Posted: April 30, 2004
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter and am not using this story for financial gain.
The Bonded
Chapter Seven
Harry stood silently in front of the wizard tents that the Weasley's had brought to the Quidditch World Cup. Off in the distance, he could still hear faint sounds of Irish fans celebrating their recent victory over Bulgaria despite the late hour of the night. The air was quiet in the section of the camp they were in though, as most of the occupants had already retired for the night, leaving their campfires to burn down to embers which still smoldered in the cool night air. Only the soft hoot of an owl or the chirp of a cricket gave any sound that there were conscious creatures in the dark.
He didn't hear her approach, but he felt her. He could never miss her presence, feeling her the moment she walked into a room no matter if he was trying to or not. She came padding up beside him a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to stave of any chill. She stood beside him quietly, her gaze piercing the inky blackness as well as his. After a cursory glance she looked up into the face of her husband. "You felt it too, didn't you?"
Harry nodded. Something was wrong with the night. Nothing had happened yet but they both knew that it was just a matter of time before the situation erupted. The magic around them was tense, subtly so. If they both hadn't been so uneasy about sleeping in a new place, Harry doubted that they would have even noticed it.
They were prepared, however for whatever came. Professor Trelawney's prophecy at the end of the last school year coupled with the warning Harry and Ginny received when they had bonded was enough to have Harry seriously on edge. Over the summer he had spent as much time as he could studying up on Voldemort and the Dark War; reviewing battles and their outcomes, learning his tactics and modus operandi. Voldemort was still out there; Harry had faced him in his first year at Hogwarts and had to be ready to do so again.
Luckily, Cynthia and Dazna had managed to convince the council to have a small team of mages on alert. Should Harry or Ginny ever need their assistance, the task force would be there in a matter of minutes. It would be a big problem indeed if Harry and Ginny couldn't handle it without any assistance. But, as Trelawney had said, the Dark Lord would come back stronger and more powerful than before.
Harry glanced over at Ginny's state of dress and snapped his fingers changing it to the same thing that he was wearing, black fighting pants cinched at the waist and ankles with a tight fitting black turtleneck. "Come on," he said. "Let's check it out. I want to know what's going on." Ginny nodded and deposited the blanket on the ground, following Harry into the darkness. The two crept down the road, jumping from shadow to shadow, pausing to take stock of the situation before moving on. If anyone had been awake, they would have seen a flicker now and then but naught else.
It wasn't until they reached the entrance of the campgrounds that they found what was wrong. Several black-robed figures wearing white masks had just knocked down the Roberts' door and were currently levitating the family out of the house and into the air. "Deatheaters," Ginny hissed, her hands flexing in anger. There were quite a few of them, Harry's initial count stopping at about twenty-one. "What do you think?" Ginny asked at his side. "What are we going to do?"
Harry was thinking fast, so far nobody had been hurt but with twenty Deatheaters all with itchy trigger fingers it would only be a matter of time. Harry and Ginny couldn't confront them outright without risking the Roberts or their positions as mages, nor could they just let things go on as they were. "We get behind them," he spoke softly. "Take out any stragglers one by one to give the wizards a better chance." Ginny nodded and quickly whispered an invisibility spell before moving to flank the Deatheaters on the right. Harry used the same spell and moved opposite Ginny to the left of the mob.
The Deatheaters were laughing and boisterous as they started to walk down the road towards the Quidditch stadium, flipping the Roberts this way and that in the air. They were completely disorganized too so they didn't notice Harry and Ginny take down six of their members swiftly and silently. Harry looked down at the one at his feet and promptly knocked him unconscious. Looking around he saw a can of gasoline sitting by one of the wizard fires. He quickly motioned Ginny over to his side, "Get back to our camp, I'll wake up the rest of the wizards and then come back myself. The ministry can handle it from here and we won't be exposed." Ginny nodded and quickly popped back to their tent. Waving his hand, the can of gasoline rose quickly into the air and another wave promptly lit it on fire. The resulting explosion was enough to wake up most of the camp grounds and Harry teleported back into his bed, sitting up only a moment before Mr. Weasley rushed into the room with his jeans pulled up over his pajamas.
"Get up! Ron – Harry – come on now, get up, this is urgent!"
Harry hopped out of the bed and looked over at Ron, who was groggily getting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "S'matter?" he asked. Harry stared at him incredulously, had he not just heard the explosion? Was there anything this boy couldn't sleep through?
"No time to explain, Son," Mr. Weasley said hurriedly. "Just grab a jacket and get outside – hurry!" Ron did as he was told and hurried out the tent. Once outside, Harry could see that most of the campgrounds were now awake. The Deatheaters were closer to the stadium now, marching slowly along in a tight-nit group. Harry smirked; They must have realized that there were less of them now. The Roberts were still being manhandled like puppets and as he watched, one in their number casually blasted a tent out of their way.
Hermione and Ginny came up behind them pulling on coats over their nightdresses. "We're going to help the ministry!" Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. "You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!" Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing in from all directions toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer.
"Harry," Hermione spoke up, "Why are you wearing that?" Harry looked down, while Ginny had changed her clothes back to her nightdress, Harry hadn't the time to do so and was still clad in his fighting clothes. Hoping that the Weasley brothers wouldn't recognize them as the pajamas that Ginny sometimes wore, he quickly ignored the question and focused the group on getting away.
"Come on," Harry said, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her towards the wood. The rest of the group followed, looking back once more before they hit the tree line. The crowd below the Roberts was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as if they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall. "Unorganized and unprepared…" Harry muttered as they dove into the trees, he felt Ginny squeeze his hand in agreement. The wizarding world was totally unprepared for any type of conflict beyond that of one or two wizards.
The forest was dark and crowded with people trying to get away. It was a mob, people pushing others to get away, climbing over fallen comrades to put as much distance between themselves and the altercation going on back at the camp sites. Harry heard Ron yelp with pain before a painful sounding thump resounded about the clearing. He pulled Ginny a little closer to him and whispered in her ear, "Go with Fred and George, and be safe." He gave her a quick kiss in the darkness before turning back to Ron.
"What happened?" said Hermione anxiously. "Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid – lumos!" She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground.
"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily, getting to his feet again.
"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them. Ron and Hermione turned sharply while Harry simply looked over his shoulder to look at his self proclaimed nemesis. Draco was leaning against a tree looking utterly relaxed, watching the scene at the campsite through the trees. Ron let off a few colorful expletives that Harry wondered where his friend had come across, especially that last one.
"Language, Weasley," said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't want her spotted, now would you?" He nodded at Hermione and at the same time another explosion rocked the campsite, a flash of green light blinding them all for a second. Harry cursed inwardly; they were throwing killing curses around now.
"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly. Harry sighed; some of Ron's traits were being passed onto the girl. Wasn't it obvious what the blond boy meant?
"Granger, they're after Muggles," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around…they're moving this way and it'd give us all a laugh."
"Hermione's a witch," Ron snarled.
"Whatever, Weasley," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. "If you think that they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."
"You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron.
Harry sighed again; they really needed to get moving. The mob of Deatheaters was getting closer by the minute. "Not worth it, Ron," Harry spoke up. "Let's get going. We need to catch back up with Ginny and the rest." The trio followed the dark path deeper into the woods, keeping an eye out for Fred, George and Ginny. Eventually they came to a clearing in the heart of the wood. Harry spread his magical senses to see if he could feel anyone in the near vicinity but came up with nothing. "Might as well stay here," he told Ron and Hermione. "We'll be ready for anybody coming close."
Ron sat down on a dry patch of grass at the base of a tree and pulled out his small figurine of Victor Krum. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. Despite these quick observations, Harry's attention was focused on their surroundings and what was going on in the campsite. From the amount of raw magical energy being let off in that direction it was apparent that the riot was still in progress.
"I hope the others are okay," said Hermione after a while.
"They'll be fine," said Ron.
"Those poor Muggles, though," said Hermione nervously. "What if they can't get them down?"
"They will," said Ron reassuringly. "They'll find a way."
"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!" said Hermione. "I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking or –" But she cut off abruptly as Harry raised a hand to silence her.
Where did that come from? Harry referred to the magical signature that had just appeared in the trees to his left. There wasn't anybody there a second ago. He trained his eyes in the direction of the signature but saw nothing. "Who's there?" he called out.
But instead of a name a deep voice responded with, "MORSMORDRE!" At this, a vast glowing green skull erupted from the woods to float in the air above them, a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. The Dark Mark…
Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry understood the fear and realized what a bad position they were in. Turning quickly he already saw Hermione pulling Ron to his feet. Harry looked into her eyes and saw that she too understood the urgency to leave. Before they could get anywhere however, Harry felt twenty some odd wizards apparating in around them in a loose circle. Harry didn't even think, "Down!" he shouted, creating a heavy mass of air above Ron and Hermione forcing them to the ground.
"STUPEFY!"
Harry stepped into the entranceway of Hogwarts and felt the slight tingle of the wards as they passed over his skin. Closing his eyes, he let the ancient magic of the castle wash over him, feeling it battle with his own magical energies for dominance. He let it continue on going through his very skin until the slight pain of warring energies began to grow larger and he forcefully blocked out the magic of the castle. He always felt better after connecting with the latent energies in the castle despite the slight pain that accompanied the act.
He paused there for a moment, looking around him as students continued to pour into the castle not pausing to notice the magic going on about them. It saddened him somewhat to see that even third year students, some only having two years of magical experience were used to the feeling and promptly ignored it. The presence of magic around them not even perceived.
Hermione seemed to notice that Harry had stopped and turned to face one of her best friends. "What's wrong, Harry?" she asked, stepping up beside him.
Harry gave her a small smile. "It's sad," he said softly, continuing to watch the influx of students.
"What's sad?"
Harry waved his hand over the multitude of bobbing heads walking to and fro. "This is," he spoke. "Look at them all, about half of them are still new to the magic world but they have grown accustomed to the feeling, taking it for granted."
"Taking what for granted, Harry?" Hermione was truly curious.
"Hermione," Harry continued. "This castle is well over a thousand years old. Some of the worlds most powerful witches and wizard have trespassed these hallways, slept in these dorms, taught in these class rooms. Hundreds of thousands of students have learned the workings of magic here and they have all left their mark. These walls of stone have been exposed to so much magic that they have absorbed it and let it permeate the castle. Can you tell me that you don't feel it?"
Hermione nodded her head; she knew what Harry was talking about. The moment she had walked into the castle she had felt a tingling feeling at the base of her neck, a sensation she normally associated with returning to the wizarding world. Without its influence during the summer holidays, she was always more aware of the magic in the air when she went to Diagon Alley or The Burrow.
"The magic around us is ancient, Hermione, and it seeks to mix with all of us but we block it out, ignore it. Sure it fights with us, trying to get us to accept the natural magic around us, but without conscious thought it is easily overcome by our own energies. Not destroyed, merely held at bay. Imagine, being able to take the very magic of the castle and produce a single spell, any spell. To let the magic flow through you, be a conduit, to become the magic itself and think of what that one spell would be capable of…" Harry trailed of with a small smile on his face, as if he was playing the results of that spell over in his mind.
Hermione's face had a scared look on its face, "B-but the amount of power in such a spell would burn any magical user out. Our bodies would cook from the inside out, destroying us completely."
"Yes," Harry nodded, "but if it was for the world, would it not be worth it?" Harry didn't wait for her answer and started walking once more towards the Great Hall, leaving a shocked Hermione standing in the entranceway.
When Harry awoke the day after Halloween, it took him a moment to recall the events of the day before. I am a fourth contestant. He thought somewhat bitterly. Figures something like this would happen…I mean after all, I'm Harry Potter. He threw the covers off of himself and pulled the curtains apart on his bed. Looking in the dorms he could see that the other boys were still sleeping peacefully, including Ron. Harry knew that Ron was upset over Harry receiving more attention yet again but he thought it was a little extreme to totally disbelieve your best friend like he had. But he wouldn't dwell on it, Ron was still young and with age comes experience and with experience comes wisdom.
Harry cinched his pants off at the ankles and pulled on a loose shirt. He grabbed his sword from under his bed and walked down the stairs to the common room to see Ginny up and waiting for him already. Harry raised an eyebrow, "You're up early."
Ginny shrugged and Harry noticed that she too was wearing a workout outfit. "I figured that after what happened yesterday you would want to work out some extra frustrations this morning and sparring is the best way to do that."
Harry gave her a smile, the sharing of memories when they bonded and subsequent years of marriage gave both of them a deep understanding of one another. They were able to tell exactly how the other was feeling through the bond and knew exactly what to do to help one another when they were feeling down. Sometimes having two emotions running through your body like that was a little bit disconcerting but Harry didn't care. He wouldn't trade the bond for anything. He held out his hand and she took it. "Come on," he said quietly, "Let's go practice."
At this early hour, the occupants of the castle were still slumbering peacefully in their bed or portrait frames so Harry and Ginny made no attempt to hide their relationship from people that were not there. Hand in hand, the pair left the sanctuary of the castle and headed out across the grounds towards the high flying stands that surrounded Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch. Without words, they quickly went through some stretching exercises before facing off from one another, ten meters apart. Harry had left his sword leaning against one of the thick beams that held up the stands and stood in a relaxed stance that emphasized defense over offense. Ginny was much too fast for Harry, especially when they were going hand to hand like this.
After a short moment it was Ginny that made the first move. Keeping it slow, she made an obvious forward attack with a straight punch, Harry quickly dodged and tried to give a quick rabbit punch to her side but found that she was no longer there. A spin kick that connected with his kidneys announced Ginny's presence and Harry dropped to the ground in a leg sweep.
What was truly eerie about the whole process was that despite the obvious exertion that the pair was putting out, the entire pitch was silent. Not a word was uttered nor a step heard while the two fought in this relaxed manner. No war cries, stomps of defiance, or heavy impacts with the ground echoed through the morning air for such noises were below two fully trained war mages. If it were not for the chirping of birds during the steely dawn hours, one would thing that a silencing charm had been cast over the sporting area.
Harry felt the tension leaving his body as he avoided another punch from Ginny. The years of difference in age had not stopped Harry from becoming very good friends with Ron and he had to admit to himself, that his friend's disbelief had hurt. Harry had wanted nothing better to do than sit in the stands with everyone else and participate in a little friendly wagering among classmates over who would be winning each task. Yet that did not happen and now his best mate was abandoning him.
Harry winced as Ginny's knee connected with his stomach. He smiled as he grabbed the offending appendage and used it to throw his beloved off balance. He watched her trying to correct her mistake and smiled once again at the look of determination in her eyes. Harry had often wondered about what he ever did to deserve Ginny. But try as he might he could find no actions that seemed to be extraordinary or selfless, that had the power to win Ginny's heart. Regardless of how it happened, he knew that every moment he spent with Ginny was one to be treasured. As mages, they would live for a long time and Harry was determined to have many more moments with Ginny before their time was up.
So far into his contemplation, Harry had not noticed that he had worked himself into a rhythm while fighting. The fact was made painfully known to him when Ginny disrupted his rhythm and slammed him into the ground with a vicious judo throw and kept him there by way of an excruciating arm lock. "Oof," the air rushed out of Harry as he impacted with the unbending earth. "Alright, alright, I give." His voice muffled by the ground.
Ginny released the arm lock and helped her husband stand up. Her face glowing with the excitement of another victory, for against Harry, they were definitely few. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, Harry didn't often make mistakes like that when they spared.
Harry brushed the dirt off his pants before standing completely up and waving the question aside. "I'm fine," he assured her. "I just wasn't paying enough attention to the fight is all."
Ginny nodded and snaked her arm around him. "I'm sorry about Ron, Harry," she spoke softly. "I wouldn't have thought that my brother could be that…well…"
"Don't worry about it, love," Harry said. "It's not your fault that he is acting like this. Besides, he'll come around with time." Ginny nodded and the two stood there in silence for a while, watching the sun rise up over the forbidden forest, casting its warming rays over the land and banishing the gloominess. Ginny stood in front of Harry, her back to him with his arms wrapped around her waist and her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Both as still as statues despite the soft wind blowing against their clothing.
Ginny reluctantly pulled away from the embrace and turned to face Harry. "Hermione's coming," she spoke softly. "She probably wants to talk to you and it would be best if we weren't seen together anyhow." She gave him a quick kiss and muttered an invisibility spell before Harry felt her presence leave. He dropped to the ground and laid back, hands behind his head, and watched the various clouds float by. It wasn't long before the swishing of robes and light footfalls on the ground alerted Harry to Hermione's presence.
"Hello," she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you this….I though you might be hungry."
"Thanks," Harry said giving her a warm smile and accepting the toast. She sat down beside him and Harry placed the toast in between them so they could share. Harry started to fill her in on the details of what happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. Hermione seemed to accept the story without question.
"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," she said when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber of the hall, "The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry…I don't think a student could have done it…they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's age line…"
Harry nodded in agreement before asking, "Have you seen Ron this morning?"
Hermione hesitated. "Erm…yes…he was going to breakfast," she said.
"Does he still think that I entered myself?"
"Well…no, I don't think so…not really…" said Hermione awkwardly.
"I see…" Harry muttered.
"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairingly.
"Hmm?" Harry mumbled at her outburst. "Oh you mean the fact that he is jealous? Yes, it's quite obvious." Hermione didn't know what to say to that. "Look, Hermione," Harry said seriously. "I know that Ron is jealous but I don't exactly know why."
"Well…" Hermione said. "It's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault and I know you don't ask for it…but – well – you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compare against at home. You're his best friend, and you're really famous – he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it. He never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many…"
Harry looked at Hermione incredulously. He…puts up with it…? he thought. Puts…up with it. He looked carefully at the bushy haired girl that sat next to him. "Hermione," he said. "Please, Hermione. Tell me that you don't honestly believe what you just said. Please…tell me."
Hermione looked down out the ground and fiddled with the hem of her robes. "Well…"
Harry didn't let her finish. "Hermione, you are like a dear sister to me but there are still many things that you need to learn."
Hermione seemed to get defensive, "Like what?"
"Look at the world around, Hermione. What is the governing force of all things? What is it that keeps this world going and saving it from utter destruction? Why is it, that despite the hundreds of dark lords that have risen up through history, we are still a free and prosperous people?" Hermione remained silent. "It is the force of balance. For each and every action there must be an opposite reaction, a consequence. Everyone sees me as the Famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, but what they don't see is the Harry Potter that grew up without parents and lived with relatives who hated him for what he was and what he represented. They don't see the Harry Potter that grew up alone and without love or friendship. My parents' lives and my happiness as a child was the cost of this fame. Everything in life comes down to maintaining this balance; no one is immune from it."
Hermione spoke up, "But what about things like what happened last night? Where is the balance in that act? Where is the balance of more fame?"
"I think that loosing one's best friend seems to be ample payment don't you?"
Hermione sat there, thinking over Harry's words. She tried to place herself in his shoes and found that his words did ring with truth. She would much rather stay friends with Ron and Harry than gain more unwanted fame. It was such a simple outlook on life but it went deeper and answered more questions than anything else she had encountered.
"Ron may be overshadowed by some of his brother's actions but in balance he has the fact that there are shadows there for him to hide in if he wanted to. He has a family that loves him and would do anything in their power to makes sure that he is alright." Harry gave Hermione a small squeeze on her shoulder and stood up from the ground. "I am not going to sit around and make Ron grow up. He is going to have to do that on his own and hopefully things will go back to being the way they were." Harry turned and started walking towards the school at a leisurely pace.
But if there is a balance to everything… Hermione thought to herself. What would be the consequence of gaining Ron's friendship once more?
"Dragons!" Madam Pomfrey snorted with disgust as she sat Harry down on the bed that was waiting for him. She examined his shoulder, injured in a literal brush with the furious Hungarian Horntail that Harry had found himself pitted against, and muttered furiously to herself all the while. "Last year Dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next?" She finished poking and prodding his throbbing shoulder and pulled out a small vial of a dark purple balm. "You're very lucky," she told him, dipping her finger into the container. "This is quite shallow," she explained as she began to dab the medicine on the wound, "it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though..."
Harry glanced to one side as his shoulder smoked and stung under her ministrations. He could see a shadow through the canvas wall of his cubicle, definitely Fleur if the feminine curves of the figure were any indication. "How are the others?" he asked Pomfrey as she waved her wand over his cleansed injury.
"The others are fine" she said, examining her work, "A little singed around the edges, but not too badly as you. You're the worst of the lot – dragons I ask you! – but nothing that can't be fixed." The Hogwarts nurse bustled out of Harry's cubicle, "Just sit quietly for minute - SIT! You can go and get your score then."
Harry, however, was far too exhilarated by his victory to remain sitting about. He gingerly rose to his feet, inspecting his shoulder as he made his way to the mouth of the tent. Aside from a slight redness and the occasional twinge, he was as good as new. Madame Pomfrey was one of the most skilled healers he had ever come across, certainly she could end up making much more money at a hospital of some sort but she stuck around Hogwarts. Harry assumed that she probably enjoyed the company of kids even if they were injured when they came.
Just before he reached the entrance to the tent flap, people started to rush in; all talking with excited voices over the action they had just seen. A moment later, he registered two different colored blurs rushing at him before he was almost tackled to the ground, being hugged on both sides. Looking to his left he saw Ginny attached to him and on his right, it was Hermione.
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed as she almost crushed his ribs, "You were amazing! You really were!"
Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around both of the girls, hugging them back with just as much ferocity. Picking them up by the waist he twirled them around a couple times and laughed even louder as they started to squeal in protest. He sat them back down and gave them an apologetic smile, "Sorry."
"S'kay," said Ginny giving Harry another hug. He looked into her eyes and saw the few tear stains on her cheeks. Unwrapping his arm from Ginny's waist he wiped them away with his thumb. "You scared me," she said softly.
"I'm sorry," Harry replied. "I didn't mean to."
"You scared us both, Harry," Hermione said on his other side. "Don't ever do anything like that again."
Harry hugged them both once more, "I'm sorry girls. I didn't mean to scare you like that. It won't happen again, I promise." Harry was about to say something else when a throat was softly cleared in front of him. Harry glanced up and saw Ron standing only a few feet away, his face pale as chalk and bearing an embarrassed, anxious, uncertain and yet also serious expression all at the same time.
"Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet – I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!"
Harry's eyes widened at the unspoken implication that he should just forgive and forget. Judging by the anger radiating off of Ginny in waves, he figured that she caught it too. She started to detach herself from Harry's side and, from the slight narrowing of her eyes, it looked like she was to take some major retribution against Ron. But Harry didn't want her to be involved in this predicament so he quickly tightened his grip on her to prevent her from going after her brother. She looked up at him in surprise only to see him shake his head softly. He let go of the two girls and walked until he was about a foot away from Ron.
"Caught on have you?" said Harry coldly. "Took you long enough." Ron visibly flinched back from the ice in Harry's voice. "I suppose now that you see that I'm not doing this for some sort of fame trip and you understand that I did not put my name in the goblet that I should forgive you? Forget everything you have said and done for the past few weeks merely because you have come to your senses?" Harry's voice was rising, unheeding of the crowd that was around them.
"Harry…I –" Ron started but Harry didn't let him finish. Stepping forward quickly Harry planted his right fist hard into Ron's gut. With a great big whoosh of air, Ron fell to his knees, gasping and holding his midsection in pain. Hermione tried to step forward but Ginny held her back and several Hufflepuffs nodded in approval. Betraying one's friendship was not taken lightly among the loyal house.
Harry stood over Ron, coldly looking down on his friend as he gasped for air. "I should just leave things be," he said softly. "Just forget that we were ever friends and continue on with my life." Harry crossed his arms over his chest and let out a sigh. "But what kind of friend and person would that make me?" Harry held out one hand and helped Ron of the ground. "C'mon man, get up off the ground and let's go see what my scores were."
Ron looked at Harry nervously and spoke in a timid voice, "Does t-this mean…?"
Harry nodded, "Forget it, Ron. I forgive you." Ron gave him a huge grin and Hermione burst into tears. "There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her bewildered.
"You two are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling.
"Barking mad," Ron muttered, most of the guys in the crowd nodding along with him.
The fire was crackling merrily in the Gryffindor common room on this cold December night. Lieutenant Commander Katie Bell sat contentedly in one of the squashy arm chairs that littered the room. All the rest of Gryffindor had already gone to bed save her two commanding officers whom sat next to one another on the couch beside her. They were currently discussing the Yule ball and the extra security measures they were going to put up.
"Sinistra hasn't picked up on any large gatherings of Deatheaters so it is unlikely that there will be a large attack. We won't need anything other than passive defenses, a proximity sensor net and an alarm should suffice," Captain Ginny was saying.
"But we should be prepared for the worst," Harry countered. "If they are unneeded…oh well, but we would at least be ready for anything."
"It would be too obvious, Harry." Ginny protested. "Albus could catch on to what we're doing and then where will we be?"
Between the three of them sat the Maraduerer's Map. A device that the Commander had received last year that had quickly became an integral part in their protecting Hogwarts. It had been a slight concern however when Captain Ginny's name showed up as Potter that had them doubting if keeping the map at all was a good idea. The Commander had wanted to destroy it immediately, unwilling to have such a security breach that could put his wife in greater risk.
It had been Lieutenant Cedric who had came up with the brilliant idea to put a simple charm on the map so that any one who read Ginevra Potter would be tricked into thinking that they read Ginevra Weasley. A easy solution to a difficult problem, hopefully they could find one for the problems they were facing now.
"Sir, if I may?" Katie spoke up, directing her question towards Harry. Harry nodded for her to continue. "Sir, Lieutenant Sinistra asked for me to report this to you. Our actions have started to pick up the notice of several students who have connections with former Deatheaters, either their parents or someone else. They have been asking questions about your relationship with Captain Ginny and about any abilities you might have inadvertently shown over the years." She took a deep breath and paused, "Sinistra recommends that we do something to throw them off and keep all of our operations down to a minimum until we can move more freely about again."
Both of her commanding officers sat there in contemplation for a moment before Ginny spoke up, "Well, I guess this means I'll be going with someone else to the ball then." She turned towards Harry. "I think that it is time for you to develop an unrequited love, Harry, preferably one of the more popular girls in school. Lieutenant?"
"Cho Chang, ma'am" Katie answered, catching onto the plan. It was times like this that she really admired her commanding officers. Here was an opportunity for them to be together for at least one night without raising too much suspicion but they were going to put it aside and lose that chance, merely to keep each other a bit safer than usual. And their tactical minds were something else as well, the plan Ginny was proposing was simple and almost foolproof, Katie doubted that even Sinistra would be able to see through it. "She is one of the more popular girls and very attractive as well, nobody would blame a fourteen year old boy for trying."
"Good," Ginny continued, nodding slightly as she sketched out the details. "She'd be in your year right?" Katie nodded. "We'll have Lieutenant Diggory ask Chang to the ball and then Harry can do the same a few days later. When she turns him down Harry will be forced to go with some random person and that should throw off anybody who thinks that we have any type of relationship. Meanwhile I'll just go with whoever asks me."
"And he better behave himself," Harry growled. "Or we will have a little 'chat' over proper manners."
Ginny smiled, "It'll be okay, Harry. Just make sure you save me a dance at the ball okay?"
Katie piped up, "Yeah me too, Commander." Harry laughed at them both.
Harry greeted Hermione with a warm smile as she sat down next to where Harry and Ron were sitting. The ball was going fairly well as most dances go he had chatted amicably with several of the participants and danced with Parvati a few times. Looking around he saw Ginny making her way over to them with Neville from the other side of the hall.
"It's hot, isn't it?" said Hermione, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks."
Ron gave her a withering look. "Viktor?" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"
Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.
"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly. "I'm not going to tell you."
Hermione stared at him, then at Harry, who shrugged. "Ron what –"
"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Harry! Against Hogwarts! You – you're –" Ron was obviously casting around for words strong enough to describe Hermione's crime, "fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!" Harry was impressed; he didn't think Ron would have known what that word meant.
Hermione's mouth fell open. "Don't be so stupid!" she said after a moment. "The enemy! Honestly – who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph? Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?"
Ron chose to ignore this. "I suppose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?"
"Yes, he did," said Hermione, the pink patches on her cheeks glowing more brightly. "So what?"
"What happened – trying to get him to join spew, were you?"
Harry saw Ginny and Neville reach their table and sit down on his left side, across from the arguing Ron and Hermione. Ginny looked at the feuding pair and looked to Harry for an answer. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked back to his friends.
"No, I wasn't! If you really want to know, he – he said he'd been coming up to the library every day to try to talk to me, but he hadn't been able to pluck up the courage!" Hermione said this very quickly, and blushed so deeply that she was the same color as Parvati's robes.
"Yeah – well that's his story," said Ron nastily.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Obvious, isn't it? He's Karkaroff's student, isn't he? He knows who you hang around with….He's just trying to get closer to Harry – get inside information on him – or get near enough to jinx him –"
Harry, Ginny, and Neville all gave a collective wince at Ron's outburst. Harry didn't know if Ron realized it or not but he had just as well told Hermione that she wasn't pretty, intelligent, or important enough to attract the attention of Victor Krum on her own. That Harry was the only reason someone was paying any attention to her at all. Unwilling to stay and listen to the rest of the argument Harry stood and walked over to Ginny holding out his hand. "Would you do me the honor of having this dance, Ginny?" he asked her with a slight smile.
She smiled back and took his hand, "Of course, Harry."
He helped her up and turned to Neville. "You don't mind if I borrow your date for a bit, do you?"
"No, I'll go get us some drinks okay?" the slightly rotund boy spoke.
"Thank you, Neville," Harry said, leading Ginny to the dance floor. She was wearing resplendent robes of dark silver that mixed well with Harry's deep green ones. Not wanting to deal with wearing old fashioned second hand robes like Ron, Ginny had borrowed some of Katie's for the occasion. Harry had suggested that he buy her some new ones but she argued that it would be too suspicious. Either way, Harry thought she looked fantastic and told her so several times as they made their way to the center of the dance floor.
The Weird Sisters had just started playing an old wizarding classic at the request of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, who had also just walked out onto the dance floor. Harry and Ginny recognized both the tune and the dance that the two were dancing while a small circle formed around the aged teachers. Harry looked over at Ginny, eyes dancing and an impish grin on his face. "Shall we show them how it's done?" he asked with a smile.
"We can't give too much away, Harry," Ginny said back.
"Don't worry," Harry said with a laugh, "this is an old, traditional tune. Nobody will get too suspicious over us knowing about it." He took up one over her small hands in his and wrapped his other arm snugly around her waist. Ginny stepped closer to him, her free hand resting on his chest, eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Ready?" Harry asked. At seeing her nod, Harry waited for the correct strains in the music before stepping off into the moderate beat with a sure stride.
Dancing lessons were a requirement of all warrior mages, both the classical and modern style. Balls and ceremonies were common functions and the ability to blend in with a dancing crowd could allow one to gather a large amount of information. Harry had known that Ginny had always loved to dance and so took particular time to learn how to do it well during his sessions on Phoenix Isle.
The motions of the dance came unbidden to his mind as he led his beloved around the dance floor. Step, step, pause…step, twirl, step, reverse. The pair almost floated across the floor, their training enhancing the already graceful movements to the point on insubstantiality. It looked as if they were made of air and playing just as frivolously as the morning breeze through the blades of dew swept grass. Ginny's tinkling voice floated around them as she laughed in joy. Unbeknownst to either of them, the small circle that had previously surrounded Dumbledore and McGonagall had expanded to include Harry and Ginny as well. It was not until the final chord reverberated along the great hall and the music ebbed away that the two mages realized that they had unwittingly become part of the show.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore said as he and McGonagall made their way over. "A fine piece of dancing if I may say so, Mr. Potter, Miss. Weasley, I did not realize that traditional dances were still practiced by today's youth. Good job, both of you." At his side McGonagall nodded in agreement, proud that two of her Gryffindors were the ones that danced. A faint flush tended both of Harry's and Ginny's cheeks whether from the dance or embarrassment was unknown but Harry bowed slightly and Ginny gave a formal curtsy before they returned to the champions table. Ron was sitting sullenly, picking at the tablecloth with a fingernail and ignoring the world around him. When they asked about Hermione, his scowl deepened and he turned away. Shrugging it off as the result of the spat, Harry and Ginny sat down while Neville handed them both a butterbeer. Had they taken the time to look around more closely, they would have seen Hermione, standing at the other side of the hall, eyes narrowed, staring at the spot where Harry and Ginny had just been dancing.
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast on the day of the third task. The table was fairly noisy with talk of the upcoming task and the current tie between the two Hogwarts champions, Harry and Cedric. There were even a few betting propositions being given to one another among the students. Normally Hermione would have frowned upon such activities but the massive amount of money she heard being bet on Harry gave her pause. Just what were the chances of Harry coming out of this tournament on top?
When Hermione was a child, she could often be seen putting together a puzzle or reading some type of mystery novel. It was one of her favorite things to do. Take the pieces of something and find out how to put them together to see what they look like as a whole to solve the puzzle, the mystery. And right now, Harry was the mystery. She had been good friends with Harry for four years now and she knew his mannerisms and patterns. Years of correcting his homework and helping him with projects had given her a good view on how he thought and the way he did things. But lately her tapestry of Harry was coming undone and she didn't know why.
It had only been a few sporadic instances over the years, little things that she had brushed off at the time but now seemed to be very important. In her first year, under the trapdoor, Harry seemed to know exactly what he was doing and how to get there past all the traps. As if he could do it in a heartbeat but decided not to so she and Ron could prove themselves. And in their third year when Harry had confronted Sirius, she felt as if Harry wanted nothing better to do then snap his godfather like a twig and from the look on his face, Hermione had believed that he probably could.
It was this year more than all of them, however, that made Hermione rethink her ideas about Harry. During the Quidditch world cup and facing the dragon, he had seemed fearless in the face of injury or death. Later on after the first task, Hermione had asked Harry about his extreme courage and why he wasn't afraid of anything to which he replied with a smile on his face and a quote, "'Courage is doing what your afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.' Everybody, is afraid of something, Hermione. But we must control the fear; rule the fear lest it rules us."
That was yet another thing that was irking Hermione, Harry had always been fond of quotes but they now had deeper meanings to them than before. Several times, Hermione had seen his recent reports and papers written with a conciseness and grace that would make college students jealous. When Ron had stopped talking to him, he had handled it with a maturity that was almost shocking and given Hermione a new philosophy to contemplate while he was at it. All these instances started to make Harry seem too knowledgeable, too intelligent…too…too wise.
Hermione looked to her right where Ginny was sitting staring at Ron in disgust as he shoveled food into his mouth. The redheaded girl looked as if she had seen better days. Her entire face had a tired haggard look to it that was accentuated by the sleepy slump in her shoulders. Hermione knew that Ginny figured into this problem somehow as well. Little things kept happening between Harry and Ginny, like the dance at the Yule ball. The bushy haired student wasn't certain about what was going on but there seemed to be some sort of connection between her two friends.
She looked up and saw Harry sit down at the table across from Ginny looking just as tired and haggard. Ron gave a quick good morning before turning his full attention back to his breakfast. Harry loaded his plate with a few pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice before turning to look at Ginny.
Now, it should be said in their defense that both Harry and Ginny were extremely tired that morning having spent most of the night checking up on the defenses of the castle. So when they lapsed into conversation their subconscious minds took note that they were in the presence of others and took steps so their dialogue would not be understood. As it was though, their conscious minds were not exactly up to par so what they did next was a mistake.
"Kaigi no shishin o yomimashita ka." (Did you read the council's message?) Harry mumbled in flawless Japanese. Hermione was so shocked to hear Harry speaking a different language, let alone one as difficult to learn and master as Japanese, that she almost missed Ginny responding in kind.
"Hai, Davis-sanjikan wa anata o daikirai desu nee." (Yes, Elder Davis hates you, you know.) Now Hermione was really floored, Ginny was speaking Japanese as well! Hermione didn't know how or why they were speaking this language but she listened more attentively to what they were saying, hoping to derive something from their tones since she couldn't understand what they were saying.
"Komatte hito." (He is a nuisance.)
Ginny appeared to be thinking Harry's answer over before saying, "Anata no kurai o koga wa shinkokuka masu. Tori wa karau…" (When you reveal your position he could become a bigger problem. Will you deal with him?)
Harry shrugged, "Enakereba masu." (If necessary.) The conversation petered out as they continued to eat their breakfast while Hermione was thinking fast.
I knew that there was something going on with those two and this proves it! she thought excitedly. But what is going on, and how do they both know how to speak a different language? Hermione couldn't find any immediate answers though but she wouldn't leave it at that. She resolved to corner the pair and ask some questions after the tournament.
Harry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fell forward; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head. "Where are we?" he said. Harry expended a slight amount of energy to scan his immediate surroundings. He was acutely aware that his entire trek through the maze had been magically monitored and projected for the audiences in the stands to see. He had to be careful not to show any above average abilities that would attract the attention of his teachers.
Cedric helped his Commander to his feet, scanning the area with his eyes. He wasn't sure if this was part of the tournament or not but he was ready to protect his leader in this foreign place. They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles – perhaps hundreds of miles – for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of small church was visible be yond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.
Cedric looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry, "Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?" he asked.
"Nope," said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be apart of the task?"
"I dunno," said Cedric. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"
Harry nodded and pulled out his wand, turning around on his spot, scanning all the bushes for hidden adversaries. His back was in the direction Cedric was looking when he felt a spell being hurdled towards him. He spun around on his good foot to see a bright green light rushing through the air towards him.
"Sir!" Cedric called out and dived into the path of the deadly spell.
It felt like an eternity. Like the entire world was slowing down as the distance between his Lieutenant and the killing curse shrunk. Harry could count the individual beads of sweat and see the fierce look of determination on Cedric's face. He heard the wind whistling through the blades of grass. It was forever and it was an instant. Cedric dropped to the ground in front of Harry…dead.
Harry had seen dead people before but those people had been enemies. People who lead despicable lives and preyed on the innocent, people who deserved death. Seeing the blank look in Cedric's wide open eyes brought back images of the Phoenix's Accession. He felt the blood running down his leg and heard the song, that eerie yet beautifully haunting melody of the immortal bird. In his shock, Harry barley noticed the short man binding him to a headstone engraved, TOM RIDDLE.
The cloaked man was conjuring tight cords around Harry, tying him from neck to ankles to the headstone. Harry could hear shallow, fast breathing from the depths of the hood; he struggled, and the man hit him across the jaw – hit him with a hand that had a finger missing. And Harry realized who was under the hood. It was Wormtail. "You!" he gasped.
But Wormtail, who had finished conjuring ropes, did not reply; he was busy checking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, fumbling over the knots. Once sure that Harry was bound so tightly to the head stone that he couldn't move an inch. Wormtail drew a length of some black material from the inside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth; then, without a word, he turned from Harry and hurried away. Harry couldn't make a sound, nor could he see where Wormtail had gone; he couldn't turn his head to see beyond the headstone; he could only see what was right in front of him.
Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. A little ways beyond him, glinting in the starlight, lay the Triwizard Cup. Harry's wand was on the ground at Cedric's feet. A rage began to build up in Harry like never before. He thrice cursed the betrayer and his Lord for all the pain and horror that they had caused. He wanted nothing more than to blast the sniveling Wormtail into oblivion but whether it was purposeful or not, Wormtail had bound him in such a way that Harry could do nothing. With his body bound this tightly, Harry could not use his hand or body to direct any spells and the ones powerful enough to burn the ropes or shatter the tombstone without any direction required an incantation. Harry was helpless and each minute that passed, more blood ran freely from his injured leg.
He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. Wormtail's fast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. It sounded as though he was forcing something heavy across the ground. Then he came back within Harry's range of vision, and Harry saw him pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of the grave. It was full of what seemed to be water – Harry could hear it slopping around – and it was larger than any cauldron Harry had ever used; a great stone belly large enough for a full-grown man to sit in.
The thing inside the bundle that Harry had noticed earlier was stirring more persistently, as though it was trying to free itself. Now Wormtail was busying himself at the bottom of the cauldron with a wand. Suddenly there were crackling flames beneath it. The large snake slithered away into the darkness. The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface not only began to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movements beneath the robe became more agitated and Harry heard a high cold voice emit from their depths, "Hurry!"
The whole surface of water was alight with sparks now. It might have been encrusted with diamonds. "It is ready, Master."
"Now…" said the cold voice. Wormtail pulled open the bundle of robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them, and Harry felt his stomach churn at the sight. It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy, and blind – but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face – no child alive ever had a face like that – flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.
The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, and Harry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.
Harry wished with all his might that he could do something, anything to stop what was coming to pass. Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond his wits. When I get down from here…Harry growled. I will give him something to truly be afraid of. Killing out of revenge…I won't do, but killing to save innocent lives… Harry let his thoughts trail of and watched as Wormtail raised his wand and spoke to the night.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue. Harry knew that this ritual had to be of Voldemort's making. Very few spells were in modern English.
And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs. "Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive – your master." He stretched his right hand out in front of him – the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward.
Harry watched as Wormtail cut cleanly through his arm at the wrist and heard his scream piercing through the air. He heard the hand hit the ground , heard Wormtail's anguished panting, heard the splash of water as the hand was added to the cauldron. The potion burned a bright red, lighting up the night. Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. He slowly made his way in front of Harry.
"Blood of the enemy…forcibly taken…you will…resurrect your foe."
Harry could do nothing to prevent it, he was too tightly tied….Squinting down, struggling against the ropes, ignoring the pain that shot up through his leg with every movement, Harry saw the shining silver dagger in Wormtail's remaining hand. He felt its point penetrate the crook of his right arm and blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes. Wormtail, still panting with pain, fumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to Harry's cut so that some of his blood fell into it. Harry hopped that he would get a chance to escape soon or he was going to pass out from blood loss alone.
Wormtail staggered back to the cauldron with Harry's blood and poured it in. The liquid within instantly turned a blinding white. Wormtail, his job done dropped to his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways, and lay on the ground, cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing. The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing else happened….
And then suddenly , the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric or anything but vapor hanging in the air. But then, through the mist in front of him he saw the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.
"Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up and pulled them one-handed over his master's head. The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry…and Harry stared back into the face that he had seen in nightmares. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils…Lord Voldemort had risen again.
Katie didn't know what to do. One of her commanding officers had disappeared almost an hour ago from the middle of the maze and the other was currently on her knees in obvious pain. It was at times like this that she was thankful for all the training that she was put through to become a warrior mage. First order of business: secure superiors to a safe location. She knelt by Ginny's side and helped her to her feet muttering into her ear, "We have to get you to a safe location, Ma'am. We don't know if there will be another kidnapping attempt or not. We need to get you out of here."
Ginny couldn't say anything back and followed her Lieutenant like a limp doll. Katie only caught a mumble, "…Harry?"
"Lieutenant Diggory is with the Commander, Ma'am. He will be fine." Katie prayed that this was true. Harry was one of the strongest mages and fighters she had ever seen but they could have been transported into any type of situation. What really worried her was the fact that neither of them had returned yet. They could have simply teleported back to the school the moment they got there if the situation was bad. Harry would reveal themselves to be mages if he had to, but only if he had too.
Katie led Ginny out of the crowds and down the stairwells of the Quidditch stands that lead to ground level. Several people gave them curious glances as they rushed their way down and a few Gryffindors even called out to them but Katie ignored them, intent on getting Ginny to a safer location. At the bottom of the steps, as they broke out onto the ground of the pitch itself, Ginny gave out another cry and fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. "Captain? Captain?" Katie asked frantically.
"Uhhh…" Ginny moaned. "T-the bond…Phoenix…."
Katie couldn't understand what Ginny was talking about but figured it had something to do with her husband. She knew about the soul bond the two shared but hadn't realized that it had ran so deep as conveying pain and emotion between the two. Regardless though, they were still too exposed here and needed to get moving. She had just gotten Ginny to her feet again and moving when she saw the bright flash that indicated teleportation magic.
She looked to the disturbance and saw the Lord Phoenix holding onto the Triwizard Cup and onto…onto…onto Cedric's dead body! Harry looked like he had seen better days, bleeding from several cuts along his body and dirt smudged all over his face. Ginny gave a small gasp and started to run over to her husband, frantic to reach him. Katie saw this and stopped her though. Harry had so far managed to prevent anyone from determining their secrets and he probably wouldn't want Ginny to reveal anything either.
Ginny struggled as much as she could against Katie's hold but couldn't break free. "It's alright, Ma'am," Katie whispered soothingly. "The Commander is fine, if a little banged up. We'll see him soon, after Pomfrey has fixed him up, so don't worry, we'll see him soon…" Her words seemed to penetrate Ginny's mind and the redhead began to calm down. A look of fire began to form in her eyes and Katie could understand what she was feeling. Whoever hurt the Commander like this, thought Katie, is going to have a lot to answer for. And we aren't going to make it pleasant.
Warden's Rants:
Websites: I have finished posting my new website an I do hope that everybody will come take a look at it. It will be updated and maintained with more diligence and frequency than FFnet or the others. Plus I will post the other things that FFnet does not allow such as FAQs, Character lists, and the like. Drop me a line and tell me what you think. (www(dot)wardens-watch(dot)com)
Also the Yahoo Groups site is up. I have yet to make a forum or mailing list on my personal website but this should suffice for now. If you want to get in on the list come to: (groups.yahoo(dot)com/group/wardens-watch ).
Outline: Rejoice! For I have taken some time and written out a fully detailed outline from beginning to end for The Bonded. It should help me get the rest of the chapters out faster but we'll just have to see.
Questions: Oh, man did I get a lot of questions this time. I have tried to answer most of them in the story but I think that some of them should be considered in more detail. If you wish, visit the FAQ section in my website and I will explain just about any question to your hearts content.
Tytianne's Rants
Hermione's Mystery Case: Who else would be the one to start seeing the little oddities about our two War Mages?
Hmm…I don't have much to rant about this time other than real life. I think, however, that I'll spare you guys the idiotic details of that. Just know that I'm about to tell Real Life to take a hike for a day or two. REALLY looking forward to that. Hehehe.