguration more permanent. It didn't work with living things, but it lasted with inanimate objects.
"It'll still fade eventually. And with my luck it'll fade halfway through the night."
"That would be a bit of a rude awakening."
Harry nodded. "I'll just put it back right before bed and keep the line until morning."
"Can you do that?" Ron asked. "Sleep with lines untied?"
Harry nodded. "Usually. Unless I sleep too long."
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The decorations were going on the tree. This seemed to be an episode of a lot of tradition and a specific procedure. It was the first year that Mrs. Weasley had all her children at home for the holiday for a long time. The entire family had decided not to let the bad news they had received ruin their holiday, and everybody was laughing and smiling.
Harry had taken Mary from Lynn so she could help Charlie put on the popcorn. The baby had fallen asleep in his arms so he was content to sit on the couch and hold her and watch the bedlam around him.
His attention, however, continued to drift to a certain participant in the chaos. Ginny had changed out of her school robes into a pair of pajama pants and a baggy tee shirt, with the addition of socks. There was something, unbelievably sexy about it. Her hair was pulled back in it's usual loose ponytail. She was leaning against Charlie and he had his arms around her. She had popcorn tangled all around her wrist. Harry couldn't stop watching her.
"Be more subtle, Harry," Hermione whispered, bending over the back of the couch under the pretence of looking at Mary.
"Don't have to," he answered, watching her giggle and shout as Charlie lifted her into the air to put popcorn on the top of the tree. "She already knows."
Hermione's mouth fell open and she stared at him. "What?"
Harry grinned. He was feeling particularly cheerful. He felt the need to shout it to the world, but compromised but just telling Hermione. "We kinda confessed to each other last night."
"What?" Hermione repeated.
Harry looked at her, his eyes twinkling almost as much as the fairy lights on the tree. "It all sorta happened by accident."
"But, then what? What happened when you found out?"
Harry shrugged. "We went to bed."
Hermione blinked a few times, but then smiled back at him. "Congratulations, Harry. Just make sure Ron doesn't find out."
Harry's smile faded. "Oh, right. I hadn't thought about that."